May 3, 2008 | 
 On our way from point A to point B, riding along Madison Street this afternoon, I did a double take at the sight of a roadside vegetable stand. Basically, a small table laden with okra, beans, strawberries and succulent tomatoes. We continued on to our destination, but hurried back to check it out.
I’ve suffered roadside fruit stand deprivation since I left New England, where it seems we could buy garden fresh produce on every other corner in town, walk or take a bus to the farmers markets, and never have to buy produce from a grocery store in summer. My favorite was fresh still-damp-with-dew butter and sugar corn (bi-colored corn), driven to the stand straight from the field. And yellow beans (which barely seem to exist here in the south). «Read the rest of this article»
May 3, 2008 |
Power outages, downed power lines, extensive debris, property damage
In the dark of night, lit only by shards of lightning, families in the High Street area surveyed the damage from what at this writing appeared to be a tornado strike just missing downtown Clarksville. Several homes were damaged by trees; power lines, downed signs, blown transformers littered the landscape. Widespread power outages were noted throughout south Clarksville. Initial reports from police and fire crews indicate that at least one twister may have touched down. No injuries were reported at this time.
Along Highway 13/48, the fairgrounds pavilion was demolished and its debris effectively relocated across the street by Mother Nature. At Gary Matthews, transformer poles and power lines were blown down and draped over brand new 2008 SUVs. Police cordoned off the road to all but emergency vehicles as they worked close to the fairgrounds section. Red and blue flashing lights brightened the night sky across the area. «Read the rest of this article»
May 2, 2008 |
During a luncheon prior to Commencement today, the Austin Peay State University Distinguished High School Teacher Award was presented to a Stewart County High School teacher with a reputation for “going the extra mile for her kids.”
The Distinguished High School Teacher Award, given annually, recognizes a high school classroom teacher who had a significant impact on the success of a graduating APSU student. This year’s recipient, Cheryl W. Wooten, R.N., (L) was nominated by her former student, Sara Sexton, Dover, who received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing during today’s Commencement—thanks to the influence of Wooten. «Read the rest of this article»
May 1, 2008 |
 Clarksvegas. Clarksville to Vegas. Fourteen people traveling on the city’s dime. Make that dollars. Just how many people does it take to represent Clarksville as Tennessee’s Top Spot? And whose money is it anyway? Oh yes, taxpayer money.
A 14-member city delegation headed by Mayor Johny Piper is heading to Las Vegas May 18-21 to represent the city at RECon, a real estate trade fair (read “convention”) sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers that attracts an estimated 50,000 visitors each year. According to the RECon website, the convention “has been renamed and branded as ReCon, emphasizing the R-E-tail, R-eal E-state, Con-gress, Con-vention, Con-ference, aspects of the program.”
The last convention attended by Clarksville officials was in Atlanta, Georgia, which saw the Clarksville delegation ill-prepared (or rather, not prepared at all) to professionally market itself. Things have changed, have run the gamut from no kill to overkill. «Read the rest of this article»
May 1, 2008 |
Downtown Clarksville will be overflowing with artistic activity on May 1st for the First Thursday Artwalk. The Downtown Artists Co-Op will kick off the festivities with a reception for Claudia Balthrop’s one person show in the DAC gallery at 96 Franklin St. from 5-8 p.m today. It is free and open to the public. The show will run through May 28th with Claudia presenting her Gallery Talk to the public from 6-8 p.m. on May 15th.
Carlton by Claudia Balthrop
Claudia is an amazing water colorist with local, regional and national recognition. She has a degree in Art Education and taught art in public schools for 18 years. She continued her art education with post graduate work at the University of Tenn; Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts; Savanna College of Art and Design; and numerous workshops by well-known artists. She was vice president of the board of directors of the Oak Ridge Museum of Art, served as chairperson for education and as a jurist for numerous art shows. «Read the rest of this article»
May 1, 2008 |
 The Community School of the Arts at Austin Peay State University will present a day of recitals and concerts involving local youth on Saturday, May 3 in the Music/Mass Communication Building Concert Hall. The student recitals will showcase violinists, pianists, guitarists and other instrumentalists and vocalists of all ages. The recitals are free and open to the public.
The first performance will begin at 9 a.m. and will feature violinists and pianists from the studios of Elizabeth Langford and Carolyn Bunger.
Pianists under the direction of Sylvia Carver will perform at 10:30 a.m. Saxophone and piano students of Chris Gee, Simone Rothemel and Jared Wilson will perform at noon. Seth Gangwer and Phoebe Gelzer-Govatos’s violin students will perform at 1:30 p.m. Piano, cello and guitar students of Stacie Robbins, Ron de la Vega and Jerald Sparks will perform at 3 p.m. Students of Ryan Seay, Mingzhe Wang and Nora Lewis will perform at 4:30 p.m. «Read the rest of this article»
April 30, 2008 |
Area residents concerned about school zone safety, police presence, zoning requests and unsightly neighbors
 Residents of City Wards 2 and 3 attended a town hall meeting yesterday evening at Park Lane Church of the Nazarene on Cunningham Lane. The gathering was hosted by Council representatives Deanna Maclaughlin and James Lewis. CPD District One officers were guest presenters.
MacLaughlin reminded those in attendance that May 2nd is the last day for Street Department yard debris pick-up. Debris must be cardboard boxes or paper leaf bags. It must stacked at the street. Call 645-7464 to schedule pick-up. Pick-up may be delayed up to ten days. City pool passes go on sale Monday, May 5, with new pricing. Details are available at the Parks and Recreation Office, 104 Public Square, Monday thru Friday 8 AM to 4:30 PM, beginning May 5. Utility bills must be provided as proof of Clarksville city residence. Call 645-7476 for more information.
 CPD District One officers Cain and Daley gave the residents an update on the department’s Explorer program. The program is a serious effort designed to give participants a realistic idea of what a career in law enforcement entails. Personal conduct is accountable. Mistakes have consequences. The program has a small staff and the students are considered to be ‘on the clock,’ the same as the officers who work with them.
When asked about additional school zone speed limit signs along Cunningham Lane, Officer Daley said that placing those signs is not the purview of the police department. He noted that while Tiny Town Road has a 20 MPH School Zone sign in the area fronting the entrance to Barkers Mill Elementary School, the actual access road to the school has a 30 MPH speed limit because it’s an access road. He agreed drivers need to be more observant of school zone speed limits and slow down. Councilman Lewis said he would look into these situations. «Read the rest of this article»
 There is a crisis happening on a global scale, and we here in the United States of America have a moral responsibility to take action to help alleviate global food prices and ensure that millions of people do not suffer the ill effects of hunger and possibly even starvation. We are all complaining about the high cost of oil these days and how it is impinging on our budget, but in the developing world this is having extreme consequences.
The stark reality is that three billion people on the planet earth live on less than $2 a day, and a good portion of that money goes specifically to the purchase of basic food grains to survive. As a result of the skyrocketing price of oil, the price of food grains has risen due to commercial production costs and transportation to as much as $800 a ton for rice which has led to food riots in the developing world.
The reasons for high oil prices are complex, and due to many factors, but we can take steps now to deal with the global oil crisis and help people in the developing world avoid a worsening food crisis. One of the principal factors in the current oil crisis is directly related to the US invasion of Iraq. The war in Iraq, which administration officials believed would lead to democracy and stability has instead resulted in civil war and prolonged military expenditures. The financial uncertainty in the marketplace regarding the instability in the middle east has driven oil prices even higher and the worsening Federal debt, greatly impacted by the hundreds of billions of unpaid dollars committed to the war effort has made the dollar less attractive to global investors, driving down the value of the dollar in relation to global currencies and discouraging investment. «Read the rest of this article»
April 29, 2008 |
 The Montgomery County Democratic Party Executive Committee will host a “Meet and Greet” for U.S. Senate Candidates Bob Tuke and Mike Pagent, along with local candidates for 22nd District Senate, 67th district and County Candidates. The “Meet and Greet” will run from 5:30pm -8:00pm, Friday May 16, at IAM Union Hall, 121 Union Rd. The public is invited to come to this event and meet the candidates and discuss the issues. Suggested donation is $5.00.
The Montgomery County Democratic Party meets on the last Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Smith Trahern Mansion in downtown Clarksville. For additional information, call Gene Lewis 931 801-6209.
April 29, 2008 |
Better Choice of Living hosts elegant dinner-dance in May
Doris Witherspoon’s Family Properties sponsors its fifth annual black-tie dinner and dance on Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17 at the Holiday Inn in Hopkinsville, Ky., 2910 Fort Campbell Blvd.
Hosted by Better Choice of Living, a recently-founded nonprofit organization, the gala begins on Friday, May 16, with a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m.; dinner will be promptly served at 7:30 p.m. The menu consists of rib eye steak, chicken breast w/pepper sauce, twice baked potato, steamed California mix, salad, rolls, desert and tea. A dance, to include live entertainment, follows dinner.
On Saturday, May 17, the cocktail hour starts at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday’s menu includes prime rib, chicken breast w/ pepper sauce, parsley new potato, whole baked apples, salad, rolls, desert and tea. The dance and live entertainment follows dinner.
The Variety Pack Band from Detroit, Michigan, will provide the entertainment on both nights. The band features Mary Burns Owens, a native of Ripley, and James P. Witherspoon, formerly of Columbia, U.S. Army retired and a Vietnam veteran.
Tickets for this black-tie affair spotlighting blues, jazz and r&b with a touch of elegance are $40 per person. Deadline to purchase tickets is May 5. Reservations only; tickets will not be sold at the door.  Contact: 931-552-0286. Email: familyproperties@bellsouth.net
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