The Manchester Board of Education is continuing to work through the process of hiring a new Director of Schools.
During a recent work session school board members used a grading system to help judge each applicant. Board member Lisa Gregory said she didn’t want the grading system to be the exclusive judge of who gets an interview.
The top ranking applicants were Jan Harris, of Huntsville; Sharon Harper of Chattanooga; William Childers, of Grundy County followed by Sharon Edwards.
The next school board meeting is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 8.

The Tennessee Department of Health has been advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that reports of influenza are increasing across the country. TDH officials are asking all Tennesseans who have not yet had their annual flu vaccine to do so immediately, helping to protect themselves and to prevent the spread of the illness to others. CDC and TDH also urge persons with flu-like illnesses who are at risk of severe illness with influenza due to some health conditions to seek care promptly to determine if treatment with influenza antiviral medications are needed. These health conditions include:

• children aged younger than 2 years;
• adults aged 65 years and older;
• persons with chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension alone), renal, hepatic, hematological (including sickle cell disease), metabolic (including diabetes mellitus) or neurologic and neurodevelopment conditions (including disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerve and muscle such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy [seizure disorders], stroke, intellectual disability [mental retardation], moderate to severe developmental delay, muscular dystrophy or spinal cord injury);
• persons with immunosuppression, including that caused by medications or by HIV infection;
• women who are pregnant or postpartum (within two weeks after delivery);
• persons aged younger than 19 years who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy;
• American Indians/Alaska Natives;
• persons who are morbidly obese (i.e., body-mass index is equal to or greater than 40); and
• Residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities.

The CDC estimates there were approximately 19 million influenza-associated visits to clinics and doctors’ offices in the 2014-2015 flu season and 970,000 hospitalizations.

Smokers in Tennessee spend an average of $93,000 over their lifetime on their habit, which is less than in many other states. (placardmonceur/morguefile)

The average smoker in Tennessee will spend $93,000 dollars on his or her habit over a lifetime, according to new data from the personal-finance website WalletHub. Lifetime health-care costs are even higher, at $113,000, and tobacco-addiction specialist Donna Borowski said finding the motivation to quit comes down to very personal reasons. “One of my most favorite tools to use when coaching patients is get them to think about why it would even be important,” she said. “What they’re wanting for themselves around their health, around their future. It begins to gel a little bit more.” While lifetime costs of smoking sound high, the state actually has the seventh-lowest out-of-pocket costs, compared with the rest of the country. For example, New York residents spend more than double that over a lifetime. Much of the variance is attributed to different tobacco taxes between states. WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez said Tennessee is not unlike its neighbors. “So there is still not a lot of taxes on cigarettes. The cost per pack is going to be a lot cheaper than some other states,” she said. “You’ll find that it’s really joined with some similar company here. Most of the top 10 states are all in the South.” For those who want to quit, Borowski said, taking a strategic approach can lead you toward success. “Why are you wanting it? And if we can ground you in that, then let’s talk about what your barriers are and what’s going to motivate you,” she said, “and then, let’s use the medicines – because they work.” Experts also advise smokers trying to quit to take it one day at a time, don’t carry cigarettes with you, and be aware of routine situations that might trigger your urge to smoke. The study is online at wallethub.com.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that parents have a constitutional right to be treated fairly during court proceedings in which they face losing their children but they cannot appeal termination orders on the grounds that their appointed attorneys were ineffective. In criminal cases, defendants have a right to a competent attorney. The court, in its opinion last week, said adopting the same standard in parental termination cases has the potential to drag out court cases for years and cause serious harm to children. Children cannot be adopted until the litigation is over. In its ruling, the court added additional safeguards in the appeals process to make sure that parental rights aren’t wrongfully severed.