News 2012

“Stop, drop, and roll” has been one of the most recognizable fire safety messages for decades. Many adults remember the concept from being introduced to it as a young child. Unfortunately, it is common for people, especially children, to mistakenly believe that they should utilize stop, drop, and roll as a reaction to all fire situations.State Fire Marshal Julie Mix McPeak wants to make sure Tennesseans know how and when to stop, drop, and roll. “It is important to stress, especially to children, that stop, drop, and roll is appropriate when your clothing or body is on fire,” says McPeak. “If a fire occurs in a home or a building, however, they need to know that getting out fast and staying out is the priority.” Make sure you and your family are prepared for what to do in case a clothing fire occurs:
 

If your clothes catch fire, stop, drop, and roll. Stop immediately, drop to the ground, and cover your face with your hands. Roll over and over or back and forth until the fire is out.

If you cannot stop, drop, and roll, keep a blanket or towel nearby to help you or others smother flames. Cover the person with a blanket to smother the fire. If you use a wheelchair, scooter, or other device and are able to get to the floor, lock the device first to stay in place before getting on the floor to roll until the flames are out.

Use cool water to treat any resulting burns immediately for 3 to 5 minutes. Cover with a clean, dry cloth. Get medical help right away by calling 9-1-1 or the fire department.
 To prevent clothes from catching fire:
 

Wear short, close-fitting, or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking or grilling,

Teach children to never play with matches or lighters, and

Have a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet around fireplaces, candles, grills, and stoves.

The Tennessee departments of Health and Agriculture are alerting Tennesseans about an ongoing outbreak of Salmonella linked to cantaloupes grown in southwestern Indiana. Cantaloupes grown on one farm have tested positive for the same type of Salmonella causing illness in Tennessee and several other states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and affected states are collaborating in an ongoing investigation to identify all possible sources of contamination and prevent additional cases of illness. At this point no cantaloupes grown in Tennessee have been confirmed to be involved in this outbreak.“Tennesseans should ask about the origin of recently purchased cantaloupes and discard any cantaloupes grown in southwestern Indiana,” said Deputy State Epidemiologist John Dunn, DVM, PhD. “We encourage anyone who has become ill after eating cantaloupe to see their health care provider and for providers to be mindful of patients who may have symptoms consistent with salmonellosis and report all cases to the local health department.”
Persons who recently purchased cantaloupes grown in southwestern Indiana are advised not to eat them and discard any remaining cantaloupe. Consumers can contact the store where they purchased cantaloupe to ask about the origin of the fruit. Based on the available information, consumers can continue to purchase and eat cantaloupes that did not originate in southwestern Indiana. Inquiring at the point of sale is advised. Many cantaloupes have the growing area identified with a sticker on the fruit. If no sticker is present, consumers should inquire about the source.
TDH has identified six cases of Salmonella infection associated with this outbreak. The Tennessee patients reside in several counties; three of the patients were hospitalized.
Tennessee Department of Agriculture officials are contacting retailers and distributors in Tennessee that may have received cantaloupes grown in southwestern Indiana. Food inspectors are also collecting samples of produce for laboratory analysis. The collection and testing protocol is in addition to routine, random sampling conducted by TDA.Salmonella infections are a common cause of foodborne illness, resulting in diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps within a couple of days of infection. Illness is most often uncomplicated but can be severe in young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. Most people recover within a few days.Salmonella is a bacterium that can be found in the intestines of animals. Salmonella and other foodborne bacteria can occasionally be found on produce items. The Food and Drug Administration recommends consumers routinely rinse raw produce such as fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running tap water before eating, cutting or cooking. Even if the produce will be peeled, it should still be washed first. Scrub firm produce such as melons and cucumbers with a clean produce brush. Dry the produce with a clean cloth or paper towel. Separate uncooked meats and poultry from vegetables, cooked foods and ready-to-eat foods to avoid cross contamination.
Persons with questions about Salmonella are encouraged to contact their local health department. Find a list of Tennessee health department locations online at http://health.state.tn.us/localdepartments.htm. For more information about Salmonella, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/salmonella/.

The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties has announced that it will soon begin its annual process for its 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 beginning September 1, 2012.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.
Beginning September 1, information will be available on the United Way website at www.uwrutherford.org that will detail the information needed from the inquiring organization. All letters of intent must submitted by October 31, 2012, for consideration.
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.

Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation members re-elected two incumbents to their board of directors seats and added two new ones during the cooperative’s Annual Meeting Saturday at Embassy Suites Murfreesboro. 
In Williamson County or District 1, Ann Little defeated Frank Harris by a vote count of 519-354. Both candidates are from Franklin. The seat had been occupied by Bill Giddens for the past 12 years; however, Giddens decided to retire this year and not run for a fifth term. Little now holds one of three seats for MTEMC’s District 1.
 
For the Rutherford County or District 2 seat, Smyrna’s David Lee collected 700 votes. He ran unopposed. Lee holds one of three board seats representing Rutherford County.
 
In the Wison County or District 4A seat, incumbent Luther Lenning was defeated by Tom Purkey by a 544-418 margin. Both candidates are from Mt. Juliet. In Wilson County’s District 4D, Lebanon’s Jim Mills collected 666 votes, running unopposed. There are a total of four board seats representing Wilson County.
 
The annual meeting, held at Embassy Suites Murfreesboro – Hotel and Conference Center, completed a week-long opportunity for the cooperative’s members to vote for their board representatives. From Aug. 13-17, members could vote at their local district offices.
In an organizational meeting following the voting, the board re-elected Wilson’ County’s Gordon Bone as chairman, Will Jordan of Rutherford County as vice chairman and Mike Woods of Rutherford County as secretary-treasurer.
In addition, Mary McMillan of Watertown won the grand prize — a used 2007 Ford Ranger extended cab pick-up truck.
More than 1,500 people attended the meeting. As part of its bylaws, MTEMC has held a members’ meeting every year since the not-for-profit cooperative was organized in 1936 by a group of Middle Tennessee citizens.
 

Lebanon’s Heather Sandefur is Miss Middle Tennessee Electric 2012. 
The daughter of Scooter and Kynn Sandefur of Lebanon, she was crowned Aug. 18 at Embassy Suites Murfreesboro – Hotel and Conference Center. For winning, Sandefur get­s her choice of $1,000 cash or a free trip to Washington D.C., valued at approximately $1,200, as part of the 2013 National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Youth Tour. Wilson ONE Ladies club sponsored her.
 
First alternate in the contest was Macy Payne, daughter of Mrs. Joetta Payne of Mt. Juliet. Cloyd’s Presbyterian Women sponsored her. She won $500.
 
Second alternate in the contest was Amber Wright, daughter of David and Jennifer Hight of Alexandria. The Statesville FCE Club sponsored her. She won $200.
 
The pageant was held as a part of Middle Tennessee Electric’s Annual Meeting of members. As part of its bylaws, MTEMC has held a members’ meeting every year since the not-for-profit cooperative was organized in 1936. The cooperative serves approximately 190,000 members in Cannon, Rutherford, Williamson, Wilson and surrounding counties.
 

The Watertown Purple Tigers got out to a quick 19-0 lead over the Cannon County Lions in football action last night but after the offense was able to settle down and hang on to the football, the Cannon defense followed suit and attempted to keep the game close.  Watertown took advantage of two Cannon County turnovers to score points and build the 19-0 lead.  Cannon once getting the first game jitters out of the way responded when Cody Petro took off for an 86 yard touchdown run to close the gap 19-6. Coming out in the second half, the Lions couldn’t get their offense running, but the Lion defense kept them in the game stopping Watertown’s offense on several drives.  However, some controversial no calls late in the third and early in the fourth quarter helped the Purple Tigers gain some momentum and the team would score twice more to win the game 31-6.  The Lions only managed 178 yards of which 155 were on the ground.  Watertown exploded for 333 yards of total offense.  The Lions will be on the road next week to face Grace Baptist out of Chattanooga

When the Cannon County Lions and fans hit Fred Schwartz Field tonight in Woodbury, they will be celebrating two things.  The promotion for tonight is Salute To Veterans Night.  All Veterans will be recognized prior to kickoff.  The season begins tonight against the Purple Tigers of Watertown tonight at 7:00.  Cannon County is under a new head football coach in Brent Bush who steps up into being the man in charge after serving the team as an assistant.  The Lions are trying to erase the memories of the past two seasons when they went a collectively 1-19 including an 0-10 season last year.  Watertown started off hot last year winning their first 6 games in a row. But they cooled off the last part of the year and didn’t win a game the rest of the year including the lone playoff game against Rockwood to end their season at 6-5.  Friday Night Football featuring the Cannon County Lions will get underway at 4:00 with the locally produced football program Tailgate. At 5:30, Prep Football Guru Murphy Fair will present his predictions of high school football games around the state.  6:00 time for Thunder as the crew from Friday Night Thunder spotlight matchups around Middle Tennessee.  At 6:45 It’s the Coaches Corner with Head Football Coach Brent Bush and at 7:00 we will bring you the live coverage of the game.  You can listen to the games on AM-1540/FM96.7 WBRY and streaming live on our website at wbry.com  

There will be an emergency meeting of the Cannon County Commission on Monday the 20th of August at 6:00 p.m. at the courtroom.This meeting is for the purpose of affirming a county wide Fire Chief; the welfare of the community requiring it.

The daughter of a mother who was charged with domestic assault by allegedly burning her son with a cigarette last week  is now also in trouble again.  Kayla Besner of East High Street has been charged with the initiating the process of manufacturing methamphetamine and tampering with evidence.  Tuesday the Woodbury Police Department working with the Cannon County Sheriff’s Department responded to a residence on Meadowbrook Drive in response to a tip about methamphetamine being manufactured at the residence.  After initially being denied access to the residence, the officers obtained a search warrant and found several items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine both inside the residence as well as in an outbuilding.  After finishing with the search, six people were taken including Besner  and charged with various methamphetamine related charges.  Terri Manlove of Meadowbrook Drive, Richard R Brandt McFerrin Street, Samuel C. Gallegos, unknown address: Nathan J. Barnett,  Meadowbrook Drive, Brock J. Young, Meadowbrook Drive, Woodbury: WPD Officer John Fesmire was the investigating officer. Assisting in the investigation were Officer Pat Fann, Deputies Eric Moss and Doc Smith and Chief Kevin Mooneyham.
All defendants are scheduled to appear in Cannon County General Sessions Court on Sept. 25.
 

Thursday was the deadline to qualify to run in the November elections in Woodbury and Auburntown.  As a result 8 candidates qualified in Woodbury,  Woodbury Mayor Harold Patrick qualified to seek re-election and will run unopposed.  There are seven candidates for the Woodbury’s Board of Aldermen’s six seats Lois Larimer, Joann Davis, Faye Northcutt Knox Dotty Duggin Charlie Harrell and Adam Melton will try to retain their seats.  Chuck Holt is also running for election to the Aldermen Auburntown Mayor Roger Turney qualified to seek reelection and will run unopposed. Candidates seeking re-election for city council are Rita Davis, Tina Fletcher and Winfred Gaither.  There are five seats on the council Beth Hancock and Frank Patrick are not seeking re-election. The elections will be held on November 6th