News 2012

The Election Commission has called a Emergency Called Meeting for Monday 24th at 5:30 pm at the Election Office.  On the agenda is To discuss/address and act to secure safe & compliance voting location.

Tennessee Commissioner of Labor & Workforce Development Karla Davis announced today Tennessee’s unemployment rate for August increased to 8.5 percent, up from the July revised rate of 8.4 percent. The national unemployment rate for August 2012 was 8.1 percent, 0.2 percentage point lower than the July rate. Economic Summary:

Tennessee’s labor force, employment, unemployment and unemployment rate are essentially unchanged from the previous month

This is the fourth consecutive month the unemployment rate has increased

Total nonfarm employment decreased 5,100 jobs from July to August.  There were declines in local government, durable goods manufacturing, and trade/transportation/utilities

There were increases in mining/logging/construction, accommodation/food services, and professional/business services

Over the year, nonfarm employment increased 24,600 jobs, with increases in manufacturing, healthcare/social assistance, and government

Over the year, there were decreases in wholesale trade, information, financial activities, and educational services.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s mobile household hazardous waste collection service will be in Warren County on Sept. 22.“Our household hazardous waste mobile collection service provides the people of Tennessee with a safe, environmentally friendly way to dispose of unwanted household chemicals and other potentially hazardous wastes at no cost,” said Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau.  “This service travels across the state holding collection events in local communities, and we encourage all Tennesseans to take advantage of the opportunity to utilize it.”
On Saturday, Sept. 22, any Tennessee resident may bring his or her household hazardous waste to the following location.  (Note that hours listed indicate the local time for event.)

Warren County – Three Star Mall at 1410 Sparta Street in McMinnville from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. The local contact for this HHW collection event is Mary Lou Ward at (931) 473-2381. 
Since the program’s inception in 1993, households have properly disposed of more than 20 million pounds of material.  HHW material is considered flammable, toxic, reactive and/or corrosive and should not be placed with regular garbage.
Typical items to dispose of include cleaning fluids, pesticides, mercury thermometers and thermostats, fluorescent bulbs, lithium and button batteries, aerosols, adhesives, medications, brake fluid, swimming pool chemicals and paint thinner.  Items not accepted include ammunition, explosives, alkaline batteries, paint, electronics, medical waste and any items from a school, commercial business or agri-business.
Many counties and municipalities meet the needs of local residents by providing collection of batteries, oil, paint, antifreeze and electronic scrap – or BOPAE as it is sometimes called.  When handled correctly, these BOPAE materials are minimally hazardous, but inappropriate for collection at household hazardous waste events.  Contact your local city or county solid waste department to find BOPAE collection sites in your area.
When transporting materials to the site, place containers in sturdy boxes lined with newspaper to prevent spills and cross-contamination in the trunk of a car or back of a truck. Be sure to keep materials away from children and pets.  Materials should be kept in the original container whenever possible.  If not, place the waste in a plastic jug with a secure lid and label its contents.

Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park will host its 36th Bi-annual Knap-in and Archaeoskills festival Sept. 28-30, 2012.  A celebration of the ancient arts and archaeoskills, the weekend’s main activities and special programming are slated to begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday and will run until approximately 4:30 p.m. The festival is free and open to the public.From rope made out of plant fibers and animal products to blowguns and rabbitsticks – use of these items or skills during the Stone Age were essential for survival.  All of these skills and practices were passed down from generation to generation. 
“Over thousands of years people in the Southeast practiced and honed skills that were essential for life, including the process of flintknapping” said Old Stone Fort Park Manager Keith Wimberley. “The upcoming festival celebrates these primitive skills and an opportunity to see these ancient arts up close.”
Flintknappers of all skill levels will begin arriving at the park on Friday and will set up on the roof deck of the museum to exchange ideas and materials and demonstrate their craft to the public.
There will be atlatl competitions Friday through Sunday, with opportunities for everyone to try this ancient skill.  Atlatls are spear propulsion devices, used for thousands of years before Native Americans began to use the bow and arrow.  Atlatls were used all over the world and aided hunters by adding to the velocity of the spear and the impact of the spear on the target.
The Old Stone Fort is a 2000-year-old Native American ceremonial site, which consists of nearly 4,000 feet of low, wall-like mounds enclosing nearly 50 acres. The mounds and walls connect with cliffs and rivers to form an enclosure measuring one-and-a-quarter miles around.  The hilltop enclosure was used for approximately 500 years as a gathering area for people living in and around the eastern Highland Rim. 
The state archaeological park and museum are located on U.S. Highway 41, about halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga, in Manchester.  From I-24, take Exit 110 and follow the signs to the park entrance, which is approximately 1.5 miles.  For more information about Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park, visit the Web site at: www.tnstateparks.com/OldStoneFort or call (931) 723-5073.

High school girls can sample the field of equine science or enter a traveling planetarium at the 16th annual Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science Conference Saturday, Sept. 22, at MTSU.Both middle- and high school girls who preregistered will be attending the event. Girls from Georgia, Chattanooga and Memphis will join their peers from Rutherford and surrounding counties in what will be the largest EYH ever with 448 registered attendees, said event director Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross.
During the conference, girls in fifth through eighth grades can learn about the science of Sharpie pens, dig and sift an archaeological field, see “Pearl” the puppy be a part of a veterinarian and biology professor’s workshop, discover “worm races” and take in the Starpower planetarium.
Expanding Your Horizons, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, education, is scheduled from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. across campus, said Iriarte-Gross, who also is director of MTSU’s WISTEM (Women in STEM) Center.
Sgt. Jon Levi, left, on “€œC.C.” and Det. Troy Hooker on “€œRebel”€ are members of the Rutherford County Sheriff’€™s Department horse patrol unit that will visit MTSU Sept. 22 for the Expanding Your Horizons event. (MTSU photo by News and Media Relations)
The event will include early-morning remarks from Rich Rhoda, executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, and Dr. Bud Fischer, first-year dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences.
Expanding Your Horizons, or EYH, is a hands-on science and math conference that helps girls investigate careers and talk with women in the STEM fields, attend math and science workshops and meet other girls interested in science and math.
The girls also will hear a keynote message on Saturday from Jennifer Hill, who recently was promoted to manager of process control engineering Nissan North America after six years at the company.
Hill said her talk, “Learning to Live Out Loud,” can be summed up as “understanding the sky is the limit and living out of the box.”
“The marvel surrounding diversity and exposure to this generation is inconceivable,” said Hill, a former Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators cheerleader. “Normality has progressed from being one-dimensional or ‘cookie-cutter’ to multidimensional … delving into endless possibilities in regard to one’s career, extramural or altruistic goals. I will discuss tips and building blocks supporting this phenomenon.”
In her role with Nissan, Hill said the process control team is responsible for plant data management and data acquisition. It also is a function of the cross-functional task force team that works to resolve chronic production issues.
 
A first-time appearance by the Rutherford County Sheriff Department’s horse patrol unit is expected to be a highlight of Saturday’s events. The patrol will be outside the James Union Building, where the girls will gather and hear opening remarks in the Tennessee Room.
Leaders for the day’s workshops include personnel from MTSU as well as Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Vanderbilt and Tennessee State Universities.
EYH’s industry partners include Schneider Electric of La Vergne, Nissan, Texas Instruments, Microsoft, the Tennessee Technology Center at Murfreesboro, Sanford-Newell Rubbermaid and the Arnold Air Force Base STEM Center, which is bringing the planetarium.
The planetarium is a 16-by-10-foot portable dome equipped to project educational movies about astronomy and the night sky. The dome can accommodate up to 35 students.
While the girls’ conference is under way on Saturday, Iriarte-Gross said a Girls Raised in Tennessee Science Collaborative Project forum for adults also will be taking place. It is open to parents, guidance counselors and those who support STEM education. For more information, visit www.mtsu.edu/wistem/eyh/adult_workshop.php.
This year’s EYH conference is full. To learn more about the 2013 EYH conference, visit www.mtsu.edu/wistem/eyh/index.php.

Despite weather challenges in 2012, Tennessee apple orchards will yield about 7.5 million lbs. of apples for harvest before a hard freeze ends the season. Typically the state produces closer to 9 million lbs. of apples between June and the end of October. This is good news for lovers of local, seasonal foods, who know that apples are one of the few foods that can be stored fresh through the winter.Apples can be picked fresh off the tree right up until frost time, then, if carefully stored, useful up to a few months after picking. Most orchards grow several varieties, and although there are scores of apple varieties, most generally fall into one of two categories: cooking apples or “eating” apples. 
Keep apples fresh for as long as possible with smart selection and cold, dry air. Apples that are the most ripe or have any blemishes, including spots or bruises, should be used immediately. Eat them right away or preserve them by freezing or canning. Keep blemish-free, firm apples refrigerated and away from moisture as much as possible. Depending on refrigerator conditions, freshly picked quality apples can stay fresh for months.Always call before visiting an orchard, even if official hours of operation are posted on the grower’s website. A sudden downpour or a sudden rush of customers can temporarily close an orchard until the rows between tree lines dry out or more apples have time to ripen. 
Once there, talk to the grower, who’ll have valuable information about which apples hold up the longest and which are best for particular uses. Many orchards also offer homemade treats like fried pies and jellies made with fruits grown right on the farm.
The Pick Tennessee Products website features a measures equivalency chart that simplifies using produce bought home straight from an orchard, farm or farm market. The measures chart goes all the way from bushels down to a “pinch,” starting with an approximate weight for a bushel of a particular fruit or vegetable. From there a cook can keep dividing down the chart until familiar recipe measures, like quarts and cups, appear.
A typical bushel of apples weighs about 48 lbs., for instance. A half bushel is about 24 lbs. That half bushel is made up of two pecks, and since there are four pecks in a bushel, a peck of apples equals 12 lbs. or eight quarts.
To access the equivalency chart from the Pick Tennessee Products home page, click on “Food” at the left hand side of the page. From “Food,” click on “Fruits and Vegetables” to reveal the measures conversion guide.   
Pick Tennessee Products, a Tennessee Department of Agriculture promotion, helps consumers identify and choose farm-direct, artisan and other locally made foods. The site includes lists of farms, farmers markets, seasonal recipes and seasonal on-farm activities. 
Find Tennessee apple orchards and farmers markets with Tennessee apples at www.picktnproducts.org and follow Pick Tennessee Products on Facebook and Twitter.
 
Old-Time Apple Pie
Yield: 8 servings
2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 pounds Molly’s Delicious or Braeburn apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 tablespoons apple jelly
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Crust for a Double Pie Pastry
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, lightly beaten
Place the apples in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, 1/3 cup of the sugar, jelly, juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Sprinkle over the apples, tossing gently to coat. Let stand 30 minutes, gently tossing every 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F. Place one pie pastry in the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the dough into place.
Spoon the apples into the pastry, pressing tightly and mounding in the center. Pour any juices over the apples and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Dot the top with the butter.
Place the remaining pie pastry over the top of the apples. Fold the edges under, sealing to the bottom crust and crimp as desired. Brush the top of the pie and edges with the beaten egg. Cut 5 slits in the top for steam to escape.
Place the pie on a jellyroll pan and bake 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake 35 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake 30 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack 2 hours before serving.

The Grand Champion Chickens at the 4-H Chick Chain Show yesterday belonged to Chloe Dill.  Abigail Buchanan finished reserve grand champion and Kaitlyn Trail won honorable mention.  19 sets of chickens were entered in this years show.  The 4H Club would like to thank  Rep. Mark Pody on purchasing Chloe’s Grand Champion chickens, Mike Gannon for purchasing Abigail’s Reserve Grand Champion Chickens, and David Parker for purchasing Kaitlyn Trail’s Honorable Mention set of Chickens. As always, 4-H salute their sponsor, Woodbury Farmer’s CO-OP for their continued support of the chick chain show and sale, Lou Nave, Bruce Steelman, and Jay Bean for their invaluable assistance in conducting the sale. This year,  the 4H Club was honored to have former 4-Her and current CCHS teacher T. J. Daniel auction off the chickens. For more information regarding the 4-H Chick Chain or any other program offered by Cannon County 4-H, please call UT Extension, Cannon County at 563-2554  

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Commissioner John Schroer today announced more than $18.1 million to support highway safety in Tennessee. 
The funds support the mission of the Governor’s Highway Safety Office (GHSO) to save lives and reduce injuries on Tennessee roadways through leadership, innovation, coordination and program support in partnership with numerous public and private organizations. 
The Cannon County Sheriff’s Department  received a High Visibility Law Enforcement Campaigns grant of $ 5,000.00.  The Woodbury Police Department also received a High Visibilty Law Enforcement Campaign grant in the same amount.  In addition the Woodbury Police Department also received $15,000 to go toward their network coordinator
 
“We continue to work with local and state agencies to make our roadways safer,” Haslam said.  “These grants will support the efforts of highway safety agencies and advocates to reduce the number of people killed and injured in traffic crashes in Tennessee each year.”
 
There are multiple elements that contribute to a safe roadway system.  Some of those aspects are an accurate traffic safety data collection and analysis system; well-trained and well-equipped law enforcement personnel; and effective emergency medical and trauma systems.  A major part of roadway safety is educating motorists about laws and good driving behaviors.
 
“These grants help fund a variety of enforcement, legal and educational initiatives across the state including speed enforcement, first responder equipment purchases, DUI prosecutors and child passenger safety training,” Schroer said.  “These grants will make a difference in the effectiveness of our highway safety partners.”
 
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides the funding for these GHSO grants.
 
The grants, totaling 398 for the 2012-213 funding cycle, are awarded to agencies that successfully applied for funding based on a defined problem and statistical need.  Each year, the GHSO accepts applications from agencies across the state for available highway safety funds.  Applications are reviewed and scored by the GHSO and external highway safety advocates.  The agencies that meet the criteria for funding received awards.
 
“Grants awarded by the GHSO are provided in areas of need,” reported GHSO Director Kendell Poole. “Statistics show our problem areas and we strive to put the funding where it will be most effective.  We are dedicated to saving lives across Tennessee and pledge to work with grantees statewide to accomplish our mission.”
 

Judge Susan Melton presided over General Sessions Court on Tuesday.  Some of the results of the various cases that appeared on the docket included:Jeffery Howard Bean pled guilty to DUI 2nd.  He was sentenced to 11 months 29 days in jail.  That sentence was partially suspended upon serving 45 days, equal time on probation, losing his license for 2 years, paying a $600.00 fine and the costs.
Verna Irene Bean pled guilty to public intoxication.  She was sentenced to 30 days in jail.  That sentence was suspended upon equal time on probation, paying a $50.00 fine and the costs.
Kimberly Ann Besner agreed to the violation of probation.  She was ordered to serve her original sentence of 11 months 29 days.  In another case Besner pled guilty to domestic assault.  She was sentenced to 9 months in jail.
Tiffany Ann Carpenter agreed to the violation of probation.  She was ordered to serve 75 days and her probation was extended.
Tony Jo Cummings pled guilty to driving while license revoked.  She was sentenced to 11 months 29 days in jail.  That sentence was suspended upon equal time on probation, losing her license, paying a $50.00 fine and the costs.
Travis Joe Davenport pled guilty to driving on a suspended license.  He was sentenced to 6 months in jail.  That sentence was suspended upon equal time on probation, losing his license, paying a $50.00 fine and the costs.
Krysten Joy Ghrist pled guilty to public to public intoxication.  She was sentence to 30 days in jail.  That sentence was suspended upon equal time on probation and paying the costs.
Ira Dean Hanes pled guilty to driving without a license.  Hanes was sentenced to 30 days in jail.  That sentence was suspended upon equal time on probation, paying a $2.00 fine and the costs.
Vonzella Carroll Ingram’s charge of domestic assault was retired for 6 months.
Justin James Krikpatrick pled guilty to 2 counts of driving on a suspended license.  In each count he was sentenced to 6 months in jail.  Those sentences were suspended upon equal time on probation, losing his license for 1 year, paying a $50.00 fine and the costs.
Tequilla Monunette Miller pled guilty to violation of a protective order.  She was sentenced to 11 months 29 days in jail.  That sentence was suspended upon equal time on probation and paying the costs.  In another case Miller pled guilty to theft under $500.00.  She was sentenced to 11 months 29 days in jail.  That sentence was suspended upon equal time on probation and paying the costs.
Jessica Ann Padgett pled guilty to driving on a suspended license.  She was sentenced to 6 months in jail.  That sentence was suspended upon equal time on probation, losing her license for 1 year, paying a$50.00 fine and the costs.
Shawn T. Pritchard’s charge of possession of drug paraphernalia was retired for 11 months 29 days.
Ashley Dawn Reiter pled guilty to driving without a license.  She was sentenced to 30 days in jail. That sentence was suspended upon equal time on probation, paying a $2.00 fine and the costs.
Ila Kay Smith’s charge of domestic assault was retired for 9 months.
Julie Marie Sparkman pled guilty to driving while license revoked.  She was sentenced to 6 months in jail.  That sentence was suspended upon equal time on probation, losing her license for 1 year, paying a $50.00 fine and the costs.
Nicholas St. Cyr agreed to the violation of probation.  His probation was extended 10 months 20 day.
Jeremy Dwayne Vanatta pled guilty to driving on a suspended license 3rd offense.  He was sentenced to 11 months 29 days in jail.  That sentence was suspended upon equal time on probation, losing his license, paying a fine and the costs.  In another case Vanatta pled guilty to passing a worthless check.  He was sentenced to 11 months 29 days in jail.  That sentence was suspended upon equal time on probation, paying restitution, paying a $50.00 fine and the costs.
Robert Michael Wimberly pled guilty under judicial diversion to reckless endangerment.  He was sentenced to 11 months 29 days in jail.  That sentence was suspended upon equal time on probation, paying a $525.00 fine and the costs.  In another case Wimberly pled guilty under judicial diversion to possession of drug paraphernalia.  He was placed on probation and ordered to pay a $150.00 fine and the costs.
 

The Hilton Stone American Legion Post 279 will host an Honors Ceremony at their meeting on Thursday September 20th at the Senior Center.  The Post will be honoring those individuals selected as outstanding members of their departments.   The outstanding awardees from the City of Woodbury are outstanding policeman Lowell Womack, outstanding fireman, Captain John Passenger.
The outstanding awardees from the County are outstanding fireman Michael Underhill, outstanding Sheriff’s Deputy Anthony Young, outstanding EMT Randy Burnett, outstanding Rescue Squad Member Tim Bell, Emergency 911 Agency Roy Sullivan, Emergency Management Agency Faye Morse.Dinner will be served at 5:45 and the Honors meeting will start at 6:30 p.m.