News 2012

Cannon County High School conducted a Student Mock Election on October 26th, 2012. U.S. Government students in Mr. William F. Curtis’s classes conducted the election during students’ first period. U.S. Government First Period Students distributed the ballots to all classes, Second Period students collected the ballots, Third Period Sociology students tabulated the results, Sixth Period students continued the tabulation, and Seventh Period AP Students analyzed and published the results. These results of the mock election were uploaded to the National My Voice – Student/Parent Mock Election (NSPME) and One Vote – Division of Channel One. 
“The My Voice National Student Mock Election is the largest civic engagement project in the United States, and is built on the more than 30 years of work of the National Student/Parent Mock Election. With My Voice, the Pearson Foundation is creating a digital initiative to encourage student voice in school and the community all year long.”
“The History of The National Student Mock Election includes being co-founded by Edward Stanley and Gloria Kirshner in 1980, as the National Student/Parent Mock Election. After more than 30 years, and 18 elections, it still stands as the nation’s largest civic education project and the world’s largest national mock election. Over the years, National Student/Parent Mock Election is used to help over 50 million students learn about our nation’s electoral process and the meaning of democracy.”
 
483 Total Students voted in the Mock Election and their results are as follows:
 
President & Vice President
 
REPUBLICAN – Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan 332 votes or 69.2%
 
DEMOCRATIC – Barack Obama & Joe Biden 120 votes or 25%
 
CONSTITUTION – Virgil Goode & Jim Clymer 13 votes or 2.7%
 
GREEN – Jill Stein & Cheri Honkala 4 votes or 0.8%
 
INDEPENDENT – Ross Anderson & Luis Rodriguez 2 votes or 0.4%
 
INDEPENDENT – Gary Johnson & James P. Gray 6 votes or 1.25%
 
INDEPENDENT – Merlin Miller & Virginia Abernathy 3 votes or 0.63%
 
U.S. Senate
 
REPUBLICAN – Bob Corker 315 votes or 69.5%
 
DEMOCRATIC – Mark E. Clayton 92 votes or 20.3%
 
CONSTITUTION – Kermit Steck 17 votes or 3.8%
 
GREEN – Martin Pleasant 14 votes or 3.0%
 
INDEPENDENT – Shaun E. Crowell 3 votes or 0.7%
INDEPENDENT – David Gatchell 1 votes or 0.2%
INDEPENDENT – James Higdon 3 votes or 0.7%
INDEPENDENT – Michael Joseph Long 4 votes or 0.9%
INDEPENDENT – Troy Stephen Scoggin 4 votes or 0.9%
 
U.S. House of Representatives
District 6
 
REPUBLICAN – Diane Black 363 votes or 75.2%
 
GREEN – Pat Riley 92 votes or 9.7%
 
INDEPENDENT – Scott Beasley 73 votes or 15.1%
 
 
Tennessee House of Representatives
District 46
 
REPUBLICAN – Mark Pody 394 votes or 81.6% of Total Voters
 
 
Cannon County Sales Tax Referendum
Increase the local sales and use tax rate from 1 ¾ percent to 2 ¾ percent except as limited or modified by statue, become operative?
 
FOR 94 votes or 19.8%
 
AGAINST 380 votes or 80.2%
 
 
483 Total Students at Cannon County High School participated in this mock election.
 
There was also on the ballot a questionnaire with items regarding what students’ think is the most important issue in this election. Their opinions indicated:
 
Economy/Jobs……239 votes or 55.5%
National Debt……….88 votes or 20.4%
National Security (War on Terror, Military)……..35 votes or 8.1%
Environment/ Energy……16 votes or 3.7%
Education……8 votes or 1.9%
Social Issues(Same-Sex Marriage, Abortion)……45 votes or 10.4%
 
 
U.S. Government students at Cannon County High School encourage all Cannon County citizens to please exercise the right to vote in this very important election on Tuesday, November 6th, 2012!
 
 

Farm Service Agency Administrator Juan Garcia announced today the sign-up period for the 2011 crop year Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) program will open October 22, 2012. The SURE program is part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill). Under the 2008 Farm Bill, SURE authorizes assistance to farmers and ranchers who suffered crop losses caused by natural disasters occurring through Sept. 30, 2011. Donny Green, County Executive Director of the DeKalb/Cannon County Farm Service Agency says he wants producers to be aware of this signup so they are certain to visit their FSA county office to file a crop year 2011 SURE program payment application no later than June 7, 2013.
Since DeKalb/Cannon Counties received a disaster designation in 2011, producers who obtained an insurance policy or plan of insurance for ALL 2011 crops (except grazing crops), or meet waiver provisions as socially disadvantaged, limited resource, or beginning farmers AND suffered at least a 10% production loss, due to a natural disaster, to at least one crop may be eligible if all other payment conditions are met. Producers considered socially disadvantaged, a beginning farmer or rancher, or a limited resource farmer may be eligible for SURE without a policy or plan of insurance or NAP coverage.
SURE payments are calculated based on 60% of the difference between the SURE Disaster Program Guarantee and the Total Farm Revenue. A limit of $100,000 applies to the combination of payments from SURE and the livestock disaster programs.
Producers who do not file a 2011 SURE program payment application by June 7, 2013 will not be considered eligible for 2011 SURE program payments.
For more information about this program, contact the DeKalb/Cannon County FSA office at 615-597-8225 or visit the Farm Service Agency’s website at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/sure.
 

The Tennessee Highway Patrol will plan for increased visibility and enforcement efforts on Halloween to ensure a safe and happy holiday for all Tennesseans.Last year in Tennessee, no one was killed on Halloween between midnight, October 31, 2011, through 6 a.m., November 1, 2011. That compares to one person killed in one crash on Halloween during the same time period in 2010.
“There is typically a dramatic increase in pedestrian traffic on Halloween. We want to remind motorists to slow down and watch for children on all roadways. Halloween should be a time for good family fun. However, children, parents and motorists must remember that safety comes first,” Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons said.
According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA), 115 child pedestrian fatalities occurred on Halloween over a 21-year period (1990-2010).  That is an average of 5.5 fatalities each year on October 31. Thirty-two percent of the child pedestrian fatalities occurred with children ages 12-15, while children ranges five through eight accounted for 23 percent of the fatalities.
As of October 26, there have been 51 pedestrian fatalities in Tennessee in 2012. That’s 18 fewer pedestrian deaths compared to this same time last year. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that the number of deaths among young pedestrians (ages 5-14) is four times higher on Halloween evening than any other evening of the year.  Thirty-eight percent of all young (under age 16) pedestrian fatalities occurred between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., and alcohol involvement – either for the driver or pedestrian – was reported in 48 percent of traffic crashes that resulted in pedestrian fatalities.  
“We will also be conducting increased patrols and using other enforcement techniques to look for aggressive or impaired drivers,” THP Colonel Tracy Trott said. “Partygoers should plan ahead, designate a sober driver. Don’t make the poor decision to get behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking. Our goal is to keep children safe from those who blatantly disobey the law this Halloween,” he added. 
During the 2010 Halloween period, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 41 percent of all highway fatalities throughout the nation involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 grams per deciliter or higher. 
MillerCoors will be offering Miller Lite Free Rides™ during Nashville’s Halloween celebrations. In an effort to prevent drunk driving, MillerCoors will be working with Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) to offer free bus rides on Saturday, Oct. 27. This year, Miller Lite Free Rides will be offered on 20 MTA bus routes beginning at 8 p.m. and running until at least 1 a.m. that night. More information on the Miller Lite Free Rides™ program can be found at www.millerlitefreerides.com.  
Halloween safety tips for parents, children and motorists are listed below. 
HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS
Tips for Motorists

Slow down. Watch for children walking on roads, medians and curbs.

Be extra alert when pulling in and out of driveways.

Be especially alert for children darting out from between parked vehicles and from behind bushes and shrubs. They’re excited and may not be paying attention.

Do not pass other vehicles that have stopped in the roadway.  They could be dropping off children.

If you are driving to a Halloween party, put your mask on after you park the car.

Never drink and drive – tonight or any night. If you are partying, designate a driver. 
Tips for Parents

Adults should accompany children at all times and supervise their “trick or treat” activities.

Teach children to “stop, look left-right-left, and listen” before they cross the street.

Instruct children to stay on sidewalks and to cross only at corners or crosswalks.

Use a flashlight and wear retro-reflective strips or patches on your clothing or costume to be more visible to motorists.

Be certain that the mask does not obstruct vision or hearing.

Ensure that costumes do not impede walking or driving ability. 
Tips for Pedestrians (children and adults)

Require children to wear retro-reflective materials and carry a flashlight at dawn and dusk and in other low-light situations, such as rainy or foggy weather.

Before crossing a street, stop at the curb or edge of the road and look left, right and left again to be sure no cars are coming. Continue to check for traffic while on the street.

Walk – never run – from house to house or across the road.

Cross the street only at intersections and crosswalks.

When crossing at an intersection with a traffic light, be sure to watch for turning cars. Obey all pedestrian signals.

Walk on sidewalks whenever possible. If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the street facing traffic.

A Florida man was arrested on suspicion of theft after stopping at the Coffee County Scales Complex in Manchester on Friday morning.Oreste Garcia, 51, of Orlando, Fla., was taken into custody and charged with felony theft of property, refusal for drug inspection and evading arrest.  Garcia, a federal parolee out of Florida, was booked at the Coffee County Jail. His bond is listed at $506,000.
Trooper Corey Stuart, a recent graduate of the Tennessee Highway Patrol Cadet School, stopped the Freightliner tractor trailer as it traveled through the Coffee County Scales Complex at approximately 2:40 a.m. Friday morning. He requested the driver, Oreste Garcia’s, log book and planned to conduct a Level III inspection after noticing several suspicious indicators.
As Garcia went to retrieve the log book, he fled on foot into the surrounding woods along the interstate. Trooper Stuart discovered the suspect was missing and contacted nearby state troopers Charlie Harrris and Jason Boles, as well as the Manchester Police Department and Coffee County Sheriff’s Department for assistance. Garcia was apprehended by Coffee County authorities on Interstate 24 eastbound near mile marker 117, approximately one mile from the scales complex.
Trooper Stuart then continued his investigation, inspecting the trailer and discovering 18 pallets of cell phones. Further investigation by the THP’s Criminal Investigation Division and assistance by CargoNet™ representative Keith Lewis revealed that the trailer was reported stolen out of Jeffersonville, Ind. The estimated value of both the cargo and trailer is approximately $200,000.
“Cargo theft is a growing concern in Tennessee and its surround states. I’m proud of the work of our troopers that disrupted this crime, and grateful for our partnerships with local law enforcement authorities that assisted in the case,” THP Chattanooga District Captain David McGill said.
THP seized the trailer in accordance with state law. The investigation is ongoing.

The forecast of freezing temperatures means an end of this year’s Cannon County Farmers Market. Local producers have provided a variety of fruits, vegetables, canned items and baked goods in spite of adverse weather conditions. We appreciate the support the local community has provided to the Market and look forward to what next season has to offer. We are in the planning stage of a permanent structure which will be home of the Cannon County Farmers Market. Construction of the building will begin early in 2013 and should be completed prior to the 2013 season.We appreciate the support of the Cannon County Commission, Arts Center of Cannon County, USDA Rural Development, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Cannon County Chamber of Commerce and especially local businesses and restaurants for utilizing locally grown, farm fresh fruits and vegetables; Chilango’s, Blue Porch, Parley’s Market and Save A Lot. If you need more information concerning the market or would like to become a vendor, contact Bruce Steelman at the Cannon County Extension Office (563-2554), bsteelman@utk.edu or www.cannoncountyfarmersmarket.com.
Editors Note:  Thanks to Bruce Steelman for the contribution of this article.

The Cannon County Lions football team finished the season with the highest point total they have achieved all season. However the Upperman Bees stayed a couple of steps ahead of them as the Lions lost 44-22 and ended their season without a win.  It was a typical Upperman Cannon matchup that brought aggressiveness to the football field.  Several unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were called throughout the game but none as meaningful as in the second quarter when it appeared a Bee defender speared Cannon quarterback Cody Petro.  Petro would be injured as a result of the play and no penalty flag was thrown.  This ignited head coach Brent Bush who came across the field to check on his senior quarterback.  In the process words were exchanged between Bush and the referees which resulted in two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties being called and Coach Bush being ejected from the game.  The Lions would close a 44-6 gap to 44-22 but that’s as close as they could get in the game.  Ethan Smith put Cannon on the board in the first quarter after intercepting a ball and running it in the end zone closing in on Upperman 13-6.  In the second half Cannon was able to score touchdowns on a long pass play to Bo Bryson and Cody Petro running the ball in for a score.  The Lions end the season with a 0-10 record.  

After talking about it since July, it finally happened.  Former Cannon County Administrator of Elections Stan Dobson has filed a lawsuit against the Cannon County Election Commission seeking reinstatement and back pay  According to the lawsuit Dobson states that the Election Commission failed to give adequate public notice of the July 2nd meeting in which a vote was taken to remove him from office.  Dobson further states that the Commission violated Tennessee Code during a July 10th special called meeting by discussing an item not listed on the meeting agenda.  That agenda listed three items of appointing interim administrator of elections, looking at a poll worker list and approving the accounting board pay and workers.  Not on the agenda was the discussion of an email that was received by the office of open records counsel for the comptroller Tennessee.  Dobson is seeking to be able to resume his position as Administrator of Elections For Cannon County .  He hopes that the Court finds the actions of the Commission taken at the July 2nd void as a violation of the Open Meetings Act and upon voiding the actions of the Defendants taken at the meeting that the defendants be ordered to pay Dobson all amounts owed as back pay, earned comp time pay and to reinstate his life insurance benefits.  The Election Commission will be given the chance to answer the lawsuit  

A Cannon County Woman has been charged with theft after allegedly stealing a automobile recently.  According to police reports 31 year old Jennifer Wise of Sycamore Creek Road took off in a 2001 Dodge Dakota truck without the effective consent of the owner who was listed as Mitchel Cohee also of the same address on Sycamore Creek Road.  The vehicle is valued at $4,000.00 Earlier at the beginning of the week both Wise and the truck were apprehended in Jackson TN.  Wise was arrested and charged with Theft of Property by the Woodbury City Police and Theft Over $1000 by the Cannon County Sheriff’s Department.  Wise has made bond but will answer to the charges in General Sessions Court on Tuesday November 27th  

The Cannon County High School Boys Cross Country Team endured a lot of miles and sweat throughout the various meets this year, but it all paid off  Thursday at the Region 4 meet when the Boys team placed second overall in the 5000 meter run which earned them a spot to compete at the State Championships next week.  The boys finished the Chickamauga Dam track in an average overall time of 19:40. Jordan Turney came in 4th,  and Marshall McReynolds came in fifth.  The girls team placed fourth.  Elva Magana placed 8th and will run individually at the State meet.  The State meet will be at Steeple Chase Saturday November 3rd at Percy Warner Park at 2:00 in the afternoon.

The Woodland Girls and Woodbury Boys Basketball Teams will participate in the Consolation Brackets of the Woodbury Grammar School Border War Basketball Tournament Saturday afternoon.  Woodland Lady Warriors fell to Dekalb Middle School 28-21 in one semifinal.  They will meet Dibrell who lost to North Elementary 23-15 in the other semifinal.  The consolation game will take place at 11:00 this morning at the Woodbury Grammar School.  The girls championship featuring Dekalb and North Elementary will tip off around 2:00.  In the boys bracket, Woodbury fell to Eastside out of Warren County 43-27 during the semifinals on Thursday while Dekalb took a victory over Dibrell 54-40.  The boys consolation has Dibrell playing Woodbury Saturday afternoon at 12:30 while the boys championship between Dekalb and Eastside out of Warren County will finish up the three day tournament at 3:30