News 2015

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands have relocated their office in Murfreesboro to 307 Hickerson Drive in Murfreesboro.  This relocation was necessary after a fire damaged their North Walnut office Sunday night. Legal Aid Society offers free legal clinics throughout Woodbury and Murfreesboro on a regular basis.  The Society conducts a free legal clinic every Thursday at Greenhouse Ministries 309 South Spring Street in Murfreesboro.  The walk in clinic opens at 3:30 and takes sign ups until 4:30 p.m.  For more information about free legal help in civil cases call the Legal Aid Society’s Murfreesboro office at 615-890-0905.  Investigators have called the fire suspicious and are continuing to look into the cause of the fire which sustained significant damage to their office on North Walnut Street.

The Hilton Stone American Legion Post 279 will meet on Thursday, June 18, 2015, at 5:45PM for dinner and 6:30PM for a regular meeting, at the Senior Citizens Center in Woodbury.   They will be finalizing the plans for the Fireworks Celebration on Friday, July 3, 2015, at Dillon Park

The Rutherford County Archaeological Society will hold its monthly meeting tonight at the Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County 225 West College Street in Murfreesboro.  Dr. Jesse Tune visiting professor at Fort Lewis College Durango Colorado and an MTSU anthropology alumnus will present “The First Tennesseeans: Humans and the Environment at the End Of The Ice Age”
Tune a native of Eagleville will speak about how Tennessee is uniquely suited to study how people modified their behaviors and technologies in response to climate change at the end of the Ice Age.  Tonight’s meeting will start at 6:30.

A four-month investigation of Blackman High School’s football coaching staff and booster club’s financial practices is done by the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office’s Criminal Investigation Division, a supervisor said Wednesday. No criminal charges will be brought against former head coach Phillip Shadowens, other coaching staff or booster club members by RCSO investigators, said Detective Capt. David Hailey.
Findings of the investigation were turned over to both Tennessee’s Comptroller of the Treasury and the Compliance & Enforcement Division of the Internal Revenue Service, Hailey said.
James Evans, Community Relations Coordinator for Rutherford County Schools, said, “We appreciate the efforts of the detective and the Sheriff’s Office to investigate this case. At this point, however, it is prudent for the school district to defer any additional comments until it can review the findings of the ongoing Comptroller’s investigation.”

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced 18 Tennessee teachers selected to serve on the first Governor’s Teacher Cabinet. 
The cabinet will meet quarterly with Haslam and Education Commissioner Candice McQueen to share real-time information from the classroom, advise on policy considerations and provide a direct line of communication to schools and communities.
 
A year ago the governor travelled the state to hear from groups of teachers, and in December, he announced plans to create the cabinet in an effort to improve teacher communication and collaboration.
 
“We’ve had a number of conversations with teachers in a variety of settings, and this is another way to receive direct feedback from teachers who are in front of a class every day,” Haslam said. “As Tennessee continues to build on the success we’ve seen in our schools over the past four years, we want to hear from teachers about what is working and what needs improvement. These teachers have a lot on their plates, so I really appreciate their willingness to serve the state in this way.”
 
Directors of schools were asked to nominate one teacher from each of their districts, and 18 classroom teachers were selected from across the state based on the following criteria: focused on student achievement, encourages collaboration among colleagues, demonstrates leadership, solutions-oriented and relentlessly pursues excellence.
 
The teacher cabinet includes a diverse mix of backgrounds and experience. Members represent each of the state’s three grand divisions as well as cities, suburbs and rural areas and have varying years of experience teaching first through 12th grades.  
 
Members of the first Governor’s Teacher Cabinet are:
 
Elisabeth McArthur Bellah, Maryville City Schools
Melissa Bennett, Blount County Schools
Marsha Buck, Kingsport City Schools
Nick Darnell, Hamblen County Schools
Rebecca Few, Murfreesboro City Schools
Cathy Ginel, Oak Ridge City Schools
Anita Underwood Gray, Lebanon Special School District
Annette C. Johnson, Franklin County Schools
Abbey Kidwell, Clinton City School District
Wanda N. Lacy, Knox County Schools
Jessica Lindsay, Achievement School District
Schwann Logan, Bartlett Municipal School District
Lance Morgan, Union City Schools
Jessica Murray, Dyer County Schools
Kyle Prince, Rutherford County Schools
Angie Tisdale, Franklin Special School District
Karen Vogelsang, Shelby County Schools
Catherine Whitehead, Chester County School System
 
Teachers will serve two-year terms on the cabinet. The first meeting is planned for July.

Pursuant to Section 67-508 Tennessee Code Annotated, the property assessment records of Cannon County will be available for public inspection at the Property Assessor’s Office in the Cannon County Courthouse during normal business hours.  Any person desiring to inspect these records may do so at the appointed time and place. The Cannon County Board of Equalization will begin its annual session to examine and equalize the county assessments.  The Board will accept appeals for Tax Year 2014 only until the last day of its 2014 regular session which will be June 19 2015
The Board will meet each weekday from the hours of 9A to 3P in the Courthouse.  Any owner of property who wishes to make a complaint or appear to the County Board of Equalization should appear before said Board at this time personally or by personal appearance or an agent for the owner bearing the owner’s written authorization.  Failure to appeal an assessment may result in the assessment becoming final without further right of appeal.

This Saturday everyone is invited to a fish fry and silent auction for Westin Hale.  Westin is the unborn son of Alan and Maggie Hale from Auburntown.  Doctors recently discovered that he has Spina Bifida and will be performing surgery on June 30th to repair his spinal cord.  This will mean 3 months of complete bed rest for Maggie until he is born in September.  Everyone is encouraged to come out and help support this young family during their time of need.  The Fish Fry will consist of fish, chicken strips, fries, beans, slaw, dessert and drink.  Adults cost is $8.00 Children 10 and under $5.00  This will take place Saturday at the Auburntown Community Center from 12 noon until 7:00 in the evening.  

The Cannon County Sheriff’s Department was able to arrest a man recently for outstanding warrants after they found him walking alongside Highway 53.  According to Sheriff’s Department Reports Deputy Joshua Thomas was driving on 53 South when he saw a man walking alongside the road.  As soon as the man saw Deputy Thomas he immediately pulled his hat down to cover his face and got his phone out.  After Deputy Thomas turned around the man started jogging to Hollow Springs Road and turned to run into a wooded area.  After a brief chase through a couple of fields. Deputy Thomas caught up with the man who was identified as Kristopher Mullins Cross. During the chase Mullins Cross had thrown a white bag down on the ground.  Later Investigator Chris Brown found the bag containing marijuana.   Mullins had a warrant out of Rutherford County and was charged with simple possession and resisting to stop arrest.  He is schedule to appear in Cannon County General Sessions Court July 14th to answer to the charges.

Need a job?  A job fair is set for the Goodwill Career Solutions Center from 11A to 2P today at 2955 South Church Street in Murfreesboro.  The job fair is for at least seven employers in the Smyrna, Murfreesboro, Lavergne and Lebanon areas.    

 Summertime is the peak season for outdoor grilling and grilling fires. This year, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office urges outdoor cooks to keep fire safety in mind as they start up the grill this summer
From 2010-2014, Tennessee fire departments responded to 204 fires involving grills, hibachis or barbeques. Those fires resulted in two civilian injuries, two firefighter injuries and $5.9 million in property damage, according to the Tennessee Fire Incident Reporting System (TFIRS).
“Practice safety whenever you grill,” said Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance Julie Mix McPeak. “Place your grill well away from siding, deck railings, eaves and overhanging branches. Never leave a grill unattended.”
Keeping safety your No. 1 priority while grilling can help make your summer cookout memorable for the right reasons.
·         Before using a grill, check the connection between the propane tank and the fuel line. Make sure the venturi tubes – where the air and gas mix – are not blocked.
·         Do not overfill the propane tank.
·         Do not wear loose clothing while cooking at a barbecue.
·         Be careful when using lighter fluid. Do not add fluid to an already lit fire because the flame can flashback up into the container and explode.
·         Keep all matches and lighters away from children. Teach your children to report any loose matches or lighters to an adult immediately. Supervise children around outdoor grills.
·         Dispose of hot coals properly – douse them with plenty of water, and stir them to ensure that the fire is out. Never place them in plastic, paper or wooden containers.
·         Never grill/barbecue in enclosed areas – carbon monoxide could be produced.
·         Make sure everyone knows to “stop, drop and roll” in case a piece of clothing does catch fire. Call 911 or your local emergency number if a burn warrants serious medical attention.