WRESTLE MANIA

Since 1848
© 2014 Stephens Media LLC
USPS 143-020 Columbia, Tenn.
www.c-dh.net
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014
3 SECTIONS, 20 PAGES
75 cents
VOLUME 116, NO. 54
Commissioners say no to nativity scene
Kuzawinski vows
to continue fight
By TIM HODGE
[email protected]
A Christmas nativity
scene will not be placed on
the Maury County Courthouse lawn — at least for
now.
Maury County Commis-
Kuzawinski
Previti
sioner Mike Kuzawinski
put the idea on Thursday’s
Administration Committee
meeting agenda, but Com-
missioner Eric Previti was
successful in removing it.
Previti was responding
to a letter from County
Attorney Daniel Murphy,
who said only County
Mayor Charlie Norman
has jurisdiction over what
goes on the courthouse
lawn.
Norman previously
said he opposed the idea
because having a nativity
scene on county property
could bring forth lawsuits.
“Based on the letter
from the attorney, this is a
matter that shouldn’t even
be presented to the commission at this point, and,
so, I think that it ought
to be removed from the
agenda,” Previti said. “I
think that just ought to be
stricken from the agenda,
instead of having an argument over it.”
Commissioners Sonny
Shackelford and William
“Tot” Roddy voted against
removing the item, while
Commissioners Terry
Potts, Ronnie Attkisson,
Previti and Administration
Commission Chairman
Debbie Turner supported
its removal.
“I appreciate the passion and belief that has
been put forth on this
issue, but this strictly
says, from our attorney
E
L
T
S
E
WR
A
I
N
A
M
and our council, that we
don’t have the authority
to get involved in it. It is
strictly the mayor’s decision,” Potts added.
There was some confusion on whether the
Maury County Sheriff or
the mayor had jurisdiction
on what is placed on the
courthouse lawn, but Commissioner Gary Stovall
said he wanted the issue to
See SCENE, Page 3A
New CHS
plans move
forward
Committee selects
Nashville-based contractor
for school construction
By KARA COLEMAN
[email protected]
The Zoning and Facilities Committee for the Maury County School
Board voted Thursday night to recommend a construction company to the
full school board next week for construction of the new Columbia Central
High School.
The committee voted 3-2 to recommend American Constructors, a
Nashville-based general contractor
and construction management firm.
Lindsey and Morrison voted on the
combined efforts of Hewlett-Spencer,
LLC and Bell & Associates Construction as their first choice.
The committee — Chairman Tommy
Dudley, Wayne Lindsey, David Moore,
Jim Morrison and James Pennings —
was joined by Roger White, principal
of Columbia Central, and a student
representative, Columbia High senior
See SCHOOL, Page 3A
Top left, Loramay Brewer of Lawrenceburg boos one of the wrestlers as she feeds her baby, Zakkary. Top right, Camron Heggie, 6, shows off a
homemade mask. Above, Professional wrestler “The Cowboy” James Storm signs memorabilia before the show. (Staff photos by James Bennett)
Fans come to Columbia for theater of the absurd
By JAMES BENNETT
[email protected]
“The Cowboy” James Storm
realizes he’s come full circle
in a world of broken noses and
broken hearts as he watches
a boisterous Columbia crowd
file in for another night of
professional wrestling.
The 35-year-old, small-town
boy from Leiper’s Fork has
entertained around the world,
including in a prince’s palace
in the United Arab Emirates
and last week in the Dominican Republic. But on a cold
Thanksgiving night, Storm
comes back to his old stomping grounds to headline a
small show, autograph memorabilia and snap pictures with
fans of Real Tennessee Wrestling, one of at least a dozen
minor-league tours that play
to charged-up crowds across
the state.
“I trained at the old
Columbia Grand Slam Building in 1996,” Storm reminisced. “Now I’m wrestling
around the world. A lot of
guys in wrestling have the
hearts broken, their dreams
unfulfilled, and never go
anywhere. I’m going to Puer-
Tag-team twins Matt and Nathan Starr greet longtime wrestling
fan Ernest Morton. (Photo by James Bennett)
to Rico next week.”
The near-sellout crowd
rises and falls with every turn
in the ring, which sits gigantically in the basement of the
Old Harvey’s Gym on Garden
Street. The room seats only
210, with folding metal chairs
separated from the ring by
small steel barricades.
The action is make believe,
but the entertainment’s so
compelling to some, Columbia
Weather
WEEKDAY - 75 CENTS
Today, showers likely.
Cloudy, with a high near 66.
South wind 5 to 15 mph, with
gusts as high as 20 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 70
hosts wrestling almost every
Friday night. The action
seems like theater of the
absurd, but the crowd loves to
play along.
“I don’t do a lot of shows
like this,” Storm added. “But
I enjoy them more than the
bigger shows because we’re
closer to the fans, and these
are fans of wrestling. This is
where I cut my teeth.”
The 6-foot-1, 243-pound
percent. Tonight, showers and
possibly a thunderstorm. Low
around 57. South wind around
15 mph, with gusts as high as
25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Saturday,
50 percent chance of show-
Storm charms the crowd
with his commanding presence and chiseled physique.
He looks stronger than every
other wrestler in the building
combined. If the night’s script
included a last-man-standing
contest, he’d win as sure as he
would beat every 1-2-3 count.
“I’ve worked hard to get
where I am,” Storm said.
“It’s come with a lot of real
blood, pain and sacrifice. I
had my eyes poked to the
point where I could not see.
My neck was paralyzed once
for eight hours. I’ve broken
both ankles. I’ve had major
surgery on my shoulder to
repair it.
“I’ve done it all and seen
it all. Did I tell you about
the time they served us goat
for dinner in Dubai?” Storm
laughed.
He’s a stunning contrast to
other wrestlers on the card,
many of whom look as though
they’ve stepped straight out
of their high school graduation photo and into the ring.
It wasn’t always that way.
Storm weighed 153 pounds
when he was a teenager,
ers. Mostly cloudy, with a high
near 59. West southwest wind
around 15 mph becoming
north in the afternoon. Winds
could gust as high as 25 mph.
— More details, Page 5A
CHRISTMAS CARD
Single mom
seeks help
From Staff Reports
A 29-year-old single mother is asking
for help with giving Christmas to her
three children.
Erica Black submitted an application
to the Community Christmas Card program, a 501(c)(3) charity that provides
Christmas for many families throughout
Maury County.
“I’ve been going through a hard time,”
Black told The Daily Herald. “This is the
only Christmas my kids are going to get
this year. I had to move unexpectedly,
and my husband left me this year. It’s
just been one of those years.”
Black’s oldest child, age 8, would like
a board game. Black has also requested
long-sleeved shirts for him, size 8.
For her daughter, age 5, Black has
requested size 10 tennis shoes and longsleeved shirts size 6.
For her youngest child, a 2-year-old
son, Black has requested a toy truck and
long-sleeved shirts size 4.
“I had to use all my savings to move,
See MANIA, Page 10A
Index
Birthdays......... 2A
Church ..........11A
Classified ........C1
Comics............B4
See CARD, Page 10A
Crossword ......B4
Dear Abby ......B4
Horoscope......B4
Lottery............. 2A
Military............. 6A
Obituaries ....... 7A
Opinion ........... 4A
Police .............. 8A
Sound Off ....... 4A
Sports .............1B
Stocks ............. 5A
Sudoku ........... 2A
LOCAL / NATION
10A
THE DAILY HERALD ◆ FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014
S.C. police chief indicted
Veterans march on Capitol
Hill for suicide prevention bill for shooting unarmed man
By BRIDGET BOWMAN
CQ Roll Call
WASHINGTON —
A group of veterans
marched with American
flags in hand to the Hart
Senate Office Building
Thursday to urge the Senate to act on a bill to prevent veteran suicides.
“Now we’re looking at
December, the session is
almost over and we’re trying to get this bill passed
now before we have to
start back at square one
in January,” Kristofer
Goldsmith of the Iraq and
Afghanistan Veterans of
America told CQ Roll Call.
Goldsmith, a 29-yearold Long Island native
and Iraq War veteran,
was among the group of
veterans who rallied at
the White House earlier
on Thursday and then
marched from Upper
Senate Park to the office
building. The American
flags hoisted on their
shoulders were visible
from the Capitol.
The veterans were
calling on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid,
D-Nev., to bring the Clay
Hunt Suicide Prevention
for American Veterans
Act, named for an Iraq
and Afghanistan war veteran who committed suicide in 2011, to the floor
of the Senate. On Nov. 19,
Hunt’s mother testified in
front of the Senate Veter-
ans’ Affairs Committee
and pointed to problems
with mental health care
from the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
“Despite (Clay’s) proactive and open approach to
seeking care to address
his injuries, the VA system did not adequately
address his needs,” said
Hunt. “Even today, we
continue to hear about
both individual and systemic failures by the VA
to provide adequate care
and address the needs of
veterans.”
Last spring, revelations
of waiting lists and inadequate health care at VA
medical centers roiled the
department, and resulted
in the president appointing a new VA secretary
and Congress passing
reforms to the department. But the veterans
on the Hill Thursday said
Congress still needs to act
on suicide prevention.
“We just want to
make sure that they, too,
understand that the cost
of not doing this continues to be 22 veterans a
day dying by suicide, in
addition to more active
duty troops tending to
do the same,” said Alex
Nicholson, IAVA’s legislative director. “We
want to dare them to
vote against a veteran
suicide prevention bill
and if so, then we’ll hold
them accountable.”
The bill would
institute a number
of reforms, including an annual thirdparty review of VA and
Department of Defense
mental health and suicide prevention programs, a website detailing mental health care
services, and a pilot
program to repay education loans for those who
study psychiatric medicine and serve veterans.
“It’s not a final solution, it’s not the be-allend-all, but it’s definitely
a step in the right direction,” said Nicholson.
Nicholson said House
leadership has already
committed to bringing
the bill to the floor next
week, which prompted
the demonstration on
the Senate side and the
walk to Reid’s office.
Goldsmith carried the
large stack of papers
with 58,000 signatures
calling on Congress to
act on the bill to Reid’s
office Thursday afternoon and said the staffers who received the
petitions were receptive
to the veterans’ cause.
“They understand
it’s a major priority for
us,” said Goldsmith.
“They didn’t make any
promises to us but we’re
hoping that the weight
of 60,000 signatures
is something that Sen.
Reid can feel.”
By DAVID ZUCCHINO
Los Angeles Times
A white former police
chief in a tiny South
Carolina town has been
indicted on murder
charges in the 2011 shooting of an unarmed black
man. The indictment
Wednesday came the
same day a Staten Island
grand jury declined to
criminally charge a white
New York City police
officer in the killing of
Eric Garner.
In Orangeburg
County, S.C., the grand
jury indicted Richard
J. Combs, who was the
police chief in Eutawville,
when he shot and killed
Bernard Bailey, 54, in
By RICHARD A.
SERRANO
Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON —
Cleveland police have
routinely engaged in
“unreasonable and unnecessary” force, including
a half-hour police chase
involving 100 officers
that left two unarmed
African-Americans dead
when police mistook the
car backfiring for gunshots and shot each of
them more than 20 times,
a Justice Department
investigation revealed
Thursday.
...........................................
Above, Makayla Cox, 9,
and Kaitylyn Cox, 11, cheer
on “The Cowboy” James
Storm. Makayla is Storm’s
daughter; Kaitlyn his niece.
Left, Wrestler Robert “The
Thumper” Thorn confronts
a heckler before his match.
(Photos by James Bennett)
who founded Real Tennessee Wrestling one year
ago.
One the wrestlers, who
calls himself “The Convict,” flashes a set of brass
knuckles to 68-year-old
Ernest Morton and 65-yearold Margaret Kendall
before he jumps through
the ring ropes. That sets
off alarms in both, who
found front-row seats
when the doors opened at
7 p.m.
“Ref, he’s got brass
knuckles, ref! Are you
blind, ref?” Kendall shouts
as the guy in the zebra
suit unknowingly looks the
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as he tried to shut off
the ignition. The truck
backed up, throwing
Combs to the ground,
prosecutors said. Combs,
saying he feared for his
life, shot Bailey twice in
the chest.
Prosecutors said the
chief instigated the confrontation by following
Bailey to his truck. They
said Bailey never threatened or attacked the officer. Combs faces up to 30
years to life in prison if
convicted on the murder
charge.
The grand jury indictment said Combs shot
Bailey “with malice
aforethought.” Bail was
set at $150,000.
DOJ: Cleveland cops use ‘unnecessary’ force
MANIA, from 1A
growing up in Leiper’s
Fork, a community of
about 650 people 30 miles
north of Columbia in Williamson County. He didn’t
have his first fight until he
overheard someone making fun of his father.
“My dad had just been
in an accident and was
paralyzed, when I heard
this kid laughing about
it,” Storm said. “I can’t
stand anyone making fun
of someone else, let alone
my dad. So I took care of
it. I went up there and beat
him up. I knew then I could
fight, take care of myself.
I was the guy who beat up
bullies. It came naturally.”
So did the good-guy
charm. A character was
born and refined in Columbia and small
wrestling
shows across
the South.
“We love
it when ‘The
Cowboy’
comes back,
but local
wrestling
now is about
Morton
fun for fans
and new guys in wrestling
who want to make a name
for themselves,” said Freddie Morton, a Columbia
real-estate agent who’s
been a long-time promoter
and consultant for wrestling shows.
Villains enter the ring to
chants of, “You suck, you
suck.” Heroes hear cheers
and slap hands with the
screaming children and
regular patrons who show
up every week for the
over-the-top theatrics.
“It’s as close as you can
get to the ring in wrestling
without climbing in yourself,” said Cody Whithead,
May 2011. The two men
struggled inside Bailey’s
car after Bailey came
to Town Hall to protest
a broken tail light ticket
issued to his daughter six
weeks earlier.
Combs tried to arrest
Bailey on an obstruction of justice warrant
for protesting the ticket
the day it was issued in
March 2011, according
to court testimony. The
chief then followed Bailey outside Town Hall to
his truck. Combs reached
into the vehicle as Bailey
sat inside.
Combs testified at a
court hearing that he
became tangled in the
truck’s steering wheel
other way.
Morton notices as “The
Convict” tosses the brass
knuckles away on the concert floor. “I thought he
was going to use them,” he
chuckled.
“That’s why we like
front-row seats,” Kendall
said. “We can see everything.”
Wrestling on the USA
Network, for decades
cable television’s highestrated show, and live events
hooked Kendall years ago,
The probe, part of an
ongoing series of “pattern or practice” investigations into the nation’s
police departments, also
found that Cleveland
police often needlessly
shot residents, struck
them with head blows
and subjected them to
Taser weapons and chemical spray.
Taken together, the
incidents in Ohio’s second-largest city, the Justice Department concluded, have led to a situation
where “avoidable force
becomes inevitable.”
she said.
“We like to come and
give them heck,” Kendall
said.
One wrestler, Robert
“The Thumper” Thorn, got
into their faces and told
them to “shut up and sit
down.”
“We make fun of them.
They make fun of us,”
Morton said.
Tag-team champions
Matt and Nathan Starr of
Hartsville parade around
the room before and after
their match. The 23-yearold twins look as young
as some of the teens and
preteens asking for their
autograph.
“Right now, those two
guys are my draw as far
as regular Friday night
wrestlers go, if you do not
include a special attraction
like James Storm,” Whitehead said. “We try to build
them as the stars, and so
far, so good. People are
buying into them. They are
our best in terms of being
good-guy characters. ‘The
Thumper’ is my best bad
guy.”
Tickets for the shows
cost $8, but shows make
money from sale of advertising and concessions.
The concession lines are
not long, but the aroma
of fresh, $1 popcorn and
cheesy, $3 nachos stifle
the smell of sweat in the
cramped gym.
“There’s at least 12,
maybe 20, wrestling shows
in Tennessee,” Freddie
Morton said. “I help RTW
in getting talent and ideas.
I’ve been in real-estate
and auctions for the last
12 years, but I love wrestling, as a former wrestler
myself, and I just can’t
stay away.”
Small wrestling shows
make little money, Whitehead said, but they’re not
losing their shirts, like a
Attorney General Eric
Holder, in announcing the
Cleveland findings a day
after he opened a separate investigation into
the chokehold death of
an unarmed black man in
New York, recommitted
his office to the Obama
administration’s Building
Community Trust initiative.
The effort is designed
to “foster strong, collaborative relationships
between local police and
communities they protect
and serve,” the attorney
general said.
wrestler stripping down
before a match, either.
“We want it to be a business, but there is not a
lot of money to be made.
It is more of a hobby,”
Whitehead said. “We were
beyond blessed on Thanksgiving night.”
Wrestling does not fall
under the auspices of the
Tennessee State Athletic
Commission. It regulates
boxing and mixed-martial
arts competitions. Smalltown wrestling falls under
entertainment, not sports.
“We should oversee it,
and I have brought it forth
to legislators many times
because of the danger
involved,” Athletic Commission executive Director
Jeffrey Mullen said.
Every state bordering Tennessee regulates
wrestling except South
Carolina.
“I wish there were regulation, more emphasis on
safety,” Storm said.
Rep. Shelia Butt,
R-Columbia, said the legislature considered regulating the weekly shows
years ago.
“They thought of it as a
form of entertainment, not
a sport, so they did nothing,” Butt said.
As Storm poses for
another picture with
another cute little kid, the
wrestler looks at the clock.
It’s nearly time for him to
jump into the ring again.
His family watches from
the back. Storm will be
wrestling Whitehead, who
doubles as the villain and
promoter.
“I’m not sure what we’re
doing to do,” Storm winks.
“We’ll come up with something. We’ll make it up as
we go.
“If he doesn’t want to
lose, he had better be bigger than me. That’s all I
can say.”
Since 1848
© 2014 Stephens Media LLC
www.c-dh.net
USPS 143-020 Columbia, Tenn.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2014
3 SECTIONS, 20 PAGES
75 cents
VOLUME 116, NO. 71
MT. PLEASANT
Airport board
declines mayor’s
attempt to join
By TIM HODGE
[email protected]
Philips Arena in Atlanta was filled with a sellout crowd of more than 19,000 Tuesday night. (Staff photos by James Bennett)
From insult to inspiration
NBA team’s play on court makes up for missteps off it
sional basketball
ATLANTA
team before the NBA
wo NBA jerawarded Charlotte,
seys hang in
N.C., an expansion
my closet, No.
team in 1987. Mem44 for “Pistol” Pete
phis convinced the
Maravich and No.
Grizzlies to move
21 for Dominique
to Tennessee from
“The Human HighVancouver, British
light Film” Wilkins.
James
Columbia, in 2001.
They’re the only
Bennett
They were our team.
ones I’ve bought,
The Hawks
reminders of Hall of Editor’s Notes
occasionally played
Famers who enterexhibition games in
tained while they
Nashville and drew fans
reinvented basketball with
from Middle Tennessee
their originality.
for games on road trips to
Both started professional
Atlanta when they were all
careers in Atlanta, and I
the rage on Ted Turner’s
followed the Hawks with
fascination because of them. SuperStation WTBS. They
seemed to belong to us..
I even covered the team
This year, the Hawks
for parts of three seasons
jumped off the Sports page
earlier in my career, when
and onto the front page
Wilkins was the superstar
twice, vilified for racially
and current Los Angeles
insensitive comments from
Clippers coach Doc Rivcontrolling owner Bruce
ers and former Slam Dunk
Levenson and celebrated
champion Spud Webb were
for a miraculous turnaround
his running mates at guard.
this season. They lost an
The Hawks were the
Deep South’s only profesSee NOTES, Page 3A
T
Mt. Pleasant Mayor
Bob Shackelford
was unsuccessful in
appointing himself
to the Maury County
Regional Airport
Authority — a move
aimed at replacing Mt.
Pleasant City Manager
Michelle Williams.
Shackelford attempted to appoint himself
to the board last week
during a city commission meeting, despite
there being no vacancies on it.
Williams’ term is
set to expire on May
1, 2017. The board also
is made up of a city of
Columbia representative, Greg Martin,
and a Maury County
appointee, Joe Duncan.
Their terms end in
2019.
Shackelford attended the board’s meeting
last week and was told
he could not appoint
someone without having a vacancy. He
intended to appoint
himself temporarily,
while another permanent choice was considered, Shackelford
said Monday.
“I was going to
appoint somebody new
— my own appointment to the board,”
Shackelford said.
“They are claiming
Williams
Shackelford
(Michelle Williams)
is on there for five
years, and she can’t be
removed. I didn’t get
anywhere on that.”
Duncan, the airport
board chairman, asked
Shackelford if he had
anything to say at the
end of the meeting,
to which Shackelford
inquired if he could
appoint someone, Daniel Murphy the board’s
attorney, said in an
email.
“Mr. Shackelford
seemed to understand
what we were saying
and accepted it,” Murphy, who also is the
county attorney, wrote.
Murphy cited a statute regarding commissioners terms and how
vacancies are handled.
“All commissioners
of a regional airport
authority created in
accordance with subdivision (a)(1) or (a)
(2) shall be appointed
for terms of five (5)
years each, except that
a vacancy occurring
other than by expiraSee BOARD, Page 3A
Coming Sunday
Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer urges on his
players, who have the second-best record in the NBA’s
Eastern Conference.
$93
in coupon savings
Workforce alliance, CSCC net grant money
By TIM HODGE
[email protected]
Recent high school graduate Da’Shawn Shye participated in the South Central Tennessee Workforce Alliance
Youth Pilot Internship Program this summer at Magneti
Marelli in Pulaski. He learned new skills in the advanced
manufacturing field. (Courtesy photo)
Weather
WEEKDAY - 75 CENTS
Today, mostly sunny, with
a high near 56. South wind
5-10 mph. Friday night, partly
cloudy, with a low around
38. South southeast wind
Southern Middle Tennessee landed
more than $2 million in workforce
development grants, including
$130,000 to start a mobile application
development program at Columbia
State Community College.
Ten Labor Education Alignment
Program grants recently were awarded, naming the South Central Tennessee Workforce Alliance as project
director, Gov. Bill Haslam announced.
SCTWA covers Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Marshall, Maury, Perry
and Wayne counties.
A $970,000 LEAP grant will be
administered through the SCTWA,
involving a partnership between the
Gattis Regional Leadership Group,
the SCTWA and Tennessee College of
Applied Technology-Pulaski.
LEAP grants are aimed at aligning
post-secondary education opportunities
in fields that local employers are seeking workers.
The SCTWA will administer two
of three local LEAP Grants aimed at
training workers to meet employer
needs, Jan McKeel, the organization’s
executive director said.
around 5 mph. Saturday, a
50 percent chance of rain.
Mostly cloudy, with a high
near 57. South southeast
wind 5-10 mph. Saturday
night, rain likely. Cloudy, with
a low around 47. South wind
start (the training) and get some some
equipment in.”
Middle and high school students
in Bedford, Franklin, Giles, Lewis,
Marshall, Perry and Wayne counties —
where new Certified Production Technician curricula will be implemented
into the Career and Technology Education programs — will receive training
with the grant money.
Those students will have the opportunity to employ the learned skills at
— JAN MCKEEL, SCTWA executive director the MakerLab at Martin Methodist
College.
CSCC landed a $135,918 LEAP grant
“We were going to be thrilled with
that will fund the MAD about Technolone, and we were absolutely ecstatic to
ogy Project — Mobile Applications
get two of them,” McKeel said.
Development and Innovative TechThe South Central Tennessee Develnologies — which will be established
opment District, an economic and
within the Information Systems Techcommunity development organization
nology Associate of Applied Science
headquartered in Mt. Pleasant, also
degree program.
received a $970,000 grant as part of a
The new coursework will allow
total $10 million package approved by
students to develop applications on the
the Tennessee General Assembly.
Android, iOS and Windows operating
“When you are dealing with
systems.
advanced manufacturing, so much
“We just started looking at different
today of what students need to learn
things that we could do, and the mobile
is associated with high-priced equipapp development just kept coming to
ment,” McKeel said. “It is very rare to
the top of our list — looking at technolbe able to have the kind of money that
we are getting through this to jumpSee GRANT, Page 3A
“We were going to be
thrilled with one, and
we were absolutely
ecstatic to get two of
them.”
around 5 mph becoming
calm after midnight. Chance
of precipitation is 70 percent. Sunday, showers likely.
Cloudy, with a high near 50.
— More details, Page 5A
Index
Birthdays......... 2A
Calendar ......... 6A
Classified ........1C
Comics............4B
Crossword ......4B
Dear Abby ......4B
Horoscope......4B
Lottery............. 2A
Obituaries ..8,11A
Opinion ........... 4A
Sound Off ....... 4A
Sports .............1B
Stocks ............. 5A
Sudoku ........... 2A
THE DAILY HERALD ◆ FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2014
FROM PAGE ONE
3A
NOTES, from 1A
...........................................
entire fan base, the entire
town, with a stunning
betrayal before winning
some of them back. They
have gone from insult and
inspiration, having won 14
of their last 15 games with
victories over the NBA’s
best teams and brightest
stars.
The bizarre off season and sensational start
grabbed my attention like
nothing else in sports this
year. The Clippers’ fiasco
with owner Donald Sterling
last basketball season was
incredible enough, but the
controversy in Atlanta hit
closer to home.
The hometown of Martin Luther King Jr. was
dumfounded when e-mails
surfaced in the off season
from Levenson, indicating
the Hawks thought white
fans were more important
than black ones. Levenson’s
e-mails also revealed a
racially charged remark
from General Manager
Danny Ferry about a possible free-agent signee.
The comments hurt
deeply in a Deep South city
once burned to the ground
in Sherman’s march to the
sea and where racial issues
simmer continuously.
Because of the distrust
and sagging attendance, I
thought the Hawks would
be “Gone with the Wind,”
relocated to places clamoring for pro basketball like
Seattle, San Diego or Las
Vegas. Levenson did the
franchise a favor by immediately deciding to sell his
share, though the sale has
been arduous. Ferry took a
leave of absence. At least
their decisions allowed a
healing process to begin.
No one thought it would
happen overnight. That
is, until what one former
Atlanta columnist called one
of the greatest miracles in
the city’s long sports history.
The Hawks have started
this season 21-7, with
second-best record in the
NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Philips Arena was sold
out Tuesday night for a
game with the Clippers and
likely will be tonight when
the Milwaukee Bucks come
to town. The new wave of
enthusiasm came, unbelievably, after the once-beleaguered Hawks knocked
off the Chicago Bulls with
Derek Rose, the Cleveland
GRANT, from 1A
...........................................
ogy that is needed in our
area but is not out there for
the training,” Linda Boshers, a CSCC spokesperson,
said.
Local companies will
offer hands-on training to
apply what is learned, she
added.
Homeland Solutions
Sourcing and Staffing in
Franklin, Lawrenceburg
Utility Systems, and Columbia’s neXperia and Wiremasters are offering internships, once students finish
their coursework.
Programming and software development is one of
the largest under-supplied
career pathways, according
Mascot “Harry the Hawk” and the team’s cheerleaders find reasons to cheer after a 21-7
start this season. (Staff photos by James Bennett)
Fox Sports South analyst
Mike Glenn, right, comments on Hawks games
with partner Jerome Jurenovich.
Cavaliers with LeBron
James, the Houston Rockets with Dwight Howard
and the Dallas Mavericks
with Dirk Nowitzki in four
straight games. They rallied
to stop the Clippers with
Blake Griffin and Chris
Paul, 107-104, Tuesday night.
The Hawks trounced
James, the NBA’s best
player, 127-98, in Cleveland.
No one wins on the road
by more than 29 points,
especially against LeBron
James. That’s hard to imagine. Improbable. Unpredictable. But it happened.
“After what happened in
the off season, this has got
to be one of the miracles
in the history of Atlanta
sports,” former Atlanta
to a 2011 report from the
University of Tennessee’s
Center for Business and
Economic Research. Marketing, human resources,
business financial management and accounting, environmental service systems
and construction also made
that list.
From 2012-2020, there
will be 130 job openings
available each year for
software application developers, according to the
Tennessee Department
of Labor and Workforce
Development.
Application software
developers are projected to
have a 23 percent increase
in employment numbers
between 2012-2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of
Hawks fan Chris Williams of Dalton, Ga., stands out in
the crowd with his sign of Hawks player DeMarre Carroll.
Journal-Constitution columnist Terence Moore said. “It
ranks right up there with
Sid Bream’s slide into home
plate for the Braves and the
Falcons-Vikings NFC championship game.”
Moore was referring to
Bream’s mad dash for home
in the 1992 National League
Championship Series and
the 1999 NFC championship game. Bream scored
from second base on a close
play at home against the
Pittsburgh Pirates, sending
the Braves to World Series,
where they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in six games.
The Falcons defeated the
Vikings, 30-27, in overtime
to advance to Super Bowl
Labor Statistics.
Columbia, Lawrence
County and Williamson
County campuses will
house the programs, which
will allow up to 24 students
when fully operational. The
application development
program is slated to begin
in fall 2015 and is a partnership with the SCTWA.
Dearl Lampley, CSCC
dean of the science, technology and mathematics
division, and McKeel will
lead a committee with
officials from local school
systems, governments,
chambers of commerce and
Maury, Lawrence and Williamson county employers.
The board will evaluate
the program each semester.
Adopt A Pet
By BEVERLY MITCHELL
Guest Columnist
You don’t have to be
literary to fall in love with
this week’s pettables! The
good looking dog is Puck.
When he’s not acting in
Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Puck
can be found at the shelter,
working on his lines for
an upcoming audition for
“Home for the Holidays,”
which he hopes to star in
at your house. Puck is a
3-year-old Border collie
mix, and, off stage, he has a
sweet and calm personality.
And speaking of the
Bard, our kitty cat this
week is Shakespur! Since
he’s a young 11-month-old,
this marmalade short hair
is just getting started on
his writing career, but
he has big plans for the
future. He’s working on
“Catlet, the Prince of Denmark,” and will soon start
writing “The Taming of the
Shepherd Mix.”
If it ever gets cold here
in Maury County, be sure to
Puck
Shakespur
keep everyone in your family, two-leggeds and fourleggeds, warm and safe.
Remember, you can help
keep Maury County dogs
and cats — adopt, volunteer, rescue, spay/neuter
— bring animals into your
homes and love them, especially at Christmastime!
The animal shelter is
located at 1233 Mapleash
Ave., on the corner of
Tom J. Hitch Parkway
and Mapleash Avenue in
Columbia, is open 11 a.m. to
5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
on Saturdays. More information may be obtained by
calling (931) 375-1402 or
by emailing fuzz992002@
yahoo.com.
◆◆◆
Beverly Mitchell is a member of
Pet Pals of Maury County.
XXXIII, where they lost
to the Denver Broncos, for
the only time in franchise
history.
“It’s been miraculous up
to this point,” Moore said.
“And I stress up to this
point. “
The Hawks’ victories
have not been a fluke, and
they’ve helped fans focus on
the court instead of off it.
“This was unexpected,”
said Fox Sports analyst
Mike Glenn, who played
with Wilkins as a sharpshooting guard in the 1980s.
“We were hoping the Hawks
would be a little above .500
because they were playing
well at times last season.
“We were expecting good,
but not this good,” he added.
“They have been successful
because of teamwork. They
move the ball around so
well, passing, looking for the
open short. You hardly see
any one player dribble three
times.”
Hawks coach Mike
Budenholzer has been doubling as the Hawks director
of basketball operations in
Ferry’s absence. The former
San Antonio Spurs assistant
coach has been making the
good choices, with a starting lineup that lacks anyone
approaching the star quality of Maravich or Wilkins
from bygone days, or big
names like Rose and James
from today’s NBA.
Unheralded fifth-year
guard Jeff Teague from
Wake Forest and journeyman forward Paul Millsap
of Louisiana Tech lead
Hawks scorers, averaging
16 points per game. It’s hard
to figure out, on paper, how
they’re doing it.
“We have a good team,”
Budenholzer said, “but
there’s much work to be
done.”
Elton Brand, a 15-year
veteran who was the No.
1 overall pick of the Chicago Bulls in the 1999 NBA
draft, joined the Hawks
last season. He’s seen his
share of good and bad teams
throughout his career, having suffered with the Clippers when they were one
of the NBA’s worst teams
(2001-2008).
“This team is hot to prove
itself,” Brand said. “I’ve
never played for a team
that’s been unselfish on both
offense and defensively.
“When they’ve got an
open shot, they keep looking
for a better open shot,” he
laughed.
The Hawks’ starting
lineup includes Teague,
Millsap, center Al Horford,
forward DeMarre Carroll
and forward Kyle Korver.
Carroll, who was reminded
by Hawks vice president
of public relations Garin
Narain to take his hat off
during interviews to comply
with the NBA dress code,
said the team has been on a
mission this season.
“Hey, I see LeBron with
his hat on during interviews
all of the time,” Carroll said
to Garin.
Garin reminded Carroll
he was saving him potential
fine money. And, of course,
Carroll is no LeBron James.
“We’re a good team,” Car-
BOARD, from 1A
Williams declined to
comment about the move
........................................... but said she was unaware
of why Shackelford would
tion of term shall be filled
want to replace her on the
for the unexpired term
board.
in the same manner as
Also at last week’s city
the original
commission meeting,
appointShackelford appointed
ments,” the
Mt. Pleasant Vice Mayor
statue reads.
George Vestal to sit on
When
the Mt. Pleasant Power
terms
System Board. Vestal
expire,
replaced former Mt.
either the
Pleasant City Commiscounty comsioner Chris Frierson, who
mission, the
was voted out of office in
city council
Murphy
November.
or whomFrierson was the city
ever made
commission’s
representhe original
tative, and the position
appointon the MPPS board was
ment would
vacant, Shackelford said.
nomiThe city commission
nate new
approved Vestal’s appointmembers,
ment.
according to
“The mayor does have
the statute.
appointment power. I am
ShackelVestal
not appointing people to
ford had no
expect the people that has
particular
been in power up there to
reason for wanting to
approve it,” Shackelford
replace Williams, he said.
said. “I am appointing
“I am the mayor now,
people that I think would
and I just wanted to get
make good appointees,
my own people in position
and I think George Vestal
of where I wanted them,”
will make a good one.”
he said.
roll said. “No, I think we’re a
great team. Hardly anyone
outside of this locker room
believes that.”
It is hard to believe. But
they’ve already done something few players have in
their careers. They’ve captured the imagination of a
city that seemed destined to
turn its back on the Hawks.
“We want to deliver
for the fans,” Carroll said.
“We’re playing great basketball team right now. Merry
Christmas, but it does not
stop here.”
Levenson’s comments
about fans were contained
in e-mails he wrote about
bridging Atlanta’s sports
divide. He was hoping to
increase fan attendance
for the Hawks, who rank
25th this season among the
league’s 30 teams.
“In trying to address
those issues, I wrote an
e-mail two years ago that
was inappropriate and
offensive,” he said in a
statement earlier this year.
“I trivialized our fans by
making clichéd assumptions
about their interests (i.e.
hip hop vs. country, white
vs. black cheerleaders, etc.)
and by stereotyping their
perceptions of one another
(i.e. that white fans might be
afraid of our black fans). By
focusing on race, I also sent
the unintentional and hurtful message that our white
fans are more valuable than
our black fans.”
“If you’re angry about
what I wrote, you should
be,” Levenson continued.
“I’m angry at myself, too. It
was inflammatory nonsense.
We all may have subtle biases and preconceptions when
it comes to race, but my
role as a leader is to challenge them, not to validate
or accommodate those who
might hold them.”
If the Hawks keep playing beyond expectations,
they’ll have a legitimate
chance at making the
NBA Finals. The Eastern
Conference is weaker than
in recent memory. Only
five teams having winning
records.
“Things are much better,
and this winning has taken
the focus off the negative,”
Glenn said. “Everything is
better, from the entertainment at games to the talent
on the floor. I have felt the
difference.”
◆◆◆
James Bennett is editor of
The Daily Herald. Contact him at
[email protected].
Subscribe to
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LEAGUES
an
THROUGH
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JANUARY
5.
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BRING
THE
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Everyone Welcome
Team of Mules Weight Loss Challenge!
January 1 - April 11 (Mule Day)
In an effort to create a healthier community, we challenge Maury County to
lose the weight of a team of 8 mules (8,000 pounds) by Mule Day.
Find out more at
www.teamofmules.com
or contact Lydia Jolly at 931-548-2405.
Since 1848
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USPS 143-020 Columbia, Tenn.
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014
2 SECTIONS, 14 PAGES
Local ERs
report flu
spreading
MRMC asks visitors
to use caution
There’s always
next year
Titans gain No. 2 overall pick for 2015 NFL draft after 2-14 season
NASHVILLE
s the worst season
in Tennessee Titans
history comes to an
end, fans should remember two things for next
season and beyond.
First,
the Titans
will have
the No.
2 overall
selection
in the 2015
NFL draft.
University
of Oregon
quarterJames
back Marcus Bennett
Editor’s
Mariotta or
Notes
Florida State
quarterback
Jameis
Winston likely will be
Tennessee’s new starting
quarterback and face of
the franchise.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost the New
Orleans Saints on Sunday,
giving the Bucs the top
pick. The 2-14 Titans, who
lost 27-10 to the Indianapolis Colts, will have to
wait and see if the Bucs
pick Mariotta or Winston.
That’s the highlight of the
Titans’ 2014 season, dubiously earning the No. 2
choice.
Second, if anyone can
turn around the Titans’
fortunes, it’s Coach Ken
Whisenhunt.
The former Arizona
Cardinals coach worked
with one of the worst
owners in NFL history
during his six years in the
desert. And despite owner
A
By ANGIE MAYES
[email protected]
The flu season is in full swing and
many area residents are already suffering from the illness, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist with
the Vanderbilt University Department
of Medicine, said.
“The influenza disease
started early this year,
mainly in the Southeast,
but has spread throughout most of the country,”
Schaffner said. “One of
the difficult things this
year, is that the dominate
influenza strain — the
H3N2 strain — has mutatSchaffner
ed a bit, or drifted as we
call it, and the vaccine we
all got is not very effective against that
strain.”
He said because the strain is not
controlled by the vaccine it can become
a “severe disease, which is not a good
recipe for the holidays.
“Our ERs are very busy and our
doctor’s in their officers are telling us
they’re very busy,” Schaffner said. “I’m
part of a group that does surveillance on
patients admitted to the hospital. We use
a specific test that diagnoses influenza.
This is hard data and it’s for a study on
behalf of the (Centers for Disease Control) for Davidson and the six surrounding counties.”
Schaffner said so far, the cases of
influenza have not let up with more than
150 being diagnosed at Vanderbilt in the
past two weeks alone. How long it will
last, doctors don’t know, he said.
“The flu is fickle,” Schaffner said. “It
certainly looks like we’re in for a serious season.”
Keri McKamey, TriStar Spring Hill
ER director, echoed Schaffner’s comments.
75 cents
VOLUME 116, NO. 73
Tennessee Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt looks up at the scoreboard during the game against
the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at LP Field in Nashville. (Photo by correspondent Rob Fleming)
MORE TITANS COVERAGE
◆ Local fans hit the stadium — Page 8A
◆ Full game coverage — Page 1B
See FLU, Page 3A
See TITANS, Page 3A
Outpouring of support Haslam: Increased road
taxes may be needed
New sleigh
delivered to
Santa Fe girl
By ANDY SHER
Chattanooga Times-Free Press
By TIM HODGE
[email protected]
SANTA FE — A generous outpouring from
the local community
made one Maury County
girl’s Christmas a
little brighter after her
sleigh was stolen.
Douglas and Melanie
Woody left their property on Snow Creek Road
about 9:30 a.m. on Nov.
21. When they returned
home at 11 a.m., a
sleigh — a Christmas
gift for their 11-year-old
daughter Kayla made
by Santa Claus — was
gone.
“When the sleigh was
first taken, it made me
feel bad the way things
went,” Douglas Woody
said. “But then, all the
outpouring from the
community made me
feel good that we have
people out there that
Kayla Woody, 11, of Santa Fe sits atop her brand new
sleigh on a rainy Sunday. (Staff photo by Demario Liggons)
really care about a little
kid.”
After the story
appeared in The Daily
Herald, Douglas Woody
said the Maury County
Sheriff’s Department
received several calls
from people wanting to
help, including from the
Weather
WEEKDAY - 75 CENTS
Today, 30 percent chance
of showers before 7am.
Mostly cloudy, with a high
near 49. North wind 5 to 10
mph. Tonight, mostly cloudy,
staff of Home Depot in
Spring Hill.
The parents wanted
to wait before accepting any offers, just in
case the original sleigh
was found. Police later
told the family the
See SLEIGH, Page 3A
with a low around 31. North
wind around 10 mph. Tuesday, mostly sunny, with a
high near 46. North wind 10
to 15 mph, with gusts as
high as 20 mph. Tuesday
night, p artly cloudy, with a
NASHVILLE — Gov. Bill Haslam
says he has not yet decided whether to
seek new funding for Tennessee roads
next year and won’t unless he has a
solution “that’s more than just bridging
the gap.”
The governor said in budget hearings this month that within the next
two years or so, the state would have to
address revenue shortfalls because of
higher vehicle efficiency and years of
congressional inaction on transportation
funding.
Haslam, in a year-end interview, said
he knows the state will have to find
more road money “at some point,” but
added, “We certainly have not given
anyone any indication that we’re committed to doing it this year (2015).”
Earlier this week, Rep. Dan Howell,
R-Cleveland, was quoted by the Cleveland Daily Banner as saying Haslam
“has already signaled this is something
he is going to do.”
Haslam said his top two priorities
when the 109th General Assembly convenes Jan. 13 are passing his proposed
Insure Tennessee program and addressing lawmakers’ concerns over Common
Core education standards.
“We have to consider how much you
low around 27. North wind
5 to 10 mph. Wednesday,
mostly sunny, with a high
near 40. North wind around
5 mph.
— More details, Page 7A
can lift at one time,”
Haslam said.
Anyway, he said, “I
really don’t want to [propose a transportation
funding method] until
I say, here’s a thoughtful way to do this that’s
more than just bridging
a gap.
Haslam
“It’s more than just
putting a Band-Aid on and saying, ‘Oh,
gosh, we’re short money for roads. Let’s
increase the tax.”
Tennessee fuel taxes — 21.4 cents per
gallon for gasoline and 18.4 cents per
gallon — haven’t risen since 1989.
Each penny of the gas tax generates
$30 million. About 60 percent — $18
million — goes to the Department of
Transportation, while 38 percent goes
to cities and counties. Two percent goes
to the general fund for inspection fees.
Each penny on the diesel tax generates
about $12 million. Tennessee now has
the 13th-lowest fuel taxes among the 50
states, state officials say.
Haslam said that when he decides
what is needed, “I’d like to have something that’s a little more thoughtful so
we’re not just back — whoever the governor is four years from now — back
Index
See ROAD, Page 3A
Comics............5A
Crossword ......5A
Birthdays.........2A Dear Abby ......5A
Horoscope......5A
Calendar .........8A
Lottery.............2A
Classified ........4B Obituaries .......6A
Opinion ...........4A
Police ..............6A
Sound Off .......4A
Sports .............1B
Sudoku ...........2A
THE DAILY HERALD ◆ MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014
FROM PAGE ONE
SLEIGH, from 1A
Vehicle overturns on U.S. Highway 43
...................................................................
sleigh was found but it had been
thrown in the Duck River, Douglas
Woody said.
On Christmas Eve, a Home Depot
manager called the family and
arranged to deliver another sleigh
the businesses built for the Spring
Hill Christmas parade. The manager
heard about the Woodys’ situation
and wanted to help.
The new — much larger — brightred, sleigh arrived Friday and took
several Home Depot workers to
unload it.
“Not only did they bring that, they
brought her a blow-up snow man, a
blow-up dinosaur and a blow-up Santa
Claus and a plastic light-up snowman,” Douglas Woody said.
The gifts were aimed at, hopefully,
making Kayla Woody’s Christmas a
little brighter next year.
Kayla Woody saw a picture of the
sleigh before it arrived and said she
expected it to be much smaller.
“I like it,” she said about the new
sleigh.
The sleigh’s larger size can now
hold more people, Kayla Woody
added.
“You can have people standing up
in the back, and people sitting,” she
said, smiling.
The new sleigh might receive
some modifications, including adding
some wheels so her horses can pull it
along, Douglas Woody said.
3A
A 16-year-old driver walked away with minor injuries after his black Toyota 4-Runner overturned on U.S. Highway 43 in Columbia,
just after the Industrial Park Road exit. The call came in call came in about 2:15 p.m. Sunday, Columbia Police Officer Brad Ricketts
said. The juvenile driver was traveling eastbound on Highway 43, steered around a curve and lost control of the vehicle, the officer
said. The driver hit a guardrail and landed on its side. The teenager declined transport to the hospital. Ricketts encouraged drivers
to use caution during rainy weather, especially when it first starts because surfaces may be slick. (Staff photo by Demario Liggons)
TITANS, from 1A
...........................................
Bill Bidwill’s track
record for losing and
horrible decision making, Whisenhunt led the
Cardinals to the Super
Bowl XLIII, where they
fell to the Pittsburgh
Steelers in 2009.
Here’s how bad it
was when Whisenhunt
arrived in Arizona. The
Cardinals had losing
records 20 of the previous 22 seasons. Taxpayers refused to build a
new stadium for the
Cardinals until a referendum narrowly passed
in 2000 – 12 years after
they moved to Phoenix
from St. Louis.
Bidwill had alienated
the fan base so badly
with high ticket prices
and refusal to sign bigname free agents, the
franchise was reeling.
Supporters were hoping he would move and
the Valley of the Sun
could start again with an
expansion team. They
rarely sold out games
and never were on local
television when they
played at home. The
Dallas Cowboys had
a larger, much-more
passionate following in
Arizona.
A new stadium, site of
this year’s Super Bowl,
a future Hall of Fame
quarterback named
Kurt Warner, a star
wide receiver in Larry
Fitzgerald and Whisenhunt helped the Cardinals and Bidwill turn
it around. The University of Phoenix Stadium
opened in 2006.
“They were two different teams and play-
FLU, from 1A
......................................
“We are seeing more
flu cases this year at the
Spring Hill ER than we
did at this same time last
year,” she said. “There is
a definite increase.”
Schaffner offered tips
to prevent getting the flu
this season.
“If you haven’t been
vaccinated, get vaccinated,” he said. “Although
this may not prevent
the dominate strain, you
will still get protections
against alternate strains
that may become more
dominate in the later part
of the season.”
Hand hygiene is also
important, he said.
“Wash your hands,”
Schaffner said. “Hand
hygiene products are
good for this. They clean
and kill the virus.”
If you do get sick, don’t
hesitate to call the doctor and ask whether an
anti-viral such as Tamiflu
could work, he added.
“The drugs can shorten
the duration of the flu
and reduce the risk of
pneumonia, hospitalization and dying,” Schaffner said.
If you are sick, “don’t
tough it out and call on
the third day. The longer
you wait, the least effective the anti-viral will be.
You should take them in
the first 48 hours. Adults
tend to put it off,” he said.
People in high risk
groups — those older
Tennessee Titans quarterback Charlie Whitehurst (12) takes a hit from an Indianapolis Colts defender on Sunday at LP Field in Nashville. (Photo by correspondent Rob
Fleming)
ers (the Titans and Cardinals),” Whisenhunt
said Sunday after the
Titans’ finale. “There’s
a different off season
now and different Collective Bargaining
Agreement. It’s more
difficult now in the off
season.”
Fast forward to 2014
and the winter of discontent in Nashville.
Whisenhunt doesn’t
even have a quarterback, let alone one of
Warner’s caliber. The
Titans used their No.
1 pick for Jake Locker
in 2011, and he’s been a
celebrated bust.
“It’s been a tough,
long season,” Whisenhunt said. “But, as a
coach, you have to stick
with what you believe
in. I like to think there’s
better days ahead.”
The Titans need so
much talent, players
everywhere on offense
and defense, to be a
playoff contender again.
“We have to have
continuity,” Whisenhunt
said. “When you go
through seven tackles,
five tight ends and three
quarterbacks, obviously,
that’s difficult.”
Whisenhunt has to
start at quarterback
with Mariotta or Winston, although he would
not commit to picking a
quarterback in the draft.
“We have a long off
season to evaluate,” he
said.
Whisenhunt picked
veteran Warner to be
his quarterback in Arizona, not highly drafted
former University of
Southern California star
Matt Leinhart, and the
Cardinals soared under
his leadership.
Mariotta and Warner
had the same temperament. If the Titans wind
up with Winston, the
2013 Heisman winner,
Whisenhunt will have
to mold the immature
Winston’s character and
talent.
Interesting, Mari-
than 65, those younger
than 65 with underlying
health conditions, such as
diabetes, heart and lung
conditions, or women who
are pregnant — should
call the doctor immediately.
“Finally, if you get
sick, recuse yourself.
Don’t go spreading
it around to others,”
Schaffner said. “Now
is not the time to have
everybody over for that
holiday party and now is
not the time to go to that
holiday party. Your social
life is going to have to be
curtailed.”
Maury Regional
Medical Center is asking
visitors to help protect
its hospital patients at the
medical center and its
affiliate facilities during
the flu season.
“Individuals may carry
and transmit the flu virus
up to 24 hours before
they show any signs or
symptoms. Those who
have contracted the flu
may begin to experience
symptoms that include
fever, cough, chills, sore
throat, body aches and
headache. We ask that
anyone experiencing one
or more of these symptoms refrain from visiting a patient or accompanying a patient to the
medical center,” Deborah
Goldsmith, a MRMC
specialist in infectious
disease, said in a press
release.
Certain patients are at
greater risk if exposed to
the virus, including individuals whose immune
systems may be compromised — such as cancer
patients — and those with
respiratory conditions,
Goldsmith said in the
release. Young children
are also at greater risk.
The hospital is asking
that only immediate family members visit new
mothers and their babies
as a safeguard to protect
the children against the
flu.
The flu spreads
through tiny wet drops
produced when a person
coughs, sneezes or when
talking. Individuals
may contract the flu by
breathing in these wet
drops, or by touching
items and surfaces covered with these drops
and then touching their
mouth, nose or eyes.
Vaccination is one
of the best protections
against contracting the
virus, with proper and
careful hygiene practices
a close second, Goldsmith
said in the release.
Covering the mouth
and nose with a tissue
or shirt sleeve when
sneezing or coughing
and cleaning frequently
touched items and surfaces can help deter spreading the flu.
For more information
about the flu and prevention tactics, visit www.
cdc.gov.
— The Daily Herald reporter
Tim Hodge contributed to this
report.
otta and Winston will go
head to head in Thursday’s Rose Bowl.
Winston has won 29
straight games at Florida State, but he’s been
an embarrassment for
the Seminoles off the
field. The Titans would
regret drafting Winston
as much as Vince Young
in 2006, if Winston does
not grow up.
The Titans are still
recovering from the
setback they suffered in
picking Young and giving him the keys to the
franchise. Young’s poor
performance led to the
firing of Jeff Fisher, the
best coach in Titans history. Winston possibly
could do the same for
Whisenhunt.
The Titans’ season
ended with 10 consecutive losses. No Titans
team came as close to
being as bad as this one.
The previous low-water
mark was 4-12 in 2005.
The decision to start
quarterback Zach
Mettenberger at midseason signaled the
Titans’ desperation.
Locker, who has been
injury prone, was not
the answer, and Whisenhunt knew it. So Locker
was benched and will
not be re-signed for next
season.
There were more
Colts than Titans fans
at Sunday’s game. Hundreds filtered into the
stadium from Kentucky
and Indiana, excited
to see the AFC South
champion Colts before
the start of the NFL
playoffs. The Titans
managed only nine first
downs and 192 total
yards.
“The are a lot of areas
to improve in,” Whisenhunt said. “One thing
we’ve had consistently
this season has been
effort.”
But the depth of
despair should not
reflect on Whisenhunt.
He just rode into town
for his first season.
Besides having no quarterback, Whisenhunt
was handcuffed with
horrible offensive and
defensive lines. The
Titans could not protect
their own quarterbacks
and could not pressure
opposing ones.
“I’m excited to be
here,” Whisenhunt said.
“This is a good place to
be …when you win. “
A long winter of
discontent turns into
thoughts of next season.
With the No. 2 overall
pick and Whisenhunt,
there are better Sundays ahead.
◆◆◆
James Bennett is editor of
The Daily Herald. Contact him at
[email protected].
ROAD, from 1A
...........................................
with the same thing.”
Lawmakers and others have discussed a
variety of solutions.
Ideas include raising the existing tax or
indexing fuel taxes so
they rise or fall with
price of fuel.
Other possibilities include a mileage
fee on trucks, which
in-state firms could
deduct from business
taxes they pay. There’s
also talk about fees on
electric vehicles and
hybrids, which use
state highways but pay
little or no fuel taxes.
Earlier this year, state
transportation Commissioner John Schroer
mentioned a mileage
fee for highway users.
Asked about indexing fuel taxes, Haslam
acknowledged a
“declining base” from
which to raise revenue.
“I honestly don’t
know what the longterm answer is, but
I think one of our
hesitancies in pushing
toward something forward next year is we
really don’t have a comprehensive plan on how
that should work, No.
1,” he said.
“And then No. 2,
while we have a bunch
of road needs — and
we have an $8 billion
backlog of projects — I
don’t know that I have
a thoughtful proposal
that I could go around
to legislators and say
here’s exactly what
we would spend the
additional revenue [on]
other than what’s next
in line” on the list.
Submit your couples photos and a 50 word or less narrative stating why you or a couple you know are the “Middle TN Ultimate Couple” online at
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click on the Pink Couples Ad to Upload Photos
You may submit photos:
Monday, December 29th, 2014 thru
Wednesday, January 12, 2015
Voting will be Monday, January 12, 2015
thru Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Winners will be announced Friday, February 13, 2015
Winners will be chosen by the number of votes they receive posted
to the Ultimate Couple entry page on our website.
1st and 2nd Prize Packages will be
Announced once Sponors are secured.