News 2013

A Cannon County man coming to the Sheriff’s Department to retrieve his gun after being arrested on a domestic assault charge, got an extended stay after being arrested for DUI and driving on a revoked when Sheriff’s Deputies investigated how he arrived at the Sheriff’s office in the first place.  According to Sheriff’s Department reports.  Sgt. Tommy Miller was called to the lobby of the office for an individual needing to speak to an officer.  There he met Mark Roberts who was wanting to pick up his gun that was seized by the Department when he was arrested on a domestic.  Sgt. Miller stated he could smell a strong odor of an intoxicant coming from Roberts.  Sgt. Miller then walked back to the deputies room and got Deputy Paul Reed who actually worked the case about the domestic and told Deputy Reed to see if he could smell the same odor.  Deputy Reed came back and acknowledged that he too though Roberts was intoxicated.  A field sobriety test was done in which Roberts was unable to perform.  After running his drivers license it came back with 9 prior driving on revoked and 7 prior driving under the influence.  A search of the vehicle found a small bottle of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey inside the glove box.  Roberts was booked and charged with Driving on Revoked 10th offense and DUI 8th offense.  The 1998 Dodge Dakota that Roberts drove to the Sheriff’s Department was seized and placed in the impound lot.  

The Cannon County Lionettes experienced it all this weekend at the Bulldog Bash Basketball Tournament in Chantilly Virginia at Chantilly High School.  After a first round defeat, the Lionettes came back and blew out Woodridge High School in the second round.  The Lionettes advanced to a fifth place game Monday against Roland Park Lady Country Reds.  Cannon opened up a comfortable lead in the first half before Roland closed it to three by halftime.  In the second half, it was a battle of who wanted it the most.  With the game tied at 59, Kellie Davis nailed a shot to send the Lionettes ahead for good winning the game 61-59.  Cannon’s record is 17-2 going into Friday’s action against Warren County High School in McMinnville.  

A Cannon County woman recently learned that if you are going to drive your child to school  under the influence of medication, it’s best not to let relatives know.  Recently according to Sheriff’s Department reports Amy Elizabeth Brawner called the Westside school to let officials know she was bringing her child to school and that she realized they were late.  SRO officer Tommie Barker got involved with the situation after the officials stated that the grandmother had called that stated the mother of the child was possibly under the influence of prescription medications and also stated that Brawner’s license was suspended. Sgt Tommy Miller went out to the school to wait for Brawner’s vehicle.  After confirming her license was suspended, Miller noticed that the passenger rear brake light was out on the vehicle she was driving.  Miller pulled her over and then found two bottles of prescription medication that belonged to Brawner’s ex boyfriend.  Brawner was arrested and charged with Driving on Suspended License 3rd offense, and two counts of possession of a legend drug  

The Cannon County Lions Boys Basketball team took third place over the weekend at the Sonic Shootout in Sparta at White County High School.  After dropping a game to the eventual tournament champion Riverdale Warriors, the Lions drew the Glencliff Colts out of Nashville.  Glencliff led most of the game Saturday night, but Cannon grabbed the lead on a run to start the fourth quarter and took control of the game winning 65-55.  Cory Henley led all scorers with 18.  Tanner Larson and Josh Reuhlan netted 14 each.  Larson and Henley were named to the all tournament team.  Cannon ends the 2013 year 16-3 with their next game Friday January 3rd at Warren County in McMinnville. A day after their biggest loss of the year by 15 points to West Springfield in the Bulldog Bash Tournament at Chantilly High School in Chantilly Virginia, the Cannon County Lionettes took out their frustrations on the Lady Vikings of Woodbridge High School out of Virginia by scoring their largest points of the season.  The Lionettes improved their record to 16-2 with a 94-36 win over the Virginia team.  Cannon County will close out the tournament this morning with a game against the Roland Park Country Reds out of Baltimore Maryland.  Game time will be at 9:45 this morning.  WBRY AM/1540-FM/96.7 will have the live broadcast of the game.  The game will also be streamed live on our website at wbry.com and through the TuneIn Radio app on Smartphones and Tablets via WBRY
 

Please join us in extending our sympathies to the family of Chuck Ott, who passed away Christmas Day due to complications from ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease.  Chuck’s wife, Angie Ott, is our Library Board Chair, and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Dr. and Mrs. J.F. Adams Memorial Library Association.  Both Angie and Chuck have given generously of their time, resources, and talents to help make the library remodeling and addition a success.Thanks to everyone from the Friends of the Library for the wonderful response to their “End of the Year Closeout Book Sale”.   Many buyers got some great deals.   The book sale will continue with new materials still being added weekly.  It isn’t too early to start shopping for favorites for that special valentine.
Tax forms will be put out as soon after January 1st as they arrive.  They will be available in the photocopy area in the front lobby.
We hope that your holidays were successful and happy.  Remember that we have materials to help you with most New Year’s resolutions.  Why not make a resolution to visit your libraries regularly?
 

Due to a mistake School Board district 4 was listed as being up for the 2014 Election.  This is incorrect and it is not available until 2016.  Sorry for any misunderstandings. The DeKalb/Cannon County Amateur Radio Club is sponsoring an Amateur Radio Exam Session on Saturday, January 4th, 2013 – 1:00 PM (Walk-ins are allowed) at the DeKalb County Complex, 722 South Congress Blvd., Smithville, TN 37166 .  Contact Jerry E. Elkins – N4LZY at (615) 563-8888 if anyone has any questions.
The Cannon County Republican Party will meet on January 13th, 2014 at 6:30 PM at the Cannon County Courthouse. The public is encouraged and invited to attend.
 

– Support is available for adults grieving the losses of loved ones in Rutherford County. Alive Hospice’s Murfreesboro grief support group will begin meeting in January, and registration will continue until Jan. 3 or until the group is full.Call 615-346-8680 to register and for more information, including a detailed schedule and the location of group meetings. There is a cost of $40 for this eight-week group, but this fee may be waived due to financial need.Alive Hospice’s Murfreesboro grief support group will meet on Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Adults grieving the loss of a parent, spouse, sibling or other loved one are invited to join the group.
Alive Hospice also offers individual counseling services for adults and children year-round. Grief support groups and individual counseling are available to anyone who has experienced a loss, regardless of whether a loved one was served by Alive Hospice. Call 615-346-8680 or visit www.alivehospice.org for more information about these services.

Quitting smoking is a popular New Year’s resolution each year, but how many people actually quit? Six out of 10 smokers require multiple quit attempts to stop smoking, according to the American Lung Association, but planning ahead can greatly improve a person’s likelihood of quitting for good. The Tennessee Department of Health encourages tobacco users to contact the Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or www.tnquitline.com for free help in setting a plan to quit.“Quitting smoking is one of the best lifestyle changes you can make to improve your health and the health of your family, and we’re eager to support any Tennessean who wants to take up this challenge,” said TDH Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. “Research shows smokers who use counseling as part of their quit program have a better chance of quitting. We urge all Tennesseans ready to start a tobacco-free life to take full advantage of the free resources the QuitLine provides.”
The Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine offers personalized support for people who want to quit smoking and/or other tobacco products by connecting them with trained quit coaches to guide them through the quitting process. Callers will receive ongoing professional coaching via individually scheduled calls with a quit coach personally assigned to them. This convenient and confidential service is free and available to Tennessee residents in both English and Spanish. The service is also available for the deaf and hard-of-hearing at TTY:  1-877-559-3816.
If quitting smoking is on your list as the new year approaches, check out these tips to help you succeed:

Take time to plan: Designate a day to quit on the calendar and stick to it. Avoid peak times of stress, such as the holidays and gather in advance the tools and medications you will need.

Seek support: You don’t have to quit alone! Ask family, friends and co-workers for their help and support. Having someone to take a walk with or just listen can give a needed boost.

Find support online or in your community. Consider joining a stop-smoking program like Freedom From Smoking® Online (www.ffsonline.org) from the American Lung Association.

Exercise daily: Exercise is proven to help smokers quit. It will also combat weight gain and improve mood and energy levels. Walking is a great way to reduce the stress of quitting.

Prioritize nutrition and sleep: Eat a balanced diet, drink lots of water and be sure to get plenty of sleep.

Talk with your health provider or pharmacist: He or she can talk with you about various over-the-counter and prescription medications available to help you quit. Be sure to use only smoking cessation products approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Visit www.lung.org/stop-smoking or call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) for additional suggestions.
 
The Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine (1-800-QUIT-NOW or 1-800-784-8669) is a statewide toll-free telephone tobacco cessation treatment program made possible through the Tennessee Department of Health. QuitLine callers have complimentary access to relapse prevention techniques, printed resource materials, information on nicotine replacement therapies and other services to aid in the quitting process. Call or visit www.tnquitline.com today. There is no charge for services and clients have unlimited access to a quit coach through the QuitLine. Hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central Time.

 “Beef: It’s what’s for dinner” and “Got milk?” are familiar phrases to most of us. In the future, catchy phrases promoting hardwood products might be just as well known.The United States Department of Agriculture has published a proposal for a Hardwood Lumber and Hardwood Plywood Promotion, Research and Information Order. This proposal would establish a ‘check-off’ program for hardwood products similar to existing programs for dairy, beef, and softwood lumber commodities. In these programs, money is collected from producers and used to fund advertising and research activities that benefit the industry as a whole. The familiar tag lines shown above are examples of some of the promotion efforts resulting from such programs.
The hardwood proposal is open for comment until January 13, 2014. After that, the proposal may be revised and then the hardwood producers themselves will have the opportunity to vote. If the proposal is accepted as it is now, it would establish a $1 per $1,000 in sales levy on hardwood lumber producers (with different fees for other producers in the hardwood industry). All producers with sales over $2 million/year would be required to pay. The money collected – estimated at about $10 million per year – would be allocated to research and promotion programs by a board made up of industry members.
Not surprisingly, this proposal has stimulated strong responses – both in favor and against. Supporters point to the experience of similar programs for other commodities and view the fragmented hardwood industry as the ideal candidate for similar success: they argue that only by pooling their efforts can they achieve ‘critical mass’ for effective promotion. Some proponents argue that this program would be fairer than the current situation, where some companies fund promotion efforts that can indirectly benefit other producers that don’t pay. On the other hand, some opponents see it simply as a government tax that won’t benefit their business. Others are skeptical of a program that includes such diverse products as hardwood plywood (highly processed products with high value and potentially global markets) and pallet lumber (low value with local markets). Still others worry that this program would reduce support for current promotion programs run through voluntary industry associations.
The full proposal, and instructions for how to comment, is listed here:https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/11/13/2013-27108/hardwood-….
At the moment, it is unknown whether this ‘hardwood check-off’ proposal will be changed and/or passed. If it does pass, it will join a growing number of programs designed to promote a commodity in general, rather than a particular brand. But whether promoted through a check-off program or otherwise, American hardwoods have many merits to publicize, including: quality, legality and sustainability.

Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Colonel Tracy Trott today announced plans for a “No Refusal” enforcement campaign during the New Year’s Eve holiday period. This special enforcement will begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, December 30 and conclude at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, January 1, 2014. 
The “No Refusal” enforcement will be conducted in one county in each of the eight THP Districts across the state, and is aimed at deterring impaired driving and reducing fatal crashes on Tennessee roadways.  The “No Refusal” legislation allows law enforcement officials to seek search warrants for blood samples in cases involving suspected impaired drivers.
 
The participating “No Refusal” counties include Sevier (Knoxville District); Grundy (Chattanooga District); Wilson (Nashville District); Tipton (Memphis District); Washington (Fall Branch District); Putnam (Cookeville District); Maury (Lawrenceburg District); and Benton County (Jackson District). 
 
“We will be out in force to help protect the motoring public during this festive holiday. It is our hope that citizens celebrate responsibly and don’t get behind the wheel after drinking. Drunk driving is the worst mistake you can ever make,” Colonel Trott said. 
 
Nine people were killed in eight fatal crashes on Tennessee roadways during last year’s 78-hour New Year’s Eve holiday period. That’s an increase from the six vehicular fatalities during the 2011-12 New Year’s holiday. Last year, alcohol was involved in five of the nine (55%) fatalities, and 43 percent of vehicle occupants killed were not wearing safety restraints. Two pedestrians also died as a result of a traffic accident.
 
Colonel Trott also noted the number of DUI arrests made by State Troopers in 2013. Troopers have arrested 6,180 individuals for impaired driving from January 1 through December 20, 2013. In 2012, the number of arrests made during that time was 5,558. That’s an 11 percent increase during the same dates.
 
In Tennessee, the preliminary number of alcohol-related crashes has decreased 3.7 percent in 2013, compared to that same time period last year.  As of December 20, there have been 2,072 crashes involving impaired drivers. That is 80 fewer than the 2,152 crashes during those same dates in 2012.
 
The THP will conduct saturation patrols, seat belt, sobriety and driver’s license checkpoints and bar/tavern checks during the holiday.
 
Overall, as of December 26, 2013, preliminary statistics indicate 973 people have died on Tennessee roadways, a decrease of three percent compared to the 1,007 fatalities at this same time last year.