FACING CHALLENGES, HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION—Brittany Newton (second from left), interim city manager for the City
of Martin, spoke with Kiwanis members at the Aug. 5 meeting and said that the city is facing challenges but a five-year plan is in place and departments are working together to move forward in the right direction.  Newton outlined some of the recent changes in city government, including the hiring of William Carr as the new city recorder and Jenny Claiborne as the director of Martin Public Library. She said the city is getting ready to hire a building inspector and that the next big hire will be the director of community development.  In her remarks, Newton discussed ongoing projects such as the paving of Hunter Drive and the new water lines in the area near Hampton Inn, where apartments are under construction. She also highlighted additional positive actions supported in part by the city: the back-to-school event scheduled for Aug. 8 at the Farmers Market, the 99th annual Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church Homecoming to be held in Virginia Weldon Park on Aug. 15, and the Grassroots Soybean Festival to be held Sept. 8-12 in Virginia Weldon Park. Pictured with Brittany are (l-r) Jim Clark, who presided at the Kiwanis meeting and presented a certificate of appreciation to Newton; Bill Austin, Kiwanis program chair for August; and Alisse Kirk, interim city recorder and administrative specialist for Park and Recreation.

# kids registered to fish 107

# fish caught   278

Most caught by 1 person  27,  2^nd was 23

Heaviest fish caught was 6.1 lbs. 

We have several fish in the 2 – 5 lbs category.

Longest fish was 27 inches

Shortest was 6 inchers

     Heaviest Fish    Harper Stesnly

     Longest Fish     Trevor Black

   Most Fish        Annslee Smith

   Heaviest Fish   Haiben Powers

   Longest Fish    Drake Kirk

   Shortest Fish   Ean Bennett

   Ugliest Fish      Kyler Mansfield

   Most Fish        Kenna Smith

   Heaviest Fish   Ava Reeves

   Longest Fish    Knox Nanney

   Shortest Fish   Autumn Johnson

   Ugliest Fish      Braylen Coon

   Best Dressed   Emma Reeves

   Most Fish        Emmitt Rodriguez

   Heaviest Fish   Louie Hernedez

   Longest Fish    Nash Bennett

   Shortest Fish   Jenna Dawson

   Ugliest Fish      Carson Jahr

   Best Dressed   Dayonna Oyuela

   Most Fish        Teague Springer  

   Heaviest Fish   Cold Ryan

   Longest Fish    Ezra Ricketts

   Shortest Fish   Amora Jahr

   Ugliest Fish      Mason Winn

   Best dressed   Valerie Sanchez

Dr. Mary Radford (center), professor and chair of the Department of Nursing at UT Martin, was the featured speaker at the May 6 meeting of the Martin Kiwanis Club. She highlighted details about the Mobile Health Education Unit van that is making an impact in West Tennessee. This unit, launched in October 2025, is a specialized health program designed to serve rural Tennessee communities, enhance nursing education, and facilitate community outreach.  She said that the mobile unit provides health screenings and education, strengthening rural health access in partnership with the UT System and local entities. Dr. Radford also explained that this unit is a teaching tool for nursing students while providing education to underserved areas. Additionally, Dr. Radford shared details about the rural nurse scholars program and the continued success of UT Martin students who graduate with a degree in nursing.  Dr. Radford was introduced by Linda Luther (left), Kiwanis program chair for May and a retired faculty member from the Department of Nursing.  Kiwanis president Katie Parr (right) presented Dr. Radford a certificate of appreciation showing that a donation will be made in her honor to the Weakley County Prevention Coalition.

Two members of the Math Craft Lab at UT Martin—Barbara Kunkel (third from left) and Shelly Long (second from right)—highlighted in a March 4 presentation for Kiwanis the many creative and engaging ways mathematics comes to life through hands-on activities, outreach and community programming.  This presentation showcased how math can be fun, accessible, and inspiring for learners of all ages as all Kiwanis members present worked with folding and cutting a Mobius Strip. The Mobius strip, the presenters explained, is a key concept in topology and has practical application in engineering for creating wear-resistant belts. Steve Elliott (second from left), chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, described how the Math Craft Lab was created and the excitement this outreach has generated. The speakers were introduced by Earl Wright (left), Kiwanis program chair for March.  Laura Taylor, Kiwanis past president, presented a certificate of appreciation to the speakers and said that a donation will be made in their honor to the Weakley County Prevention Coalition.