Category: News

Tennessee county unemployment rates for May 2014, were released Thursday afternoon. They show the rate decreased in five counties, increased in 88, and remained the same in two.
In Coffee County we went up from 5.1% in April to 5.6% in May. Bedford County rose from 5.6 to 6.2%. Cannon County climbed from 4.8% to 5.5. In Grundy County they were one of 5 counties to drop going from 8.3% in April to 8.1% in May. Over in Franklin County their unemployment rate went up by 0.4 to 5.8%. Warren County jumped up from 6.4% to 6.9. The state’s lowest unemployment rate for May was in Williamson County at 4.6% and the highest was in Scott County at 12.5% which is actually down 1% from the April rate.

Infiniti on Thursday began assembly at the Infiniti Decherd Powertrain Plant, a partnership between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Daimler AG. The first engine to be assembled at the all-new facility is a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline 4-cylinder developed by Daimler. The engines will initially be used in European versions of the Infiniti Q50 sports sedan and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class assembled in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Presiding over yesterday’s opening celebration were Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, and representatives with Infiniti Motor Company and Mercedes-Benz.
Around 200 new jobs have been added to date, with that number expected to increase to 400 once the plant ramps up to its full 250,000 engine annual capacity.
Construction of the ground-up $319 million, 310,000-square foot facility began in May 2012. It incorporates a number of energy efficient design features, such as a heat-reflecting white roof and natural daytime lighting through use of a skylight grid.
Infiniti had previously announced that later this year it will start local assembly of the extended wheel base versions of their new Q50 sports sedan and the QX50 crossover in China, and for the Chinese market. Next year, the company will start assembly of their Q30 premium compact car in the UK, for global markets.

A Tullahoma woman was flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center Sunday afternoon after falling from a bridge in Franklin County.
Geona Lee Gormely of East Grundy Street fell from a bridge on Himes Road just off of Rock Creek Road.
According to a report by Deputy Sam Davidson, when he arrived at the bridge around 3:30 p.m. Sunday he found Gormely in a wooded area and with slurred speech. The deputy told her to stay still until the ambulance could arrive. She told the officer that her back was hurting.
According to the deputy, Gormely went over the rail of the bridge and fell some 25 feet to the water below, which was three to four feet deep. When she landed in the creek her back hit rocks at the bottom of the creek.
The woman was transported by ambulance to nearby Rock Creek School and was then loaded into an Air-Evac chopper and flown to the Nashville hospital.

Dogs left in cars are an all-too-common summertime sight in parking lots, and animal experts say it is both extremely dangerous for animals and could land their owners in hot water. Courtney Thomas, president and CEO of the Great Plains Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), says animals can suffer heatstroke within minutes as temperatures soar inside a car, even when the car’s windows are left partially open. “The side effects of that heat can ultimately result in the death of the pet,” says Thomas. “Other neurological and sometimes permanent situations can arise as well.” Signs of heatstroke in animals can include panting and seizures. Thomas says it’s critical to get an overheated animal to the veterinarian as quickly as possible, and cool them down on the way with cold, but not icy, water and compresses. Thomas also warns the perils for pets may not always seem evident, but they should not be left unattended in cars for any length of time. “You may park your car in what you believe to be the shade, but by the time you get out of the store your dog or cat may be sitting in direct sunlight,” says Thomas. “You wouldn’t leave a human child in the car, and pet owners shouldn’t do it with their pets, either.” Thomas says it is important to ensure animals have plentiful access to water in the summer months, as their body temperatures naturally run high.

Fireworks can be great fun if they are shot properly. Remember, fireworks can be dangerous, causing serious burn and eye injuries. July 4th is just 8 days away and people are starting shoot fireworks and we here at WMSR just want to help out with some safety tips.
• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
• Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and that they could pose a danger to consumers.
• Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don’t realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals.
• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
• Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.
• Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
• Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.
• Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
• After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding it to prevent a trash fire.

The Air Force and Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) want to recognize the service and community spirit of active, National Guard and Reserve Airmen residing in the communities through the “Veterans in Blue” program.
Veterans in Blue (ViB) is a multimedia program sponsored by the Air Force Public Affairs Agency. The program is created to illustrate the accomplishments of veteran Airmen as related to their service in the U.S. Air Force.
AEDC is defining veteran Airmen as those who are separated or retired, officer or enlisted Airmen, living or deceased, who served on active duty or in the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve and who either currently live in or are a native of this region of Tennessee. The ViB selectees will have a photographic portrait made and a brief (no more than 250 words) summary of their greatest contributions to the Air Force and/or the communities. Selectees’ portraits and summaries will be displayed in various locations at AEDC and featured in the base publications through the end of the fiscal year 2014.
“We want to celebrate and chronicle their experiences in the Air Force,” said AEDC Commander Col. Raymond Toth. “These experiences can relate to acts of valor, mentoring, community service, leadership, personal accomplishments or benefit of duty in the Air Force.”
If you know Airmen who qualify for the ViB, contact Mike Walton in the AEDC Public Affairs office at (931) 454-3889 or by email at micheal.walton.1@us.af.mil.