News 2016

Tennesseans who want to vote in the March 1 presidential preference primary, or “SEC Primary,” must register to vote by Monday, February 1, 2016. This election cycle the Volunteer State will join six other Southern states on March 1 to help decide who could be the next president of the United States.
“It’s important to ensure you are properly registered now so there won’t be any surprises during early voting or on Election Day,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said.
Early voting begins Wednesday, February 10 and runs Mondays through Saturdays until Tuesday, February 23. Election Day is Tuesday, March 1. Cannon County’s Election Office will be closed on President’s Day February 15th
Hargett is urging voters to take advantage of early voting if possible because of unpredictable winter weather and an incredibly long ballot.
“When you consider the number of presidential candidates as well as the number of delegates, some voters across the state will have many choices,” Hargett said.
Cannon County Election Office’s website for more information is
http://www.cannoncountyelections.com/
Tennesseans voting early or on Election Day should remember to bring valid state or federal photo identification with them to the polls. For information about what types of ID are acceptable, visit GoVoteTN.com or call toll free 1-877-850-4959.
Voters can also download the GoVoteTN app, available in the App Store or Google Play, to view voter-specific information when searching by name or address. Voters can find early voting and Election Day polling locations, view and mark sample ballots, see their elected officials, districts and county election commission information as well as access online election results through the application.

The Chili Supper fundraiser benefitting the Cannon County High School Football Team originally scheduled for Thursday evening at the Cannon County High School has been rescheduled for Saturday February 6th at 4:00

Commodity loans are currently available for producers of corn, wheat, and soybeans. Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements before receiving these USDA benefits. To be eligible, a producer must maintain continual beneficial interest in the crop from harvest through the earlier of the date the loan is repaid or CCC takes title to the commodity. Beneficial interest means retaining the ability to make decisions about the commodity; responsibility for loss or damage to the commodity; and title to the commodity. Once beneficial interest in a commodity is lost, the commodity is ineligible for loan – even if the producer regains beneficial interest.
These loans provide producers with immediate financing on their stored commodities held as loan collateral. Instead of selling the crop immediately after harvest, these loans allow the producer to store the crop for a maximum of 9 months to allow for market gains in the event of a depressed market at the time of harvest. Applicants should allow 7-10 workdays for processing and disbursing the loan proceeds. Loans can be approved beginning at harvest and ending May 31. (Exception: Wheat ends March 31). The 2015 crop year commodity loans rates for DeKalb and Cannon Counties are as follows:
Corn—$2.05 / bu.
Soybeans—$5.13/ bu.
Wheat—$2.70/ bu.
For January 2016, the CCC interest rate for marketing assistance loans is 1.625%.
Violating provisions of a marketing assistance loan may trigger administrative actions, such as assessing liquidated damages, calling the loan and denial of future farm-stored loans.
For more information, call the DeKalb/Cannon County Farm Service Agency at 615-597-8225, extension 2.

A meeting of the DeKalb/Cannon County Amateur Radio Club will be held on Thursday, January 28th, 2016  – 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.
 

The Woodland Lady Warriors run in the James C. Haile State Tournament ended Wednesday afternoon as the team met York Elementary out of Jamestown in Murfreesboro at the Middle Tennessee Christian School.  York got out to a hot start hitting three three pointers to start the game and put the Woodland team on its heels early.  Woodland fought back and took the lead with 4 minutes left to go in the third quarter.  The Lady Warriors went on a 10 point run before York started knocking down three point field goals again in the fourth quarter to retake the lead.  An exciting finish saw York hit a bucket with 9 seconds left to take a three point lead.  The Lady Warriors with time running out fired up a off balance three to tie and it fell short giving York a 38-35 win.  Kristin Fann led the Lady Warriors attack with 13 points.  Thursday night ends the Grammar School regular season.  Auburntown travels to Eastside while Short Mountain heads to Woodland.  Both contests tip off at 6:00 .  The County Grammar School Tournament moves to start on Monday February 1st.

With six players completing the girls basketball roster for Macon County Tuesday night, it looked like the Cannon County Lionettes were going to get an easy win.  However when the game got going the Woodbury team found things a little different.  Macon County led most of the first half leading by as many as 9 points in the game.  The Lionettes tied the game and took the lead for good with about a minute left in the 3rd quarter and picked up their 10th win of the season 45-39.  Maleah Scott scored 10 points to lead the team.  Cannon’s district record is 4-4.
Normally results in the third quarter for the Cannon County Lions have hurt the team and have also been a major reason for the 6-16 season the Lions have endured through but the Lions responded Tuesday night against Macon County with a solid third quarter trimming a 20 point lead down to 7 before they folded in the fourth losing to Macon County 76-65.  Briar Jakes had one of his better shooting performances scoring 22 points while Austin Martin hit 14 and Austin Duggin had 12.  Cannon’s District record is 0-8.  Both teams will be in Murfreesboro Thursday night to face the Central Magnet Tigers and Lady Tigers.  Tip off will be at 6:00.  WBRY AM-1540/FM107.9 will have the live broadcast game coverage.  You can also hear the game streaming live on wbry.com and through WBRY by using the TuneIn Radio app on your smart phones and tablets.

This past weekend some of the Cannon County Rescue squad members were busy due to the snowy and icy road conditions doing community service work for the citizens of Cannon County. The members went to pick up nurses and employees who works at the hospital and nursing home, took them to work then picked them up and took them home. The members also assisted Cannon County EMS to get to calls where the ambulance couldn’t go.
Cannon County Rescue Squad does much more than extrication, search and rescue, animal rescue, etc. We would like to say THANK YOU to our members for their hard work and dedication to the squad and to the citizens of Cannon County.The Rescue Squad did not have to work many accidents during this winter weather storm. Even though most roads may be clear of snow and ice, use caution when driving due to the rain that has moved in.
The Cannon County Rescue Squad would like to say THANK YOU to our members and to the citizens of Cannon County for your past and future support!
 

The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) is urging consumers to be wary of potential price gouging following the severe winter storm that swept across Tennessee over the weekend.
Tennessee’s price gouging laws make it unlawful for individuals and businesses to charge unreasonable prices for essential goods and services including gasoline, food, ice, fuel, generators, lodging, storage space, and other necessities in direct response to a disaster regardless of whether that emergency occurred in Tennessee or elsewhere. The price gouging law also makes it unlawful to charge a price that is grossly in excess of the price charged prior to the emergency. This price gouging act is triggered when a disaster is declared by the state or by the federal government. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency declared a State of Emergency at 3 p.m., CST, on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016.
Penalties for violations of the act are up to $1,000 per violation. Additionally, the Tennessee Attorney General in conjunction with TDCI’s Division of Consumer Affairs can request that a court issue injunctions and order civil penalties of up to $1,000 for each violation. The state can also seek refunds for consumers.
In addition to home repair services and building supplies, some may need gasoline and emergency supplies and services. These goods and services are also subject to the price-gouging laws. Problems that sometimes arise after a natural disaster include price gouging (in which a business unreasonably raises rates on essential goods and services during a state of emergency or in response to a disaster), as well as fraud or misrepresentations in the areas of home repair and debris removal.Consumers may also get shoddy repairs from unlicensed contractors, or they do not receive the goods and services at the promised price.
Here are some tips for consumers to remember in the aftermath of December’s storms:      

Avoid high pressure sales tactics urging you to act quickly before signing a contact. Take time to make a good decision.
Do not pay money upfront. Wait until the job is finished.
Ask questions and get references from people you trust before hiring someone to do work for you.
Get the whole deal in writing. If a contractor promises you something, get it in writing.
Keep a record of your property damage and any repairs made to your property. Take photos during the repair work and afterward. You should also take photos of any repair work you believe was not done correctly.

If you have a problem with a business, you can file a complaint at www.tn.gov/consumer or call toll-free 1-800-342-8385.                                                                    
 

It’s been a week since the Lions and Lionettes basketball teams of Cannon County High School have played.  The regular season schedule called for three games last week but the winter storm that hit the Middle Tennessee area last Wednesday quickly took care of that.  Tonight the teams will try to get a set of games in as they travel to Lafayette to take on Macon County High School in District 8-AA.  The Lionettes are 3-4 in District play and have beaten the Lady Tigers earlier this year in Woodbury.  They will look to even up their District record and stay in the middle of the standings with several games left to go.  The Cannon County Lions have yet to win a district contest.  The Lions are coming off of two frustrating back to back losses after playing so close against Upperman two weeks ago.  Tonight’s game will start at 6:00.  WBRY-AM-1540/107.9FM will have the live broadcast.  You can also check out the game live streaming on our website at wbry.com and through the smartphones and tablets by using the Tune In Radio app.
 

Bonnaroo Works Fund (BWF), the charitable arm of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, announced today that it is now accepting online applications for the 2016 grant cycle. The Fund is dedicated to supporting local and regional organizations that advance the arts, education and the environment, with a focus on local reinvestment. Applications can be found at http://bonnarooworksfund.org or http://www.cfmt.org/BonnarooWorksFund/. The deadline to apply is March 15, 2016, and grants will be announced in May 2016.
“We encourage qualifying nonprofits to share their goals and needs with us through the application process,” said Nina Miller, BWF executive director. “Through the annual grant awards, we have had a significant impact on some awe-inspiring organizations with a wide range of important missions, from music and arts to education.”
Established in 2009, BWF grants reflect the philanthropic nature of festival founders, attendees, fans and partners, and since the festival’s inception, more than $7 million has been awarded to worthy causes in the local and regional communities.
“In addition to two dollars from every Bonnaroo ticket, proceeds from the Silent Auction, Root for Roo, the Bonnaroo 5K Run, Soundwaves Art and Art at Roo all benefit the Bonnaroo Works Fund and its causes. As part of the C’Roo Gooders program, Bonnaroo volunteers “work” during the festival for selected organizations, and based on the volunteer hours they invest, the BWF provides support to the organization of their choosing. As a result, patrons and fans have a significant role in the BWF’s commitment to these life-changing organizations,” Miller said. “It is so gratifying to work with the entire Bonnaroo community to make a real impact on people’s lives.”