News 2012

Bryan Wolf, Katie-Marissa Pack, and David Wolf recently participated in the 2012 Central Region 4-H Forestry Judging Contest. While at the contest these 4-Hers had to identify various trees, insects and diseases of our forests, calculate the estimated board feet in stands of trees, and identify other common forestry practices. The team placed 4th in overall competition with David Wolf being the 2nd highest placing individual in the contest.

CHICAGO’S opening weekend reviews are in…~ Attended the opening-night performance of Chicago at The Arts Center of Cannon
County and it was fantastic. Alexandra McNamara and Tiffany Sweeley as Roxy and
Velma were show-stoppers in every number they had. The entire cast sang and danced
like pros. It knocked my socks off!
~ Such a smashing show! We were amazed, great show, cast, singers & dancers.
~ What an awesome show! Come See It!
Due to the demand for tickets, The Arts Center of Cannon County has added an extra
performance to their run of CHICAGO! The additional show date is Sunday, September
23rd at 7:30PM.
Tickets are still available for the follow shows:
Friday, September 21 at 7:30
Saturday, September 22 at 7:30
Sunday, September 23 at 2:00PM & 7:30PM
Call 615-563-2787 for reservations or buy online at www.artscenterofcc.com.
Chicago is part of the Arts Center’s 2012 Centerstage Series and is sponsored by
Neal Appelbaum, President, Cannon County Chamber of Commerce, CannonTN.com. Tickets
are $12 with discounts available for students, seniors and groups and may be
purchased by calling the Arts Center box office at 615-563-(ARTS) 2787 or
1-800-235-9073. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.artscenterofcc.com. This
show is rated PG13. “The Blue Porch @ Arts Center” restaurant serving delicious
tradition southern food is now open before all performances.

A rezoning request from Tim Osborn, owner of Osborn’s Bi-Rite grocery store was made at last night’s Town of Woodbury’s planning commission meeting.  The request is that a vacant lot that is adjacent to Bi-Rite Located off of Auburntown Road be rezoned from a Residential 2- to a Commercial 3 Zone.  The lot was purchased by Osborn who is currently using it for the employees of the store to park in.  Plans are to convert it to a gravel parking lot, then next year pave it completely and install security lighting for a full use parking lot.  The Commission approved the request and will make the recommendation to the Town Of Woodbury and Mayor and Board Of Aldermen for consideration.  It will take two readings and a public hearing to pass the next step.  A representative of God’s Miracle Angels was at the meeting to inform the Commission that she has been moving in the former Busy Kids Center location.  She will be setting up a learning center for special needs kids ages 2 years to school age. The commission agreed this was permissible as it zoned in the correct category and is basically the same type of business that the Busy Kids Center was. Next scheduled meeting of the Woodbury Planning Commission is October 16th  

As of today, Tennesseans can download Ready TN, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency’s (TEMA) popular smartphone preparedness application, to iPhone and iPad devices and access the application’s information and resources on hazards and how to be ready for emergencies.”It is incredibly important Tennesseans take time to prepare for emergencies, and this new app from TEMA is designed to be responsive to our customers, the taxpayers,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said. “Citizens are relying increasingly on their mobile devices for relevant and timely information, and the ReadyTN app delivers critical tips and resources to Tennesseans so they can be prepared the next time a disaster strikes.”
iPhone and iPad owners simply need to search for ReadyTN in the App Store or in the iTunes Store and then download the application to their devices.   The ReadyTN browser landing page in the iTunes Store is http://bit.ly/StqFxU.
Once active, ReadyTN will provide location-based information on severe weather, road conditions, open shelters and local government contacts. Preparedness tips for specific hazards and checklists for emergency kit items are also provided in the application’s content.
“Everyone is responsible for getting themselves and their families ready for emergencies and disasters,” TEMA Director James Bassham said.  “We’re very pleased even more Tennessee citizens can access the important preparedness information ReadyTN provides so they know the hazards in their community and know what to do to be ready.”
TEMA is the first state agency to develop and launch a consumer application that runs on multiple smartphone platforms and devices.
In February 2012, TEMA launched Ready TN to smartphone users running the Android operating system. More than 15,000 Android users have downloaded the application, which is still available for Android devices through Google Play. The ReadyTN browser landing page in Google Play is http://bit.ly/U3TUNz.
This month, numerous Tennessee agencies, including TEMA, are participating in the ninth-annual National Preparedness Month, a month-long campaign encouraging individuals to make preparedness a priority. The theme of this year’s campaign is “Pledge to Prepare.” For more information, visit www.tnema.org.

People suffering from asthma or other chronic lung problems are typically only able to get a measure of their lung function at the doctor’s office a few times a year by blowing into a specialized piece of equipment. More frequent testing at home could detect problems earlier, potentially avoiding emergency room visits and hospitalization.A new tool from researchers at the University of Washington, UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s hospital lets people monitor their lung function at home or on the go simply by blowing into their smartphones. A paper presented this month at the Association for Computing Machinery’s International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing showed results that came within 5 percent of commercial devices, meaning it already meets the medical community’s standards for accuracy.
“There’s a big need in the pulmonary community to make testing cheaper and more convenient,” said lead researcher Shwetak Patel, a UW assistant professor of computer science and engineering and of electrical engineering. “Other people have been working on attachments for the mobile phone that you can blow into. We said, ‘Let’s just try to figure out how to do it with the microphone that’s already there.'”
A few existing smartphone apps claim to measure lung function, but they are poor mimics of an office test. For example, one app measures how loud the exhaled breath sounds, which strongly depends on how close to the mouth a person holds the phone. None of them is recommended for medical use.
Home testing systems are now becoming available, but they cost at least a few hundred dollars, can be difficult to use, and patients have to have the equipment with them to take a test.
Last year Patel’s group used a smartphone to track a person’s coughs throughout the day. Now his graduate students Eric Larson in electrical engineering and Mayank Goel in computer science and engineering have led a 2.5-year project tackling the harder problem of how to get an accurate measure of lung function using nothing but a smartphone.
Existing spirometers have patients with chronic lung ailments such as asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic bronchitis blow into a tube with a small turbine that measures the speed of the flow. Patients take a deep breath in, then exhale as hard and fast as they can until they can’t blow any more. The spirometer measures how much and how fast the person can breathe out, which tells doctors whether their airways are narrowed or filled with mucous.
The UW researchers found they could model a person’s trachea and vocal tract as a system of tubes to replace the spirometer, and use a phone to analyze the sound wave frequencies to detect when the breath is resonating in those natural pipes.
“There are resonances that occur in the signal that tells you about how much flow is going through the trachea and the vocal tract, and that’s precisely the quantity that a clinician needs to know,” Patel said.
Researchers tested the system on 52 mostly healthy volunteers using an iPhone 4S smartphone and its built-in microphone. Results showed that the UW research app, SpiroSmart, came within 5.1 percent of a commercial portable spirometer that costs thousands of dollars. Natural variation in how much effort a patient uses to exhale during each test means that about a 3 percent variation is unavoidable.
“The tests are very promising,” said co-author Dr. Margaret Rosenfeld, an associate professor at UW Medicine and a pulmonary specialist at Seattle Children’s Hospital. “Both providers and patients are very excited” about the possibility of home tests, she added.
A grant from the Coulter Foundation will fund more clinical testing with patients of varying ages and lung health, and help the team to seek Food and Drug Administration approval. The researchers are working with the UW’s Center for Commercialization to bring the technology to market.
“Portable glucometers have dramatically changed glucose monitoring and improved the quality of life for people with diabetes,” Patel said. “We hope to do the same thing for pulmonary disorders.”

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and the entire university are inviting the public to attend the ribbon cutting and official opening of the Student Union Building.The event will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19, outside the main entrance with the revolving door, which faces west toward the courtyard and College of Education Building.
In the event of rain, the event will move inside to the 840-seat ballroom.
“We have a wonderful new Student Union Building and are excited to showcase it to the public,” McPhee said. “Our students truly are enjoying this great facility. We want our alumni and friends of the university to celebrate this moment with us as we officially observe the opening the facility, and also enjoy it for years to come.”
Parking will be available in the lot north of the Student Union Building next to Blue Raider Drive and near Greenland Drive.
Since the building opened Aug. 24, the ballroom has been completely furnished, as have the game room, 95-seat theater and Blue Raider Grill restaurant.
The Centennial history bands also now are engraved with the names of past Student Government Association presidents along with some university history.
The three-story building cost nearly $65 million. It is nearly 211,000 square feet in size, and its length is one-and-a-half football fields, or 150 yards.
The first floor features Phillips Bookstore, six new food-service venues, a 640-seat food court and 102-seat casual-dining restaurant.
In addition to the ballroom and theater, the building’s second floor includes the SGA’s 84-seat parliamentary room, a formal meeting and dining area, a collaborative computer center and more.
The third floor includes offices for the SGA, Student Unions, Student Programming, Student Organizations and the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership.

Here are the scores from the games at Central Magnet School on 9-17-2012.  
 
CCHS vs. Central Magent
Set 1:  CCHS 13 – Central Magnet 25
Set 2:  CCHS 10 – Central Magnet 25
 
Ace:  Hannah Faulkner -2
Back Row Assist:  Abbey Spry – 3
Assist:  Hannah Faulkner – 1, Cheyenne Fann – 1, Emily Sissom – 4, Ariana Kailiponi – 1, Abbey Spry – 4, Marion Wallace – 2
Block:  Ariana Kailiponi – 3, Abbey Spry – 1
Tips:  Emily Sissom – 5, Ariana Kailiponi – 1, Abbey Spry – 3
Digs:  Marion Wallace – 2
 
 
 
CCHS vs. Gordonsville
Set 1:  CCHS 12 – Gordonsville 25
Set 2:  CCHS 21 – Gordonsville 25
 
Ace:  Hannah Faulkner – 1, Ariana Kailiponi – 1
Assist:  Hannah Faulkner – 1, Emily Sissom – 6, Ariana Kailiponi – 2, Abbey Spry – 2, Marion Wallace – 1
Block:  Ariana Kailiponi – 4
Tips:  Emily Sissom – 3, Ariana Kailiponi – 3, Abbey Spry – 3
Digs:  Hannah Faulkner – 2, Marion Wallace – 1
 
 

Governor Bill Haslam and Tennessee Treasurer David H. Lillard, Jr. say Tennessee needs a highly-educated workforce to continue to attract businesses that bring new jobs to the state. So earlier today, Treasurer Lillard and Governor Haslam, along with Lt.
Governor Ron Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell, introduced the Tennessee Stars College
Savings 529 Program, which is a tool that can help more Tennesseans get the college education they will
need to succeed in a highly-competitive job market. The program offers family and friends a low-cost
way to save for children’s college expenses with attractive investment options and special tax
advantages.
Treasurer Lillard and Governor Haslam announced the new program in front of a crowd of children,
parents and grandparents at the Adventure Science Center Planetarium in Nashville. Some of the
attendees immediately signed up for the program at the event.
“In a competitive global economy, it is imperative that Tennessee children have access to higher
education and develop a strong set of skills to help transition into the workforce. The Tennessee Stars
College Savings 529 Program makes college savings cost effective, easy and relatively inexpensive,
with a range of investment options,” said Treasurer Lillard.
“This is a great opportunity for Tennesseans who want to attend college,” Governor Haslam said.
“College is not for everyone, but it needs to be for more Tennesseans if we’re going to compete for jobs
in today’s market. This program will help increase student accessibility to a college education as we
work to grow and recruit businesses to Tennessee.”
– more –
The Tennessee Stars College Savings 529 Program is a tax-advantaged college savings plan that is
designed to help Tennessee parents, grandparents and friends support the educational needs of loved
ones. The plan takes its name from Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Service Code, which authorized
the creation of tax-advantaged plans in 1996.
To encourage enrollment in the program, the Tennessee Department of Treasury is offering financial
incentives to any Tennessee residents interested in opening accounts. Tennesseans who open accounts
with at least $50 will each receive a one-time $50 match from the state. Tennesseans who roll over their
entire account balances from other 529 college savings plans, including the state’s prepaid plan, will
each receive $100.
There are many benefits to investing with Tennessee Stars College Savings 529 Program. The plan is
available to everyone and the investment returns on savings are tax free as long as they are used for
approved education-related expenses. The money saved may be applied to higher education, including
public or private colleges and universities inside or outside the state of Tennessee as well as any other
educational entities eligible to receive federal student loan funds, such as Tennessee technology centers.
Benefits of Tennessee Stars include:
• Low fees that will be on par with the top-rated plans in the nation;
• 14 investment options and an age-based option covering a wide array of investment strategies;
• Federal tax-free earnings if the money is used for higher education expenses;
• Availability to anyone regardless of income level. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and
friends can open accounts on behalf of children;
• Contributions qualify for a $13,000 annual federal gift tax exclusion. Also, a lump sum of
$65,000 may be contributed to a 529 plan and treated as if it were made over a five-year period
to completely avoid the federal gift tax; and
• Plan contributions aren’t considered to be a part of an estate for federal tax purposes. Account
owners still retain control of the accounts, but do not pay federal estate taxes on the value of the
accounts. But if a gift is spread over five years and the account owner passes away within the
five years, a portion of the gift will be included in the estate.
Participants have control over how they manage their investments with the Tennessee Stars College
Savings 529 Program. The plan offers an age-based option in which investments are more aggressive
when children are young and then become more conservative as the children approach college age. The
plan also offers individual investment options, including domestic and international equities, balanced
fund options, fixed income options, and an FDIC-insured option. The underlying investments for the
plan will be offered from more than one fund company.
“We’ve worked to make sure that saving for college with the Tennessee Stars College Savings 529
Program is easy. Tennessee, this plan is for you. It has been designed by Tennesseans. It is managed by
Tennesseans. And, if you call with a question, you’ll be speaking with Tennesseans,” said Treasurer
Lillard.
– more –
Anyone interested in opening an account with the Tennessee Stars College Savings 529 Program can
learn more by visiting www.TNStars.com or by calling (855) 386-7827 toll-free.
Businesses are also encouraged to make it easier for their employees to save by offering payroll
deductions to the program.. Any business interested in offering payroll deductions can learn more by
visiting www.TNStars.com or by calling (855) 386-7827 toll-free.
“We have a strong business community in Tennessee and business owners and human resource
professionals can offer college savings through the Tennessee Stars College Savings 529 Program as a
payroll deduction option for each of their employees,” said Governor Haslam.
 

Due to the drought and reduced yields in crops, it is expected that crop insurance claims will be up this year. This will be dependent not only on crop yields, but coverage levels and types of policies that producers have purchased.  Never the less, overall yields will be down but it is yet to be determined just how much will be paid out in indemnity payments. As of September 10, 2012 there were 751,482 acres of corn in Tennessee that were covered by some type of corn crop insurance policy. So far, $1.8 million dollars of indemnity payments to be paid to producers has been adjusted out. No doubt there will be more losses show up as corn harvest is completed. Producers should be aware of the type policy they have related to enterprise units or optional units and to the level of coverage. For example, enterprise units average the production from the entire corn crop that an entity has in the county while optional units has each FSA farm number stand on its own.There have been several articles written in late summer advising producers with claims over $200,000 per crop per county to be prepared for an Actual Production History (APH) audit. This amount is up from the $100,000 claim level last year that triggered the automatic audit. If audited, producers will have to provide the actual records that were used to certify their yields from 2009 – 2011.
Links to additional information on preparing for these audits is below
Ag Web – http://www.agweb.com/article/prepare_for_an_audit/
DTN/Progressive Farmer – http://www.dtnprogressivefarmer.com/dtnag/common/link.do?symbolicName=/ag/blogs/template1&blogHandle=business&blogEntryId=8a82c0bc3865298c0138de7cb86f04ea
Farm Futures – http://farmfutures.com/blogs.aspx/preparing-crop-insurance-audit-3532
If you expect to have over $200,000 in claims per crop per county it will trigger an automatic audit so be prepared. Some information indicates that indemnity payments will not be paid until the audit is completed so there will be a financial interest in getting the data together. For more information, contact your crop insurance agent.

Local boards of education heard updates on education legislation and Common Core State Standards, earned honors for their professional development activities, recognized a dedicated school volunteer and an outstanding
student at the Tennessee School Boards Association’s (TSBA) Upper Cumberland Fall District Meeting, held Sept. 6
at Cannon County High School in the Cannon County School District. The Upper Cumberland District meeting was
one of nine similar sessions held annually in each of TSBA’s development districts. The evening’s program included
an update on this year’s session of the Tennessee General Assembly, a discussion of the Common Core State
Standards by the Tennessee State Department of Education’s Common Core Leadership Council, and a review of the
superintendent evaluation. Board members also participated in a legislative survey with their electronic devices via an
online/SMS texting program. The meeting included recognition of school board members who have achieved honors
over the past year, a local school volunteer who is a finalist for a grant to their school of choice and a local student
who is a finalist for a college scholarship given by TSBA.
AREA STUDENT HONORED
Each year TSBA honors one student from each of its nine districts who has achieved distinction in the areas of
academics, community leadership, and engagement as part of its Student Recognition Award program. One of those
nine students will win the statewide Student Recognition Award to be presented at the TSBA Annual Convention in
November, which will include a $2,000 scholarship. The 2012 Upper Cumberland District winner is Erin Cantrell-
Pryor of DeKalb County Schools. Currently a senior at DeKalb County High School, Erin has been active
academically as well as possessing a high degree of volunteerism within her community. Erin is working to attend
college and plans to major in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Environmental Engineering. Erin has participated
in science fairs since elementary school, winning numerous awards. She continued her interest in science by winning
first place in the DeKalb County High School Science Fair and an honorable mention at the Tennessee Tech Regional
Science Fair. She was selected to serve as President of the Freshman Class and served on the Student Council and the
4-H congress.
Assisting school boards in effectively governing school districts
AREA SCHOOL VOLUNTEER HONORED
Each year TSBA honors one school volunteer from each of its nine districts who have distinguished themselves by
demonstrating exceptional commitment to volunteerism in a local school district. The district winner has exhibited
exemplary leadership, creativity, cooperation and hard work in their service to a school. One of those nine volunteers
will win the statewide School Volunteer Recognition Award to be presented at the TSBA Annual Convention in
November, which will include a $1,000 grant to the school of their choice. The 2012 Upper Cumberland School
Volunteer Recognition Award winner is Patty Hooie of Crossville, TN. Patty displays many characteristics that enable
her to be an effective volunteer. She has a positive outlook, embraces an attitude of servant hood and loves children.
She makes sacrifices and unselfishly helps others experience success. Through enthusiastic communication, Mrs.
Hooie models the mission of Homestead Elementary School: “To be good citizens and to become lifelong learners.”
She is a team player and is willing to help the students who are at greatest risk for failure. Principal Robin Perry from
Homestead Elementary School said, “She has consistently demonstrated integrity and devotion to children. Her
compassion, creativity and energy make her an example for people everywhere.”
AREA BOARD MEMBERS EARN HONORS
Several Upper Cumberland District school board members earned TSBA Boardsmanship Awards in 2012. The
awards are presented to individual board members who have achieved one of five levels of boardsmanship standards
over the past year. The program is designed to recognize school board members for participation in board activities
beyond the local level through a commitment to training, willingness to participate in workshops and a volunteer
spirit. The Boardsmanship Award honors not only the quantity, but also the quality of participation. Levels I-IV are
given at Fall District Meetings, while Level V Boardsmanship is awarded at the association’s annual convention in
November. Upper Cumberland District board members who were honored for their achievements this year were:
LEVEL I
Randy Gannon, Cannon County
Jim Blalock, Cumberland County
Charles Tollett, Cumberland County
Kathy Pritchett, Fentress County
Sharon Vance, Tullahoma
Billy Wilmore, Macon County
Mike Adamson, Warren County
Edd M. Cantrell, White County
Bill Robinson, Wilson County
LEVEL II
Brett Henley, Coffee County
Jim Blalock, Cumberland County
Richard Janeway, Cumberland County
Philip Michael Hall, Fentress County
Steve Walton, Macon County
John Wheeley, Macon County
Scott Holmes, Warren County
Jeff Lee, Warren County
LEVEL III
Jim Blalock, Cumberland County
David Bowman, Cumberland County
Jimmy Crabtree, Trousdale County
Scott Holmes, Warren County
Bill Zechman, Warren County
Richard Mcbride, White County
Gary Sparkman, White County
Vikki Adkins, Wilson County
Don Weathers, Wilson County
LEVEL IV
Jim Blalock, Cumberland County
Eric Brown, Putnam County
Regina Waller, Trousdale County
Robert Young, Warren County
Donna Jones, White County
NSBA Distinguished Service Award
Dan Schlafer,Cumberland County
Vickie Shelton, Tullahoma