News

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) mobile household hazardous waste collection service will be in Coffee and Montgomery counties on Saturday, September 23.

Tennesseans are encouraged to bring household hazardous waste – including cleaning fluids, pesticides, swimming pool chemicals and more – to a designated drop-off location. A person does not need to live in the county to participate.

The drop-off location closest to Cannon County is Coffee County – Tullahoma Public Works, 942 Maplewood Ave. Tullahoma, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. the contact is Melissa Burton at (931) 723-5139.

“We are pleased to provide this opportunity to dispose of household hazardous waste properly,” Commissioner David Salyers of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation said. “We want to make it as convenient as possible for Tennesseans to demonstrate their commitment to protecting the environment.”

Since the program’s inception in 1993, more than 370,000 Tennessee households have properly disposed of more than 24 million pounds of material. There have been over 1,450 one-day collection events.

Household hazardous waste materials are considered flammable, toxic, reactive and/or corrosive and should not be placed with regular garbage. Typical items to dispose of include cleaning fluids, pesticides, mercury thermometers and thermostats, fluorescent lamps, lithium and button batteries, aerosols, adhesives, medications, brake fluid, swimming pool chemicals, paint thinner and used needles in sturdy containers. Items not accepted include ammunition, explosives, alkaline batteries, paint, electronics, and any empty containers that should be disposed in normal trash. There is no cost or appointment necessary for household hazardous waste collection.

While household waste may be disposed for free, there is a cost for disposal of Very Small Quantity Generator Waste (i.e. wastes from non-household sources such as businesses, schools, farms, churches, etc.). An appointment is also necessary. Call (615) 643-3170 to request a price quote and schedule an appointment.

Many counties and municipalities meet the needs of local residents by providing collection of batteries, oil, paint, antifreeze and electronic scrap – or BOPAE, as it is sometimes called. When handled correctly, these BOPAE materials are minimally hazardous, but inappropriate for collection at household hazardous waste events. Tennesseans are encouraged to contact their local city or county solid waste department to find BOPAE collection sites in their area.

When transporting materials to the site, place containers in sturdy boxes lined with newspaper or plastic to prevent spills and cross-contamination in the trunk of a car or back of a truck. Be sure to keep materials away from children and pets.

For more information on the household hazardous waste mobile collection service, please call 800-287-9013 or visit this TDEC link.

This week, September 18th – 23rd, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) is promoting National Child Passenger Safety Week, encouraging citizens to participate in National Seat Check Saturday on September 23rd. Tennesseans interested in participating should visit www.CarSeatSafety.kids to find nearby fitting stations and search for local car seat check events.

“Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children in America,” said THSO Director Buddy Lewis. “Anyone traveling with a child in the vehicle should feel confident that child is properly restrained. If you are in doubt, please visit a local fitting station to learn safety tips and access certified child passenger safety technicians.”

According to the National Safety Council:

• 58 percent of rear-facing car seats are installed incorrectly.
• 78 percent of forward-facing car seats are installed incorrectly.
• 90 percent of children using lap-and-shoulder belts should still be in a forward-facing car seat or booster seat.
• Three most common car seat mistakes include loose installation, loose harness straps, or not using the tether.

“The best way to ensure your child is safe is to find a car seat that fits your child, fits the vehicle, and can be used correctly every time,” said Julie Brewer, Tennessee Child Passenger Safety State Coordinator. “By visiting www.CarSeatSafety.kids, parents and caregivers across Tennessee can search for local resources. More events are being added daily. If you don’t see an event in your area, check the map and call the local fitting station to see if they are accepting appointments.”

For more information, please visit www.CarSeatSafety.kids or www.TNTrafficSafety.org/cps.  Locally Travis Dunavant with the Cannon County Sheriff’s Office is the person to see with your questions. He can be reached at 615‐563‐1000.

The annual Hometown Huddle food drive is a community-powered initiative.The three-day event will be held at Patterson Park Community Center and consists of two components: The Collection Intake Days will be held Tuesday, September 19^th, from 1:30 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. and Wednesday, September 20^th, from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The Sort-a-Thon will be on Thursday, September 21^st, from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Hometown Huddle is a United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties event that provides nutritious meals for local students during school breaks. Last year, with the help of our community and more than 80 volunteers, we distributed nearly 500 bags to Cannon County Schools, Murfreesboro City Schools, and Rutherford County Schools.

Jessica Johnson, ATLAS Liaison for Rutherford County Schools, shared the impact Hometown Huddle makes on students and families. “Last year, the ATLAS Program enrolled and assisted 1637 students. We send weekend food home each weekend and offer food boxes to our families during extended breaks. We averaged over 100 boxes of food delivered to families with over 200 given to our families during spring break. Our grant does not provide for food to be given over breaks or snacks. If not for Hometown Huddle, we would not have the food to provide for our students during fall break.”

This year, we want to help more students have access to meals during fall break. Items collected can be dropped off at a variety of collection sites in the community, available at yourlocaluw.org/hometownhuddle. You can help by purchasing the following items:

• Cereal/oatmeal – single-serve packs
• Hormel Compleats
• Fruit snacks
• Granola bars
• Juice boxes
• Microwavable mac and cheese
• Peanut butter
• Reusable water bottles
• Rice Krispy Treats/other individually packaged treats
• Individual Pop Tarts packs
• Jello and pudding cups
• Microwavable single-serve soup
• Tuna/Chicken packets

Director of Engagement and Volunteerism, Kara Carpenter shared how Hometown Huddle impacts the community, “Hometown Huddle is a great example of how your donations make a swift, direct impact on the students here in Rutherford and Cannon Counties.  Your food donations go straight into bags that are given to our students who have been identified as food insecure by their school system.  This year, our bags are being distributed to these students to take home with them for fall break.”

Our Hometown Huddle 2023 sponsors include Taylor Farms, Ascend Federal Credit Union, Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation, Murfreesboro Water Resources Department, Publix Super Markets and Publix Super Market Charities, Regions Bank, and Wilson Bank & Trust.

For more information about how you can support Hometown Huddle, please visit, https://www.yourlocaluw.org/hometownhuddle

Today, Governor Bill Lee announced that applications are now open for the Tennessee Strong Families Grant Program, which dedicates $20 million to improve access to maternal healthcare and boost critical resources for mothers, children and families by supporting local nonprofits across the state, including pregnancy centers. 

“Being pro-life is much more than protecting the lives of the unborn – it’s also about protecting the dignity of every human being,” Lee said. “Strong families are central to strong communities, and we’re proud to partner with the General Assembly to prioritize resources for local partners that serve Tennesseans in need. We welcome any Tennessee organization that serves expecting mothers and families to apply for these critical grant funds.”  

In the state’s FY23-24 budget, the Governor and General Assembly funded $20 million to create the Strong Families Grant Program and provide the opportunity for nonprofit organizations, including pregnancy centers, to partner with the state to provide support based on the unique needs of the mothers, children and families they serve. Examples of these services include: 

• Direct services for pregnancy support, which can include medical, mental health or other counseling services.    
• Support for Tennesseans who are considering adoption.   
• Workforce assistance to prepare new moms for self-sufficiency.  
• Housing assistance to help moms in crisis find a safe and stable place to live.  
• Additional wraparound services to support vulnerable mothers and their children. 

Application materials for the grants are available online where applicants may view webinars and access training and technical assistance.  

The grant program is just one facet of the Governor’s Strong Tennessee Families initiative, which dedicated a historic investment of more than $600 million in the State’s FY23-24 budget.   

The Tennessee Departments of Health, Children’s Services and Human Services worked alongside the Family Advocacy Unit in the Department of Finance and Administration to gather input from stakeholders through a pregnancy needs assessment survey. These agencies form a planning committee that informs the grant program. The Office of Criminal Justice Programs in the Department of Finance and Administration will administer the grants, because of their expertise in issuing and overseeing grants to non-profit organizations.  

TDEC Announces Additional $63 Million in Water Infrastructure Improvement

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today announced 20 grants totaling $63,888,650 from the state’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) fund, part of which TDEC is administering in the form of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure grants. 

Cannon County – $3,872,667
Cannon County, in collaboration with the Town of Woodbury, will use ARP funds to address critical drinking water needs. Cannon’s drinking water projects include the replacement of aged water lines with PVC water main lines, the installation of new pressure regulation stations to connect to pressure zones in the system, and connection of the system with the Warren County Utility District.

Since August 2022, TDEC has awarded and announced $996 million in executed grant funds representing every county and 248 cities through ARP programming, and today’s announced grants mark the conclusion of the award phase of the non-competitive grant program. 

Of the 20 grants announced today, two are collaborative grants and 18 are non-collaborative grants. Collaborative grants involve multiple entities (cities, counties, or water utilities) partnering on projects to work toward a shared purpose. The non-competitive grant program will fund a total of 266 non-collaborative grants and 71 collaborative grants. The non-competitive grant program has been a success, funding over 1,000 individual drinking water, wastewater, and/or stormwater infrastructure projects. 

Tennessee received $3.725 billion from the ARP, and the state’s Financial Stimulus Accountability Group dedicated $1.35 billion of those funds to TDEC to support water projects in communities throughout Tennessee. Of the $1.35 billion, approximately $1 billion was designated for non-competitive formula-based grants offered to counties and eligible cities to address systems’ critical needs. The remaining funds will go to state-initiated projects and competitive grants. 

A Murfreesboro woman faces charges of Financial Exploitation and Theft following an investigation by special agents assigned to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division.

In early May, agents began investigating allegations surrounding Teresa Ann Smith (DOB 4/14/1962), a paid caregiver, after receiving information from the Tennessee Department of Human Services. During the investigation, agents learned Smith, instructed an elderly, vulnerable man in her care to withdraw money from his bank account for her benefit, and additionally used the victim’s debit card for unauthorized purchases.

On Wednesday of last week, agents secured warrants charging Smith with one count each of Financial Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult and Theft. Agents subsequently arrested Smith and booked her into the Rutherford County Jail on $35,000 bond.

In the last few months, National Beta member, Whitleigh Cossey, has worked hard to prepare for the National Beta Convention. In June, she celebrated that hard work when she was announced as a winner of the following competition: Performing Arts- Solo Vocalist- third place.

Cannon South Elementary Beta Club member Whitleigh Cossey, initially competed and received second place during the State Convention held in November. Her successat the state level provided an opportunity to compete at the national level. The National Convention, held in Louisville, KY, provided all students the opportunity to compete. Over 5,000 Elementary Beta (grades 4-5), 8,000 Junior Beta (grades 6-8), and 7,900 Senior Beta (grades 9-12) students were able to represent their schools this summer.

Whitleigh Cossey placed third in the Performing Arts- Solo Vocalist category at the National Convention.  We are very proud of how well she represented Cannon South Elementary at the National level.  Cannon South Beta Club Head Sponsor, Jordan Anderson, states, “Our school and club are so proud of Whitleigh. She worked extremely hard practicing and making her performance the best it could be! It takes a lot of courage to get up in front of judges and perform! It took even more than that when she performed in front of all of Tennessee’s Beta members and then the nation’s Beta members! I cannot express how honored I am to have been her sponsor. She made this first-time lead sponsor so proud! I cannot wait to see what she does for BETA in years to come!”

About National Beta

With more than 500,000 active members and 8,750 clubs nationally and internationally, National Beta has become the nation’s largest independent, non-profit, educational youth organization. National Beta promotes the ideals of academic achievement, character, service, and leadership among elementary and secondary school students. National Elementary Beta includes grades 4-5, National Junior Beta includes 6-8, and National Senior Beta includes grades 9-12. Visit betaclub.org for more information.

To help ensure a safe Labor Day weekend, the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) announces they will increase enforcement beginning Friday, Sept. 1, at 6 p.m. and ending Tuesday, Sept. 5, at 5:59 a.m. and encourages everyone to make safe choices on Tennessee’s roadways.

“As summer nears an end, people hit the road for one last adventure. Therefore, we expect to see more vehicles on the road this holiday weekend,” said Colonel Matt Perry. “This is why I have challenged our captains to utilize a variety of specialized enforcement strategies to make Tennessee roads as safe as we can, including watching for distracted driving, commercial vehicle safety, move-over, and seat belt violations. This includes an especially strong emphasis on detecting and removing impaired drivers from the roads.”

During the 2022 Labor Day holiday, 13 people were killed in fatal crashes on Tennessee roadways. That’s a decrease from the 19 vehicular fatalities in 2021. Last year, alcohol was involved in 5 of the fatalities, and 3 of the 7 vehicle occupants killed were not wearing safety restraints. Two motorcyclists and 4 pedestrians were also killed. 

Preliminary figures indicate there have been 2,979 crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers in Tennessee in the first six months of 2023.  That is 47 fewer crashes than the 3,026 crashes during that same timeframe in 2022. The THP has worked to reduce the number of crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers by arresting 3,054 people for DUIs in 2023.

So far this year, 263 people, who were not wearing their seat belts, were killed on Tennessee roadways.  Because seat belt usage has been proven to save lives, the THP vigorously enforces Tennessee’s seat belt law. The THP has already issued 19,268 citations to individuals not wearing seat belts this year.

“During the holiday weekend as we celebrate our hard work, we must remember to be safe in doing so. I am personally asking that you help us keep Tennessee roads safe for everyone. Choose to make the safety of yourself, your family, and everyone around you your top priority,” added Colonel Perry said. 

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) announces the application dates for this year’s Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) cost share program are Oct. 1-7, 2023.

TAEP has supported agricultural production projects in every county in Tennessee through a cost share program for more than 18 years and has invested over $246 million in 80,860 producer projects. In their latest study, the University of Tennessee Agri-industry Modeling and Analysis Group estimated that each TAEP dollar generates $6.55 in local economies.

“Producers in Tennessee may defray the costs of strategic investments in their operations,” Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, D.V.M. said. “The success of TAEP can be attributed to agricultural families who are committed to sustaining and expanding their businesses. TDA’s support from legislators, industry partners, and Governor Lee have kept the program going strong.”

Tennessee farmers who are applying for cost share assistance for the first time and have been farming fewer than ten years may be eligible for the Beginning Farmer option under Application A to improve their operation.

Producers may qualify for up to 50 percent cost share in a variety of programs. Application A covers opportunities for hay, livestock, poultry growers, and row crop producers. Programs include dairy solutions, herd health, genetics, row crop solutions, hay equipment, livestock equipment, livestock solutions, working structures and fence-line systems, poultry grower, and swine producer. The hay equipment program is available this year, alternating with hay storage as an eligible program every other year.

Application B is for farmers with investments in agritourism, fruits and vegetables, honeybees, horticulture, organics, and value-added products.

Approval notifications will be mailed mid-December. Program purchases can be made starting Oct. 1, 2023 and must be completed by the program’s final reimbursement request deadline. Participants should make purchases and submit reimbursement requests in a timely manner to avoid processing delays.

Producers are encouraged to work with their local extension agent or a TDA representative to complete the application. For more information and program applications, visit www.tn.gov/taep or call 1-800-342-8206.

On this International Overdose Awareness Day, August 31, Tennessee pauses to remember the neighbors we have lost to overdose deaths, lift up the families touched by tragedy, and celebrate the brave men and women who have survived overdose and are living examples of recovery.

International Overdose Awareness Day is a worldwide moment of reflection to share remembrances, reduce stigma, and celebrate victories on the road to recovery.  In Tennessee, overdose and associated deaths continue to claim too many lives.  In 2021, the most recent year of full data, 3,814 Tennesseans died from drug overdose.

In recent years, the emergence of new synthetic substances in the illicit drug supply have worsened the existing crisis caused by prescription opioids.  Department of Health data show an exponential rise in overdose deaths due to fentanyl going from 501 in 2017 to 2,734 in 2021.  The prevalence of these deadly substances and the fact that they are getting mixed into other drugs or pressed into counterfeit pill form means that it’s never been more dangerous to take substances that aren’t prescribed to you and dispensed by a pharmacist.

“The overdose problem in Tennessee, the lives we’re losing, the families that are torn apart –that’s not someone else’s problem.  That’s all of our problem,” said TDMHSAS Commissioner Marie Williams, LCSW.  “We want to reduce the stigma of addiction and celebrate the courage that it takes to say, ‘I need help.’  Substance use disorder happens to people in all walks of life for any number of reasons, but the hope of a new life in recovery is real.  We see it every day.”

“We stand in unity with our State partners and all who have a stake in advocating for compassion, education, and harm reduction in combatting the tragic toll of substance misuse,” said State Health Commissioner Ralph Alvarado, M.D., F.A.C.P. “Let us recommit ourselves to the joint effort that is needed to save lives, reduce stigma, and create a healthier community, state, and world for all.”

“Drug overdoses continue to impact far too many families in our state,” said TBI Director David Rausch. “Today and every day, I’m grateful for our partners who continue to do everything we can to try to tackle this crisis from all sides. We can’t do it alone, though. If you need help, get it. And if you know someone struggling with addiction, do everything you can to convince them to take their first steps toward healing. Doing so might just save a life.”

As many lives as have been lost to overdose, tens of thousands of Tennesseans have been saved thanks to the hard work of the Regional Overdose Prevention Specialists.  Since October 2017, the ROPS have distributed more than one million doses of naloxone and trained hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans on how to reverse an opioid overdose and save a life.

For Tennesseans who are ready to enter treatment, services are available even if you have no means to pay.  Call or text the Tennessee REDLINE at 800-889-9789 for a free and confidential referral to substance use disorder treatment services.

To mark the day, Tennessee’s Substance Abuse Prevention Coalitions, treatment agencies, advocacy groups, and local leaders have planned remembrance and awareness events across the state.  Find an event near you at TNtogether.com/ioad

A ceremony is scheduled for 6pm Thursday on the Cannon County Courthouse lawn.  The public is encouraged to attend.