The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) partnered with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), Middle Tennessee State University’s (MTSU) Forensic Science Laboratory, and AAA to offer the very first, “Advanced Drug-Impairment Assessment through Physiology and Toxicology” (ADAPT) course in the country. The ADAPT course is designed to further the knowledge of law enforcement Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) regarding the effects of legal and illegal substances on the human body and driver impairment after consumption. DREs who complete the course become better equipped to serve as expert court witnesses by offering stronger testimonies during the prosecution of impaired drivers. Currently, the THSO has certified 270 law enforcement officers as DREs in Tennessee, while training approximately 40 new DREs each year.

“The THSO is proud to offer this training to help reduce impaired driving across Tennessee roadways,” said THSO Director Buddy Lewis. “We appreciate the TBI, MTSU, and AAA for their partnership in educating officers to save lives and protect our communities.”

The class of 94 students consisted of representatives from 16 municipal law enforcement agencies, six county agencies, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP). Presenters included the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference, Tennessee Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutors, the TBI, and the THSO.

Course training modules featured Joe Abrusci, Eastern Region DRE Coordinator for the International Association of Chiefs of Police; MTSU Assistant Professor Dr. Kiel Ormerod; and several TBI toxicologists including Melinda Quinn and JaQueya Ogilvie.

Modules included the following topics: Anatomy and Physiology of the Brain, CNS Depressants, CNS Stimulants, Pharmacology and Effects of THC in Marijuana, Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs, Esoteric Drugs and Emerging Drug Trends, Oral Fluid Testing, and Working with DREs in Court.

Tennessee farmers, agriculture officials, legislators, 4-H members, and FFA members gathered today with citizens from across the state for Ag Day on the Hill in Nashville. The event coincides with National Agriculture Week and recognizes the farmers and forestland owners who are dedicated to feeding, building, clothing, and fueling our world.

Governor Bill Lee kicked off the day with a proclamation for Ag Day to recognize the abundance provided by agriculture. In Tennessee, ag-related industries employee 324,000 people and infuse $81 billion into our economy.

“Today we celebrated the dedication of farmers and foresters,” Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, D.V.M. said. “It was a great time for the ag industry to be together and showcase Tennessee’s number one industry. I am a fifth-generation dairy farmer, so the milking contest was an enjoyable part of today’s festivities.”

This year’s Ag Day on Hill spotlighted the dairy industry. Members of state legislature and state executive leadership squared off in a milking contest. Today’s winners were the executive branch team who earned a commemorative award and bragging rights. The Farm and Forest Families of Tennessee organization presented a $1,000 check in honor of the milking contest winners to the Shooting Hunger Backpack program.

Ag Day on the Hill featured a variety of events and exhibits, livestock displays, and many representatives from the agriculture and forest industries.

For the first time in several weeks, the Tennessee gas price average saw a weekly decline. As a result, Tennesseans are starting to find some much needed relief at the pump as state gas prices fell nearly eight cents, on average, over the course of last week. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $4.04 which is 75 cents more expensive than one month ago and $1.35 more than one year ago.  

“Tennessee gas prices are slowly beginning to trend downward, mostly due to a decline in crude oil prices,” said Megan Cooper, spokeswoman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “If oil prices continue to drop this week, pump prices will likely follow suit. However, it’s important to remember that the oil market remains extremely volatile. Any big swings in crude oil pricing, in either direction, will continue to factor into local pump prices.”

Quick Facts

• 53% of Tennessee gas stations have prices below $4.00 
• The lowest 10% of pump prices are $3.82 for regular unleaded 
• The highest 10% of pump prices are $4.27 for regular unleaded

National Gas Prices

After hitting a record $4.33 on March 11, the national average for a gallon of gasoline has fallen to $4.25. The primary reason is the lower global price of crude oil, which peaked shortly after Russia launched its war in Ukraine, but is now more than $20 lower and hovering near $105/bbl. Domestically, gasoline demand is defying seasonal trends and has dipped slightly, perhaps in response to higher prices at the pump.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gasoline stocks fell by 3.6 million bbl to 241 million bbl last week. Gasoline demand also decreased slightly from 8.96 million b/d to 8.94 million b/d. The drop in gas demand is contributing to price decreases, but the recent reversal in oil prices is creating downward pressure on pump prices. If the oil price continues to decline, pump prices will likely follow suit. However, should oil prices start to climb again, pump prices will likely follow.

Today’s national average for a gallon of gas is $4.25, which is seven cents less than a week ago, 72 cents more than a month ago, and $1.37 more than a year ago.

Drivers can find current gas prices along their route with the free AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad, and Android. The app can also map a route, find discounts, book a hotel, and access AAA roadside assistance. Learn more at AAA.com/mobile.

Tennessee Regional Prices 

• Most expensive metro markets – Knoxville ($4.12), Morristown ($4.11), Nashville ($4.08)
• Least expensive metro markets – Chattanooga ($3.99), Cleveland ($3.99), Memphis ($4.00) 

MMC Pediatrics presents the Third Annual Storybook Breakfast fundraising event. Rutherford County’s youngest residents will have the chance to dine with their favorite storybook characters from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library on Saturday, April 9, 2022, at Cannonsburgh Village right here in Murfreesboro.  

This year’s event will be held outdoors and include breakfast from Chick-Fil-A and Dunkin’ Donuts, Imagination Library story time, photo opportunities with storybook characters and more to make the ultimate fun-filled day for all families! Proceeds from the Storybook Breakfast benefit Imagination Library recipients in Rutherford and Cannon Counties. 

“United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties provides half of the funding for local Imagination Library books to be sent out at no cost to the families enrolled,” explains United Way Director of Strategic Initiatives, Ella Weaver. “Fundraisers like Storybook Breakfast are important because they allow us to continue enriching lives through the local Imagination Library program and provide special memories for children in our community.”

United Way works in conjunction with Imagination Library to deliver books to approximately 17,000 Rutherford and Cannon County children ages birth to five every month to better prepare them for preschool and kindergarten. This early literacy program helps develop positive social-emotional and behavioral skills, along with creating a consistent parent-child bonding experience through the love of books. 

With your support of our local Imagination Library, you are setting up Rutherford and Cannon County children for success. MMC Pediatrician, Amanda Gammel, D.O., shares that along with igniting creativity into young minds, regular interactive reading through Imagination Library can also: 

• Develop communication skills, patience, and literacy
• Grow curiosity and memory
• Create bonding and strengthen relationships

MMC Pediatrician, Aaron Ward, M.D., discusses MMC Pediatrics’ continued partnership. “As pediatricians we promote the health and development of children. By supporting an early literacy program like Imagination Library, we are able to make an impact on the early development and academic success of children in our community. In addition to the educational benefits, early literacy programs, through caregiver-child interaction, provide healthy together time for families and create greater emotional closeness among families.”

Tickets for the event are $15 per person, with a $60 household maximum and can be purchased at yourlocaluw.org/storybook 

For more information about sponsoring the Storybook Breakfast, contact Casey Warren at casey.warren@yourlocaluw.org or 615-893-7303.

The Tennessee Department of Education has released additional resources about the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) to explain how the proposed student-based public education funding formula meets each student’s needs, funds students for success, and encourages transparency and accountability.

Starting in the 2023-24 school year, the TISA would invest an estimated $9 billion in education funding for the state, including state and local funds, which would include an additional recurring state investment of $1 billion. The TISA is designed to empower each student to read proficiently by third grade, prepare each high school graduate for postsecondary success, and provide resources needed to all students to ensure they succeed.

“The Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement would recognize and fund the needs of each individual Tennessee student while providing parents and families with detailed information on how their child is being funded through a student-based public school funding formula, which will put each student on a path to success and increase transparency in our education system,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn.

Many helpful resources are available at FundingforStudentSuccess.org including:  

·         Additional TISA By the Numbers: This PowerPoint provides a detailed breakdown of figures related to Tennessee education, the public engagement process and the proposed new student-based formula. 

·         Outcomes and Accountability: This overview provides details on how student-based funding encourages reporting and acknowledges student growth and improvement. 

·         Funding for Each Student’s Needs Video: Hear from members of the 18 funding review subcommittees on how the TISA will fund each student’s needs. 

Last fall, Governor Lee announced the state would review its public school funding formula. The Tennessee Department of Education and the General Assembly convened 18 funding subcommittees, organized a legislative steering committee, and provided over 1,000 opportunities for the public to engage, including 16 public town halls and local match conversations across the state. This January, Gov. Lee and Commissioner Schwinn released a draft framework for the new student-based K-12 funding formula, which incorporated input from thousands of Tennesseans.

To learn more about student-based funding, Tennessee’s recent public engagement process and subcommittee recommendations, and to access additional resources, visit the department’s website. 

The top girls and boys basketball players in six classifications of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association were honored by being named the winners of the 2022 Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards. The awards presentation took place on the floor of Murphy Center on the campus of MTSU today.

Cannon County’s Gus Davenport was announced as the Mr. Basketball for Division I, Class AA. This is a first for the Lions program.

A statewide committee of sportswriters selected the winners based on performance during the 2021-2022 regular season. Academics and character were also taken into consideration. High school head basketball coaches and members of the media nominated the finalists.

“This is such an outstanding honor for all 36 of the young men and women recognized this evening at the Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards,” said Bernard Childress, Executive Director of the TSSAA. “They were here not only due to their athletic ability that they displayed on the court throughout the season, but just as much for their outstanding character and academic achievements.”

This was the 37^th year that the Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards have been presented to Tennessee’s best high school basketball players.

2022 MISS BASKETBALL WINNERS

Division II Class A
Olivia Lee, Trinity Christian

Division II Class AAJaloni Cambridge, Ensworth

Division I Class 1A Savannah Davis, McKenzie

Division I Class 2A Karly Weathers, Loretto

Division I Class 3A Brooklyn Crouch, Upperman

Division I Class 4A Jennifer Sullivan, Bearden

2022 MR. BASKETBALL WINNERS

Division II Class A Mr. Basketball Tyler Byrd, Tipton-Rosemark

Division II Class AA Mr. Basketball Chandler Jackson, Christian Brothers

Division I Class 1A Mr. Basketball Grant Strong, Clay County

Division I Class 2A Mr. Basketball Gus Davenport, Cannon County

Division I Class 3A Mr. Basketball Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Greeneville

Division I Class 4A Miss Basketball Brandon Miller, Cane Ridge

Many Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE) members have experienced financial hardships related to the pandemic, while recently facing higher electric bills due to colder than normal temperatures and higher fuels costs from the Tennessee Valley Authority.
 
In response to these hardships, MTE’s charitable foundation SharingChange has stepped up to provide energy assistance to members needing help. Since Oct. 1, 2021, SharingChange has provided $25,000 in energy assistance funding for members in Cannon, Rutherford, Williamson and Wilson counties.

The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Community Care Program has matched these funds to bring the total energy assistance funding for MTE members to $50,000.
 
“Middle Tennessee Electric exists to serve our members,” said MTE CEO Chris Jones, “and this funding has been awarded to local non-profit agencies across the MTE service area to help those who need it most.”

Conservative DeKalb County businessman and farmer Michael Hale has obtained a petition to potentially run in the Republican Primary for the Tennessee House of Representatives in House District 40. Hale, and his wife Tara, own and operate DeKalb Funeral Chapel in Smithville and raise Simmental cattle at their family farm. House District 40 is currently represented by 14-year incumbent, and Smith County resident, Terri Lynn Weaver.

“Service has always been an important part of my life-through my family, my church, my business, and my community,” said Hale, “and I am prayerfully considering this opportunity to serve as State Representative. I am an outsider and believe strongly that we need common sense, conservative citizens to step forward and bring a fresh approach to the challenges we face. I am a proud Christian, husband, father, small business owner, and Republican, and look forward to hearing from voters in DeKalb, Smith, Cannon, Jackson and Wilson County as I consider this campaign.”

Michael and Tara Hale are lifelong residents of the 40^th District and have been married for nearly 26 years. They are the proud parents of Kayla (Chad) Harvey, Jaley Hale and Maddox Hale and attend New Life UPC in Smithville.

Source: media release

Under the new re-districting plan approved by the Tennessee General Assembly, Cannon County will be in the House of Representatives 40th District.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), in partnership with TennGreen Land Conservancy, has announced the addition of five acres of property adjacent to Cedars of Lebanon State Park and Natural Area in Wilson County.

“This is an opportunity for the state to add a small piece of protected land in a region that has seen increased development,” said Roger McCoy, director of TDEC’s Division of Natural Areas. “It further protects a great natural resource in our state, and we are grateful for the partnership with TennGreen Land Conservancy to make this addition possible.”

TDEC found the property for sale last year and requested TennGreen to work with the department to make the purchase. It was the state’s second collaboration on land acquisition in recent weeks. In February, TDEC, TennGreen and the Open Space Institute announced the acquisition of 358 acres known as Piney River Bluffs in Rhea County to expand the Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park.

The acquisition at Cedars of Lebanon expands the Cedars of Lebanon State Park boundary and enhances protection of the area’s unique habitat with rare and endangered species.

The TDEC Division of Natural Areas is dedicated to the protection and management of native plants, animals and natural communities across Tennessee. Along with managing a statewide system of natural areas, the division is a lead authority regarding the location and ecology of the state’s rare species.

Cedars of Lebanon State Park is part of the Cedars of Lebanon State Forest, named for the eastern red cedar trees found throughout the area. The trees reminded early American settlers of the Biblical cedar forests that thrived across Mount Lebanon in what is now the Mediterranean region. 

TennGreen Land Conservancy (formerly the Tennessee Parks & Greenways Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit and the oldest accredited statewide land conservancy in Tennessee.

The Tennessee Department of Education released additional Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) resources explaining how the proposed student-based public school funding formula will update the way Tennessee funds public education for the first time in over 30 years.

Starting in the 2023-24 school year, the TISA would invest an estimated $9 billion in education funding for the state, including state and local funds, which would include an additional recurring state investment of $1 billion. The TISA is designed to empower each student to read proficiently by third grade, prepare each high school graduate for postsecondary success, and provide resources needed to all students to ensure they succeed.

“The Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement would put the funding focus on students and give Tennesseans clear information to understand how districts and schools are using funding to help our students succeed,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn.

Many helpful resources are available at FundingforStudentSuccess.org including:  

·         What is Student-Based Funding?: An animated video gives an overview of a student-based formula and how it would serve Tennessee students. 

·         Subcommittee Recommendations: This presentation provides a snapshot of recommendations collected from each of the 18 subcommittees during the statewide engagement process. 

·         Base Funding: This overview explains how and why student-based funding starts with a base amount for each student. 

·         Funding Weights: This overview explains how students’ individual education needs are supported through funding weights. 

·         Direct Funding: This overview explains how direct funding goes toward specific programs.

Last fall, Governor Lee announced the state would review its public school funding formula. The Tennessee Department of Education and the General Assembly convened 18 funding subcommittees, organized a legislative steering committee, and provided over 1,000 opportunities for the public to engage, including 16 public town halls and local match conversations across the state. This January, Gov. Lee and Commissioner Schwinn released a draft framework for the new student-based K-12 funding formula, which incorporated input from thousands of Tennesseans.

To learn more about student-based funding, Tennessee’s recent public engagement process and subcommittee recommendations, and to access additional resources, visit the department’s website.