News 2014

A Cannon County man learned that meeting prospective dates online might cause more drama than what he was willing to go through.  Sunday night according to Cannon County Sheriff’s Department Reports Deputies were dispatched to a Big Hill Road residence in reference to a domestic assault.  Dispatch advised that a female was calling and stated that she had been struck by her boyfriend.  She also stated that the boyfriend had broken her leg during the assault.  When Deputies arrived, the female caller saw the police and immediately ran off into the woods.  She then tripped and fell face first into a dry creek bed.  Once Deputies caught up with her they immediately realized she was very intoxicated.  She fought the deputies help.  Upon getting her to a patrol car, another deputy was speaking with the alleged male in the incident.  The male identified as Morris Anderson was calm and did not appear to be drinking.  He stated that he had met the female identified as Ms Johanne Rollins online and they had just started going out.  He explained he was in the process of fixing dinner and she was drinking wine and he stated that she went nuts.  Mr. Anderson told Ms. Rollins that she needed to leave but Ms. Rollins couldn’t find her keys.  After further investigation it was determined that there was no domestic assault or altercation.  Ms. Rollins was arrested for public intoxication and for misuse of 9-1-1 services due to the fact that she made a false call to 9-1-1 that tied up three deputies and an ambulance.

The Cannon County Jr High Football team will go for it’s third win in a row tonight as they take the road to Watertown to play the Jr. High Purple Tigers.  Cannon County won in overtime two weeks ago in Monterey and beat Jackson County in the Lions last home game of the season last Thursday night.  The 4-3 Lions have already accepted a bowl bid on Saturday October 4th also to be played in Watertown.  Tonight is the last regular season game of the season and will start at 6:30  

A meeting of the DeKalb/Cannon County Amateur Radio Club will be held on Thursday, September 25th, 2014  – 6:30 PM at the DeKalb County
Complex, 722 South Congress Blvd., Smithville, TN 37166. All local
amateur radio operators and those interested in amateur radio are
invited to attend.
Amateur radio operators also called “hams”
communicate with other operators in the local area, statewide,
nationally, and even worldwide.  Hams also aid during times of
emergencies with vital communication links.  The DeKalb/Cannon County
Amateur Radio Club is an affiliated club of the American Radio Relay
League.  Call 615-597-9563 for more information or check out the
club’s webpage at http://www.dccarc.org.
 

Tennessee Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips announced last week  the Tennessee preliminary 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.Economic Summary
Over the past year, Tennessee’s unemployment rate decreased from 8.4 percent to 7.4 percent while the national rate declined from 7.2 percent to 6.1 percent.
 

Total nonfarm employment increased 6,700 jobs from July to August. The largest increases occurred in accommodation/food services, administrative/support/waste services, and durable goods manufacturing.
 

Over the year, nonfarm employment increased 59,000 jobs. The largest increases occurred in professional/business services, leisure/hospitality, and trade/transportation/utilities.

MTSU Campus Pharmacy and Campus Police are sponsoring the fourth drug take back event on the MTSU campus Thursday, Sept. 25, on campus. 
Expired, unused, and unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medicines will be accepted from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at a special drive-up location near the Campus Pharmacy drive-thru on Blue Raider Drive on the east side of campus. A printable campus map can be found at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap14-15.
 
 Pharmacy and police officials ask that participants leave medicines in their original packaging when possible, but for prescription medicines, black out any personally identifying information on the label.
 
Unfortunately, we are unable to accept sharps (needles) at this event, said Lisa Schrader, director of Health Promotion in the Department of Health Services. 
 
This event is part of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s overall efforts to remove excess drugs from communities where they could be abused or misused, diverted into the wrong hands or disposed of in environmentally unsafe ways.
 
The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, secure and environmentally responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse and trafficking of medications.
 
This is important because the nonmedical use of controlled substance medications is at an all-time high, with 6.8 million Americans reporting having abused prescription drugs in 2012, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health released in 2013.
 
This same study revealed more than 54 percent of people who abuse prescription pain relievers got them through friends or relatives, a statistic that includes raiding the family medicine cabinet. 
 
Last spring, 60 pounds of medicine were collected at the MTSU collection event. In total, nearly 400 tons of medicines have been disposed of nationally since take-back collections were initiated in 2010.
 

The Tennessee Forage and Grassland Council will hold its annual meeting and tradeshow on Friday, November 7, at Ellington Agricultural Center’s Ed Jones Auditorium in Nashville. 
“Several emerging issues will highlight this year’s program,” says Gary Bates, director of the University of Tennessee Beef and Forage Center.  “The lineup of speakers is outstanding and should provide for a very interesting day.”   
 
Ryan Goodman, who maintains the website agricultureproud.com which boasts more than 11,000 followers, will be discussing then need for interaction between the ag industry and non-ag society. He will also discuss the opportunities of social media in agricultural relations. Other topics include preventing herbicide resistance in pasture weeds, managing nuisance wildlife and techniques for low-cost heifer development.
 
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the meeting begins at 9 a.m. CST.  A $25 registration fee covers the cost of membership in the Tennessee Forage and Grassland Council as well as lunch. The meeting will conclude by 3 p.m. CST.
 
“This meeting is a great opportunity for any farmer who’s looking to produce forage and grasses as profitably as possible,” says Bates.  “This is where Tennessee’s top producers will be, and if they can’t help you, they’ll know the other good producers in your area.” 
 
An accompanying trade show offers producers a look at and a lesson about the constantly changing technology necessary to make the best decisions for their farms and for their buyers. The day’s events also include a silent auction provided by the major seed, chemical and pharmaceutical companies participating in the tradeshow.
 
This program, like all UT Extension programs, is open to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability or veteran status.For more information about the Tennessee Forage and Grassland Council, contact Cannon County Extension Office at 615-563-2554 or by email at bsteelman@utk.edu.
 

Every fall, on the last full weekend in October, when the colors are breathtaking and there is a crispness in the air, the artists of the Off the Beaten Path Tour in DeKalb and Cannon Counties of Middle Tennessee open their studios to the public for a free, three day event. 
Celebrating it’s 15th anniversary, the tour has grown to include 14 stops with 25 participating artists.
Visitors can download a map detailing directions to each studio as they make their way through the countryside while also following the bright yellow signs posted along the way.
Visitors will find artists demonstrating their craft as they welcome you to their studios and you will have the unique shopping opportunity of buying hand-crafted work directly from the artist.
 
The Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour had it’s beginnings 15 years ago when Louis and Christine Columbarini, potters and owners of Stella Luna Gallery, hatched a plan to bring together artists in DeKalb and Cannon Counties and to invite the public to their studios for demonstrates, sales and a get to know you kind of experience.  From that first small handful of innovative artists the tour has grown from a two-day event into a much loved and anticipated three-day long autumn weekend.  
 
At each stop along the tour visitors will find beautifully made contemporary and traditional fine crafts, many made by award-winning artists.  Look for wood fired and rake pottery, shaker boxes, hand-blown glass, functional and sculptural ceramics, handmade paper, handbound books, reclaimed jewelry, custom designed jewelry in semi-precious stones and sterling silver, woven wearables, custom designed handbags, stained glass, furniture, large scale pulp-painted canvases, ethnic inspired dolls, artist boxes inspired by original stories, traditional face jugs, large scale one-of-a-kind wood sculpture, original paintings and more.
 
The Studio Tour attracts local and regional visitors each year as well as Cultural Heritage travelers and many guests from around the country who plan vacations to the area during the Tour.  
 
Whether it’s a weekend getaway or a family outing, the tour offers something for everyone.  Pack a picnic lunch, get a map and enjoy this once a year event!
For more details about the artists at each of the 14 stops and to download your map of the tour, visit www.offthebeatenpathtour.com and see you in October!

The Car Cruise In Season is almost finished here in Cannon County as September brings the annual Color Of Fall Car and Truck Show that will be taking place this coming Saturday at the Cannon County Courthouse Public Square.  In addition to handing out awards to the top 40 cars at the show, there will be several class awards to the Best of show, best original, best modified, best street rod, best pro street, best full size truck, best engine, interior, paint, graphics.  Several trophies will be handed out to the various makes of cars like Cadillac, Corvette, Chevy, Ford, Volkswagon and more.  The show will also spotlight the Ford Mustang 50th Anniversary The first 100 entries will receive a goody bag, and dash plaque.  Vehicle registration begins at 8:00 in the morning until 12 noon and is $20.00 per vehicle.  Judging will begin at 9:00.  Participants and attendees will have a chance to win door prizes, trivia contests and enter the 50/50 drawing.  For more information about Saturdays event please call Carolyn Motley at the Cannon County Chamber of Commerce at 615-563-2222.

1864 would prove to be the decisive year of the Civil War. Despite Union victories at Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga the previous year, northern citizens were growing war-weary. The mounting lists of dead and wounded made many wonder if the South should finally be allowed its independence. Geographically situated between the midwestern states and the deep South, Tennessee was to be the major battleground in the western theater. The Mississippi, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers, combined with numerous rail lines which crossed the state, made Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and Knoxville of strategic importance to both Union and Confederate forces.
A new exhibit, with 16 panels full of images and information on this fascinating period in our history, recently opened at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. It explores the role Tennessee played as a transportation and supply hub, the experiences and contributions of African-Americans, and key battles at Johnsonville, Memphis, Fort Pillow, Spring Hill, Columbia, Franklin and Nashville.
The exhibit also highlights historical records that are valuable genealogy resources such as army muster rolls, Civil War service records, the Southern Claims Commission records, colored pension applications, the Union provost marshal records, cemetery records and TSLA’s manuscript collections.
Visitors to the Tennessee State Library and Archives are invited to come explore the role Tennessee played in the Civil War in 1864. The exhibit will remain open until mid-December.
The State Library and Archives is located at 403 Seventh Avenue North, just west of the State Capitol building in downtown Nashville. The exhibit, free and open to all visitors, is located in the building’s lobby directly behind the main entrance.
The Tennessee State Library and Archives is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., with the exception of state holidays. Parking is available in front, behind and beside the building.
 

Volunteer opportunities are available at the Stones River National Battlefield 1563 North Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro for National Parks Land Day.  The battlefield will need volunteers to work between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Saturday.  Friends of Stones River National Battlefield will provide lunch to volunteers.  For more details on how you and your family can help call 615-893-9501.  Also visit nps.gov/stri