News 2012

The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties has announced that it started its process to recruit 2013-2014 partner programs. Organizations that have a 501(c)3 IRS status that wish to partner with United Way for its next fiscal year may submit a letter of intent on the organization’s website at www.uwrutherford.org. All letters of intent must submitted by October 31, 2012, for consideration.  
The program that is requesting partnership with United Way must serve at least one of United Way’s impact areas of education, income, health or rebuilding lives and provide service in Rutherford and/or Cannon county.
 
Organizations submitting a letter of intent will be notified no later than November 30, 2012, as to whether they will be extended an invitation to apply to partner with United Way for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. Applications will be made available to those organizations in December.
 
During the current fiscal year, United Way is partnering with 49 programs, including 10 grant partners, 36 partner agencies, and three United Way initiatives, such as the 2-1-1 information and referral services line.
 
United Way works to identify issues in the community, develop partnerships with organizations who have the ability to address those issues, implement a plan of action and measure results that are reported to the community.
 
For more information, please contact United Way at (615) 893-7303 or visit the website at www.uwrutherford.org.

Effective October 1, 2012, the day in which Tennessee Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants receive benefits may change depending on the last two digits of their Social Security Number(SSN). The Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association (TGCSA) has requested that SNAP benefits issuance dates be extended to help accommodate demand on grocers and provide all Tennesseans more access to a complete selection of food items.SNAP recipients may experience a delay in their payments only in the month of October. The number of days that SNAP participant’s benefits are dispersed may be extended from 1 to 10 days, which means that some recipients may get benefits a few days later than normal. However, participants will continue to receive SNAP benefits every 30 days, as they have in the past, after the initial month of change. Original monthly benefit amounts will not change.
In an effort to notify SNAP participants of the change the TGCSA has provided signage for grocers to clearly post at registers and leaflets to add in bags. Grocers have been asked to donate to local food banks to accommodate those who may need more food during the extended distribution period.
SNAP participants received letters in August to notify them of the upcoming change. Posters are also on display in the waiting areas of DHS county offices to provide further information. The EBT Customer Service Center Help Line and Family Assistance Service Center will also provide a recorded message to notify participants of this change. SNAP participants can contact their county office with questions or call the Family Assistance Service Center at 1-866-311-4287.

Numerous Tennessee agencies are asking Tennesseans to participate in National Preparedness Month, the annual month-long campaign designed to make emergency preparedness a priority. The theme of the ninth nationwide effort is “Pledge to Prepare”.“National Preparedness Month is an important reminder for us all to prepare and take an active role in the event of an accidental emergency, natural disaster or an act of terrorism,” Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons said. “Disasters are typically sudden and unpredictable. Families, businesses and communities should have a minimum level of preparedness to sustain themselves until help arrives.”
In the past three years, eight Presidentially declared disasters have impacted well over half of Tennessee. James Bassham, Director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, emphasizes the need for every individual, every family and every home to have at least a basic preparedness kit ready in case of emergencies.
“People need to be prepared today for what could happen tomorrow,” Bassham said. “If you don’t know what you need for a basic kit, you can download TEMA’s ReadyTN smartphone application or go online and find plenty of resources about the essentials for a kit.”
Commissioner Gibbons also noted that the 9/11 terrorists attacks on the United States should prompt citizens to prepare for potential man-made disasters. Tennesseans should be vigilant and report any unusual behavior, packages or devices to local law enforcement or the state’s Homeland Security Office.
“Unfortunately, terrorism is a very real part of our lives today. However, everyone can make a difference by actively participating in homeland security. Preparing for a terrorist attack is much the same as it is for other emergencies…be alert, remain informed and be prepared; most importantly, ‘If you see something, say something,’” Assistant Commissioner and Homeland Security Advisor David W. Purkey said.
Tennesseans can report suspicious activities online at http://www.tn.gov/homelandsecurity/report_susp_act.shtml or by calling 1(877) 250-2333, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Department of Health also participates in emergency response and preparation, and urges all Tennesseans to have a family plan for disasters and an emergency supply kit prepared at home.
“Don’t wait until an emergency occurs to start thinking about how you’ll feed your family, where you’ll take shelter, how to take care of those with special needs or how you’ll locate loved ones,” said Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. “Take time to make or update a plan now so you’ll be ready before a disaster strikes.”
Additionally, basic disaster response skills can be met through the Tennessee Citizen Corps program’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training, which teaches fundamental emergency response measures to include fire prevention and suppression, head to toe medical assessments, and light search and rescue.
For additional information please contact, Tennessee Citizens Corps State Coordinator, Anna Smith (615) 741-1085 or visit www.citizencorps.gov
Get involved and “Pledge to Prepare” by visiting http://www.ready.gov/
National Preparedness Month is sponsored by Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Ready Campaign in partnership with Citizen Corp and the Ad Council. Ready is a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural and man-made disasters. The goal of the campaign is to get the public involved and ultimately to increase the level of basic preparedness across the nation.

An educational program for parents helps to reduce pressure on children to eat—which may reduce the child’s risk of obesity, reports a study in the September Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.Parents educated in an approach based on “division of responsibility” (DOR) for eating put less pressure on their children to eat certain foods, according to the new research, led by Dr. W. Stewart Agras of Stanford University. The study adds to the evidence that the DOR approach can promote healthy development of appetite and eating behaviors in young children.
Education Takes Pressure off Tots’ Eating Behaviors
The study included 62 families with a toddler (aged two to four) considered at high risk of obesity—with at least one parent who was obese or overweight. One group of parents was educated in the DOR concept, which takes a child-development approach to “parent/child feeding interactions.” Dr Agras explains, “At the family level parent feeding practices, such as taking control over their child’s eating, appear to contribute to childhood overweight.”
In the DOR approach, parents take responsibility for providing and serving food, while children are responsible for deciding whether or not to eat and how much to eat. “The primary principle is that crossing parent or child boundaries leads to feeding problems,” according to the authors. The other group of parents was assigned to the National Institutes of Health’s “We Can” program, which seeks to promote healthy eating and increased physical activity.
At follow-up, parents educated in the DOR approach were putting less pressure on their child to eat, compared to those taught about the “We Can” program. Two parental factors affected the pressure to eat: “disinhibition,” reflecting the parents’ tendency to overeat, and hunger or food cravings in the parents. Parents who learned about DOR put less pressure on their children to eat, regardless of their own disinhibition or hunger scores.
In contrast, for the “We Can” group, parents with low disinhibition and low hunger scores (that is, less control over eating and lower hunger/cravings) put more pressure on their children. Thus an approach that teaches parents to promote consumption of healthy foods may have actually led to a decrease in positive feeding practices
Parents in the DOR group were less likely to restrict food choices in girls, although not in boys. It may be that parents are more focused on girls’ eating patterns, “in line with the greater concern about female weight and shape,” the researchers write.
Children whose parents are obese or overweight are at risk of becoming obese themselves, possibly because the family environment reinforces “maladaptive” eating behaviors. There’s evidence that parents becoming over-involved in their child’s eating behavior—such as taking excessive control over their child’s eating—contributes to childhood overweight. Excessive parental control over eating may interfere with the child’s perceptions of hunger and feeling full (satiety).
Although the new study is only preliminary, it adds to the evidence that parents taught the DOR approach put less pressure on their child at mealtimes. A larger study with longer follow-up will be needed to determine whether the changes lead to a lower risk of childhood overweight or obesity. Dr Agras and colleagues add, “Efforts to increase consumption of healthy foods in toddlers should include counseling parents to model eating such foods and not to pressure children to eat them.”

The Auburntown City Council met September 4, 2012 at 6:00 PM for their regular monthly meeting.  Mayor Roger Turney and all Councilpersons were present except Frank Patrick and Beth Hancock.       The previous month of August minutes were approved as presented without corrections. 
      The financial report was presented, reviewed and approved without dissention.  Balance of funds on  deposit as of August 31, 2012 was $40,411.83
      Red Apple Day celebration was reviewed and a financial sheet of expenditures and receipts was discussed.  The report indicated that the event was well attended in spite of the rainy weekend.  The financial sheet indicated that the two-day event ended in the black with a small amount of funds remaining to meet any obligation that yet may be submitted.  The event is not designed or considered to be a money-maker but to show goodwill, community promoting, and the value of living in the northern area of Cannon Co.   To accomplish these objectives the City will seriously debate the pros and cons of limiting the event to just one day instead of the two traditional days.
      A discussion followed the announcement that a large tract land is being cleared West of the city on Hwy 96.  These tracts are thought to be suitable for building homes.  With the construction of dwellings should increase the population density and  make some of the business that have passed over Auburntown, to now take a second look —  noticeability home supplies, services, etc..
      Two students of Mr. Freddy Curtis from Cannon Co. High School monitored this session, namely Catie Adams and Brandon Harper.
      The session ended at approximately 6:45 PM.
 

The Alive Teen Retreat is coming up Sept. 21-23, and Cannon County teens affected by the loss of a loved one are invited to take part. This weekend retreat is a get-away full of support and fun for grieving high school students. Registration will continue through Sept. 12 or until the retreat is full. To register, call 615-907-1677.There is a cost of $50, and financial assistance is available based on need.
            Teens will come together at a youth camp in Rutherford County, where they’ll participate in a variety of indoor and outdoor group activities. The retreat will help grieving high school students make sense of what they’re going through; identify healthy ways to cope; and honor loved ones they’ve lost.
            It also involves plenty of fun.
The Alive Teen Retreat is facilitated by Alive Grief Support Services, the bereavement support program of Middle Tennessee’s Alive Hospice. Any high school student who has lost a loved one is encouraged to take part.
In addition to the Alive Teen Retreat, Alive Grief Support Services offers individual counseling and grief support groups for adults, teens and children throughout the year. For more information about bereavement support, call 615-963-4732 or visit www.alivehospice.org.

Fundraising roadblocks in the Town of Woodbury are close to being limited to two a month following a recommendation made by a committee consisting of Aldermen Charlie Harrell, Dotty Duggin and Joann Davis at Tuesday night’s Mayor and Board Of Aldermen meeting.  The recommendation included the policy that no roadblocks are to be conducted back to back. Organizations that want to fundraise by roadblock must follow the rules concerning roadblocks, fill out a application and have signage out during the roadblock that identifies the organization.  Organizations exempt from these rules are the Woodbury Lions Club and the Woodbury Fire Department.     The recommendation was deferred until October’s meeting as City Attorney Dale Peterson will put together the application and rules and submit them before the Board. In other actions     Ordinance 447 which was an ordinance to amend the Town of Woodbury Zoning Ordinance to add minimum residential parking regulations passed on second and final reading.  The proposed ordinance that required all non resident property owners voting in the City Election to vote by absentee paper ballot only failed on second and final reading for lack of motion.  The Board gave approval for the Cannon County Youth Dream 5K run to take place Saturday September 15th.  The run will start at 7:30 at the Cannon Arts Center, move on to River Road and then finish up at the Arts Center. A demolition bid was awarded to Gary Stone for $2,500.00 for the tearing down, hauling off and cleaning the lot of 209 Hayes Street.  The verbal bid must be in writing no later than next Tuesday or else the bid will go to Mike Hutchins for $9500.00.  A committee was formed to work with Woodbury Fire Chief Bill Johnston to address the issue of figuring out how to house the new fire truck the department purchased recently.  The truck is too big to fit into either bay of the fire hall.  Options at the present time are to leave the truck out in the weather elements or to build a new bay.  The committee will come up with more options and present the Board with more ideas.
Caleb Peck approached the Board about putting a volleyball net at Brown Spurlock Park.  The Board felt that there would be more room if the net were placed at Dillon Park.  The Board approved the idea contingent upon a written plan describing upkeep and rules concerning the area the volleyball net is placed in.

WBRY reminder there will be a veterans and concerned citizens of veterans of Cannon County meeting tonight at 6:00 at the Senior Center.  Nominations will be submitted for the Grand Marshall and Service Vice Marshalls for the Army, Navy , Marines, Air Force Coast Guard and POW.  There will also be an executive board meeting of all oficers of the American Legion Post 279 tonight at 6:30 also at the Senior Center  

Author and hip-hop music scholar Dr. Joseph Schloss will explain “How Leonard Bernstein Invented Hip-Hop” at a free public lecture at MTSU on Thursday, Sept. 6, in Room S-260 of the Business and Aerospace Building.The 4:30 p.m. lecture’s complete title is “How Leonard Bernstein Invented Hip-Hop: Popular Culture, Genre Boundaries and the Mythologies of Hip-Hop Scholarship.”
Schloss is the New York-based author of two authoritative works on hip-hop music: Foundation: B-Boys, B-Girls and Hip-Hop Culture in New York (Oxford University Press: 2009) and Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop (Wesleyan University Press: 2004), which won the 2005 Book Prize from the International Association for the Study of Popular Music.
He also is the co-author of Rock: Music, Culture and Business (Oxford University Press, 2012) with Christopher Waterman and Larry Starr. Schloss is an adjunct associate professor of black and Latino studies and sociology at City University of New York and a Visiting Scholar in Music at New York University.
The Boston Globe said Foundation was “the best work ever produced on b-boying,” adding that “Schloss’s insights are wide-ranging and consistently illuminating.” The Journal of Popular Music Studies reviewed Making Beats and noted that “Schloss’s consistent emphasis on artistic agency, musical processes and individual compositional proclivities make this an important study for fans, scholars, critics and anyone who needs convincing that hip-hop music, is, in fact, music.”
The lecture is co-sponsored by MTSU’s School of Music, the Department of Anthropology and the Center for Popular Music. Call the Center for Popular Music at 615-898-2449 for more information

Volleyball action continues tonight as the Cannon County Lionettes Volleyball teams will travel to Livingston to play in a set of district matches against Central Magnet at 6:00 followed by a match with the host Livingston team at 7:00.  The Cannon County Lionettes Soccer team will host the Friendship Christian Lady Commanders tonight at Fred Schwartz Field at 6:00