News 2015

“One of my favorite Murfreesboro Christmas traditions is the Child Advocacy Center Holiday Open House.  It is always held on the first Friday in December.  My favorite thing is spending time with our Child Protective Investigative Team members and the many supporters of our Child Advocacy Center,” said Murfreesboro Police Chief Glenn Chrisman.  
The Child Advocacy Center is hosting the 16th annual Holiday Open House on Friday, December 4, 2015 from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at 1040 Samsonite Blvd., Murfreesboro. The Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers are inviting all of the Child Advocacy Center’s supporters to join them on Friday for the buffet luncheon. 
 
“There are four rooms of food – appetizers, entrées, dessert and the famous chocolate room,” said Child Advocacy Center bookkeeper Jessica Wauchek.  “Guests walk through the first three rooms and head straight to the chocolate room.”
 
 “The honorary guests at the event are the members of the Rutherford County and Cannon County Child Protective Investigative Teams,” announced Child Advocacy Center director Sharon De Boer. 
 
Child Protective Investigative Team members work together to investigate and prosecute child abuse cases and help children and their families heal from the trauma.  The agencies included in the multidisciplinary team include the District Attorney’s Office for the 16th Judicial District, Murfreesboro Police Department, Smyrna Police Department, La Vergne Police Department, Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, Woodbury Police Department, Cannon County Sheriff’s Office, Rutherford County Department of Children’s Services, Warren County Department of Children’s Services, Rutherford County and Cannon County Juvenile Court Youth Services, Our Kids Center, the Guidance Center, and the Child Advocacy Center.
 
The buffet luncheon is provided courtesy of the Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, and local restaurants.  The restaurants generously providing food are Bonefish Grill, Demos’, Firehouse Subs, Old Chicago, Pei Wei, and Red Lobster.  If your restaurant would like to contribute food for the event please contact Jessica Wauchek at jessicawauchek@bellsouth.net. 
 
For more information on the Holiday Open House, contact the Child Advocacy Center.  In Rutherford County call (615) 867-9000 and in Cannon County call (615) 563-9915.

Entry forms are still available for Saturday’s Woodbury Lions Club Christmas Parade.  There is no entry fee to participate and entry forms are available at the Cannon County University Of Tennessee Extension office on Lehman Street Parade participants will be asked to line up a little differently this year to help ease possibilities of injury and lessen traffic problem.  Each group will have an assembly point with a Lions Club member to insure that everyone has an appropriately located registration number and gets place in the appropriate place in the parade.  
The day starts off at the Woodbury Lions Club with the Pancake Breakfast from 7A-10A.  The parade starts at 12 noon with the Tour of Homes beginning at 3:00.  For more information call Woodbury Lions Club member Bruce Steelman at 615-563-2554
 

The results are in from a sobriety checkpoint ran in Woodbury near the Farmer’s Coop and Davenport’s Service station.  The checkpoint was conducted by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.  Officers from the Woodbury Police Department and Cannon County Sheriff’s Department assisted in the checkpoint right before Thanksgiving.  512 cars passed through the checkpoint and 9 were detained for further investigation.  Of the nine, eight citations were issued.  The citations ranged from Misdemeanor drug possession to suspended drivers license.

As the holiday shopping season approaches, the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance’s (TDCI) Division of Consumer Affairs is alerting Tennessee consumers to be on high alert for fraudulent sweepstakes and lottery offers they may receive via mail, phone, or social media. Using the household brand name of nationally known sweepstakes companies such as the Publishers Clearing House, scammers are actively trying to cheat unsuspecting Tennesseans. The Federal Trade Commission received over 2,600 complaints from Tennesseans related to sweepstakes and lottery scams during 2015. 
“Tennessee consumers could wind up losing money to unscrupulous sweepstakes scam artists who promise big winnings but no payout,” said TDCI Deputy Commissioner Bill Giannini. “We urge Tennesseans to call the Division of Consumer Affairs at (615) 741-4737 or email us if you have a question about a sweepstakes offer.” 
If you’re contacted by someone claiming that you’ve won a sweepstakes or a lottery, remember:
If you are asked to pay any amount of money in order to claim a prize, you are being scammed. Legitimate sweepstakes don’t have strings attached for winners to claim their prizes.
You should never wire or mail money back in order to enter or win a prize in a contest.
Never give your bank, credit card or personal information to anyone who contacts you claiming you’ve won a sweepstakes or a lottery. 
If you’re contacted by someone claiming that you’ve won a prize or lottery for a contest that you didn’t enter, you’re being scammed.
Legitimate representatives of Publishers Clearing House do not send private messages or friend requests via Facebook.
Remember: If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
Contact TDCI’s Division of Consumer Affairs if you have any questions or to file a complaint.  
– See more at: http://tn.gov/news/20375#sthash.bduHcOE3.dpuf
As the holiday shopping season approaches, the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance’s (TDCI) Division of Consumer Affairs is alerting Tennessee consumers to be on high alert for fraudulent sweepstakes and lottery offers they may receive via mail, phone, or social media.
Using the household brand name of nationally known sweepstakes companies such as the Publishers Clearing House, scammers are actively trying to cheat unsuspecting Tennesseans. The Federal Trade Commission received over 2,600 complaints from Tennesseans related to sweepstakes and lottery scams during 2015.
“Tennessee consumers could wind up losing money to unscrupulous sweepstakes scam artists who promise big winnings but no payout,” said TDCI Deputy Commissioner Bill Giannini. “We urge Tennesseans to call the Division of Consumer Affairs at (615) 741-4737 or email us if you have a question about a sweepstakes offer.”
If you’re contacted by someone claiming that you’ve won a sweepstakes or a lottery, remember:
If you are asked to pay any amount of money in order to claim a prize, you are being scammed. Legitimate sweepstakes don’t have strings attached for winners to claim their prizes.
You should never wire or mail money back in order to enter or win a prize in a contest.
Never give your bank, credit card or personal information to anyone who contacts you claiming you’ve won a sweepstakes or a lottery.
If you’re contacted by someone claiming that you’ve won a prize or lottery for a contest that you didn’t enter, you’re being scammed.
Legitimate representatives of Publishers Clearing House do not send private messages or friend requests via Facebook.
Remember: If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
Contact TDCI’s Division of Consumer Affairs if you have any questions or to file a complaint.

The Motlow State Community College music department is excited to present a pair of holiday concerts during the first week of December on the Moore County campus. Both performances will be held in Eoff Hall inside Powers Auditorium. The first is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m., and the second on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m. Both concerts feature Motlow students and community members. A reception will be held one hour in advance of each performance.
“There will be something for everyone in these concerts, and since it is the beginning of the holiday season our hope is to put everyone in the holiday spirit,” said Dr. David Bethea, assistant professor of music at Motlow.
The concerts will offer a wide array of musical styles and holiday standards performed by the Motlow Vocal Ensemble and the Motlow Community Band, including solos by several members of the ensemble throughout the musical production.
Santa Claus, the Grinch, Rudolph and characters from the movie “Frozen” will make appearances throughout the show, and will be available for photo opportunities during the reception and intermission.
Motlow student members of the vocal ensemble are: Alli Clark, Elizabeth Dye, JuliAnna Dykes, Billie Floyd, Chennye Hasty, Zachary Maynard, Elizabeth Mercado, Laura Pierce, Martha Powers, Robert Stephens, Joshlynne Williams, Jacqueline Zebick, Ashton Earle, Gabrielle Fulkerson, Jessica Goodine, Laura Kingery, Christopher Smith, Kathryn Vincent and Jonathan House.
The community band, comprised of students and several talented local musicians, features Motlow students Brianna Blankenship, Larissa Bolin, Jocelyn Burton and Shelby Cox.
“It’s going to be a great show,” exclaimed Dr. Bethea, “and we hope people will call soon to make reservations.”
Reservations may be made by calling 931-393-1700 or emailing Bobbie Underwood at bunderwood@mscc.edu. Admission is free and donations are appreciated and will benefit the Motlow College Music Department

December 3—CPAC meeting at the Central Office, 11:30 – 12:30                          Elementary basketball:  West Side at East Side, Short Mtn. at WGS, Auburn at Woodland
 
December 4—Basketball–CCHS vs. Central Magnet at home, 6:00 p.m.
December 6—Lioness Club Installation Banquet, 2:00 p.m., Lions Club Building
December 7—Cancer Tournament played at Woodbury Grammar School
December 8—Basketball—CCHS vs. Macon Co. at home, 6:00 p.m.
December 8—School Board meeting workshop, 6:30 p.m., Central Office
December 10—Cancer Tournament played at Woodbury Grammar School
December 10—School Board meeting, 6:30 p.m., WGS cafeteria
December 11—Basketball—CCHS vs. Smith Co. at Smith Co., 6:00 p.m.
December 12—Cancer Tournament played at Woodbury Grammar
December 15—Basketball—CCHS vs. York at home, 6:00 p.m.
December 18—End of second grading period
                            Student abbreviated day:  Student dismissal at 10:00 a.m.
December 18-19—Clinton HS Christmas Basketball Tournament

County unemployment rates for October 2015, released last week, show the rates decreased in 90 counties, increased in four, and remained the same in one county. Cannon County’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.3 percent from September’s 5.8 percent.  Out of an estimated 6010 people in the workforce, 5700 were employed while just 320 people were unemployed.  Coffee County also showed a decrease of four tenths of a percentage to 5.1 percent while Dekalb decreased to 6.6 percent.  Rutherford’s unemployment rate is 4.3 percent, Warren is at 5.7 percent and Wilson is at 4.4 percent.
Tennessee’s preliminary unemployment rate for October was 5.6 percent, down one tenth of a percentage point from from the previous month. The U.S. preliminary rate for October was 5.0 percent, also down one tenth of a percentage point from September.

The Arts Center of Cannon County has announced that it is participating in the Amazon Smiles Program.  The Amazon Smiles Program donates a half percent of any eligible products purchased through smile.amazon.com.  Tens of Millions of products on Amazon.com are eligible and will be marked as such.  Consumers can log into the website using their amazon.com account.  The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from consumers eligible AmazonSmile purchases. The purchase price is the amount paid for the item minus any rebates and excluding shipping & handling, gift-wrapping fees, taxes, or service charges. From time to time, Amazon may offer special, limited time promotions that increase the donation amount on one or more products or services or provide for additional donations to charitable organizations. Special terms and restrictions may apply. Please see the relevant promotion for complete details.  For more information check out the website smile.amazon.com.

The Cannon County Lions basketball team should have saved some of the after Thanksgiving leftovers for Saturday.  After shooting lights out in a 30 point win over Grundy County Friday night, the roles completely reversed Saturday when they shot only 2 of 12 in the first quarter.  Cookeville got out to a 14-5 lead and never looked back in a 77-40 win over the Lions.  Austin Martin scored 17 to lead the Lions who are now 3-3. The Lionettes also played catch up most of the night but the Lady Cavs of Cookeville stayed one step ahead in a 47-37 win.  After falling behind by 12 at half of the Mitch Wilson State Farm Cannon County Classic, the girls got as close as four but Cookeville pulled away after Kelli Davis fouled out of the game.  Davis scored a game high 12.  Tori Knox and Maleah Scott each contributed 10.  Cannon County is 1-5.
Both teams open district play Friday in Woodbury against Murfreesboro Central Magnet School.

Even though the Cannon County Lionettes closed the first night of the Mitch Wilson State Farm Cannon County Classic, they couldn’t close the game on the floor with a win.  Leading most of the contest by a comfortable margin and showing signs that they were improving on what they lacked in the loss against Warren County, the Lionettes looked like they had a great chance to pick up the second win of the season.  That however slipped away in the fourth quarter as Grundy County got hot from behind the three point arc and controlled the boards in a 64-59 win over the Lionettes.  Three Grundy County players scored double figures. Cannon was led in scoring by Maleah Scott who’s hard work under the basket netted 18 points, while Kelly Davis scored 16.  Hailey Mooneyham and Samantha Gaither each finished with 9 The Cannon County Lions used deadly three point shooting to open up a sizeable lead on the Grundy County boys team.  Briar Jakes and Charlie Parrish hit from deep three point territory and Cannon’s defense shut down the Yellowjacket offense to lead 43-18 at half.  Second half Brandon Miles and Lane Willis got into the three point groove as Cannon rolled to a 70-40 win over Grundy and improved their record to 3-2.  Jakes ended with 14 while Austin Martin had 11.  Parrish finished with 9.
Both teams will close out the Classic tonight with games against Cookeville.  Tipoff is slated to start at 6:30 and can be heard live on WBRY Radio