News 2015

The weather forecast for the 5th annual ‘Turkey Tee Off’ golf tournament is 61 degrees and sunny!” announced Mike Becker of Ross Financial Planning, “This may be your last opportunity to golf this season.”  The 5th annual golf tournament will be held on Saturday, November 7 at Cedar Crest Golf Course to benefit the Child Advocacy Centers in Rutherford and Cannon Counties.  
“The ‘Turkey Tee Off’ Golf Tournament Committee is recruiting golfers to enjoy a beautiful fall day of golf and support the Child Advocacy Center and the child abuse victims that are served by the Center,” stated Child Advocacy Center fundraising chairperson Elizabeth Parker.
 
Executive Director Sharon De Boer, said, “During this Thanksgiving season, the Child Advocacy Center is very thankful for presenting sponsor CRF Properties and the other local business and individuals that have supported that golf tournament that include Adams Family Foundation, Bridgestone La Vergne Plant, Cha Consulting Services, Correct Care Solutions, Farrer Bros. Hardware, General Mills, Ingram, Jennings and Tanya Jones, Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility Project Hometown Help, Elizabeth Parker, Ross Financial Planning, Phillip Smith and Smith’s Painting, Waldron, Fann, and Parsley Attorneys, Bill and Lucy Whitesell.”
 
Tee box sponsors include Joey and Julie Allison, Ascend Federal Credit Union, Beckman Family Medical, Body and Face, K.D. and Shirley Ann Broiles, Bob Bugg and Keith Strain, Burks Upholstery, Cha Consulting Services, John and Betty Dixon, Family and Cosmetic Dentistry of Smyrna, Chuck and Carol Farrer, First National Bank, Higgins Flea Market, Hoover Paint Store, Jones Car Wash, Michael and Diane Moran, Gale and Jonelle Prince, Roscoe Brown, Totherow, Haile, and Welch, and Aleta Tuma.
 
In-kind contributors for door prizes, goodie bags, breakfast, and lunch include:  Advance Auto Parts, Allen Family Chiropractic, A.O. Smith, Arrington Vineyards, Auto Art South, Auto Zone, Bar Louie, Buffalo Wild Wings, Camino Real, Cheddars, Coconut Bay Café, Cracker Barrel, Demos’ and Peter D’s, Donut County, The Egg and I, Farmers Family Restaurant, Firestone, Five Senses, Ford of Murfreesboro, Golf Galaxy, Guaranty Trust, H30 Aquatics, Lewis Brothers Bakery, Malco Theaters, Melting Pot, Mr. B’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Menchies, Nashville Predators, NTB Tire and Service Center, O’Charley’s, Old Chicago, Olive Garden, On Target, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Outback Steakhouse, Panera Bread, Pollo Tropical, Precision Tune Auto Care, Publix, Reeves Sain, Rodizio Grill, Roosters Men’s Grooming Center, Ross Financial Services, Slick Pig BBQ, Smyrna Bowling Center, The Southern, Strike and Spare Family Fun Center, Steak and Shake, Sudsy’s Car Wash, Tire World, Through the Grapevine, TGI Fridays, Tennessee Titans, Textbook Brokers, Title Max, Toot’s, United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties, Valvoline, and Which Wich.
 
Proceeds from the golf tournament will fund services for child abuse victims.  The Child Advocacy Center works as a multidisciplinary team with Department of Children’s Services, law enforcement, mental health counselors, and the District Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute child abuse cases and help children and their families heal from the trauma. 
 
If you would like to golf or sponsor the event please contact the Child Advocacy Center of Rutherford County at (615) 867-9000 or the Cannon County Child Advocacy Center at (615) 563-9915.

Wanda Ann Zeh of Short Mountain, Tennessee died on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015 after she bravely lost her battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 71. Loving wife of Ronald Zeh, Sr.; beloved daughter of the late Graham and Lela Osment; cherished mother of Ronald (Kay) Zeh, Jr., Dianna Zeh (Mark) Rust, Michael (Mandy) Zeh, Amy (Ronnie) Brawley; cherished grandmother of Elizabeth (Nick) Rennier and great granddaughter Daphne,  Patrick  Hollingshead, Jessica and Adam Zeh, Edith and Luke Rust, Dylan White, the late Makayla Zeh, Leland Zeh, Josh,  Cole, Jadyn and Addie Brawley; dear sister of Wilma (Sterling) Harrell and the late Linda O’Neal; caring aunt of Darrell (Melinda) Snyder, Lisa (Eric) Parker, Jackie (Larry) Elliott, Ricky Ball, dear sister-in-law and beloved Aunt of the Zeh family. Wanda was an active member of the Center Hill Baptist Church and was involved in the food ministry, children’s ministry, served as church treasurer, and served church members and members of the Short Mountain community in many unseen ways.  She truly loved her family, and was a consistent positive force in their lives and a model of how to be content in every situation.  Jesus shined brightly through her life and she lived a life of joy for all to see.  “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all” Proverbs 31:28-29 Wanda was dearly loved and will be missed by all who knew her.
Funeral services will be 11 am Thursday, November 5, 2015 in the Chapel of Woodbury Funeral Home with Bro. Greg Mitchell officiating.   Visitation with the family will be from 4 pm until 8 pm Wednesday.  Interment will be held in Memory Cemetery, Albany, NY. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Centerhill Baptist Church.
Woodbury Funeral Home, 615-563-2311 or www.woodburyfuneralhome.net
 

My first memories of Bill Smith was when I would go to the old Bank of Commerce on the west side of the town square.  Bill was a teller and he
would take my money that I had made selling eggs, and deposit it to my
savings account through the teller window for “Little
Savers”.  I also remember my great uncle Sheila (Bush) Hawkins
working at the bank with Bill.   We would always go and ask him a
question.  He would always get excited and say, bush! bush! Then maybe he
would answer.  But we would laugh because he would say bush! bush!.
      To jump ahead a little, I remember when
they moved from the old bank location to the new location, where
Regions Bank is today.  I remember them moving some of the money in a mule
drawn wagon, with Mr. George Gilley (Charlie Brown’s father)
driving the wagon, and Mrs. J.F. Adams riding shotgun,  with the
Town’s only policeman, Jack Rains, riding in the back of the wagon with a
shotgun,  guarding the money.  One story Bill always told, was when a
gentleman came to him one day and asked him, “How did you get all of the
money moved from the old bank to the new bank?”  Bill just smiled and
said, “Well that was easy, we just wrote a check for all of the money we
had in the bank, and when we got to the new bank, we cashed it”.
     Another early memory of Bill, was when he oldest son, Mike, who was
about 6 years old, got run over getting off his school bus, in front of
their house on highway 70.  The whole town was just crushed by the sad
news.  Back in them days all of young boys would gather in the front yard
of the old hospital (Now the Cannon County School Board) and we would play
football.  I remember one evening we were playing and it was getting late
and turning dark.  I looked up at the
hospital, and I could see Mike’s hospital room,  the shades were
drawn, but I could see Bill’s
silhouette through the shade, as he was standing at the foot of Mike’s
bed, with head down, praying.  I remember that image just like it was
yesterday.
The good news was that Mike was going to pull through.  The town
folks rejoiced.   Then tragedy hits again.  Some months later Mike came
down with Polio or Muscular Dystrophy.  Again, the good news was, Mike
pulled through.   I can still see Mike cutting those cedar trees and
selling them at their home on old 70S.  Mike was younger than me, but he
was always an inspiration to me.  I always said, “When things get tough,
the tough get going.  And, when things are too tough for everybody else,
they are just right for me”. – That is what Mike Smith taught me.   I also
remember Bill’s wife Dot Smith.  She was a beautiful young woman who loved
Bill and her children Mike and Steve.  She was very athletic, as I would
see her and Christine Dillon always playing basket ball together, having
fun and having a great time.  Bill always had a story to tell.  He said
that he was plowing with mules in a corn field one day, and R. D. McBroom
stopped and said, “Bill I just bought a brand new truck from Alexander
Chevrolet, and that he needed a driver.”   Bill, said give me a couple
hours to find someone to finish plowing and I will get cleaned up and be
right there.  That started his trucking with the McBroom Truck Lines in
McMinnville.  Bill also told the story, that they were coming back from
Chattanooga one night with a truck load of pies,  apple pies, still hot
right out of the factory.  Well he said the highway patrol stopped them
around Monteagle, and wanted to know what they had in the truck.  Bill and
his partner opened up the back of the truck and reached in there and
pulled out one of those hot  pies, and said here try this.  He said they
both took a bite, and a couple more pies, and said, well you boys can go
on now.   Mr. Tip McBroom and his sons R.D. and Sam, sold the old McBroom
Truck Lines when the Union Moved in.  R.D. and T McBroom moved back to
Woodbury, next to the Bill Smith farm, where WT McBroom and I are still
neighbors.  Bill told me that as a young boy he would plow, using a team
of mules, the field where our house is located.  He always said that field
was the best farm land in the county.   After the trucking business, Bill
still trucked a little and began his career in the banking business.  The
McBroom’s started a milk barn operation, milking about a 100 cows twice a
day, 365 days a year.  Frances always said those were tough years, after
the good years in McMinnville.  I always told her, that it was really a
blessing.  She said how can that be a blessing?  I said well, just think,
if you had not moved back to Woodbury, you would not have met me and
married me.  So she was alright after I told her that story.  Frances
loved Bill and had many stories they would  tell when they were all at
McBroom Truck Lines and living as neighbors, and having Bill’s brother,
George, living next door also.  Bill and George would help R.D. and WT.  
I can still see George rounding up the cows on that spotted horse, riding
like the wind, and sitting high in the saddle like John Wayne.  As a young
boy we worked with for Bill Smith and would haul hay all day, for several
days, in the hot July, August, and September months.  We all worked hard,
but we had fun and a lot of laughter.  Bill always reminded me of Paul
Bunyan, the lumber jack,who owned Babe the Blue Ox.  He was a tough,
rough, and a strong man, always working hard, with great enthusiasm, and
having fun and laughing.
Nothing was too tough for him.   Bill was like Paul Bunyan, a true work
horse by any measurement.
  A big event for the community was the, “Beans and Cornbread Day”,
Bill was always doing great things for the town and county folks.  I came
home from the wars one day and called my mother, “Granny
Stone”, who was not at home.  I said where are you?  She said I am in the
basement of the Bank picking beans.  I said good, I will be
there in a minute, to see what picking beans meant.  She was
preparing to cook the pinto beans, but first she would have to pick out
all of the little rocks and gravel that were mixed in with the
beans.  I remember there was a small pile of rocks and gravel on the table
that she had separated out.   I was shocked that there were rocks and
gravel in the bags of store bought pinto beans.  Just think of the people
who broke their teeth off eating pinto beans.  So, after that I always
looked for rocks when preparing dried pinto beans, and especially when
eating pinto beans.  And believe me, they are there.  Granny dearly loved
Bill Smith and the ladies that worked at the Bank of Commerce,  she and
Tootsie and Hayden Scott cooked and prepared the beans and cornbread for
Bill for over 20 years.  They also cooked many  meals for the bank.  And,
that same team cooked meals for the Lions Club for over 20 years.   They
had fun and a lot of laughter working together.
     I told Bill at his retirement reception at the bank, that I had
listed him on my military records as a Character Reference when I
signed up for the military 35 years ago and had kept it updated all those
years.
    Bill Smith did a lot of good and great things for our community.
Beans and Cornbread Day, Cannon County Good Old Days, restoring the
Brevard House, Smith’s Funeral Home, working and helping to produce the
1995 Cannon County Pictorial History book, and others, because he didn’t
want us to forget our past, our proud heritage, and our proud history.   
Bill Smith was a great ambassador for Woodbury,Cannon County, Tennessee,
and the United States of America.   Bill Smith was a true example of a
model citizen, one for all to emulate.  He was more than a great character
that we will always remember.  He was a great supporter of the Veterans of
Cannon County. He was a good Christian man.  I always said, “If
everyone was like Bill Smith, just think what a great country we would
have”.    And, I also think about what is written in the Bible, that there
are Angels walking amongst us on earth.  I believe that with all of heart.
 Well, in my opinion, Bill Smith was one of those Angels. And I know that
he will keep an eye on us back here in dear old Woodbury and Cannon County.

 November 3—Cannon County students will be attending 8th grade career day at Miller Coliseum sponsored by Tennessee College of Applied Technology and Rutherford Co. industry
November 9—Student progress reports
November 10—New teacher professional development, 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the Central Office
November 10—School Board meeting workshop, 6:30 p.m. at the Central Office Boardroom
November 12—School Board meeting, 6:30 p.m. at WGS cafeteria
November 13—CCHS Veterans’ program 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. All Cannon County veterans are invited to attend.

Dear Friends,I’m writing to you following an eventful day in our district, where I visited a local nonprofit, toured one of our many 6th District small businesses, and enjoyed a good lunch for an even better cause at the annual “Cooking on the Square” event in Cookeville benefiting Putnam County Habitat for Humanity.
After the eventful week we’ve had in Washington, it was great to be back home talking with Tennesseans about the issues of the day and where I stand. Here is a quick rundown of the three items I have heard about the most from my conversations with many of you:Voting Against Corporate Welfare at the Ex-Im Bank
I’ve always believed that the federal government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers in the private sector. That is why I voted against reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank of the United States this week. First started under President Franklin D. Roosevelt to improve trade with the Soviet Union, the Ex-Im Bank guarantees loans and provides financing to foreign companies in order to encourage them to purchase products and services from the U.S. Today, the bank is rife with crony capitalism – over 60 percent of its lending benefits 10 major corporations and only two percent of U.S. exports stem from the bank’s activities.
What’s more, the bank’s loans are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. If a borrower defaults on their payments, you as an American taxpayer are left holding the bag. I see no reason whatsoever for this to continue. I was proud to vote against reauthorizing the Ex-Im Bank back in 2012, and to do so again this week. While the bill to renew the bank’s charter passed over my objections, we will continue to make our view known. Corporate welfare is not a conservative value and we must rid it from our economy wherever we can.A Bad Budget
I’ve always said that Members of Congress should not let the perfect be the enemy of the good – but we also need to recognize a bad bill when we see one. That was the case with this week’s so-called Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. This budget ‘deal’ is a raw deal for conservatives and for taxpayers who are already shouldered with an $18 trillion debt burden in Washington. It was a deal brokered in backrooms and released to the public the day before Congress was expected to vote on it; a violation of House Republicans’ 2010 “Pledge to America” which guaranteed three days for Americans to read the contents of major bills and weigh in before a vote.
What’s more, the deal breaks the spending caps in sequestration – an imperfect but successful means of reducing our deficit – and it suspends the debt ceiling (the federal government’s borrowing authority) altogether until 2017, giving this Administration free rein to continue piling on new debt that our children and grandchildren will inherit. I came to Congress with the promise of working to return fiscal sanity to Washington and I could not, in good faith, support this deeply flawed agreement.
I spoke with TheBlaze this week and explained more about why I oppose this deal. You can read their write-up following our interview HERE.Welcoming Speaker Paul Ryan
This week began a new chapter for our House Republican Conference. I was proud to join all of my Tennessee House Republican colleagues in voting to elect Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Speaker Ryan is a friend and a fellow conservative. I had the privilege of serving with him on both the Ways and Means Committee and Budget Committee, where I saw his character and his convictions up close. In his remarks before Congress yesterday, he acknowledged an important truth: Congress is broken, but it can be fixed with a new vision and a return to regular order. He also encouraged Members of Congress to pray for one another. I’ll certainly be keeping him, his wife Janna, and his children at the top of my list and hope you will too. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and Speaker Ryan is the right person to lead us forward “for such a time as this.”

Cannon County Sheriff’s Deputies and Detectives recently investigated a break in at a Wilmouth Creek Road residence.  According to police reports, home owner Paul Reed stated that he left home in the morning and returned later that afternoon to find his home had been forcefully broken into and multiple items were stolen.  Deputies reported observing fresh tire tracks going to the back of the residence and a sliding glass door had been pried open.  A revolver was found laying in the yard wrapped in a glove that belonged to Mr. Reed.  Detective Chris Brown assisted in the investigation and dusted for and obtained several finger prints.  Neighbors reported that they saw a silver car riding slowly through the area. Several guns, gaming systems and a TV were amongst the items stolen from the residence.  Total value is estimated at $7,870.00.  Investigation is continuing  

The Rutherford County Grand Jury has returned indictments against owners of several bonding companies charging them with corrupt practices before the Court. Those indicted are as follows:
Charles Redman, III, past owner of A Plus Bonding Company
    4 counts of fabricating evidence (C felonies, punishment range 3-15 years)
    4 counts of aggravated perjury (D felonies, punishment range 2-12 years)
Venus Koenik-Redman, current owner of A Plus Bonding Company
    2 counts of fabricating evidence (C felonies, punishment range 3-15 years)
    2 counts of aggravated perjury (D felonies, punishment range 2-12 years)
Elsie Robinson, current owner of Cumberland Bonding Company, and
Wendy Robinson, secretary / treasurer of Cumberland Bonding Company
    2 counts of fabricating evidence (C felonies, punishment range 3-15 years)
    2 counts of aggravated perjury (D felonies, punishment range 2-12 years)
Timothy Howland, current owner of Affordable Bonding Company
    3 counts of fabricating evidence (C felonies, punishment range 3-15 years)
    3 counts of aggravated perjury (D felonies, punishment range 2-12 years)
According to the indictments, all five individuals were charged as a result of schemes to write bail bonds in excess of their company’s authorized limits.  This was accomplished, according to the indictments, by falsifying monthly reports submitted to the court whereby the companies underreported their bond liabilities so as to enable them to write more bail bonds and collect more payments from defendants without having to post additional collateral with the Clerk.
These acts were uncovered during a lengthy investigation which resulted in previous indictments of tax fraud.  Those indicted for those offenses were Charles Redman, former owner of A Plus Bonding Company, whose charges are still pending, and Daniel Odbert, former owner of Bad Boys Bonding Company.  Mr. Odbert has been convicted of those tax fraud charges and awaits sentencing by Judge Royce Taylor.
Jennings Jones, District Attorney General for the 16th Judicial District which includes Rutherford County, stated “We have worked with the bonding companies in Rutherford County to ensure that everyone operates on a level playing field and that no one has an unfair advantage over their competition.  The bonding companies in this district provide a valuable service and we want to make sure that everyone plays by the same set of rules.”
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Kymari House is proud to partner with the Child Advocacy Center and other agencies in Rutherford County to support 19 Days of Activism for the Prevention of Abuse and Violence Against Children and Youth.  Addressing this issue is more important than ever given what we now know about the impact of violence and other negative experiences over the entire lifespan of children and adults. According to information provided by the Tennessee Department of Health, Adverse Childhood Experiences, or “ACE’s,” are “stressful or traumatic experiences that disrupt the safe nurturing environments that children need to thrive.”  These experiences include such things as child abuse, family separation/divorce, witnessing domestic violence, homelessness, and bullying.
These ACE’s cause so much stress for children, the effects can be felt far beyond childhood.  And the impact is not just psychological.  ACE’s impact outcomes related to physical health as well.  Surprisingly, exposure to these adverse childhood experiences can lead to greater risk for heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, liver disease, and fetal death.  The Department of Health says, “The more exposure to ACE’s a person has, the more his or her risk increases for these issues.”
Despite these risks, research shows that safe, nurturing relationships early in life can lessen the damaging impact of ACE’s.  It is crucial to the long-term health of our entire community that we work together to help families prevent these negative experiences for children, and heal from them once they occur.
Kymari House works to strengthen families through support services that include supervised visitation, exchange, and counseling for families experiencing disruptive conflict.  We help families provide safety and stability for children, even during the most difficult of times, and all services are provided without regard for families’ ability to pay.  According to the Department of Health, one of the most prevalent adverse childhood experiences facing children in Tennessee is the separation/divorce of their parents.  Kymari House can help families experiencing high conflict around separation/divorce by providing a neutral environment that supports both parents for visitation, counseling, and conflict management.  We also provide a safe environment for children who have experienced abuse/neglect to have quality time with their absent parents while the family is separated.  This allows children to maintain a safe, nurturing bond with their families and lessens the impact of family separation.
By working together, we can improve the lives of children, adults and our entire community through prevention and early intervention around these important issues.  Please join with us in working to make Rutherford County a safe, nurturing place for children.  When we place children first, our entire community wins.

A Coffee County woman is charged with TennCare fraud involving doctor prescription drugs. The Office of Inspector General (OIG), with the assistance of the Manchester Police Department, last week announced the arrest of Valerie Diane Prince, 44, of Summitville.  An indictment accuses Prince of TennCare fraud in connection with selling the painkiller Hydrocodone, a Schedule III controlled substance, which was obtained using TennCare benefits.
“The Manchester Police Department laid the groundwork for this case before we joined in the investigation, and that’s the kind of cooperation we’re building statewide,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said.  “Local officers are usually the first point of contact with those who are committing TennCare fraud, and they want to get it off the streets as badly as we do.”
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison.  District Attorney General Craig Northcott is prosecuting.
 

The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) reminds Tennesseans that Open Enrollment for insurance coverage on the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) begins Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. Since the conclusion of the last enrollment period, there have been several changes related to Tennessee insurance carriers. The Department wants consumers to be aware of those changes and make informed choices when it comes to choosing insurance coverage.
For 2016, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee and UnitedHealthcare will provide coverage across Tennessee. Cigna will provide coverage in Nashville, Memphis and Johnson City, and Humana will provide coverage in Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville. Copies of presentations from carriers describing their 2016 plans are available on our website.
Community Health Alliance (CHA) will not offer insurance coverage on the FFM in 2016. The company voluntarily entered runoff, and its coverage will end on Dec. 31, 2015. CHA policyholders will keep their insurance through Dec. 31, 2015, if they continue to pay premiums. CHA consumers have until Dec. 31, 2015 to enroll in a new healthcare plan in order to have coverage effective Jan. 1, 2016. Click here for details about CHA’s runoff and a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Consumers should remember they face an increased federal tax penalty for being uninsured next year. Consumers must pay either $695 per person ($347.50 per child under 18 with the maximum penalty per family of $2,085) or 2.5 percent of your yearly household income in 2016, whichever penalty is greater.
The Department emphasizes the need for consumers to carefully review plan networks. If you like your physician, make sure he/she is included in the plan network. Also, consumers should review networks for their nearest and/or preferred hospitals. Several plans provide tight networks and/or limited out-of-network benefits. To avoid unexpected and unpleasant balance bills, always see network providers.
Important dates:
November 1, 2015: Open Enrollment starts for 2016.
December 15, 2015: Enrollees who want coverage to be effective on January 1, 2016 must act by December 15.
December 31, 2015: Coverage ends for 2015 Marketplace plans. CHA members must act by Dec. 31 to have coverage effective on Jan. 1, 2016.
January 1, 2016: Coverage can begin for 2016 Marketplace plans.
January 31, 2016: Open Enrollment ends.
Questions? TDCI is here to help. Contact us at 1-800-342-4029 or (615) 741-2218 if you have questions about Open Enrollment .