News

The TN Council on Developmental Disabilities is pleased to announce a fiscal year 2020 COVID-19 Special Funding initiative through June 30, 2020.

Individuals with disabilities, families of people with disabilities, and disability non-profit organizations are encouraged to apply for one-time grants to use technology in innovative ways to support people with disabilities to continue their leadership development and help with connecting people with disabilities during the social distancing for COVID-19.  

Funds must be used to meet the needs of people with disabilities and/or their families by doing one or several of the following: promoting their health and well-being; providing opportunities for leadership development; creating activities that follow social distancing guidelines, and engagement with family, friends, and peers; decreasing anxiety due to social distancing; or increasing positive shared experiences.  

Activity categories that will be considered for funding:  

• Activities that target stress and anxiety reduction due to social distancing (e.g. technology for virtual visiting, facilitation of peer support groups)
• Adapting to COVID-19 (e.g., managing work and school at home, staying connected with family and friends)
• Meaningful virtual engagement during social distancing:
  • Arts and culture (e.g., classes teaching arts and crafts skills, remote performances, gardening while you’re home, cooking and meal prep)
  • Education and leadership activities (e.g., hosting speakers on topics about disability issues or the history of the disability movement, training on various technology devices or skills for self-advocates)
  • Health, fitness, and wellness (e.g., yoga, dance, aerobics; mindfulness and meditation; music or art classes)
• Other items needed for people experiencing social isolation
• Other items to support people’s access to health care during the COVID-19 outbreak (e.g., teaching a class on telehealth, developing a resource to explain COVID-19 and how to stay healthy)

Funding will be based on review of the application, but approval amounts are based on general funding levels approved for the Scholarship Fund which are $500 per individual, $1,000 per family, and $1,500 per agency. The funding is reimbursement only. Priority is given to individuals with disabilities and family members, especially those in rural areas.

Submit applications by 05/30/2020 by filling out this online application or downloading an application in a Word document and emailing to Alicia.cone@tn.gov.

County Executive Brent Bush has proclaimed April 11^th as “Cannon County’s Day of Prevention”. The proclamation is to recognize the combined efforts of the community, by way of public policies, strategies and resources that work to prevent substance abuse and suicides that has devastated families in our county.

Substance abuse prevention is an important component of the county’s comprehensive approach to behavioral health. Working together we can strengthen prevention efforts throughout the county.

The problem of substance abuse creates other community issues, such as mental health, physical health, domestic violence, human trafficking, child abuse, increased crime and other associated issues.

Many in the community have recognized that investing in substance abuse prevention is important and have become members of the Cannon County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (CCSAPC). One of the best investments we can make in our county’s future is to join forces to help build a safer, healthier, drug-free community. The CCSAPC is supported by local education, students, law enforcement, healthcare providers, media, businesses and concerned citizens.

Since we are currently under a stay-at-home Executive Order from our Governor, the activities that were planned cannot take place. These events and educational classes will be presented in the near future. However, we can take this day to search our hearts and make a personal commitment that we will come together to help educate, energize and empower Cannon Countians to do what they can to get involved and reverse the trends of deadly drug overdoses and suicides.

If you would like to learn more about this community-level effort or how you can help in the effort to save lives and build a better community, contact us at 615-542-8443 or e-mail at cannoncoalition@gmail.com .

Easter is this weekend. With COVID-19 most houses of worship are honoring the Governor’s Stay at Home guideline.

Cannon County’s Radio Station invites you to enjoy your Easter with any of the local churches sharing their message on the air.

Woodbury First Baptist Church will conduct a sunrise service at 6:30 (for broadcast)

Hillview church of Christ 8:15am

Pleasant Ridge church of Christ 8:30am

First United Methodist Church of Woodbury 9:00am

Woodbury church of Christ 9:30am

Woodbury First Baptist Church 10:35am

Wood church of Christ 11:35am

Plainview Baptist Church (following noon news)

Hillview church of Christ 2:30pm

The remainder of our schedule on Sundays (6am – 6pm) is filled with Bill Gaither’s Homecoming Radio.

Murfreesboro Police Department Criminal Investigations Division detectives are investigating the circumstances that lead to the shooting death of a Woodbury man in Murfreesboro Thursday evening, April 9.

Officers were dispatched to a residence in the 1100 block of N. Rutherford Blvd. around 8:30 p.m. to reports of a shooting.  Upon arrival they found the victim, Stephen R. Lopez, Jr., 30, deceased. 

The suspect, James E. Evans, III, 27, was detained and subsequently taken for evaluation.  He will be served with a warrant for second-degree murder.

Evans and Lopez were acquaintances.

The investigation is on-going.

Today, Governor Bill Lee provided an update on Tennessee’s efforts regarding COVID-19 relief.

Gov. Lee’s daily press conferences can be viewed live this week Monday through Thursday at 3 p.m. CDT here. Gov. Lee has also established a website specific to COVID-19 updates which can be found here.

Key Updates

Education – Virtual Learning

The Department of Education has established a partnership with PBS stations across the state to offer 1st through 8th grade students up to 30 hours of instructional lessons a week. This instruction is made possible by Tennessee teachers teaching with Tennessee curriculum. More information, broadcast schedules, student and teacher packets and access to past shows is available here.

The state has also worked to ensure there is support for early literacy through a partnership with an early education app, ReadyRosie, which provides short videos and free resources on topics like literacy and math for Tennessee families with children from birth to 3rd grade. Additional information can be found here.

With the passage of the federal funding through the CARES Act, the Department is preparing to deploy one-time relief funds to school districts as soon as the funding becomes available. Federal funds will support meal preparation and distribution, extended learning opportunities for all students, internet and hardware accessibility, and student needs related to homeless and high mobility populations. 

Partnership with Nextdoor

Tennessee is partnering with Nextdoor to provide official, real-time information to Tennesseans about the state’s response to COVID-19.

The partnership will allow us to reach thousands of neighborhoods with critical information during this unprecedented time.

All Tennessee neighbors on Nextdoor will automatically receive messages. If you’re not on Nextdoor, but interested in joining your Nextdoor neighborhood, you can visit Nextdoor.com to download the free app.

Current Department of Health Testing Results (as of 2 p.m. 4/9)

Confirmed Cases	Hospitalizations	Fatalities	Recovered	Total Tests
4,634	505	94	921	59,849

For more information on COVID-19 in Tennessee, please visit the Tennessee Department of Health’s website here.

Today, Governor Bill Lee provided an update on Tennessee’s efforts regarding COVID-19 relief.

Gov. Lee’s daily press conferences can be viewed live this week Monday through Thursday at 3 p.m. CDT here. Gov. Lee has also established a website specific to COVID-19 updates which can be found here.

Key Updates

Unemployment Relief

To support the self-employed and ensure they gain access to unemployment benefits during this hard time, The Department of Labor and Workforce Development is currently reprograming Jobs4TN.gov to accommodate the federal program, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and the new $600 weekly federal benefit.

The Department is working diligently to make these changes as quickly as possible so Tennesseans can start receiving both the state and the federal payment.

If you are self-employed or an unemployed worker and you have already submitted a claim, you do not need to reapply. All Tennesseans receiving unemployment or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance will automatically receive the weekly $600 federal benefit, in addition to their unemployment benefit.

Health Care Surge Capacity Staffing

As Tennessee builds surge capacity, one of the most important components is ensuring we have qualified health care workers in the event that COVID-19 cases overload our hospitals.

In March, Gov. Lee issued an executive order to help procure qualified medical personnel. That executive order loosens restrictions around retired medical professionals and temporarily suspsends continuing education requirements for health care workers.

Retired and furloughed health care workers are encouraged to sign up through the Department of Health portal if they are willing to serve. So far, over 800 health care personnel have engaged with us.

Administration Actions

HealthStream

Unified-Command, through their work with Launch Tennessee, has developed a public-private partnership with HealthStream. HealthStream is a publicly traded, Tennessee company that provides education resources for 80% of hospitals in the country. 

HealthStream has offered its learning platform, COVID training content, and HealthStream employee support – free to the state – to facilitate the launch of these Alternative Healthcare Facilities for our surge planning. 

HealthStream has a tremendous reputation and we believe that their generous offer to make training resources free to the professionals, volunteers, and returning healthcare workers that will be staffing the Alternative Healthcare Facilities is going to ensure high-quality care is delivered. 

Abbott COVID-19 Testing

At the end of March, Abbott announced the development of a new rapid COVID-19 test on the ID Now Machine. These rapid, point of care tests show a positive COVID-19 result in as little as 5 minutes and a negative COVID-19 result in about 13 minutes.

The development and implementation of this technology will help states across the country test more people, faster and chip away at the testing backlog. Yesterday, the CDC provided our state health lab with one ID Now machine and 120 initial tests. We are actively working to get more tests and maximize this technology.

In addition to the state lab getting access to rapid, point of care tests, private providers in Tennessee are gaining access to this cutting-edge technology.

American Family Care operates clinics across Middle Tennessee and is deploying the use of ID Now at their clinics and has the capacity to test close to 4,000 Tennesseans. The aggressive efforts of the private sector have helped make our state a leader in testing.

Executive Order 25

Today, Gov. Lee signed Executive Order 25, which extends the postponement of elective medical and dental procedures until April 30, 2020. The order:

• Helps ensure that PPE is preserved, and community spread through close medical interaction is limited during the upcoming weeks in which cases/hospitalizations are expected to increase;
• Expands EO18 to more specifically cover all procedures that are elective and non-urgent and can be delayed until after the Order without risking serious adverse consequences to a patient; and
• Limits attendance at surgeries and invasive procedures to essential personnel to preserve PPE to the greatest extent possible.

The text of the order can be found here.

Current Department of Health Testing Results (as of 2 p.m. 4/8)

Confirmed Cases	Hospitalizations	Fatalities	Recovered	Total Tests
4,362	449	79	592	56,618

The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties has launched a new website aimed at helping local residents contend with the financial effects of COVID-19.

The site, www.RutherfordCannonRelief.com, serves as a single source for those who are able to donate, as well as up-to-date resources and tools for families and individuals who have been directly affected financially.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created one of the most challenging times we’ve faced as a community,” said Meagan Flippin, President and CEO of United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties. “Many of our friends and neighbors have lost their jobs or had their hours cut back, and there’s so much uncertainty about when things will go back to normal.

“Many who are impacted by this crisis have never had to tap into external resources to meet basic needs like food and housing. That’s why we launched this website, along with our COVID-19 relief fund—to help support our neighbors in need,” Flippin said.

United Way’s COVID-19 relief fund is specifically for individuals and families who are experiencing financial hardship as a result of this crisis. Donations can be made by visiting www.RutherfordCannonRelief.com or texting COVIDRELIEF to 41444.

100% of funds received for COVID-19 relief will be used for:

• “ALICE” (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families with children
• Workers with reduced wages
• People who do not have the resources they need to stay safe and well
• People who need up-to-date information on how to connect to resources
• People who need assistance with basic human services/needs
• Other target areas, as assessed

“For those who need immediate help, United Way has resources available right now. You can call 2-1-1 to be connected with someone who can direct you to the assistance you need,” Flippin said.

2-1-1 is a community services help line where callers speak to a specialist who is trained to help assess needs, and then provide phone numbers and addresses of the closest places where help is available. This includes a database of more than 10,000 health and human services programs. All calls are free and completely confidential.

Murfreesboro attorney Jo Atwood has announced her candidacy for election to the Circuit Court Judge position for the 16^th Judicial District Part IV.      

A 33-year veteran of the legal profession, Jo has been well known in the legal community for her integrity, fairness, and common-sense legal advice and counsel.  She has been a leader and pioneer in Rutherford and Cannon Counties, both in building her law practice serving the civil legal needs of families and small businesses, as well as leading by example as a pioneer for female attorneys in Middle Tennessee.  If elected, Jo would be the first female Circuit Court Judge in the 16^th Judicial District, representing Rutherford and Cannon Counties.   

Jo’s Tennessee roots and work ethic run deep, having been born and raised on a farm in middle Tennessee. She knows the value of hard work – she grew up milking cows, shearing sheep, showing cattle, commercial egg producing and processing – and has applied that work ethic in serving her clients while building her law practice – and would apply that same work ethic to serving as a Circuit Court Judge.

Throughout her life, Jo has been a compassionate and open-minded leader in the Rutherford and Cannon County communities.  She has served as a Board member for the Chamber of Commerce and the YMCA and as the Chairman of United Way and Main Street.  Jo is active in her church, especially the Amazing Grace class at North Boulevard Church of Christ.  She has had a passion for serving as a role model for young women in the workplace and has been a regular speaker at conferences and events in middle Tennessee and beyond.

Jo is married to Mike Tobitt.  Mike played baseball at MTSU under Coach Stanford and currently teaches and coaches at Siegel Middle School. Jo has one son, Wesley Tobitt, who lives in Tampa, Florida and has followed in his father’s footsteps as a teacher and baseball coach.  Wesley is married to Allyssa, is Chief Operating Officer at a Sarasota Hospital.

Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced $200 million in grants to be distributed to every county and city government across Tennessee for one-time, local expenses in fiscal year 2021.

“Capital maintenance, public safety and road projects don’t pause for disasters like the March tornadoes and the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Gov. Lee. “This grant fund will ease the burden on local governments as they work to meet infrastructure and safety obligations.”

According to the funding charts released with the announcement, the following dollars can be available to:

Cannon County: $ 612,150.00, Woodbury $ 92,895.00 and Auburntown: $ 35,782.00 for a total of $ 740,827.00.

Funding is based on population as published by the US Census Bureau. Each county will receive at least $500,000, and each city or municipality will receive at least $30,000. The three Metro governments (Davidson, Moore and Trousdale) will receive one allocation, whichever is largest. The application will be made available by April 30, 2020, and the funds will be made available after July 1, 2020.

Funds may be used for road projects, I.T. upgrades, capital maintenance, utility system upgrades, and public safety projects. Certain disaster-related expenses are also eligible for funding.

One-time expenses related to COVID-19 are eligible including supply and equipment purchase, cleaning, emergency food and shelter programs. Counties impacted by the March 2020 tornadoes including Benton, Carroll, Davidson, Gibson, Putnam, Smith, and Wilson counties may also use the funds for tornado relief efforts.

Cannon County Schools announce that effective on April 6^th, 2020 that Meals will be distributed on Mondays ONLY from 9 AM to 10 AM.   Instructional packets will also be distributed to Cannon County Elementary students during this time.  Cannon County Schools remain CLOSED through April 24^th, 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns. 

“Grab-and-Go” Breakfasts and Lunches will be distributed on Mondays with Breakfasts and Lunches provided for 5 days.  Cannon County Schools ask that parents/guardians please follow the instructions for traffic flow at each school and these are posted on the Cannon County Schools website at www.ccstn.net – click on the Meals-2-Go Tab at the top of the page.  Cannon County Schools asks that participates DO NOT EXIT THEIR VEHICLE – No “Walk-ups” are allowed for the protection of School Employees.

The distribution of children’s meals will be on each Monday following from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM on this day ONLY.  Meals will be provided until Cannon County Schools are back in session.  The location of the meal distribution sites are:

·        Auburn School, 150 Vantrease Avenue, Auburntown;

·        Short Mountain School, 5988 Short Mountain Road, Woodbury;

·        West Side School, 3714 Murfreesboro Road, Readyville;

·        Woodbury Grammar School, 530 West Adams Street, Woodbury and

·        Woodland School, 8383 Jim Cummings Highway, Bradyville.

Cannon County High School is NOT a feeding site, however, ANY Cannon County High School Student can pick up meals at ANY Elementary School in Cannon County!

Because of the COVID-19 concerns, Cannon County Schools desire to provide nutritious meals to the children of Cannon County during this school closure.  If you have specific questions or concerns please contact Cannon County Food Service Supervisor Jennifer Insell at 629-201-4809 – Email at Jennifer.Insell@ccstn.net or Cannon County Schools ESP Coordinator Lisa Black at 629-201-4805 – Email at Lisa.Black@ccstn.net.  Please leave a voice mail or Email.