News 2014

The Cannon County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a vehicle break in at a Old Prospect Road Residence.  According to Sheriff’s Department reports, Justin Harris stated that someone had busted the glass out of his 2008 Chevy Tahoe.late Monday night The truck was sitting in the driveway and had the glass shattered out of the front passenger side door.  There were footprints in the dew across the yard between Mr. Harris’s residence and next door.  Items missing were 1 black NC Star tactical Molle bag valued at $50.  1 Glock 42 .380 pistol worth $503.00, 1- 1TB HP external hard drive valued at $200 and 1 pair of Oakley half jack black sunglasses at $150.00. 2 USB thumb drives $50.  There were other items that belonged to Rutherford County but were assigned to Mr. Harris.  UHF receiver worth $500, VHF receiver worth $1800 and a Garmin Rhino GPS valued at $600.  Upon further investigation it was found that Mr. Harris’ neighbor Brandon Harrub had a 2001 Chevy Silverado that was also broken into but nothing was to be missing.  Other neighbors on Old Prospect Road had reported that their dogs and other dogs in the neighborhood starting barking wildly around midnight which is when the theft was believed to have happened.  Any information on this theft.  Please call the Cannon County Sheriff’s Department at 563-4322.

Scarecrows around the County Square means it’s fall season and time for Halloween.  The annual contest was started around two years ago with prize money for the top scarecrow.  Scarecrows must be family oriented, no taller than 6 ft. The scarecrows will be hung up on the lamp posts around the square.  No part of the exhibit can sit on the ground.  Scarecrows will be taken down November 3rd and you can pick up your scarecrow by November 7th.  Entry fee is $5.00.  Please bring your scarecrow to the County Executive’s Office at the Courthouse no later than Thursday.  Contact the County Executives Office at 615-563-2320 for more information  

Members of the Cannon County Budget Committee and the County Executive have been warning the public and the County Commissioners for the past three years of the dangers of allowing the County General Fund Balance to be spent down.  At a informative meeting last Thursday, the matter was brought up again in a meeting between members of the Budget Committee, County Commissioners, County Executive Mike Gannon and Cannon County CTAS official Ben Rogers.  Budget Committee Member Todd Hollandsworth stated that he told everyone that this was going to happen years ago.  Some of the County Commission would say at the time when the issue was brought up in various meetings that the Commission did not want to keep a fund balance.  Some even stated that they don’t want to be bankers for the county and that they wanted a minimum fund.  Budget Committee member Dr. Bill Jennings was also aware of the dangers however the other Budget Committee member present Jim Bush claimed he was not made aware of the deficiency.  County Executive Mike Gannon once again explained the potential trouble.  This fiscal year’s budget has been balanced and approved by the state but Gannon stated that the fund balance is too low.  The fund balance is used to operate County Government for the first three or four months of the new fiscal year as there is not enough revenue coming in.  The County gets a majority of revenue from property taxes, so until the property taxes come in they can use the fund balance to keep services going and pay County Employees.  Gannon stated that the previous commission decided a few years ago to start spending down the fund balance.  The balance has gotten so low that the County has to do revenue anticipation notices.  Counties normally borrow from the fund balance but the money must be put back in the fund balance by June 30th of the current fiscal year.  Gannon said that the fund balance is so low this year, they have borrowed all they can borrow at this point.  Hollandsworth added that the county does not have a spending problem but a revenue problem and that is a problem that there is not an answer to at this point.  Department heads have been told not to make any purchases without consulting with the County Executive’s office.

Those that are involved with the court process tomorrow in Cannon County General Sessions court tomorrow better be prepared to bring a lunch as General Sessions Court will have it’s longest docket of the year.  105 defendants are scheduled to appear and answer to 279 various charges.  A majority of the docket as usual will be taken up with violation of probation charges.  One Cannon County defendant has over 40 charges to answer to including a slew of probation violation charges.  Judge Susan Melton is set to preside starting at 9:00 in the morning

Be a part of the upcoming beef “Day Tour” schedule for stops in Lynchburg and Fayetteville on October 17th. Along with “slop” feedlots, we plan to stop by Ogle Farms with lunch at Marvin’s restaurant in Fayetteville. Heath and I have vans lined up for transportation, so the only expense will be meals and snacks. The agent in Moore County, Larry Moorehead will give us a guided tour of Lynchburg along with stops throughout the day. We plan to return to Woodbury no later than 6 P.M..If you would like to attend the upcoming beef day tour, please contact the Cannon County Extension office at 563-2554

Cannon County’s unemployment rate dipped close to a full percentage point from July to August.  Figures released late last week show that out of estimated work force of 6480 people 6,060 people were employed while 420 were unemployed.  This means that Cannon’s unemployment rate is 6.5 percent down eight-tenths from 7.3 percent from the month of July.  Other neighboring counties unemployment figures showed Coffee County staying the same as July at 7 percent, Dekalbs unemployment dropped to 6.9 from the 7.4 mark in July.  Rutherford, Wilson and Warren Counties unemployment figures dropped up to a entire precentage point from the July rate.  Tennessee’s unemployment rate for August was 7.4 percent, three tenths of one percentage point higher than the 7.1 July revised rate. The U.S. preliminary rate for August was 6.1 percent, down from 6.2 percent in July. Cannon’s unemployment rate at this time last year was 7.4 percent

The Watertown Purple Tigers hosted the Cannon County Lions Friday night at Watertown’s brand new football field and school facility.  It was Watertown’s homecoming and after the first play of the game Watertown looked like they were going to repeat the dominant performance they turned in a week ago against Red Boiling Springs.  Watertown’s Skylor Scales took the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and Watertown was on the board in less than 16 seconds 7-0.  Cannon took their opening possession and went four downs and out on their own 20 yard line when it was decided to go for a fourth down conversion rather than punt it.  The conversion attempt failed and Watertown had the ball on Cannon’s 20 yard line with a huge opportunity to score and put the game away before the first 3 minutes had ticked off the clock.  Luckily Watertown fumbled the football at the Cannon 9 in which Cannon recovered but two plays later it was deja vu for Cannon as Watertown’s defense stuffed the run in the endzone for a safety 9-0 .  Later before halftime Watertown kicked a field goal to make the halftime score 12-0.  Turnovers would kill potential scoring drives throughout the game but perhaps the most significant turnover started off the second half.  After Cannon got the opening 2nd half kick, they turned the ball over back to Watertown.  Watertown on the next down scored a 48 yard touchdown.  It was then Cannon was able to score on their next possession as quarterback Jake Walkup scrambling for his life found tight end Case Isenhart on a desperation pass.  Case made a tremendous catch and ran 57 yards for a touchdown cutting the Watertown lead to 19-6.  Watertown then marched it down the field again this time fueled by a Cannon unsportsmanlike conduct penalty which saw a Lion player ejected for throwing punches.  Watertown scores on the possession making it 25-6.  Both teams weren’t done scoring however in the fourth quarter.  After a big play by Ethan Smith, Watertown stripped Smith of the football and recovered it.  At that point Coach T.J. Daniel came out more than halfway on to the football field and as a result referees threw their flags for another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  One play later Watertown bombed it down the field which set up another one yard run and Watertown led 32-6.  With 6:19 left to go in the game Cannon struck again as Jake Walkup connected with Forrest Mason on a 2 yard touchdown pass and Cannon trailed with the final points of the game 32-12.  The Lions managed 257 yards of total offense for the game.  It was overshadowed though by 5 turnovers and 11 penalties for 80 yards.  Cannon will next take on their third Tiger team in a row, this time out of Lafayette Tennessee as district opponent Macon County will come to Woodbury Friday.  Macon has a 2 and 3 record and is on a two game losing streak.

Members of the Woodbury Future Farmers of America (FFA) took home fifth place honors in Tennessee FFA’s largest state Career Development Event (CDE), Horse Judging. More than 250 students representing 67 teams competed at MTSU’s Miller Coliseum in the event sponsored by the Tennessee Equine Hospital. The CDE tests agricultural education students in equine science selection, management and production. 
Team members include: Kaylee Hayes, Hannah Nave, Brooklynn Gunter, Jenna Jordan. Nave and Hayes claimed 9thand15thhigh individual scorer, respectively. The alternate team consisted of Gabby Jones McClain Bell, Hunter Vickers and Colton Richardson.
 
FFA chapters with teams finishing in the top ten in order of rank were: Mt. Juliet, Lincoln County, McMinn County, Westmoreland, Woodbury, Cookeville, Moore County, Livingston Academy, Jefferson County, and Gallatin.
 
FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. Nationally, there are 606,510 FFA members, aged 12-21. The Tennessee FFA Association is comprised of more than 13,000 members from 213 high school chapters, 7 middle school chapters and 8 collegiate chapters across the state of Tennessee. To learn more about FFA visit www.tnffa.org

Almost midway through the football season and the Cannon County Lions are 0-4 and searching for ways to put points on the board against opponents.  The Lions are averaging 6 points a game and will travel to nearby Watertown to take on a Purple Tiger team who until last week was struggling themselves.  Watertown comes into the contest with a 1-4 record with the one win coming last week as they blew out Red Boiling Springs 46-6.  Red Boiling Springs pulled off the come back win two weeks ago against Cannon 14-13.  Watertown’s defense has given up an average of 23 points a game to this point of the season.  Our Friday night football coverage starts with the Prep Football Guru Murphy Fair as he’ll give his picks of the entire football schedule on Murphy’s Matchups.  Then it’s off to hearing live reports from various football fields in the Midstate on Friday Night Thunder at 6:00.  Then it’s Tailgate with the starting lineups and in depth look at Cannon vs Watertown right before the kickoff at 7:00.  Live coverage can be heard on AM-1540/FM96.7 WBRY streaming online at wbry.com and on your smart phones and tablets at wbry through the TuneIn Radio app.  

Farmers are at very high risk for fatal and non-fatal injuries while on the job. In fact, Tennessee is among the top six states for deaths due to tractor accidents in agricultural work, according to data from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. During National Farm Safety and Health Week this September, the Department of Health joins the Department of Agriculture in raising awareness of the risks of farming accidents and ways to save lives through prevention. 
“Farm injuries are especially prevalent during harvest season as farmers are working long hours and dealing with the additional stress of unpredictable weather and equipment problems,” Tennessee Department of Agriculture Commissioner Julius Johnson said. “We appreciate the opportunity to join with the Tennessee Department of Health in promoting safe and healthy practices on our farms and the rural roadways of Tennessee.”
 
The occupational fatality rate for farmers is 700 percent higher than other U.S. industries, including mining. During 2009-2012, an average of 17 fatalities from agricultural tractor accidents was reported in Tennessee every year. Engineering advancements made to tractors and other farm equipment have helped reduce injuries and deaths – but only when they are used properly.
 
Rollover Protection Structures, or ROPS, are roll bars or cages designed for agricultural tractors and are nearly 100 percent effective in preventing death and serious injury in the case of a rollover. Tractors built after 1986 have ROPS included as standard equipment, but many tractors on farms today, especially smaller farms, are older and were sold without ROPS. Older tractors can be retrofitted with ROPS.
 
“The satisfaction of farm and yard work can be negated quickly by an accident or injury,” said Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. “This is personal to me, having lost two friends to tractor accidents. In their memories, I always wear my seatbelt and use my rollover protection structure on this wonderful but very dangerous machinery.”
 
When working with farm equipment, safety experts suggest some basic common sense practices:
 

Always wear tight fighting, protective clothing and safety glasses.

Be sure that proper equipment guards are in place around moving parts.

Use or retrofit tractors with rollover protective structures (ROPS) and use seat belts.

Use extreme caution on inclined surfaces, which is the most common cause of rollovers.

Turn off the engine, engage the parking brake and lower hydraulic accessories when not in operation.

Do not allow extra riders on equipment.

Always be aware of your surroundings for people, obstacles or uneven ground.

Prepare for emergencies by keeping a first-aid kit and learning life-saving techniques.
 
A University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fact sheet called Agricultural Safety: Preventing Injuries can be found at http://extension.uga.edu/publications/files/pdf/B%201255_3.PDF.  For more information and resources on farm safety and health, contact Tim Prather, University of Tennessee Extension farm safety specialist at 865-974-7266 or visit http://www.extension.org/farm_safety_health.
 
Each year since 1944, the third week of September has been recognized as National Farm Safety and Health Week. The theme for 2014 is Safety Counts:  Protecting What Matters. Learn more at www.necasag.org/.