News 2016

This week the Tennessee State Board of Education launched a review website, https://apps.tn.gov/tcas/, to collect public feedback on Tennessee’s grade K-12 social studies standards. This is the first of two public review periods for the social studies standards.
The social studies standards set grade-specific instructional standards that exemplify what students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of a given grade or course. The current social studies standards were approved in 2013 and first implemented in the 2014-15 school year.
This highly transparent and comprehensive review process is an opportunity for every Tennessean to log in online, review each specific social studies standard by grade level, and provide comments and make suggestions for changes.
“It is exciting that we are beginning the social studies standards review process two years early,” said Dr. Sara Heyburn, Executive Director of the Tennessee State Board of Education. “This robust and transparent review has proven very successful with math and English language arts.”The public review website will remain active until April 30, 2016.
Once data has been collected from the website, it will be aggregated and given word-for-word to expert educator advisory teams to review and revise the standards starting in the summer of 2016.
The revised standards will be posted for a second public review period in the fall and winter of 2016.
Following a similar review process as the math and English language arts standards, the revised standards will be reviewed in the fall of 2016 by a Standards Recommendation Committee, appointed by the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Speaker of the House.
In October 2014, Gov. Haslam introduced a comparable review process online, in partnership with the State Board, for the state’s English language arts and math standards. This process was codified by the General Assembly in HB 1035. For more information, please visit http://tn.gov/sbe/topic/standards-review.

 During the 2015-2016 academic year, the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS) program officially awarded its one millionth scholarship. The Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC), which administers the TELS program, marked the milestone of having paid out over one million scholarships to Tennessee college students to fund their higher education goals.
The Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship was established by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2003 and in the 2004-2005 academic year, the first year of TELS operation, 40,087 scholarships were awarded. In the 2014-2015 academic year, 103,589 scholarships were awarded, as the TELS program has more than doubled the amount of scholarships given out each year since the creation of the program. Since 2004, nearly $3 billion in scholarships and grants have been awarded through over one million scholarships.
“The significance of this milestone should not be overlooked; one million scholarships means one million education opportunities for Tennessee students that have been funded through the TELS program,” said Russ Deaton, interim executive director of TSAC. “The lottery scholarship has changed access to higher education for a new generation of students and brought Tennessee many steps closer to our educational attainment goals.”
The purpose of TELS is to offer merit-based and need-based scholarships to Tennessee students attending public or private institutions in the state. TELS scholarships are funded by the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation through revenues from the state’s lottery. TELS is comprised of eleven scholarships and grants, including the HOPE scholarship, Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills grant, the dual enrollment grant program, and the Helping Heroes grant program. Since the implementation of TELS, nearly 150,000 dual enrollment grants have been paid out and over 3,000 Helping Heroes Grants have assisted veterans to pay for their education.
“Awarding over one million lottery scholarships demonstrates the popularity and importance of the TELS program,” said Tim Phelps, TSAC’s associate executive director for grant and scholarship programs. “The initial successes of the HOPE scholarship and the Wilder-Naifeh grant led to continued expansion of the program, meaning that many more Tennesseans had the opportunity to access the scholarships and then achieve their educational goals.”
Research from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission indicates that students who enter Tennessee public higher education with a TELS award are approximately 10 percent more likely to graduate than their cohort as a whole. Additionally, TELS students enroll in a higher number of credit hours per term than students without a lottery award, reducing the time to degree and increasing the likelihood of degree attainment.
For more information about the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship, visit www.tn.gov/collegepays.
 

 The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance’s (TDCI) Division of Consumer Affairs announces the top 10 complaint categories for 2015 by Tennessee consumers.
In 2015, the Division of Consumer Affairs received more than 4,000 complaints and recovered both services and funds for Tennessee consumers through our mediation process. The Division’s mediation process relies on the voluntary cooperation of both the consumer and the business.  In 2014, over 5,099 total complaints were fielded.
“While the number of complaints dipped slightly in 2015, it’s clear there are still every day challenges for Tennessee consumers and businesses,” TDCI Deputy Commissioner Bill Giannini said. “Consumers should educate themselves as best they can before they buy, and business owners should honor the terms of their arrangement with consumers. During 2016, the Consumer Affairs Division will remain a resource for both consumers and businesses.”
For 2015, here are the top 10 complaint categories, descriptions of each category and number of complaints per category:
Utilities (This category includes gas service, water service, electricity, landline phone service, all mobile phone service, internet service, and cable. Problems with billing and maintenance were the most common complaints.) Complaints:  383
Home improvement (This category includes hiring a contractor for services to repair or improve the quality of your home. The most common complaints related to quality of work, incomplete work after receiving payment, and structural damage caused by the contractor.) Complaints: 327
Debtor/Creditor (This category includes matters related to debt collection companies, payday loans, credit repair companies, and check-cashing services. Consumers complained most that collection agencies often make harassing phone calls or continuously call individuals who do not owe a debt to the company.) Complaints: 293
Professional services (This category relates to services offered by all licensed professionals working in the State of Tennessee, including hair stylists, massage therapists, nail technicians, and others. Common complaints include the quality of service, charges for service the consumer did not receive, and problems redeeming gift certificates for services offered.) Complaints: 269
Health services and products (Consumers’ most common complaints include being misquoted for services and receiving medical bills prior to the bills being sent to the consumer’s insurance company.)  Complaints: 264
Landlord/Tenant (This category relates to consumers leasing rental property in the State of Tennessee. The most common complaints related to security deposits and the conditions of the rental property. Many consumers complained about mold.) Complaints: 262
Timeshares (This category relates to consumers purchasing property under a timesharing agreement. The most common complaints reported high-pressure sales tactics, misrepresentation of the contract, and resale scams.) Complaints: 257
Insurance (This category relates to pet insurance, consumer health insurance, and unlicensed insurance companies. Most consumers complained about policy coverage and claims. All consumer health insurance complaints are referred to the Insurance Division.) Complaints: 213
Auto Repair (This category refers to companies offering services to repair vehicles. Most consumers report auto repair companies that return vehicles to the consumer in a worse condition than how it was initially given to the company for repairs. These companies often charge more money to repair the vehicle the second time around.) Complaints: 184
Scams (This category includes telephone scams and imposter scams, all of which were referred to the Federal Trade Commission. Consumers reported various types of scams, including tax scams, sweepstakes scams, tech support scams, government grant scams, credit card scams, money order scams, and more.)  Complaints: 181
The Division of Consumer Affairs is dedicated to advocating, educating and protecting Tennessee Consumers. Call 1-(800) 342-8385 FREE for more details.
 

Middle Tennessee State University’s Saturday, Jan. 23, classes are canceled because of inclement weather and poor road conditions, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said.
Only personnel essential to operations, public safety and service to on-campus residents will report to work. Employees designated to provide essential services should contact their supervisors if they feel conditions are too hazardous for them to travel, McPhee added.
 
University officials announced the “Coaches vs. Cancer” men’s college basketball game between the Blue Raiders and Rice University will be played in Murphy Center. Tip-off is at 5 p.m.
 
The game will help raise awareness of the American Cancer Society fight against cancer and demonstrate support for the Society and its mission to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. For more, visit www.mtsunews.com/coaches-vs-cancer-2016/.

A winter storm which started Friday morning has gripped most of Middle Tennessee including Cannon County.  By mid afternoon, local authorities began urging residents to stay at home and not be out on the roads if at all possible.  Several non injury accidents were beginning to be reported.  According to 911 Director Roy Sullivan the majority of those accidents were on the McMinnville Hwy on into Warren County.   Residents in the Short Mountain area also warned about dangerous road conditions.   The National Weather Service had issued a Winter Storm Warning from 4:15 in the afternoon Thursday to 6:00 Saturday morning.  
 

Friday Jan 22
The Cannon County-Central Magnet games scheduled for tonight in Murfreesboro has been cancelled
 
Motlow State Community College is closed and no night classes
MTSU is closed today
 
Manchester City Schools will be closing at 12:30 today
Check back for more closings as we get word

The American Red Cross has an urgent need for blood and platelet donations to prevent a shortage this winter. Busy holiday schedules in November and December contributed to about 1,700 fewer blood drives held across the country compared to the two previous months, which has resulted in about 50,000 fewer donations and reduced the blood supply. Donation appointments can be quickly and easily scheduled by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

“A decline in the blood supply after the winter holidays is not uncommon, but it can be replenished when generous volunteers roll up their sleeves to help save lives,” said Garry Allison, director of donor recruitment for the Red Cross Tennessee Valley Blood Services Region. “We encourage our generous donors who are eligible, as well as new donors, to make an appointment to give blood or platelets and help ensure blood products continue to be available for patients. Every two seconds a patient in the U.S. needs blood.”

January is National Blood Donor Month, which has been observed since 1970 with the goal of increasing blood donations during the winter – one of the most difficult times of year to collect enough blood and platelet donations to meet patient needs. In addition to winter bringing busy holiday schedules for many regular donors, severe winter weather can cancel blood drives, and seasonal illnesses, like the flu, may cause donors to be temporarily unable to give.

The Woodbury Lions Club is hosting the Cannon County Community Wide American Red Cross Blood Drive Thursday at the Woodbury Lions Club Building from Noon-6.  Everyone is encouraged to come out and donate blood to help make up for the shortage experienced by the American Red Cross.

Cannon County Executive Mike Gannon presented a Solid Waste Department Report to the Cannon County Commissioners during their monthly meeting this past Saturday.  Commissioner Adam Melton suggested that Executive Gannon put together a report with the status of the Solid Waste Department several meetings ago and the groundwork was laid for the report at that suggestion and following several unfounded rumor like posts on social media outlets.  Gannon met with the County Attorney Mike Corley and the County Technical Advisory Service to get their input.  Two major points of the report showed that according to the County attorney and CTAS, County citizens cannot be denied service at the Solid Waste Department for not having a County wheel tax sticker.  The Solid Waste Department includes the County Convenience Center located in Woodbury.
Any out of county business doing business in Cannon County is not required to purchase a business license if they have a business license from another county.  The only exception to this rule is businesses are only required to purchase a Cannon County business license if they do $50,000 or more of business in Cannon County.  
The only penalty for not purchasing a wheel tax sticker is a ticket given by law enforcement.  The County Executive’s office, Solid Waste Department or any other County Department outside of the Cannon County Sheriff’s Department can not in anyway issue a ticket for not having a wheel tax sticker.  
A survey was conducted at the convenience center during various hours and various days.  Important points of the survey included that many residents have out of county stickers on their vehicles but they buy tags and wheel stickers in Cannon County.
Almost all of the citizens involved in the survey had a Cannon County Wheel Sticker.
The survey was conducted on three different days and three different time periods.  348 total visitors to the convenience center were surveyed.  Out of those 348, 23 vehicles had out of county tags or wheel stickers.  Those 23 were surveyed to find out why they were dumping their garbage at the convenience center.  8 of those had proof of residence in Cannon County and had moved within the past year.  1 was a person who owns a business in Cannon County, 8 were county residents who lived on the border of Cannon and Warren County.  4 people were residents using a borrowed truck to haul garbage and 2 owned farms in Cannon County.
Only one person in the survey of the 23 had no excuse as he admitted he lives outside of Cannon County and was just passing through.
Summary of the Study included that 67 percent of the Solid Waste Department is privatized.  Solid Waste Department is the only county service that every Cannon County citizen utilizes.
Cannon County recycled more different items than some larger counties.  The Department is now in the process of adding other items for recycling.  
In the county comparisons, Cannon County’s cost of solid waste is $36.81 which is below average of the total cost of the other 9 counties included in the survey.
 

All Motlow State Community College Campus Sites Have Cancelled Evening Classes.  Thursday Jan 21st classes will resume on normal schedule

An exciting, national wellness initiative is launching across the country on February 15th and everyone is invited to join the MOVEment! Saint Thomas Stones River Hospital’s annual Weight Loss Challenge is partnering with the Cannon County Chamber of Commerce to bring you the Biggest Loser Community Challenge. NBC and The Biggest Loser are launching The Biggest Loser Community Challenge for 2016. Teams of four are invited to join this eight-week, online health & wellness community challenge. The challenge is for people of all fitness levels and is designed to get the community moving, eating better and having fun!
You can sign up for the Biggest Loser Challenge online through January 31st, or sign-up at the event kick-off on Monday, January 25th at Saint Thomas Stones River Cafeteria anytime from 5pm to 6pm. Weigh-ins are optional, but will give you additional opportunities for cash and prizes. Although the Biggest Loser Challenge focuses on healthy changes, good eating habits, and getting fit, NBC is awarding 10,000 prizes at random just for participating in the challenge, not for losing weight, while Saint Thomas Stones River Hospital will be providing a local cash prize for the Cannon County team that loses the highest weight loss percentage overall. So, whether you just want to get healthier or lose those extra pounds, there are great prize opportunities for everyone.
“We are proud to partner with NBC, the Biggest Loser, and our local Chamber of Commerce for this healthy community-wide event,” said Shan Burklow – Director of Marketing for Saint Thomas    Stones River and Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospitals, “After three years of hosting the Weight Loss Challenge, we are looking forward to continuing our mission of a healthier Cannon County as we work with our local Chamber of Commerce to add additional prizes to recognize the team that loses the most weight together. This is a fun and healthy way to get active and fit for 2016, and we encourage anyone to start a team and join the challenge. Be sure to weigh-in at the Saint Thomas Stones River Hospital Cafeteria on January 25th or with your designated team captain through January 31st to be eligible for the weight loss portion of this event.”
“Businesses are encouraged to register teams of employees to represent their company in the challenge, along with anyone in the community that would like to start a team,” said Carolyn Motley – Executive Director of the Cannon County Chamber of Commerce, “For only $100 for a team of four ($25 per person), this exciting wellness opportunity is an affordable and fun way to kick start the new year for all of us looking to get fit and have a healthier year. A portion of all proceeds help to support the Chamber of Commerce, and we are grateful to the community and local businesses for participating. Anyone with questions is welcome to call the Chamber anytime. We are here to help.”
Past contestants of The Biggest Loser will guide teams through eight weekly challenges. Challengers will also receive weekly motivation and nutrition tips from trainer, Dolvett Quince. Participants will earn points for each minute of activity they engage in, as well as additional points for completing weekly tasks and logging additional challenge activities designed to improve nutrition and overall wellness. Each participant will have access to their own private wellness account and mobile app, where they will journal challenge activities, access weekly health guidance and keep their eye on friends and competitors on live leaderboards.  
Prize drawings will be made each week, with over 10,000 prizes to be won across the country!
More information, online registration and key dates can be found online at www.BiggestLoserCommunity.com