News 2015

The Cannon County Homeland Security Committee will meet on July 9, 2015 at 4:30pm.  The meeting will take place at the Cannon County Court House in the Court Room.  For questions concerning the meeting, please contact Chairman Tim Bell at tbell@cannoncountyrescue.com or by calling 615-849-2730.

A familiar scam that continues to target Tennessee businesses is now in the spotlight of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Middle Tennessee. The BBB recently added State Compliance Center, also known as SCC, to its list of “Misleading Advertising, Products and Services Middle Tennessee Consumers and Businesses Can Do Without.” The company received a “D-” BBB rating.
SCC is requesting businesses pay nearly $90 to obtain a Certificate of Existence/Authorization, also known as a Certificate of Good Standing. The request is being mailed out across the state on an official looking document.
The standard fee to obtain a Certificate of Existence directly from the Division of Business Services is $20.
Letters being sent by SCC make it appear as if a Certificate of Existence/Authorization is required by law, but it is important to note a certificate is not required to do business in Tennessee. Typically, a business requests a Certificate of Existence for specific business purposes, like obtaining a loan or entering into a contract.
SCC LLC is a registered business in the state of Tennessee, but is not affiliated or associated with the Division of Business Services.
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett has been warning consumers about similar scams for years. Other companies, including Corporate Records Services and Annual Business Services, sent out official looking documents to businesses in 2013 with claims they must pay filing rates higher than what the state actually charges.
“I encourage all businesses and organizations to contact the Division of Business Services directly if they have questions regarding how to obtain a Certificate of Existence, or if they receive questionable items in the mail,” Secretary Hargett said. “Business leaders should use caution anytime a third-party is seeking to file something on their behalf with the state.”
Whenever the Department of State receives information about a company with questionable practices the information is sent directly to the appropriate authorities.
The Division of Business Services maintains a user-friendly online tool to obtain a Certificate of Existence. It can be found at: https://tnbear.tn.gov/Ecommerce/CertOfExistenceInstr.aspx.
Customers may also call the division at (615) 741-6488 or email TNSOS.CERT@tn.gov for more information.
 

Any parents/legal guardians who intend to conduct an Independent Home School, grades K-12, or a Church-Related Home School, grades K-12, for their own children, during the 2015-2016 school year must notify their local public school Director’s office at the beginning of each new school year.  This requirement applies to previous home school parents and new ones alike. Home School registration forms for the 2015-2016 school year are available at the Cannon County School Director’s office and online at the Cannon County Schools page (http://www.ccstn.net/ under the homeschool department tab) or the Tennessee State Department of Education Home School page (http://www.tn.gov/education/schools/homeschool.shtml). Upon completion, forms should be returned to the Director of School’s office at 301 West Main Street, Woodbury, TN 37190 by August 1, 2015. 
Any parent/legal guardian wishing to conduct an independent Home School for grades K-12 must provide 1) proof of legal custody or guardianship by a copy of child’s birth certificate or court order, and 2) copy of a high school diploma or GED, and the student’s immunization record.
If you have any questions regarding home schools, please call 563-5752 or 563-5029 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Beesley Animal Clinic is excited to announce its Summer Special! During the month of July, all puppies and kittens between 9-24 weeks old, are eligible for $20 spays and neuters, as well as $5 age appropriate vaccines given at the time of surgery. All animals must be at least three pounds and healthy. This special will run during the month of July until funds run out, so please call as soon as possible to reserve your spot!Please call 615-890-6878 for an appointment. The Beesley Animal Clinic is located at 2215 Keeneland Commercial Blvd, Murfreesboro, TN 37127. Please visit our website:  www.beesleyfoundation.com or our Facebook page www.facebook.com/beesleyfoundation to learn more about the programs of the Beesley Foundation.

The Hilton Stone American Legion Post 279, and Auxiliary Unit 279, takes 2015 TOP HONORS for the State of Tennessee. Auxiliary Unit 279 received the prestigious award of “Unit of the Year for the State of Tennessee”.   Other awards received at the recent American Legion Tennessee State Convention include,  The Best Unit Public Relations Award for the State,  The Child
and Youth Award, the 100% membership award, and the VA&R award for over 400 hours of volunteer work serving our Veterans.
Also, Bobby Ferrell, Past Commander of American Legion Post 279, and two time “Legionnaire of the State of Tennessee”, 2013 and 2014, was elected as the “Middle Tennessee Vice Commander”. Commander Ferrell’s wife Amy Ferrell was selected as the Unit Member of the Year for 2014.
Post 279 was Chartered in 2010, with 22 Legionnaires.  Today, only five years later, they have grown to over 80 Legionnaires, over 30 Auxiliary Members, and 30 Son’s of the American Legion, Squadron 279.

July came in with a bang, as it always does, and we now begin the countdown to the first day of school sometime in August.  But we’re not going to dwell on that now.  Summer Reading is what’s on our minds.  If you haven’t already signed up, come on it and do it today.  It’s not too late to join the program and start reading books for fun and prizes.  Come on in, get your program materials and start reading.  This year for children birth to 4 years and children 4 to 12 years the subject is Every Hero Has a Story.  For Teens, ages 12 to 17, the theme is Unmask.  The topic for adults, ages 18 and up, is Escape the Ordinary. 
Through June and July there will be NO story time at Adams Memorial Library, however story time is continuing at the Auburntown Branch.  Story Time will resume in August at Adams Memorial.  Until then you can attend the Auburntown story time and join the Summer Reading Program with your children.
 
The first Monday of the month always brings the Monday Night Book Club.  Come by the library on July 6, at 6:30 p.m. and join a lively literary discussion.  Everyone is welcome.
 
July 7 we have our fifth summer movie of the season.  We have a great crowd coming in for our weekly movie but we still have plenty of space for YOU!  Come out and enjoy a movie in the cool with popcorn and juice. 
All free and all for you.  Can’t wait until movie day to know what we’re showing?  Come by or call the library to find out.  Due to licensing considerations, we can’t print the title in the paper, but you’ll love it.
 
 
Thursday, July 9, we have another musical program for Summer Reading with Ray Doe Me, a guitarist who along with making music “presents basic ‘sound science’ explaining the waves of sound that bounce around us everywhere we go – just like ripples in water!”  Music and science, what could be better.  This is sure to be educational as well as entertaining.  Don’t miss it!
 
Don’t forget our ongoing program One Thousand Books before Kindergarten that continues all year.  If you have a child of pre-kindergarten age, stop by the circulation desk and sign up.  You’ll get a packet of materials to keep a record of your child’s progress as well as games and activities.  This will be a wonderful addition to your child’s memory book.  Someday your child will be astonished at all the books she read when she was little and too young to remember reading.
 
Only a few weeks remain in the Summer Reading Program as well as in the summer months.  Come on in to the library and get started reading for the summer.  There’s still plenty of time.  We’re looking for you.  Come and see us!

On this day in 1776 our young republic adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring ourselves a new nation: the United States of America. Our founding fathers envisioned a country freed from British rule, set apart by its principles of limited government, freedom, individual responsibility, and founded on the fundamental truth that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”Those rights amount to what so many of us know as the “American Dream” – the freedom to build a life of our choosing, to offer our children a brighter future than what we once knew, and to fulfill our God-given potential.
The American Dream is the promise that where you start in life does not determine where you end up. It means that you can write your own story – no matter where you came from, what your last name is, or how much money was in your parents’ bank account. The American Dream was at the heart of our Founding Fathers’ vision for this young republic. It is what sustained and strengthened our nation for some 240 years, and it must be vigilantly protected even today.
For me, this cause is deeply personal because the American dream is what makes my story possible. As I have shared with many of you during our conversations together, I spent the first years of my life in public housing – the daughter of a homemaker and an electrician, neither with more than a ninth grade education. My parents worked hard to eventually purchase the same modest home that they still live in today, but even then I never imagined that I would attend college, let alone serve in Congress.  Thankfully, a high school guidance counselor made a personal investment in my life and taught me to dream a bigger dream for my future. With his encouragement, the help of a few odd jobs, and a scholarship from the Optimist Club, I became the first person in my family to earn a college degree.
Now, several decades later, God has blessed me beyond measure; giving me a fulfilling career in nursing, three children and six beautiful grandchildren, and, of course, giving me the great honor of serving each of you in Congress. It is a story that I will tell to anyone who will listen because I know that only here, in the United States of America, can a person’s story start in a humble public housing complex, and end up in the halls of the U.S. Capitol.
I went to Washington because I didn’t want my story to be unique. I want it to be repeated every day. The beauty of America has always been that, while we do not promise equal outcomes, we promise equal opportunity. We are a country founded on the belief that if you work hard and do the right thing, you can achieve your goal. This principle must be as true in 2015 as it was in 1776.
Today, whether you are celebrating the Fourth of July at a family picnic, a hometown parade, or simply enjoying time spent at home with your loved ones, I hope you will join me in rededicating ourselves to the defense of the American Dream for future generations and in asking God’s continued guidance and provision for our nation.
From my family to yours, Happy Independence Day!

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Commissioner Bob Martineau, in partnership with Governor Haslam’s Drive to 55 initiative, today announced Tennessee Promise Saturday, a student volunteer day to be held in all Tennessee State Parks on Saturday, July 18. The Tennessee Promise, part of Governor Haslam’s Drive to 55 initiative to increase the number of Tennesseans with a post-secondary credential to 55 percent by 2025, provides tuition-free community and technical college to recent high school graduates. All Tennessee Promise students utilizing the program this fall are required to complete eight hours of community service by August 1, 2015.
“This is a win-win,” Haslam said. “It’s a great way for our Tennessee Promise students to fulfill their community service requirements, while enjoying and improving our state parks and probably learning a little bit more about our state in the process.”
Students can visit http://tnstateparks.com/about/special-event-cards/tn-promise-saturday and register to volunteer. Volunteer events are listed below by park and include meet up time, location, duration, activity description and point of contact. Reservations are required for all participants.
“Tennessee State Parks are excited to have these students pick parks to honor their volunteer and community service credits,” Martineau said. “Our park staff has chosen various activities from trail clean-ups, landscaping, to even helping build an 18th century cabin at one of the parks. We hope the students find these activities worthwhile and that they learn a little something they didn’t know about Tennessee’s rich history.”
Tennessee State Parks offer diverse natural, recreational and cultural experiences for individuals, families or business and professional groups. State park features range from pristine natural areas to 18-hole championship golf courses. There is a state park within an hour’s drive of just about anywhere in the state, offering a variety of recreational, lodging and dining choices. If you have any questions or need assistance making your reservation for a Tennessee Promise volunteer event at Tennessee State Parks, please contact Nancy Schelin at nancy.schelin@tn.gov or (615) 532-5249.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC)’s Division of Solid Waste Management will accept applications for Recycling, Used Oil and Waste Reduction Grants beginning July 1, 2015.   
The department is contacting local communities about grant availability and will host workshops to help communities understand the application process. The deadline to submit an application is October 1, 2015 by 4:30 p.m. CDT. Workshop times and locations are to be announced.
 
Recycling, Used Oil and Waste Reduction grant programs were authorized by the Solid Waste Management Act of 1991 and funded by the Tennessee Solid Waste Management Fund. The fund, which is administered by TDEC, receives its revenues from a state surcharge on each ton of municipal solid waste disposed in landfills and from a fee collected from new tires sold in Tennessee. The used oil grants are authorized by the Used Oil Collection Act and funded by the Used Oil Collection Fund. The Used Oil Collection Fund receives its revenues from a $0.02 fee on each quart of oil sold at wholesale.
 
Recycling directly impacts more than 30 manufacturers in Tennessee who use materials collected in their manufacturing process. These manufacturers provide more than 6,500 jobs to Tennessee and generate more than $4.3 billion dollars in annual sales according to a study by the Southeast Recycling Development Council (SERDC). To support these manufacturing companies and the Governor’s Jobs4TN plan, the Division of Solid Waste Management desires to assist by offering grants to increase collection of recyclable materials needed to feed these facilities.
 
About the Grants:
Recycling Equipment Grant
The Recycling Equipment Grants are available to local governments and nonprofit recycling organizations working with local governments. Grant funds may be used to purchase key pieces of equipment to establish new recycling programs, to improve existing operations or to prepare recyclable materials for transport or sale. The grant program helps encourage recycling and reduces the amount of solid waste going into Tennessee landfills.
 
The Department has allocated $200,000 for this offering for FY 2015-2016. No grant may exceed $25,000. A local match of 10 to 50 percent is required based on an economic index that includes factors such as per capita income and property values in the jurisdiction to be served. Blount, Hamilton, Knox, Loudon, Madison, Montgomery, Rutherford, Shelby, Sullivan, and Williamson and their Cities are not eligible.
 
Funds can be used to purchase containers, balers, crushers, and grinders. Chassis cab trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or higher will be considered. There are three priorities for this grant:

Applicants that employ developmentally disabled individuals, as defined in T.C.A. §33-1-101 (10).

Applicants that develop public/private partnerships.

Applicants that establish a new plastics/aluminum beverage containers or paper/fiber recycling program. 
Used Oil Grant
The Used Oil Grants are available to local governments to establish collection centers for do-it-yourself used oil or to improve or replace collection equipment at an existing used oil collection center.
The Department has allocated $1,500,000 for this offering for FY 2015-2016.  Grants may be awarded for $50,100 per collection center. Three priorities have been established for this offering:

First priority will be given to establish an oil collection center in a new convenience center.

Second priority will be given to upgrade or replace existing equipment at collection centers not currently meeting the standards specified in the Used Oil Collection & Recycling Grant Program Requirements.

Third priority will be given to establish a Do It Yourself “DIY” used oil collection at a recycling center, solid waste collection facility, or other publically owned facility.

This is a non-matching grant.
Waste Reduction Grant
The Waste Reduction Grants are available to Tennessee counties, cites, solid waste authorities and organizations which have been determined to be tax exempt nonprofit recycling organizations by the Internal Revenue Service may apply for grants under T.C.A. §68-211-825. This also includes the Recycling Rebate counties/cities. The Department has allocated $1,000,000 for this offering for FY 2015-2016. No Grants shall exceed $200,000. A local match of 10 to 50 percent is required based on an economic index that includes factors such as per capita income and property values in the jurisdiction to be served.
 
Funds can be used to purchase containers, balers, crushers, sorter, densifiers, and grinders. Collection trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or higher will be considered. Construction, expansion and improvements of waste reduction facilities will also be considered. There are three priorities for this grant:

Applicants that employ developmentally disabled individuals, as defined in T.C.A. §33-1-101 (10).

Applicants that develop public/private partnerships.

Applicants demonstrate that the proposed equipment or facility will build lasting capacity in their program to support the Region’s Solid Waste Plan and the State 2015-2025 Solid Waste and Material Management Plan Objectives
Recycling Rebate
The Recycling Rebates are available for the top eleven (11) counties or cities which generate the greatest amount of solid waste. The following Recycling Rebate counties and cities within those counties for FY 2014-2015 are eligible for the recycling rebates: Blount, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Loudon, Madison, Montgomery, Rutherford, Shelby, Sullivan, and Williamson.
 
The Department has allocated $300,000 for this offering for FY 2015-2016.  Recycling Rebate program applications are due on Thursday, October 1, 2015. Recycling rebates may be used for any recycling purpose. These purposes include establishing new programs/collection sites; preparing recovered materials for transport and marketing; identifying markets for recovered materials; and developing educational programs for adults and children to help them understand solid waste issues, management options and costs and the value of waste reduction and recycling.
 
Rebate recipients are required to provide a dollar for dollar match for funds requested.  Matching costs will be documented at the time of reimbursement of eligible costs.  Each county’s allocation of funding is based on the formula in T.C.A. §68-211-825 (b).  A city’s allocation is based on population within the county.
 
To obtain applications, please contact Loretta Harrington at (615) 532-0086 or Solid.Waste@tn.gov. For more information, visit http://tn.gov/environment/article/sw-solid-waste-grants.
– See more at: http://tn.gov/news/15776#sthash.Rg90pzoH.dpuf
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC)’s Division of Solid Waste Management will accept applications for Recycling, Used Oil and Waste Reduction Grants beginning July 1, 2015.
The department is contacting local communities about grant availability and will host workshops to help communities understand the application process. The deadline to submit an application is October 1, 2015 by 4:30 p.m. CDT. Workshop times and locations are to be announced.
Recycling, Used Oil and Waste Reduction grant programs were authorized by the Solid Waste Management Act of 1991 and funded by the Tennessee Solid Waste Management Fund. The fund, which is administered by TDEC, receives its revenues from a state surcharge on each ton of municipal solid waste disposed in landfills and from a fee collected from new tires sold in Tennessee. The used oil grants are authorized by the Used Oil Collection Act and funded by the Used Oil Collection Fund. The Used Oil Collection Fund receives its revenues from a $0.02 fee on each quart of oil sold at wholesale.
Recycling directly impacts more than 30 manufacturers in Tennessee who use materials collected in their manufacturing process. These manufacturers provide more than 6,500 jobs to Tennessee and generate more than $4.3 billion dollars in annual sales according to a study by the Southeast Recycling Development Council (SERDC). To support these manufacturing companies and the Governor’s Jobs4TN plan, the Division of Solid Waste Management desires to assist by offering grants to increase collection of recyclable materials needed to feed these facilities.
About the Grants
Recycling Equipment Grant
The Recycling Equipment Grants are available to local governments and nonprofit recycling organizations working with local governments. Grant funds may be used to purchase key pieces of equipment to establish new recycling programs, to improve existing operations or to prepare recyclable materials for transport or sale. The grant program helps encourage recycling and reduces the amount of solid waste going into Tennessee landfills.
The Department has allocated $200,000 for this offering for FY 2015-2016. No grant may exceed $25,000. A local match of 10 to 50 percent is required based on an economic index that includes factors such as per capita income and property values in the jurisdiction to be served. Blount, Hamilton, Knox, Loudon, Madison, Montgomery, Rutherford, Shelby, Sullivan, and Williamson and their Cities are not eligible.
Funds can be used to purchase containers, balers, crushers, and grinders. Chassis cab trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or higher will be considered. There are three priorities for this grant:
Applicants that employ developmentally disabled individuals, as defined in T.C.A. §33-1-101 (10).
    Applicants that develop public/private partnerships.
    Applicants that establish a new plastics/aluminum beverage containers or paper/fiber recycling program.
Used Oil Grant
The Used Oil Grants are available to local governments to establish collection centers for do-it-yourself used oil or to improve or replace collection equipment at an existing used oil collection center.
The Department has allocated $1,500,000 for this offering for FY 2015-2016.  Grants may be awarded for $50,100 per collection center. Three priorities have been established for this offering:
First priority will be given to establish an oil collection center in a new convenience center.
Second priority will be given to upgrade or replace existing equipment at collection centers not currently meeting the standards specified in the Used Oil Collection & Recycling Grant Program Requirements.
Third priority will be given to establish a Do It Yourself “DIY” used oil collection at a recycling center, solid waste collection facility, or other publically owned facility
This is a non-matching grant.
Waste Reduction Grant
The Waste Reduction Grants are available to Tennessee counties, cites, solid waste authorities and organizations which have been determined to be tax exempt nonprofit recycling organizations by the Internal Revenue Service may apply for grants under T.C.A. §68-211-825. This also includes the Recycling Rebate counties/cities. The Department has allocated $1,000,000 for this offering for FY 2015-2016. No Grants shall exceed $200,000. A local match of 10 to 50 percent is required based on an economic index that includes factors such as per capita income and property values in the jurisdiction to be served.
Funds can be used to purchase containers, balers, crushers, sorter, densifiers, and grinders. Collection trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or higher will be considered. Construction, expansion and improvements of waste reduction facilities will also be considered. There are three priorities for this grant:
Applicants that employ developmentally disabled individuals, as defined in T.C.A. §33-1-101 (10).
Applicants that develop public/private partnerships.
Applicants demonstrate that the proposed equipment or facility will build lasting capacity in their program to support the Region’s Solid Waste Plan and the State 2015-2025 Solid Waste and Material Management Plan Objectives
Recycling Rebate
The Recycling Rebates are available for the top eleven (11) counties or cities which generate the greatest amount of solid waste. The following Recycling Rebate counties and cities within those counties for FY 2014-2015 are eligible for the recycling rebates: Blount, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Loudon, Madison, Montgomery, Rutherford, Shelby, Sullivan, and Williamson.
The Department has allocated $300,000 for this offering for FY 2015-2016.  Recycling Rebate program applications are due on Thursday, October 1, 2015. Recycling rebates may be used for any recycling purpose. These purposes include establishing new programs/collection sites; preparing recovered materials for transport and marketing; identifying markets for recovered materials; and developing educational programs for adults and children to help them understand solid waste issues, management options and costs and the value of waste reduction and recycling.
Rebate recipients are required to provide a dollar for dollar match for funds requested.  Matching costs will be documented at the time of reimbursement of eligible costs.  Each county’s allocation of funding is based on the formula in T.C.A. §68-211-825 (b).  A city’s allocation is based on population within the county.
To obtain applications, please contact Loretta Harrington at (615) 532-0086 or Solid.Waste@tn.gov. For more information, visit http://tn.gov/environment/article/sw-solid-waste-grants.

Registration is underway for the 19th annual Expanding Your Horizons in Math in Science at MTSU, and middle school and high school girls should act early to secure their place. Expanding Your Horizons, or EYH, will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, on campus. The registration fee is $18. The deadline to register is Tuesday, Aug. 25, or when maximum capacity has been reached. Scholarship assistance is available.
To register, go to www.mtsu.edu/wistem/eyh/index.php and click on “Registration.” A link for the parent or guardian release form is included on the registration page.
Expanding Your Horizons is a hands-on math and science event to help girls consider careers in these fields as well as engineering and technology. EYH gives girls opportunities to talk with women in STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — and attend this type of conference with other girls.
Up to 275 middle school girls and up to 75 high school girls are welcome to attend the event.
Kathy Green, executive aide in the Department of Chemistry, and fellow dog trainer Krista Wade of Bell Buckle, Tennessee, will be one of two keynote presenters. Dogs will be a part of their presentation. A keynote for the high school girls will be announced later.
Judith Iriarte-Gross, a chemistry professor and director of the MTSU WISTEM —Women in STEM — Center and EYH, coordinates the student, faculty and industry volunteers needed to run the event.
EYH sponsors include the American Association of University Women’s Murfreesboro branch, MTSU College of Basic and Applied Sciences, the EYH Network, Girls Raised in Tennessee Science Collaborative Project, MTSU, Nashville section of the American Chemical Society, Nissan North America, Schneider Electric, Southern Automotive Women’s Forum, Office of the University Provost and the MTSU Women in STEM Center.