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Archives
01-29-2003 News
Arctic blast brings snow and sub-freezing
temps
Arctic blast brings snow and sub-freezing temps
An arctic blast blew into Tennessee last Wednesday night bringing with it more snow and sub-freezing temperatures. With the temperatures diving into the single digits, and below zero over the weekend, the snowfall remained for days, causing schools to be canceled Thursday and remain closed Friday and the following Monday and Tuesday. The snow and cold conditions created problems for not only the school system, but also for emergency medical personnel. An Overton County Ambulance Service spokesperson expressed appreciation to Overton County Rescue Squad for assistance during the cold and snowy conditions of the past couple of weeks. The Rescue Squad has been traveling with many of the Ambulance Service's call runs on bad roads with their four-wheel drive rescue vehicle.
THP to begin animal training for all officers As part of an effort to address the increasing challenges faced by law enforcement officers, Tennessee Highway Patrol will develop a new training program to teach all troopers and communications officers how to deal with situations involving animals. Tennessee Department of Safety Commissioner Fred Phillips made the announcement in the wake of the January 1 incident involving the Smoak family of North Carolina, whose dog was shot and killed by a Cookeville police officer who was assisting the THP with a traffic stop. "We plan to institute a block of training on dealing with animals, particularly canines,Ó Phillips said. "This training will not only be for uniformed officers, but also for dispatchers who send those officers out to potentially dangerous scenes. "We want to put an emphasis on fact gathering by communications officers, and stress the importance of getting accurate information out to our troopers in the field." THP will seek the assistance of animal organizations whose representatives have contacted the Department of Safety to offer their assistance in developing training curriculum. THP currently has no specific policy on situations involving animals. A survey found that of the eight states surrounding Tennessee, only one state, Missouri, has such a policy. In addition, once the new course is developed, it will be offered to local law enforcement agencies so they can incorporate it into their own training programs, according to Phillips. Phillips plans to have the new training program in place within 30 days.
Poster contest open to state's fifth graders The theme for the 2003 Arbor Day poster contest recently announced by Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA), Division". The contest, co-sponsored by Toyota Motor Corporation, is open to all Tennessee fifth graders. The purpose of the contest is to educate children about the importance of planting and caring for trees. Teachers in public, private, and home schools can participate in the contest by selecting a winning poster from their school for the state competition. Posters may be sent to: Arbor Day Poster Contest, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry, P.O. Box 40627, Nashville, TN 37204. Entries must be postmarked by Arbor Day, March 7, or hand-delivered to the TDA Division of Forestry office at Ellington Agricultural Center, 440 Hogan Road in Nashville by 4:30 p.m.on Arbor Day. Other posters that meet guidelines will be eligible. Winners will be announced in an awards ceremony on March 31. First, second, and third place winners for Tennessee will receive a savings bond. Winning teachers will receive a gift certificate for school supplies. A tree-planting ceremony will be held at the first place winner's school and at the state capitol. For a list of all prizes visit www.state.tn.us/agriculture/forestry/arborday/posters.html. Tennessee's first place poster will be entered in the national contest, which awards a $1,000 savings bond, a lifetime membership in The Arbor Day Foundation, an expense-paid trip to the home of National Arbor Day in Nebraska City, NE, for the National Awards Weekend and teacher classroom materials. The national second and third place winners also receive a savings bond and teachers receive cash prizes. Last year's winning poster by Courtney Pierchoski of Pulaski and other entries may be viewed at www.state.tn.us/agriculture/forestry/arborday/posters.html. More information about the national contest can be found at www.arborday.org. Arbor Day Poster Contest materials have been sent to all Tennessee fifth grade teachers. For more information contact contest coordinator Kay Fermann, TDA Division of Forestry in Nashville, at (615) 837-5437.
Overton County News
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