News
June 1, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
It will soon be illegal for Tennessee drivers to talk on the phone without a hands-free device.
The Tennessee General Assembly recently passed legislation that will ban the use of handheld electronic devices, including cellphones, while driving in Tennessee.
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It will go into effect on July 1 with the governor’s signature.
Supporters of the bill believe it will make roads safer and save lives.
State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver voted in favor of it. State Senator Mark Pody opposed it saying there are already distracted driving laws on the books. State Representative Clark Boyd said while he missed the vote on it, he supports the new law.
You will still be able to talk on the phone using an earpiece, headphone device, or wrist . The bill would also allow a driver to start or end a phone call by using a single button or swipe on the phone. Drivers may also use voice-to-text ability and may look at their cell phones if its for navigation.
Violators would face up to a $50 fine. That amount could reach $100 if the violation causes an accident or $200 for violations in construction or school zones.
This expands already existing laws intended to keep drivers safe on the road. Teen drivers are already prohibited from talking on the phone while driving and the state already bans texting while driving. In addition, hand-held cellphone use is already banned in Tennessee school zones.
There will be some exceptions to the new law.. According to the bill summary, law enforcement, campus police, emergency services and firefighters acting in a official capacity are exempt. It also includes any citizen in an emergency situation.
Sixteen states and Washington D.C. already prohibit all drivers from using handheld cellphones, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Georgia passed a similar law last year.
DeKalb Jobless Rate for April Drops to 3.4%
June 1, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
DeKalb County’s jobless rate for April dropped to 3.4% from 4.2% in March and was below the 3.8% rate recorded for April, 2018.
The Labor Force for April was 7,810. A total of 7,550 were employed and 270 were without work.
Jobless rates for April among the fourteen counties in the Upper Cumberland region were as follows from highest to lowest:
Clay: 5.6%
Jackson: 3.7%
Pickett: 3.7%
Van Buren: 3.5%
DeKalb: 3.4%
Cumberland: 3.4%
Warren: 3.2%
Fentress: 3.1%
Overton: 2.9%
White: 2.9%
Putnam: 2.7%
Macon: 2.5%
Cannon: 2.4%
Smith: 2.4%
Unemployment rates for 94 of Tennessee’s 95 counties dropped in April 2019 according to data released Thursday by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD).
The unemployment rate in Maury County remained unchanged for the month.
Ninety-four counties have rates lower than 5 percent and only one county’s rate is higher than 5 percent.
Unemployment in Williamson County dipped below 2 percent in April. The county’s current rate of 1.9 percent marks a 0.5 of a percentage point drop from the previous month.
Davidson County’s unemployment rate hit a record low during April; it dropped by 0.5 of a percentage point and now sits at 2 percent. Rutherford County followed at 2.1 percent, while Cheatham, Wilson, Moore, and Sumner counties each recorded a rate of 2.2 percent in April.
Along with Davidson County, Wilson, Sumner, Smith, and Hickman counties marked record low unemployment. Rutherford County tied its all-time low rate.
“County unemployment rates continue to be extraordinarily positive,” said TDLWD Commissioner Jeff McCord. “Across our state, we are now seeing unemployment rates at or below 5 percent become the norm.”
Clay County has the state’s highest rate in April at 5.6 percent, which is a 0.4 of a percentage point decrease from the previous month. Hancock and Rhea counties have the next highest rates at 4.9 percent. Those rates represent a 0.9 of a percentage point drop for Hancock County and the rate is 0.8 of a percentage point lower in Rhea County when compared to the previous month.
Statewide, unemployment remains at Tennessee’s historic low of 3.2 percent. It is the third consecutive month the rate has been at the record level.
County unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted, while the state and national rates use the seasonal adjustment to eliminate outside influences on the statistics.
Four Seasons Fire Hall Construction Could Be Completed This Summer
May 31, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
Construction is expected to be completed later this summer on a new county fire hall in the Four Seasons Community, a project that has been in the making for four years.
In November the county commission voted 10-4 to award the bid for the project to Johnson Builders of Doyle, Tennessee. Their base bid was $160,820 with alternate deducts of $8,000 for work on the parking lot and $4,000 to add insulation to the building. The contractor had 270 days from the start of construction to complete the project. Inclement weather over the winter forced delays until late spring.
When the fire hall is finished, the county will have a fire truck ready to put in it after having secured grant funds with a local match months ago. The fire truck, 1993 model with less than 25,000 miles was purchased in October for $25,000 from a fire department in Connecticut.
The new fire station at Four Seasons will be the 12th station in the county operated by the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department. The other fire halls are on Short Mountain Highway, Midway Community, Belk, Keltonburg, Cookeville Highway, Austin Bottom Community, Liberty, Temperance Hall, Main Station, Johnson Chapel, and Blue Springs.
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