Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday unveiled a two year pilot program to provide health care coverage to Tennesseans who currently don’t have access to health insurance or have limited options. Called Insure Tennessee, the program rewards healthy behaviors, prepares members to transition to private coverage, promotes personal responsibility and incentives choosing preventative and routine care instead of unnecessary use of emergency rooms. The governor announced that he plans to call a special session to focus on the proposal after the 109th General Assembly convenes in January. “We made the decision in Tennessee nearly two years ago not to...

The passenger in a vehicle involved in a Nov. 7th high-speed chase has been sentenced in Warren County General Sessions Court. 29 year old Tammy Crusinberry pled guilty to charges of evading arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was ordered to serve 12 days of an 11 month 29 day sentence. Crusinberry was the passenger in vehicle that led officers on a high-speed chase to the Viola area before coming to rest in a field. The car, driven by 24 year old Steffen Brady, ran a deputy’s car off the road, slightly injuring the officer. Crusinberry and Brady...

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced Thursday the recipients of the Labor Education Alignment Program (LEAP) competition, a state effort focused on increasing opportunities for Tennesseans to obtain a certificate or degree beyond high school that is aligned with the needs of the workforce in their communities. “These types of intentional partnerships between local agencies and their colleges or TCATS are what we want to see across the state as a significant piece of the Drive to 55 initiative,” Haslam said. “Tying the training and skills that our colleges are teaching directly to current workforce needs will help more Tennesseans...

As parents across Tennessee continue to pack the malls and stores, they’re being reminded that some gifts for their kids that may bring joy could also bring pain. Each year in the United States, thousands of accidents each year involving children and toys result in eye injuries and even blindness. Optometrist Jessica Schara said some of the more dangerous toys include “BB guns, paint guns, slingshots, darts – anything that’s a projectile. But even things like chemistry sets, woodworking sets, crafts that involve scissors and glue can also be dangerous.” Schara also said parents need to heed the age...

Every year a new theme is chosen for Fire Prevention Week which is held in early October to promote good safety habits. This year’s 2014 Fire Prevention week theme was Close the Door. Most people remember Stop, Drop, & Roll when they think of fire safety, but did you know that the simple act of sleeping with your bedroom door closed could help save your life in case of a fire? That’s right. While the room temperature of the fireside of a door can reach up to 700 degrees, the room temperature behind the closed door can be below 90...

Lisa Beechum of Silver Street reported on Dec. 9 the theft of several items from her vehicle. Beechum stated that the thieves took a Christmas toy, various childrens clothes and a Sony face plate for a car CD player. She told the officer that the doors had been locked at the time of the theft. Detective Tyler Hatfield is investigating the crime. Detective Rana Pawlowski is investigating the theft of $2,251.93 worth items from the Wal-Mart Store on North Jackson Street that took place Aug 8 and Sept. 13. According to store officials, a person loaded a shopping cart...

Gov. Bill Haslam has unveiled several proposals intended to support Tennessee teachers. The Republican governor discussed the proposals this week at the annual conference of Learning Forward, an association devoted to advancing professional learning for student success. They include adjusting the way teachers are evaluated, aligning state academic standards with assessments, providing educators with more information and feedback on state assessments and improving teacher communication and partnership. The proposals reflect input Haslam received following an academic standards review process, ongoing statewide meetings with educators and an education summit in...