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As many as 300,000 spectators are expected in downtown Nashville when the National Football League (NFL) holds its annual draft from April 25 – 27, 2019, in Music City. The event, which is free and open to the public, will bring worldwide attention to Tennessee. To assist those who might be attending the event, the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) is offering safety, insurance, and scam prevention tips.    
OUTDOOR EVENT SAFETY. Attending an outdoor event with thousands of people creates unique safety challenges. Remember these tips to stay safe:

Familiarize yourself with the locations of medical and safety tents.

Know what items are and are not prohibited before you arrive. Information about the event can be found here.

Use the buddy system. If attending with a friend or a family member, designate a person who you can trust to watch out for you and vice versa.

Identify a place to meet friends in case you get split up or an emergency occurs.

Report any suspicious persons to a member of security.

Never pick up any packages or items that do not belong to you. Report any suspicious packages to a member of security.

 

HOTEL SAFETY. Staying in a hotel brings its own set of safety challenges. If you choose to stay in a hotel while enjoying the NFL Draft festivities, remember:

Read the escape plan posted in your room. These often can be found on your hotel room’s door. If one is not posted in your room, request one from the front desk.

Choose a hotel or vacation rental that is equipped with both smoke alarms and fire sprinklers.*

If you hear an alarm, leave immediately, closing all doors behind you.

 

DRIVER SAFETY. With hundreds of thousands of people expected on the roads during the three-day event, consumers are urged to take these extra precautions to ensure their safety:

Put the vehicle in park before sending a text or setting navigation services.

Never drink and drive. Don’t get behind the wheel while impaired — whether it’s due to exhaustion, medicine, alcohol or recreational drugs.

When you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle, don’t use your phone. That means no texts, no social media, no videos, no photos or anything – except driving.

Obey speed limits, and keep your eyes on the road.

Keep an eye out for pedestrians and scooters.

 

SCOOTER SHARING. Electric scooter sharing services are an increasingly common form of transportation in downtown Nashville and elsewhere. If you’re planning on using a scooter, remember:

Always wear a helmet.

Check your insurance policies to determine whether you are covered. Automobile insurance generally omits liability coverage for motor vehicles with fewer than four wheels, and it’s unlikely to apply to scooter rentals. Although most homeowners policies provide some liability coverage even while you are away from your residence, it may be limited or excluded because the scooter is a rental.

Riding motorized scooters on sidewalks is illegal in Nashville. Always operate the scooter in the bike lane or right-hand lane when possible.

Never use your phone or camera while operating a scooter. Always pay attention to the road and keep both hands on the scooter at all times.

 

AVOIDING THEFT. While most people attending the NFL Draft are here with good intentions, a few bad actors could try to take advantage of you and ruin the fun. Remember these tips:

Avoid bringing jewelry and valuable around large crowds.

Keep cash, wallets, and credit cards out of back pockets.

Do not leave valuables in your car.

Be on the lookout for credit card skimmers that scammers may have installed on gas pumps. To check for a skimmer, wiggle the card reader. If you find or suspect a pump has a skimmer in place, notify the cashier and report it to the police.

 

DON’T FALL FOR RENTAL SCAMS. Rentals may be a great alternative instead of hotels, especially during special events. If you choose to stay in a short-term rental, remember:

Check reviews from previous stays to see what other travelers had to say.

Check the address to verify where the rental is located and that it matches up with what they’re advertising.

If details about the rental are vague and the property owner is hesitant or refuses to provide more information, consider looking for other options.

If you fall victim to a short-term rental scam, report it to your bank or credit card company immediately and notify the vacation rental website.

 

Tennessee’s statewide unemployment rate for March 2019 remains at the historic low of 3.2 percent according to the latest statistics released by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. 
March is the second consecutive month the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate sits at the all-time low. When compared to March 2018, unemployment in Tennessee is down by 0.4 of a percentage point.
 
Tennessee reached its previous record low unemployment rate of 3.3 percent in October 2018, and it remained at that level for four consecutive months. The state began tracking unemployment rates in 1976. 
 
Nationally, unemployment also remains unchanged. The March seasonally adjusted rate for the United States is once again 3.8 percent. That is a 0.2 of a percentage point lower than the rate in March 2018. 
 
Total nonfarm employment across Tennessee is down 3,000 jobs when compared to February.
 
Tennesseeans looking for work can visit Jobs4TN.gov, the state’s workforce development website. It has over 150,000 active job listings, as well as free online resume assistance, job interview skills training, and other best practices to help with job searching.
 
Local numbers should be available later this week.
 

The Hometown Heroes Walk for Children will be held on Friday, April 26, 2019 at the Murfreesboro Civic Plaza, downtown on the square.  Walkers can ride complimentary Rover shuttles from the Child Advocacy Center to the Civic Plaza from 10:30-11:15 a.m.  Registration will be held at the Civic Plaza from 11:00-11:45 a.m., speakers at 11:45 a.m., and the Walk will begin at 12:00 noon.  The event will culminate with a picnic lunch, music, and fun at the Child Advocacy Center, located at 1040 Samsonite Blvd. 
The Child Advocacy Center works as a multidisciplinary team with the Department of Children’s Services, law enforcement, and the District Attorney’s Office to investigate child abuse allegations, aggressively prosecute offenders, and help children and their families heal from the trauma.  According to CAC Director, Sharon De Boer, “All Child Advocacy Center services are provided free of charge.  The proceeds from the Walk will support crisis intervention services for victims of child abuse, child sexual abuse, and drug endangered childrenr.”
 
Local Hometown Hero #10 Boston Red Socks starting pitcher David Price is the event’s presenting sponsor.  Project One Four a David Price Foundation and other faithful event sponsors have made a difference in the lives of many children through their faithful support of the Child Advocacy Center. 
 
It is not too late for other individuals and businesses to get involved.  The deadline for business partners to get their name on the event t-shirts and poster is Thursday, April 18, 2019.  Please contact Monica Watson for more information at 615-867-9000 or mwatson@cacrutherford.org.
 
Walkers are encouraged to pre-register at www.cacrutherford.org
 
 

On Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Cannon County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public its 17th opportunity in nine years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to Woodbury Drug Center at 604 W Main Street. (Sites cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. 
Last fall Americans turned in nearly 460 tons (more than 900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at more than 5,800 sites operated by the DEA and almost 4,800 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 16 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in almost 11 million pounds—nearly 5,500 tons—of pills.
 
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.
 
 
Come by with all your old and unused pills and meet and support the folks of your local Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. A limited supply of free personal prescription lock boxes will be available for give-a-way.
 
 
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 27 Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com or visit our Facebook page at ‘Cannon County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition’.
 

Gov. Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Clay Bright have released TDOT’s annual three year transportation program, featuring approximately $2.1 billion in infrastructure investments for 139 individual project phases. The program provides support for Gov. Lee’s first Executive Order by funding work on 86 highway and bridge projects in economically distressed and at-risk counties. 
The program places a high emphasis on the repair and replacement of bridges, with activities beginning on 91 structures in 44 counties. Seventeen of those bridges are on the state highway system, with the other 74 on local roads.
 
In addition to the 2020 budgeted program, partial plans for 2021 and 2022 are included, along with funding for 15 transportation programs including Rockfall Mitigation, Spot Safety Improvement, and the statewide HELP Program. The program also provides funding for transit agencies in all 95 counties, as well as Metropolitan and Rural Planning Organizations.
 
One project on the list is in Cannon County. State Route 1, US-70 (W. Main St.) From West of Woodbury to New SR1 (US-70S) East of Woodbury. The Project is an environmental study for sometime in 2020.
 

Earlier this week, at the suggestion of the State Comptroller, the Cannon County Board of Education and County Commission members held a workshop for the purpose of developing a capital outlay plan for the future.  The first meeting’s focus was for the next five years. 
Three of the five school board members were in attendance, five of the county’s ten commissioners attended.  Director of schools William Curtis gave a “state of the schools” report and answered questions.  In addition to the director, central office personnel and principals from all schools attended. 
 
A large number of topics were covered and several misconceptions about the schools, their funding, staff structure and more were answered.
 
County Commissioners in attendance, Russel Reed, Corey Davenport, Karen Ashford, Greg Mitchell and Brent Brandon said they felt the meeting was beneficial.
 
Items in the plan for the first five years, includes: school roofs for Cannon County High School, Woodland School and a section of  Woodbury Grammar are needed immediately, West Side School is estimated to need work by 2022 and Short Mountain, Auburn and EastSide and estimated by 2014.
 
The next workshop sessions for the elected bodies will focus a ten to fifteen year plan.  The date for that meeting will be determined after the start of the 2019-2020 school year.
 

The Tennessee Department of Health is investigating a case of measles after the State Public Health Laboratory confirmed a positive test for the illness in a resident of the East Tennessee. 
While the investigation is currently centered in East Tennessee, all Tennesseans should be aware of measles and its symptoms. These symptoms may include fever, runny nose, body aches, watery eyes and white spots in the mouth. The illness is typically accompanied by a red, spotty rash that begins on the face and spreads over the body. Nearly one in three measles patients will develop ear infections, diarrhea or pneumonia. Measles can be fatal in approximately one to two out of every 1,000 cases.
 
According to State Epidemiologist Dr. Tim Jones, “Our efforts are focused on preventing the spread of illness to others. This appearance of measles is a reminder about the importance of vaccines and how they can particularly protect our most vulnerable, including infants and those with compromised immune systems.”
 
The measles virus is highly contagious and can stay airborne or live on surfaces for up to two hours. People recently infected with measles may not have any symptoms of illness, but can transmit the virus for about five days before the typical measles rash appears. 
 
All Tennesseans are urged to ensure they are up-to date on MMR vaccine. Anyone who believes they or a loved one has measles symptoms should call first before going to a health care facility to keep others from being exposed.
 
People with questions about what to do to protect themselves against measles should call a health care provider, the local health department or a hotline established to provide answers to questions from the public about measles. The hotline number is 865-549-5343; calls to the hotline will be answered from 7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Central time/8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Eastern time daily until further notice.
 
Tennessee has had only 15 cases of measles in the last decade due to relatively high vaccination rates. All children should have their first measles vaccinations at age 12-15 months, followed by a second dose at four to six years of age. Teens and adults should check with their doctors to make sure they are protected against measles. Talk with your health care provider about vaccination before leaving for international trips. 
 
For more information about measles, visit www.cdc.gov/features/measles/index.html.
 
 

Tennessee’s overall fire death rate continues to decline following the national downward trend in the reduction of fire deaths according to statistics compiled in the recently completed annual report for the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO). 
The report, which includes details of Tennessee’s overall declining fire death rate along with statewide fire prevention and education efforts, compiles data provided by fire departments from across the Volunteer State along with information, statistics, and advancements made by the SFMO’s eight sections: Education & Outreach; Fire Investigations; Codes Enforcement; Residential, Electrical and Marina Inspections; Manufactured Housing and Modular Buildings; Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy; Firefighting Commission; and Administrative Services.
 
Tennessee, which has historically ranked among the highest states with civilian fire deaths, is now ranked No. 11 in the nation for fire deaths by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) with 14.6 deaths per million from 2011 – 2015. This compares to its ranking as No. 6 in the nation from 2006 – 2010.
 
 “The State Fire Marshal’s Office has a singular mission: to make Tennessee a safer place where families can live, work, and play,” said Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Julie Mix McPeak. “The annual report serves as a statistical snapshot of fire education, prevention and code enforcement efforts in Tennessee. We thank our partners for their help in making Tennessee safer.”
 
Other highlights include:

While Tennessee fire departments reported 100 fire deaths in Tennessee in 2018 (an 18% increase over 85 deaths in 2017) the overall trend for fire deaths in Tennessee is declining. The rate of unintentional fire deaths in 2018 was 14.8 deaths per million in Tennessee.  

Over 21,350 smoke alarms were installed in Tennessee homes through the “Get Alarmed, Tennessee” program. Additionally, 53 Tennesseans escaped residential structure fires in 2018 thanks to alarms installed through “Get Alarmed, Tennessee!” The program, which started in 2012, received renewed federal grant funding in 2018 continuing the life-saving initiative through at least 2019.

In October 2018, the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy (TFACA) celebrated the ceremonial groundbreaking of a new 19,000 square foot conference center. 

 
This space will accommodate large and specialty classes, incident management courses, conferences, and graduations. Last year, a total of 14,484 students were enrolled in TFACA and participated in 1,063 classes.
 

The Electrical, Residential, and Marina section issues permits and performs inspections to enforce state electrical, building, and energy conservation codes. Following the passage of the Noah Dean and Nate Act in 2015, marina inspections were added to this division’s operations. Inspectors successfully completed the inspections of every Tennessee public marina and dock, correcting numerous safety violations which, if not detected, could have resulted in serious injuries or death. 

 
To see the full 2018 SFMO Annual Report, click here. For more information about the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office, visit tn.gov/fire.
 

In response to federal arrests of medical professionals in Tennessee and other nearby states through the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Strike Force Takedown, the Departments of Health and Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) and the Division of TennCare have activated community-based substance abuse resources and statewide call lines to serve affected patients. 
TDMHSAS community-based partners in affected areas include Community Anti-Drug Coalitions, Regional Overdose Prevention Specialists (ROPS), and Lifeline Peer Project team members.  They are working to notify first responders and other critical contacts of possible impacts of the clinic closures.  ROPS are also interfacing with affected patients through informational flyers and through community trainings and naloxone distribution.
 
State leaders are also preparing for additional calls and sharing information and updates with calltakers at statewide phone lines that may receive additional calls due to the clinic closures.  The impacted 24/7 hotlines include:
 
•             Tennessee REDLINE for referral to addiction treatment services: 800-889-9789
•             Statewide Crisis Line for people experiencing a mental health crisis: 855-CRISIS-1 (855-274-7471).
 
“In support of patients affected by these recent actions, we are contacting local medical providers, pharmacies, and emergency departments to discuss potential patient impact and to encourage a swift community response. The Department of Health will continue to closely partner with our fellow state agencies, to protect the health and safety of Tennesseans during this critical time,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP.
 
“With a situation like this, the fear is that an interruption in opioid pain medication may cause patients to experience some symptoms of withdrawal, and that can lead to increased risk-taking.  For people who want to seek treatment for any kind of addiction issue, call the Tennessee REDLINE (800-889-9789) which can help with referrals to substance abuse treatment resources,” said Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Marie Williams, LCSW. 
 
“The Division of TennCare has also been working with its health plans to ensure TennCare members receiving services from any of these clinics can find assistance in coordinating care for continued treatment.  Any TennCare member who needs assistance can reach out to their assigned health plan,” said Division of TennCare Director Gabe Roberts.
 
Additional Information and resources:
•             For a map with contact information for your ROPS, click this link.
•             TennCare Health Plan Contact Numbers:
o             Amerigroup: 1-800-600-4441
o             BlueCare: 1-800-468-9698
o             United Healthcare: 1-800-690-1606
o             TennCare Select: 1-800-263-5479
•             Find a directory of healthcare facilities at this link.
 

Sixth District Congressman John Rose came home to DeKalb County Monday evening to conduct his first regional town hall meeting since being elected last November. Congressman Rose, who has a family farm in the Temperance Hall Community of DeKalb County, met with constituents and local public officials at the courthouse to outline his vision for the country and to take questions from the audience. 
“I am about 100 days into this job and I am excited about the opportunity to represent you in Congress. I ran for this office after coming to the harsh conclusion that our generation is at risk of leaving this country worse off to the next generation than our parents left it to us. If we do that we will be the first generation in American history to do that and that is not acceptable. I ran for office out of a sincere hope that if we all work together we can turn this around,” he said.
 
Congressman Rose cited three challenges facing the country that must be addressed including attacking the national debt, relieving burdensome federal regulations on businesses, and renewing respect for the rule of law.
 
“Today our debt eclipses $22 trillion and to think that we have borrowed that much money for our children, grand children, and great grandchildren to pay back is really stunning. It’s unfathomable that we are doing that to them. That $22 trillion debt is what has been accumulated from the founding of the country until now. Unfortunately almost half of that has been amassed just in the last 10 years and it’s accumulating at a pace which is unsustainable. Just this year alone we will add another $1 trillion to that debt. We have to get control over it but the answer is not easy because frankly we have all come to depend on the federal government for a whole variety of benefits, privileges, funds, and support. If we are going to turn this around we’re going to have to make some hard choices and sacrifices,” said Congressman Rose.
 
Three areas however that should not be cut, according to the congressman, are national defense and support to veterans and senior citizens.
 
“There are some areas we can’t afford to make a significant cut. I believe we have a solemn obligation to provide for the defense of this country. I don’t think we can sacrifice there. That doesn’t mean we can’t be efficient and eliminate waste but we have to make sure we defend this country. We also have a solemn obligation to take care of the people who put their lives in harm’s way in the defense of this country and we have seniors who we have made promises to now in the sunset of their life in many cases who don’t have many options. We have to make sure we don’t pull the rug out from under them. But in other areas where we can we need to be more aggressive in cutting back on what we spend,” Congressman Rose continued.
 
“Another challenge is the burdensome regulations that our federal government places on all of us as individuals but in particular on those people who are trying to do business and create opportunity, wealth, and economic opportunity for all of us to be employed, earn a living, and provide for our families. That imposes on the success of this country”.
 
“After the 2008 financial crisis the government put in place a whole set of new regulations on banks and other financial institutions. These regulations wind up costing you money because they cost the institutions you’re dealing with an inordinate amount of money and limit what they can do. Some of those regulations were probably called for and needed to be put in place but a vast majority of them did not and believe me you are paying for it,” said Congressman Rose.
 
“As part of the reform efforts they created an entire new government agency called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and it is completely outside the control of the Congress and your elected representatives. We don’t even get to determine what their budget is. They send a memo to the Federal Reserve Board and tell them how much money they want and that board has to send them the money. That’s how little control there is. The President gets to appoint the director to a five year term and once he is in place he can’t be fired, supervised, or questioned. Its agencies like that which are beyond the control of your elected representatives and I think that is unacceptable,” added the Congressman.
 
“Another challenge is the lack or declining appreciation for the rule of law. One of the things that defines our country is that throughout its history we have adhered to the rule of law as a founding principle of this country. It is part of what distinguishes our culture and our society from so many others around the world where safety and liberty are constantly under fire. We have begun to let that principal, the rule of law erode. Where it is most dramatic is with respect to immigration. If you listen to media reports you would think we didn’t have immigration laws but the truth is we do have laws that have gone through the arduous process of being enacted. They have passed the House and Senate and been signed into law by the President. I believe once a law has been put in place in that way it deserves to be enforced. Our government officials take an oath to uphold the constitution and the laws of the United States so we shouldn’t have a choice about whether we enforce those. Our elected officials and our sworn law enforcement officers ought to be enforcing those laws but that is under attack in our country. We have to get back to a true appreciation of the rule of law. We have to defend that,” he said.
 
Congressman Rose began his remarks by talking about his family’s roots in DeKalb County.
 
“I have spent my career as a farmer and businessman and most of that time as a farmer right here in DeKalb County. My family arrived in the Lancaster community right across the county line in Smith County in 1790. It’s an unbelievable opportunity for me to be the eighth generation to farm that same land which has not been out of the family for 229 years. That is pretty remarkable. I hope to pass that on to my young son Guy who has just turned eighteen months old. Hopefully he will be the ninth generation to farm that same land,” he said.
 
“The Rose family, relative newcomers to this community got here in 1869. They moved around a little for the first four or five years but bought the Rose family farm which is in Temperance Hall in DeKalb County and that is where I have lived for most of the last 25 years. They bought that farm in 1874 and built the house that my wife and I lived in until about a year and a half ago. I share deep ties to DeKalb County and consider it to be really my home,” said Congressman Rose.
 
During the question and answer period, Congressman Rose was asked a variety of questions ranging from his views on building a wall at the US southern border with Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants, to the Green New Deal proposed by US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and US Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), and the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare).
 
“I am one who believes we should build a wall along our southern border. We have been facing this immigration problem now for decades. We have had amnesty before and then not dealt with illegal immigration at our southern border. Just in the last month we had 100,000 people come across our southern border who were not authorized to come,” said Congressman Rose.
 
“It’s important to note that in the history of the world there has been no country that has accepted more legal immigrants than the United States. We are a country of immigrants and today we accept more legal immigrants than any country in the world. Don’t let anyone shame you into believing that this country is somehow not keeping up its obligations in terms of providing a home for the world’s refugees and those who yearn for freedom because we are doing that but what we cannot continue to do is allow people to come unabated across our southern border into the country. We have to deal with that. Building a wall is not the only answer but I believe it is a critical first step and our experts at the border agree. The customs and immigration folks and border enforcement people all tell us that it works. In San Diego where we have put in place an effective wall illegal immigration is down by more than 90%. In the Rio Grande Valley where we have put in place a wall it’s been more than 95% effective in curtailing crossing at those spots. It won’t be perfect and we have to do other things like employer verification and things like that to make sure that those folks who do make it into the country are found the dealt with effectively but I believe it starts with a border wall. Going back to my farm upbringing my dad once said good fences make good neighbors. We need to enforce our laws and if anyone wants to come here to avail themselves of the freedoms and liberties that make this country so great there is a legal way to do that and that is to get in line and go through the process,” said Congressman Rose.
 
Thanks to our media partner,  WJLE