News 2011

Area residents who wish to visit the local office of their member of the house of representatives will have an easy task, if they have been to the office of the former representative. Newly elected 6th District U.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Gallatin, will officially open her district office at 305 W. Main Street, Murfreesboro, from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, February 5th. The office is in the same location as former Rep. Bart Gordon’s office.The event is open to the public.

THP Continues to Use Enforcement Campaigns to Improve Safety Preliminary figures indicate the number of traffic fatalities on Tennessee roadways has increased for the first time in five years, rising from 986 in 2009 to 1,030 in 2010, with 30 percent of the change attributed to pedestrian fatalities. Aiming to reduce that number, improve highway safety and save lives, the Tennessee Highway Patrol will once again participate in several enforcement initiatives in 2011.
According to Department of Safety Commissioner Bill Gibbons, “It is important that we remain vigilant in protecting our roadways and reducing fatal and injury crashes in Tennessee. Safer highways and byways is one of our top priorities. With enforcement initiatives to detect and remove impaired drivers from the roadways to education programs that focus on increasing safety belt usage, the Highway Patrol is making every effort to ensure the public’s safety and to save lives.”
Last year’s preliminary figure of 1,030 traffic fatalities rank as the second lowest number of deaths since 1963 when 941 people were killed in crashes on Tennessee roadways.
Funding provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distributed through the Governor’s Highway Safety Office (GHSO), and financial support from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has allowed the THP to continue its commitment to providing increased enforcement and public awareness campaigns for the safety and security on Tennessee roadways.
Alcohol-related fatalities have declined in Tennessee, while statistics show safety belt usage has improved significantly since the introduction of the state’s Primary Safety Belt Law. Impaired driving deaths decreased from 377 in 2007 to 303 in 2009, representing 31 percent of the state’s traffic fatalities. According to 2010 data, the safety belt usage rate in Tennessee was 87.1 percent. However, despite increases, 54 percent of the total passenger vehicle occupants killed in fatal crashes were not buckled up.

Judge Susan Melton presided over Cannon County General Sessions Court on Tuesday. Some of the results from the various cases which appeared on the docket included:Joe Don Fann was bound over to the May, 2011 term of the Cannon County Grand Jury. He is charged with allowing livestock to run at large.
Brent Pewitt pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. His probation was extended and he was ordered to serve 60 days in jail. In another case, Pewitt pled guilty to the charge of underage consumption. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on supervised probation, paying the court costs and paying a $100.00 fine. Pewitt also pled guilty to the charge of failure to appear. He received an 11 month, 29 days sentence. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation and paying the court costs.
Billy Griffith pled guilty to the charge of simple possession of marijuana. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, paying a $250.00 fine and paying the court costs.
Johnny Howard pled guilty to the charge of driving under the influence 2nd offense. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was partially suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, serving 45 days in jail, paying a $600.00 fine and paying the court costs. He also lost his driver’s license for 2 years.
Justin Hutchinson pled guilty to the charge of driving on a suspended license. He was sentenced to 6 months in the county jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, paying a $50.00 fine and paying the court costs.
Kenneth Leedom pled guilty to the charge of simple possession of a schedule II drug. He was sentenced to 6 months in the county jail and ordered to serve his entire sentence.
Beverly Adamson pled guilty to the charge of simple possession of schedule II. She was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, paying a $750.00 fine and paying the court costs.
Robert Williams pled guilty to the charge of driving under the influence 2nd offense. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was partially suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, serving 45 days in jail, paying a $600.00 fine and paying the court costs. He also lost his driver’s license for 2 years.

Friday marked the beginning of a new term of Cannon County Circuit Court. That event is always marked by the meeting of the grand jury. Those defendants indicted during Friday’s court session included:Charles Grizzle for felony possession of methamphetamine, felony possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia,
William Scott Lewis for simple possession of schedule II drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, simple possession of schedule VI drugs and driving while license revoked,
Jerry Richard Rutledge for promotion of methamphetamine manufacture and possession of drug paraphernalia,
Cory Lee Crawford Young for initiation of a process intended to result in the manufacture of methamphetamine, maintaining a dwelling or vehicle to manufacture methamphetamine and criminal trespass,
Marcus Tenpenny for driving while license revoked,
Marcus Tenpenny, Robyn Wilmouth and Joshua Crook for aggravated burglary and theft,
Barbara Nichols Moss for disorderly conduct,
Tony Lee McPeak for theft and driving while license revoked,
Barry Lee Spurlock for driving under the influence,
Shannon Dewayne Cobble for promotion of methamphetamine manufacture, simple possession of schedule III, convicted felon in possession of a handgun, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while license revoked,
Brittany Ross for aggravated burglary, theft, simple possession of schedule IV and two counts of possession of a legend drug,
William Matthew Holt for driving under the influence over .20% and evading arrest,
Kevin Troy Coe for domestic assault and two counts aggravated assault, and
Stephanie Mooneyham for two counts of theft,
The grand jury refused to indict Aubrey Kilgore for vehicular assault and Mark Seybold for vandalism.
In addition to the indictments mentioned above, the Grand Jury returned 14 sealed indictments. The names of those defendants will not be released until the are arrested. The next step for these defendants will be arraignment day when they are officially read their charges.
We must stress that an indictment is not a finding of guilt. It simply means that the Grand Jury thought there was enough evidence to move the case forward to trial.

Cannon County was the buzz at the recent Tennessee Cattlemen’s Convention in Pigeon Forge held on Friday, January 21st.Awards were presented to three from Cannon County; Davy Sneed received the Business Person of the Year and Bruce Steelman was awarded the Outstanding Extension work in Adult Beef Area and Heath Nokes received the Outstanding Extension Work in 4-H Beef Program. Several Cannon County Cattlemen’s Association members attended the convention.
“We are fortunate to have such a strong base of support from our producers, agencies and local businesses”, remarks Bruce Steelman, County Director with Cannon County Extension. “It’s always a group effort in all our meetings, field days and programs conducted in Cannon County”.
Davy, Bruce and Health accepted these awards on behalf of the beef producers and youth we are so fortunate to work with throughout the year.

New members were welcomed and leaving members were thanked at the annual membership banquet of the Cannon County Chamber of Commerce.A special recognition was made to Cliff Swoape after completion of two six year terms on the board. Swoape is credited with Cannon County, Woodbury and Auburntown becoming members of the state’s 3-Star Program.
Sue Patrick filling in for her husband, Woodbury Mayor Harold Patrick presented a key to the city. Patrick spoke of Swoape’s dedication to community, “he is currently serving a District Governor for Lions International.”
County Executive Mike Gannon announced that Thursday, January 27th was Cliff Swoape Day in Cannon County. Gannon said, “with Cliff’s work we are a better community.”
Doug Combs served as master of ceremonies for the banquet and spoke of his friend, “If Cliff Swoape were a car, it would be a very simple one. There would be no need for a transmission, he only knows how to go forward. No gas pedal, he only knows how to go full speed and there would be no need for a key, once you turn Cliff on to a program, there is no stopping him.”
Leaving the board of directors after serving a three year term were Rick McFerrin (McFerrin Printing) and Terry Bogel (DTC Communications).
New officers for the year are Michelle Fowler of Stones River Hospital will serve as president, Jacque Head of Cannon Senior Center will be vice-president and Mindy Gunter with First Bank will serve as treasurer.
New board members are Neal Appelbaum, the county’s 3 Star Program Director, Tarron Johnson with DTC Communications and Joann Tate, owner of Jennings Jewelers.

Governor Bill Haslam announced a series of regional jobs roundtables to take place across the state beginning this Thursday in Memphis.The roundtables – as part of Haslam’s jobs agenda – are locally driven and will include local officials and state leaders from the areas of education and economic and workforce development.
Haslam’s regional approach to economic development will leverage each area’s existing assets and identify a unifying strategy that promotes partnerships between industry and education.
“Each region needs short-term and long-term strategies for job growth, and our regional job strategy is designed to encourage public-private partnerships between industry and post-secondary institutions,” Haslam said. “Some areas have current coordinated efforts underway, and others will develop theirs from the ground up. I want to determine how the state can help in both sets of circumstances.
Haslam will ultimately establish “jobs base camps” in each region, but this marks the first phase of convening stakeholders and discussing how the state can facilitate regional coordinated efforts and offer more support.
“This will be one of many conversations I have about jobs in the Memphis and other regions as we work through my jobs agenda, and I will be proactive and personally involved with job recruitment and pitching our great state to potential businesses,” Haslam added.
Haslam will begin Thursday in Memphis where Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell have convened a diverse group of stakeholders for a conversation with Gov. Haslam.
Other roundtables will be announced at a later date.

Judge Susan Melton presided over Cannon County General Sessions Court on Tuesday. Some of the results from the various cases which appeared on the docket included:Kathleen Diane Farless was bound over to the May, 2011 term of the Cannon County Grand Jury. She is charged with driving under the influence.
Steven Davis was bound over to the May, 2011 term of the Cannon County Grand Jury. He is charged with driving on revoked 2nd offense and misuse of registration.
Tiffany Carpenter pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. Her probation was extended and she was ordered to serve 23 days in jail.
Donald Wayne Smith pled guilty to the charge of driving under the influence. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was partially suspended upon an equal amount of time on supervised probation, serving 14 days in jail, paying a $350 fine and paying the court costs. In addition, his driver’s license was revoked for 1 year. In another case, Smith pled guilty to the charge of reckless endangerment. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation and paying the court costs.
Jason Wayne Arnold pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. His probation was revoked and he was ordered to serve his entire sentence.
Jennifer Breeden pled guilty to the charge of driving under the influence. She was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, serving 48 hours in jail, and performing 24 hours of community service. In addition, she lost her driver’s license for 1 year.
Rickey Allen Warren entered a conditional please of guilty to the charge of simple possession of marijuana. He was placed on supervised probation for 11 months, 29 days. In addition, he was ordered to pay a $250 fine and ordered to the pay court costs.
Michael Duke pled guilty to the charge of driving under the influence. He sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was partially suspended upon an equal amount of time on supervised probation, serving 25 days in jail, paying a $350 fine and paying the court costs. In addition, his driver’s license was revoked for 1 year and he was ordered to perform 24 hours of public service work.
Larry Nile Hollis pled guilty to the charge of driving under the influence 3rd offense. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail and ordered to serve his entire sentence. In addition, he was fined $1,100 and ordered to pay the court costs. His license was also revoked for 3 years.
Jonathan Kestner pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. His probation was extended and he was ordered to serve 10 days in jail. In another case, Kestner pled guilty to the charge of disorderly conduct. He was sentenced to 30 days in the county jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, paying a $50.00 fine and paying the court costs.
Kimberly Prater pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. Her probation was revoked and she was ordered to serve her entire sentence.
Alicia Nichole Feragola pled guilty to the charge of theft under $500. She was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, paying the court costs and paying restitution to the victim.
Steven Ratliff pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. His probation was extended and he was ordered to serve 40 days in jail. In another case, Ratliff pled guilty to the charge of simple possession of marijuana. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, paying the court costs and paying a $250.00 fine.
Ashlynn Tatum pled guilty to the charge of driving under the influence. She was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was partially suspended upon an equal amount of time on supervised probation, serving 7 days in jail, paying a $350.00 fine and paying the court costs. In addition, her driver’s license was revoked for 1 year.
Noe Cantu pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. His probation was extended and he was ordered to pay the court costs.
Devin Carter pled guilty to the charge of simple possession of methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 11 month, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, paying a $750.00 fine and paying the court costs.

State Senator Mae Beavers saids she will file legislation calling for Tennessee to join an interstate compact with the express purpose of returning the responsibility and authority for regulating health care to the states. There are also plans to file the “Health Care Compact” in a number of state legislatures during their 2011 sessions.“An interstate health care compact is a powerful vehicle for states to confront the federal health care law mandated by Washington directly,” said Senator Beavers. “The federal health care law is one of the biggest oversteps of federal authority in our nation’s history. It forces states into a ‘one size fits all’ approach to public policy, and is in direct contradiction to state’s rights and the personal liberties guaranteed by our federal Constitution.”
The Health Care Compact provides a legal framework in which states can create their own healthcare systems. It essentially provides a permanent waiver to each member state to create whatever healthcare regulations the legislature deems best for the citizens of that state. The structure protects Medicare and Medicaid funding by allowing member states to access federal tax revenues directly and without strings attached. Beavers said the combination of a secure funding stream and maximum flexibility for state legislators will create the conditions for multiple solutions to emerge to the health care crisis.
“One size does not fit all,” Beavers added. “States have different needs which are not recognized in the federal mandates passed by Congress last year. The Health Care Compact does not mandate how each state will handle health care within their boundaries. It leaves them to decide how to create a system that fits their needs, providing greater accountability and more flexibility in delivering citizens a more efficient and effective system.”
Beavers said she will begin the process of moving the proposal through the legislature when lawmakers return to Nashville in February.

“The Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency has received a budget increase of $3,176,900 for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program allowing the agency to serve more low-income individuals in the Upper Cumberland Area,” announced Phyllis Bennett, UCHRA Executive Director.LIHEAP is a Federal program administered by the Tennessee Department of Human Services and subcontracted through UCHRA that provides a one-time per year energy assistance benefit to eligible households, based on a priority point system and the availability of funds.
“We are glad to have this increase in funding to assist in providing more services to the residents in our 14-county area, said Bennett. With the allocation of this money we will be able to provide energy assistance to more than 13,000 eligible households.”
“The increase will more than double the original allocation of $3,112,603 making the total fiscal year 2011 LIHEAP budget $6,289,503,” added Lee Webb, Community Services Director. “ By comparison, the fiscal year 2010 LIHEAP budget was $5,081,257 and the FY 2009 budget was $3,772,800.”
The Federal government requires that applicants meet an income guideline to be eligible for the program. The required level of poverty is 200% for a household to be eligible to receive LIHEAP assistance. Under these guidelines, for example, a household of 4 people may have an annual income up to $44,100 and qualify. Payments in increments of $300, $450, or $600, are paid directly to the provider of the eligible household’s primary energy source (i.e. electric, natural gas, propane, coal, wood, or kerosene). The amount of the payment depends upon “Priority Points” associated with an eligible household.
Priority Points are based upon information provided on the applications as determined by a computer program that calculates points on the basis of: (1) the household’s % of the federal poverty guidelines (35 point maximum), (2) the household’s energy burden (20 point maximum), which is the household’s % of income used for home energy costs, and (3) the household’s having one or more “vulnerable” members (50 point maximum), which includes the following: an elderly member aged 70 years or older, an elderly member aged 60-69 years, a disabled member, a child under 6 years of age, an Adult Protective Service (APS) referral, six or more persons in the household.
The household’s points for each category are totaled, and that number determines the payment amount. Households are awarded payment amounts as follows: 0-50 points receive $300, 55-75 points receive $450, and 80-105 points receive $600. Payment amounts are lowered for clients who live in public housing and pay only a utility “overage.” Priority Points also determine the order from high to low in which eligible applications are processed.
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program also has an Energy Crisis component, the purpose of which is to prevent termination of service or depletion of the primary energy source. The Crisis Assistance is based on a household’s uncontrollable circumstances which must include either a shut off notice, or a lack of home delivered fuel notice, in combination with at least one of ten (10) conditions, such as a household wage earner with at least a year of stable work has lost his/her job within the last twelve (12) months, that may render the household at risk of being cut-off or not having a source of energy.
Applicants for Crisis assistance must meet the same income guidelines as for Regular Energy assistance. Crisis payment amounts are based upon the same priority point system as Regular assistance.
All UCHRA county offices are accepting LIHEAP applications between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Cannon County residents can apply at the local office, 301 West Main St., Room 302, Woodbury, TN 37190.
For more information on LIHEAP or any of the other UCHRA programs in Cannon County please call 615-563-2916 or visit www.uchra.com.