News 2015

Tennessee’s plan to provide every student in every school with a high-quality educator has been approved by the U.S. Department of Education today. This approval is an important step toward furthering specific, Tennessee-tailored strategies that will provide more support to teachers and leaders and target specific issues that some schools face in equipping every classroom with a great teacher. Tennessee’s plan, designed to ensure education equity across the state, builds on the work done in recent years. The plan takes a comprehensive approach, strengthening teacher training and focusing on transparency and state accountability. The state’s plan received national attention for increasing the ability to make data-driven decisions and enhance feedback loops through providing new and better, more frequent communication, including a new Human Capital Data Report to schools and districts to help them make informed staffing decisions.
“All Tennessee children deserve the right to a world-class teacher in every classroom,” Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said. “Thanks to the input we’ve received from educators throughout the state, we have a set of strategies that we believe can and will address equity gaps while strengthening the teaching profession as a whole. We are eager to continue collaboration with districts to learn more about where and why these gaps exist – and how we can be a partner in helping to close them.”
Under the federal government’s Excellent Educators for All initiative, every state was required through Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to develop a statewide plan – with the collaboration of those across the state and in school districts – that both identified key areas where students lack access to a high-quality teacher and created solutions that will solve those issues.
Today’s announcement builds on the ongoing work Commissioner McQueen outlined earlier this month in the department’s new strategic plan. Under a suite of priority areas, that department noted a set of strategies to better support and equip educators and specifically to increase access to highly effective teachers across student subgroups.
 

For all his talk of bipartisanship, it is no secret that President Obama has little interest in working with our Republican majorities in Congress. In fact, the President has issued 59 veto threats so far this year; the most in nearly a decade. While the President’s obstructionism is disappointing, some issues have still been ripe for bipartisanship—until now. Republicans and Democrats have traditionally found common ground on the importance of protecting our military readiness and funding our nation’s troops. After all, the federal government has a constitutional responsibility to “provide for the common defense.” That is why the National Defense Authorization Act or “NDAA” exists. 
The NDAA has been passed by Congress annually, largely without controversy, for more than 50 years. This year’s bill passed both chambers of Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support and, if enacted, would give our troops a pay raise, improve information sharing to combat cyber threats, and provide important tools in the fight against ISIS. Despite this, President Obama just vetoed the bill. With the stroke of a pen, he has put our troops and our national security at risk. 
Coming from a family of veterans, I was proud to vote in support of the NDAA because I know that the United States has a moral obligation to protect those who fight tirelessly to protect us. I find it appalling that the President – supposedly the Commander in Chief of our armed forces – would veto a bill to provide for the very military men and women who serve at his command. 
At a time of escalating dangers at home and abroad, we need the certainty and stability that comes with a full year NDAA bill. The President’s political posturing must not be allowed to stand. That is why the House of Representatives will vote to override the President’s veto early next month. I look forward to once again casting my vote in support of this critical measure, because we cannot afford to play games with our national defense.

As trick-or-treaters put the final touches on their costumes, the Tennessee Department of Correction is already taking additional measures to keep them safe this Halloween with the launch of Operation Blackout.  Operation Blackout began last night (10/22/15) and is a yearly, massive statewide sweep to ensure registered sex offenders under TDOC supervision follow strict guidelines for the fall season and Halloween. Hundreds of teams of TDOC probation parole officers work with local law enforcement to saturate communities across the state, conducting random visits and compliance checks on sex offenders. Last night, officers conducted more than 300 compliance checks, resulting in one arrest, one citation, and four violations.  These extra checks will be conducted on 3,500 sex offenders statewide through Halloween. Operation Blackout builds on the daily supervision of the roughly 80,000 offenders on probation and parole across Tennessee.
“We always work hard year round to ensure offenders are in compliance,” says TDOC Commissioner Derrick Schofield.  “Operation Blackout enhances that work and sends a message that we will do whatever is needed to protect our children and our communities from any potential threats.”
October 31st restrictions for sex offenders include:
    Will remain in their homes between the hours of 6:00p.m-6:00a.m.
    Will not have porch lights on as is the custom to participate in trick-or-treating.
    Will not open their doors for trick-or-treaters.
    Will only open their doors for law enforcement or probation and parole officers.
    Will not be allowed to display fall decorations.
    Will not be allowed to wear costumes or dress in disguise.
In 2014, TDOC probation parole officers conducted more than 3,000 checks on sex offenders during Operation Blackout.
– See more at: http://tn.gov/news/18848#sthash.kveJ8RDd.dpuf
 

Tennessee’s rules guiding business owners who may be seeking alternative ways of raising capital – a practice commonly known as intrastate “crowdfunding” – have gained final approval. The new rules offer guidance for small business owners and could prompt greater development among Tennessee start-ups and fledgling companies while helping protect investors.
“The new rules are vital because they provide clear guidelines regarding the requirements of offering or selling a security pursuant to the Invest Tennessee Exemption,” said Frank Borger-Gilligan, Assistant Commissioner for the Securities Division of Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI).  “Moreover, the rules provide necessary protections for Tennessee investors while providing small businesses and start-ups the opportunity to raise capital in a manner which was previously unavailable.”
The “Invest Tennessee Exemption” (ITE) became effective on January 1, 2015 while the rules addressing the specific requirements of the exemption will take effect on Dec. 16, 2015.
Under the ITE exemption, securities offerings that meet the following requirements are exempt from registration in the state:
The sale of the securities shall meet the requirements of the federal intrastate exemption as defined in Section 3(a)(11) of the Securities Act of 1933;
The sum of all cash and consideration received for the security shall not exceed $1 million, less the aggregate amount received by the issuer within 12 months before the first sale;
The issuer shall not accept more than $10,000 from any unaccredited investor;
All funds received from the sale of the security must be deposited in a bank or depository institution authorized to do business in the state, and shall be used in a manner consistent with written representations made to investors;
Before offering to sell the security, the issuer must provide notice to the Commissioner in writing specifying that the issuer will offer or has sold the security in reliance upon the exemption.  The notice shall include the names and addressed of the following:
The issuer; Those offering or selling the security; The bank or depository institution in which proceeds will be deposited;
The issuer must not be an investment company, as defined by the Investment Company Act of 1940, either before or after the offering;
The issuer shall inform all investors prior to the sale that the security is exempt from the registration requirements pursuant to this exemption;
The exemption is unavailable to any issuer, nor any of its affiliates, directors, officers, general partners, beneficial owners of 10% or more of the security, nor any promoters, underwriters, nor any partners of such, who is the subject of a disqualifying event as defined in the statute.
In addition to the notice requirement set forth in the statute, the rules will require an issuer to:
File a Form U-2 Consent to Service of Process;
If the issuer is a corporation, file a Form U-2A Uniform Code of Corporate Resolution;
Provide the Division a copy of the fully executed escrow agreement between the issuer and the bank or depository in which the issuer states that it will deposit all of the investor funds, the target offering amount to be raised, and the time by which the target offering must be reached;
Provide the Division with a signed acknowledgement requiring the issuer to notify the commissioner immediately upon the issuance of any stop order, denial, show cause order, suspension, revocation order, injunction, restraining order, or similar orders entered or issued by any regulatory authority or court, concerning the securities covered by the notice or any other securities offered by the issuer, or any order, judgement, decree or conviction as listed in the statute;
Provide the Division with a signed statement of whether or not the issuer, a director, officer, partner or trustee of the issuer, or any individual occupying similar status, has even been the subject of any order described in this rule, or any judgement, decree or conviction listed in the statute;
Pay a non-refundable $100 filing fee;
Promptly provide any additional information requested by the Division.
Furthermore, the rule states that an issuer shall not use the Internet to solicit sales of the exempt security unless access to the issuer’s website where the offering may be viewed is available only to Tennessee residents.   
Business owners or investors who have specific questions about the Invest Tennessee Exemption, should contact TDCI’s Securities Division Registration Section at (615) 741-3187.

A forensic scientist whose meticulous research laid the foundation for investigating — and finding answers for — mass disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and United Flight 93 will reveal some of his techniques at MTSU Tuesday, Oct. 27. Dr. Dennis C. Dirkmaat will speak on “Mass Disaster Scenes and Forensic Archaeology: Recent Research and Case Studies” at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 27 in the second-floor ballroom of MTSU’s Student Union.
His free public talk is part of the university’s William M. Bass Legends in Forensic Science Lectureship, presented by MTSU’s Forensic Institute for Research and Education, or FIRE.
A searchable, printable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParking2015-16.
Dirkmaat is chair of the undergraduate applied forensic sciences program and the master’s program in anthropology at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania. Since 1986, he’s conducted more than 560 forensic anthropology cases for nearly 60 coroners, medical examiners and state and local police in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia.
He’s participated as a primary forensic anthropologist in commercial plane crash incidents in Pittsburgh, Guam and Rhode Island, as well as natural disasters including Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquake. In 2001, Dirkmaat served as the primary scientific adviser during the recovery and identification of the Sept. 11 victims of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
During his MTSU lecture, Dirkmaat will detail one of his most recent efforts: working with the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office in Buffalo, New York, to direct the recovery of victims of the Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash outside Buffalo in February 2009.
That disaster, when a Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 went down in a wintry mix between Newark, New Jersey, and Buffalo and struck a house, claimed all 49 occupants on board the aircraft and one person on the ground.
During his MTSU visit, Dirkmaat will discuss some of his latest research and practical experiences in documenting and collecting forensic evidence at large-scale mass disaster scenes. Through experimenting with mock disaster scenes, forensic archaeological methods and high-end technology, he developed scene-processing standards that are now used nationally.
He’ll also explain how those protocols worked on a number of actual scenes, including the United Flight 93 and Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashes.
The Bass Lecture Series, named for internationally renowned University of Tennessee forensic anthropologist Dr. William M. Bass, brings forensic science experts to the MTSU campus each fall and spring.
MTSU’s FIRE, established in 2006, also provides regular educational and training opportunities for law enforcement, medical examiners, coroners, attorneys, social workers, and other groups in forensic science and homeland security.
For more information on this lecture or other FIRE programs and events, contact the FIRE offices at 615-494-7713 or visit www.csimtsu.com

Autumn is generally regarded as a sweet season, the year’s peak harvest time. You could say Tennessee’s sweetest harvest is contained in the jars of honey and sorghum syrup now lining shelves at farms, orchards and farmers markets across the state. Honey is often harvested twice per year, in spring and fall. Flavor is determined solely by the nectar source, giving some honeys stronger flavor than others. As a rule, the lighter the honey’s color the milder its flavor, but buying directly from the beekeeper is the best way to learn the characteristics of a particular honey.
Heated and strained honey produces a clear, amber-colored product ready for the table or to smoothly mix with other ingredients. Honey which has not been heated as part of the extraction or purification processes will still contain pollen, propolis, honeycomb and live enzymes. This raw honey is gaining popularity with some who see it as a natural way to treat environmental allergies.  
Man has not yet found a way to make honey; bees are the sole processors of that liquid gold. Sorghum syrup, on the other hand, is one of the oldest sweeteners on earth and in colonial times was processed in nearly every American home.
Sorghum syrup is produced when the extracted juice from the sorghum plant is boiled down. The green-amber, tangy-sweet syrup retains all of the plant’s nutrients including calcium, protein, fiber, iron, potassium, phosphorus and zinc. Tennessee is one of the nation’s leading states in sorghum syrup production.
Sorghum and molasses are not the same thing. Molasses is produced when sugar cane is cooked into granulated sugar. Modern day molasses contains as much as 20 percent corn syrup and has no nutritional value.
Store honey and sorghum at room temperature. Both products can crystallize, but putting in a pan of warm water or the microwave for just a few seconds will restore it to its previous form.
Find local sorghum and honey sources, as well as recipes using sorghum, honey and other seasonal farm-direct foods at www.PickTnProducts.org.

The District Attorney General’s Office will be looking into an incident that happened back in September to see if oppression charges will be brought against Cannon County Deputy Sheriff Andrew Colwell.  During the Cannon County Commission meeting this past Saturday,  Jim Gibbs handed out a letter that he sent District Attorney Jennings Jones  In the letter, he states thatt he was a victim of official oppression.  Gibbs says allegedly he was forced to leave a public meeting of the Cannon County Republican Party back in September .  Gibbs adds that the meeting was being conducted in the public courtroom of the Cannon County Courthouse and that it was in violations of his rights against unreasonable seizure protected by the 4th Amendment of the United States Constitution.  Gibbs says he has evidence that Deputy Colwell conspired with others and preplanned to attend the meeting.  In addition Gibbs alleges that Colwell stood by idly and watched as an individual removed his video camera as he was recording the meeting.  Gibbs asks the office to investigate this complaint and possibly prosecute if all evidence pans out to oppression.

Goblins, ghouls, and ghosts, Oh My! Everyone is invited to the Dr. and Mrs. J.F. Adams Memorial Library on Oct. 31 for a full day of Halloween fun! At 1:00 everyone’s favorite scientist Mr. Bond will be teaching us all about spooky science with fun things for all ages to enjoy. Then, you can join us at 4:00 for the Dr. and Mrs. J.F. Adams Memorial Library and Cannon County Chamber of Commerce Spook-A-Roma! We will be passing out treats to the trick-or-treaters who will be making the venture through College Street. Happy Halloween from your friends at the Cannon County Library System!

A Warren County woman is charged in nearby Cannon County with TennCare fraud involving forgery and doctor shopping. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) today announced the arrest of Brittany A. Duggin, 24, of McMinnville. An indictment in Cannon County accuses her of presenting a forged prescription for the painkiller Hydrocodone to a local pharmacy, and attempting to use TennCare benefits as payment. 
In addition, Duggin is charged with doctor shopping for controlled substances, using TennCare as payment. She received a prescription for the painkiller Tramadol less than 30-days before receiving another prescription from a different doctor for Hydrocodone, using TennCare to pay for both.
“Tennessee communities are simply no longer tolerating the fraudulent misuse of prescription drugs, especially when TennCare is involved,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said.  “We are working closely with local law enforcement agencies and providers across the state to investigate and prosecute these types of crimes.”
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge.  District Attorney General Jennings H. Jones is prosecuting.
The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to more than $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 2,466 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.
– See more at: http://tn.gov/news/18567#sthash.tEHTLjTk.dpuf
A Warren County woman is charged in nearby Cannon County with TennCare fraud involving forgery and doctor shopping.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) last week announced the arrest of Brittany A. Duggin, 24, of McMinnville. An indictment in Cannon County accuses her of presenting a forged prescription for the painkiller Hydrocodone to a local pharmacy, and attempting to use TennCare benefits as payment.
In addition, Duggin is charged with doctor shopping for controlled substances, using TennCare as payment. She received a prescription for the painkiller Tramadol less than 30-days before receiving another prescription from a different doctor for Hydrocodone, using TennCare to pay for both.
“Tennessee communities are simply no longer tolerating the fraudulent misuse of prescription drugs, especially when TennCare is involved,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said.  “We are working closely with local law enforcement agencies and providers across the state to investigate and prosecute these types of crimes.”
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge.  District Attorney General Jennings H. Jones is prosecuting

Tennessee Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips announced last week the Tennessee preliminary unemployment rate for September was 5.7 percent, unchanged from the August revised rate. The U.S. preliminary rate for September was 5.1 percent, also unchanged from the prior month.  
Economic Summary
    Tennessee’s unemployment rate for September remained at 5.7 percent (the fourth consecutive month).
    Over the past year, Tennessee’s unemployment rate decreased from 6.6 percent to 5.7 percent while the national rate declined from 5.9 percent to 5.1 percent.
    The number of unemployed persons is the lowest since February 2008.
    Total nonfarm employment increased 1,900 jobs from August to September. The largest increases occurred in state government, educational services, and professional/business services.
    Over the year, nonfarm employment increased 46,700 jobs. The largest increases occurred in trade/transportation/utilities, leisure/hospitality, and professional/business services.