Embracing New Media

Bobo wanders about his beat filming baggies of pot and gym equipment at bargain prices.

278th on Alert

The Times-News reports the Tennessee National Guard has put soldiers of the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment on alert.

Members of the state’s largest military unit, with about 4,000 soldiers, were last in Iraq in 2004 and 2005.  (Knox News must-see coverage of 2004 deployment.) It was the largest deployment of a unit that size since World War II.  During that time, the 278th lost eight troopers in combat and two to accidents.

Military officials have said the regiment could go back again by 2010, and Guard spokesman Randy Harris says the alert does not necessarily speed up that timetable.  Harris says this week’s alert means the unit has the capacity to perform a mission but does not mean they are about to deploy.

However, the 278th’s last alert notice came in 2004, shortly before mobilization orders for duty in Iraq.

Full report here.

Seventy-six West Tennessee guardsmen (30th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion in Humbolt) were mobilized in March and 300 Road Hogs (1175th Unit out of Tullahoma) just returned home this week after their second deployment to Iraq and Kuwait.

June 21, 2004 by David Grace: Frank Free hands out American flags on Main Street in Rogersville before the departure of the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment.

Rejoice Now for Tomorrow All Hell Breaks Loose

Local Baptists, who firmly believe we are fighting to take back the world from the *heathens, are rejoicing today over the passage of Tennessee House Bill 4089.

The bill authorizes the state board of education to develop and adopt a curriculum for a state-funded elective course consisting of a nonsectarian, nonreligious academic study of the Bible and its influence on literature, art, music, culture, and politics.

The course must be taught in an objective and nondevotional manner with no attempt made to indoctrinate students as to either the truth or falsity of the biblical materials or texts from other religious or cultural traditions.

The legislation sponsored by Rep. Mark Maddox, a Dresden Democrat, was approved 93-3 on Tuesday. The companion bill unanimously passed the Senate last week. Both chambers must now work out differences in the legislation before it heads to the governor for his consideration.

Alleged Goat-Killer Files Appeal: State Claims Eyewitnesses Had Superman X-Ray Vision

Jeff Stoltz, Clinch Valley man, who was originally accused of killing up to 27 of his neighbor’s goats with a rifle earlier this year was found guilty last week on one single count of intentional killing of an animal.

Stoltz was sentenced to 60 days in jail, fined $75, and ordered to pay the owner of the goat $1,000 in restitution.

Stoltz has, however, appealed that conviction and execution of the sentence was postponed pending the outcome of the appeal.

Prosecutors told the Times-News two eyewitnesses made an identification and said they saw Mr. Stoltz shoot at least one goat.

Stoltz’s attorney Doug Jenkins points out that the witnesses were about 300 yards (or three football fields) away viewing through a partially wooded area when they claimed to have seen Stoltz.

Sydney Black: Victim of Maternal Filicide

Police say Ivory Black-Clark poisoned her 6-year old daughter, Sydney Black, with medications before she slit her own wrists and hanged herself with a hair-dryer cord from a ceiling fan.

Capt. Charlie Thomas with the Bristol Tennessee Police could not say what medications were with mixed with fruit juice and given to the girl, but he said empty prescription pill bottles were inside the residence.

Click here for full report.

Maternal filicide is not uncommon in the United States. According to the American Anthropological Association, more than 200 women kill their children in the United States each year.

And while I understand mothers who commit these crimes are typically mad as f’ing hatters, how they can direct this madness toward their own offspring and, in some cases, consider it altruistic - I will simply never understand.

Rogersville Considers Traffic Enforcement Cameras

Rogersville resident Richard Burdette presented the Rogersville Board of Mayor and Aldermen Tuesday with a list of safety suggestions for the intersection of Highway 11-W and Park Boulevard.

Burdette, who doesn’t claim to be a traffic engineer, but “just a guy who drives around and tries to stay out of accidents,” expressed concern over the number of horrific accidents at the intersection and pointed out this would get only worse when the *Blue Light Special (Justice Center) opens.

Burdette recommended to the board:

• red light photo traffic enforcement at the intersection and photo speed enforcement somewhere both east and west of the intersection;
• changing the traffic light so that vehicles can only turn left on an arrow, and not when oncoming traffic has a green light;
• changing the flashing “Signal Ahead” sign for approaching 11-W traffic to a “Prepare to Stop” sign that begins flashing just before the light turns red; and
• adding a strobe to the red light on 11-W that will flash when the red light is illuminated.

Of course, the suggestions most likely to generate dialogue in and around Rogersville are for photo enforcement.

Rogersville Mayor Jim Sells said of the traffic cameras, “If you save one life it’s well worth it.”

Mayor Jim Sells did not say, “And if you can shorten the amber cycle and pretend the high margin of error doesn’t exist, thereby allowing a municipality to overcharge unsuspecting motorists outrageous fees for what amounts to a glorified Orwellian parking ticket, all the better.”

But the thought may have occurred to him.

According to the Times-News, some board members speaking informally prior to the meeting said they believe some of the suggestions presented by Burdette are good ideas (which implies the rest of them thought the ideas sucked.)

But then Burdette mentioned, “Mount Carmel apparently has had a lot of success with their camera enforcement as far as reducing accidents along their stretch of 11-W, and perhaps we could have the same success.”

Although Mount Carmel’s cameras have been in use for less than six weeks, most Rogersville officials firmly believe their town is way better than Mount Carmel, (after all, they are the county seat) So, they think: “if Mount Carmel is doing it, why shouldn’t we?”

Pending state approval, I expect to see cameras at the intersection.

In unrelated BMA agenda item Tuesday, Burdette was also approved for appointment to the Library Board.

Click here for a legitimate, less snarky version of the report.

* The Justice Center is slated to open in January 2009.

Although Architect Tony Moore would like to continue running the project overbudget and generally screwing-up things, which he will then be paid to fix, a few county officials are starting to question if Moore knows what the hell he’s doing. Many now allege his groundbreaking Pal’s resturant design may not qualify him to be lead architect on multi-million dollar government buildings - even if the giant burger and fries on top of the Pal’s building are super cool. The increasing level of suspicion means Moore has a harder time trying to bamboozle county commissioners and office holders by using big words, which he invented.  As a result, the Center may actually open within the 2009 calendar year.

Not Quite the General Lee

Charles Hickman was charged with driving on a revoked license fourth offense late Saturday night after he went joyriding on his employer’s (now former employer) Ford 3600 Tractor.

At approximately 11:20pm, police nabbed Hickman on Church Street.  Hickman said he was on his way to his girlfriend’s house to get something to eat.

Click here for full report.

Skimpy Prom Dress Leads To Jail

(via Aquaflyer)

17-year old Marche Taylor had a dress custom made for her prom at Madison High. When she showed up at the door, she was denied admittance because a school official said the gown was too skimpy for the school sponsored event and violated school dress code.

Taylor and her friends tried to wrap her dress around her and pin it in place to provide more covering; however, the girl alleges school official then told her she still wasn’t going to be allowed in because she didn’t have any undergarments on.

Taylor said she was furious and demanded that the money she paid for the prom tickets be returned to her. The arguing apparently got out of hand and someone called the police who led Taylor away in handcuffs.

The teen spent the night in jail.

Full report available at CBS4 in Miami.

What’s in Your Water?

In January, the TDEC released the first draft of the 2008 303(d) report, The 303(d), which is required by the Federal Clean Water Act, is a listing of streams, rivers, reservoirs, and lakes that do not meet water quality standards or cannot support the public’s use of them, due to contamination from either waste water systems or pasture runoff.

Below is a list of Hawkins County streams making the list, as well as contaminates and alleged sources.

Noel, Hawkins County Board of Education named in lawsuit

According to Tri-Cities.com, the families of five Hawkins County students have named a former teacher and the Hawkins County Board of Education as defendants in a $65 million lawsuit.

Kingsport police arrested Clinch School teacher and coach Michael Noel last June. He’s awaiting trial for sex crimes against two children. In a lawsuit filed earlier this year, the parents of five middle and high school boys claim Noel sexually assaulted them. Their attorney, Robert Payne Cave, Sr., says the school board is partly responsible for Noel’s alleged crimes. He claims the district was negligent when it came to supervising Noel.

“They should have been put on notice, because the school policies were being violated and they should have put a stop to his behavior,” Cave said. “What this particular teacher-coach was doing was known and complaints had been made to staff at the school, so we conclude from that, they knew or should have known that there was something there that needed to be investigated.”

Click here for entire report.

Video Report here.