Category: News

Farmers in Coffee County and throughout Tennessee looking to expand their markets and increase food safety by becoming Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certified now have the opportunity to receive financial assistance from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA).
GAP certification allows producers to sell directly to more businesses and institutions with stringent food safety requirements, such as grocery stores or hospitals. These new opportunities allow producers to increase their income, and the certification helps to ensure food is safe and wholesome for specialty crops throughout Tennessee.
The application period closes Aug. 31, 2019. Qualified producers will have the opportunity to offset the cost of a GAP Certification inspection by being reimbursed 75% of the inspection cost up to $750.
Funds are available on a first come, first served basis. Grant funds are available to producers only; warehouses and distributors may not apply.
You will find more information and the cost share application by emailing Grant Pulse at grant.pulse@tn.gov.

January is Thyroid Awareness Month, and according to the American Thyroid Association, nearly 60 million Americans, mostly women, have some type of thyroid problem.
Dr. Elizabeth Pearce, president of the American Thyroid Association, says hypothyroidism is the most common disorder, which means the thyroid – a gland located at the bottom of the neck – produces too few hormones.
And thyroid disorders particularly affect women as they age.
“The vast majority of thyroid disease is in women,” she states. “Hypothyroidism, which is 7 to 8 times more frequent in women than in men.”
A blood test measuring TSH levels determines whether a person has a thyroid disorder.
According to Pearce, hypothyroidism affects 1 percent of the population enough to need thyroid supplements, and another 5 to 10 percent at a sub-clinical level, many of whom don’t need medication.
Pearce notes that thyroid cancer also is on the rise, but it’s usually treatable.
“About 54,000 adults diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the U.S. in 2018, which means about 1 percent of individuals in the U.S. will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer in their lifetimes, based on current numbers,” she points out.
Pearce adds one-half of 1 percent of Americans suffer from hyperthyroidism, which means the thyroid gland produces too many hormones.
Pearce says the reasons for thyroid disorders in the U.S. are not well understood. One cause around the world is iodine deficiency, but that hasn’t been a problem in the U.S. for about a century.
However, she says one important group has become more iodine deficient in the last 10 years: pregnant women.
“Specifically for women who are planning pregnancy, or who are pregnant, or who are breastfeeding, the current recommendations are that those women should be taking a daily supplement containing 150 micrograms of iodine to make sure they’re getting what they need,” she states.
Some prenatal vitamins have iodine, but some don’t. Pearce also suggests this supplement because iodine deficiency is associated with lower IQ in fetal development.
Thankfully, most thyroid disorders are easily treated with supplements.
More information about thyroid disease is online at thyroid.org.

Tennessee State Parks and elected officials broke ground this week for a new inn, restaurant and conference center at Fall Creek Falls State Park, part of a broader $200 million investment in state parks over the last eight years by Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration and the Tennessee General Assembly.
The facility at Fall Creek Falls is part of over $175 million in capital projects appropriated for state parks since 2011.
Fall Creek Falls State Park has seen the renovation of 20 cabins and the refurbishment of an additional 10.
At Fall Creek Falls, the new inn and restaurant are forecast to generate $278,000 per year in sales and occupancy taxes, a growth of $90,000 per year compared to revenue from the previous facility.

The Manchester Board of Education voted to offer Dr. Joey Vaughn the job of Manchester city schools director on Monday evening. Vaughn is the former principal at Coffee County High School and is now the current Deputy Director of Coffee County Schools. He was also a District Supervisor for Manchester City Schools for 6 years.
Manchester Board of Education Chairman Travis Hillis claims Vaughn is interested in taking on the offer.
Last week we reported the Manchester Board of Education is not renewing current Director Lee Wilkerson’s contract. His term ends in June.
Vaughn was contacted by the board during the 2016 director search but pulled his name from consideration.

Duck River Electric Membership Corporation (DREMC) members should be on guard for an electric payment scam that has hit DREMC members over the weekend, taking advantage of a Bedford County business that fell victim to the scammers.
The people behind this fraud sound professional as they instruct DREMC members to pay a specific amount due or electric service will be disconnected. The scammers have reportedly spoofed the DREMC Shelbyville district phone number, 931-684-4621, so the call appears official. Upon talking to the scammer, the local business employee was told that the business had failed to pay a $1,000 deposit for which a notice was previously mailed. The DREMC member was then instructed to pay by purchasing Money Pak cards, scratching off the back to reveal the verification numbers so that the scammer could immediately apply the value of the money cards toward the unpaid deposit in order to avoid disconnecting the business’ electric service.
The member was told to call 855-303-7775 to complete the payment transaction once the money cards were purchased. DREMC has no toll-free numbers, so you are advised to hang up and call your local DREMC office to verify the payment request.
Remember, if you ever have questions about your bill, a deposit amount or a recent payment, call your local DREMC office yourself to ensure that you are talking to an actual DREMC employee.
Be advised that DREMC will not demand that you immediately purchase Green Dot, or any other prepaid credit cards in order to pay an unpaid balance. Be alert and do not give any personal or financial information to an unknown source.
There are a variety of ways to pay DREMC bills, including in the local offices, by phone talking to a DREMC representative on lines manned 24/7, online at www.dremc.com and by using our free and secure mobile app download.
If you receive a suspicious message regarding your electric service, please contact your local DREMC district office immediately.

At approximately 10:00am Tuesday morning authorities received a call of a bomb threat at North Middle School in Decherd. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Decherd Police Dept., Decherd Fire Dept. and AEDC K-9 unit all responded.
The gym was cleared, and students were evacuated to the gym while the rest of the building was cleared and deemed safe to return the students to class.
The all clear was given by Director of Franklin County schools, Stanley Bean around 11am.
According to reports, a student found evidence of a bomb threat made in one of the bathrooms and reported it to the administration. Those leaders then determined that the school needed to be cleared and notified law enforcement to check out the threat.

16th District State Senator Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) has been reappointed as Deputy Speaker, a key leadership role in the Tennessee Senate. The appointment was made by Lt. Gov. Randy McNally on Saturday.
The Deputy Speaker is appointed to a two-year term and serves at the pleasure of the Speaker of the Senate. Principle duties of the position include assisting the Speaker in regard to committee appointments and the assignment of bills to standing committees. The Deputy Speaker often presides over the Senate and assists the Speaker on special projects.

Tennessee is seeking federal approval to require about 56,000 low-income adults to work, volunteer, or take classes – or risk losing their government-funded Medicaid health coverage, known as TennCare.
Tennessee is following the call of President Donald Trump, who wants to require able-bodied adults on Medicaid to work. The state has asked Trump’s administration to approve a plan that would require TennCare recipients to average 20 hours of work a week for four months during six-month periods.
Violators could have their benefits suspended.
The requirement would not apply to pregnant women, elderly, disabled, one primary caregiver per household with a child younger than 6, caregivers for the medically frail, and other exemptions.

State Senator Janice Bowling of Tullahoma and Rep. Ron Travis say they will introduce comprehensive legislation to regulate access to medical cannabis.
The proposal would allow qualified patients to obtain medical cards if they are diagnosed with specific medical conditions and purchase products from companies that are licensed by Tennessee and owned by Tennesseans to cultivate, process and dispense cannabis.
Since 1973 when the first state voted to de-criminalize cannabis, 33 states have approved medical cannabis programs. Around two-thirds of Americans now have access to medical programs and no state has repealed a medical program.
The Tennessee Medical Cannabis Trade Association (TMCTA) endorses the Bowling-Travis bill, which is expected to be introduced formally within the next few weeks.

43 year-old Terrence Lamont Malone of McMinnville has been arrested and charged with murder in connection to a deadly burglary.
Malone was charged with one count of felony murder and one count of especially aggravated burglary.
According to officials, 33 year-old Darius Michael Bishop was shot and killed Friday on Lind Street in McMinnville. Police say Bishop was at home when allegedly a masked man or men forced their way through the front door. Other people were said to be in the home.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, McMinnville Police Department and the 31st District Attorney General’s Office are investigating.
Malone was booked into the Warren County Jail, where his bond was set at $1,500,000.