Category: News

Lawsuits claiming that BellSouth owes millions in unpaid fees to ten 911 districts in Tennessee can move forward.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports a federal judge this week declined a request by BellSouth to dismiss suits filed by 911 districts in Hamilton, Blount, Bedford, Bradley, Coffee, Cheatham, Giles, Roane, Franklin and Knox counties.
The suits claim that Bellsouth did not collect certain fees that it is required to pass along to 911 operations. They claim the utility’s failure to collect was intentional, done in order to give Bell South a competitive advantage when bidding on county phone service.
BellSouth has declined to comment on the litigation.
Four other Tennessee counties have received settlements from BellSouth over similar claims.
The case is scheduled for trial in September 2013.

A 17-year-old Grundy High School student was killed in a motorcycle crash Wednesday evening.
It happened on Colony Rd. in Grundy County. Investigating Trooper Carl Seagroves reported that James “Matt” Reuhling from Gruetli Laager was killed when he lost control of his motorcycle.
Reuhling was wearing his helmet when he failed to negotiate a curve. Trooper Seagroves reported that Reuhling’s Yamaha traveled about 200 feet along a ditch before slamming into a tree.

The annual Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration in Shelbyville is seeing the most intense horse inspections in its 74-year history.
The Tennessean reports that on Wednesday, the opening day of the Celebration, trainers took their horses through a chemical swabbing station designed to detect soring. That’s the illegal practice of causing injuries to a horse’s legs or hooves to exaggerate the high-stepping gait that wins prizes.
If a trainer is found to have chemically sored a horse, he or she will be stripped of ribbons and prize money and immediately suspended.
The Celebration comes as independent inspectors clash with the U.S. Agriculture Department over new inspection rules. Those rules were prompted by a graphic undercover video released in May showing horses being beaten and sored with chemicals.

Students at area high schools, home-schooled students, Motlow College students, and members of the public are invited to the upcoming College Fair on Motlow’s Moore County campus.
The annual event is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 5 in Nisbett Center’s Copperweld Arena and will include representatives from more than 40 colleges and universities, technology centers, specialty schools and the Armed Forces, according to Brenda Cannon, director of student and campus relations at Motlow.
Annie Trout of the Tennessee Assistance Student Corporation will make presentations at 9, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. Reservations are required for these presentations and can be made by calling Cannon at 931-393-1548 or emailing bcannon@mscc.edu.
In addition, those attending the fair will be able to gather information from representatives of Bryan College, East Tennessee State University, EdSouth Student Outreach Services, King College, Lincoln Memorial University, Lipscomb University, Middle Tennessee State University, Nashville Auto Diesel College; Nossi College of Art, Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities, Trevecca Nazarene University, Tusculum College, Union University, the University of Alabama, the University of Memphis, the University of the South, the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University.
The College Fair is sponsored by Motlow and the Tennessee Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. It is free and open to the public.

The TennCare Standard Spend Down program will again offer open enrollment opportunities to new applicants on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012 beginning at 6 p.m. CST.
Standard Spend Down is available through a waiver to the Medicaid program for a limited number of qualified low-income individuals, or those with high, unpaid medical bills who are aged, blind, disabled, or the caretaker relative of a Medicaid eligible child. Eligible individuals must have enough unpaid medical bills to meet the “spend down” threshold to qualify for coverage.
A special call-in phone line through DHS has been set up for interested applicants. The only way to request an application is by calling the toll-free number — 1-866-358-3230 — which will be open between 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. CST on Sept. 13. Operators will close the phone line once 2,500 applicants call in. In previous open enrollment periods, 2,500 calls had been taken within one hour. If 2,500 calls are not received on Sept. 13, the phone lines will be open from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on subsequent weekdays until 2,500 interested applicants call in.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to check eligibility qualifications before calling in. More information on the Standard Spend Down program and more detailed eligibility criteria are available on TennCare’s website: www.tn.gov/TennCare.
Standard Spend Down Eligibility:
• In addition to being aged (65 or older), blind*, disabled,* or a caretaker relative,
• An individual must meet certain income restrictions, or be able to “spend down” qualifying unpaid medical bills to that limit. (*To be considered blind or disabled, an individual must meet standards set by the Social Security Administration.)
The following chart shows the income limits:
Household Size 1 2 3 4 5 6
Monthly Income $241 $258 $317 $325 $392 $408
Applicants also must not have resources that:
• Exceed $2,000 for a family of one and $3,000 for a family of two with an additional $100 added per additional individual in the family.
• A person’s unpaid medical bill must have been accrued within the past 90 days. Medical bills paid by the applicant within the past 30 days may count towards meeting an applicant’s spend down requirement.
Pregnant women and children are still eligible for the Medically Needy Spend Down program.

Recent survey conducted on behalf of Anheuser-Busch reveals two-thirds of parents have used the back-to-school timeframe to talk with their teens about underage drinking.
An online survey also found 88 percent of those parents felt their kids were receptive to the conversation. Separately, 67 percent of parents surveyed feel they have influence on their teens’ decisions about underage drinking and their teens listen to them.
Kathy Casso, vice president of corporate social responsibility says as parents, we have tremendous influence on our kids’ decisions about drinking. And, as kids are back in school, catching up with friends and experiencing new social situations, it’s a perfect opportunity to check in and prepare them to make smart choices when it comes to underage drinking. The talk about drinking program provides parents with practical tips from a certified parent coach on connecting with kids and maintaining an ongoing dialogue on the topic of alcohol.
Parents can ask questions, share ideas and download the parent guide at Facebook.com/family talk.

Two stolen computers, eleven grams of cocaine, and marijuana were recovered during a traffic stop on I-24 at the 72-mile marker. The traffic stop was executed by the Tennessee Highway Patrol this past week. Arrested and charged with theft, felony possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, and driving on a revoked license was 27-year old Courtney Skinner. The computers that were located in the trunk of Skinner’s car were apparently stolen from two separate Wal-Mart stores. One computer was said to be stolen from the Wal-Mart in Tullahoma, and the second was allegedly taken from a Wal-Mart in Springfield. A female passenger in the car was not arrested, even though the marijuana and cocaine were located in her purse. Skinner allegedly admitted to the state trooper that the drugs were his. Skinner was taken to the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center where he was booked under a $27,000 bond.

An employee of one of the Nissan suppliers was involved in an accident Tuesday at the Decherd Powertrain Assembly Plant, resulting in the loss of life. Emergency response authorities are working to confirm details. The company will provide any support needed in the investigation, and Nissan will do everything possible to support those affected in the aftermath of this heartbreaking event. Nissan officials have declined to provide further comments on what led to the death of the employee or his name.

Tennessee public high school graduates improved their performance on the ACT test in 2012, earning an average score of 19.2 out of 36, up from 19.0 the year before, according to state-by-state results released by ACT this week. Tennessee is one of only nine states to mandate that all high school students take the ACT test, so statewide scores help the Tennessee Department of Education measure the state’s progress towards its goal of greater college and career readiness for all students. The percentage test-takers meeting all of the ACT’s college readiness benchmarks rose from 13 percent to 14 percent in Tennessee as scores increased in 2012. “It’s going to take year after year of these incremental gains to see Tennessee students exhibiting the high levels of achievement we know they can reach,” said Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman. “Far too many students in our state graduate without the knowledge they need for college or the job market. We are implementing education reforms designed to address these deficiencies and drive continuous improvement.” In Tennessee, 56 percent of graduates met ACT benchmarks in English, 26 percent in math, 39 percent in reading and 18 percent in science. This year’s scores highlight the necessity for Tennessee to increase college readiness among certain racial minorities. Only 3 percent of black students and 9 percent of Hispanic students met college benchmarks in all four core subjects, compared to 18 percent of white students and 31 percent of Asian students. Under the leadership of Gov. Bill Haslam, Tennessee has prioritized establishing pathways to post-secondary education and careers. With the education department’s No Child Left Behind waiver, the state now measures schools’ overall achievement as well as their progress closing gaps between groups of students. Through curricula targeted at developing the skills needed for college and the workplace, the department strives to better prepare students and continue to improve Tennessee’s ACT results.

Health officials are urging Tennesseans to be extra careful around mosquitoes this summer. Five cases of the West Nile Virus have been reported in Tennessee, and that number could jump soon. Doctors are reporting 11,000 cases of the virus this summer; almost triple the amount usually seen at this point of the year. They say this could be due to this year’s mild winter and early spring. So how does one avoid West Nile Virus? The CDC says the most important thing is to use insect repellant such as bug spray. They also advise to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants if the weather permits. One should also check window and door screens, so mosquitoes can’t get inside and make sure to get rid of any standing water near your home.