News

Two Cannon County schools for an extended period of time have been in need of roof repairs.  A transfer of funds was the working plan from the Board of Education going into Saturday’s meeting of the Cannon County Commission.  The plan was to transfer $2,419,000.00 from education debt service account to the general purpose fund to make the repairs possible for Cannon County High School and for Woodland Elementary School.  
After some discussion on the best way to handle the project. County Commissioners did not approve a motion to transfer the needed funds. 
 
Director of Schools William Curtis informed the commissioners that the State Comptroller’s office suggested the development of a ten-year strategic plan to address needs.  A special called meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, February 5th,, 2019 . County Commissioners and the Board of Education members will begin work for establishing a long range plan.
 
 

Indictments were returned against six people by the Cannon County Grand Jury during its session on Friday.. 
Cynthia D. Gray, possession of marijuana with intent, maintaining a dwelling for use, storage, or sale of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
 
Mark A. McClain, aggravated child abuse.
 
Dallas J. Rogers, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
 
Bradley S. Sanders, manufacturing marijuana, maintaining a dwelling for use, storage, or sale of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
 
Amanda L. Sowell, theft of property (an automobile), driving while license suspended and registration violation.
 
James J. Travis, two counts of aggravated assault and one count each of attempted second degree murder, reckless endangerment with a firearm and employing a weapon during the commission of a felony. 
 
WBRY News reminds listeners, an indictment is a formal accusation against an individual suspected of committing a crime. All persons indicted by a grand jury are presumed innocent.
 

The number of federal employees applying for Tennessee unemployment insurance benefits has more than doubled during the last 10 days as the partial shutdown of the United States government moves into its fourth week. 
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s (TDLWD) Unemployment Security Division processed 400 claims for federal employees from the day the shutdown started through January 8, 2019. The latest check of data, Friday, January 18, showed the number of claims has more than doubled to nearly 900.
 
The United States Department of Labor (USDOL) has strict requirements claimants must meet to receive benefits, one of which is an unemployed person must be willing and available to work. A federal employee currently not on the job meets this requirement because they are free to work.
 
Federal employees required to work without pay are not eligible for unemployment benefits because they are not available to work. 
 
If the state approves an application for benefits, unemployment claimants must certify online each week they are available to work. The state is deferring the requirement federal claimants conduct weekly online job searches in order to receive benefits because they are part of a temporary layoff.
 
It is important to keep in mind, the first week a person files for benefits is considered their waiting week and the claimant will not receive money. The earliest a claimant can expect payment is after two weeks of filing certifications. Since this is the peak season for unemployment claims, coupled with the federal shutdown; it could take up to 21 days to make a determination on an application for benefits. 
 
The maximum weekly benefit in Tennessee is $275, which is subject to federal income taxes.
 
President Donald Trump recently signed a bill that will provide federal employees back wages once the shutdown ends. Per USDOL requirements, anyone who receives unemployment benefits while furloughed will be required to repay the state of Tennessee the amount of money they received or risk being in fraud overpayment.
 
Claimants can complete the application process for Tennessee unemployment insurance on the state’s workforce development website, www.Jobs4TN.gov.
 
Anyone with questions can call TDLWD at 844-224-5818 or they can use the live chat function on tn.gov/workforce Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Central.
 

John Rose, Representative for Tennessee’s Sixth Congressional District, has been appointed to the prestigious Financial Services Committee. While other new members await their assignments, Rose is among the first to be named to one of only a few “A” committees in the House’s “A, B, and C” committee system. 
“It is a great honor to give Tennesseans a voice on the Financial Services Committee,” said Rose. “On this committee, I will work vigorously to roll back burdensome regulations that plague our banking system, especially those impacting small-town banks and the average-Tennessean. It is time to stand up for job-creators, empower community banks, and create lasting reform that will decrease the federal government’s involvement in our daily personal and business lives.”
 
Rose, a first-time office-holder, campaigned on “Tennessee Values,” which he cited as those conservative measures taken on the state level to make Tennessee one of the top states in the nation to own a business, raise a family and retire. A seat on the powerful Financial Services Committee will give him the chance to be actively involved in some of the most meaningful debate and work in Washington.
 
“I am absolutely thrilled John will be joining Financial Services. His leadership comes at a critical time for our country’s prosperity,” said Tommy Whittaker, President of The Farmers Bank, which serves Sumner and Robertson counties. “John’s a strong fiscal conservative, pragmatic businessman, and well-versed in the challenges community banks face. He will bring Tennessee’s common sense approach to solving these challenges. John understands small business owners because he is one and he understands the financial decisions Americans make when raising a family because he has a young family of his own. I am proud the Sixth District will be well-represented on such a powerful committee.”
 
The ranking Republican on Financial Services, Congressman Patrick McHenry (R – NC), applauded Congressman Rose’s appointment, saying, “As a former Commissioner of Agriculture as well as a business owner and director of a national bank, John will provide critical input and diverse expertise to the Financial Services Committee. I’m glad to see him, and his fellow freshman members, recommended to join so we can continue to build on the gains we’ve already achieved for hardworking taxpayers. I look forward to working alongside him in the 116th Congress.”
 
The 6th District includes 19 counties that stretch from parts of Cheatham County and all of Robertson County down to Coffee County and across the Cumberland Plateau including Cannon County. John Rose is the eighth generation in his family to call the 6th District home. He is a conservative small business owner and farmer who lives with his wife Chelsea and their son Guy in Cookeville.
 

The state veterinarian is advising horse owners of four cases of equine infectious anemia (EIA) in Middle Tennessee.Staff at the C.E. Kord Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory tested blood samples and determined that four horses stabled at a farm in Rutherford County were positive for EIA. Those horses were euthanized. Six other horses at the same farm tested negative, but will remain in quarantine until they can be tested a second time.
EIA is not contagious to humans. It is a blood-borne illness that can be fatal for horses. Symptoms may include fever, weakness, swelling, loss of appetite, or colic. However, an infected horse may not show any clinical signs. There is no treatment or vaccine. Once infected, a horse must be permanently quarantined or euthanized.
State law requires an annual Coggins test to check for the presence of EIA before any horse is transported from its home farm to a different location. Although that paperwork is valid for one year, horse owners may want to consider testing their livestock more frequently.
“EIA is a serious disease, with devastating consequences,” State Veterinarian Dr. Charlie Hatcher said. “Horse owners should do what they can to minimize risk—including regular testing, taking steps to safeguard against biting insects, and practicing good animal husbandry. As always, contact your veterinarian if you notice any signs of illness in your livestock.”
Other tips include:

Don’t co-mingle your horse with other, unfamiliar horses.

Do not share needles or any other medical supplies that come into contact with blood.

Keep the area in and around your barn clean to reduce the fly population.

The C.E. Kord Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory offers a full line of equine disease testing, including West Nile virus, equine infectious anemia, equine herpes virus, equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, eastern equine encephalitis, and equine influenza virus. Contact your veterinarian for more information.
 

  
 Each day we lose three Tennesseans to suicide, now the ninth leading cause of death in Tennessee. In 2017, there were 142 youth deaths by suicide, representing the twenty-four (10-24) age group, with 51 of these representing children between the ages of ten to seventeen (10-17). Suicide by children increased by 24.4 percent from 2016 to 2017; and more alarmingly, suicide by children increased by 54.5 percent from 2015 to 2017.
 
“One death by suicide is one death too many,” said Scott Ridgway, Executive Director of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN). “Given the stark increase in death by suicide among children, we are working with Governor-elect Bill Lee’s transition team to impress the importance of saving all lives in Tennessee and improving our prevention efforts.”
 
The Tennessee Department of Health’s Office of Health Statistics reports there were 1,163 recorded suicide deaths in Tennessee in 2017, up from 1,110 the previous year. The suicide rate increased from 16.7 to 17.3 per 100,000. Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death in Tennessee during 2014 – 2016
 
Annually, TSPN staff compiles and analyzes the latest statistics available from the Tennessee Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The “2019 Status of Suicide in Tennessee” report provides state legislators, mental health professionals, and the general public with information on the problem of suicide in our state and what is being done to prevent it. Each year’s edition includes a detailed report on suicide trends within Tennessee, both overall and by age, race, gender, and geography. The complete report is available on the TSPN website at http://tspn.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/TSPN-Status-of-Suicide-2019.pdf.
 
As TSPN staff, its many volunteers, and the innumerable suicide prevention advocates across the state know, Tennessee is a national model with our efforts for suicide prevention. With that said, we must, as a state, increase our efforts to combat this public health crisis. For every number and rate that is provided in the “2019 Status of Suicide in Tennessee” report, a family member, loved one, neighbor, co-worker, and friend suffers an unimaginable loss. To learn how to get involved with TSPN or to request a suicide prevention training visit our website, http://tspn.org/.
 

State Senator Mark Pody has been appointed 1st Vice-Chairman of the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee.  The appointment was made by Lt. Governor Randy McNally as the General Assembly prepares to close the 2019 organizational session on Saturday.  
According to Senator Pody, “Our transportation system is of vital importance for the safety and convenience of citizens across Tennessee.  It also makes a crucial contribution to our state’s economic development and growth, paving the way for new and better paying jobs. I appreciate the opportunity to serve in the leadership of this committee and look forward to working with my colleagues to improve Tennessee’s transportation system.”
 
Pody will also serve as a member of the Government Operations Committee and the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.  The Government Operations Committee reviews all department and agencies of state government to improve efficiency and effectiveness.  The Energy Committee’s scope includes review of legislation related to Tennessee’s hunting and fishing laws, state parks, energy conservation, agriculture, preservation of natural resources and fostering the state’s tourism industry.
 
Pody represents district 17 in the Tennessee Senate which includes Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Macon, Smith and Wilson Counties.  
 
 

A Woodbury house is on a short list of places to be considered for historic status. 
The Brown-Hancock House on Water Street is one of seven places from across the state. The remaining nominees include;
·         Sutton General Store in Jackson County
·         Clover Bottom Farm boundary expansion in Davidson County
·         Tennessee Military Institute residential district in Monroe County
·         Sparta Residential Historic District expansion in White County
·         U.S. Marine Hospital and Barretville Bank and Trust, both in Shelby County.
The seven sites will be considered by the Tennessee State Review Board.
 
The board will decide which nominations will move forward to the National Register of Historic Places.
 
The panel is set to meet January 30th at Clover Bottom Mansion in Nashville.
 
The board will decide whether to send the nominations to the Department of Interior for final approval to be placed in the register.
 

The Cannon County Board of Commissioners will meet in regular session this Saturday, January 19th. 
Agenda for this meeting includes; Quarterly Reports, Approve Resolution for a School Facilities Tax tabled from Dec 6th meeting.
                                                            
Approve Transfer of $2,419,000 from education debt service to general purpose school fund. 
                     
Introduction of new County Attorney, Chris Coats and to address the Commission. Nathan Luna to discuss Board of Zoning Appeals business. Approve Committee’s List. Discussion of Auburntown Bridge. Rules of the County Legislative Boards & Committees:  Mr. Charles Curtis.
 
The meeting is scheduled for Saturday morning at 10am in the courtroom of the Cannon County Courthouse.
 

 A new lawn service for schools, adoption of a new policy for water testing at schools, discussion of the future of Veterans Gym and a date to start crafting a budget for the next fiscal year and more filled the agenda of the January meeting of the Cannon County Board of Education. 
A policy dealing with district water testing for all facilities built before 1998 was adopted. The testing will be conducted every two years. Purpose of the policy is to ensure clean lead free water in schools.
 
After several minutes of discussion from board members and school principals, the board decided to exercise their option of ending the current agreement with Fisher Landscaping to maintain trimming grass at the county school property.  The chairman made a motion and board agreed to return the school’s agreement with Big John’s.
 
Continuing the discussion from last month’s meeting concerning the future of Veterans Gym.  Recent research reveled the gym is also on the same deed with the building used for Cannon Senior Center. In order for the building to be available for sale, the deed would need to separate the two building.  The Cannon County Commission may need to sign off on the deal.  The building would need to be declared surplus property and then sold at auction.
 
An alternative idea of leasing the building was also discussed.  Final decision was to continue researching what options (if any) are available on converting the building to a community center for students.
 
The school board approved Charles Patterson, Marty Williams, Steve Womack and Gary Owen as Trap Team Coaches for Cannon County High School.
 
Board members also established January 22nd for the first of a series of meetings dealing with planning a budget for fiscal year 2019-2020.