Today, Union City Police Chief Joe Garner visits with up-dates and other information concerning local and state law enforcement.

Chief Garner is a Tennessee native, holding a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin. He is also a graduate of the 188th Session of the F.B.I. National Academy and a 1997 Graduate of the Rural Executive Management Institute and has served as a Tennessee Law Enforcement Officer for over 32 years and has been the Chief of Police for the City of Union City for over 15 years.

Our Police Chief wears two hats. He also serves as a Colonel assigned as the Director of Military Support for the Joint Force Headquarters of the Tennessee Army National Guard located in Nashville. Colonel Garner is a graduate of the Advanced Joint Professional Military education Course at the Joint Forces College, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the Armor Officer Advance Course & the Infantry Officers Basic Course.

His military awards and decorations include the Expert Infantry Badge, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (two awards) , Air Force Commendation Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal (three awards) the National Defense Medal, and other assorted federal and state awards.

Chief Garner is eagerly looking forward to his military retirement effective June of 2009. He and his wife Cathy are also looking forward to some extra time with their five children and nine grand children.

Next Week, there will be no Friday March 6th meeting of Union City Rotary, due to the Thursday Evening Ladies Night which is scheduled for March 5th. This will be a nice social evening of dinner and entertainment for Rotarians and guests. Social time will be from 6:00 to 6:30. Dinner to follow at 6:30. Delicious meal and table decoration by Sasafraz. Evening dinner and social time entertainment by pianist Harold Johnson from UT Martin’s Music Department. He will play a variety of easy listening songs.

Rotarians, wives, girlfriends, guests and Widows of past Rotarians will be guests of the club.

We can thank Randy Barns for a lot of hard work arranging this program and hope that all will participate, however you must sign up before March 5th. Randy says he must have an accurate head count. There were sheets on the tables last week and will also be on the tables this week in order that you may sign up while at the meeting. You may also e-mail Randy and sign up over the net by contacting him at rbarnes@utm.edu, or you may call him at 885-7257.

Let’s all contact Randy and enjoy this special evening and show your spouse, girlfriend, guest, how much they are appreciated.

Last Week, Dr. Stan Dungan visited Rotary and left us with some un-easy feelings as he talked about the New Madrid Seismic zone and the number of earth quakes this area experienced in the past six months alone, and also the big scare as he discussed the "Big One", and the aftermath of such an Earth Quake.

He began by showing a map of the zone and the counties it would effect if and when the fault gives-way. "The area is wide spread, covering portions of 5 or 6 states, and an even broader area will feel the movement of the earth", he said.

He said a 7.2 earth quake in the New Madrid Fault would release 1,000, times the energy released in the earth quake experienced in IL. last April.

He also went into some detail of what happened over a two month period of the big quake back in 1811-1812, he said there were over 200 seismic events during those two months. "A lot of those quakes were large and at least six of them were greater than a 7" he said, and some of them were right at an 8.

Dr. Dungan said there are quakes in California and Alaska that could reach a 7 or an 8, but they do not cause as much damage as quake of the same magnitude in our area, because we have a much more concentrated soil base, therefore the earth carries the movement much farther and at a much greater destructive force.

"Our buildings are not constructed to carry such a movement" he said, and even the ones that are will be damaged due to water being forced to the surface, so therefore there will be much destruction of buildings, houses, roads, utilities, such as electricity, water lines, gas lines and such. He also said we must be prepared to be without these conveniences for quite some time, as it will take months to repair them and get them back into a serviceable state.

Mar. 05 - Thursday - Ladies Night

Mar. 06 - No Meeting

Mar. 13 - Kid’s Day - Larry Mink, local Magician will be entertaining

Mar. 20 - Jo Ann Speers - Update on the Airport

Troy Arnold

Jim Prather