News 2016

A Bedford County woman is charged a second time for doctor shopping, or going to multiple providers to obtain prescriptions for controlled substances.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG), with assistance from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Sonya Marie Leverette, 31, of Shelbyville. She is charged in Coffee County with four counts of doctor shopping involving the painkillers Hydrocodone and a form of Codeine, using TennCare to pay for the clinical visits, the prescriptions or both.
Leverette was first arrested in April, after an indictment in Bedford County, where she faced three counts of fraudulently using TennCare to obtain a controlled substance by doctor shopping. Both cases were worked together, with the indictments served a few months apart.
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge. District Attorney General Craig Northcott is prosecuting.
Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or visit the website and follow prompts that read “Report TennCare Fraud.”
 

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has announced the application period for grant dollars for stream clean-up projects and planting projects has been extended through July 11.
The availability of the grant dollars are to assist cities, schools, community organizations, civic groups, watershed organizations, and conservation groups, etc., with stream clean-up projects and planting projects during the 2016-17 fiscal year.
Five grants, at a maximum of $1,000 each, are available for each of TWRA’s four regional Aquatic Habitat Protection projects (a total of $5,000 per region). The funds will be obligated as grants, so the grantee must have a nonprofit tax number. The projects are to be completed, the money spent, and a report submitted by June 30, 2017.
The grant money could be used to buy supplies such as rakes, work gloves, and garbage bags. Also, it could be used to pay disposal fees for solid waste and tire removal or to provide promotional items like project advertisement or T‑shirts and refreshments for volunteer support.
Grant proposals should include the applicant organization’s name, tax ID number, address, phone, and name of a contact person authorized to enter into contractual agreement on behalf of the organization.  The proposal should also include the name of the stream, county or counties involved, and the project area and description.
Contact TWRA Environmental Service Division’s Della Sawyers at (615) 781-6577 or by email at della.sawyers@tn.gov  with any questions.

 The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance’s (TDCI) Division of Consumer Affairs warns residents to use caution when hiring movers through websites like Craigslist.
Last month, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported a Craigslist moving scam that left a Georgia resident robbed of $75,000 worth of her family’s personal and household valuables. The victim hired the “two-man moving team” through the popular website Craigslist. The movers agreed to load up the family’s belongings and follow them to the new location. Instead, the movers loaded the U-Haul vehicle, which was later discovered to be stolen, and drove off, stealing the vehicle’s contents.
“Tennesseans have to be diligent to avoid falling victims to scams such as these,” TDCI Deputy Commissioner Bill Giannini. “Always conduct thorough research and read reviews before hiring a moving company. When in doubt, reach out to the Division of Consumer Affairs or your local Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed on a company you are considering doing business with.”
Consider these additional tips while shopping on Craigslist:
If you consider purchasing products or services through Craigslist, be sure to review the scam prevention tips offered at www.craigslist.org/about/scams.
Before hiring a business or professional through Craigslist, you may contact the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs at consumer.affairs@tn.gov or 800-342-8385 to ask if prior complaints have been reported against the company or individual. You may also visit www.bbb.org to check your local Better Business Bureau’s reviews and ratings.
Use caution and discretion when hiring someone who is not affiliated with or employed by a credible business. Check customer ratings, ask for references and shop around before committing to a transaction. Avoid offering sensitive personal information while conducting business. Request the individual’s contact information up front, and check to make sure the phone number works and the address is legitimate. Keep local law enforcement contact information handy, in case of an emergency.
To report a Craigslist moving scam, notify local law enforcement and refer to the instructions provided at www.craigslist.org/about/scams.
For more consumer tips or to file a consumer complaint, visit www.tn.gov/consumer.

Camp Read to be Ready provides students with a total reading experience where books take life in relation to our community. Students are given the opportunity to read, think, talk, and write about various texts in relation to our focus of learning. The first session of Camp Read to be Ready allows students to experience Camp Reading Rangers. Twenty four students have spent their first week becoming backyard naturalists. Students are learning about and discussing animals, insects, and plants in their native habitat. We have dug deep into the following books: Our Great Big Backyard written by Laura Bush and Jenna Bush Hagar, Fireflies in the Night written by Judy Hawes, One Small Square: Backyard written by Donald Silver, and What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? written by Steve Jenkins.
The ultimate goal for Camp Read to be Ready is to make books come to life for our students. Co-directors Melisha Simmons and MaryBeth Young as well as Troop Leaders Lori Christensen, Kathy Gannon, Emily Hughes, and Joy Pope are working toward this goal by creating movements, songs, and art that relate to our books. Campers have created their own constellations and compared hot light from candles to cold light from fireflies. Troop leaders have allowed campers to evaluate animal parts in order to determine the animal to which the parts belong. Campers have also experimented with foods to see the types of animals that are attracted to meats, plants, or liquids.
We are partnering with Adams Memorial Library to ensure each of our campers and their families have library cards. Camp Read to be Ready travels to the Library two times each week so that campers have the opportunity to choose their own books to explore. Campers are also participating in the Summer Reading Program and weekly story time through Adams Memorial Library.
Camp Read to be Ready is also partnering with Huff & Puff Trucking. Through this partnership, campers are learning geography and map skills while they learn about where Cannon County is in relation to the world around us. Each day in camp, students experience a read aloud of Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. Huff & Puff drivers Mike and Dianna Watson have opened their truck up to Flat Stanley so that he can travel their delivery routes.  Every day campers get to video conference with Flat Stanley and his drivers using Skype. Campers note the location of Flat Stanley and discover the states he has traveled through. Campers also ask Huff & Puff drivers questions about the geography, climate, time zone, and scenery of their current location.   
There are some things you can do at home to help your child during the summer months. The single most important thing you can do to help your child succeed is to read with them for twenty minutes each day! Remember, the conversations you have with children about what they have read or heard are essential to their comprehension. The Adams Memorial Library offers story time at 1:00 every Tuesday. They also meet on Thursdays at 1:00 for activities related to the Summer Reading Program.
For more pictures check out the WBRY Facebook page!

The United Way recently announced its plans for investing $59,420 within six programs in Cannon County.  The following program partnerships include:
 

• Cannon County Child Abuse Program of Child Advocacy Center of Rutherford County, Inc.
• Cannon County Imagination Library of Cannon Reads
• HELP (Helping Elderly Live Productively) Program of Cannon County Senior Citizens Center
• Project Rescue Program of Cannon County Rescue Squad
• Senior Center Program of Cannon County Senior Citizens Center
• Wellness Program of the Cannon County Senior Citizens Center

“We are very grateful to partner with the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties again in 2016”, said Tim Bell, Chief Operating Officer for Cannon County Rescue Squad, “This funding will allow for our continued promotion of home fire prevention and youth safety.  It will also allow us to promote safety in our rural communities and it will make Cannon County a better place to live and work.”
 
Funding decisions were based on the program’s impact on the community, the outcomes that the program is able to achieve and the program’s efficiency and effectiveness.
 
Randy Allen, Director of Community Impact for the United Way, said, “We are proud to support programs and initiatives to improve community conditions, and we look forward to continuing our efforts of expanding additional services, such as 2-1-1, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and FamilyWize, to the Cannon County community.”
 
For additional information regarding United Way programs and services, visit www.yourlocaluw.org.
 
For questions concerning these funding decisions or for more information about the United Way, please contact the
United Way at 615-893-7303. 
 

 For 10 days in June, elementary and middle school teachers from more than five southern Middle Tennessee counties including Cannon County  covered a hand-painted brain with sticky notes showing mistakes they had made during each day.
They also adorned the walls of Coffee County Middle School hallways with their individual and team work sheets from the various days’ activities.
The group of 150 teachers from primarily Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, Grundy and Rutherford counties recently completed the fourth year of the MTSU-led and Tennessee Department of Education grant-funded Summer Institute Project Impact.
Teachers attending the institute, which is led by MTSU faculty and graduate students, have seen a marked improvement in their students’ understanding of math.
“We’ve been working hard on mathematics problems and understanding students’ solutions to mathematics problems,” said Dr. Angela Barlow, MTSU Math and Science Education Ph.D. Program director.
“We read vignettes,” Barlow added. “We watch videos, and we talk about the mathematics in those as well as the instructional practices because our goal is to improve student achievement. And we know to do that we need student-centered instruction and that is at the heart of Project Impact.”
Sunshine Robbins, who teaches second-graders at Auburn Elementary School in Auburntown, Tennessee, in Cannon County, said she “likes to come and collaborate with other teachers and get new ideas … critical things I can use in the classroom.”
“I can keep up to date with things that are going on in the math world,” Robbins added.
Murfreesboro resident Keisha Banks, who teaches eighth-graders math at Community Middle School in Unionville, Tennessee, in Bedford County, said attending the workshop “really makes you think … and re-think everything you’ve been taught but in a different way.”
“What I have found beneficial is the multiple teaching strategies, different ways we can respond to students and different resources,” Banks added.
Many of the teachers purchased T-shirts with a Schoolhouse Rock typeface stating “Impact 4 Life” as a theme for the fourth Project Impact. The group’s motto atop the brain in the school’s hallway read: “Mistakes are expected, respected and inspected.”
Barlow said the teachers will convene on a Saturday in August as the school year resumes and MTSU faculty will visit them in their schools in the coming months.
“We will go in and do a demonstration lesson,” Barlow said of the school visits. “Someone from MTSU will teach the lesson while the teachers watch.”
The fifth Summer Institute Project Impact will be held next June. Barlow suggests any K-8 teachers interested in attending should email her at Angela.Barlow@mtsu.edu or talk to teachers who are a part of the group.
 

Tennessee has been named No. 4 in a recent analysis of the 10 Best States for Retirement 2016 by Kiplinger.com, a Washington, D.C.-based publisher of business forecasts and personal finance advice. The report rated all 50 states based on quantifiable factors that are important to retirees.
Affordability, especially in terms of lower taxes on retirees and lower health care costs, was a key factor in the research. The economic health of the state, as well as the overall health of the population, was also taken into account. States with prosperous populations of residents age 65 were also important in the comprehensive analysis. 
Tennessee is one of only four states in the country with a formal retiree recruitment program and continues to gain momentum as a retirement destination for baby boomers. Part of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, the Retire Tennessee program inspired more than 8,000 inquiries from potential retirees in 2015. Retire Tennessee communities become part of the program based on quality of life factors for retirees, such as cost-of-living, lively downtowns, real estate values and availability, and culture.
“To be named as one of the top five retirement destinations in the country is an accolade of which we can be proud as we continue to build awareness,” said Commissioner Kevin Triplett, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. “We continue to tell the story of our low cost of living, no state income tax, low property taxes, four mild seasons, incredible quality of living and breathtaking scenic beauty through the Retire Tennessee program and people are noticing. Many of the top destinations for retiring in our state are in more rural counties providing a relaxing environment filled with natural attractions and outdoor amenities and those relocating here bring a great value to these communities through their knowledge and energy and help stimulate the economy in the process.”
Ramay Winchester, director of Tourism Initiatives, has managed the Retire Tennessee program since its inception 10 years ago. 
“The number of inquiries to Tennessee from advertising and expos are at an all-time high,” said Winchester.  “Attendance at Ideal Living Resort & Retirement Expos has set new records which is why we are increasing our presence, participating in seven shows this year. These expos are our main lead generators for the Retire Tennessee program.”
Carefully chosen expo locations in New York, New Jersey, Illinois and greater Washington, D.C. allow the Retire Tennessee program to market to retirees who wish to relocate after retirement. RPI Media, the host of the Ideal Living Resort & Retirement Expos, recently ran a National Change of Address report providing relocation data from December 2012 through March 2016. Of resort show attendees and/or Ideal Living magazine subscribers, 732 households have relocated to Tennessee with 293 of those relocating to certified Retire Tennessee communities. 
The Kiplinger.com report provided the Top 10 list with destinations of wide diversity of climates and lifestyles, and narrowed their recommendations even further by highlighting cities within each ranking state. 
Chattanooga-Hamilton County, one of the state’s 19 Retire Tennessee communities, was featured with mentions of the thriving art and music scene along with outdoor recreation opportunities including biking along the Tennessee River or whitewater rafting. 
The cost-of-living is 2 percent below the U.S. average and the fiscal soundness of Tennessee shows the state should have no issues in maintaining its tax-friendly status.
Other states rounding out the top 10 were Idaho, Arizona, Florida, Washington, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Utah, and South Dakota.
For more information from the Kiplinger.com report, visit http://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/retirement/T006-S001-best-states-for-…
For more information on the Retire Tennessee program, visit www.retiretennessee.org. 

The Summer Reading Program at the Cannon County Libraries is finishing up its third week.  Thursdays during the program, the Adams Memorial Library hosts events for the entire community.  Tomorrow the library brings back a favorite.  Mr. Bond the Science Guy.  This year he is bringing the Science of Sports to the library with hand-eye coordination experiments, balancing miracles and much more.  Mr. Bond always puts the fun into summer and into science.  He and his amazing team of Mad Scientists will show you how science and sports work together in his amazing experiments.  The first 75 kids to sign up for the event will receive a gift.  The presentation will take place at 1:00 Thursday at the Adams Memorial Library.  The event is free.
 

Cannon County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a recent case of a vehicle break in.  According to Sheriff’s Department reports Deputies spoke with Mathew Frogge who stated that he was unsure exactly where the incident had occured, however when he arrived home from work and began to clean out his vehicle, some items were missing from the back seat area.  Mr. Frogge stated that he got off of work at 7:45 in the morning in Murfreesboro.  Mr. Frogge stated that he had the windows partially rolled down while at work.   Mr Frogge stated that when he got off work he rolled the windows down completely and headed home.  He stopped to fill his car with gas and continued home.  Upon arriving home, Mr. Frogge noticed some items missing.  It was unknown whether the items were taken at work or while going into pay for gas.  Mr Frogge advised he contacted his employer to review surveillance, Mr Frogge said that the market did not have security cameras facing the fuel pumps at the time of his being there.  Some of the stolen items included DVD player  a PS4 game, several DVD’s and tools.  Investigation is continuing.

A Liberty Man was arrested over the weekend in Murfreesboro for Public Intoxication.  According to Murfreesboro Police Reports, Police arrested 49 year old Richard Herman of Nashville Highway in Liberty after responding to a call of an intoxicated man on a bicycle.  When Police arrived at the scene, they found Mr. Herman standing in the middle of the street with his bike overturned.  The report goes on to say that Mr. Herman was extremely intoxicated and in danger of being run over by passing traffic.  He will answer to the charge in Rutherford County General Sessions Court July 28th