The animal-rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has sent a letter to Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves regarding 37 year-old Gregory Scott Hale.
Hale is the man accused of killing, dismembering and cannibalizing the body of 36 year old Lisa Marie Hyder.
Part of the statement reads:
When police arrested Gregory Scott Hale, the reported Satan worshipper confessed to killing, dismembering and cannibalizing the body of 36-year-old Lisa Marie Hyder. PETA wrote a letter to Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves, asking him to place Hale, who is now in Coffee County Jail, on an all-vegan diet. PETA points out that the violent acts for which Hale has been accused are acts that are commonly inflicted upon billions of farmed animals in the U.S. each year. Stressing the link between cruelty to animals and other violent crimes, PETA asserts that in addition to being healthy, cost-efficient, and easy to prepare, vegan meals promote non-violence.
Several correctional facilities have seen vegetarian diets help improve inmate behavior when used as part of a violence-reduction program.
Switching to vegan meals will at least keep the blood off this man’s plate,’ says PETA’s Associate Director. ‘PETA is offering to help Sherriff Graves save lives and public funds by switching prisoners, especially violent ones, to a humane and cost-effective vegan menu. (News source Newschannel 9 Chattanooga)

Cooling fountain at Bonnaroo

Lionel Richie on stage at Bonnaroo in Manchester during Saturday night’s performance.

Six years ago, back in 2008, Kanye West appeared six hours late for his performance at Bonnaroo. In the middle of his act he was basically booed off stage by the fans, which prompted Kanye to aggressively attack the press, Bonnaroo organizers and the crowd for weeks following the show. Friday night he was back and several Bonnaroovians in Manchester were not happy with West and his foul-language rants and comparing himself to John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, calling himself the biggest rock star in the world. As some fans booed his wife Kim Kardashian cheered him on back stage, many people in attendance were asking why Bonnaroo organizers would have him return after the debacle in 2008. A certain number of those watching walked away from the main stage area where West performed. One Manchester resident said his goats sound better. The fans that stayed behind said they enjoyed his performance and that he redeemed himself. On Saturday night those in attendance were excited to see the legendary Lionel Richie. Words used to describe his performance; epic, amazing, fantastic and Lionel is “Rockin the House” at Bonnaroo. Fans were extremely pleased with show Richie put on. Jack White was up next to play the main stage. White is ranked No. 17 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists. Elton John the man who has sold more than 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the worldclosed out the 13th Annual Bonnaroo on Sunday night. 20 years ago John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is now a part of storied history of Bonnaroo.

Visitors to Tennessee Department of Health facilities across the state including Manchester and Tullahoma will see a prominently-displayed public health advisory on electronic cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems. The advisory, originally posted to the TDH website earlier this year, cautions about using the devices or being exposed to secondhand emissions. Electronic cigarettes may emit a variety of chemicals. Most of these emissions have nicotine as a base ingredient, a highly addictive substance that can raise heart rate and blood pressure and damage coronary arteries. Currently there is no government regulation of how much nicotine, or any other unknown chemicals, a manufacturer may put in each electronic cigarette. A growing number of countries have either banned or restricted their use due to possible health risks both for users and for those exposed to second-hand emissions. Since TDH issued the advisory in February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed rules calling for regulation of electronic nicotine devices, including health warnings similar to those required for conventional tobacco cigarettes.

Health officials in Tennessee say they are investigating what could be a new mosquito-borne virus in the state. The Tennessee Department of Health said the state may have its first cases of the chikungunya virus, which is painful but not usually fatal. Officials said those exhibiting symptoms recently traveled to the Caribbean, where the disease has reached an epidemic state. Symptoms, including a high fever, nausea and joint pain, can be severe. State Health Department officials say anyone exhibiting symptoms should limit their exposure to mosquitoes because the insects can pick up the virus from an infected person and spread it.

A recent government study indicates American teenagers are smoking less, drinking less and fighting less. But they’re texting behind the wheel and spending a lot of time on video games and computers. The results come from a study of 13,000 U.S. high school students last spring. Highlights indicate fewer than 16 percent of the teens smoked in the previous month. But over 23 percent said they had used marijuana in the previous month. About 35 percent said they had consumed alcohol in the previous month, down from 39 percent in 2011. Among teen drivers, 41 percent said they had texted or emailed behind the wheel in the previous month.