Tennessee district closes schools over lack of funding, blames Obamacare

Published time: 13 Oct, 2015 00:27

© Andrea Comas

A school district in Tennessee voted to cancel classes and shut down its schools as a result of a budget problem that has left the government unable to fund the facilities. The school director blamed Obamacare for its problems.

 

Clay County, Tennessee operates three schools total – one high school and two that cover pre-kindergarten through eighth grade – on a $9.5 million budget. However, now more than 1,100 students are sitting at home while officials try to figure out how to reopen the doors. A school board meeting last week saw the board voting 6-4 to close the schools. A separate vote to keep them open failed.

Notably, the county’s financial issues are not new. Clay County Director of Schools Jerry Strong told Associated Press that officials have been struggling with the budget for three years, and blamed county obligations such as state and government mandates, particularly the Affordable Care Act, for the monetary hole.

"Clay County's inability to generate the revenue to offset the mandates is what's caused this to come to a head," he said.

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Missouri house committee votes to nullify federal hemp ban

Ploëzal (Côtes-d'Armor, Bretagne, France)

Hemp labryrinth at the Château de la Roche-Jagu.

By  :  Barbetorte

Wikipedia.org

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.. – April 24, 2014. Yesterday, a Missouri house committee gave approval to a bill which would authorize the growing and production of industrial hemp within the state, effectively nullifying the unconstitutional federal ban on the same.
Introduced by Rep. Mike Colona and cosponsored by Reps. Galen Higdon and Paul Curtman, House Bill 2054 (HB2054) passed by a vote of 16-1 in the house committee on economic development.
The bill states, quite simply, “Industrial hemp production, possession, and commerce in industrial hemp commodities and products shall be permitted in this state.”
HB2054 sets up “shall issue” licensing program. In short, the Missouri department of agriculture will be required, under broad parameters, to issue licenses to those wishing to grow industrial hemp or become an industrial hemp seed producer. A similar requirement was included in a bill passed by the Tennessee legislature earlier this month.
Three other states – Colorado, Oregon and Vermont – have already passed bills to authorize hemp farming, but only in Colorado has the process begun in practice.  Farmers in SE Colorado started harvesting the plant in 2013 and the state began issuing licenses on March 1, 2014.  In Vermont and Oregon, hemp farming was authorized, but no licensing program was mandated, so implementation has been delayed due to regulatory foot-dragging.
HUGE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL
Experts suggest that the U.S. market for hemp is around $500 million per year.
But, since the enactment of the unconstitutional federal controlled-substances act in 1970, the Drug Enforcement Agency has prevented the production of hemp within the United States. Many hemp supporters feel that the DEA has been used as an “attack dog” of sorts to prevent competition with major industries where American-grown hemp products would create serious market competition: Cotton, Paper/Lumber, Oil, and others.

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South Carolina passes bill to nullify federal hemp ban

Cultivation of industrial hemp for fiber and for grain in france.

By  :  Aleks

Wikimedia.org

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Tenth Amendment Center

COLUMBIA, S.C., May 14, 2014 - Today, the South Carolina House gave final approval to a bill which authorizes the growing and production of industrial hemp within the state, effectively nullifying the unconstitutional federal ban on the same.
Introduced by Sen. Kevin Bryant along with cosponsors Sen. Lee Bright and Sen. Tom Davis, S.0839 passed by a 72-28 vote. It has previous passed by a vote of 42-0 in the senate, and will now go to Gov. Nikki Haley’s desk for a signature.
The bill reads, in part, “It is lawful for an individual to cultivate, produce, or otherwise grow industrial hemp in this State to be used for any lawful purpose, including, but not limited to, the manufacture of industrial hemp products, and scientific, agricultural, or other research related to other lawful applications for industrial hemp.”
Three states – Colorado, Oregon and Vermont – have already passed similar measures. Farmers in SE Colorado started harvesting the plant in 2013, effectively nullifying federal restrictions on such agricultural activities. A similar bill passed the Tennessee legislature this year and awaits action from Gov. Haslam.
Experts suggest that the U.S. market for hemp is around $500 million per year. They count as many as 25,000 uses for industrial hemp, including food, cosmetics, plastics and bio-fuel. The U.S. is currently the world’s #1 importer of hemp fiber for various products, with China and Canada acting as the top two exporters in the world.
During World War II, the United States military relied heavily on hemp products, which resulted in the famous campaign and government-produced film, “Hemp for Victory!”

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Tennessee Governor signs bill to effectively nullify federal hemp ban

An outdoor hemp plantation in the UK. This particular varietal of Cannabis sativa is "industrial hemp" which contains ultra-low levels of Delta-THC and other cannabinoids, which makes it useless for recreational/medicinal purposes.
By:  Nabokov
Wikipedia.org
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Tenth Amendment Center

NASHVILLE, May 15, 2014 – Yesterday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed a bill which some supporters consider the strongest pro-hemp legislation in the country. House Bill 2445 (HB2445), introduced by Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby), would mandate that the state authorize the growing and production of industrial hemp within Tennessee, effectively nullifying the unconstitutional federal ban on the same.
The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 28-0 and the House by a vote of 88-5. It reads, in part:

“The department shall issue licenses to persons who apply to the department for a license to grow industrial hemp.”

Mike Maharrey, communications director for the Tenth Amendment Center, noted that one word strengthened the bill considerably. “By including the word ‘shall’ in this legislation, it has a great deal of impact,” he said. “This means that rather than keeping it open-ended like other states have done, hemp farming will be able to move forward in Tennessee whether the regulatory bureaucrats there want it to or not.”
‘Shall’ is a legal term which creates a specific requirement far stronger than a word like ‘will.’ The former is more closely interchangeable with the word “must,” while the latter allows leeway for the object of the term to delay. In this case, the bill states that the Tennessee department of agriculture will have a mandate to license farmers for growing hemp.
Three other states – Colorado, Oregon and Vermont – have already passed bills to authorize hemp farming, but only in Colorado has the process begun.  A similar bill was passed in South Carolina this week and awaits action by Gov. Nikki Haley.
Farmers in SE Colorado started harvesting the plant in 2013 and the state began issuing licenses on March 1, 2014.  In Vermont and Oregon, hemp farming was authorized, but no licensing program was mandated, so implementation has been delayed due to regulatory foot-dragging.
With passage of HB2445, Tennessee will most likely become the 2nd state in the country to actively produce hemp. The legislation also ensures that not only will hemp licenses be issued, but the process for doing so will start quickly. It reads:

The department shall initiate the promulgation of rules … concerning industrial hemp production within one hundred and twenty (120) days of this act becoming law

In other words, now that the bill has become law, the process in Tennessee will start no later than November, 2014.

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Animal Rescue Stories : Lost beagle reunited with Knoxville family after nearly six years

Cheryl Hanna

Pet Rescue Examiner

March 21, 2014

Maizy was a young beagle when she followed the children of her family into the woods of Knoxville five-and-a-half-years ago, but she got lost that day - so very long ago for a dog. Somehow miracles do happen when luck and technology joined together to help Maizy and her long lost family find each on Tuesday reported wbir.com.
The beagle stray was rescued by the Young Williams Animal Center in Knoxville, and as a routine practice, all pets are scanned for microchips. Not only did Maizy have a microchip, her information was current; in turn her owners Chad and April Helland were called with the good news.
The Helland family had been distraught years before when Maizy lost her way. The friendly beagle who loved to cuddle was part of the family. Four-year-old Parker cried for his four-legged friend. Posters were displayed everywhere, but Maizy never came home.
Eventually the family adopted another beagle named Cooper, but no one ever forgot their first dog.


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Dog missing for six years reunited with her family

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- The last time the Helland family saw their dog, their youngest son was four years old.

Now he's ten and the dog they never thought they'd see again is back home.

"The day before we had taken a trip to Nashville. So the last thing that was on our minds was gee, I wonder if our dog that went missing six years ago is gonna come back," says son Tyler Yonce.

But finally it started to sink in that a family member was back.

"My husband told me and I just broke down immediately. I thought I would never see her again," says April Helland.

"It was a whole range of emotions -- shocked. I couldn't believe it," says her husband, Chad Helland.

Monday, the family got a call from Young-Williams Animal Shelter telling them that someone found their beagle Maisy, the family pet that went missing back in 2008.

"I spent many hours out in the woods. I took old t-shirts and put them out in the woods so I could leave my scent out there for her," Chad says.

Read More and Watch Video Here
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Owners on alert as 'mystery' animal kills multiple dogs

Penny Eims

Dog News Examiner

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Eims

Owners on alert as 'mystery' animal kills multiple dogs

February 22, 2014

Dog owners are on alert in Cordova, Tenn., following the mysterious killing of several pets in one neighborhood, reported Friday's WREG News.

The unidentified animal, described as "elusive and fearless," has killed three dogs so far and injured one other; the dogs who were attacked were contained inside of their fenced-in yards.
Though evidence, such as "cat-like" paw prints suggest that the animal may be a cougar, residents in the area are referring to the animal as "the thing," and "the creature."
Whatever the predator is, large dogs are not safe - one of the victims was over 100 pounds.
Residents in this area are on edge - worried about the safety of their pets, and their children. Those hoping to avoid a devastating loss of their companion animals are choosing to bring their pets inside at night, rather than risking a loss from the night-time "beast."

Click here to watch the news clip.

If you would like to continue receiving the latest animal related news, tips and advice, please click the "Subscribe" icon which is located near the top, left portion of this column. It is free and anonymous to sign up.

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The "gig" is up in Chatanooga

freespeechtv


   

Published on Feb 5, 2014

Thom Hartmann shares how the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee has created its own high speed internet service.

TN Student Speaks Out About Common Core, Teacher Evaluations, and Educational Data

Ethan Young

 

Published on Nov 7, 2013

 

Recorded at the Knox County School Board Regular Meeting November 6, 2013

Share this video with and spread the message: we will not accept these issues with education. Full video available here: http://kcstv.knoxschools.org/modules/...

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Common Core Standards Math Lesson Example

TeachnKidsLearn


 

Uploaded on Dec 6, 2011 

Provided by Teach n' Kids Learn - For more information contact PD@TeachnKidsLearn.com. This lesson is centered on helping students with understanding the concept of a function. To explore growing patterns using three representations: pictures or drawings, table values, and a rule. To identify the relationships between the step number and the value at that step in a growing pattern as a foundation for the concept of function.

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