News 2014

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Stones River Hospital along with the local schools and civic organizations are bringing awareness to this important topic in various ways throughout the month of October. A county-wide ‘Pink-Out’ is scheduled for Friday, October 17th where the public, county schools and businesses are encouraged to wear pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness and our fight against all forms of cancer. County schools are participating in a ‘pink’ jack-o-lantern contest sponsored by DeKalb Community and Stones River Hospitals, and various businesses and organizations have agreed to take the ‘Pinky Swear Dare’  – painting their pinky nails pink throughout the month of October after pledging to get regular mammograms after the age of forty. 
“We would like to thank the community and local schools for making this year’s Pink-tober events so very successful,” said Shan Burklow- Marketing Director for DeKalb Community and Stones River Hospitals, “I am humbled by the wonderful and caring people who have volunteered their time to help us spread the word about the importance of early detection and mammograms in the fight against breast cancer. This is such an ugly disease and it has touched everyone in some way. Take this month to remind your friends and family of the importance of weekly self-exams and annual mammograms. Early detection is so very important in the fight against cancer. Hundreds of people across Tennessee have taken the ‘Pinky Swear Dare’ and we hope that hundreds more participate before the month’s end.”
 
For more ways that your family, business or organization can support the fight against cancer, go to www.relayforlife.org or contact Shan Burklow: sburklow@dchtn.com

The Veterans and Concerned Citizens of Veterans have named the U.S. Army Marshall for the Veterans Day Parade   Andy Haines was 22 years old when he jumped into France on D-Day
in 1944.  He was a member of the Famous 101st Airborne Division,
with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment.  He was surrounded and
wounded at the Battle of the Bulge.  He parachuted into France and
Holland during WWII.  Before leaving for England in March 1944, he
married Jane, his high school sweetheart on January 8th.  Haines
said, “we jumped in the dark”, with 600 paratroopers of his
Regiment, descending into France.  Andy said that he was nervous
and a little scared, because this was the first time he ever
jumped when someone was shooting back at him.  On Christmas Eve
1944, General McAuliffe was asked by the German Commander, to
surrender.  His response was, “Nuts”.  The troops were proud of
his response, his troops were not about to give up.  We won that
battle.
      Haines returned home December 1945, he jumped off the train and Jane
ran into his open arms.   Andy went back to college to get an
electrical engineering degree.   His memories still run strong, many
of them are painful memories, of the price of freedom.
 

A supportive living center in Woodbury run by the Church of Scientology has been cited for multiple license violations.  According to the DNJ.com, an inspection by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse found the Life Center for a New Tomorrow owned by Marc Vallieres violated 21 rules that ranged from failing to do criminal background checks on employees to housing someone who needed a higher level of care.  Last week the State accepted a correction plan from the Center.  The Center is the only licensed facility of its kind in the United States that does not use psych drugs to help people.   The center had a resident who was living there in violation of its supportive living category. This resident did not meet state requirements for self care. Those requirements include the ability to bathe, eat, take care of their possessions, recognize danger and maintain appropriate and tolerable behaviors.
“The person who needs a higher level of care is being moved,” Valleries responded.  
Beth Pinkerton, the state inspector who reviewed the correction plan, put the center on notice that it may be reinspected to verify compliance.

In response to inquiries about the ability of Ebola to be spread in drinking water supplies, the National Rural Water Association is distributing the following resources and information that conclude Ebola cannot spread through the drinking water supply.     Ebola is not a foodborne, waterborne, or airborne illness (WHO).
    Ebola spreads in human populations through human-to-human transmission, through direct contact with infected bodily fluids including blood, vomit, or feces (WHO).
    Ebola cannot survive in drinking water because Ebola infected cells do not live long inside a liquid that doesn’t have the same salt concentration as bodily fluids (NPR)
 

Middle Tennessee State University’s new campus showpiece — the 257,000-square-foot, $147 million Science Building — is ready for the ribbon-cutting celebration. 
Gov. Bill Haslam is scheduled to attend with numerous other dignitaries, the campus community and alumni and friends of the university.
 
The grand opening will be held starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the facility located at 440 Friendship St., just off Alumni Drive on the south side of campus. The public is invited.
 
For visitors, a shuttle service will provide transportation from the Rutherford parking lot on Rutherford Boulevard starting at 9 a.m. For parking and building location, a printable campus map can be found at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap14-15.
 
Haslam, who will be introduced by university President Sidney A. McPhee, will be the primary guest speaker.
 
Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan and other state and local dignitaries are scheduled to give remarks as well, along with select MTSU students and faculty.
 
 
“The building is already helping MTSU create more science graduates to fill high-tech jobs,” McPhee said. “It immediately makes MTSU more competitive for research projects, science scholarship and entrepreneurial efforts.”
 
The facility represents the state’s largest capital investment in higher education. It features 37 class laboratories, two open labs, 13 research labs, six classrooms, about 1,500 student stations in labs and classrooms, chemistry and biology faculty and staff offices, numerous informal learning areas and space for student presentations.
 
“MTSU’s new Science Building promotes dynamic, collaborative, experience-based teaching, interdisciplinary research opportunities, will help attract and retain highly qualified faculty and students and will make MTSU students more competitive in advanced study and science-based professions,” College of Basic and Applied Sciences Dean Bud Fischer said.
 
Nobel Prize-winning chemist Harry Kroto will deliver the first public lecture in the building at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, in lecture hall Room 1006. Kroto shared the 1996 Nobel Prize with Robert F. Curl Jr. and Richard E. Smalley for their discovery of fullerenes, a series of carbon molecules.
 
The Science Building opened more than five months ahead of schedule. Turner Construction Company built the facility. Thomas, Miller & Partners PLLC served as project architect.
 
Refreshments and tours will follow the ceremony. The dedication coincides with MTSU Homecoming Week activities.
 

With all of the rain soaking the field behind the Arts Center Of Cannon County, tonight’s Carson and Barnes circus has been moved from the Arts Center to the Old Woodbury Fairgrounds.  Show Times at 4:30 this afternoon and 7:30 tonight with petting zoo and midway opening at 3:30.  Tickets are available at the event.

Sergeant Major Arthur Petty, lives on his farm located on Hollis Creek Road,165 Lazy Acres Farm. Art is a quiet, well mannered, non-assuming
gentleman. Not until you get to know Art, do you realize that he is a
“True American Hero”. Petty entered the United States Marine Corps in
1941. He served during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. His experiences are
numerous. I have read three books about his experiences in each of
these three wars. God was truly with Art during his military career. It
is very evident that only through God’s Divine Intervention that Art
survived. My analysis is simple, the reason Art survived the many battles
he fought in, while many of his fellow marines were killed in action, is
because God had something else planned for him.
I believe that plan was for Art and his family to move to Cannon County
where he has designed and organized an outstanding and very detailed
museum that tells his story of his many adventures. He has become a
mainstay with the Veterans and Concerned Citizens for the Veterans of
Cannon County. He is also a key member of the newly chartered Hilton
Stone American Legion Post 279.
His assignments included service in infantry companies in five
different Divisions, through three wars. From 1944-45, he was a
squad leader in K Co. 3/2, including service during the invasion of
Saipan. He was in one of three ships hit by Kamikaze Pilots in a
four ship convoy during WWII. With D Co.1/8, he flew into Cuba the night
of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and served as part of President Kennedy’s
security detail during his Central American Tour. He has met U.S
Presidents, Chiefs of Staff, a past President of the United Nations,
governors, traveled in Air Force One, and had dinner with the former
President of the Philippines.
Petty is a N.R.A. Master in pistol and rifle. He shot for the
Marine Corps Base Pendleton with both pistol and rifle. He placed fourth
in the Olympic tryouts in Puerto Rico in 1960.
It is a great honor to have Art Petty and his family as part of the
Veterans of Cannon County. This is one American Hero who knows the costs
of Freedom. When you see Art, be sure and shake his hand and say thanks
for his service to this great country. You will be glad you did, because
there is something special that flows through that handshake, that will
make you Proud to be an American.

BBB alerts consumers to a phone scam in which callers claim to be from Microsoft Technical Support. The caller tells the consumer they have a virus on their computer and have called to help them remove it.  Local residents state the number on Caller ID is 1-989-728-0130.   One consumer reported being called twice by the supposed ‘Microsoft Technical Department,’ once by ‘Alex’ and then by ‘Angie’, both with thick foreign accents. They told her to go to her computer RIGHT NOW so they could help her get rid of the virus. This smart consumer told the callers she was not computer savvy and couldn’t do it, and that she only had a landline and the computer was in the other room.
BBB warns once these scammers have access to the computer they can install malicious software, steal personal information, take control of the computer remotely or direct consumers to fraudulent websites where they are asked to enter their credit card information.  Cybercriminals often use publicly available phone directories giving them enough information to convince you they are there to help, all the while in an attempt to collect more personal information.
Once they’ve gained your trust, they may ask for your user name and password or ask you to go to a legitimate website to install software that will allow them access to your computer to ‘fix it.’ They may also ask for your credit card information.  If you comply with their requests, your computer and your personal information are vulnerable.
Microsoft’s Online Safety and Security Center states that neither Microsoft nor its partners make unsolicited phone calls.
BBB advises consumers to follow these steps to avoid becoming a victim of this scam:

Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you can confirm that it is a legitimate representative of a computer support team with whom you are already a customer.

Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support.

Go through your service provider directly if you are concerned your computer may be exposed to viruses or other security threats. Some providers offer free tools that can help detect and remove viruses.

Install virus protection to help safeguard your computer from viruses.

Never give out personal information, over the phone to someone you don’t know. If the caller claims there is a security threat to your computer, hang up and call your computer company directly.
     If you did allow a caller to access your computer:

Change the passwords for your computer, email and online banking/credit card accounts.

Be sure to run a virus scan

Consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report if you shared personal and banking information with the scammer

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is offering a reminder that Monday, Oct. 20 is the deadline to provide comments on the 2015-16 sport fish proposals. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency began accepting comments on the proposals in early September. Comments may be sent to TWRA.Comment@tn.gov, or TWRA, Fisheries Division, P.O. Box 40747, Nashville, TN 37204. Please include “2015 Fish Comments” on the subject line of emailed submissions. The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission will vote on the fishing proposals at its next meeting which will be Oct. 29-30 in Greeneville. If approved, the regulations will become effective March 1, 2015. 2015-16 Sport Fishing Proposals: Region I: Carroll County Lake: Largemouth Bass – 14-20 inch protected length limit (slot), creel limit 5 bass, only one bass over 20 inches. Region III: Tellico River: The delayed harvest area will be moved upstream. The new boundaries will be from North River upstream to the Tennessee-North Carolina state line. Green Cove Pond: Only anglers under the age of 13, seniors (adults 65 years of age and older,) and those anglers with the following license types will be allowed to fish: Type 197 Sport Fishing License for the Blind, Type189 Wheelchair Hunting and Fishing, Type 198 DAV Hunting and Fishing, Type 199 Mentally Challenged, and Type 169 Intellectual Disability Hunting and Fishing. Use of boats on Green Cove Pond is prohibited. East Fork Obey River (headwater of Dale Hollow Reservoir): Time period of the special walleye run regulations changed to Jan. 1 through April 15. Creel limit of 5 walleye, only one walleye may be over 20 inches. Region IV: Dillard Ponds (Cherokee National Forest, Greene County). Establish a 4 trout per day creel limit, no length limit. Ponds open ½ hour before official sunrise to ½ hour after official sunset. Each angler permitted only one rod or pole.

 The Cannon County Rescue Squad is made up of trained volunteers and responds to all emergencies in Cannon County including Woodbury and Auburntown.  They are ready to respond 24 hours a day 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  The Cannon County Rescue Squad have begun their fund drive.  The Rescue Squad sent out a mailer to Cannon County residents asking for their support.  Money raised from donations will go to upgrade and replace outdated Rescue tools and equipment.  Improve response capabilities during emergencies and disasters.  Improve safety for Cannon County citizens and to improve safety for rescue volunteers.  Donations are tax deductible.  80% of the Rescue Squad’s operating budget comes from the public’s contributions.   Donations can be mailed in to the Cannon County Rescue Squad 618 Lehman Street Woodbury TN 37190 or online at CannonCountyRescueSquad.com.