2016

The Cannon County Lions Boys Basketball season came to a close with a 69-62 loss to the Smith County Owls during the quarterfinal round of the District 8-AA basketball tournament at the Hooper Eblen Center on the campus of Tennessee Tech.  The Lions started off the game with a 17-11 end of first quarter lead but Smith turned up the defensive pressure and caused 6 Lion turnovers all of which the Owls were able to convert to points as Cannon was outscored 30-11 in the second period.  The Lions were able to cut the lead to one in the fourth but Smith was able to force three cruical turnovers in the fourth quarter and produce points off those turnovers to win by seven. Austin Martin led all Lions with 23 points.   Cannon finishes the 2015-2016 season with 10 wins and 21 losses.

The Woodbury Police Department and the Cannon County Sheriff’s Department will be partnering with the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office for the 2016 Seatbelts Are For Everyone (SAFE) campaign.  The SAFE campaign is designed to increase seat belt and child passenger safety restraint usage in Tennessee.  Law enforcement agencies participate in the campaign by planning and implementing occupant protection initiatives in their communities.
Chief Woman stated that officers and deputies will be aggressively searching for driver and passengers in vehicles that are not wearing their seatbelts and that are not using child restraints.  
This is the third year that the Governor’s Highway Safety Office has sponsored this campaign.  Last year yielded the following results:
2,470 child restraint violations, 33,879 seat belt citations and 671 other seat belt enforcement activities.
“Last year our statewide seat belt use dropped slightly to 86.6%” said Governor’s Highway Safety Office Director Kendell Poole.  “It is vitally important that all drivers and passengers buckle up every trip, every time.  Our ultimate goal is that this campaign, combined with the increase of the seat belt fine, will increase our usage rate to ninety percent or higher.”
This year, participating agencies will pay special attention to nighttime seat belt enforcement.  
Tennessee has seen a disproportionate percentage of unrestrained fatalities between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 5:59 a.m.  Historically, approximately 50 percent of Tennessee’s traffic fatalities are unbelted.
That percentage increases to nearly sixty when nighttime crashes are examined.
The SAFE campaign will go through August 1st.  Agencies participating in the voluntary campaign become eligible to win one of two fully-equipped police vehicles at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Challenge ceremony in September.

Basketball fans were treated to a great set of games Tuesday night as the play in games of the District 8-AA tournament. Macon County girls move on to the next round after the Tigerettes beat Central Magnet on a shot with 5 seconds left and the Cannon County Lions Boys went toe to toe with the Dekalb County Tigers winning on free throws in overtime. Tonight the official quarterfinal round will get underway as the Cannon County Lions travel back to Hooper Eblen Center on the campus of Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville to face the Smith County Owls. The Owls will make their postseason debut on the college floor with a 11-3 district record. Cannon lost both games in the regular season but the last game in January the Lions lost by only 3. Tonight’s game will be broadcast live on AM-1540/FM107.9 WBRY. You can also hear the game streaming live through the website at wbry.com. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced he would seek additional flexibility for teachers as the state continues its transition to the TNReady student assessment.

Under the proposal, teachers would have the choice to include or not to include student results from the 2015-2016 TNReady assessment in his or her evaluation score, which typically consists of multiple years of data. The proposal keeps student learning and accountability as factors in an educator’s evaluation while giving teachers the option to include this year’s results if the results benefit them. The governor will work with the General Assembly on specific language and a plan to move the proposal through the legislative process.

“Tennessee students are showing historic progress. The state made adjustments to teacher evaluation and accountability last year to account for the transition to an improved assessment fully aligned with Tennessee standards, which we know has involved a tremendous amount of work on the part of our educators,” Haslam said. “Given recent, unexpected changes in the administration of the new assessment, we want to provide teachers with additional flexibility for this first year’s data.”

Tennessee has led the nation with a teacher evaluation model that has played a vital role in the state’s unprecedented progress in education. Tennessee students are the fastest improving students in the country since 2011. The state’s graduation rate has increased three years in a row, standing at 88 percent. Since 2011, 131,000 more students are on grade-level in math and nearly 60,000 more on grade-level in science.

The plan builds upon the Teaching Evaluation Enhancement Act proposed by the governor and approved by the General Assembly last year. This year is the first administration of TNReady, which is fully aligned with the state’s college and career readiness benchmarks.

“Providing teachers with the flexibility to exclude first-year TNReady data from their growth score over the course of this transition will both directly address many concerns we have heard and strengthen our partnership with educators while we move forward with a new assessment,” Department of Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said. “Regardless of the test medium, TNReady will measure skills that the real world will require of our students.”

Most educator evaluations have three main components: qualitative data, which includes principal observations and always counts for at least half of an educator’s evaluation; a student achievement measure that the educator chooses; and a student growth score, which usually comprises 35 percent of the overall evaluation.

A Cannon County man wanted in Lincoln County for violation of probation recently was arrested after Deputies found him in a car parked in a driveway that belonged to a person involved in numerous domestic violence calls.  According to Cannon County Sheriff’s Department Reports Deputies observed a vehicle parked in the driveway of a Judge Purser Hill Road residence with the lights on.  Deputies have been at this residence numerous times with the male subject involved always leaving the scene before police get there.  Deputies stopped to check the welfare of the resident and made contact with Brian Rogers who was a passenger in the vehicle.  Rogers stated that he was just kicked out of the residence and was about to leave.  Deputies checked for warrants and was advised that he had an active warrant from Lincoln County for violation of probation.  Bond Set at $2500.  Lincoln County asked that he be arrested with a hold.  Rogers was transported to the  Cannon County Sheriff’s Office where he awaited transport to Lincoln County.
 

Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold might be putting some of the blame of a drive by shooting at his residence on pop star Beyonce
 Sheriff  Arnold and his family were home Monday night when the shots rang out, and shell casings were found nearby.  Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Arnold referenced Beyonce’s latest music video and her halftime performance at the Super Bowl, which many perceived to reference the Black Panthers and Malcolm X.  Arnold said several officers have been shot since her performance, saying he thinks it may have helped place “another target on law enforcement.”  
Sheriff Arnold said in a statement issued after the press conference “My comments reflect the violence and senseless killing of seven deputies in the U.S. since the show aired. My comments are an observation of the violence that has occurred but in no way is meant to offend anyone.”
Here is a statement from the National Sheriff’s Association that Sheriff Arnold relied on to make his comments.
The senseless killing of four law enforcement officers just this week – on the heels of the anti-police “entertainment” at the Sunday Super Bowl halftime show – reminds us that the men and women in law enforcement take a solemn oath that includes putting their lives on the line every day to protect our citizens. The case of the drive by shooting Monday night is still under investigation.
 

The American Association of University Women, Murfreesboro Chapter presents “Songs for Scholarships”  an evening with Grammy winning songrwiter Don Henry Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Miller Club inside the Tennessee Miller coliseum.  
The intimate concert will feature a silent auction, drinks and more by the Blue Porch
Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at mtk.com/womens-equity-foundation.  The fundraiser benefits the Ruth Houston Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Miller Coliseum is at 304-B West Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro.
 

The Cannon County Health Department reminds everyone that the best way to prevent the flu is by getting vaccinated.
Flu Vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older, and is especially important for infants, young children, pregnant women, adults over age 50 and for those with chronic medical conditions.  
Free flu vaccinations are now available at the Cannon County Health Department for both adults and children.  
“We want to vaccinate as many people in Cannon County as possible to protect the health of the community said Cannon Health Director Andrea Fox.

With Old Man Winter bearing down on the state, Jason Reeves, curator of the University of Tennessee Gardens, Jackson, says it’s worth repeating a few kernels of wisdom to help you preserve your landscape in the event of more heavy snow or ice:

·Brush wet snow off evergreens as it accumulates, or as soon as possible after a winter storm. Use a broom in an upward, sweeping motion. Serious damage can be caused to limbs by heavy wet snow.

· Avoid using salt to melt snow and ice from your walks and driveway, as it can be harmful to your plants. Several environmentally friendly products are available at home improvement stores.

The gardening expert also offers these tips for caring for your indoor plants and outdoor container plants and landscapes during February.
 
Indoors
· Sow broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage seed indoors now or buy transplants in March. Harden them off before planting out in March.

· Extend the life of your Valentine’s Day flowers by changing the water daily and recutting the stems every couple of days, making sure the foliage is kept above the water line.

· Remove dust from your house plants by rinsing them in the shower.
Outdoors
· Bluebirds are already looking for a place to nest, so clean out your birdhouse soon. If you are in need of a good bluebird house check out Homes for Bluebirds Inc. http://www.danfinch.com/birds.htm.

·Barrenwort (Epimedium) and Lungwort (Pulmonaria) will be in flower soon. Cut back last year’s foliage before new growth appears.

· Lenten rose (Helleborusorientalis) and its hybrids are among the first plants to flower in the new year. A little cleanup makes a big difference when these winter beauties blossom, so cut back last year’s foliage before the flower stalks appear. Follow the old leaves down to the crown and remove the entire leaf stalk near the soil. In mild winters, the foliage often still looks good in February, but as the flowers and new foliage appear, the old leaves will become unsightly. The old foliage will be much more difficult to remove once the new growth has appeared. 

· For indoor forcing of blooms, cut branches of pussy willow, forsythia, flowering quince, redbud, and star and saucer magnolia. Choose stems with flower buds that have begun to swell. Cut them at an angle and place in water in a cool location in your home with indirect light.

· Late February and March are good times to trim trees and shrubs. If the limb is larger than 2 inches in diameter, or heavily weighted, use the three-step method for removing the branches. Make the first cut on the underside of the limb about 6 inches away from the trunk, cutting about one-third of the way through the limb. On the top side, cut through the limb 3 to 6 inches beyond the first cut. Finally, make the third cut close to the trunk while not disturbing the branch collar. This cut should be at 45 degrees to the trunk. Remember when pruning to remove dead or diseased branches first and then take out any rubbing or crossed branches. Prune to maintain a natural form unless formality is appropriate for the design.

· Postpone pruning of spring-flowering and early summer-flowering shrubs like azaleas, forsythia, spirea, and mophead hydrangea until just after they flower.

· Cut back monkey grass (Liriope) before new growth appears. Use a string trimmer for larger areas.

· Spot-control weeds in a dormant warm-season lawn by pulling them or by applying a broadleaf weed control.

· Apply dormant horticulture oil, such as Ultra-Fine, to fruit and nut trees to eliminate scale and other pests. It must be applied before spring growth appears. These oils also can control scale insects on hollies, euonymus and camellias. For best results, be sure to completely spray the entire plant including the underside of the leaves.

· Soil in Tennessee tends to be acidic. Have your soil tested to see if and how much lime is needed. Your local UT Cannon County Extension office can provide you with instructions on how to proceed, just give Bruce Steelman a call at 615-563-2554. It takes months for lime to react with the soil, so the sooner the better. Pelletized lime is the easiest form to apply.

· Green/English and sugar snap peas can be direct sown in the garden in February. In colder parts of the state wait until the end of the month. If sown too late, they will not have time to flower and fruit before it gets too hot.

· If your ornamental grasses such as Miscanthus, Pennisetum, Mexican feather, switchgrass and muhly grass are looking tattered and blowing about the garden, cut them back 3 to 6 inches above the ground. You can also wait until March to perform this task.
 

The High School Basketball postseason begins tonight for the Cannon County Lions Boys team.  This year’s district tournaments are set up a little different in that the seventh and eighth seeds which were the teams to finish last in the regular season will meet each other for a play-in game.  The winner of tonight’s games will have to win in the next round as well to advance to play at least two more games.
The Cannon County Lions enter the tournament as the seventh seed, finishing with a 2-12 district record.  They will meet the Dekalb County Tigers who finished eighth in the regular season with a 1-13 mark.  Their only win was against Cannon County back in January in Smithville.  Cannon collected wins against Dekalb in the second meeting in Woodbury earlier this month and York Institute in Jamestown.  Tonight’s contest will be played at the Hooper Eblen Center on the campus of Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville.  Tipoff is slated for 7:30.  WBRY AM-1540/FM 107.9 will carry the live broadcast.  The game will also be broadcast streaming live on wbry.com