From farmer to businessman

by MATT HUGHES
J-E Editor
The Downtown Market in Slaughters is alive with activity most mornings as farmers drop in for coffee and breakfast before they begin their day’s labor in the field. Located on US 41, just a few hundred feet from Crop Production Services and just a few miles from the bulk of Webster County’s eastern farm land, it’s perfectly located to be a hub in the farming community.

That makes it fitting that the business’s new owner is himself a farmer.
Jacob Joiner, who lives between Sebree and the small community of Onton, has raised tobacco for several years, and intends to continue doing so despite stepping into the business world.

Raise the Road: Funding available for Slaughters Project

by MATT HUGHES

J-E Editor

According to information presented to the Webster County Fiscal Court earlier this month, the small but troublesome stretch of Highway 138 between the CSX railroad crossing and the city of Slaughters may be getting a complete overhaul soon. 

Slaughter's Tractor Day Today!!!!!

by MATT HUGHES

J-E News Editor

The city of Slaughters will hold it’s first ever ‘Tractor Day’ today in conjunction with Independence Bank’s annual Tractor Ride.

The inaugural event will be kicking off at 2:00 p.m. The planned activities, which will be held between 2:00-4:30 p.m. include: bingo; a duck pond; corn hole; softball throw; cupcake walk; inflatables; bubbles; face painting; water balloon catch; and hay bale treasure. There will also be a meal from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a softball game to take place at 5:00 p.m. There will be a church service held at 6:00 p.m.

Slaughters commissioners discuss ‘Tractor Day’

New festival expected to draw crowds on August 3

by MATT HUGHES

J-E News Editor

Slaughters city commission met last Tuesday night for their regularly scheduled meeting. Among other items on the agenda was a discussion of ‘Tractor Days’, a new festival the city has planned to hold in conjunction with Independence Bank’s annual Tractor Ride.

Slaughters Commission discusses nuisance properties

by MATT HUGHES

J-E News Editor

Slaughters Commission met for their regular monthly meeting last Tuesday. During the public appeals portion of the meeting, commissioners heard from Sheila Hughes, the custodian of a piece of property in the city. She reported that she recently received a letter from the city asking for the property to be mowed.

Fiscal Court unanimously votes to cut tree near Slaughters

Property owner threatens legal action

by MATT HUGHES

J-E News Editor

The battle over a tree growing along side Hester-Winstead Road near Slaughters has once again become a hot button issue for the Webster County Fiscal Court and a pair of neighbors whose families have lived near each other for generations, following a 3-0 vote by magistrates to cut the tree down.

Hester-Winstead Road, a narrow one-lane road that runs from Slaughters Cemetery Road to a dead-end, has been on the county road plan for many years. There are only a handful of houses on the road, but it is traveled regularly by a Webster County School Bus.

Slaughters moving on Festival Plans

by Matt Hughes

J-E News Editor

The Slaughters City Commission met on Tuesday night in a meeting rescheduled from the week before due to snow.

The main item on the agenda was a meeting with Debbie Winstead of Independence Bank to discuss the future of a festival being planned for the Slaughters area.

Independence Bank sponsors an annual Tractor Ride in each of the five counties in which their branches are located. Last year, the first time the event was held in Slaughters, 57 tractors participated in a tractor show and 39 took part in a ride through 16 miles of rural Webster County.

This year the city is looking to get more involved in the event.

“What we talked about was expanding the tractor ride to be more of a community event,” said Winstead. “We are going to focus on starting small by incorporating different church groups from around the area who want to take part.”

She explained that invitations will be sent to the various churches around the Slaughters area asking them to take part. Each church will have a representative on the festival committee, which will make the decisions.

“I’m strictly going to do the tractor show and drive,” said Winstead, who will serve on the committee “They are going to organize an event with food booths and a ‘fall festival’ type atmosphere.”

Mayor Jeff Coomes has been wanting to start a festival in Slaughters for a number of years, and when a Slaughters citizen came to him with the idea of incorporating the Independence Bank Tractor Day, he jumped at the idea.

Winstead said that she proposed the first Saturday in August for the event, but scheduling will be up to the committee, which will meet in the next month.

Slaughters Commission votes to raise water rates

by Matt Hughes

J-E News Editor

The Slaughters Commission met earlier this month at the Slaughter’s city office building.

The commission accept edthe second reading of the amendment to raise water rates to $23.90 inside city limits for minimum 2,000 gallon usage, $25.90 outside city limits for minimum 2,000 gallon usage, and $31.50 commercial rates for minimum 2,000 gallon usage effective February 1, 2014.  Usage rates over 2,000 gallons will not change.

In other business, commissioners turned a nuisance violation over to the city attorney. According to city clerk Terry Link there is a dilapidated building in town that has become a safety hazard.

The commission tabled discussion of creating an event called Tractor Days. Last year Independence Bank sponsored a Tractor Ride that started in Slaughters. This year the city is looking to work with the bank to create an event called ‘Tractor Days’ to go along with the tractor ride.

“The other communities in Webster County all have a celebration and the commission is trying to come up with something for Slaughters,” said Link. “Debbie Winstead of Independence Bank will be meeting with the board at the February meeting to discuss date and activities.”

Slaughters Commission meetings are held at 6:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month.