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Alderman charged with sexual assault By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com COVINGTON – A Brighton alderman was arrested Wednesday afternoon and charged with sexually assaulting minors, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported. Walter E. “Booster” Blalack, 206 E. Woodlawn, was arrested on charges he forcibly fondled
two minors. According to warrants filed in Tipton County, Blalack, who is a real estate agent, is accused of touching the genitals of minors he’d hired to care for properties he was selling. The accusations allege the inappropriate behavior took place on more than one occasion. They also state Blalack forced at least one victim to reciprocate.
The accusations have been under investigation by the TBI and the office of the district attorney. TBI spokesperson Kristin Helm said Blalack was charged with sexual battery by an authority figure, solicitation of a minor, sexual battery and forcible fondling. At press time, city officials could not be reached for com-
ment nor confirmation of Blalack’s time served on the board. He was re-elected in 2008. Officials say Blalack has been released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, May 24. District Attorney General Mike Dunavant said only two victims have come forward in the case. The Leader will report more as details emerge.
W.E. “BOOSTER” BLALACK
SCHOOLS
Testing changes spring break Higher rate of absences reported Monday By TYLER LINDSEY tlindsey@covingtonleader.com It’s that time of year that nearly every student, faculty and staff member and administrator look forward to all year long: spring break. Usually Tipton County citizens can count on having five days off in a row, Monday-Friday, for spring break, but not this year. Tipton County schools were in session on Monday, April 18, the first day of the spring break week. Next Monday, April 25, the break will be concluded as it’s the last day off before school resumes to finish out the year. Buddy Bibb, director of operations of the Tipton County school system, reported that this abnormality in the academic calendar resulted from a change in the dates on which the TCAP examination were to be administered. Last year, the Tennessee Department of Education established a two-week window in which TCAP can be given. After the Tipton County school system established their academic calendar, which included the spring break dates, federal laws changed. Federal laws now dictate more mandatory instructional days prior to the test which caused the TCAP test dates to be rescheduled around a week later. Because of extended mandatory make-up days, school was in session on Monday, April 18, and will be out on Monday, April 25. The staggering of spring break dates into two different weeks seems to have caused a bulge in absentees among the student population. Reportedly, 30 percent of the students in Tipton County schools were absent on Monday. Susan Smith of Atoka has two children at Covington Integrated Arts Academy and two children at Brighton Middle School, only one of which went to school on Monday. “There was no one there. The students who showed up were just kept occupied by the teachers by showing movies. It was ridiculous,” she said. The TCAP testing, however, was said to have been a great success. “We finished TCAP in a timely manner and have it behind us now,” said curriculum director Georgia Dawson.
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SALVAGING Bill Anderson and Jackie Walker look on as Bob McFarland, left, and Shane Waits, right, remove a window from the former town hall
building. Below, Walker and Anderson inspect bricks. Photos by Echo Day
Pieces of history By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com
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ith the planned demolition of the former town hall building, tonight a piece of Atoka’s history will soon become a memory of its past. “I would have liked to have saved it,” said mayor Daryl Walker. “Economically, for the taxpayers, this is the best thing.” Located at the corner of Atoka-Munford Avenue and Main Street, the building was constructed in 1928, after the town was destroyed by a tornado, and was originally the Quisenberry Store. The other half, local historians say, was rented by Clyde Wyatt Walker, uncle to former Atoka mayor Charles L. Walker. Home to a post office and polls, the store became the center of city operations 40 years ago. Town Hall moved to its current location, 334 Atoka-Munford Avenue, in the 1990s. The building has been vacant for a number of years and with the town’s centennial celebration approaching, city officials wanted to revive one of its landmarks, turning it into a museum, for instance. SEE ATOKA, PAGE A3
COMMUNITY
Project making impact in Munford, Atoka By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com Completing service projects in the south cities, Genesis Church has been making its mark by making love its mission this week. And the church’s Love Now project has certainly made an impact in Tipton County. Inspired by similar projects at other churches, lead pastor Bodie Young said he believed community service should be in the DNA
of his church. “We wanted to be intimately connected to our community,” he said. “No gimmicks, no strings attached.” The church, which began in December 2010, meets at Cineplanet 16. With an estimated 60-70 members – whom they call partners – in attendance each Sunday, the congregation meets in what Young calls a portable church that is centrally located and easy to find.
Its portability supports its vision. “One thing we focus on is being outside the church building so people far from God can experience a new beginning,” said Young. “That’s what ‘genesis’ means.” Since Friday, April 15, Genesis’ partners have hosted a community movie night in Walker Park and community wide barbecues; assisted with Easter egg hunts; fed teachers, police officers and firefight-
ers; and even landscaped an Atoka park. Young said the projects are meant to fulfill needs in the community as well as show the dedication of the church to its community. “If you go into any church, they’ll love on you. They’ll love on you while you’re there. We want to minister to people where they are now, to love them now.” He said the response to the projects has been “unbeSEE LOVE, PAGE A3
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Thisweek’s week’s Featured Church: This featured church: Covington • Barretville • Millington • Collierville South Tipton • South Covington Mortgage Offices: South Tipton • Millington • South Covington • Collierville
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Hosanna Tabernacle of Praise TurntotoPage Page A7 details Turn A7forfor details
4/30/11 6 p.m. Carl Perkins Child Abuse Prevention Banquet National Guard Armory 5/7/11 7 p.m. Music on the Square – Ronnie Twisdale Court Square – Covington
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