News 2012

Outdoor, gas-fueled fryers cook up juicy turkeys in a fraction of the time it takes to roast one in an indoor oven. However, the State Fire Marshal’s Office is joining the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in discouraging the residential use of outdoor gas-fueled turkey fryers because they pose an enormous risk for injury. “Outdoor fryers heat gallons of cooking oil to very high temperatures to cook the turkey. The risk of this oil being spilled is significant, and the resulting injuries can be severe,” State Fire Marshal and Commerce & Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak says.  
Turkey fryer hazards:
 
• The fryers are often bumped or tipped over when the turkey is put in or taken out, presenting a greater risk for the oil to splash or spill. Outdoor fryers that come with a stand pose the greatest risk of tipping.
• The oil is heated to such a high temperature for frying that the vapors could ignite, resulting in a fire. 
• If you use a turkey fryer during rain or snow, the risk of injury is increased. When rain or snow hits the hot oil, the oil can splash or turn to steam, which can cause burns. 
• Numerous fires have ignited when fryers have been brought indoors or into a garage to keep the appliances out of the rain.
• Moving the turkey from the fryer to a serving plate presents another chance of contact with hot oil. 
• Turkeys that are not completely thawed may cause the oil to splash, which can cause burns.
• Children have been severely burned when running into turkey fryers while playing nearby.
 
It is recommended that consumers utilize the oil-free models that are available or seek commercial professionals to prepare this entrée. Fried turkeys can be ordered from some supermarkets and restaurants during the holiday season. If frying your own turkey is an absolute must, the following safety measures should be carefully followed:
 

Turkey fryers must always be used outdoors and a safe distance from buildings and other flammable materials.

Never use turkey fryers indoors or on a wooden deck.

Make sure the fryer is used on a flat surface to prevent accidental tipping.

Never leave the fryer unattended. Most units do not have thermostat controls. If you do not watch the fryer carefully, the oil will continue to heat until it catches fire.

Never let children or pets near the fryer, even if it is not in use. The oil inside the cooking pot can remain dangerously hot hours after use.

To prevent spillover, do not overfill the fryer.

Use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts when touching pot or lid handles. If possible, wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from oil splatter.

The National Turkey Foundation recommends thawing the turkey in the refrigerator approximately 24 hours for every five pounds of weight.

Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby. Never use water to extinguish a grease or oil fire. If the fire is manageable, use your all-purpose fire extinguisher. If the fire increases, immediately call the fire department by dialing 911.
 
Caution should always be used when using any kind of deep fryer. Since 2007, 80 fires have been reported in Tennessee as a result of deep frying. These fires injured four civilians and three firefighters, as well as damaged $2,321,066 in property.

For the past two months, the Cannon County Industrial Development Board has had negotiations with a tenant in one of their current buildings on Alexander Drive.  THC Select which manufactures small plastics such as tableware for hospitals has been a tenant in the building for close to two years.  THC Select has not paid any rent to the Industrial Board as they maintain that a verbal agreement relieved them of the responsibilities until the costs of moving was reached.  Since there was no lease in place, the Industrial Board set out to accomplish getting a signed lease and the matter would go back and forth until at the last Board meeting, it was decided to give THC a opportunity to sign the drawn up lease as submitted by the Board or else the Board would start the proceeds of eviction.  THC Select had several discrepancies against the board drawn up lease.  Not only did THC not sign the lease, the company Monday, filed a lawsuit against the Cannon County Industrial Development Board.  Although the terms of the suit is not known at this time, THC Select officials declined to comment on any specifics.  

Local emergency responders answer the call of help in Cannon County every day.  Whether the call is for a fire, to assist EMS, or someone is in need of the Rescue Squad, local volunteers are ready to respond. 
Each year volunteer responders in Cannon County take time out of there busy lives to take emergency service training, this training benefit citizens of Cannon County.  On November 17th the Rescue Squad, Cannon County Fire Fighters, and Cannon County EMS personnel complete training in Vanessa K. Free (VKF) and Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC).
 
Tennessee was the first State in the Nation to require that emergency responders take a yearly driver’s training program of this nature.  In 2005 the Tennessee General Assembly unanimously passed legislation in both the House and Senate to require this training.  The law, which took effect January 1, 2006, requires that every emergency service responder in Tennessee take an annual driver’s training program.  This law is known as the “Vanessa K. Free Emergency Services Training Act.”
 
The Cannon County Rescue Squad has four Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads State Certified VKF/EVOC and Vehicle Extrication Instructors.  These instructors teach local emergency responders, as well as responders from surrounding counties, in various emergency response training programs.  The instructors are Michael Underhill, Chuck Holt, Adam Hayes, and Tim Bell.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Instructor from the Rescue Squad started teaching EVOC back in the late 1990s.  These instructors have led the way for this type of training in Cannon County ever since.  In 2012, the Rescue Squad taught 70 responders in Vehicle Extrication and VKF/EVOC for a total of 550 hours of instruction. 
 
Local responders also take many hours of training at their local departments.  Training benefits the responder by allowing them to sharpen their skills in emergency techniques.  Emergency vehicle operations, fire suppression, vehicle extrication, search and rescue, CPR, and many other areas of emergency response are just a few of the things that local volunteers train for each year.  Cannon County is fortunate to have Fire Departments and a Rescue Squad that is staff by such a dedicated crew of local volunteers.     
 
For more information on volunteering with your local fire department, contact Cannon County Fire Chief Michael Underhill at MUnderhill@CannonCountyRescue.com or by calling 615-904-5002.
 
For more information on volunteering with the Rescue Squad, contact Chief Operating Officer Tim Bell at TBell@CannonCountyRescue.com or by calling 615-849-2730.

The Cannon County High School Amateur Radio Club met on Wednesday, November 14th, 2012 to honor special donors and supporters of the club.  A special presentation ceremony was held in Mr. William F. Curtis’s classroom at the Club Radio Station W4WBY.  Afterward, refreshments were served and a tour of the W4WBY Club Station equipment and radio antenna installation was conducted.Among those honored were:  Mr. Don Dick – KJ3G of Murfreesboro, TN; Mr. William (Bill) Wilson – WD4IWW of Smyrna, TN; Mr. Jerry Elkins – N4LZY of Woodbury, TN; Mr. David Brown – W4ODB of Christiana, TN; Mr. John Lester – KG4IKT of Smithville, TN; William (Bill) Northcutt – KF5CM of Smithville, TN; Mr. Mike Corley of Middle Tennessee Natural Gas; Mr. Eric Mooneyham – K4IDE of Crossville, TN; Mr. David Sarti – WC2V of Tucker’s Crossroads, TN;  MFJ Enterprises of Starkville, MS; The Wireman of Landrum, SC; Mr. Tim Knox – CCHS Principal; and the Cannon County Board of Education.Also attending this presentation were CCHS Amateur Radio Club Members: James Young, Ryan Fletcher, Michael Inge, and Ricky Carr.The Cannon County High School Amateur Radio Club would like to thank each one for their generous donations of equipment and accessories for the use of CCHS Students.  The club meets during the CCHS PAWS (Lunch) time each day when practical for students.  Many of the members are currently studying for the FCC Amateur Radio Technician Class examination. 
 

Cannon County SAVE is hosting this years Angel Tree.  You can pick out your angel at the following locations, First Bank, First National Bank, Regions Bank, Osbornes Piggly Wiggly, A1 Check Cashing and Dollar Market.  Make a childs Christmas a little brighter, adopt your angel today. For more information, please contact the SAVE office at 615-563-6690.

High school seniors who plan to attend MTSU in the 2013-14 academic year and want priority consideration for freshman academic scholarships should take note: The deadline to apply is Saturday, Dec. 1. Completed applications must be postmarked Dec. 1 or delivered to the Office of Admissions by 4:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, said Melinda Thomas, MTSU director of recruitment.
Included in the list of available scholarships is the Buchanan Fellowship, MTSU’s largest award for first-time freshmen who meet academic requirements. Recipients are selected by the University Honors College with funding provided through the financial aid office.
Freshman academic scholarships also include the National Merit/Achievement/Hispanic Scholarship, the Chancellor’s Scholarship, Presidential Scholarship, the Academic Service Scholarship  and the Provost’s Scholarship.
Visit www.mtsu.edu/scholarships/freshman.php for more details.
The impending Dec. 1 deadline “will be a pivotal point for many prospective students,” Thomas said. “We want them to have access to the maximum amount of scholarship dollars, so that’s why we encourage them to complete their admissions file by the deadline.
“Many students do not realize that every year there are thousands of dollars available to offset the cost of their college education, but for a variety of reasons, the (Dec. 1) deadline is ignored by many. The pools of scholarship dollars begin to dry up as we move farther away from the priority deadline.”
The yearly monetary awards range from $1,000 for the International Baccalaureate  Scholarship to $6,000 for the National Merit/Achievement award. The Buchanan Fellowship, which is limited to 20 students per year, includes four years’ tuition, a book allowance and more. These scholarships primarily are based on high-achieving students’ grade-point averages and ACT/SAT scores.
Other scholarships — including the DREAM and Foundation awards — have a Feb. 15 deadline. In general, department scholarships for music, ROTC and athletics have a Feb. 15 deadline, but they can vary.
Thomas cautioned that prospective students who submit applications between Dec. 2 and Feb. 15 may not be awarded a freshman academic scholarship.
To be considered for scholarships, students must submit an admissions application, transcript and ACT/SAT score along with a $25 application fee.
The following websites will be helpful in meeting the Dec. 1 deadline:
    www.mtsu.edu/applynow;
    www.mtsu.edu/admissn;
    www.mtsu.edu/financialaid; and
    www.mtsu.edu/scholarships.

Cannon County Sheriff’s Department is holding a toy drive now through December 15th. They need new, unopened toysor any gift type item for all ages….infants up to High School. Call 563-1000 for more info.

Comptroller Justin P. Wilson is trying to take some of the mystery out of tax increment financing (TIF) by sending brochures about the economic development tool to local government and economic development officials throughout the state. 
The brochure outlines, in plain language, the changes to tax increment financing law that were approved by the Tennessee General Assembly earlier this year. The changes provide greater clarity and simplicity to the law. For example, the new law should ease past legal concerns about using tax increment financing to pay the cost of private use structures such as manufacturing plants.  Under the new law, that type of use must first be reviewed by the state to determine whether the project is in the state’s best interest.
 
Tax increment financing is a method for using tax revenue from property improvements to finance the cost of those improvements. For example, a vacant parcel of land might be valued at $100,000 for tax purposes, but building a new manufacturing plant on the site increases that property value to $1 million. Tax increment financing allows the cost of building the plant to be repaid using the difference in property taxes collected for the pre-improvement value vs. the post-improvement value. (In this example, property tax revenues collected for $900,000 of the property’s total value.)
 
“Tax increment financing can be a valuable incentive to spur new development that will add much-needed jobs in communities throughout our state,” Comptroller Justin P. Wilson said. “In the past, some communities may have shied away from using tax increment financing because they didn’t fully understand the law. We hope these changes, which we highlight in our brochure, will make tax increment financing more user-friendly for our counties and cities.”

Middle and high school students across Tennessee are getting an early Christmas gift from Tennessee State Treasurer David H. Lillard Jr. 
Treasurer Lillard is distributing computer discs with copies of the ‘Financial Football’ game to public school districts across the state. The interactive video game, developed by Visa Inc. and promoted by the National Football League and the Tennessee Jump$tart Coalition, provides a fun way for students to test their knowledge of budget planning, saving, spending and investing concepts.
 
Financial Football players attempt to answer multiple choice questions, with the answers determining whether they gain more or less yardage as they attempt to march down a football field and score against the opposing team.
 
Treasurer Lillard recently teamed up with Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker to promote the game’s introduction in Tennessee. As part of the launch event, Treasurer Lillard and Locker squared off as opposing coaches for two teams of Overton High School students who played the game. The winner of that game is a closely-held secret.
 
Treasurer Lillard is joining other state treasurers across the United States to promote the game, which dovetails with his department’s mission of increasing financial literacy among Tennesseans.
 
“The Financial Football game is an innovative way to teach young people about the importance of learning basic money-handling concepts that will serve them well throughout their lives,” Treasurer Lillard said. “I applaud Visa and the National Football League for promoting this product. I especially want to thank Jake Locker for helping us to introduce the game here in Tennessee. And in case anyone is wondering, there will be no rematch between the two of us in Financial Football.”
 
The games are being distributed to schools along with letters from Treasurer Lillard describing Financial Football’s educational benefits.

2012 Mitch Wilson Classic Friday November 23rd
Woodbury Grammar School
9:30A Upperman-Gordonsville (Girls)
11:00A Upperman-Cascade (Boys)
12:30P Siegel-Tullahoma (G)
2:00P-Smyrna-Brentwood (B)
3:30P-West Creek-Harpeth Hall (G)
5:00P-West Creek-Greater Gwinett (B)
Cannon County High School
9:30A Dekalb Co-Grundy Co (G)
11:00A Dekalb-Grundy (B)
12:30P Brentwood vs Cookeville (G)
2:00P  Tullahoma vs Cookeville (B)
3:30P  Portland vs Warren County (G)
5:00P Portland vs Warren County (B)
6:30P Cannon County vs Shelbyville (G)
8:00P Cannon County vs Shelbyville (B)
Saturday November 24th
Woodbury Grammar School
9:30A- Cascade vs Greater Gwinnett (B)
11:00A-Gordonsville-Tullahoma (G)
12:30P Tullahoma-Brentwood (B)
2:00P-Shelbyville-Brentwood (G)
3:30-Warren County-Smyrna (B)
5:00-Warren County-Harpeth Hall (G)
Cannon County High School
9:30A-Cookeville-West Creek (G)
11:00-Cookeville-West Creek (B)
12:30-Shelbyville-Upperman (B)
2:00-Upperman-Grundy County (G)
3:30 Cannon County-Grundy County (B)
5:00 Cannon County-Portland (G)
6:30 Dekalb County-Portland (B)
8:00 Dekalb County-Siegel (G)