News 2015

At the library this week . . .Although there are only 5 open days this week, the Library will be a hopping place so be sure to stop in and join the fun.  Just remember, both libraries will be CLOSED on FRIDAY, April 3, 2015.
Here’s what happening this week….

04/01/2015:  Teens can begin signing up to volunteer for the summer reading program.  Sign up to help the library and gain some great experience (looks great on your resume and college applications)! 
Story times are a great way for your child to begin a lifelong love of books and reading.

04/01/2015: Story time @ Auburntown Library, 10:30 A.M. for toddlers and preschoolers.

04/02/2015: Story time @ Dr. and Mrs. J. F. Adams Memorial Library, 10:30 A.M. for toddlers and preschoolers.

04/04/2015:  Family Story time and Egg Hunt @ Dr. and Mrs. J. F. Adams Memorial Library.  For families with children ages 3—10 years old.  Come join the fun!   
April is….

Poetry month, so bring in 2 of your best poems to be anonymously posted for the community to read and vote on, prizes will be awarded to the top three poets!

Financial Literacy month, so stop in and sign up for one of our upcoming financial workshops.
Coming up next week at Dr. and Mrs. J. F. Adams Memorial Library (be sure to sign up)….

04/06: Monday Night Book Club.  Grab a copy The Stone Diaries, by Carol Shields and join the discussion @6:30 P.M.

04/06 & 04/08:  Intro to Keyboarding @ 6:00 P.M.

04/07: Where did it go?  Budgeting workshop @ 6:30 P.M.
Ongoing programs…

1000 Books before Kindergarten 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 fun games and activities.
Finally, don’t forget to pick up an entry and Win a Trip to Paris.  That’s right, Paris, France, not Paris, Tennessee.  Mail in your entry before the deadline and you may be the lucky winner of a wonderful trip.
 

Leaders from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will be conducting a public input hearing at Edgar Evins State Park on Tuesday, March 31, 2015 to gather public input and discuss the current business and management plan for the park. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with an open house reception to meet park staff. The public hearing portion of the meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. and will last approximately an hour. Who: Park Manager Jacob Young, members from the Tennessee State Park staff, local city and county business leaders.
 When: Tuesday, March 31, 2015, Public Hearing from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
 What: Public Input Hearing
 Where: The Campground Check-in at Edgar Evins State Park. 1630 Edgar Evins State Park Rd, Silver Point, TN 38582
 For more information about Tennessee State Parks, please visit http:www.tnstateparks.com.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture will soon accept applications for the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. These federal funds are granted to enhance production and competitiveness of specialty crops, including fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, tree nuts, floriculture and other nursery crops. The grants are authorized through the federal Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 and are administered by TDA.“For experienced producers who want to advance, Specialty Crop Block Grants can take their operations to the next level,” assistant commissioner for Market Development Ed Harlan said. “The projects funded by these grants have the potential to benefit our rural communities and the citizens of Tennessee.”
Applications will only be accepted online beginning April 15. You will find a template and additional information at www.tn.gov/agriculture/marketing/scbg.shtml. The deadline to apply is May 8.
Universities, institutions, cooperatives, producers, and industry or community-based organizations may submit a proposal for funding. The program aims to support projects that directly impact multiple Tennessee producers and will have a positive, long-lasting impact on Tennessee agriculture. All recipients must be recognized by the IRS.
Proposals are reviewed and ranked according to criteria provided on the website. Applicants will be notified by June 12 whether TDA intends to present their projects to the USDA. First-time recipients have a funding limit of $25,000.
If you would like help planning your project, TDA is hosting a workshop April 14 at Ellington Agricultural Center. The workshop runs from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. CDT in the Ed Jones Auditorium. There is no charge to participate and lunch will be provided. Registration is required. Email TN.SCBG@tn.gov and type “RSVP for April 14” in the subject line. Your email should include your name, the name of your business and number of attendees.
For more information regarding the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, email TN.SCBG@tn.gov.

– Nine attorneys from Rutherford County appeared before the United States Supreme Court with Tennessee Circuit Court Judge M. Keith Siskin on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, at which time Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., granted Judge Siskin’s motion for the attorneys to be admitted as members of the Supreme Court Bar.  
The following attorneys were admitted to the Supreme Court Bar: Lisa Ann Bell; William Stanley Bennett; Kirk D. Catron; Judge Joseph Stephen Daniel; Travis Macon Lampley; Gilbert Wayne McCarter; Thomas Earl Parkerson; Barbara Marie Penland-LaFevers; and Sonya Smith Wright. 
 
Under the rules of the United States Supreme Court, attorneys seeking to be admitted to practice before the Court must be sponsored by an existing member of the Court’s Bar.  Judge Siskin was admitted in 2002, and was pleased to nominate the nine local attorneys for admission.  “I am honored to sponsor these excellent attorneys for admission to the United States Supreme Court,” Siskin said.  “All of these lawyers have distinguished themselves in their work, and each possesses the necessary qualifications to practice law in the highest Court in the land.  I commend all of them on this wonderful accomplishment.” 
 
Judge Siskin is the Presiding Judge of the Sixteenth Judicial District of Tennessee, which includes Rutherford and Cannon Counties.  The official website for Circuit Court, Division III, can be found at www.rutherfordcountytn.gov/judgesiskin.

Bills I have sponsored moving through Committees to the House Floor: HB-0721  Motor Vehicles, Titling and Registration, – As Introduced, creates an exemption from vehicle emissions testing requirements for vehicles that are three or less model years old and that have an odometer reading of less than 36,000 miles at the time of sale by a motor vehicle manufacturer or licensed motor vehicle dealer. In order to obtain the exemption, the owner or operator of the motor vehicle must provide an affidavit, under penalty of perjury, on a form prescribed by the department of environment and conservation certifying that the vehicle meets the criteria for the exemption as provided in this bill.
HB0730   Motor Vehicles – As introduced, authorizes a motor vehicle dealer licensed to sell used motor vehicles to operate multiple businesses at the dealer’s established place of business, if at least 66 percent of the dealer’s established place of business is used for vehicle-related business purposes; authorizes the dealer to install signs at the dealer’s established place of business to advertise the other businesses. – Amends TCA Title 55 and Title 67.  
 

A Warren County woman is charged with TennCare fraud involving doctor shopping, which is going from doctor to doctor in a short period of time in order to obtain prescriptions drugs, while using TennCare as payment.The Office of Inspector General (OIG), with the assistance of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, announced the arrest of Taylor Renee Cantrell, 24, of McMinnville.  She is charged with four counts of doctor shopping to obtain the painkillers Tramadol and Oxycodone.
“Doctor shopping and using TennCare as payment is a big mistake, because state tax dollars are being used to pay for drugs intended for distribution or abuse,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said.  “We appreciate and value the hard work of the healthcare providers across the state and their efforts in helping us develop these cases.”
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony, carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge. District Attorney General Lisa S. Zavogiannis is prosecuting.
The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to over $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of over $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, more than 2,310 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.
Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions.  Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tn.gov/tnoig/ and follow the prompts that read “Report TennCare Fraud.”

All Motlow College facilities, including the Moore County campus and centers in Fayetteville, McMinnville and Smyrna, will be closed Friday, April 3 for a spring holiday administrative closing. The College, including libraries and computer labs, will operate under normal schedules Thursday, and then remain closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Regular business hours and class schedules will resume Monday, April 6.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder today announced March 29, 2015 as Vietnam Veterans Day to recognize the courage, service and sacrifice of the men and women who served during the Vietnam War.On March 30, 1973, President Richard Nixon began withdrawing combat troops from Vietnam.  Between 1961 and 1975, more than 49,000 Tennesseans served in Southeast Asia.  Approximately 6,000 Tennessee troops were wounded in the Vietnam War and 1,295 Tennessee service members were killed.  There are currently 27 Tennesseans missing in action (MIA) in connection with the Vietnam War. 
In 2008, Tennessee became the first state to proclaim a Vietnam Veterans Day.
“The people of Tennessee stand humbled and indebted to our service members who bravely served and sadly sacrificed so much,” Grinder said.  “We remember and recognize their courage today and always.”
The State of Tennessee is a Commemorative Partner with the United States Department of Defense to formally recognize Vietnam Veterans leading up to the 50th anniversary of the withdrawal of troops which will be in 2023.
Grinder will present the Governor’s Vietnam Veterans Day Proclamation to President of the Tennessee State Council Vietnam Veterans of America, Barry Rice on Friday, March 27 at an event in Knoxville.  On Sunday, March 29, Grinder will present the proclamation to Rolling Thunder and Vietnam Veterans of America at a Welcome Home Vietnam Veteran event at World’s Fair Park in Knoxville at 1:30 p.m. (EDT).

Tennessee farmers who grow fruits or vegetables and have received Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs) certification are eligible to receive reimbursement for costs related to certification for field or packing house audits.  The reimbursement program will be administered through the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.“The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Market Development Division understands the increasing demands placed on fruit and vegetable growers,” TDA marketing specialist Tammy Algood said. “The department has partnered with the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant program to develop a GAPs cost share program for Tennessee producers who successfully pass a GAP audit.”
Qualifying costs related to GAPs certification include application fees, inspection costs and inspector travel. Late fees, materials and supplies, and equipment costs are not eligible for reimbursement.
Reimbursements are limited to 50 percent of an individual’s certification costs up to a maximum of $1,500. Expenses related to the certification must be incurred between January 1, 2015 and September 30, 2015. Applications are approved on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are depleted.
For more information about GAPs certification or to apply for cost share reimbursement, visit http://www.tn.gov/agriculture/marketing/fruitsvegetables.shtml. Under Program Resources, click on “Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs) Cost Share Application.”
You can also contact Tammy Algood at 615-837-5347 or email Tammy.Algood@tn.gov.
 

As a nurse, a mother and a Christian, I have always been unapologetically pro-life – but even many of those with differing views on this subject will agree that the federal government has no business subsidizing abortion providers and advocacy groups. That is why I’m so outraged by a new government study showing that Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the nation, spent about $1.5 billion in combined state and federal funding in a three year window.This eye-opening report, which you can read in its entirety here, holds information that the powerful pro-abortion lobby and their allies in Washington never wanted you and me to see. In fact, the only reason the report exists is because my colleagues and I specifically demanded it. I led more than 60 pro-life Congressmen and Senators in calling for this government study back in February 2013 and the findings were not made public until this week.
The misuse of taxpayer dollars uncovered in this report doesn’t end with Planned Parenthood. Millions of dollars were also given to pro-abortion groups like the misnamed “Advocates for Youth” – which recently ran a Valentine’s Day campaign urging its followers to “Declare Your Love for Safe Abortion Care.”  Similarly, the report uncovered $4 million in federal funding for  the pro-abortion group Guttmacher Institute, which has railed against commonsense abortion requirements such as mandatory waiting periods and informed consent laws.
Bottom line – This report confirms what we suspected all along: hard-earned taxpayer dollars continue to be used to promote abortions. This is shameful and we have a responsibility to stop it. That is why the very first bill I introduced as a Member of Congress would have defunded Planned Parenthood in a government spending bill. This year, I have continued that fight as the author of the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act –legislation to help cut off federal funding of any “health care” provider that profits off the destruction of unborn life.
I’m grateful that this bill is supported by conservative leaders like the Family Research Council and 145 Members of the House of Representatives. Now that we have concrete proof that our tax dollars continue to supplant abortions, Congress should pass my bill without delay so that we can end this egregious misuse of taxpayer dollars once and for all.