News

Tennessee agricultural producers who lost property due to recent natural disasters may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) physical loss loans. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers these low-interest loans to agricultural producers in Wilson County who incurred losses due to tornadoes that occurred on April 25, 2020. Approval is limited to applicants who suffered severe physical losses only, including the loss of buildings and livestock. Applications are due by Jan. 8, 2021.

“Tennessee’s hardworking ag producers feed our neighbors, the nation and the world,” said State Executive Director Mike Mayfield. “When they suffer losses because of extreme weather, helping them get back on their feet is important. We encourage those affected to reach out to their local USDA Service Center to apply for these emergency loans.”

Producers in the contiguous Tennessee counties of Cannon, Davidson, DeKalb, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, and Trousdale, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

Physical loss loans can help producers repair or replace damaged or destroyed physical property essential to the success of the agricultural operation, including livestock losses. Examples of property commonly affected include essential farm buildings, fixtures to real estate, equipment, livestock, perennial crops, fruit and nut bearing trees, and harvested or stored crops and hay.

For more information on FSA disaster assistance programs or to find your local USDA Service Center visit farmers.gov/recover.

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDOSHS) announces how Driver Services Centers will operate beginning May 18. All Driver Services Centers, with the exception of the Shelbyville Driver Services Center remain open and are taking additional precautions to protect the health and safety of customers and our employees. We continue to encourage customers to utilize our e-Services portal to complete numerous transactions such as renewals, duplicates, paying reinstatement fees, and completing the new resident application.We ask the public to be please be patient and understanding as normal services resume.

When visiting a center, all customers are required to:

• Wear a cloth face covering provided by the customer

• Be checked for temperature greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit

• Answer COVID-19 health screening questions

• Distance at least six feet from others when possible

• Not be experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms

• Use the queuing system to receive notifications as they wait in their vehicle if center has reached limited capacity.

Saturday, May 16: Appointment calendars reopen

• The first available appointments for road skills test will be Monday, June 15. Skills tests appointments must be made in the e-Services portal or by calling (866) 849-3548.

• The Driver Services Appointments system re-launches to include 45 Driver Services Centers and expand appointment services to New Resident, Knowledge Test, Reinstatement (at select centers), and Driver Services (for all other transactions). The first available appointments will be Tuesday, May 26.

Monday, May 18: Select services begin

• Rescheduled skills tests for customers whose appointments were canceled between March 12 and May 15 will begin and be completed by June 8. The Driver Services staff will contact these customers to reschedule skills tests.

• Knowledge tests will be available at all full-service centers. Tests will be available by appointment beginning May 26. Testing will also be offered on select Saturdays between June 13 and August 22. More information will be posted to tn.gov/safety. Information on Proof of school attendance can be found here if schools are closed due to COVID-19.

• New Tennessee residents and new drivers should complete the Driver License Application online before visiting a Driver Services Center. The application is available in the e-Services portal and can be completed on a computer or smartphone.

• E-Tickets will re-launch at all Driver Services Center locations. Applicants may place themselves in line up to two hours before visiting a center by requesting an E-Ticket online but is not an appointment.

Monday, June 15: Road skills tests resume

• Skills tests appointments will resume at all full-service Driver Services Centers. Walk-ins will be offered on a limited basis.

Monday, July 6: REAL ID resumes

• The Department will resume issuing REAL IDs on July 6th. The federal government extended the implementation date of REAL ID to October 1, 2021. For more information on REAL ID and required documents, visit www.tnrealid.gov.

Changes the Department has made at the centers:

• Adding protective screens at examiner counters

• Limiting capacity inside centers based on recommended guidelines

• Providing face shields for examiners performing road skills tests

• Following employer guidelines set by the Tennessee Pledge

The Mrs. Annie Cox Memorial Scholarship Committee is proud to announce the awarding of a scholarship to Miss Patty Hatfield and Miss Anna Grace Sissom, Cannon County High School Seniors – Class of 2020, who graduated on May 14^th, 2020.  This scholarship is in memory of longtime educator and beloved Cannon County citizen, Mrs. Annie Cox. The scholarship has been established as an additional financial resource for a student intending to major in Elementary Education who has demonstrated achievement and based on need.  Mrs. Cox was a very special person to all of Cannon County, and appropriately this scholarship honors her “Love for Education and Children, Character, Capability, and Need.”   The scholarship personifies Mrs. Cox’s words,

The Scholarship amount was $250.00 each in which they will use toward their demonstrated need to attend college intending to major in Early Childhood Education.  The Mrs. Annie Cox Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a Cannon County High School Senior that is on track to graduate this year, have an application pending to or acceptance received from a state accredited two or four year college/university, recommendation of a CCHS faculty member, intending to major in Elementary Education, and write a 300 Word Essay entitled, “Why I deserve this scholarship, and why do I want to be an Elementary Teacher?”  

Patty is the daughter of Chris and Missy Hatfield of Readyville. She stated in her essay, which was a part of the scholarship application, “My desire to become a teacher has always been with me since I could remember.  All my teachers have talked about how it’s amazing to see a child finally get something, or to see them get older and mature.” 

Anna Grace is the daughter of Gaylon and Suzette Sissom of Bradyville. She stated in her essay, which was a part of the scholarship application, “At an early age, I developed a sense of knowing that I had been given a special gift in my compassion and love for children.  As a coach for the Cannon County Youth Basketball league…I used leadership skills in order to teach kids to the best of my ability.”

The Mrs. Annie Cox Memorial Scholarship Committee includes: former West Side School Principal – Mr. Ronald D. Basham – Chairman; former West Side Principal and Current Director of Cannon County Schools – Mr. Wm. Freddy Curtis – Secretary; Current West Side Principal – Mrs. Karen King; West Side School Secretary – Mrs. Kathy Simon; and West Side Kindergarten Teacher and long-time colleague of Mrs. Cox – Mrs. Rita Jones. This year – 2020 marks the 11^th year since Mrs. Cox passed away on July 6^th, 2009. 

It is also important to note that Mrs. Cox’s last class she taught before her untimely death graduated in the Class of 2020. Patty Hatfield was in Mrs. Cox’s last class, and Anna Grace Sissom was a young admirer of Mrs. Cox as her mother was Mrs. Cox’s Assistant Basketball Coach at West Side School.  The Committee is honored to denote that each of these young future educators had personal connections to Mrs. Cox.  

There will be a major fundraising efforts by the committee to continue to fund this scholarship and raise awareness to a new generation that did not have the privilege and honor of knowing Mrs. Cox.  The Mrs. Annie Cox Memorial Scholarship Dinner was to have been held in April 2020, but was postponed due to COVID-19.  The Committee desires to do alternate fundraising activities, and more details will be announced about these exciting opportunities to honor the memory of Mrs. Annie Cox at a later date.

As Tennessee continues to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the state’s Economic Recovery Group has announced it will lift capacity restrictions on restaurants and retail to instead focus on social distancing best practices effective May 22 and issue guidelines to facilitate the safe reopening of larger, non-contact attractions on or after May 22. New Tennessee Pledge guidelines will be released early next week. Six counties – Shelby, Madison, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox and Sullivan – may continue to follow individual, county-specific reopening plans created in consultation with State and local health departments.

“Tennesseans have worked incredibly hard to do their part and help slow the spread of COVID-19 so that our state can begin to reopen. Thanks to their continued efforts, we’re able to allow restaurants and retail businesses to operate at greater capacity and large attractions to open in a safe and thoughtful way,” said Governor Bill Lee. “Our state continues to see downward trends in case growth and meets the White House criteria for a phased reopening. This progress has been hard-won, and we can build upon it by reopening while also maintaining common-sense safety measures like mask-wearing and good hygiene. By taking the Tennessee Pledge, our businesses can reopen in a way that protects the health of their customers and employees, and protects the livelihoods of hard-working Tennesseans.”

The new Large Attractions guidance applies to those businesses that can effectively practice social distancing with strong measures to protect both employees and customers, including racetracks, amusement parks, waterparks, theaters and dinner theaters, auditoriums, large museums and more. Restrictions on social gatherings of more than 10 people remain in place for the time being. Updates to Restaurant Guidance will include a lift on capacity restrictions, allowing for increased service as long as social distancing guidelines are adhered to, including 6 feet between tables. 

The updated guidelines come as Tennessee continues to meet the White House state gating criteria for phased reopening. The gating criteria include:

• Symptoms
  • Downward trajectory of influenza-like illnesses (ILI) reported within a 14-day period; AND
  • Downward trajectory of COVID-like syndromic (CLI) cases reported within a 14-day period
• Cases
  • Downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period; OR
  • Downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period (flat or increasing volume of tests)
• Hospitals
  • Treat all patients without crisis care; AND
• Robust testing program in place for at-risk healthcare workers, including emerging antibody testing

Downward trajectory of ILI and CLI cases

Downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period

Downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period

Flat or increasing volume of tests

Hospital capacity remains sufficient to meet the needs of patients, while the state continues to meet the goal of testing 2 percent of the population per month.

The Economic Recovery Group (ERG), composed of 30 leaders from the public and private sector, is crafting guidance to assist businesses in a safe reopening. The industry representatives participating in the ERG collectively represent over 140,000 Tennessee businesses that employ over 2.5M Tennesseans. More information about ERG is available here.

Cannon County High School will conduct a very unique and innovative Graduation Commencement Exercise for the Senior Class of 2020 tonight.  The plan is based on the latest guidance from the Tennessee Department of Education and social distancing guidelines.

Graduates walked the line earlier at the high school, gathering in small groups to minimize contact. A video of the graduation line was produced by DTC Communications.  The final production will premier on the screens at the Moonlite Drive-In tonight at 8:00 pm. Each graduate of the class of 2020 has two car passes for the showing of the ceremony. Seniors will meet at the high school at 7:00 pm and will create the school’s longest processional, leaving the campus at 7:15 pm. 

Cannon County citizens can support the Class of 2020 by lining the route (adhering to social distancing guidelines) along Main Street (Highway 70S) as the Seniors drive from Cannon County High School to the Moonlite Drive-In located at 931 West Main Street. Cannon County’s Radio Station WBRY will be playing the traditional graduation processional song, Pomp and Circumstance, on FM 107.1 and AM 1540.  For those along the route, they are encouraged to turn on their radios and flood the street with music as the graduates make their way through town.   

The viewing of the 2020 Graduation video will start approximately at 8:00 pm. Diplomaswill be handed out after the video showing. All graduates and family members will stay in their vehicles to maintain social distancing during the event.  DTC Communications will be airing the video at the same time it is being aired at the theater on the DTC Facebook page, DTC Communications website – https://dtc3.tv/, and on DTC Channel 3.  WBRY will be broadcasting the audio portion on FM 107.1, AM 1540, and livestream audio online at wbry.com. 

Cannon County High School Principal Courtney Nichols commented, “First, I want to apologize that the end of the Class of 2020’s Senior Year has turned out this way. This is not how any of us wanted this year to end.  Graduation ceremonies will look a little different this year due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Our main goal is to keep Faculty and Staff, Students, Parents and others as safe as possible. The administration at CCHS has contemplated many ideas and suggestions that will make this night very special.”

Eligible Tennesseans can request a ballot to vote absentee by-mail for the Aug. 6 State and Federal Primary and County General election without ever leaving their home.

“Election offices are already accepting absentee by-mail ballot requests for the August election. One of the most popular reasons to vote absentee is being 60 years or older.” said Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “I encourage those voting absentee by-mail this year to make their request now.”

Tennessee state law provides numerous ways to vote absentee by-mail. In addition to a voter being sixty (60) or older, other popular reasons allowed under state law to vote absentee by-mail are as follows:

• The voter will be outside the county where they vote during the early voting period and all day on Election Day.
• The voter or the voter’s spouse is enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited college or university outside the county of registration
• The voter will be unable to vote in person due to service as a juror.
• The voter is hospitalized, ill or physically disabled and because of such condition, cannot vote in person.
• The voter is a caretaker of a person who is hospitalized, ill or disabled
• The voter will be working as a poll official.
• The voter is a member of the military and out of the county where they vote.

For a more exhaustive list of statutory reasons to vote absentee by-mail go to GoVoteTN.com. Voters who meet a reason under Tennessee law to vote absentee by-mail can submit a written request to their local election commission by mail, fax or email. 

Your written request must include:

• Your name
• Address where you live
• Full social security number
• Date of birth
• The address to mail the ballot to, if different than your home address
• For the August election, to receive a primary ballot, you must request either a Republican or Democratic primary ballot. If a party is not specified, you will only receive the general election ballot.
• Which of the qualifying reasons you meet to vote absentee by-mail. For example, I am 60 years old.
• Your signature

While not required, a phone number is recommended in case your election commission needs any additional information.

To submit a request by email, attach a document with all the necessary information and your scanned signature.

Requests must be received by your local election commission no later than seven (7) days before the election. For the Aug. 6 State and Federal Primary and County General Election, complete absentee by-mail requests must be received by July 30.

“I encourage eligible Tennessee voters to take a moment to double-check that they’ve provided all of the required information and to make their request to vote absentee by-mail as soon as possible. By making sure your request is complete and sending it in early, you will not have to worry about missing the upcoming election,” said Tennessee Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins.

For more information about who is eligible to vote absentee by-mail or to find your local election commission, visit GoVoteTN.com.

Students fromCannon County High School joined approximately 342 of their high school peers in Murfreesboro on March 10th, 2020 to express their views on public education in Tennessee at the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA) Student Congress on Policies in Education (SCOPE). The event took place on the Middle Tennessee State University campus.

Attending from Cannon County High School were: Bryndan McCavanagh – 9^th Grade; Nolan Bell – 10th Grade; Hannah Carrier – 11th Grade; and Perry Baird – 12th Grade was unable to attend this year.  They were chaperoned and driven to the event in the Canon County High School Driver’s Education vehicle by Director of Cannon County Schools William F. Curtis.  He stated regarding the SCOPE event, “This group of student representatives from Cannon County High School represented our School System in a very distinguished way.  They had great thoughts about the debate topics and each one contributed to their specific small groups. This is a great group of students, and I look forward to their being a continued asset to the Cannon County Board of Education as student advisors. We are very appreciative to the Cannon County Board of Education for sponsoring these excellent individuals to represent them at this informative training event.”  

Now in its 38th year, SCOPE is designed to give students a voice where public education issues are concerned and to involve young people in finding solutions to the topics that are discussed. Attendees participated in mock school board sessions, where they assumed the roles of school board members, school officials, parents, students and concerned citizens. School board members, superintendents, and educational leaders led the sessions.

Students then chose speakers to represent each of their 16 small groups who went on to take part in full-scale debates on current education issues. This year’s four debate topics and results from the poll were:

1.       Cyberbullying shall be a zero-tolerance offense.

(Agree: 13%, Disagree: 87%)

2.       The Uniform Grading Scale shall be adjusted to the traditional format.

(Agree: 43%, Disagree: 57%)

3.       Students with perfect attendance shall be exempt from final exams.

(Agree: 27%, Disagree: 73%)

4.       The school calendar shall be adjusted to a year-round schedule.

(Agree: 42%, Disagree: 58%)

SCOPE delegates elected 2021 SCOPE officers and they are:

·        President: Drew Piper, Forrest High School, Marshall County

·        1st Vice President: Maya Pound, Center for Creative Arts, Hamilton County

·        2nd Vice President: Kylei Honea, Columbia Central High School, Maury County

The Tennessee School Boards Association was organized in 1939 to provide a united voice in education for local public school boards. In 1953, the State Legislature officially recognized TSBA as the “organization and representative agency of the members of school boards in Tennessee.”

The Tennessee School Boards Association is a service organization to all the state’s school boards. It serves as an advocate for the interests of Tennessee’s public school students and school districts and provides in-service training and assistance for the state’s 983 board of education members of which the Cannon County Board of Education is a member.

The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties was awarded a $10,000 grant from State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship® Company Grant program to support United Way’s new Launch Point program. The State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship Company grant will allow United Way to expand services to low-income families.

Funding will be used to attack the devastating trends of generational poverty by providing a system that allows for a more efficient and effective way to provide holistic care to families. Launch Point brings organizations together to engage and communicate in consistent and continuous productive dialogue, while fostering mutually beneficial collaborations among clients and organizations. The vision is to improve the education, financial stability and well-being of families by providing pathways for success and long-term stability through universal case management.

State Farm supports local communities through Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants and the State Farm Companies Foundation. State Farm’s giving focus includes three areas: safety, community development, and education. For more information on Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants and the State Farm Companies Foundation, visit www.statefarm.com.

Forest landowners who want to establish or enhance their woods and loggers looking to improve harvesting capacity can get financial assistance to enhance forest health and sustainability. Multiple cost share opportunities are currently open for application through the end of May.

“Tennessee’s forest landowners play a significant role in agriculture and forest industries,” Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, D.V.M. said. “Supporting landowners and loggers with forest establishment, improvement, and harvesting operations though these incentive programs helps to ensure our forests remain healthy and productive for generations.”

Financial assistance to landowners and loggers is available through numerous agencies and programs. The Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry (TDF) Area Foresters can help navigate options, eligibility rules, and sign-up periods. Most programs require the recipient to contribute a share of the cost. Each program has different objectives; some emphasize forestland establishment or improvement, while others focus on protection of water quality or wildlife habitat improvement.

“The overall purpose of our financial assistance programs is to encourage landowners to implement forestry practices to ensure sustainable, resilient forests and loggers to implement best management practices during harvesting operations,” TDF Forest Health and Sustainability Unit Leader Nathan Hoover said. “Cost shares can range from covering 50 to 100 percent of costs depending on the practice, and most have a maximum of $15,000 per program, per recipient.”

Forestry programs under the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) promote long-term investments in Tennessee’s forests by providing cost share incentives to qualifying landowners and loggers. The programs support sustainable forest management practices on family forestland for timber, wildlife habitat, clean water, and soil protection by providing incentives for landowners to establish hardwood or softwood forest stands or actively manage existing stands. TAEP is also available for loggers and sawmills to avoid environmental and water quality impacts resulting from timber harvesting. Wood pallet mats, wood and steel skidder bridges, stream-crossing grids, geotextile fabric, and silt fences are among the items eligible for funding.

The Southern Pine Beetle Initiative (SPBI) encourages management of pine forest stands to make them more resilient to beetle infestations. The USDA Forest Service provides financial assistance to landowners and loggers and TDF administers the funds. Similar to TAEP, landowners can apply for cost share to re-establish pine forest stands and improve existing stands. Loggers may be eligible to reduce operational costs associated with harvesting small acreages or long-haul distance to a pine market. Each action helps to lower the risk of Southern Pine Beetle infestation by improving existing pine stands.

Contact your local Area Forester to learn more about these and other financial assistance programs, determine eligibility, apply, and implement a plan. Learn more online at www.tn.gov/agriculture/forests/landowners/financial.

Special Agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have arrested and charged a DeKalb County man accused of firing a gun at law enforcement officers during a pursuit on Wednesday morning.

At the request of 16^th District Attorney General Jennings Jones, TBI Agents began investigating the incident, which started when deputies from the Cannon County Sheriff’s Office attempted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by David Tyler Hutchins (DOB: 12/11/93). Instead of stopping, however, Hutchins fled and fired a handgun at deputies, who returned fire after the pursuit crossed into DeKalb County. Deputies were able to subsequently arrest Hutchins without further incident or injury.

Agents charged Hutchins with two counts of Aggravated Assault on an Officer and one count of Unlawful Carrying or Possession of a Weapon. He was booked into the Cannon County Jail on $60,000 bond.

Sheriff Darrell Young said in a social media post; It’s a good day when officers are safe and bad guy in jail. Thank God that no one was seriously hurt. When an officer gets a shots fired call, every other officer goes to praying. We may have lost a car in the ordeal but the guys are safe at home with their families. Thank you to Dekalb County Sheriff Dept. Tennessee Highway Patrol and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation  for their help. I have a great little team and proud of them all.