Students starting summer jobs have the opportunity to learn some important life lessons. Summer jobs offer students the opportunity to learn about the working world – and taxes.

Here are six things about summer jobs that the IRS wants students to know.

2. If you’ll receive tips as part of your income, remember that all tips you receive are taxable. Keep a daily log to record your tips. If you receive $20.00 or more in cash tips in any one month, you must report your tips for that month to your employer.

3. Maybe you’ll earn money doing odd jobs this summer. If so, keep in mind that earnings you receive from self-employment are subject to income tax. Self-employment can include pay you get from jobs like baby-sitting and lawn mowing.

4. You may not earn enough money from your summer job to owe income tax, but you will probably have to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes. Your employer usually must withhold these taxes from your paycheck. Or, if you’re self-employed, you may have to pay self-employment taxes. Your payment of these taxes contributes to your coverage under the Social Security system.

5. If you’re in ROTC, your active duty pay, such as pay received during summer camp, is taxable. However, the food and lodging allowances you receive in advanced training are not.

6. If you’re a newspaper carrier or distributor, special rules apply to your income. Whatever your age, you are treated as self-employed for federal tax purposes if:

• You are in the business of delivering newspapers.
• Substantially all your pay for these services directly relates to sales rather than to the number of hours worked.
• You work under a written contract that states the employer will not treat you as an employee for federal tax purposes.
• If you do not meet these conditions and you are under age 18, then you are usually exempt from Social Security and Medicare tax.

Visit IRS.gov, the official IRS website, for more information about income tax withholding and employment taxes.

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Washington, D.C. – A new report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau  details the staggering debt that burdens an increasing number of graduating college students.

The report highlights how this debt burden is having a long term, damaging “domino effect” on the economy by making it even more difficult for young adults to purchase their first home, start a small business, and save for retirement.

“The difficulties students face paying off high loan debt are all too familiar to millions of American families across the country,” said Suzanne Martindale, staff attorney for Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy arm of Consumer Reports.  “Enabling students to refinance their loans and negotiate more favorable terms with lenders would provide much needed relief for struggling graduates and the economy.”

Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced legislation that would lower the interest rate on subsidized federal student loans for one year to .75 percent – the same rate that big banks are able to borrow money from the Federal Reserve Board.  The current 3.4 percent rate on federal loans is set to go up to 6.8 percent on July 1st unless Congress acts to extend the existing rate.

“Senator Warren’s bill underscores the great disparity between the extremely low interest rate big banks pay to borrow money and the higher rates that students often pay,” said Pamela Banks, Policy Counsel for Consumers Union.  “Congress needs to act to find a way to help struggling students manage skyrocketing loan debt.”

Consumers Union has urged regulators and Congress to adopt a number of student loan reforms.  For more information, see Consumers Union’s Seven Principles for Fair Student Lending.

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Pasadena, CA – NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has used the drill on its robotic arm to collect a powdered sample from the interior of a rock called “Cumberland.”

Plans call for delivering portions of the sample in coming days to laboratory instruments inside the rover. This is only the second time that a sample has been collected from inside a rock on Mars. The first was Curiosity’s drilling at a target called “John Klein” three months ago. Cumberland resembles John Klein and lies about nine feet (2.75 meters) farther west. Both are within a shallow depression called “Yellowknife Bay.”

NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity drilled into this rock target, “Cumberland,” during the 279th Martian day, or sol, of the rover’s work on Mars (May 19, 2013) and collected a powdered sample of material from the rock’s interior. Analysis of the Cumberland sample using laboratory instruments inside Curiosity will check results from “John Klein,” the first rock on Mars from which a sample was ever collected and analyzed. (Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)

The science team expects to use analysis of material from Cumberland to check findings from John Klein. Preliminary findings from analysis of John Klein rock powder by Curiosity’s onboard laboratory instruments indicate that the location long ago had environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. The favorable conditions included the key elemental ingredients for life, an energy gradient that could be exploited by microbes, and water that was not harshly acidic or briny.

NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Project is using Curiosity to assess the history of habitable environmental conditions inside Gale Crater. After a few more high-priority observations by the rover within and near Yellowknife Bay, the rover team plans to start Curiosity on a months-long trek to the base of a layered mound, Mount Sharp, at the middle of the crater. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the project for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl , http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ . You can follow the mission on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity .

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Tacoma, WA – The Nashville Sounds were bested by the Tacoma Rainiers by a 5-2 count on Monday evening at Cheney Stadium in the opener of a four-game series.

Rainiers starter Blake Beavan (2-2) was solid in earning a victory, holding the Sounds to one run on four hits over 7 2/3 innings. The lone blemish on the right-hander’s quality start was a Hunter Morris home run.

Nashville Sounds Baseball. (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds)

Tacoma plated the night’s first run in unearned fashion following back-to-back fielding errors by the left side of the Nashville infield in the bottom of the third inning.

Scott Savastano led off with a single against Sounds starter R.J. Seidel and Carlos Triunfel followed with a potential double-play grounder to shortstop, which was missed by Blake Davis for the frame’s first error. Savastino over ran second base on the play and was erased in a rundown as Triunfel took second on the play. Nate Tenbrink stepped into the box and hit a cue shot towards third base, where Stephen Parker mishandled the ball to allow Trinufel to race home to give the Rainiers a 1-0 lead.

Carlos Peguero upped the Tacoma lead to 3-0 in the fourth when he belted his sixth home run of the year, a first-pitch two-run bomb to right off Seidel. Liddi, who preceded Peguero with a single, also scored on the blast.

The Rainiers tacked on another run in the sixth to increase their advantage to 4-0. Liddi singled with one out, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Stefen Romero’s RBI single to left, which chased Seidel from the contest.

Seidel (0-1) took a loss in his first career Triple-A decision after allowing four runs (three ER) on five hits in 5 2/3 innings of work.

Morris (2-for-3) broke up Beavan’s shutout bid in the eighth with a one-out solo homer to deep right, the slugger’s team-leading seventh big fly of the year and his third since being activated from the disabled list on Saturday.

Liddi answered Morris’ blast with one of his own in the home half of the frame, taking Jesus Sanchez deep to left for a two-out solo homer that brought the score to its final 5-1 standing.

The Sounds didn’t go down without a fight in the ninth, plating a run and bringing the potential tying run to the plate against the Tacoma bullpen.

Blake Davis led off with an opposite-field double against Rainiers reliever Brian Moran and scored Nashville’s second run of the night when Josh Prince doubled off the right field wall. Prince went 2-for-4 to extend his longest hit streak of the year to five games.

A pair of significant streaks were snapped for Sounds players in the loss. Catcher Anderson De La Rosa went 0-for-3 to bring an end to his season-best 11-game hitting streak. Third baseman Stephen Parker went 0-for-4 and was held off the basepaths for the first time in 20 games to snap the PCL’s longest on-base streak.

The teams continue the series with another 8:00pm CT matchup on Tuesday night. Right-hander Johnny Hellweg (2-4, 3.72), who earned a quality start victory in his last outing, will man the bump for the Sounds and face Tacoma left-hander James Gilheeney (2-1, 3.70).

Box Score

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The Roseville, MN, was also named the Admirals Man of the Year, and a finalist for the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, for his outstanding contributions to the Milwaukee community for the third consecutive season in 2012-13. In 241 career AHL contests since 2008-09, Van Guilder has 84 points (36g-48a).

The 6-1, 186-pound winger never missed a game during four seasons at the University of Notre Dame, amassing 98 points (42g-56a) in 163 games. Van Guilder captained the Irish to the 2008 NCAA National Championship Game as a senior, and was a 2008 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Second-Team All-American and one of 10 finalists for the Lowes Senior CLASS Award.

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Shemberger finished the 500-yard swim, 11-mile bike and 3.1-mile run all in less than an hour and placed second in his age group (male 45-49).

Russ Shemberger of RPM Massage in Clarksville displays the second-place medal he won at the annual Tri Ancilla sprint triathlon held Saturday, May 18th at Ancilla College in Donaldson, IN.

As a licensed massage therapist, Shemberger leads Restore Performance Massage – aka RPM Massage – in sports massage treatment, therapeutic, Swedish and deep tissue massage.

RPM Massage is open from 10:00am-6:00pm, Monday and Wednesday, 8:00am-4:00pm, Tuesday and Thursday, and from 8:00am-noon, Friday. To make an appointment, call 931.647.3692.

RPM Massage also can be found on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rpmmassage.

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The No. 26-ranked Austin Peay baseball team won its final 11 OVC games to earn a No. 2 seed at the championships, complete with a first-round bye.

Austin Peay fans, alumni and supporters are invited to gather at the Park Pavilion, located down the left-field line, for free food in support of the Govs’ quest to a third-straight OVC Championship. Fans can get the most up-to-date information about Govs baseball on Twitter by following @APSUBaseball and @LetsGoPeay.

Tournament tickets will be available at the gate – $10.00 for a day pass and $28.00 for an All-Tournament pass. For more information contact the Jackson Generals Ticket Office at 731.988.5299.

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During a town hall meeting today at the Mark Center in Alexandria, VA, Hagel told Defense Department employees that most will be required to take 11 furlough days beginning July 8th, one per week, through the end of the fiscal year, September 30th.

Hagel noted that when he took the oath of office less than three months ago, post-sequester plans called for 22 furlough days. Congress allowed the department to shift or reprogram some funds in March that cut that number to 14. Now, he said, as maintenance, training, flying hours and ship deployments are increasingly affected, he had no choice but to authorize the furloughs.

“We kept going back. And finally, we got to a point where I could not responsibly go any deeper into cutting or jeopardizing our formations, our readiness and training,” he said.

In a memo to senior department leaders, Hagel said he had “very reluctantly” concluded that major budgetary shortfalls triggered by a $37 billion cut in defense spending for fiscal year 2013 forced a decision he said he deeply regrets, and one that he acknowledged will disrupt lives and impact DOD operations.

However, he credited congressional passage of a defense appropriation bill in March in part for helping to reduce the number of days civilians would be temporarily laid off by half.

It may be possible later in the year to “knock that back” to an even lower number, the secretary said, but he emphasized that he could not promise such an outcome.

“I won’t promise that,” Hagel said. “You deserve fair, honest, direct conversation about this, and I’m not going to be cute with you at all. This is where we are. We’ll continue to look at it, [and] we’ll continue to do everything we can.”

Hagel said the furloughs will affect every military department and almost every agency, with limited exceptions. “We will except civilians deployed to combat zones and civilians necessary to protect life and property,” he wrote in his memo, adding that others will be excepted if forcing them to stay off the job would not free up money for other needs.

Employees set to be furloughed will begin receiving written notification June 5th.

In March, defense officials had told civilian employees to expect as many as 22 furlough days during the current fiscal year, part of department wide efforts to slash spending in response to across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration. In the time since, Hagel has been working to avoid or reduce the temporary layoffs, saying he had sought advice from department leaders and agencies, both civilian and military, but found no other way to help in closing the budget gap.

In his memo, which is  included below; Hagel said if the budget situation eases, he would strongly prefer to end the furloughs early. “That is a decision I will make later in the year,” he added.

Sequestration Memo

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel signed a memorandum directing defense managers to prepare to furlough most Defense Department civilian employees for up to 11 days between July 8th and the September 30th end of the fiscal year.

Here is the text of the memo in its entirety:

This memo directs defense managers to prepare to furlough most Department of Defense (DOD) civilians for up to 11 days. The schedule for furloughs, and some specific exceptions, are described later in this memo and in the attachment. I have made this decision very reluctantly, because I know that the furloughs will disrupt lives and impact DOD operations. I, along with the senior civilian and military leadership of the Department, have spent considerable time reviewing information related to the need for furloughs, and I would like to share with you the reasoning that led me to this difficult decision.

Major budgetary shortfalls drove the basic furlough decision. On March 1, sequestration went into effect across the federal government. DOD’s budget for FY 2013 was reduced by $37 billion, including $20 billion in the operation and maintenance (O&M) accounts that pay many of our civilian workers. In addition, because our wartime budget is also subject to sequestration, we must utilize funds originally budgeted for other purposes in order to provide our troops at war with every resource they need. To compound our problems, when we estimated future wartime operating costs more than a year ago, we planned on fuel costs below what we are currently experiencing. Taken together, all these factors lead to a shortfall in our O&M accounts of more than $30 billion — a level that exceeds 15 percent of our budget request, with fewer than six months left in the fiscal year in which to accommodate this dramatic reduction in available resources.

We are taking actions to reduce this shortfall. One main priority has governed our decisions: to minimize the adverse effects on our military mission, including military readiness.

With this in mind, early this calendar year we cut back sharply on facilities maintenance and worked to hold down base operating costs — decisions we knew would build a backlog of maintenance and adversely affect our bases. We are also preparing a request to Congress that would permit us to shift some funding from investment and military personnel accounts into the O&M accounts. If approved by Congress, this initiative — known as a reprogramming — would help close the gap.

But these actions are not enough. We have begun making sharp cuts in the training and maintenance of our operating forces — cutbacks that are seriously harming military readiness. The Army, for example, has terminated most remaining FY 2013 training rotations at its combat training centers. The Air Force has or soon will stop all flying at about one-third of its combat coded squadrons in the active forces. The Navy and Marine Corps are cutting back on training and on deployments — including a decision not to send a second carrier strike group to the Gulf.

These are only a few of the many cutbacks we have made in training and maintenance. These actions reduce our ability to handle future military contingency needs, both this year and in subsequent years.

Even after taking all these actions, we are still short of needed operating funds for FY 2013, and we cannot rule out unexpected increases in costs during the next few months. So we confront a difficult set of trade offs. We can make even larger cutbacks in training and maintenance, further reducing readiness to handle contingency operations and putting into even greater jeopardy our military readiness in future fiscal years. Alternatively, we can furlough civilian personnel to help close the gap and, knowing that morale, productivity and readiness would be affected. This is an unpleasant set of choices, but this is the situation we face.

Before making a decision, I sought advice and inputs from senior leaders in the military departments and agencies as well as advice from my senior civilian and military staff. I asked them to keep in mind our fundamental criterion to minimize adverse mission effects and, subject to that criterion, to ensure reasonable consistency and fairness across the Department for any furloughs that we impose.

Based on all these inputs, I have decided to direct furloughs of up to 11 days for most of the Department’s civilian personnel. Furloughs for up to 11 days represent about half of the 22 days that can legally be imposed in a year and also about half the number we had originally planned. This halving of previous furlough plans reflects vigorous efforts to meet our budgetary shortfalls through actions other than furloughs as well as Congressional passage of an appropriations bill in late March that reduced the shortfalls in our operating budget and expectations of Congressional action on our reprogramming request.

Furloughs will be imposed in every military department as well as almost every agency and in our working capital funds. All of our civilian employees are important, and I would prefer not to furlough any of them. However, there will only be limited exceptions driven by law and by the need to minimize harm to mission execution. We will except civilians deployed to combat zones and civilians necessary to protect life and property (but only to the extent needed to provide that protection). A few categories of workers will be excepted for specific mission reasons while some categories of workers will be excepted because furloughing them would not free up money for critical DOD mission needs. The attachment provides details regarding approved exceptions. Fewer than one fifth of all civilians paid with appropriated funds will be excepted from furloughs.

The planning and implementation of furloughs will be carried out based on the schedule below:

• May 28th – June 5th: Furlough proposal notices will be served to individual employees subject to furloughs.
• June 4th – June 12th: Individual employee reply periods end 7 calendar days from when the proposal was received, unless Component procedures allow for a different reply period.
• June 5th – July 5th: Furlough decision letters will be served to individual employees subject to furloughs, depending on when the proposal was received and prior to the first day of furlough.
• July 8th: Furlough period begins no earlier than this date.

We will begin furloughs on July 8th at the rate of 1 furlough day per week for most personnel. For now, we plan to continue furloughs through the end of FY 2013. That schedule would lead to 11 furlough days — one fifth of the week for about one quarter of the year. Moreover, I am directing all components to monitor funding closely for the remainder of FY 2013. If our budgetary situation permits us to end furloughs early, I would strongly prefer to do so. That is a decision I will make later in the year.

Consistent with this memo and with applicable laws and rules, commanders and managers will have the authority to develop the specifics of furlough procedures in order to minimize adverse mission effects and also limit the harm to morale and productivity. Further bargaining with unions may also be required. The Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness has already issued guidance as appropriate regarding personnel and union issues related to furloughs and will issue additional guidance as needed. Overall coordination of sequester and furlough policies will be the responsibility of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller).

Each of the Department’s civilian employees makes an important contribution to the readiness of our Department to meet the nation’s national security needs. I understand that the decision to impose furloughs imposes financial burdens on our valued employees, harms overall morale, and corrodes the long-term ability of the Department to carry out the national defense mission. I deeply regret this decision. I will continue to urge that our nation’s leaders reach an agreement to reduce the deficit and de-trigger sequestration. If no agreement is reached, I will continue to look for ways to limit the adverse effects of sequestration and associated budgetary shortfalls both on the men and women of the Department of Defense, and on our national defense.

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The Clarksville native posted a multi-hit outing in all four contests last week, going 12-for-19 overall. He opened the week by going 2-for-4 with an RBI double in the Govs final regular-season mid-week game at Memphis.

The Cougars wisely walked Harper on two occasions during Friday’s Game 2, but he still managed a 2-for-3 outing with a home run and four-RBI stat line. On Senior Day, he went 3-for-6 as the Govs completed their series sweep with a 16-5 victory.

Harper’s recent efforts – he’s 24-for-38 over the last nine games – have put him at the precipice of one of Austin Peay’s most hallowed offensive records. He’s now just two hits away from breaking the all-time career hits record of 276, set last year by Greg Bachman.

This is the second weekly honor for Harper in 2013; he won the April 1st award after hitting .333 with seven RBI against nationally-ranked Mississippi State and Murray State. It’s also the third consecutive week an Austin Peay batter has won at least a share of the conference Player of the Week honor – junior Craig Massoni shared the honor with Morehead State’s Kane Sweeney two weeks ago and with SIU Edwardsville’s Joel Greatting last week.

Massoni still leads the team with three weekly honors in 2013. With his second award, Harper tied a pair of fellow seniors, outfielder Cody Hudson and closer Tyler Rogers, who also have two honors in 2013. Senior Casey Delgado also has been honored once this season. All four Governor seniors have at least one weekly OVC honor to their credit in 2013.

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Mr. Boyer was known to frequent several establishments on Fort Campbell Boulevard and Detectives are asking that anyone that might have seen Mr. Boyer on late Friday night, May 17th or early Saturday morning May 18th call so they can speak with them.

For more information on the story, see:

Clarksville Police release additional information on this mornings Homicide

Clarksville Police investigate homicide on West Fork Drive

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It seemed about half the council had few to no questions to ask and the rest of us had many. I will be narrowing the scope of this report and future reports to a few items at a time to help lessen the complexity and reading time.

Be assured, you will still get all the details in more reports, but shorter length.

City Health Clinic

You may have read in the newspaper that the city officially opened its employee health clinic on May 16th.  Neither the council nor the current operating budget had any details as to costs or function of this clinic until the past week. The concept with the clinic is that it should result in lower health insurance premiums for the city in the long run.

A cumulative savings of $5.4 million is projected after five years and the concept seems to work in other places.  The city is also talking about going self-insured on health insurance.  However, this is another concept we have no details on as to costs or function.  Perhaps the council and taxpayer will learn about those minor details the day before, if and when it starts, too.

The overriding concern with the clinic project was the council was kept out of the loop on costs, spending and contract details. When a program has startup and operational costs approaching a million dollars in its first year, you would think any mayor would let the council in on it. Especially when it was nowhere in sight in the FY 2013 budget as a projected expense or even a concept.

In the budget workshop discussions a number of questions were asked as to why no substantial information was provided until the council found it in the proposed amended budget of FY 2013 and FY 2014? Mayor McMillan eventually tried to provide a cover for not coming to the council by basically stating the representatives from the proposed clinic operations had been here several times and the council could have asked questions.

Eerily, that was the same duck and cover response given to council members when some of us found the mayor borrowing $100,000 to do a study for a performing arts center she couldn’t explain, listed on page 648 of a 650 page budget document, in last year’s budget.

These representatives may have been in Clarksville and talking with the mayor and her staff, but it was never an agenda item for the full council to look at, consider or fund at any time. After the proposed FY 2014 budget exposed this program for questioning and closer examination, council members were finally given documented information on the project the day before the ribbon cutting on May 16th.

We keep hearing the administration tout “open government” and “ high ethics”, but recent actions by the mayor to reward a few of her chosen staff with “revised” jobs providing thousands of dollars in new pay raises and now a program few knew details about, shows more of a “do as I say not as I do” approach to the city business.

Several major issues are apparent with the methodology used to pay for this project.  First was the Mayor’s decision to use the Health Fund account to fund the building/remodeling of the city’s Spring Street building ($231,000+) to house the clinic without asking for the reallocation or other funding to do so.

The second was Mayor McMillan’s authorizing the signing of a $665,000 initial cost contract with the company that will provide the medical services without securing council approval for funding.  Third, some employees refuse city health insurance and do not sign up for it. The city does not allocate insurance funding for those employees who decline.

Yet, the city included these non-city insured employees as recipients of this clinic’s services. That will cost the city $600 for each of the non-insured employees.  The administration made the decision to use taxpayer money to fund the whole cost for insured and non-insured with the clinic.

According to the Finance and Human Resources departments, the Health Fund account is a budget item that the city allocates money to each year to pay for Health Insurance and Pharmacy costs, premiums and provides $750.00 to help offset the $2000 deductible for each of its city employees.  The employees also pay a portion into the health account too.

However, 85% of the health insurance allocation is city funded. At issue is what is the “codified” definition and use of the Health Fund account. When I asked that question, it turns out that there is no documented definition. The “general understanding” is the fund pays for the health needs of the employees.

For most of the rank and file, we would understand that to mean to pay for the premiums and actual costs of health care visits provided to employees. With no hard definition to work from, Mayor McMillan stretched the understood definition to include funding a building remodel to provide a health clinic.  I cannot recall or find another instance where major building modifications or remodeling took place where the need was not listed as a capital project in the yearly budget.

That process requires documentation and approval from the council as to the funding source and amount.  As an example, the effort to remodel a section of that same building a few years ago to house the Clarksville Downtown Market was a $250,000 project that came before the council. It was listed as a capital project. Issues with the building kept that particular capital project from occurring. The mayor did not step up to defend her usage of the health fund in this matter, instead leaving the affected department heads to try and explain. The question was posed to the city attorney who stated this seemed to be a gray area that would require further study.

I stated that the city signed a $665,000 contract without first securing the funding permission from the council.  I did ask why this wasn’t a violation of city purchasing law where funding has to be identified to pay for any contract. This is where another convenient gray area now seems to exist. The administration had the contract cite the funding source as the Health Fund account.

The city does allocate funding each year in the amount of millions to support that account. There had been a surplus of $1.4 million to start FY 2013. So on the surface this appears to meet contractual requirements as a funding account is identified and there is, or was, money in it. The problem is this account had been funded at a lesser rate for the past two years due to either overfunding in the past and/or lower insurance needs in recent years.  The mayor needed money in previous budgets so the budget allocation was lowered and the surplus was allowed to shrink.

However, these actions have caused problems for this coming budget year.  During FY 2013 Health Fund account expenditures jumped almost $586,000 over projections. The unpublicized decision to pay the costs of remodeling and equipping the clinic took another $270,110 out of the Health Fund. Thus, by the end of FY 2013 the surplus is down to $85,263 from an original projection of $887,329.

The city is now in a bind and has to increase the funding allocations to replenish the Health Fund just to pay for the items the funds was historically used for. In addition, $665,000 MUST be collected and added to pay for the clinic services. The crux of the matter is, there was NEVER any money in the Health Fund account to pay for the clinic contract and there will be no money available until the council passes the budget the mayor has just given us.

I asked the HR director what would happen if the council decided not to authorize the funding of the clinic, which the city had already signed a contract for and was opening in three days? The response reminded me of the phrase “Houston, we have a problem”.

Several of us had issues with the city paying a $600.00 charge to the clinic for non-insured employees.  The city rationale was if these particular employees went to the local city clinic then they might miss fewer work hours and be more productive. The city provides sick leave, which logically means we have anticipated that employees will miss work due to sickness and we have sized the work force to make up the productivity loss of an individual for a defined period of time. I actually doubt we have done that, but I don’t buy into the city providing a partial health service for those who have declined the regular health insurance package.

In the end, the city will allocate for FY 2014, $9,000 per employee into the Health Fund account (we have around 1100 employees and the amount does not include $360.00 dental insurance for each employee, which is a separate account). As previously mentioned, the cost contribution of that amount is 85%-15% city to employee funding.

Remember, that does not include the $600.00/employee for the clinic. The administration cites that two years ago the rate was decreased so if that were taken into account the increase is not that bad.  The FY 2013 amount was $7350. The allocation in FY 2012 was $7,200 per employee. FY 2011 the amount was $8345/employee. In FY 2010 it was $8308. The issue to watch is even with the clinic installed, city health insurance premiums still increased. The premium increase was supposedly reduced by $500,000 with the installation of the clinic.

With the city investing close to a million dollars in first year startup costs, the initial projection is the city will still save over $628,000 the first year of operation with the clinic.  I do hope the analysis is correct and the savings will grow as predicted.  However, if it does not, the projected surplus in the Heath Fund account for FY 2014 is only $190,915 and that will not cover much of an error in cost savings calculations.

Here is a recap of the issues:

1. The mayor redefining what the Health Fund account funding had historically been used for (building remodel?)
2. Redefining what has been the previously accepted methodology of funding a capital project (building remodel
3. What was a blatant misrepresentation to the Purchasing Department to infer “earmarked” dollars were already available for the clinic contract signature when they were not.

One other interesting note as the discussions on the clinic progressed.  A council member or two spoke up during the debate saying that this was a good program and employees had been thanking them for doing this.  The manner and implication of the statement was that this “thanks” was rationale enough to counter concerns raised over the installation issues of this program.

I am not sure why employees were thanking them, as council members had zero input or knowledge of the program costs and potential benefits/issues. Also, I wonder how many “thanks” taxpayers will give council members for allowing almost a million dollars to be spent for something that they did not have a clue about.

There was agreement by the Finance Department, City Attorney and some of us council members that a “codified “ definition and appropriate use of the Health Fund resources is needed. In addition, a loophole in the purchasing process appears to have been found in terms of having a funding source identified versus having actual money on hand to pay for a contract. That loophole needs to be closed.

There also appears to be a need to have a requirement that any project/contract that was not identified in the budget year it takes place and exceeds some limit or cap (emergencies happen and perhaps there needs to be some leeway) will be brought before the council for approval.  Coming to the council for additional money for new projects or transfer of funds between accounts during a budget year has been the requirement and practice before this episode.

More budget information to come.

Editor’s Note: This article contains the view points of Councilman Bill Summers and may not represent the views of the rest of the City Council, the City of Clarksville or ClarksvilleOnline.

The post Clarksville City Council Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Update, May 20th 2013 appeared first on Clarksville, TN Online.

Fort Campbell, KY

Let Fort Campbell Riding Stables teach your children the ins and outs of the wild, wild-west; roping, tying, tacking, grooming and riding – everything your child will need to know about horses!

Rodeo Camps are a great way for your children to experience life on a ranch.  This program is both fun and educational.   Parents are required to remain at camp with the 3 to 5 year olds.

Registration for Rodeo Camp opens on May 15th and ends on June 15th.  Camps fill up quickly so be sure to register early.

Payment is required at time of registration.

For more information about Rodeo Horse Camp, please call Fort Campbell Riding Stables at 270.798.2629.

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Young Champions is an affordable cheerleading program that emphasizes building self-esteem in youth. Classes aim to improve participants’ skills in cheernastics, motion technique, flexibility and stunting (for those ages 7 and older).

Classes will take place weekly at the Crow Community Center on Monday evenings. Classes for ages 4-9 years will be held at 6:00pm, ages 10-15 will be held at 7:00pm.

Registration for Young Champions Cheerleading is available onsite as well as online at recpro.cityofclarksville.com.

For more details on programs at our Community Centers, please contact the Clarksville Parks and Recreation Office at 931.645.7476 or visit recpro.cityofclarksville.com.

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The event will be June 6th and 7th at the APSU Morgan University Center.

Frye Gaillard to Keynote Ninth Annual Clarksville Writers Conference

Gaillard has written extensively on Southern race relations, politics and culture as the author or editor of more than 20 books, including “Cradle of Freedom: Alabama and the Movement that Changed America.” He will speak during the Thursday evening banquet at Freedom Point at Liberty Park, overlooking the Cumberland River and historic downtown Clarksville.

The conference will also feature several distinguished southern writers, such as best-selling author and Nashville resident Adam Ross and three members of the “Grit Lit” southern literary movement – Tom Franklin, Dale Ray Phillips and George Singleton.

Authors scheduled to speak this year include

Janine Boldrin, freelance journalist for Military Spouse magazine and author of e-book “The Thinking Spouse’s Guide to Military Life.”

Beth Ann Fennelly, award-winning poet of the collections “Unmentionables,” “Open House” and “Tender Hooks” and co-author of forthcoming novel “The Tilted World.”

Tom Franklin, New York Times best-selling author of “Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter,” co-editor of anthology “Grit Lit: A Rough South Reader,” and co-author of forthcoming novel “The Tilted World.”

Rheta Grimsley Johnson, journalist, syndicated columnist and author of the memoirs “Hank Hung the Moon” and “Enchanted Evening Barbie and the Second Coming.”

Dale Ray Phillips, short story writer and author of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated collection “My People’s Waltz.”

Adam Ross, author of 2010 New York Times Notable Book “Mr. Peanut” and the short story collection “Ladies and Gentlemen.”

Chuck Sambuchino, editor of “Writer’s Digest’s Guide to Literary Agents” and author of “Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript” and “Create Your Writer Platform.”

Ann Shayne, former editor of book review BookPage and author of novel “Bowling Avenue” and “Mason-Dixon Kitting: The Curious Knitter’s Guide.”

George Singleton, author of often humorous short story collections and novels, including “Stray Decorum,” “Work Shirts for Madmen” and “Pep Talks, Warnings, And Screeds: Indispensable Wisdom And Cautionary Advice For Writers.”

In addition to the scheduled presentations and workshops, free manuscript consultations with two literary agents will be available to conference participants.

A complete package, including all conference activities, is offered, as well as “a la carte” options. Discounted rates are available for early registration, which is postmarked on or before May 23rd. Late registration is postmarked between May 24th and May 30th.

Visit the conference website at www.artsandheritage.us/writers for author bios, the conference schedule, registration information and more.

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Clarksville, TN – Clarksville Citizens, you may have read recently that the costs to customers of Clarksville Gas and Water are going up to cover the debt that was taken out to rebuild the Waste Water Treatment Plant after the 2010 Flood.

To Date, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has denied the City of Clarksville’s claims for assistance in funding the rebuild.

The City of Clarksville is working with attorney’s to appeal this. We need the Citizens of Clarksville to assist us in getting our voice heard in Washington D.C. Below is a sample letter that you can use to contact our Washington D.C. delegation to seek their assistance. Please reach out to them ASAP.

Thanks in advance for your help! I have also attached an editable version of the letter.

Deanna McLaughlin
Clarksville City Council – Ward 2

Senator Lamar Alexander
United States Senate
455 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Senator Bob Corker
United States Senate
Dirksen Senate Office Building, SD-185
Washington, D.C. 20510

Congressman Marsha Blackburn
United States House of Representatives
217 Cannon Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

City of Clarksville FEMA Claims

Dear Sen. Alexander, Sen. Corker and Rep. Blackburn:

I am writing to request assistance on behalf of the City of Clarksville with its claims to FEMA for damage caused by the 2010 Flood in Middle Tennessee. I understand that FEMA has denied over $40 million of Clarksville’s claims for disaster relief, and now refuses to consider Clarksville’s appeal of this decision even though it is required by law to do so.

Significant work is needed to repair the infrastructure in Clarksville that was damaged in the Flood, including the City’s wastewater treatment plant. These repairs need to be completed as soon as possible to protect human health and safety and to ensure that the City is in compliance with environmental regulations and permits. If Clarksville does not receive disaster relief funds from FEMA, the costs of these repairs will have a significant and immediate impact on all of our citizens.

Further delays by FEMA are unfair and unacceptable. The federal government seems to have made it a priority to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters, while the victims of the flooding in Middle Tennessee have been left behind and continue to suffer. The citizens of Clarksville desperately need assistance with this matter, and I hope that you can help to correct FEMA’s erroneous decision and inaction. The purpose of FEMA funding is to provide relief from disasters. Clarksville greatly needs relief from the damage caused by the Flood.

Sincerely,

Citizen of Clarksville, Tennessee

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Clarksville, TN

The relationship between Andrews and the Clarksville Foundry began in 1983 after he visited the historic manufacturing company as a student of Tennessee artist Olen Bryant.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“I had learned about lost wax casting and was interested in industrial casting,” said Andrews. “I met with Mr. Charles Foust Sr. and he encouraged me to do some castings in iron and aluminum.”

As Andrews progressed from art student to professional sculptor, he continued his working relationship at the foundry with Charles and his son Charlie Foust, who has been president since 1981. A unique relationship, built on mutual respect, history and a love of art has developed over the years and is now culminating in a joint sculpture exhibit.

Sculptor Mike Andrews (left) and Clarksville Foundry President Charlie Foust sort through antique foundry pattern pieces for the ―New Old Stock‖ sculptures.

“New Old Stock is the beginning of a new chapter in my art that has come about with the gracious support of Charlie and the Clarksville Foundry,” Andrews explained.

Mike Andrews‘ impressive Waterworks a 4 feet by 2 feet sculpture crafted from retired antique foundry patterns. Andrews carefully selects each piece, regarding its shape and character before incorporating it into a sculpture.

Andrews has designed a unique series of industrial assemblages using wooden foundry patterns that were originally used for metal castings as far back as the foundry was established in 1847. Charlie has kept the molds in foundry storage for more than 30 years, and he is very happy to watch Andrews breathe new life into the pieces.

“The patterns are unique and precious in terms of the quality of woodwork, the skill and the history and heritage they represent to the Clarksville Foundry” expressed Charlie. “Many of the pieces are works of art themselves and could stand alone as collectables. To see them used in such an unusual art form is incredible.”

The retired antique patterns have provided Andrews with an exceptional supply of “New Old Stock” that has become his parts inventory.

“Some of them are over 100 years old,” Andrews observed. “There are amazing shapes and they are beautifully crafted.”

Design and fabrication take on new meaning as Andrews employs innovative dimension and scale for powerful and visually engaging sculptures. He carefully selects each piece, regarding its shape and character before incorporating it into a sculpture.

According to Ruth Crnkovich, President of CRN Fine Art Services, the result is a unique work of art with “wall power.”

“It is something that will grab your attention when you first walk into a room,” said Crnkovich. “A good piece of artwork will continue to pull you in. As you get closer you become more and more intrigued.”

That is what Andrews‘ “New Old Stock” does. As an observer is drawn further into the piece, the sculpture continues to reveal seemingly hidden and intricate details.

A preview of the “New Old Stock” sculptures can be viewed online at http://clarksvillefoundry.com/andrews.

The “New Old Stock: Carvings, Castings and Constructions” exhibit will be open to the public from May 17th – August 31st, 2013, at the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center at 200 South Second Street, Clarksville, Tennessee 37040.

About Mike Andrews

Sculptor Mike Andrews

Mike Andrews is both artist and educator. He has been a public school art teacher with the Clarksville Montgomery County School System for more than 20 years.

Andrews‘ work is best described as: Monumental Outdoor Artworks; Industrial Assemblages; and Carvings and Castings. Fine Art galleries throughout Tennessee and Kentucky have exhibited his works and some have been publicly commissioned.

His recent public commissions include the “Water Wall” at Spaces Spa at Belle Meade in Nashville, and the “Vertical Fold” at the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center and “Celtic Cross” at Trinity Episcopal Church in Clarksville. Following the exhibit, Andrews‘ sculpture “Tom‘s Piece” will be hung at the newly remodeled Vanderbilt University Alumni Hall in honor of his friend Tom Brumbaugh.

About the Customs House Museum

Located in the heart of historic downtown Clarksville, Tennessee, the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center is the State’s second largest general museum. With over 35,000 square feet of the region’s best hands-on activities and special events…people of all ages agree – the Customs House Museum is well worth the stop!

The Explorer’s Gallery is packed with fun, learning and fantasy in Aunt Alice’s Attic, McGregor’s Market and kitchen, and of course – the Bubble Cave! Finally, get “all aboard” to see our fantastic model trains. Our volunteer engineers “ride the rails” every Sunday afternoon from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.

Regular museum hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm Tuesday through Saturday, and 1:00pm to 5:00pm on Sundays. Adult admission is $7.00, Sr. Citizens and College ID $5.00, Ages 6 to 18 $3.00, and under six years and Museum members are free.

The Customs House Museum is located at 200 South Second Street. For more information, call 931.648.5780 or visit their website at www.customshousemuseum.org

Map

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Nashville, TN

Or maybe they want you to give to a charity. All you have to do, you’re told, is supply the caller with some information … financial information.

Telemarketing scammers like to appeal to your emotion – be it fear, sympathy or even greed – and pressure you to act quickly before you’ve thought through their premise.

Here are some tips to help make sure you don’t get swindled by fraudsters:

• Don’t give your credit card, bank account or Social Security number to unknown callers.
• Get all information in writing before you agree to buy something.
• Check out the charity before you give. Ask how much of your donation actually goes to the charity. Ask that written information be sent to you so you can make up your mind later. You may check charity registrations at Tennessee’s Secretary of State’s Office by visiting http://www.tn.gov/sos/charity/co-info.htm or calling 615.741.2555.
• Reject pressure to invest your money with an unknown caller.
• If the solicitation is for an investment, check with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) Securities Division at 1.800.863.9117 or *protected email*, to see if the investment and seller are properly registered.
• Don’t send cash by messenger or by overnight mail. If you use cash instead of a credit card, you might lose your right to dispute fraud.
• Don’t agree to any offer where you have to pay for a “registration” or “shipping fee” to receive a prize or gift. If you have to pay, it’s a purchase – not a prize or gift.
• Don’t confirm your account information over the phone or by email. Some callers have your billing information before they call you. They’re trying to get you to say “okay” so they can claim you approved a charge.
• Check out unsolicited offers with TDCI’s Consumer Affairs Division before you agree to send money.
• Beware of offers to “help” you recover money you may have lost previously. Be wary of callers saying they are law enforcement officers who will help you get your money back “for a fee.”
• Don’t be afraid to say “no, thanks” and hang up the phone.
• If you don’t want a business to call you again, tell them. If they continue to call, report them to the Federal Trade Commission or the Federal Communications Commission.

Consumer Affairs (www.tn.gov/consumer/) is a division of the Department of Commerce and Insurance (www.tn.gov/commerce/), which works to protect consumers while ensuring fair competition for industries and professionals who do business in Tennessee. www.tn.gov/commerce/, @TNCommerceInsur (Twitter), http://on.fb.me/uFQwUZ (Facebook), http://bit.ly/ry1GyX (YouTube)

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Murfreesboro, TN

Gabriel’s father, Michael, is armed with a rifle, a handgun and a switch blade knife. He used the knife to assault the mother. He was last seen driving a 1995 maroon Chevy Impala with TN tag 494RFP.

Gabriel Swaney

Michael Swaney

Aggravated Domestic Assault warrants have been issued.If you have seen Gabriel, his father or the vehicle, please contact TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND or the Murfreesboro Police Department at 615-893-1311

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Dallas, TX – Depressed middle-aged women have almost double the risk of having a stroke, according to research published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

In a 12-year Australian study of 10,547 women 47-52 years old, researchers found that depressed women had a 2.4 times increased risk of stroke compared to those who weren’t depressed. Even after researchers eliminated several factors that increase stroke risks, depressed women were still 1.9 times more likely to have a stroke.

This is the first large-scale study in which researchers examined the association between depression and stroke in younger middle-aged women. The closest comparison is with the U.S.-based Nurses’ Health Study, which found a 30 percent higher risk of stroke among depressed women. However, the average participant’s age in the Nurses’ study was 14 years older.

Jackson and her colleagues analyzed survey results from the nationally representative Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. Participants answered questions about their mental and physical health and other personal details every three years in 1998-2010.

About 24 percent of participants reported being depressed, based on their responses to a standardized depression scale and their recent use of anti-depressants. Self-reported responses and death records revealed 177 first-time strokes occurred during the study.

The researchers used statistical software and repeated measures at each survey point to analyze the relationship between being depressed and having a stroke.

To distinguish the independent effects of depression, they factored out various characteristics that can affect stroke risks, including: age; socioeconomic status; lifestyle habits such as smoking, alcohol and physical activity; and physiological conditions including high blood pressure, heart disease, being overweight and diabetes.

Although the increased stroke risk associated with depression was large in the study, the absolute risk of stroke is still fairly low for this age group, Jackson said. About 2.1 percent of American women in their 40s and 50s suffer from stroke. In the study, only about 1.5 percent of all women had a stroke. That number increased to slightly more than 2 percent among women suffering from depression.

Similar results could be expected among American and European women, Jackson said.

“We may need more targeted approaches to prevent and treat depression among younger women, because it could have a much stronger impact on stroke for them now rather than later in life,” she said.

It’s still unclear why depression may be strongly linked to stroke in this age group. The body’s inflammatory and immunological processes and their effects on our blood vessels may be part of the reasons, she said.

The study’s co-author is Gita Mishra, Ph.D.

The post American Heart Association says Depression linked to almost doubled stroke risk in Middle-Aged Women appeared first on Clarksville, TN Online.

Washington D.C. – For the past 8 years, NASA astronomers have been monitoring the Moon for signs of explosions caused by meteoroids hitting the lunar surface. “Lunar meteor showers” have turned out to be more common than anyone expected, with hundreds of detectable impacts occurring every year.

They’ve just seen the biggest explosion in the history of the program.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Anyone looking at the Moon at the moment of impact could have seen the explosion–no telescope required.  For about one second, the impact site was glowing like a 4th magnitude star.

Ron Suggs, an analyst at the Marshall Space Flight Center, was the first to notice the impact in a digital video recorded by one of the monitoring program’s 14-inch telescopes.  “It jumped right out at me, it was so bright,” he recalls.

The 40 kg meteoroid measuring 0.3 to 0.4 meters wide hit the Moon traveling 56,000 mph.  The resulting explosion1 packed as much punch as 5 tons of TNT.

Cooke believes the lunar impact might have been part of a much larger event.

“On the night of March 17th, NASA and University of Western Ontario all-sky cameras picked up an unusual number of deep-penetrating meteors right here on Earth,” he says. “These fireballs were traveling along nearly identical orbits between Earth and the asteroid belt.”

This means Earth and the Moon were pelted by meteoroids at about the same time.

“My working hypothesis is that the two events are related, and that this constitutes a short duration cluster of material encountered by the Earth-Moon system,” says Cooke.

One of the goals of the lunar monitoring program is to identify new streams of space debris that pose a potential threat to the Earth-Moon system.  The March 17th event seems to be a good candidate.

Controllers of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have been notified of the strike.  The crater could be as wide as 20 meters, which would make it an easy target for LRO the next time the spacecraft passes over the impact site.  Comparing the size of the crater to the brightness of the flash would give researchers a valuable “ground truth” measurement to validate lunar impact models.

Statistically speaking, more than half of all lunar meteors come from known meteoroid streams such as the Perseids and Leonids.  The rest are sporadic meteors–random bits of comet and asteroid debris of unknown parentage.

U.S. Space Exploration Policy eventually calls for extended astronaut stays on the lunar surface.  Identifying the sources of lunar meteors and measuring their impact rates gives future lunar explorers an idea of what to expect. Is it safe to go on a moonwalk, or not?  The middle of March might be a good time to stay inside.

“We’ll be keeping an eye out for signs of a repeat performance next year when the Earth-Moon system passes through the same region of space,” says Cooke. “Meanwhile, our analysis of the March 17th event continues.”

For updates stay tuned to science.nasa.gov.

Footnote: (1)  The Moon has no oxygen atmosphere, so how can something explode? Lunar meteors don’t require oxygen or combustion to make themselves visible.  They hit the ground with so much kinetic energy that even a pebble can make a crater several feet wide.  The flash of light comes not from combustion but rather from the thermal glow of molten rock and hot vapors at the impact site.

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