A proposal that increases the penalty for drunken driving when a child under 18 is a passenger in the vehicle is headed to the governor for his consideration. Under present law, a person arrested for DUI with a child under 18 in the vehicle is sentenced to a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 days and a fine of $1,000. The proposal requires such incarceration be served consecutively with any sentence for convictions of DUI, vehicular assault, vehicular homicide, or aggravated vehicular homicide.

State education officials are urging Tennesseans who have not earned their GED diploma to take the test soon.

That’s because effective Jan.1, 2014, the test will cost more, must be taken on a computer and will have major content changes.

According to a news release from the Tennessee Department of Labor Development, the 2014 test will be more rigorous in general and require higher level math proficiency.

The current test fee averages $65. In 2014, the fee will be a minimum of $120.

Last year, more than 12,000 Tennesseans earned GED diplomas. The state still has about 1 million adults without a high school diploma.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has released the “Crime in Tennessee 2011″ report which showed a 1.7% decrease in overall crimes reported in Tennessee in 2011 compared with 2010. This is third year in a row that reported offenses decreased when compared with the previous year. For the 2011 calendar year, 576,844 Group A offenses were reported compared with 586,714 in 2010. The largest majority of crimes reported were committed against property at more than 58% which is a decrease of 2.5% from the previous year. Crimes against persons also decreased approximately 2%, however, crimes against society increased 3%. With an estimated population of more than 6.3 million people, Tennessee has seen crime drop a total of 4.6% since 2009.

“Crime in Tennessee 2011″ Fact List

· The reported number of murders increased by more than 4% after a significant decrease between 2009 and 2010. 56.7% of the 2011 murder victims knew their offenders. · A total of 26,340 people were arrested for DUI in 2011 which is an increase from the 24,154 arrests made in 2010. · Domestic violence offenses made up more than 52% of all crimes against persons. · More than 46% of crimes against persons offenses were cleared by arrest or exceptional means. · Of the 401,004 arrests made across the state about 71% of the arrestees were male compared with 29% female. · Juveniles comprised 8.9% of total arrests — a decrease from last year. · 51% of robbery offenses involved a handgun and nearly 28% occurred at a residence. · 18-24 year olds accounted for nearly 35% of drug/narcotic violations.

TBI strongly discourages the use of crime data to compile rankings of individual jurisdictions due to the many underlying factors that cause crimes to occur such as population density, climate, cultural conditions and strength of law enforcement. It is also important to note that attitudes of citizens toward crime can affect the reporting practices of residents, and therefore, affect crimes coming to the attention of law enforcement. To view “Crime in Tennessee 2011″ in its entirety, go to the TBI website at www.tbi.tn.gov . Click on Tennessee Crime Statistics from the homepage for a link to the Statistical Analysis Center webpage. Up-to-date 2011 statistics can also be accessed at www.tncrimeonline.com.

According to the Better Business Bureau, more than 18 million Americans have been victims of identity theft over the past two years. This weekend the BBB is teaming up with Ascend Federal Credit Union to help area residents protect themselves from fraud. Ascend will host Shred Day on Saturday, April 21. People are welcome to bring old receipts to be shredded, in order to protect themselves from identity theft as much as possible, they should be sure to bring along old documents containing sensitive personal information. Shred Day will begin at 9 a.m. at the credit union on North Jackson St., and will continue till noon or until the truck collecting the shredded documents is full.

April is National Autism Awareness Month a special fundraiser that had been set for Saturday at Frazier McEwen Park to raise money to combat the devastating neurological and biological disorder is being postponed due to rain in the forecast. Plans have been changed to have the Children’s Spring Festival sometime in mid May, depending on when Frazier McEwen Park may be available to set up booths and recreational equipment to accommodate the event. The festival is planned to feature a bounce house, arts and crafts, games and food items. Autism typically affects children between the ages in 18 months to 5 years of age. According to new statistics released by the Center for Disease Control, autism affects one in every 88 children. It is estimated there are more than one million in the United States alone with autism.