News 2013

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development has launched a network of social media sites dedicated to quickly informing job seekers of local jobs, workshops, and job fairs. In a constant search for new avenues to inform Tennesseans about new job opportunities, the department joins the conversation 140 characters at a time to disseminate new jobs directly and instantly via Twitter.“The vision of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development is to have the most employable workforce for business and industry in the nation,” said Dustin Swayne, Labor Deputy Commissioner. “Social media provides an efficient and effective way of distributing information back to our customers.”
Social media is all about sharing information. With features like Retweet and Favorite, the broad-reaching capabilities of Twitter can easily inform the Twitter community about new local jobs. Job seekers on Twitter can easily discover their next job because of a tweet that was shared directly on a Twitter feed. Since Twitter is accessible from either a computer or smartphone, the free service Twitter provides can land a job seeker employment faster than ever before.
Multiple Twitter accounts were launched to direct job tweets to specific regions of the state. For example, a new job post located near Memphis does not affect residents in Cookeville. The Memphis job opportunity will appear on the @TNCCMemphis handle in order to focus job announcements in that area. Each handle is named ‘TNCC’ followed by the name of the city. Nashville’s Twitter account is @TNCCNashville and Dyersburg’s handle is listed as @TNCCDyersburg.
Visit the index of all 13 regional accounts at http://tn.gov/labor-wfd/Social_Media.shtml to view jobs nearest you.
Chattanooga   @TNCCChattanoogahttps://twitter.com/TNCCChattanooga
Clarksville        @TNCCClarksvillehttps://twitter.com/TNCCClarksville
Columbia         @TNCCColumbiahttps://twitter.com/TNCCColumbia
Cookeville        @TNCCCookevillehttps://twitter.com/TNCCCookeville
Crossville        @TNCCCrossvillehttps://twitter.com/TNCCCrossville
Dyersburg       @TNCCDyersburghttps://twitter.com/TNCCDyersburg
Jackson           @TNCCJacksonhttps://twitter.com/TNCCJackson
Johnson City   @TNCCJohnsonCityhttps://twitter.com/TNCCJohnsonCity
Knoxville          @TNCCKnoxvillehttps://twitter.com/TNCCKnoxville
Memphis         @TNCCMemphishttps://twitter.com/TNCCMemphis
Nashville          @TNCCNashvillehttps://twitter.com/TNCCNashville
Talbott @TNCCTalbotthttps://twitter.com/TNCCTalbott
Tullahoma       @TNCCTullahomahttps://twitter.com/TNCCTullahoma

Every day, staff members of the Department of Children’s Services field calls, visit homes, meet with families – and comfort children who are victims of abuse and neglect in Rutherford County.   
But DCS doesn’t do it alone. They depend on the professionalism and cooperation of many experts.  Members of the law enforcement community conduct criminal investigations. The Child Advocacy Center helps children heal from the trauma, while connecting them to the resources in the community that are available to help them recover. And prosecutors from the District Attorney General’s office handle the criminal cases once they get to court. 
 
All of this work is closely coordinated when these disciplines join together as members of the local Child Protective Investigative Team. 
 
According to Sharon De Boer, executive director of the Child Advocacy Center, “In the last 13 years, the Child Protective Investigative Team has responded as a team to 9,000 child abuse cases and worked together to assist 12,500 individuals in Rutherford and Cannon Counties.” 
 
Added DCS Team Leader Deidre Lackey: “In all of the years I have been doing this work, the one thing I always hear is disbelief. People really don’t believe how much child abuse and neglect takes place in our community. It’s a serious, heartbreaking problem.  That’s why we’re such big supporters of the ’19 Days of Activism.’ People need to be aware, and they need to know the resources we have in place to help kids.” 
 
In Tennessee, you can report child abuse or neglect with a call to the DCS Hotline: 877-237-0004.

Tennessee Department of Health experts say at least eight cases of illness among children in East Tennessee are likely related to drinking “raw” or unpasteurized milk. The investigation has identified a specific type of Escherichia coli O157 as the cause of at least three of the illnesses.“Some people who consume raw milk because they believe it is healthier than pasteurized milk are putting themselves and others they share it with at risk for a range of serious illnesses,” said TDH Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. “Raw milk is 150 times more likely to cause a foodborne illness than pasteurized milk and can be life-threatening to some, particularly the young. Those who consume raw milk are eroding years of progress in reducing dangerous, preventable illnesses.”
In addition to Escherichia coli O157, other harmful bacteria that can be found in unpasteurized milk from cows, goats and other mammals include Salmonella and Campylobacter. Complications from drinking these pathogens include diarrheal disease; Guillain-Barre syndrome, leading to paralysis; and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, which causes kidney failure.
“While some adults may be able to tolerate bacteria found in unpasteurized milk or food products made with raw milk, children, older adults, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems can be in great danger,” said Deputy State Epidemiologist John Dunn, DVM, PhD.
Early symptoms of raw milk-related illnesses can include upset stomach, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and flu-like symptoms including fever, headache and body aches. People who have any of these symptoms after drinking raw milk should see their health care provider and notify their local health department.   
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture licenses and inspects nearly 400 commercial dairies in Tennessee which produce milk that is safely pasteurized and processed for human consumption. Pasteurized dairy products from commercial dairies are safe and nutritious and are not implicated in the recent cluster of illnesses.  
“Despite the cleanest barns and the best efforts of farmers, raw milk can contain harmful bacteria,” said Tennessee Department of Agriculture Commissioner Julius Johnson. “We all need to understand raw milk can be contaminated with deadly microorganisms. Pasteurization kills these without significantly affecting the taste or nutritional quality of milk.”
Since 1987, the Food and Drug Administration has prohibited distribution of raw milk across state lines for direct sales to consumers. Some people take extreme measures to obtain raw milk, even buying and consuming raw milk labeled as pet food or investing in shared ownership of a milk cow or goat. Although it is legal in Tennessee for individuals to consume raw milk from their own animals, it doesn’t change the risk to their health.
To eliminate risk of infection, the Tennessee Department of Health suggests consumers read the labels of all milk and cheese products to make sure they buy only those which have been pasteurized. Pasteurization, a process developed 149 years ago, kills harmful bacteria by simply heating milk for a specific amount of time. 
The mission of the Tennessee Department of Health is to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee. For more information about TDH services and programs, visit http://health.state.tn.us/.

Student, faculty and visiting scholars will discuss how society reacts to injustices in the United States and abroad in the 22nd annual Tennessee Undergraduate Social Science Symposium at MTSU Nov. 13 and 14. With a theme of “And Justice for All?”, the two-day research symposium inside MTSU’s James Union Building is free and open to the public. It features a Wednesday, Nov. 13, keynote address from attorney and activist Amy Bach, founder of Measures for Justice and a visiting professor at the University of Buffalo Law School.
Bach’s talk is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. Wednesday in the JUB. She’ll also sign copies of her book “Ordinary Injustice: How America Holds Court” after her speech.
Dr. Ruth Gomberg-Munoz, an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at Loyola University Chicago as well as an author and activist, will speak beginning at 9:40 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, in the JUB. She’s the author of “Labor and Legality: An Ethnography of a Mexican Immigrant Network.”
The symposium also includes a panel discussion, “Challenging Indifference toward Injustice,” at 12:40 p.m. Wednesday and a 2:20 p.m. screening of the HBO documentary “Gideon’s Army,” an official selection of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival that follows the work of three young public defenders in the South.
Student research presentations are scheduled throughout both days of the symposium. The top three undergrad papers will be announced and prizes awarded at 9:30 Thursday morning.
The MTSU Undergraduate Social Science Symposium is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, the Department of Political Science, the Women and Gender Studies Program, the Office of Research, the University Honors College, the Sociology Club and the Distinguished Lecture Committee.
Conducted at MTSU since 1993, the event is modeled after a typical professional conference and was designed to prompt students’ scientific study of human interaction and encourage their professional growth as well as provide opportunities for scholars to exchange ideas.

Gov. Bill Haslam  announced that Tennessee had the largest academic growth on the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) of any state, making Tennessee the fastest improving state in the nation. The NAEP results also show that Tennessee had the largest growth of any state in a single testing cycle since NAEP started nationwide assessments a decade ago.
“These historic gains are a result of years of hard work by a lot of people across Tennessee: our teachers, students, principals, superintendents, parents, lawmakers, school board members, business leaders, and many others,” Haslam said.  “As a state we’ve come together to make education a top priority.”
The governor was joined for the announcement by former Gov. Phil Bredesen, State Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman, Wilson County Director of Schools Timothy Setterlund, Cicely Woodard, an eighth-grade math teacher at Rose Park Magnet Middle School in Nashville, state legislators, business and community leaders, and students, faculty and staff of West Wilson Middle School in Mt. Juliet where the event was held.
Commonly known as “the nation’s report card,” NAEP assesses students in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math. All 50 states have taken NAEP since 2003, and the results are regarded across the country as the best way to compare educational outcomes across states.  Tennessee students’ combined growth on all four tests in 2013 exceeded the growth of all other states.  For data on Tennessee’s NAEP results, visit: http://nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2013.
The state improved in overall national ranking in each of the four tests.  For fourth-grade students, Tennessee went from 46th in the nation in math to 37th and from 41st to 31st in reading.  Tennessee also had very strong growth for African-American students, and the state saw gains in overall results while significantly increasing the participation of special education students on the test.
“This administration’s goal has been to be the fastest improving state in the nation by 2015,” Huffman said.  “We’ve asked a lot of our teachers and students, and they have delivered; they deserve the thanks for this progress.  Dramatically improving results for kids is hard work, but this is what hard work can do.”
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Tennessee has also seen three years of continuous growth on its state assessments, also known as the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP).  Since 2010, 91,000 more students are on grade level in math, and 52,000 more students are on grade level in science.

Meisha Waller has joined the staff of the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties as the Director of Community Impact.  
Waller brings to United Way more than 10 years of professional experience in programs and outcomes management. She earned her undergraduate degree in Human Services Management/Psychology and her graduate degree in Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, both from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. 
 
Meagan Flippin, President and CEO of United Way, said, “I believe Meisha’s professional experience and education will complement our transformation to a community impact business model, and I am excited to see what fresh ideas and strategies she is able to bring to our United Way.”
 
Waller has worked in the United Way of Chattanooga’s Community Impact department, where her efforts were focused on the pre-k programming, overseeing a budget of over $1 million and managing literacy instructors within neighborhood reading centers.
 
Waller then worked for the Mayor of Memphis, where she was responsible for the implementation of the Imagination Library and Books from Birth program in Shelby County.
 
Following her tenure at Books from Birth, Waller worked for the United Way of the Mid-South in Memphis for five years, managing a community investment portfolio of $4 million across eight counties. In her role, she also served as the Teacher Effectiveness Coordinator, working on education reform and connecting the nonprofit community with Memphis City Schools. Waller led the implementation of five areas of collaboration (school readiness, transportation, secondary literacy, ED Plan and Stanford Math) between Memphis City Schools and community partners to provide supportive services for student success in order to reduce the high school drop-out rate.
 
Most recently, Waller has served as the Membership Manager for the Girl Scouts Heart of the South.  She has served as a Loaned Executive for United Way, working with companies such as Hershey’s and Johnson & Johnson, and is an instructor for the University of Phoenix, approved to teach courses such as Public Policy Development in Health and Human Services and Program Planning and Grant Proposal Writing in Human Services.
 

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty recently approved more than $27 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to assist Tennessee communities with infrastructure, health and safety projects, and downtown improvements.“Community Development Block Grants help communities complete projects that lay the groundwork for future economic development opportunities,” Haslam said. “I am pleased the state can partner with and assist our local communities with these improvements as we continue our work to make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”
“Community development is essential in growing the economy and creating a business-friendly environment,” Hagerty said.  “These grants allow communities to take steps that will ultimately encourage incumbent businesses to expand and future companies to relocate and invest in Tennessee.”
Allocation of CDBG funds is based on priorities set at local levels where community needs are best known. The CDBG program is administered in Tennessee by the Department of Economic and Community Development.
Below is a list of communities who were awarded grants:
 Community
 Project
 CDBG Amount
 Local Funds
 Total
Alamo
Sewer System Improvements
389,500
20,500
410,000
Bean Station
Rescue and Fire Protection Project
190,605
5,895
196,500
Bell Buckle
Sewer System Rehabilitation
180,000
20,000
200,000
Big Sandy
Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements
247,350
7,650
255,000
Bledsoe County
Water Line Extension
500,000
150,000
650,000
Brownsville
Sewer System Improvements
500,000
70,000
570,000
Campbell County
Fire Protection Project
300,000
29,670
329,670
Cannon County
Ambulance Station Project
300,000
265,000
565,000
Carthage
Sewer System Rehabilitation
500,000
82,000
582,000
Celina
Water System Rehabilitation
500,000
67,000
567,000
Chester County
Fire Department Improvements
253,260
13,330
266,590
Church Hill
Sewer System Improvements
500,000
160,000
660,000
Clarksburg
Sewer Line Extension
142,462
10,723
153,185
Collinwood
Sewer System Rehabilitation
331,650
36,850
368,500
Covington
Community Facility Project
300,000
567,320
867,320
Cowan
Water System Rehabilitation
350,000
22,341
372,341
Crossville
Water System Improvements
500,000
176,000
676,000
Cumberland County
Water Line Extensions
358,800
101,200
460,000
Dandridge
Wastewater System Improvements
347,500
142,500
490,000
Dayton
Water Tank Project
500,000
200,000
700,000
Decatur
Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion
300,000
1,485,000
1,785,000
Decatur County
Emergency Transportation Project
227,709
19,801
247,510
Friendship
Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements
500,000
20,300
520,300
Gallaway
Sewer System Improvements
147,361
20,095
167,456
Giles County
Water Storage Tank
500,000
100,000
600,000
Graysville
Fire Hall
250,000
147,000
397,000
Harriman
Water System Improvements
500,000
61,800
561,800
Henning
Water System Improvements
410,502
2,236
412,738
Humphreys County
Sewer System Improvements
500,000
90,000
590,000
Jacksboro
Fire Protection Project
200,000
53,165
253,165
Jackson County
Water System Rehabilitation
500,000
50,000
550,000
Jefferson City
Wastewater System Improvements
488,203
68,181
556,384
Jellico
Water System Improvements
500,000
10,300
510,300
Lauderdale County
Sewer System Improvements
500,000
69,000
569,000
Lawrenceburg
Sewer System Rehabilitation
500,000
125,000
625,000
Lexington
Sewer System Improvements
500,000
323,300
823,300
Loretto
Early Warning Sirens
133,455
10,045
143,500
Loudon County
Water Line Extension
500,000
465,000
965,000
Luttrell
Sewer System Improvements
500,000
26,500
526,500
Marshall County
Water Line Extension
500,000
102,410
602,410
Martin
Sewer System Improvements
500,000
38,800
538,800
Maynardville
Water Line Extension
500,000
43,500
543,500
Middleton
Water Meter Replacement
101,120
26,880
128,000
Minor Hill
Water Source Development
214,000
324,000
538,000
Monroe County
Water Line Extension
492,800
67,200
560,000
Newport
Sewer System Improvements
500,000
1,161,000
1,661,000
Paris
Housing Program
500,000
0
500,000
Parrottsville
Fire Protection Project
200,000
10,526
210,526
Rives
Housing Rehabilitation
500,000
0
500,000
Roane County
Sewer Line Extension
487,067
72,781
559,848
Somerville
Sewer System Improvements
391,600
53,400
445,000
South Fulton
Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements
500,000
122,000
622,000
Spencer
Water System Rehabilitation
500,000
43,500
543,000
Sullivan County
Water Line Extension
406,728
77,472
484,200
Unicoi County
Sewer Line Extension
152,813
18,887
171,700
Wartrace
Water System Rehabilitation
500,000
49,450
549,450
In addition to those listed above, Gov. Haslam previously announced 12 CDBG recipients. Those communities include Athens, Dover, Dyer, Etowah, Gibson, Hartsville-Trousdale County, Humboldt, Macon County, Milan, Polk County, Rutherford and Trenton.
CDBG funds will be used for the first time in 2013 for commercial façade improvements in Main Street and Tennessee Downtown communities. Through a separate application process, communities could apply for $25,000 grants used for improvements including new awnings and signs, painting, building repair and other upgrades.
Below is a list of communities who were awarded CDBG commercial façade program grants:
• Brownsville
• Dandridge
• Lawrenceburg
• McKenzie
• McMinnville
• Monterey
• Pikeville
• Savannah
• Tiptonville
• Union City
ECD will accept applications for the 2014 CDBG program in February.

It’s almost time for MTSU’s spring 2014 semester, but right now “It’s Time” for students to prepare to register for classes.“It’s Time” is an awareness campaign by MTSU officials to let students and their families know priority registration will take place from Monday, Nov. 11, through Friday, Nov. 22, and how students can benefit by registering now, not later.
“It’s Time” banners and door hangers are posted in high-traffic areas around campus, including the Student Union and Cope Administration buildings, to keep students informed.
University officials are offering several important reminders, including the following:

Each student should check her RaiderNet account during the priority registration period to learn her assigned registration times.

All freshmen, as well as many other students,  are required to meet with an adviser before they can register for classes.

Each student should check his RaiderNet account to resolve any holds before priority registration. Holds include parking tickets, library fines, health services charges and successfully meeting with an adviser. Students also should check their MTSU email accounts regularly for emails regarding holds, advising and deadlines.

Students should use the MTSU registration guide — either the printed copy or online version — for important spring 2014 dates and deadlines. Printed copies are available on the first floor of the James Union Building outside the Scheduling Center, located in Room 123. The online registration guide can be found at www.mtsu.edu/records/sbooks.php.
“Students who haven’t seen an adviser should call for an appointment as soon as possible,” said Dr. Laurie Witherow, associate vice provost for admissions and enrollment services.
Dr. Deb Sells, vice president for student affairs and vice provost for enrollment and academic services, said students planning to graduate in four years with 120 credit hours must complete 30 credit hours each calendar year. Students who do not earn at least 30 hours over the fall and spring semesters will need to take summer classes, she added.
For more information, contact the Registration Help Line at 615-898-5094 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The RaiderNet system is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays.

It’s only November, but all across the state, Christmas tree farmers are getting ready for the folks who make choosing natural Christmas trees a treasured part of the holiday season. Christmas tree farmers know that choosing the tree is a memory-making experience and an anticipated holiday project, so they make the experience as much fun as possible. Many offer hot cider or other refreshments at their farms and sell natural wreaths, roping and garland in addition to trees. Some farms feature wagon rides, educational tours for groups, petting zoos or gift shops on site with all sorts of holiday décor inside. Some growers even conduct on-farm holiday craft classes or host special events which might even include a visit from Santa.
Aside from sentimental reasons, a couple of pretty practical reasons for choosing local trees include cost and quality. The cost of transportation is not included in the price of a tree that’s never left the farm, and there’s no tree fresher than the one you just cut yourself.
To get the most out of your locally grown tree, know what you want and how to take care of it. The first step is to measure the space where you want your tree to go before you head out to the farm.
Tree hunters may wander through groves of uncut trees and cut their own, have trees cut for them, select a freshly cut tree on site at the farm or take a balled and burlapped live tree home for replanting after the holidays have passed.
The needles of a pre-cut tree should be resilient. Grasp a branch about six inches from its tip between your thumb and forefinger. Pull your hand toward you, allowing the branch to slip through your fingers. The needles should adhere to the branch, not fall off in your hand. Lift a cut tree a few inches off the ground and bring it down abruptly on its stump.  Outside green needles should not fall off in substantial numbers, though interior brown needles shed naturally every year.
Make a fresh cut across the base of the trunk, or have the farmer do that for you. Consider taking your tree stand with you so the farmer can fit your tree onto your stand. Always use a water-holding stand, water the tree as soon as possible, and keep the cut covered in water. If the base of the tree dries out, a seal forms and a new cut needs to be made.
Natural trees should be kept cool and safe, away from fireplaces, heaters and televisions. Always unplug lights when you are away from home or before you go to bed, and be sure light cords are in good working order.
Find local Christmas trees at www.picktnproducts.org. 

Veterans Day weekend is upon us and Veterans Day Activities here in Cannon County start off with the annual Veterans Day program at the Cannon County High School.  Starting at 8:30 this morning, highlights of the program include a performance by the Woodland Elementary School.  The Riverdale High School Precision Drill Team, Special tribute to all Cannon County Veterans serving today, the Wall of Honor with Lisa Choate.  Special Guest Franz Walkup is scheduled to be at the program.  Special Presentation Spectacular by the Cannon County Student Council.  WBRY-AM-1540/FM-96.7 will carry the program live.  You can also listen to the program live on wbry.com and on your smart phone through the app TuneIn Radio.  Activities are expected to continue throughout the day with the Annual Veterans Day parade Saturday starting at 1:00 at Edgefield.