News 2015

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development announced today it has launched the Select Tennessee Property Evaluation Program (PEP).  The goal of this new tool is to improve the inventory of industrial sites and buildings in Tennessee by evaluating potential properties and advising counties on where investment may be most beneficial and what steps may be needed to address issues.  “We think of available and developable sites as product on a shelf, and through PEP, we are doubling down our efforts to keep these shelves well-stocked,” Commissioner Randy Boyd said.  “If there is no product available to sell, businesses aren’t going to grow and locate here. PEP will help us make sure our counties have product and are better prepared for economic growth.”
Based on the principals of the department’s Select Tennessee Site Certification Program and with the assistance of site selection firm Austin Consulting, PEP will benefit counties through emphasizing the importance of and assisting with planning for the future.  This includes both readying industrial properties for near-term development as well as creating a pipeline of properties for future development.
“Prepared and available properties are essential for a county to be competitive for industrial recruitment,” TNECD Site Development Director Leanne Cox said. “PEP will provide counties with a comprehensive assessment and professional advice to help evaluate properties under consideration for development.”
“The Property Evaluation Program allows communities to take a fresh look at their current and potential industrial sites,” Austin Consulting Senior Location Consultant Jonathan Gemmen said.  “The process provides unbiased feedback on which sites can most quickly be readied to accommodate new industrial investment, as well as which sites offer inherent advantages for industry.  Most important, it sets the table for community leaders to develop and implement an industrial real estate strategy for the next decade or longer.”
A limited number of counties will be selected each round to participate for free through a competitive application process.  Selection will be based on the ability to demonstrate local need and market demand for industrial properties and also on the county’s ability to assemble viable properties with market potential.
For counties selected to participate, the program includes: an educational webinar on the site selection process and PEP; a review and on-site visit by Austin Consulting; and a comprehensive assessment addressing each property’s strengths, weaknesses and recommended next steps to improve marketability. 
The application process begins with the submission of the Letter of Interest, available here.  Upon receipt of the letter, counties will be provided with the application.  Completed applications must be received by August 7 to be considered for the fall 2015 round.  Applications received after this date will be considered for the spring 2016 round.

Emergencies are one of the fastest ways to put the brakes on a great vacation. While some motorists may not encounter problems, travelers can minimize the risk by planning ahead and preparing properly.According to the American Driving Survey provided by AAA, Americans drive the most during the summer months, July-September. More than half (55.6%) of calls AAA receives from stranded motorists are due to dead batteries, flat tires, low fuel and lockouts. AAA service technicians are able to get those motorists back on the road. The other forty-four percent of stranded motorists have problems that cannot be resolved on the roadside, requiring them to be towed.
“Nothing ruins a summer trip faster than a flat tire, overheated cooling system or battery that quits working on a hot summer day,” said Montrae Waiters, AAA spokeswoman. “That’s why it is important to perform basic safety checks before you get on the road.”
Kicking off the summer driving season, AAA offers theses precautionary tips to ensure you arrive safely:Car Maintenance:                                              

Get your car inspected by an automotive technician before a long trip.

Check the tires regularly for uneven or excessive tread wear. Make sure all items, including the spare, are inflated properly. Do at least one check BEFORE hitting the road, as tires hot from driving give inaccurate inflation readings.

Check the coolant level and condition, making certain the proper 50/50 mixture of water and coolant is present.

Check the level and condition of the engine oil. If driving under extreme conditions- such as very hot summer weather or pulling a heavy trailer- you may want to consider switching to oil with higher viscosity. Check your owner’s manual for specific recommendations.

Look for worn, cracked, blistered or soft belts or hoses. Always perform this check with the engine off.

Hot weather can shorten the life of a car’s battery. If there’s concern; have it tested by a qualified automotive technician.
 

Is your car road-trip Ready?
Don’t let car trouble spoil your travels this summer. Know what to do if your encounter a problem:

Carry an emergency kit with a flashlight, extra batteries, warning devices such as flares or reflective triangles, jumper cables, a first-aid kit and extra water.

When driving at night on unlit roadways, use high beams whenever possible.

Don’t let the gas level get below one-quarter of a tank.

Select your route on a map or smartphone ahead of time and study it to know exactly where you’re going. If you have a smart phone- use the new AAA MOBILE app.

Reserve all accommodations in advance.

Lock your car when you leave it and keep valuables out of sight.AAA offers digital travel planning resources
AAA’s digital tools for travel planning ‘on the go’ include eTourBook guides for tablets and smartphones, available free to members at AAA.com/ebooks. Choose from 101 top North American destinations including city titles, like the award-winning Las Vegas, regions, like Wine Country, and National Parks.
The free AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android uses GPS navigation to help travelers map a route, find current gas prices and discounts, book a hotel, and access AAA roadside assistance. Members using the iPad version can access interactive Top Destinations travel guides for 10 popular cities. Travelers can learn more at AAA.com/mobile.
On AAA.com, travelers can find thousands of AAA Approved and Diamond Rated hotels and restaurants using AAA’s TripTik Travel Planner or the searchable Travel Guides at AAA.com/Travel. Every AAA Approved establishment offers the assurance of acceptable cleanliness, comfort and hospitality, and ratings of One to Five Diamonds help travelers find the right match for amenities and services.
AAA’s projections are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Global Insight. The Colorado-based business information provider teamed with AAA in 2009 to jointly analyze travel trends during the major holidays. AAA has been reporting on holiday travel trends for more than two decades. The complete AAA / IHS Global Insight 2014 Memorial Day Travel Forecast can be found here.

Rising seventh- through 12th-graders looking to grow in mathematics can achieve this through the Summer Math Institute at MTSU. The 2½-day camp will be held Monday through Wednesday, June 8-10, in Rooms 141 and 149 in the College of Education Building. To register online, visit www.campSTEM.us.
Program highlights include modeling and real-world applications, graphing, problem-solving, strategies, games and puzzles, logic and reasoning and on-campus departmental visits.
Teachers for the camp will be Victoria Hamlin and Brittany Sikorski. Hamlin is an instructor in the MTSU Department of Mathematical Sciences.
The Summer Math Institute at MTSU is tuition-based. A fee of $75 covers all activities, snacks and supply costs. Financial aid opportunities are available for students needing assistance.
For more information, contact David Lockett at 615-415-7963 or email him at David.Lockett@mtsu.edu. He teaches fourth-graders at Homer Pittard Campus School.

Arts Center of Cannon County Presents Southern Fried Nuptials beginning Friday Going to the chapel and they’re gonna get married.  Or are they?  It’s been a rough year for Attie VanLeer and Harline Frye.  Their engagement has been on and off more times than a drunk frat boy on a mechanical bull.  Half the town has been invited, the dress is fitted, the flowers have been ordered and the gifts are piling up in the living room.  So why does Harline still have cold feet?  Will they or won’t they?  That’s the big question in Southern Fried Nuptials the hysterical sequel to Osborne and Eppler’s hit comedy Southern Fried Funeral.
Southern Fried Nuptials features many familiar faces including Melanie Nistad, Rachael Parker, Brittany Goodwin, Mike Reed, Greg Ray, Candilyn Ford, John Goodwin, Hunter Thaw, Terri Ritter, Bobby Ray, & Donna Seage.
May 29, 30, June 5, 6, 12, 13 at 7:30pm
May 31, June 7 at 2:00pm
Call 615-563-2787 to make reservations or log on to the website at artscenterofcc.com
 

A Cannon County man that was not too happy about his partner not knowing where his cigarettes or his cell phone was ended up being arrested on Domestic Assault charges recently. According to Cannon County Sheriff’s Department reports Deputy Gregory Fauls was called to a Gassaway residence regarding a fight between two men.  After getting to the residence Deputy Fauls met with Mr. Norman Steede in the driveway.  Steede stated that Mr. Caden Jones hit him in the face a couple of times through the window of a car that was parked in the driveway.  Steede went on to explain that Jones was mad and could not find his cigarettes or his cell phone.  After interviewing Mr. Jones, he stated that he had asked Steede for his cigarettes and phone and Steede would not give them to him.  Mr. Steede had come into the house and stated that he did not have them or knew where they were.  Mr. Jones stated that he got mad because Mr.  Steede did not know where they were and lost his temper and started to fight with Mr. Steede.  Because they were partners and lived together the charge turned from Assault to Domestic Assault.

The deadline to register for the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties’ annual Community Celebration is June 10, 2015. The event will be held on Wednesday, June 24, 2015, at 11:30 AM at Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro. Tickets are $10 per person or $150 for a reserved table of ten. Reservations may be made online at yourlocaluw.org or by contacting Lisbeth Couser at Lisbeth.Couser@yourlocaluw.org.
The Community Celebration will serve as an annual meeting, recognizing the organization’s accomplishments and impact on Rutherford and Cannon counties through programs and services, corporate and community partners and volunteers of United Way.
Sponsors include Publix Super Markets Charities, Pinnacle Financial Partners and Regions Bank.
 

Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation’s Customers Care has donated $10,000 of its Operation Round Up funds to Mid-Cumberland Meals-on-Wheels. “We are so blessed by the community support expressed through this donation,” Debbie Willis, site coordinator of Mid-Cumberland Meals-on-Wheels said.  “In Tennessee, nearly one of five seniors go hungry.  These funds will help provide vital services to the elderly of the MTEMC service area.”
 Mid-Cumberland Meals-on-Wheels provides healthy home-delivered meals to individuals age 60 and over, helping seniors maintain dignity and good health and continue to live in their homes as long as possible.  
In 2014, Customers Care has given more than $804,393 to 120 organizations across MTEMC’s four-county service area. The receiving organizations use the funds to assist MTEMC members and their families during their times of need.  Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative providing electricity to more than 200,000 residential and business members in Cannon, Rutherford, Williamson and Wilson counties.
These grants are administered through the Customers Care board, which tracks incoming contributions from Operation Round Up, an initiative that rounds up a member’s bill to the next highest dollar. Since 2003 Operation Round Up has distributed more than $8 million to 548 organizations across the region.
For more information on Customers Care or Operation Round Up, log on to our website at www.mtemc.com or call 890-9762.
 

A newly digitized collection of Civil War love letters is now available online through the Tennessee State Library and Archives’ Tennessee Virtual Archive website. The Oliver Caswell King and Katherine Rebecca Rutledge King Papers document the intimate correspondence of two Sullivan County youths prior to and during the Civil War. About 150 letters are included in the collection as well as political essays, college compositions, and original poetry. Olivia King Inman and Judge Dennis Hisey Inman of Morristown donated these family treasures to the Tennessee State Library and Archives. The collection can be viewed online at: http://tn.gov/tsla/TeVAsites/KingPapersCollection/index.htm.
“I want to thank Olivia King Inman and Judge Dennis Hisey Inman for their generous donation of their family papers,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. “These papers will provide researchers with an interesting glimpse at life before, during and after the Civil War. These papers contain a great deal of information about what everyday life was like for soldiers and civilians during a traumatic period in our country’s history.”
The collection is extraordinary in its content and breadth. It offers valuable social, political, and domestic context for researchers interested in period courtship practices, college experiences, Civil War camp life, and family dynamics. The letters between Oliver King and Katherine Rutledge are peppered with humor, playfulness, gossip, political commentaries, and advice.
Both were well-educated, he at Tusculum College in Greenville and she at the Masonic Female Institute in Blountville. Both enjoyed active social lives, which are richly documented in their letters. Researchers examining antebellum curricula will find the collection particularly useful.
King lovingly called Rutledge ‘Toad,’ and she addressed him as ‘Oll.’ Most of the letters were written between 1861 and 1863 while King was serving in the Confederate army. King and Rutledge were Southern sympathizers in East Tennessee, a region that was overwhelmingly Unionist in sentiment. (Sullivan County was one of the few exceptions.) King enlisted in the 19th Tennessee Infantry two days before Tennessee voted to secede in June 1861. The correspondence between the couple tapers off in 1863 after King was severely wounded at the Battle of Piedmont in Virginia. For weeks, the chances of his recovery looked gloomy.
King and Rutledge eventually married. The papers in the online collection include Katherine King’s Confederate widow’s pension application found in the massive number of state pension board records on file at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. The application contains approximately 25 letters supporting her claim.
Oliver King died in 1893, then Katherine King died in 1925.

A Cannon County Man who was on the State Sex Offender Registry was arrested for  2 counts of Violation of Sex Offender Registry and Monitoring Act.  According to Cannon County Sheriff’s Reports, deputies were called to a McFerrin Street residence to assist probation and parole.  Michael House had the active warrant as he did not register within 48 hours of moving and lived within 1000 feet of an elementary school.  House left all property in his pockets at the residence and was transported to the Cannon County Sheriff’s Department for booking without incident.  

A fundraiser for the Red Apple Days Celebration has been set for this coming Saturday Movie and Bingo night will take place at the C.S. Hawkins Park in Auburntown on Saturday May 30th.  Bingo starts at 10:00 in the morning. Hamburgers, hot dogs and all the fixings will be available at the concession stand.  Children’s movie will start at 6:30 p.m.  Adult family movie will start after the children’s movie.  Everyone is welcome to attend.