News 2015

The international Afghanistan photo exhibit “Unordinary Lives”, by Manca Juvan, will open at Motlow College’s Moore County campus on Thursday Jan. 22, according to Bobbie Underwood, secretary of academic affairs at the College. Juvan’s work was previously displayed at the Motlow Smyrna Center in December and will be available for public viewing inside Eoff Hall until Feb. 5. The exhibit will commence with a reception, presented by the art department and international education, in the Eoff Hall lobby from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Juvan, a Slovenian native, has also released the photos in a book entitled, “Unordinary Lives”.
According to an excerpt from the book, Juvan believes, “The stories of ordinary Afghans deserve to be both told and seen in order to remind us what the real images of war and poverty – of lives far from ordinary – look like.”
“The photographs are overwhelmingly moving,” said Underwood. “The public, students, faculty and staff should all try and see this powerful exhibit.”
For those unable to visit the exhibit, the Slovenian Embassy donated the “Unordinary Lives” book to Motlow. Students can find the book in the Clayton-Glass Library on the Moore County campus.
Underwood will be available for students interested in studying abroad. The final deadline to apply for the study abroad program is Thursday, Feb. 12.
For more information about viewing the exhibit or Motlow’s study abroad program, contact Bobbie Underwood at 931-393-1627 or bunderwood@mscc.edu.

It was a night of basketball set to recognize Edith McReynolds and her fight against Lymphoma as Cannon County basketball fans wore green shirts to the game many of which were the neon green type that helped raise funds for her medical bills and family.  One of her family members stepped up and made sure that the Lionettes wouldn’t fall victim to the visiting Macon County Lady Tigerettes.  Erin McReynolds scored a team high 15 points to wrap up a 51 to 45 win that keeps the Lionettes still in the hunt for the top spot in the district race despite a 4-5 district record.  McReynolds was instrumental in the Lionettes building a 12 point lead in the third quarter as she scored  7 points in the frame.  Macon closed the gap late in the fourth quarter as the Lionettes hung on to win by the 6 point margin.  Kelli Davis also added 15 for the Lionettes who won their 18th game overall. Four Lions boys basketball players scored double figures in the Lions 80-62 thumping of Macon County Tuesday night at Robert A Harris Gym.  Briar Jakes came off the bench and burned the nets for 15 points and 3-3 pointers.  Jacob Nave led all scorers with 20.  Josh Reuhlan added 16 and Austin Martin finished with 14 points.  The lead went back and forth in the first quarter 6 times before the Lions quit playing with them and started running away with the game by halftime.  Macon County’s confidence was rattled throughout the game by several blocked shots.  Cannon stays in first place with a 19-5 overall record and 8-1 in district play.  The teams will travel Friday to Carthage to meet Smith County

The Short Mountain Distillery has had celebrity visitors, visit in 2014.  Most notable were Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame, and Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs who starred together in the series Charmed.  Doherty and Combs are together again in an all new reality series for the Great American Country Channel called Off The Map with Shannen and Holly.  The Short Mountain Distillery will be featured during an episode slated to air January 30th at 8:00 CST.  The episode description according to the website states that the girls start with a visit to  a scenic little town called Leiper’s Fork, ending with a night of music and dancing. Dinner at Knox Mason gives Shannen and Holly a chance to savor Southern cuisine with a local twist. The girls’ hunt for real Tennessee moonshine takes them to Short Mountain Distillery, but it’s in the deep woods of the Smoky Mountains that the girls learn the secrets to making real Tennessee moonshine.  Great American Country is Channel 152, Channel 326 DirecTV and 165 on Dish Network.

The Cannon County Lionettes look to get back on the winning side of the ball tonight as they meet the Tigerettes of Macon County at Robert A. Harris Gym .  The Lionettes their last district game Friday to Central Magnet erasing their chances of bringing their district record even.  Now they start their attempt to climb up the ladder against a team they beat easily in Lafayette earlier this season 70-44.  Macon is also 3-5 in district play and the girls team has improved since their last meeting with the Lionettes.  Macon collected an upset win against Central Magnet two weeks ago and almost pulled an upset at home against Livingston but lost in overtime in Friday’s game.  The Cannon County Lions look to continue their trend of staying undefeated in the month of January.  They are currently 5-0 this month and in first place in the District 8-AA standings.  They play a Macon County boys team who has lost four consecutive games.  Tonight’s games will begin at 6:00 with the tipoff.  It’s also Green Night as fans are encouraged t wear their green shirts in support of Edith McReynolds.  You can catch all the action on AM-1540/FM 96.7 WBRY streaming online at wbry.com and through WBRY using the TuneIn Radio app on your smartphones and tablets

The 42nd Annual Groundhog Day Luncheon is set for Monday February 2nd and will commence at 11:30 inside Murphy Center.  Head MTSU Baseball coach Jim McGuire and the Blue Raiders will host the event to kick off the 2015 baseball campaign.  The popular luncheon will feature the traditional menu of ham hocks, white beans, tomato salad, green onions, corn bread, chocolate cake and ice cream.
Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.  Additionally a table of 10 can be reserved for $250.  Reservations can be made by calling the Blue Raider ticket office at 898-5261.  The deadline to pre-order tickets is January 30th. 

There’ll be an upcoming meeting between the Cannon County Audit Committee, the State CTAS agency and the Department Heads of all County Offices within the next month.  The Cannon County Commissioners during their regular monthly meeting requested Chairman Mike Gannon put the invitiations to the meeting in motion.  The idea came into play after Commissioner Glenn Steakley who also serves on the County Audit Committee reported to the Commission that for a third year in a row the audit committee has made two recommendations to the county in regards to the yearly state audit.  One was to update the county policies.  That recommendation has been done and is in place now.  The second one however is to develop operating procedures and job descriptions for each county department.  Many times a finding by the state audit could possibly be avoided as employees wouldn’t  know certain actions would result in that particular finding.  Operating procedures and job descriptions would be instrumental in helping in those cases.  The group will be working together on the recommendation to develop the procedures and descriptions.  Other items on the agenda approved by the commissioners.  Budget amendments submitted by County General, Sheriff’s Department, Reach and Ambulance Service were all approved.  The Commissioners discussed the stray animal problem in the county.  They are limited by what they can do to resolve the problem.  Chairman Gannon said he would check with programs in Wilson and Rutherford County and is currently checking with Dekalb to see if it’s feasible to enter a joint partnership with them on the problem.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is soliciting comments for its 2015-16 hunting seasons’ regulations. This is an opportunity for the public to provide ideas and share concerns about hunting regulations with TWRA staff. The comment period will be open through Monday, Feb. 16, 2015.Public comments will be considered by TWRA’s Wildlife Division staff and may be presented as proposals for regulation changes. Comments may be submitted by mail to: 2015-16 Hunting Season Comments, TWRA, Wildlife and Forestry Division, P.O. Box 40747, Nashville, TN 37204 or emailed to twra.comment@tn.gov.  Please include “Hunting Season Comments” on the subject line of emailed submissions.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) announces today that fewer accidental fire-related fatalities occurred in 2014 than in any year in recorded Tennessee history, based on a preliminary examination of all available historic fire records and data by SFMO specialists.State fire records show that 72 accidental fire deaths occurred in Tennessee during 2014 which compares to 98 similar fire fatalities in 2013. The 2014 figure represents a 27 percent year-to-year decrease compared to 2013, and a 51 percent decrease compared to 2003’s 146 fire fatalities, which was the highest total for fire-related deaths in the previous 14-year sample period. Final fire fatality figures for 2014 are still pending.
“For too many years, Tennessee has had a tragic reputation as having one of the highest fire mortality death rates in the United States. We want to permanently reverse Tennessee’s reputation for fire fatalities,” said Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak. “The department extends our sympathies to Tennesseans who lost loved ones in fires last year, and we urge Tennesseans to practice good fire safety habits throughout 2015.”
There can be fluctuations of fire fatalities every year, so experts measure progress over time by utilizing mortality rates of fire deaths. This method also takes into account population changes over time to measure the number of fire deaths proportional to a population. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reported Tennessee’s 2006-2010 fire death rate to be 17.7 deaths per million which means for every 1 million people in Tennessee, 17.7 deaths occur annually. The 17.7 deaths per million rate gave Tennessee the nation’s 6th highest fire death rate. That has changed as new preliminary results show that the state’s fire death rate has decreased to 13.7 deaths per million, equaling a 25.6 percent reduction for 2011-2014 compared to 2006-2010. This is the single largest reduction of the state’s fire mortality rate in Tennessee’s recorded history. Because NFPA only releases rankings every 5 years, the next ranking will be in 2016.  
No single factor has caused the decrease of the state’s fire mortality rate. Instead, SFMO experts believe a variety of larger factors such as an increased public awareness of fires, fewer structure fires in 2014, more smoke alarms and improved outreach and cooperation between the SFMO, local fire agencies and communities have all helped. The “Get Alarmed Tennessee” smoke alarm distribution program perfectly highlights the SFMO’s strategy toward reducing fire deaths.
Begun in November 2012, the “Get Alarmed Tennessee” program is today responsible for more than 68,000 smoke alarms being distributed for free by the SFMO’s more than 300 fire partners in homes across Tennessee. Smoke alarms installed as part of the program have saved more than 70 lives so far.
A smoke alarm installation event will happen in Nashville on Jan. 19, 2015 when the Nashville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross and St. Luke’s Community House will gather more than 150 volunteers for the Community Fire Safety “Knock and Walk” on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Volunteers will be knock on doors and install more than 500 free smoke alarms from the SFMO in homes in the Nations neighborhood in West Nashville. The event is made possible by a grant from The HCA Foundation and support from the Nashville Fire Department. State Rep. John Ray Clemmons and Rep. Harold Love are expected to attend. Media coverage is invited.
“The No. 1 goal of the State Fire Marshal’s Office is preventing loss of life during a fire,” said Gary West, Deputy Commissioner for Fire Prevention. “Raising awareness of fire prevention and successfully working with homeowners and fire departments has been crucial to saving lives. We thank our partners in local fire departments across Tennessee and the residents who opened their homes to our teams and volunteers.”
An examination of records by SFMO fire experts reveals new data that fire investigators and fire prevention educators can use to prevent more fires and keep the fires that do occur from being as catastrophic.  

Fire data tracked by the SFMO shows the cause of most fatal fires in Tennessee is changing. For decades, smoking was the leading cause of fatal fires in Tennessee (and the U.S.) but new research shows that cooking-related fires are now the main danger when it comes to home fires. Residents are urged to practice safe cooking habits when in the kitchen.

Based on reports from Tennessee’s more than 700 fire departments, there were fewer fires in 2014 than in previous years. There were more than 7,860 structure fires in 2014, which compares to 8,301 structure fires in 2013, 8,446 in 2012, and 9,572 in 2011.

Data shows that fatal fires occur at a higher rate in rural communities and fire fatality victims tend to either be very young or elderly.
“Knowledge truly is power when it comes to fighting and preventing fires,” said Peyton Bullen, Director of Fire Prevention Programs & Policy. “The future of the fire service must involve analyzing data and trends to give us the upper hand for prevention and suppression efforts in our communities. Leveraging data and technology, we can provide the crucial information that can make the difference between life and death.”
2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the State Fire Marshal’s Office. More details about the anniversary will be available later this year.

More burglaries around this past Christmas are still being reported to the Cannon County Sheriff’s Department.  According to department reports earlier this week  Mr. A.W. Thomas of Hill Creek Road went to the Sheriff’s office and spoke with Deputy Lee Colwell.  Mr. Thomas said that someone had broken into his Big Hill residence a couple of time around the week of Christmas.  Mr. Thomas stated that his wife had been to the house almost daily until he had some surgeries and miscellaneous frequent doctor visits in December.  Mr. Thomas said they went to the residence before Christmas, they noticed that the french doors had been broken into and found items to be missing from the residence.  A week later they found the basement door broken into and appeared to be more items missing.  Mr. Thomas found a piece of a taillight by the french doors, a can of deodorant, and a pocket knife.  Some of the items stolen was a 1999 Yamaha Grizzly, air compressor, hedge clippers, shop vac and several ladders.

The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties will host a Ribbon Cutting, presented by the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, on January 30, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.  The event will be held at Patterson Park Community Center to mark the beginning of the United Way Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for 2015. The United Way VITA program is a free service that aids qualifying local residents in claiming their tax refund dollars. Beginning January 30, 2015, National Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day, the VITA site at Patterson Park Community Center will be open to individuals and families with a household income less than $60,000 annually.
Fifth Third Bank’s Financial Empowerment Mobile E-Bus will be stationed at Patterson Park Community Center on January 30, 2015 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Through the VITA program, a partnership between Fifth Third Bank and United Way will allow the 40-foot bus equipped with 12 computer stations to assist residents in completing their taxes online through My Free Taxes.
Luis Parodi, Fifth Third Bank Community and Economic Development Manager, said, “We are excited to be partnering with the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties to bring the Fifth Third E-Bus to Murfreesboro’s new VITA site location, Patterson Park.”
In 2014, $842,893 was returned back into Rutherford and Cannon counties through the United Way VITA program.
For more information about the VITA program, visit www.yourlocalvita.org or call the United Way office at (615) 893-7303.