News 2011

The Dekalb Telephone Cooperative will host its annual meeting on SaturdaySeptember 17th at the Dekalb County Fairgrounds in Alexandria.
At the meeting, directors will be elected in three exchanges, including
the Milton, Norene, and Woodbury exchanges.
Voting for directors will take place at the cooperative’s annual meeting
on Saturday September 17th. Thursday September 8th will be the last day
to make changes to your membership for the 2011 election.
Only DTC members may vote and each member must present identification.
For a single membership only that individual may vote. Either member of a
joint membership may vote, but not both. In the case of a business
membership, a business affidavit is required.
Individuals interested in becoming a candidate for a director’s position
must meet the qualifications as defined in the bylaws and submit a
petition by 5:00 on August 3rd
For questions regarding membership and voting guidelines, refer to the
by-laws section included in the current DTC phone directory.

Last week on our WBRY newscasts, we spotlighted things parents wishschools and teachers would do to help their children be successful in
school. This week we spotlight things that schools and teachers wish
parents would do to help their children be successful in school.
1. Establish a daily family routine, including healthy eating and sleeping habits.
2. Build their child’s self-esteem by expressing interest in the child’s schoolwork and affirming the child’s worth through positive messages.
3. Communicate openly with the school and contact the school when they are aware of issues concerning their child’s school success.
4. Set high and realistic standards for their child.
5. Check on homework regularly and ask questions about their child’s work.
6. Read or talk with their child. Connect everyday experiences to what is being learned in school.
7. Express high but realistic expectations for their child.
8. Use community learning opportunities. Expose their child to the library, museums, the theater, concerts, etc. Encourage their child to join clubs, scouts, after-school sports or fine arts, and other community programs.
9. Monitor out-of-school activities and set expectations for appropriate behavior.
10. Model learning at home by playing games, reading newspapers or magazines, and discussing current events.

Cannon County started the fourth of July celebration this past weekendwith a successful Fireworks show and Lions Club horse show. Now it’s time
for the rest of the area to celebrate the Fourth Of July.
Celebration Under the Stars will be held at McKnight Park besides Sports
Com at DeJarnette Lane beginning at 5 p.m. Monday, with family games and
activities lasting until 8 p.m. The colors will be presented and a singing
of the national anthem will take place from 8 to 9 p.m. with the
Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra. Fireworks will begin at 9 p.m.
Rock the Pool at SportsCom will take place from 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., with
music, games, prizes and free water exercise demonstrations from 10 a.m.
to 5:45 p.m. The fee is SportsCom water park admission.
The Stones River Chapter of the Military Officer’s Association of America
will be collecting old, unused or broken cell phones and recycling them in
exchange for prepaid phone cards for use by our troops in Afghanistan.
They will have drop boxes at McKnight park during the July Fourth
activities. Parking will be available at McKnight Park and Rover will be
running shuttles from Irongate Boulevard by the post office.
Other fireworks shows around the Cannon County area tonight include a
fireworks show starting at 9 tonight at the Manchester Recreation Complex
Area in Manchester Tennessee. City of McMinnville and Warren County will
have their fireworks show also starting at 9:00 at the McMinnville Civic
Center

State Fire Marshal and Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak wants to remind Tennesseans that, while fireworks are a traditional part of Fourth of July celebrations, many people are seriously injured each year by their careless use.“We would encourage you to enjoy the holiday at a public display presented by trained professionals,” says McPeak, “where compliance with state-of-the-art fire codes offers a safer way to celebrate our nation’s independence.” July is Fireworks Eye Safety Awareness Month, and the State Fire Marshal’s office is partnering with the Tennessee Academy of Ophthalmology to raise fire safety awareness across the state.
If consumer fireworks are legal where you live and you decide to set them off on your own, be sure to follow these important safety tips:
• Never allow children to handle or ignite fireworks.
• Read and follow all warnings and instructions.
• Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks.
• Only light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface away from homes, dry leaves and flammable materials.
• Never try to relight fireworks that have not fully functioned.
• Keep a bucket of water and a garden hose nearby in case of a malfunction or fire.
• Like matches and lighters, sparklers are not toys and cause hundreds of injuries every year. Sparklers burn hot, can reach temperatures as high as 1,200° F, and stay hot long after they’ve burned out. You wouldn’t hand a matchbook or lighter to a child to wave around or play with – so, don’t give a child a sparkler.
Fireworks can be dangerous, causing serious burn and eye injuries. A 2007 law prevents children under 16 from purchasing fireworks; and those who are age 16 or 17 must present a photo ID to purchase them. Also worth noting: A law passed this year that goes into effect July 1 reclassifies sky lanterns as special fireworks exclusively for use by commercial operators, and bans both their sale to and use by private consumers.

Nice weather, cookouts and gatherings are the perfect recipe for summer good times. The State Fire Marshal’s Office wants to remind Tennesseans that cooking safety is important, whether indoors or outdoors. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), gas and charcoal grills cause an average of 900 home structure fires and 3,500 home outdoor fires each year. “By all means, enjoy the weather and the cookouts,” says State Fire Marshal Julie Mix McPeak, “but keep fire safety on your mind as you grill.”
Be sure to practice the following safety guidelines:
• Position the grill away from siding, deck railings, overhanging eaves and overhanging branches. Half of all gas and charcoal grill fires begin on an exterior balcony or unenclosed porch.
• Place the grill a safe distance from lawn games, play areas and foot traffic.
• Keep children and pets away from the grill area: declare a three-foot “safe zone” around the grill.
• Put out several long-handled grilling tools to give the chef plenty of clearance from heat and flames when handling food.
• Periodically remove grease buildup in trays, to prevent ignition by a hot grill.
• Gas grills have a higher fire risk than charcoal grills. Leaks and breaks in the gas cylinder or hose are the leading cause of gas grill fires. Placing combustibles too close to heat and leaving cooking unattended are two other leading causes.
• Check the gas cylinder hose for leaks before using it for the first time each year. Applying a light soap-and-water solution to the hose will quickly reveal escaping propane by bubbling.
• If you determine your grill has a gas leak, turn off the valve on the tank and have the grill serviced by a professional before using it again.
• If you smell gas while cooking, immediately get away from the grill and call the fire department. Do not attempt to move the grill.
• Use only gas cylinders with an overfill protection device (OPD). OPDs are easily identified by their triangular-shaped hand wheel. OPDs shut off the flow of gas before capacity is reached, limiting the potential for release of propane gas if the cylinder heats up.
• Follow the manufacturers’ instructions on how to set up the grill and maintain it.
• Never store propane gas cylinders in buildings or garages. If you store a gas grill inside during the winter, disconnect the cylinder and leave it outside.
• When using charcoal grills, avoid using starter fluid – use a chimney starter instead. This is a cylindrical metal tube that uses paper to start the coals. Never add charcoal starter fluid when coals or kindling have already been ignited, and never use any flammable or combustible liquid other than charcoal starter fluid.
And, regardless of the season, check your home for fire hazards. Overloaded outlets, tattered oven mitts or pot holders, and inoperable smoke alarms – all can make the home significantly vulnerable to the risk of fire.
Use only authentic equipment bearing the mark of an independent testing laboratory. “This also holds true for power strips,” says McPeak, “Counterfeit power strips have been known to be sold really cheap and have even higher rates of malfunction and flammability.”

The Town of Woodbury turns into Horse Country today with the 73rd AnnualWoodbury Lions Club Horse Show. The show will take place at the Clayton
Glenn Champions Arena at the Cannon County Fairgrounds. 40 different
classes of horses will participate in two sessions beginning with 14 of
those classes participating in the afternoon session starting at 3:30 in
the afternoon. The judges of the Afternoon session will be Ray Gilmer,
John T. Fikes and Robbie Spiller. Ringmasters are Dorinda Mankin, Glenn
Nave and Joe Stembridge. The remaining 26 classes will be participating
in the evening session scheduled to begin at 6:30. The judges of the
evening session include Ray Gilmer, Grant Holt and Don Milligan with the
ringmasters Newton Parks. Scott Armstrong and Cindy Adams. There will be
a food stand featuring country ham, pies and ice cream. The Scorers of
the event are Shirley Dennis, Sara Steelman and Lou Nave. The Announcer
of the Horse Show is Bobby Sands of Murfreesboro. The Horse Show will be
broadcast live on AM1540 FM96.7 WBRY beginning at 3:30 Saturday afternoon.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is set to kick off another high visibilitycampaign to crack down on drunk drivers throughout the state this Fourth
of July holiday weekend. The aggressive DUI enforcement blitz will include
saturation patrols as well as sobriety and driver license checkpoints
across the state. However none of those checkpoints are scheduled to be
conducted here in Cannon County.
The 2011 Fourth of July 78-hour holiday period began at 6 p.m.Friday, July
1, and will end at 11:59 p.m., Monday, July 4.
“We are committed to reducing the number of fatal wrecks and serious
injury crashes across the state,” said Department of Safety and Homeland
Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons. “This task is particularly important
during the holidays. The Fourth of July is considered one of the
deadliest holidays of the year in terms of alcohol-impaired traffic
fatalities. Our job is to see that citizens are safe on Tennessee
roadways this weekend.”
During the 2010 Fourth of July holiday weekend, 15 people died in 14
crashes on Tennessee roadways. That’s a fatality rate of one death every
five hours and 12 minutes. Of the nine vehicle occupants killed last
year, six (67%) were not wearing seatbelts. Four motorcyclists also died
during last year’s July 4th holiday weekend, as well as two pedestrians.
Four of the deaths, or 27 percent, occurred in alcohol-related crashes.

Road construction won’t slow traffic across Tennessee this July 4thholiday weekend. The Tennessee Department of Transportation will suspend
all construction related lane closures on interstates and state routes
beginning at noon on Friday, July 1, 2011 through 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday,
July 5 to provide maximum roadway capacity for holiday travelers.
“There will be increased traffic on Tennessee’s interstates and state
routes during the July 4th holiday period,” said TDOT Commissioner John
Schroer. “Suspending lane closures over this busy weekend is one way to
ensure that travelers don’t face construction-related delays as they
travel across our state.”
Motorists will still encounter some long term lane closures on
construction projects. While lane closure activity will be stopped,
workers may be on site in construction zones and reduced speed limits in
work zones will still be in effect. Drivers convicted of speeding through
work zones where workers are present face a fine of $250 to $500, plus
court fees and possible increased insurance premiums.
“If you and your family are traveling during this holiday period, please
buckle up and observe the rules of the road so you’ll arrive safely at
your destination,” said Governor’s Highway Safety Office Director Kendell
Poole. “During this weekend drivers will notice an increased law
enforcement presence on Tennessee’s roadways in an effort to ensure that
everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July holiday.”
According to AAA projections, 39 million Americans will travel 50 miles
or more away from home this holiday weekend. AAA estimates 619,502
Tennesseans will hit the roadways, while another 30,856 are expected to
fly to their destinations. Auto travel will make up 84% of all holiday
travelers across the U.S. this year.
Travelers are reminded to dial 511 from any land-line or cellular phone to
access valuable information about travel conditions anytime.

Nossi College of Art student and Cannon County Resident Christos VanNathan had two of the winning pieces from the Nashville Arts Magazine’s
2nd annual photography competition. The competition is only open to
amateur artists. All artwork is on display at the Renaissance Center in
Dickson until July 2, and was featured in the June issue of Nashville Arts
magazine.
Van Nathan won third place with his entry titled Bulb Bubble and another
piece was listed as top 25. Christos is currently pursuing his Bachelors
in Digital Photography and Video.
Nossi College of Art is a private art college in Nashville, TN. Nossi is
dedicated to developing students into working professionals in the vast
and exciting visual communications industry. Nossi offers three Bachelor
of Graphic Art Degrees: the BGA in Graphic Art and Design, the BGA in
Commercial Illustration, and the BGA in Digital Photography and Video.
Nossi College of Art is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career
Schools and Colleges and authorized by the Tennessee Higher Education
Commission.

A Woodbury man faces joyriding charges after being involved in a onevehicle accident. Back on Monday, Woodbury resident Lawson Thomas went to
the police department seeking a warrant against Kyle Ortkiese for taking
Thomas’s truck without his permission. Mr. Ortkiese had taken the truck
back on June 12th and wrecked it on Sunny Slope Road. Lawson wanted to
report the truck as stolen but was given a warrant for joy riding.
Assistant Police Chief Kevin Mooneyham spoke with Mr. Ortkiese after the
original accident. At the time Mr. Ortkiese admitted to taking the truck
without permisson but was taking it to get a load of scrap metal, and then
returning to Lawson’s residence. Due to Mr. Ortkiese not having the
intent to deprive Lawson of the ownership of the truck, it was decided to
charge Mr. Ortkiese with joy riding and not theft.
Police arrested Mr. Ortkiese Monday at Lawson Thomas’s residence and
transported him to the Sheriff’s Department for booking.