Category: News

Tennessee’s state veterinarian’s office is investigating an outbreak of a C in a group of racing quarter horses.
The office says 22 horses tested positive in five locations within Bedford, Rutherford and Williamson counties.
It can take up to 30 days for an infected horse to test positive after exposure. Horses that do test positive are quarantined and may be euthanized. Those that survive will continue to carry the parasite for an extended period.
Horses will not transmit the disease to other horses through casual contact. It is commonly spread through shared needles or improperly cleaned dental, surgical or blood product equipment.
Some states and equine competitions require blood parasite testing for entrance. If you plan to travel with your horse, check with the receiving state for current import requirements.
Early signs of the disease can include weakness, lack of appetite, swollen limbs and labored breathing.

Twelve percent of Tennessee women of child-bearing age do not have health insurance, according to a new report.
It says in states that have expanded Medicaid, women are more likely to be insured, compared with states such as Tennessee, that have not.
Researchers at the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families released the findings in conjunction with the March of Dimes and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to make Medicaid expansion optional, Tennessee is one of 14 states that has chosen not to expand the program.
Kinika Young, director of children’s health at the Tennessee Justice Center, said health outcomes are closely connected to where women live, adding that black women are still three to four times more likely to die from complications of childbirth than are white women.
“You can have women in a certain part of town that’s predominantly black having poorer birth outcomes than women who are just a few streets away on the same side of town, just based on their neighborhoods and access to care,” said Young. “And frankly, there has to be some element of racism occurring in the health-care system that’s perpetuating these disparities.”
Medicaid expansion states saw a sharp reduction in infant mortality compared with non-expansion states, particularly among African-American infants, according to the report.
Pregnancy-related deaths among U.S. women have increased over the past two-and-a-half decades, despite the fact that the United States spends more dollars on hospital maternity care than any other nation.
Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, said Medicaid expansion could help keep more mothers and babies healthy.
“We are really the only very developed country that’s seeing that, and that’s very troubling,” Alker warned. “For states that have not expanded Medicaid, Medicaid expansion is clearly the single most important step a state could take to address this crisis.”
Tennessee’s rates of maternal and infant deaths are among the highest in the country. The state is ranked 33rd in maternal mortality and 38th in infant mortality, according to a Tennessee Justice Center report released last fall.

As summer kicks off and families hit the road for vacation, Manchester Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) to remind motorists to “Click It or Ticket.” Now through June 2, participating agencies across the state will increase seatbelt enforcement as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) nationwide mobilization.
“Buckling up is such a simple task that can keep you and your family safe in the car,” said Captain Chris Patterson. “But it’s more than that. Buckling up is the law. He said, “our law enforcement officers see the consequences of not buckling up.” Patterson added, “we see the loss of life. Often, it could have been prevented with the simple click of a seatbelt. This should be automatic.”
According to Tennessee’s Integrated Traffic Analysis Network (TITAN), 299 people killed in Tennessee traffic crashes last year were not wearing a seatbelt. This represents approximately 29 percent of the state’s total traffic fatalities in 2018.
According to NHTSA, in 2017, there were 10,076 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in the United States. In that same year, 55 percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night (6 p.m. – 5:59 a.m.) were not wearing their seatbelts. That’s why one focus of the “Click It or Ticket” campaign is nighttime enforcement. Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seatbelt law enforcement, writing citations during the daytime and nighttime hours.
For more information about seatbelt safety or the THSO, visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.

There will no longer be a statute of limitations in felony child sex abuse cases if the crime took place when the victim was less than 13 years of age. The new bill on the statute will go into effect this coming July (2019).
As for the bill that passed, Representative Michael Curcio of Dickson, Tennessee explains…
The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations conducted a study that led to the change in the law. The study was requested last year by Senator Bill Ketron and Representative Mike Sparks. It was that study that led to the successful passage of the legislation to end the statute of limitations on certain child sexual abuse cases for children in the future. (WGNS-Radio)

Tennessee’s state average gas price is $2.53 per gallon for regular unleaded, making it the sixth lowest state average in the nation. The average is four cents less than the average a week ago and seven cents less than a one month ago and 14 cents less than a year ago.
The national gas price average is $2.85, one cent less than last week.
AAA Public Affairs Director Stephanie Milani said gas prices are getting cheaper for the majority of motorists ahead of the busy Memorial Day holiday. Milani said crude oil prices have remained relatively stable the past few months, which is one reason gas prices are cheaper than this time last year.
The low price per gallon for gas in Coffee County as of Tuesday afternoon was $2.37 in Tullahoma and in Manchester, the low price was $2.41 per gallon.

Motorists will not be delayed by road construction as they travel Tennessee’s highways this Memorial Day weekend. The Tennessee Department of Transportation will suspend all construction-related lane closures on interstates and state routes beginning at 12 noon on Friday through 6am on Tuesday, May 28th. This will provide maximum roadway capacity for motorists expected to travel in the state this Memorial Day weekend.
AAA estimates nearly 43 million Americans will travel this holiday weekend, a 3.6 percent increase over last year. Over 863,000 Tennesseans plan to travel, with more than 752,000 driving to their Memorial Day destinations.

The arch that has welcomed many visitors into Centeroo at Bonnaroo for years is no more. Bonnaroo officials decided to burn down the aging arch and replace it.
Many people saw fire and smoke coming from the Bonnaroo grounds on Monday evening.
The festival tweeted a photo collage of the arch with the message, “Goodbye, old friend!
Festival organizers say the new archway will be unveiled at the 18th annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival June 13-16 in Manchester at Great Stage Park.

Written By: Eamon Smith and Allison Jones, Legal Aid Society

The CHOICES program offered through TennCare is designed both for people in need of nursing home care and people who can’t afford the cost of an assisted living facility or nursing home but need help remaining in their own homes. Most of the people served by CHOICES are seniors.
Few people know how to navigate TennCare procedures well enough to pursue these options independently. But there’s help available through the Tennessee Senior Law Alliance (TSLA), a program launched in 2018 by Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands with a location in Tullahoma and four partner legal services organizations across the state.
The CHOICES program offers three levels of care – from basic nursing home care to in-home care costing no more than $15,000 per year – and eligibility is determined by strict financial and medical criteria.
If an individual’s monthly income is more than $2,313 and their resources are more than $2,000 (excluding a home and one car), they do not qualify for any CHOICES services, despite his or her medical condition. With nursing home costs reaching upwards of $6,000 per month, many people are left ineligible for CHOICES and incapable of paying for needed care.
In addition to these financial requirements, CHOICES also has very strict medical criteria. For certain groups, an applicant must score a nine on TennCare’s “acuity scale,” which quantifies difficulties of daily living, such as transferring from a bed to a wheelchair or being able to eat or take medications without more than limited assistance.
Seniors may understandably be frightened if they receive a notice from TennCare that they will no longer be eligible for assistance paying for nursing home services that they cannot afford alone. However, Legal Aid Society’s Tennessee Senior Law Alliance program can help seniors navigate the CHOICES application and appeals process by proving to TennCare that their services are needed.
Tennessee Senior Law Alliance’s staff might request that TennCare perform a safety determination to see if a person should continue to be eligible for CHOICES, even without scoring a nine on the scale. If, for instance, a person can prove that they need more than seven hours per day of caregiver assistance to remain safe, they might still be eligible for CHOICES nursing home services.
Tennessee Senior Law Alliance helps seniors not only with CHOICES but also other core legal issues like housing, abuse and exploitation, consumer finance and more. They help bridge the gap between the needs of seniors and the state agencies responsible for meeting those needs.
If you feel you have unfairly lost your TennCare or CHOICES coverage, or if you are a senior struggling with another legal issue, please contact them at 800-238-1443 to learn more. Legal Aid Society in Tullahoma can be reached at 931-455-7000.

Crowdfunding is one way to support a project you believe in and get rewards for that support. But the project you’re backing is only as good as the people behind it. Some dishonest people can take your money but produce nothing – no product, no project, and no reward.
Here’s how crowdfunding works: People called “creators” ask for small amounts of money from lots of people to fund projects through websites like Kickstarter or Indiegogo. In exchange, creators offer rewards to contributors, like a product that the creators are trying to make. Sounds great…unless the creators don’t create anything but profit for themselves.
In its lawsuit against iBackPack, the FTC says people shelled out over $800,000 via crowdfunding campaigns. The company said those funds would help it provide consumers with backpacks and shoulder bags with built-in batteries for charging mobile devices. But, according to the FTC, iBackPack’s claims that bags would soon be going out to consumers were lies. What’s more, the FTC’s investigation found that the money the creators took in from their campaigns generally didn’t go toward what they said it would. Instead, the FTC says, iBackPack’s CEO pocketed a large part of the funds for his own personal use. And when people began to complain, the CEO allegedly threatened some of them – adding that he knew their addresses and other personal information.
If you’re thinking about contributing to a crowdfunding campaign, take a minute to research the creator’s background and reviews before you pay. For example, has the creator engaged in previous campaigns? How did those campaigns turn out?
If you learn about a crowdfunding scam:
• Report it to the Federal Trade Commission.
• Report it to your state Attorney General.
• Warn other people by commenting on the creator’s profile on the crowdfunding site.

With fires burning hotter and faster than ever before, every second counts when escaping a home fire. To commemorate the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Home Fire Sprinkler Week (May 19-25), the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) is raising awareness of the life-saving capabilities of residential fire sprinkler systems.
Home fire sprinklers can provide valuable peace of mind to homeowners residing in newly constructed or renovated homes that were constructed with modern building materials, which can burn faster and hotter than “legacy” building materials. According to the NFPA, the civilian death rate is 81% lower in a home with fire sprinklers than in homes without them.
To help consumers understand the life- and property-saving capabilities of home fire sprinklers, the SFMO shares the following facts:
• Sprinklers are activated by the high temperature of fire–typically between 135°F – 165°F. Cooking fumes or signaling smoke alarms cannot activate sprinklers.
• Home fire sprinklers activate individually. Only the sprinkler head closest to a fire activates.
• Home fire sprinklers can contain a fire with a fraction of the water that would be used by fire department hoses.
• Home fire sprinkler systems can be installed in new or existing homes.
• Working smoke alarms and home fire sprinklers are a winning combo in saving lives.
If you have a home sprinkler system, the SFMO offers these tips to ensure your system is properly maintained:
• Conduct a monthly visual inspection of all sprinkler heads to make sure nothing is blocking or hanging from them.
• Do a bi-annual water flow test on the sprinkler system to ensure all water flow devices are working properly.
• Keep home fire sprinklers clear and free of objects that can interfere with their proper use.
• If your sprinkler system has a tank, do a monthly check to ensure it is full.
• If you have a pump-powered sprinkler system, start it each month to ensure it works and does not trip any circuit breakers.
• Do not paint over your fire sprinkler heads. This can inhibit them from working properly.