In early May, McKenzie Mayor Ryan Griffin implored the community on the City of McKenzie Facebook page, asking them to participate in a survey with one major goal in mind: rebranding McKenzie. more

McKENZIE (MAY 31) — Lynn Watkins was honored for his service during a non-business, informal gathering of the McKenzie Board of Education on Wednesday, May 31 at the Board of Education office. more

Erika Cole introduced a new class to young minds this summer: Español with Señora Cole. The McKenzie High School Spanish instructor opened her classroom for students, ages 6-11, to learn Spanish and Mexican culture. more

Carroll Arts gathered some of Carroll County’s most talented residents Saturday, June 10, and placed them inside McKenzie’s First Cumberland Presbyterian Church for the annual Evening with Carroll Arts exhibition. The exhibition showcases visual, instrumental and vocal talents, all nominated by members and friends of the Carroll Arts organization, and is free to attendees. more

McKenzie’s Senior Citizens Center hosted a Shrimp Boil Saturday, June 10. 67 meal tickets were sold prior to the event. more

Three weeks after the TCAP English/language arts (ELA) scores revealed that more than half of Tennessee’s third-grade students faced high retention risks, the Tennessee Department of Education released a new chart representing students from each school district who decided to retake the assessment. more

The McKenzie High School Alumni Association held its first official meeting Thursday, June 8, in the McKenzie High School Theater. Brad Camp, Class of 1983, led the meeting and reviewed the organizations new bylaws and committees. Attendees were urged to sign in via a Google Form where they inputted their names, email addresses and phone numbers for contact. They also answered when they graduated from McKenzie High School, their involvement in school organizations, and if they would be interested in joining a committee. more

After a series of tornadoes hit West Tennessee on December 11, 2021, Carey Counseling Center responded to local communities and schools. The organization sent social workers and licensed counselors to help children and families learn how to cope and talk through their concerns and anxieties following the natural disaster. more

Twelve elementary-aged students attended a cooking class at Cedar Street Studio in downtown McKenzie Tuesday, June 6. This is the first of many skills classes to be taught in the new studio owned by Urban Trading Company’s Ashley Bell. more

Carroll County native Ashley Horn was promoted to Vice President of Marketing and Communications at L.I. Smith & Associates (LIS) in early May. LIS is a land surveying and civil engineering company in Paris and Nashville. Horn works at the Paris office. more

McKENZIE (June 6) — Mayor Ryan Griffin was the featured speaker at the Rotary Club of McKenzie on Tuesday, June 6. more

JACKSON — West Tennessee’s blood supply is at an extremely low level, according to LIFELINE Blood Services. The organization continues its Critical Appeal for the third week, requesting blood types O positive, O negative, A positive, A negative, B positive and B negative right away. more

The Carroll County Library hosts multiple educational events to promote activity and reading to children (and adults) this June and July. This year’s Summer Reading Program theme, chosen by the Collaborative Summer Library Program, is “All Together Now,” which advocates kindness, unity and friendship among library-goers. more

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville announced its second cohort of Distinguished Tennessean Scholars on May 26. UT launched the Distinguished Tennessean Scholarship in fall 2022 with the goal of awarding a tuition and mandatory fees scholarship, renewable for four years, to one outstanding student from each county across the state. more

Players, coaches and parents of the Lady Rebels softball team gathered inside Hometown Hangout June 11 for a bittersweet end-of-season banquet. It marked the end of Kristi Brown’s last season as head coach of McKenzie High School softball. more

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville released its Spring 2023 Dean’s List Tuesday, May 30. The Dean’s List recognizes the dedication required, and the contributions each student makes to the Knoxville campus and community. Several students from Carroll, Henry and Weakley counties made the spring list. more

JACKSON — Union University’s spring commencement honored 495 graduates on May 6. Nine of the 495 students are from Carroll County. more

SEARCY, Ark. — More than 600 students, including two students from Weakley County, received diplomas and were recognized as Harding University graduates for Spring 2023 during a commencement ceremony on May 6, 2023. more

JACKSON — Students from Carroll, Henry and Weakley counties were honored on Union University’s President’s List and Dean’s List for the spring 2023 semester. more

The University of Mississippi announced students named to its Spring 2023 Chancellor’s Honor Roll and Dean’s Honor Roll. Six local students made the lists. more