News 2015

Ronjie Tocholke of the American Legion Auxiliary was named the Tennessee Unit Member of the Year.  The award, presented yearly at the American Legion Auxiliary’s national convention, showcases the dedication and time spent that Auxiliary go getters devote to the orgaanization’s mission of serving veterans, the military and their families The Unit Member of the Year award recognizes women serving at the unit level who exemplify the values and ideals of the Auxiliary and whose accomplishments significantly impact the program work in their units.
Nominees must be an adult American Legion Auxiliary unit member not in an elected or appointed leadership role higher than unit president.
    A narrative of 1,000 words or less describing the nominee’s accomplishments and activities must be submitted by a unit to its department’s Past Presidents Parley chairman.
    Each department selects one Unit Member of the Year from its submitted candidates.
    The selection of the winner is at the discretion of the department Past Presidents Parley chairman.
    Recognition of the winners occurs at the American Legion Auxiliary’s national convention.
 

The USDA Farm Service Agency is accepting requests for marketing assistance loans and loan deficiency payments for eligible 2015 commodities.  Marketing assistance loans and loan deficiency payments for the 2015 crop year become available to eligible producers beginning with harvest/shearing season and extending through a specific commodity’s final loan availability date. Marketing assistance loans and loan deficiency payments provide financing and marketing assistance for wheat, feed grains, soybeans and other oilseeds, pulse crops, rice, peanuts, cotton, wool, mohair and honey.  Marketing assistant loans provide producers interim financing after harvest to help them meet cash flow needs without having to sell their commodities when market prices are typically at harvest time lows.  A producer who is eligible to obtain a loan, but agrees to forgo the loan, may obtain an loan deficiency payment if such a payment is available.
For more information please visit the fsa’s website at www.fsa.usda.gov
 

The Woodbury Lions Club will kick off their annual Pecan Sale on Friday. For sale this year will be pecan halves, walnuts, fruit and nut mix and cashews.  Lion Clyde Bush, chairman of the sale, stated that he was able to secure this year’s crop of pecans which is the best crop in several years. All this products will be available at the following locations Jennings Jewelers, Vance Bros Car Lot, Farmers Co-op, Rite Aid Pharmacy, County Court Clerks Office, Cannon County Senior Center, Dr. Trea Wessel’s Office, First Bank, Paul Reed’s Furniture Store, First National Bank, Regions Bank, Woodbury Funeral Home, Woodson’s Pharmacy, Cutting Edge Salon and any Lions Club Member.  
For more information call Clyde Bush at 615-563-2102 or Mark Vance at 615-563-6800
 

Two area women were charged with selling drugs outside the South Rutherford Boulevard Wal-Mart. Brandy Reed, age 30, of Readyville and 39-year old Angela Ward of Pecan Court in Murfreesboro were arrested by Murfreesboro Police Officer Travis Ledford around 10pm Sunday. A loss prevention officer called police after observing the two females selling prescription drugs on surveillance video.
Officer Ledford reports seeing Reed take a bag of oxymorphone pills from her groin, take one out and give it to a male subject. She was then given $140. The officer reports the money was given to Ward, who then turned it over to Reed.
After the women were placed into custody, the remaining four pills were entered into evidence. Three Loratab pills were recovered from Ward. Both Reed and Ward were arrested for sale of schedule two drugs and taken to jail. Reed also was charged with violation of parole and is being held on $22,000 bond. Ward’s bond is $4,000.
 

The first of two Tennessee young sportsman deer hunts for the 2015-16 season will be held the weekend of Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Youth ages 6-16 years of age may participate, Young sportsmen must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult, 21 or older who must remain in position to take immediate control of the hunting device. The adult must also comply with the fluorescent orange regulations as specified for legal hunters. Multiple youth may be accompanied by a single qualifying adult.
Archery season began in the state on Sept. 26 and the first segment ends Oct. 30, the day prior to the opening of the young sportsman hunt. The second segment of archery only season resumes on Monday, Nov. 2.
The TWRA makes the recommendation that all hunters obtain a 2015-16 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide. The guide lists license requirements, the counties and bag limits for each of the different deer management units. The guides are available where hunting and fishing licenses are sold and on the TWRA website, www.tnwildlife.org.
In 2014, youth hunters harvested a total of 5,673 during the first hunt. All 95 Tennessee counties reported harvests with Giles County posting the highest two-day total of 184.

 Every year, Halloween decorations, costumes and parties seemingly become more elaborate and outrageous. While the season may thrill trick-or-treaters, Halloween season can sometimes lead to dangerous and tragic situations. National data from the U.S. Fire Administration shows 10,300 fires typically occur during the three-day period around Halloween, causing about 25 deaths, 125 injuries and $83 million in property loss. During Halloween this year, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) reminds revelers to never forget basic fire safety rules and pay close attention to candles, decorations, and costumes. It is also important to remember fire safety while visiting haunted houses operating in your area.
“We urge Tennesseans to remember fire safety during their Halloween festivities,” said State Fire Marshal and Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak. “We want everyone to balance fun with safety during Halloween.”
Keep Halloween safe with a few fire safety tips:
    Choose a costume without long trailing fabric. This can cause a child to trip or may touch flames in jack-o’-lanterns or other decorations.
    If you make your own costume, use materials that won’t catch on fire easily if they come in contact with heat or flame.
    Give your children flashlights or glow sticks so they can see where they are walking.
    Keep decorations away from candles, light bulbs or heaters.
    Consider using flameless candles or glow sticks in your jack-o’-lantern.
    Keep exits clear of decorations.
    If you are making your own costume, choose material that won’t easily ignite if it comes into contact with heat or flame. If your children wear masks, make sure eyeholes are large enough to allow unobstructed views.
    Dried flowers, cornstalks and crepe paper are highly flammable. Keep these and other decorations away from all open flames and heat sources, including light bulbs and heaters.
    It is safest to use a flashlight or battery-operated candles in a jack-o’-lantern. If you use a flame candle, use extreme caution and keep them well attended at all times.
    When lighting candles inside jack-o-lanterns, use long fireplace matches or a long-nozzled candle lighter. Be sure to place lit pumpkins well away from anything that can burn and far enough out of the way of trick-or-treaters and such high-traffic areas as doorsteps, walkways and yards.
    Tell children to stay away from open flames. Be sure they know how to stop, drop and roll if their clothing catches fire. (Have them practice stopping immediately, dropping to the ground, covering their faces with their hands, and rolling over and over.)
    When attending a Halloween party, look for ways out of the home/venue and plan how you would get out in an emergency.
 

The Woodbury Lions Club celebrates its 80th anniversary tonight at the annual Lions Club Banquet.  Immediate Past Lions Club International President Joe Preston will come from Dewey Arizona to offer his congratulations.  Bob Corlew former Chancellor 16th Judicial District and future International President will extend his congratulations from Honduras where he will be as part of a world tour of Lion activities.  The banquet will be in Madden Hall, First Baptist Church beginning at 6:30.  Lions Club leaders from across the state have been invited to attend and a capacity crowd is expected.

County unemployment rates for September 2015, released last week, show the rates decreased in 29 counties, increased in 42, and remained the same in 24 counties. Cannon County saw a increase in their unemployment rate for the month of September.  Out of an estimated workforce of  5970 people, 5630 were employed while 350 people were unemployed.  This set the unemployment rate of Cannon County to 5.8 percent which is two tenths of a percentage point higher than the August rate of 5.6 percent.  Three surrounding counties, Dekalb, Coffee and Wilson County all increased in percentages when it came to the unemployment rate.  Rutherford County decreased while Warren County’s unemployment rate stayed the same.  Last year at this time Cannon’s unemployment rate was at 6.2 percent
Tennessee’s preliminary unemployment rate for September was 5.7 percent, unchanged from the previous month. The U.S. preliminary rate for September was 5.1 percent, the same as it was for August.
 

“It’s turkey season in Middle Tennessee!” announced Phillip Smith of Smith’s Painting.  The 5th annual ‘Turkey Tee Off’ 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 contacting local businesses and individuals asking for their support of the Child Advocacy Center and the child abuse victims that are served by the Center,” stated Child Advocacy Center fundraising chairperson Elizabeth Parker.
 
“We need the support of the Rutherford and Cannon communities to make the ‘Turkey Tee Off’ a successful event,” said golf tournament committee member Mike Becker.  “Levels of event sponsorship range from $2,500 to $75.  For $2,500 your business can be one of the presenting sponsors.  For $500 –$2,499, your business can be a sponsor.  For $400, you can be a team captain for a team of four golfers. For $100, an individual can golf.  For $75 your business can have a tee box sign.”
 
“Our family started the ‘Turkey Tee Off’ to support child abuse victims,” said Smith. “Our hope is that through this event, families of abused children will learn about the Child Advocacy Center, and reach out for help for their children.”  
                      
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.  In the last 15 years, the Child Protective Investigative Team has worked together to investigate and prosecute over 11,695 child abuse cases and assisted over 16,275 individuals in Rutherford and Cannon Counties. 
 
Through the Darkness to Light community education program, the Child Advocacy Center has trained over 5,435 parents, grandparents, and professionals how to protect children from child sexual abuse, and what to do if a child reports abuse to them.
 
If you would like to sponsor the event, make a contribution, or golf in the tournament please contact the Child Advocacy Center of Rutherford County at (615) 867-9000 or the Cannon County Child Advocacy Center at (615) 563-9915.

The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties is currently seeking volunteers for the 2016 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. VITA is a free service and will aid qualifying local residents in claiming their tax refund dollars. The 2015 VITA program resulted in a $1,011,648 impact on the community through tax refunds. The 2016 VITA site locations are set to open in late January.
Volunteers are needed from January to April to assist with the sites. Volunteer hours are flexible and depend on the volunteer’s availability. Experience with tax preparation is preferred but not required.
Volunteer responsibilities will include greeting, screening and tax preparation. Volunteer registration is available at www.yourlocalvita.org. Volunteers must pass a certification test in order to be a VITA volunteer. Trainings will be provided to help potential volunteers prepare for the certification test.  These trainings are not mandatory but are beneficial to those taking the test.
For additional questions, please contact United Way at (615) 893-7303.