Tennessee is dedicating more than a dozen law enforcement officers to investigating identity crimes. The Department of Safety and Homeland Security has created a new unit of mostly Highway Patrolmen.
The Safety Department is given specific authority in state law to investigate identity theft. Commissioner Bill Gibbons says the agency has taken on some cases, but not enough. Nationwide, identity theft is on the rise. In Tennessee, the rate of growth is a bit slower.

Law enforcement is warning residents of another letter scam that is making the rounds in the area. The letter will inform you that you are entitled to a settlement from a claim services company from Canada. The address is in Quebec and shows a phone number with a 514 area code. The letter advises the recipient that they are to receive a large amount of money and all they need to do is contact the sender and pay for a processing fee. Then all the recipient has to do is cash the check that has been mailed. The checks in this particular case bear the name England Logistics, INC. and an address of West Salt Lake City, Utah. Captain Frank Watkins of the sheriff’s department stated that there have been various version of this scam making the rounds in Coffee County. He stated that anyone receiving a letter similar to this one to not fall prey to it.

Nissan North America has given Middle Tennessee State University two electric cars and three charging stations to promote the use of 0-emission vehicles.
MTSU officials said Tuesday that the Nissan Leaf cars will go into the university’s motor pool. Students, faculty, staff and campus visitors will be able to use the charging stations. Nissan has an auto assembly plant in Smyrna that is scheduled to begin making lithium ion batteries this fall and to begin producing the all-electric Leaf vehicle in December.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac has hopes for those of you who like cold weather. The publication, which has been forecasting the weather for over 170 years, is predicting winter will be much colder and drier than normal, with the coldest periods in mid- to late December, early January, and early February. Snowfall will be near to above normal, with the snowiest periods in the north in mid- to late December, early January, and mid-March.

Tennessee walking horse groups continue to clash with U.S. Agriculture Department inspectors this week as the industry’s premier event takes place in Shelbyville.
The Tennessean reports that frequently during the Celebration, USDA inspectors have issued citations where independent inspectors and an independent veterinarian found signs of soring. Soring is the illegal practice of causing injuries to a horse’s legs or hooves to exaggerate the high-stepping gait that wins prizes.
On Monday night, USDA inspectors cited Winky Groover, a trainer who recently appeared in newspaper and television reports explaining what’s being done to clean up walking horse shows.
Groover disputed the UDSA’s finding.
Inspectors are under pressure to put an end to soring after a graphic undercover video released in May showed horses being beaten and sored with chemicals.