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In observance of National Safe Digging Month in April, the Tennessee Public Utility Commission has announced results from
a recent national survey. The results revealed that 36 percent of homeowners who plan to dig this year for projects like landscaping, installing a fence or mailbox, or building a deck, pond or patio and other DIY projects, will put themselves and their communities at risk by not calling 811 a few days beforehand to learn the approximate location of underground utilities.
Digging without knowing the approximate location of underground utilities can result in serious injuries, service disruptions and costly repairs when gas, electric, communications, water and sewer lines are damaged.
The national public opinion survey of homeowners conducted in February by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the national association dedicated to protecting underground utility lines, people who dig near them, and their communities, also revealed that 47 percent of homeowners who plan to dig this year have no experience with the 811call before you dig process. The most popular planned projects cited among surveyed homeowners include:
·        Planting a tree or shrub (63 percent)
·        Building a fence (35 percent)
·        Building a patio or deck (28 percent)
·        Installing a mailbox (16 percent)
“Tens of millions of Americans plan to do DIY digging projects this year, but according to our survey, 36 percent of them admit that they will not call 811 beforehand, which puts
homeowners and their communities at risk,” said Chairman David Jones, Tennessee Tennessee Public Utility Commission. “Calling 811 a few days before any planned
home improvement projects that require digging –like installing a mailbox or planting a tree – is critical to preventing incidents like service outages and serious injuries.”
“Public safety and protecting our utility infrastructure are very important issues for me and the state legislature. That’s why I sponsored legislation establishing the Underground
Utility Damage Enforcement Board to protect Tennesseans as well as our underground utilities,” said State Representative Pat Marsh, Chairman of the House Business and Utilities Committee.  
CGA’s 1,700 members, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and most governors have proclaimed April as National Safe Digging Month to bring extra attention to the issue of
underground utility line safety and reduce the risk of unnecessary infrastructure damage.  As part of National Safe Digging Month, the Tennessee Public Utility Commission encourages homeowners to take the following steps when planning a digging project this spring:
Always call 811 a few days before digging, regardless of the depth or familiarity with the property.
Plan ahead. Call on Monday or Tuesday for work planned for an upcoming weekend, providing ample time for the approximate
location of lines to be marked.
·        Confirm that all lines have been marked. 
·        Consider moving the location of your project if it is near utility line markings.
·        If a contractor has been hired, confirm that a call to 811 has been made. Don’t allow work to begin if the lines aren’t marked.
·        Visit www.call811.com for complete info.
An underground utility line is damaged once every nine minutes nationwide because someone decided to dig without first calling 811, according to industry data collected by CGA. There are more than 20 million miles of underground utilities in the United States, per data compiled by CGA from various industry groups. That figure equates to
more than one football field’s length (105 yards) of buried utilities for every man, woman and child in the U.S.
CGA’s 1,700 members, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and most governors have proclaimed April as National Safe Digging Month to bring extra attention to the issue of underground utility line safety and reduce the risk of unnecessary infrastructure damage.
Everyone who calls 811 a few days before digging is connected to a local one call notification center that will take the caller’s information and communicate it to local utility companies.  Professional locators will then visit the dig site to mark the approximate location of underground utility lines with spray paint, flags or both. Once a site has been accurately marked, it is safe to begin digging around the marked areas. 
The mission of the Tennessee Public Utility Commission is to promote the public interest by balancing the interests of utility consumers and providers. For more information, visit online at www.tn.gov/tpuc.  
 
 

The Tennessee Highway Patrol issued 1,816 distracted driving citations during a crackdown from April 2 through April 4. That’s 911 more citations than were issued during 2017’s crackdown.

The Tennessee Highway Safety Office and the Tennessee Highway Patrol joined local law enforcement for Tennessee’s third statewide bus tour to crack down on distracted driving.

In 2017, the THP provided two large, black and tan buses marked with THP logos to help promote awareness for the initiative. This year, the focus shifted toward the effectiveness of enforcement efforts, which meant utilizing additional passenger vehicles that could travel more efficiently on the highways.

Officers representing various agencies riding the passenger vehicles communicated with ground units after observing traffic violations to initiate the execution of enforcement action. Depending on available resources, enforcement lasted between two to eight hours each day.
 

Gov. Bill Haslam has announced that more than 10,000 adults have applied for Tennessee Reconnect, the state’s program for adult learners to earn an associate degree or technical certificate tuition-free. 
The application for Tennessee Reconnect opened on February 15 and 10,497 applications had been submitted as of April 10. Tennessee Reconnect is Haslam’s groundbreaking program that covers tuition and mandatory fees at a Tennessee community or technical college for eligible adults that do not yet have a college degree.
According to Governor Haslam, “The immense interest in Tennessee Reconnect demonstrates that Tennesseans understand the value of a postsecondary credential and that a quality education can help create better lives for them and their families. Tennessee is leading the nation in making college accessible and affordable to anyone who wants to earn a degree. By investing in our workforce through education, we are creating a solid foundation for our state’s economic future.”
Among those who have applied for the scholarship, more than two-thirds have previously enrolled in college and just more than half of all applicants have attended college in the past five years. The average age of applicants is 34 years old and nearly 90 percent of those who applied plan to work while enrolled through Reconnect.
The Tennessee Reconnect application will remain open year-round; adults hoping to enroll in community or technical college in fall 2018 are encouraged to apply by April 15 to ensure time to complete all enrollment steps. The application for Reconnect requires four simple steps:
·        Complete the application at TNReconnect.gov;
·        Apply to a local community college or eligible Tennessee Reconnect institution;
·        File the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at FAFSA.ed.gov; and
·        Enroll in a degree or certificate program at least part-time.
Tennessee Reconnect is part of the Drive to 55, the governor’s initiative to increase the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary degree or certificate to 55 percent by 2025. Tennessee is the first state in the nation to offer all citizens – both high school graduates and adults – the chance to earn a postsecondary degree or certificate tuition-free.
 

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is joining states across the nation to remind motorists that “Work zone safety is everybody’s responsibility” and to ask them to Work with Us – move over and slow down for highway workers. TDOT will spread that message statewide during National Work Zone Awareness Week (April 9-13) in an effort to improve safety in Tennessee’s interstate and highway construction and maintenance work zones.
 
“2016 was a tragic year for our TDOT family; three employees were struck and killed by passing motorists,” TDOT Commissioner John Schroer said. “We have hundreds of employees working on our highways each day. Safe driving is everybody’s responsibility and we need motorists to work with us by moving over and slowing down for TDOT workers or first responders working along our interstates and state routes. Please pay attention to signs, reduce your speed, and move over when possible.”
 
The spring and summer months provide perfect weather for highway work. Work zones include everything from major interstate widening projects to pothole patching and mowing. Motorists will encounter work zones across Tennessee in downtowns, along interstates and in rural areas. Last year in Tennessee, 13 people died in work zone crashes, including workers, drivers and passengers.
 

Early voting begins today in Cannon County. The County will hold a Republican Primary on May 1st. According to Matt Teply, Administrator of Elections, the only candidates that will appear on the ballot are those seeking the Republican nomination for their respective offices.  The Cannon County Democratic Party chose not to have a primary.  Independent candidates for local offices will appear on the ballot in the August General Election.
On the primary ballot; Circuit Court Judge, Division III, Nathan Nichols and Barry Tidwell. County Commission for District 2, Corey Davenport and Paul Morgan.  The ballot also has candidates in other local races, John House in the race for Sheriff and Brent Bush in the County Executive race.
Again, independent candidates for local offices will appear on the ballot in the August General Election.  
Early voting begins today, April 11th and continues through April 26th.    Early Voting Hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:00am to 1:00pm, Tuesday, Thursday from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and Saturday from 9:00am to NOON.
Last day to request absentee ballot is April 24, 2018. The election commission office is located at 301 West Main Street.
Many of your questions about this years ballots and voting may be answered by visiting the commission web site at www.CannonCountyElections.com
 

Every year during the second week of April, the telecommunications personnel in the public safety community, are honored. This week-long event, is a time to celebrate and thank those who dedicate their lives to serving the public. It is a week that should be set aside so everyone can be made aware of their hard work and dedication.
Roy Sullivan, Director Cannon County 911 Emergency Communications District had the following to say about this week;
“Cannon County 911 dispatchers are here serving the citizens of Cannon County 24/7, 365 days a week, rain or shine. The work in an environment that is very rarely seen by the public. They are ridiculed when a single mistake is made but very rarely praised for the day to day professionalism and personal sacrifices they often endure to serve the citizens of Cannon County.”
Sullivan invited the community to express their thanks in person if they wish. Any one that wishes to stop by the 911 Center located at 3798 Jim Cummings, is encouraged to do so and thank the dispatchers for their service to Cannon County.
NOTE: 
The second week in April is a popular week.  Over the next few days, WBRY will inform you of different groups who want you to have a better understanding of their people, interests and concerns.
 
 

The application process remains open, until April 15, for adults to enroll tuition-free this fall at a community or technical college through Tennessee Reconnect.
 
Following the first week of the application process being open, over 4,000 applications were submitted — a record start in helping adults who want to go back to school to advance their futures.
 
Tennessee Reconnect builds off the groundbreaking Tennessee Promise program — which provides high school graduates two years of tuition-free community or technical college — by establishing a last-dollar scholarship for adults to earn an associate degree or technical certificate free of tuition or mandatory fees.
 
Both Tennessee Reconnect and Tennessee Promise are programs under the Drive to 55, an initiative spearheaded by lawmakers to increase the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary degree or certificate to 55 percent by 2025. Studies show that by 2025, at least half the jobs in Tennessee will require a college degree or certificate.
 
Early results of the Tennessee Promise program show that students participating in the program are succeeding at higher rates than their peers. Tennessee is the first state in the nation to offer all citizens, both high school graduates and adults, the chance to earn a postsecondary degree or certificate tuition-free.
 
Those interested in applying for Tennessee Reconnect can do so by following these 4 simple steps:
 

• Complete the application at TNReconnect.gov;

• Apply to a local community college or eligible Tennessee Reconnect institution;

• File the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at http://FAFSA.ed.gov;

• And enroll in a degree or certificate program at least part-time.

 
To be eligible for Tennessee Reconnect, a student must not already hold an associate or bachelor’s degree, must be a Tennessee resident for at least one year, and be determined as an independent student on the FAFSA.
 
For additional information about how to get involved with Tennessee Reconnect, click here.
 
 

With the start of national Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) urges Tennessee drivers to “Put It In Park” and commit to safer driving habits by putting away their smart phones, cellular devices, and any distraction that could take a driver’s attention away from the road.
 
While the use of technology behind the wheel is an increasingly common cause of distracted driving incidents across the country and Tennessee, distracted driving can be created by anything that diverts a driver’s attention away from the road and the inherently dangerous task of driving.  
 
“Drivers face distractions beyond texting on a smart phone,” said TDCI Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak. “Distractions can include looking after children or pets, eating, reading, applying makeup, or playing with the radio. By raising awareness about the larger dangers of distracted driving, I hope to prevent a potentially tragic accident from occurring.”
 
In addition to the tragic loss of life caused by distracted driving, distracted driving is contributing to the rise in auto insurance premiums. The higher the accident rate, the more claims insurers have to pay. In turn, insurers transfer these costs to customers in the form of higher premiums, often based on information about traffic violations and accidents from driving records. From 2004 to 2009, the national average expenditures for auto insurance rates went down every year (from $843 in 2004 to $787 in 2009), according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. As technology has become more prevalent, the average expenditures for auto insurance rates increased in 2010 – for the first time in five years. Since then, expenditures have gone up every year. Average expenses for auto insurance in 2015 were $889, up nearly 12 percent from 2007.
 
Tennessee has been affected as well. The cumulative average increase of the largest 10 carriers in Tennessee during 2010-2013 was 17.82 percent. But the cumulative average climbed to 24.44 percent from 2014-2017 which is likely attributable to the rise of distracted driving and drivers increased usage of technology.
 
As a reminder to drivers, the department is sharing the following tips that drivers should always remember before getting behind the wheel.

• Start sober. Don’t get behind the wheel while impaired — whether it’s due to exhaustion, medicine, alcohol or recreational drugs. Drunk/impaired drivers are responsible for approximately 10,000 fatalities a year.
• When you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle, don’t use your phone. That means no texts, no social media, no videos, no photos or anything – except driving.
• If using your phone’s navigation, plan a safe route before taking the car out of park.
• Pick your tunes, podcast, station or playlist, and set at a volume that allows you to focus on your driving.
• Parents, be a good example to your children. Put your phones away.
• Teens, speak up if your friends are driving distracted or unsafely in any way.
• Ask passengers to help you focus on the road and their safety.
• Obey speed limits, and keep your eyes on the road.

Cannon County native Matthew Daniel was announced this morning as Economics/Personal Finance Teacher and Head Football Coach at Cannon County High School for the 2018-2019 School Year.  Director of Schools William F. Curtis said, “Mathew is an outstanding and award-winning teacher, a person of excellent character, and a very good high school football coach.”
 
He transferred from CCHS in 2008 and coached in Georgia at three different winning programs and was nominated for Teacher of the Year.  We are truly blessed that he desired to return to his home county. Daniel met with players and parents prior to the announcement.
 
Cannon County High School Principal Mike Jones recommended Daniel to Curtis on April 4th and he accepted his recommendation. 
 

Rutherford and Cannon Counties’ former top crime fighter, District Attorney General Bill Whitesell, recently made his choice in the race for Circuit Court Judge.
Today, the former long-time and universally respected District Attorney publically endorsed Republican candidate for Circuit Court Judge Nathan Nichols. Nichols will be on the May 1, 2018 Republican Primary ballot.
Nichols served as a prosecutor in Whitesell’s office during his administration and, in making his endorsement, Whitesell said, “I selected Nathan Nichols as an assistant district attorney because of his dedication to the protection of our community. He genuinely cares about crime victims and their families and has always treated them with compassion and respect.”
While working for Whitesell, Nichols served as a felony prosecutor in Circuit Court and was previously appointed Rutherford County’s chief child sexual and physical abuse prosecutor. Whitesell said Nichols’ service as the County’s child abuse prosecutor, a position many consider to be the most difficult in the District Attorney’s Office, is a “testament to his love for this community and dedication to its safety.”
Whitesell served as an assistant district attorney general for almost 15 years before being named Rutherford and Cannon Counties’ District Attorney in 1995 by Republican Governor Don Sundquist. He was elected, without opposition, to the position in 1996 and was unopposed for re-election in 1998 and 2006. Whitesell retired in 2014 and also served as past president of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference and was also the agency’s Executive Director in 2015.
From our news partner, www.wgnsradio.com