2016

The last time the Cannon County Lions High School Football team scored over 30 points in a game it was against Westmoreland in 2011 and unfortunately the Eagles posted 62 points for the win.  The last time the Cannon County Lions scored 30 or more points in a win was in 2010 against Upperman.  Friday night the Lions met Red Boiling Springs in Woodbury for the opportunity to go 2-2 for the first time since 2007.  The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard first after recovering a Cannon County fumble at the Cannon 33.  Two plays later, they cashed it in on a 37 yard touchdown run to go up 7-0.  The Lions on their third possession of the game put together a five play drive with quarterback Josh Walkup powering it in from 6 yards out to tie the game at 7.  The second quarter started with the Lions in great field position after recovering a Bulldog fumble at the Bulldog 19 yard line.  Although the Lions couldn’t move the football in four downs they were benefitted by the strong kicking leg of Jake Walkup who nailed a 36 yard field goal to put the Lions out ahead for the rest of the game 10-7.  The Lions would score on their next two possessions through the air as Josh Walkup found Qwentin McMackins for a 41 yard bomb to make it 17-7.  Knowing they had a mismatch they went for it again on their next possession as McMackins hauled in a 46 yard pass on his fingertips to go up 24-7.  The Lions continued their assault in the third quarter.  Maintaining a ground game which ate up 9 minutes of the 12 minute quarter the Lions used Jake Walkup again this time to kick a 45 yard field goal to move the lead to 27-7.  Red Boiling Springs would put together a lengthy drive of their own.  15 plays later scoring from the one yard line the Bulldogs cut the lead 27-14.  With 2:21 left in the game running back Jaydon Coon took off for a 58 yard touchdown run for the final score of the game as Cannon County won 34-14.  Lions offensively ran for 174 yards and passed for 105 for a total of 279 offensive yards.  Josh Walkup was 6-11 for 105 yards two touchdowns and no interceptions.  Coon was the leading ground gainer running 25 times for 137 yards.  Cannon will take this victory to Jamestown Friday to meet the York Institute Dragons in a region contest.

Each school day, Cannon County schools are entrusted to provide safe and healthy learning environments. However, emergency situations can arise without warning. In an effort to better prepare for and respond to emergency situations in schools, the Cannon County School System recently held an emergency response plan review meeting with local emergency and school officials in attendance. This meeting provided an opportunity for the school system, as well as each individual school, to gather input from local emergency responders to better align their emergency response plan with best practices.  From these recommendations, action steps were created and are currently being implemented in schools. 
 
In Tennessee, schools are required by law to annually review their plan. Tennessee Code Annotated. § 49-6-(801-814) or the SAVE Act (Schools Against Violence in Education) establishes specific and consistent requirements for local education agencies in providing a safe school environment. Cannon County’s plan addresses a full range of disaster response, such as natural disasters, intruders, criminal activity, bus accidents, etc…
 
By having plans in place to keep students and staff safe, schools play a key role in taking preventative and protective measures to stop an emergency from occurring or reduce the impact of an incident. In any emergency, the primary concern is to take all appropriate and reasonable actions to protect the safety of children and staff.  Parents or any member of the community are encouraged to contact their local school administration or district administration for more information. 
 

Cannon County High School cross country traveled to St Andrews at Sewanee Thursday . Girls took 1st place again and boys 3rd out of 8 teams. Hannah Whited and Austin Duggin placed 1st in their races again! Amanda Blanco finished 3rd and Isabella Russo 4th in the girls race.
 

 The list of quarantined areas in the state is growing due to the Emerald Ash Borer, (EAB), an invasive pest targeting ash trees. The prohibition on the movement of ash trees and ash tree products is now effective in 59 counties.
Bedford, DeKalb, Lincoln and Van Buren were added due to the recent finding of EAB in traps placed by a USDA contractor.  Cannon, Coffee, Grundy, Moore, Sequatchie, and Warren are quarantined because regulatory officials believe EAB is most likely present but hasn’t been detected so far.
EAB is a destructive forest pest that was introduced from Asia into the United States in the 1990s. It was first detected in Tennessee in July 2010. EAB beetles can kill an ash tree within three years of the initial infestation.
Humans tend to contribute to the spread of EAB, unknowingly transporting the insects through infested nursery stock, firewood, unprocessed saw logs, and other ash products.
Citizens should report any symptomatic ash trees to TDA and follow these simple rules:
Don’t transport any firewood, even within the state.
Use firewood from local sources near where it will be burned.
If you purchase firewood, make sure that it is labeled and certified to be pest free.
Watch for signs of infestation in your ash trees.
Visit www.tn.gov/agriculture/topic/ag-businesses-eab for a symptoms checklist and a map of quarantined counties.
TDA’s Division of Forestry estimates that there are 261 million ash trees on public and private land in Tennessee, potentially valued as high as $9 billion.
For more information about EAB and other destructive forest pests, as well as tips for infestation prevention, visit www.protecttnforests.org.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District announces that the section of State Highway 141/96 that crosses over Center Hill Dam will be closed to all traffic 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 12-15, 2016 while engineers conduct an inspection.

Pedestrians and bicycle traffic are also not allowed across the dam. The closure provides for the safety of employees while making room for the equipment utilized during the inspection.

The road will be barricaded at the Center Hill Dam overlook and the 141/96 intersection.

Concerns or questions about the road closure can be addressed to the Center Hill Resource Manager’s Office at (931) 858-3125.
 

 
Sept. 12—Patriot Day Program at CCHS, 10:30 a.m.
Sept. 13—New Teachers’ meeting, 3:15 p.m. at the CCBOE
Sept. 15—TSBA Fall District Meeting, Dekalb Co. High School
Sept. 19—Progress Reports #2
Sept. 18-24—Imagination Library Week
Sept. 20—Read to a Child Day
Sept. 23—Woodland Harvest Festival
                   PD Day #1, various schools
                   United Way’s Hometown Huddle Project for Woodland and West Side
 
Sept. 24—Short Mountain Harvest Festival
Sept. 28-29—Conditions for Learning Forum, Murfreesboro, TN
Sept. 30—CCHS Homecoming
Oct. 1—East Side Harvest Festival
Oct. 4—WGS Festival/Carnival, 4:00-7:00 p.m.
               New Teachers’ Meeting 3:00-5:00 p.m., CCBOE
 
Oct. 5—Principals’ meeting, CCBOE, 8:30-3:00
 
Oct. 7—Auburn Harvest Festival
Oct. 10—Report Cards
Nov. 11—Veterans’ Day Program at CCHS

 
Dear Friends,
It’s been a busy week in Washington where I had the opportunity to meet with constituents to discuss the complicated tax code, discuss the importance of quality assisted living communities in our district, and even join Fox News to talk about the latest developments in the battle over the right to life and conscience rights on Capitol Hill. Before you start your weekend plans,  I wanted to share these other quick updates from the week that has passed:
Stopping the DOJ’s Special Interest Slush Fund
Nobody should receive preferential treatment by the federal government. Recently, the House Judiciary Committee discovered that in the last two years alone, the Department of Justice (DOJ) “donated” $880 million in recovered money from organizations who broke the law to activist groups. More often than not, these groups are progressive, left-wing organizations with special ties to the White House such as La Raza, NeighborWorks, and the National Urban League – all of which have an obvious political agenda and have benefitted over the years from this practice. This week the House passed H.R. 5063, the Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act, in order to prevent the DOJ from using settlement money to fund its own left-wing political agenda. This common sense reform increases government transparency by ensuring that these funds instead be used for the public good. Together we are working in Congress to stop the special interest paydays–the exact kind of government-led favoritism that the American people are sick of. 
A Unanimous Vote To Aid Our Nation’s 9/11 Families and Responders  
As we approach the 15th anniversary of September 11, 2001, I find myself in deep reflection about the lives lost and the way that our country was forever changed. As you may know, of the 19 terrorists who carried out the September 11th attacks, 15 were from Saudi Arabia. Many experts believe that the Saudi royal family provided support to organizations that assisted these attackers.  This week the House unanimously passed S. 2040, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, to allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for damages in US courts. In the past, Saudi Arabia would have been able to claim immunity in such matters, but this bill strips away that protection to ensure that the Saudi regime is held accountable and that victims get their day in court. In a time of such partisanship in Washington, I was encouraged to see the House come together in a unanimous, bipartisan fashion to provide relief to these families who have endured so much. I hope you will join me in prayer this weekend as we reflect on this national tragedy.

Another Obama Administration Political Stunt
Over the last week, President Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a quietly-announced proposed rule change that would strip states of the right to steer federal dollars away from Planned Parenthood and towards more trusted community health centers that provide a broader range of services to women. Under current law, states are afforded some discretion to determine how to dole out federal funding for family planning services. Here in Tennessee, we’ve successfully cut off Planned Parenthood’s access to this revenue stream – something I worked for years at the state legislature to help accomplish. Now, the Obama Administration is seeking to undermine our state’s authority in this process as part of an obvious political stunt to prop up their friends at Planned Parenthood. We cannot allow this to stand. For this reason, I am drafting a letter with my colleague Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) petitioning the Obama Administration to reexamine this absurd rule. I’m also working hard to raise awareness of this overreach so that the American people can make their views known as well.

If you think a trip to the farm means pumpkin picking, crisp weather, wagon rides, corn mazes, imaginative playgrounds and farm animal petting zoos, you’d be right. In Tennessee, however, that’s just the tip of the cornstalk.
Agritourism farms across the state are a prime destination for all sorts of special events and outdoor adventures not traditionally associated with farms. Farmers look for ways to keep visitors coming back to their operations year after year. As agritourism matures in Tennessee, options at farms keep expanding.
Admission to pumpkin patches, farm retail shops and playgrounds are usually covered with a single fee, but for an extra fee, visitors may be able to experience all sorts of outdoor recreation. That may include riding a zipline, racing a pedal car around a track, taking on a climbing wall or ropes course, or mining for gemstones. Weekend special events like dog agility demonstrations, music festivals and antique car shows have become regular daytime fare for Tennessee fun farms. Many farms offer concessions so visitors can enjoy an entire day.
Some farms offer outdoor movie nights and fireworks displays, but night time is still fright time for most places with corn mazes, woods, or even orchards. Haunted hayrides, zombie paintball games, and terror-themed trails of all kinds have become part of Tennessee’s Halloween traditions. When Halloween is over, leftover pumpkins become ammunition for outlandish “punkin’ chunkin’” cannons and catapults at some end-of-season celebrations.
Savvy farmers also make it easy for potential visitors to find a deal. Many offer discounted admissions prices for different days or events, for military families, group visits, and even Groupon coupons.
To find one of the 700 agritourism farms near you, visit the Pick Tennessee website at www.PickTNProducts.org or use the free Pick Tennessee mobile app.
 

At its August meeting, the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission (TFWC) voted unanimously to approve a proposal that will impact Tennesseans who plan to hunt deer out of state for the 2016-17 season.
The approved proposal, effective immediately, extends the restrictions on importation of deer, moose, and elk carcasses to the entirety of any state not bordering Tennessee that has found a positive case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). It also includes states bordering Tennessee if that state has a CWD-positive county within 150 miles of Tennessee’s border. Beginning May 1, 2017, the restrictions will apply statewide to all CWD-positive states including those that border Tennessee.
The restrictions prohibit deer carcasses being brought into Tennessee from the CWD-positive areas where the restrictions are applied unless it is deboned meat, antlers, antlers attached to a clean skull, a clean skull (no meat or tissue), cleaned teeth, finished taxidermy products, or hides and tanned products.
Previously, 11 of the 24 CWD-positive states had carcass importation restrictions applied to only the CWD-positive counties, while the other 13 already had statewide restrictions. As of now, 23 of the 24 CWD-positive states have the restrictions applied statewide. Three of Tennessee’s bordering states, Arkansas, Virginia, and Missouri, have found CWD in their state, but only Arkansas and Missouri have CWD-positive counties within 150 miles of Tennessee’s border. Consequently, Virginia is the only CWD-positive state that has county-specific carcass importation restrictions for the current hunting season.
The carcass importation restrictions also apply to the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in their entirety just as they did prior to the August Commission meeting.
The intent of the action taken by TFWC is to minimize the risk of CWD being introduced to Tennessee’s deer herd while also affording taxidermists and processors in Tennessee some time to make necessary preparations to minimize impacts to their business.
Chronic Wasting Disease is a contagious, incurable, and always fatal neurological disease affecting deer, elk and moose. It causes a characteristic spongy degeneration of the brains of infected animals resulting in emaciation, abnormal behavior, loss of bodily functions and eventually death. The misfolded proteins, or prions, that are responsible for the disease accumulate in brain tissue, eyes, tonsil, spleen, lymph nodes, intestinal tracts, and spinal cord of infected animals. Live deer can also shed the prion through saliva, urine, and feces. Once introduced into the environment, the infectious prions can persist for up to 18 years so prevention truly is the only medicine.
To date, 80 free-ranging elk and 9,394 free-ranging deer have been tested for the disease in the state with all the results coming back negative.

The Friends of the Library book sale will continue at the Adams Memorial Library Saturday from noon till 4:00.  Come in for the best selection of used bookjs in town.  Hardbacks are $1.00 each.  Paperbacks and children’s books are 5 for $1.00 or.25 each.  for more information call 563-5861 or visit the website cannoncolibrary.org