News 2016

The October meeting of the Cannon County Commission brings the election of the Chairman and Chairman Pro-Tem.  The meeting started with the nominations.  Commissioner Karen Ashford nominated current Chairman Mike Gannon for the position.  James Hollaway, Adam Melton, Mark Barker and Glenn Steakley all voted in favor of Gannon.  Brent Bush was nominated as Chairman by Russell Reed.  Bush, Reed and Jim Bush all voted in favor.  With the voting needing to be six commissioners to elect Gannon as Chairman and none of the commissioners present at the meeting  willing to change their vote, Gannon continues as Chairman, Brent Bush has been elected Chairman Pro-Tem.  With Mike Gannon absent, commissioner Brent Bush presided over the meeting. 
The Commissioners approved the addition of a member to the Industrial Development Board.  Gayle Morgan who co-owns and operates the Rustic Elegance Center in Woodbury was unanimously approved by the commissioners to the Board. 
The Commissioners approved the various Committee Assignments.
Sarah Malone of the UT Extension Center in Cannon County presented the Trash to Treasure project to the Commissioners.  This is a 4-H program that will be a project for 4th through 12th grade members to take items typically thrown away and make something out of it. 
The Commission approved the next process to apply for the funding of Hazardous Mitigation Plan.  The funding costs no cash money from the County.

At this year’s Upper Cumberland Senior Expo, scheduled for October 20 in Cookeville, attendees will have the opportunity to meet caregiver, author and inspirational speaker Lorrie Davis McDonald, whose experience as a caregiver for her mother-in-law with Alzheimer’s is being shared across the country.
          Her book “Blue, Baseball, Virginia –The Journey of an Alzheimer’s Patient and Caregiver–A Journey of Humor, Help and Hope” gives an inside look at the challenges, rewards and sorrows she experienced while caring for her mother-in-law. In the book, Ms. McDonald also shares how her alternative caregiver treatment methods improved her mother-in-law condition by 18 months, a feat unheard of with the disease.
Ms. McDonald will be available at the Upper Cumberland Senior Expo, which will be held in Cookeville’s Hyder-Burks Agriculture Pavilion from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on October 20, 2016. She will be providing tips to consider while caring for a loved one with dementia. These tips include ideas she collected while caring for her mother-in-law, as well as tips she has learned after the release of the book. Additional information and purchase options for the book are available at Amazon.com.
          Hosted by the Area Agency on Aging and Disability, the Upper Cumberland Senior Expo is a one-day educational event for seniors and caregivers to network with businesses and services providers. Attendees can take advantage of free health screenings, participate in interactive activities, gather resources, enter to win door prizes and network with businesses from across the 14-county Upper Cumberland region. Optional transportation is arranged for seniors at each county’s senior center. For more information, please contact the AAAD Family Caregiver Manager, Clare Farless, at 931-432-4111 or cfarless@ucdd.org.  

The official start of wildfire season in Tennessee is Oct. 15.
“It’s important, and required from October 15, 2016 to May 15, 2017, that citizens call for a burning permit and follow outdoor burning safety recommendations,” State Forester Jere Jeter said. “Throughout October and into November, the state is forecasted to experience above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation creating an expansion of drought now seen in southeast Tennessee. The permit system helps us communicate to the public when and where it is safe to burn and focuses attention on safety.”
The online burn permit system is free, fast and simple. If you are burning a leaf or brush pile that is smaller than 8 feet by 8 feet in size, log on to www.burnsafetn.org for approval. More than 300,000 permits are issued each year, and the online system provides a quick and efficient way to apply.
For a larger burn, apply for a free permit by calling your local Division of Forestry burn permit phone number at 615-765-7373  Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Burn permits are only issued when conditions are conducive to safe burning. If you live inside city limits, there may be additional restrictions. Check with your municipality before you burn.
To learn what materials may not be burned, check the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Open Burning Guidelines at https://tn.gov/environment/article/apc-open-burning.

Burning without a permit is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and/or a fine. Wildfires caused by arson are a class C felony punishable by 3 to 15 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. Anyone with information about suspected arson activity should call the state Fire Marshal’s Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017. The hotline is answered 24 hours a day, and you may remain anonymous when providing information. Cash awards are offered for information leading to an arrest or conviction. To report illegal burning, please call 1-888-891-TDEC.
Visit www.burnsafetn.org for additional tips to burn safely and to protect your community. 
The Division of Forestry promotes the wise use of forest resources by assisting landowners, fighting wildfires, providing quality seedlings, monitoring insects and diseases, improving urban forests, managing state forests, protecting water quality and collecting forest inventory data. The Division also works to promote primary and secondary forest industries to stimulate the state’s economy. Visit http://www.tn.gov/agriculture/section/forests for more information.
Obtaining a Safe Debris Burning Permit by Phone
Burning permits by phone are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except on holidays. Permits may be obtained in advance for weekends and holidays.
Permits will not be issued on days and in locations if it is considered unsafe to conduct a debris burn.

The Sequatchie County Indians made sure the Cannon County Lions were in no position for an upset victory in Dunlap Friday night during their high school football game.  The Indians recovered the opening kick to start the game and in one play from the line of scrimmage connected on a 38 yard pass to put the score 8-0 within 7 seconds of the game’s start.  The Lions answered as they moved the ball but stalled at the Indians 31 yard line.  This set up a Jake Walkup 48 yard field goal in which he hit with no problem cutting the lead 8-3.  From there Sequatchie rattled off 29 unanswered points including a pick on defense for a touchdown and led 37-3.  The Lions put together an impressive drive after recovering a fumble on a Lion punt.  After a Indian personal foul converted a fourth down to a first down the Lions had the ball on the four yard line.  Another 4 downs later they convert with a pass to Jake Walkup to make the score 37-9 missing the two point conversion.  The second half saw the mercy rule invoked when Sequatchie scored to go up 44-9.  The fourth quarter Cannon scored again on a big pass play to Qwentin McMackins to finish scoring as Sequatchie County claimed sole possession of first place in the region with a 50-15 win.  Sequatchie County collected 456 yards of total offense while the Lions managed only 169 yards 106 of those in the air.  Cort Litchford was the leading ground gainer for Cannon County with 51 yards as he replaced the injured Jaydon Coon.  Cannon will have a bye week this week before returning to the football field for one final game of the season taking on Dekalb County October 28.
 

Cannon County High School will be hosting a FAFSA Frenzy event on October 28 in the CCHS library.  All seniors and their parents are invited to attend.  Eric Farmer from TSAC will be available to help students complete their FAFSA.  The FAFSA Frenzy will begin at 3PM and last until kickoff of the football game.  Contact the CCHS Guidance Department at 615-563-2144 with any questions.
 

They’ve been to Woodbury and Cannon County and now Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz and their team are excited to return to Tennessee!  They plan to film episodes of the hit series American Pickers throughout the region again this November and December.
American Pickers is a documentary series that explores the fascination work of antique ‘picking’ on History.  The hit show follows Mike and Frank, two of the most skilled pickers in the business, as they hunt for America’s most valuable antiques.   They are always excited to find sizable, unique collections and learn the interesting stories behind them.
Mike and Frank have seen a lot of rusty gold over the years and are always looking to discover something they’ve never seen before.  They are ready to find extraordinary items and hear fascinating tales about them.   American Pickers is looking for leads and would love to explore your hidden treasure.   If you or someone you know has a large, private collection or accumulation of antiques that the Pickers can spend the better part of a day looking through, send them your name, phone number, location and description of the collection with photos to: americanpicker@cineflix.com or call 855-old-rust
 

No individual entertainer in the history of music may have been more electrifying than the King of Rock ‘n Roll, the late Elvis Presley. And while there will never be another Elvis, his music will continue to live on through the many performers he inspired throughout his career and afterwards.

The Arts Center of Cannon County welcomes a little slice of the King in the form of Elvis Tribute Artist, Tom Duggin, who will bring From Memphis To Vegas: A Tribute To Elvis Live to the Arts Center stage. Duggin performs a 1970’s style Elvis concert, with the accompaniment of a full band, the legendary Rangers Quartet, one of the longest running group names in gospel music history, as well as the Soul Sistas, who all combine to bring to life the great hits of the Elvis live era. You’ll rock to classic oldies like Blue Suede Shoes, Teddy Bear, Don’t Be Cruel and Hound Dog, while rolling to great Elvis concert classics like Burning Love, Suspicious Minds and Polk Salad Annie. Elvis himself may have left the building, but his music never will!

A native of DeKalb County, Tom Duggin is a life-long Elvis fan, who has performed the King’s hits since he was a teenager. Duggin has performed in concert multiple times with Elvis’ 1970’s backup group, The Stamps Quartet, and has performed in several venues throughout the Southeast. While considering himself a “tribute artist” rather than an “impersonator,” Duggin feels honored to carry on the legendary music of Elvis Presley. “There’s only one Elvis, and I’m not him,” Duggin tells his audiences. “I don’t wear jumpsuits and sideburns, but rather focus on the remarkable music and the energy that truly made the Elvis Presley concert experience. It’s more than an honor for me to perform his great songs in front of his many, many fans.”

Follow Tom Duggin on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tom.duggin1

For more on the legendary Rangers Quartet, visit www.rangersquartet.com. 
 

The Arts Center is located on 1424 John Bragg Highway, just west of the town of Woodbury, approximately 20 minutes from Murfreesboro, Manchester, and McMinnville and one hour southeast of Nashville. Office hours are 10:00a.m. to 4:00p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. For reservations or ticket information please call 615-563-(ARTS) 2787.

tnAchieves, partnering organization for Governor Bill Haslam’s TN Promise, is currently seeking volunteers to serve as mentors for program’s third class of students.  TN Promise offers every high school senior the opportunity to attend one of the state’s 13 community colleges or 27 colleges of applied technology tuition free with a last dollar scholarship.  The program also pairs each applicant with a volunteer mentor to ease the transition from high school to college.
 
Tennessee’s Commissioner of Economic and Community Development Randy Boyd has been a mentor with the program since its inception in 2008.  “With the idea of eliminating the barriers keeping Tennessee students from entering the post-secondary pipeline, Tennessee Promise provides a last-dollar scholarship with mentor support to our state’s high school seniors,” said Boyd.  “It sends the message to students and families that college is within everyone’s reach regardless of zip code or socio-economic background.  It also communicates to business and industry that Tennessee is intensely focused on creating the workforce to meet their demands.”  TN Promise is one program of the state’s Drive to 55 initiative that aims to increase Tennessee’s adult population with a post-secondary credential to 55 percent by 2025.
 
In the first two years of the program almost 120,000 students have applied.  In the first year, 16,291 students began college TN Promise eligible.  The state’s college going rate increased 4.6 percent, more than the previous seven years combined.  Enrollment at the state’s community and technical colleges increased more than 20 percent and enrollment at all of the state’s public higher education institutions increased 10 percent.  This translates into approximately 4,000 new students entering the college pipeline. 
 
The scholarship dollars are important, and often creates excitement around going to college, but the support of the mentor can be critical to many students’ success.  Most of the students participating in the program are first generation college attendees and navigating the admissions and financial aid processes can seem overwhelmingly.  Mentors spend about one hour per month reminding students of deadlines, serving as a trusted resource, and encouraging students to reach their full potential.  The time commitment is small, but the impact can be life changing.
 
tnAchieves Director of Community Partnerships Graham Thomas explained the importance of the role of the mentors.  “Mentors provide the encouragement and support students need to be successful as they begin their college careers,” Thomas said.  “Mentors ensure barriers that might cause students to quit are overcome, processes that might prove to be intimidating are completed, and vocabulary that was foreign becomes everyday language.”    
 
tnAchieves needs more than 9,000 volunteers statewide to serve as mentors to meet student demand.  The program operates TN Promise in 84 counties and each county has a specific mentor goal.  To learn more and apply you can visit www.tnachieves.org or contact Thomas at graham@tnachieves.org or (615) 604-1306. 
 

Oct. 17-21—Fall Break
Oct. 22—ACT re-take date for seniors
Oct. 24-26—LEAD Conference, Nashville, TN
Oct. 28—Cannon Co. Lions Football vs. Dekalb Co. at CCHS field
Nov. 2—Principals’ meeting at CCBOE at 8:30 a.m.
Nov. 4-7—Tennessee School Boards Association Annual Leadership Conference, Nashville, TN
Nov. 8—Professional Development Day for teachers and staff, 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
                Board policy workshop, 5:30 p.m. at CCBOE
                Board meeting workshop, 6:30 p.m. at CCBOE
 
Nov. 10—School Board meeting, 6: 30 p.m. at WGS Cafeteria
 
Nov. 11—Veterans’ Day Program at CCHS
Nov. 14—Homeland Security Drill at West Side Fire Dept. @ 3:00 p.m.
 
 Do you have one hour per month to help students in your community transition from high school to college? tnAchieves, local partnering organization to Gov. Haslam’s TN Promise, needs 9,000 mentors to work with high school students from the Class of 2017. Mentors remind students of important deadlines, serve as a trusted college resource and, most importantly, encourage students to reach their full potential. The time commitment is small, but the impact can be life changing for a first generation college student trying to navigate the college going process. Learn more or register at https://tnachieves.org/mentors/requirements/.  For the class of 2017, Cannon County needs 22 mentors; currently only 6 adults have registered to be mentors for these seniors.   Our students need you; please consider being a mentor and register today.
 
On Saturday, Oct. 1st, the Adams Memorial Library celebrated 50 years of service to the citizens of Cannon County. Many thanks to the following CCHS football players who helped with the event set up and clean up:  Cort Litchford, Dalton Morris, Kyle Martinez, Tristan Wareham, Brent Scott, and Reece Smith.  Also, thanks to the Lioness members Rachel Hale and Tori Duncan for serving as hostesses at the reception.
 

The monthly meeting of the Cannon County Commission is set for Saturday morning beginning at 10.  Follow up of the special called Commission meeting from last Friday is expected to be discussed under new business.  Other items on the agenda is to approve a new Industrial Development Board member.  The person up for approval is Gayle Morgan.  The Commission will also be asked to approve the 2016-2017 committee assignments and approve the Public Chapter Number 750, Senate Bill 2350.  Quarterly reports will be given by the various department heads.  The meeting once again starts at 10A in the Courtroom of the Cannon County Courthouse.