Category: News

Tennesseans who rely on what used to be called food stamps will have to wait longer than usual for their benefits next month. The change came at the request of grocery stores. In all, more than 1-point-3 million individuals now get those benefits, and all of that money is made available in the first 10 days of the month. Grocery stores say they get hit with too much business into too few days. They asked the state to stretch out its schedule, by staggering the benefit payouts over a period of time that’s twice as long. Starting next month, the stores will get their way, but what’s good news for grocery stores will mean a difficult October for most people who get that assistance. The reworking of the schedule means that more than two-thirds will have to wait anywhere from 4 days to a week and a half longer than they’re used to. In response to the potential problem, the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association is recommending its members build up contributions to food banks now.

Tullahoma Mayor Lane Curlee signed a proclamation, making September 21st National Alzheimer’s Awareness Day.
The Alzheimer’s Association is hosting its yearly fund-raising walk in Tullahoma, this Saturday. Organizers say it’s not too late to be a part of the event. Registration will be at 8AM at the South Jackson Civic Center and the walk begins at 9AM. The course is 1.6 miles and the Alzheimer’s Association encourages you to bring children to enjoy the bouncy inflatables. Pets on leashes are also welcome. For more information about the Alzheimer’s Association Walk on this website.

It’s no secret that spaying and neutering improves the quality of life for cats and owners.
The procedure provides America’s 76 million pet cats with longer lives, prevents unwanted litters and creates a friendlier disposition. But, most owners don’t know that the procedure can also lead to hormonal and behavioral changes.
Animal behaviorist Steve Dale says, owners may notice their cat seems lazy, has an insatiable appetite or begs for food. What they don’t understand is that decreased energy and increased appetite are major side effects of spaying and neutering. Royal Canin is introducing a spayed/neutered™ line of feline formulas that includes balanced nutrition and appetite control to help manage these changes. It’s a simple solution to help cats maintain weight and promote better health throughout their lives. You can find it at your local Petsmart, Petco, or favorite pet specialty store.
For more on the food and a new campaign, you share; we give, benefitting the American humane association, visit facebook.com/royalcanin.us.

With the aid of the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) and a Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter, Coffee County deputies seized 85 marijuana plants outside a home yesterday (Sept. 10, 2012) on Harpo Road in Hillsboro. Sheriff Steve Graves stated that deputies along with the other officers went to the residence and seized the plants along with weapons and other items. Officers also found marijuana growing inside the home. The investigation is continuing.

State officials are contemplating how to attract more people to Tennessee’s community colleges, like Motlow in Tullahoma. And they say one way might be to start offering on-campus housing. Right now none of the state’s 13 community colleges offers housing – which might appeal to some students with lengthy commutes. Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan compared to other states, relatively few Tennesseans use community colleges. He says dorms might fit into a broader effort to turn that around, by making community colleges feel more “collegial.”

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has decided to remove Arnold Engineering Development Complex from consideration for the agency’s National Priorities List. Effective March 15, the EPA removed Arnold AFB from consideration for the list, which is a compilation of hazardous waste sites that are eligible for cleanup financed by the federal Superfund program. The complex was first proposed in 1994, when the EPA scored AEDC through its Hazard Ranking System, said Denny Timmons, AEDC’s Installation Restoration Program Manager of the civil engineering branch’s asset management section. For the past 18 years the Arnold AFB environmental staff has aggressively and proactively pursued investigation and cleanup of former disposal sites.

Tennessee prisoners serve some of the shortest terms in the nation, according to a new study. A report by the Pew Center on the States found that on average a Tennessee prison sentence lasts just under 2 years. That’s about a year shorter than the national average. Prosecutor Torry Johnson told The Tennessean that the state is ahead of others by enacting for alternative punishments and probation guidelines that help reduce and better control prison populations. State Department of Corrections officials point out that while offenders are serving less time for property and drug crimes, prison time has increased by 41% for violent crimes.

Federal prosecutors say sentencing limitations in the federal Horse Protection Act are behind their probation recommendation for a man caught by a hidden camera beating a Tennessee walking horse. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the prosecutors filed a 16-page explanation for their recommendation of probation for trainer Jackie McConnell. The sentencing memorandum says prosecutors share the sentiments of those wanting to see significant jail time for such violators. But it says the law passed by Congress doesn’t have the teeth needed to put McConnell in jail. Prosecutors are seeking a maximum probation period for McConnell, which would be five years. McConnell was to be sentenced Monday, but his sentencing has been moved to Sept. 18. McConnell’s attorney declined to comment on the prosecution’s sentencing memorandum.

A Tennessee business will get to pay less into the state’s unemployment trust fund, at least for a little while. It’s the first time there’s been a decrease in three years. Payments are going down about one percent, but the decrease could be short lived. The amount of money in the trust fund can fluctuate wildly. Just two years ago, the amount was so low the state needed loans and federal stimulus money to pay out benefits. Now Tennessee has over $568 million in the unemployment trust fund.

Officials say that anyone who had direct, close contact with a Middle Tennessee State University student who died early Monday should contact Student Health Services or another health care provider for an evaluation.

Jacob Nunley, 18, a freshman from Dyersburg, Tenn., died early Monday at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Nunley was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and lived in the fraternity’s house on Greek Row on the MTSU campus.

The state health department is investigating the cause of death.

However, Vanderbilt officials said they were treating this as a possible case of meningitis and instructed anyone who may have had direct, close contact with Nunley from Sept. 2 to Sept. 10 to contact a health professional for evaluation. Direct, close contact means coming in touch with nose or throat discharges, which includes kissing, coughing, sneezing and sharing drinking glasses, eating utensils or cigarettes.

For more information, contact MTSU Student Health Services at 615-898-2988 or the Rutherford County Health Department at 615-898-7880.