August 2018 Video News It's Back to School time! #JacksonTN needs your help to educate our children and make our community a brighter place. Dr. Eric Jones, Jackson-Madison County School System's Superintendent and The Bank of Jackson's, A.J. Massey - the Jackson Chamber's education sponsors, tell how you can help. Find out more about A2H, Inc. from Lanie Sewell with our Member Connection.

A local softball team, Madison South, has left to the World Series in Louisiana. The 9 and 10-year-old girls won the district tournament undefeated, won state 12 to 5 and advanced to the World Series. They are not only representing Madison County, but are the only team of their age group from Tennessee to qualify. For the World Series, they changed their name from Madison South to team Tennessee. They say they are very excited for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

The U.S. has a problem; its farmers are getting older. ”The average age of the American farmer is 58.3 years old and locally, it’s probably more upwards towards 60 to 68, somewhere in that range,” said Amanda Robertson with the USDA. Two percent of the population is directly employed in the agriculture business according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With farmers getting older and retiring, this population is slated to get smaller. “There is a need there for us to get young folks involved in agriculture because we all like to eat, we like to have food, shelter and clothing and those individuals (farmers) are critical to us every day,” said Robertson. The USDA is trying to reverse th

The wheels on a school bus never stop going round and round. During the summer, mechanics are working on the buses and doing oil and tire changes, all to make sure they’re ready and safe for the first day of school. As the new school year begins, bus drivers will have new stops and new bus routes, and some, will be on a new bus. JMCSS purchased 12 new buses this year that will be able to carry another 71 students. “At least 12 bus loads will have a more comfortable ride on August the third because they will have air conditioned buses,” said Bryan Chandler, Director of Transportation for JMCSS. Chandler says every new bus purchased from now on will have A/C. Before school starts, bus drivers

“I started working here when I was 16 years old in 1980, first field day was held in 1981.” Ut Ag Research Director at Milan, Blake Brown remembers the first Milan No Till Day as an intern. And he recalls the difference that no-till farming has made over the years. “40 years ago, West Tennessee was washing away. I can remember as a kid ditches in the fields knee deep in the fall and in the spring. Fortunately we don’t see those anymore and that’s largely due to the adoption of no till by our farmers,” said Brown. In just two days, the UT Ag Center in Milan will be expecting thousands of people from all over the world who come to learn the no till technique from the city it originated in. “We

The city of Paris was awarded two grants from the state of Tennessee this afternoon totaling over one million dollars. The first grant the city received came from the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The grant will help with construction of sidewalks along Wilson Street from Patriot Avenue to Lone Oak Road, as well as improvements to curb and gutter, signage, pavement markings and ADA upgrades. The second grant came from the Tennessee department of Environment and Conservation to help build a splash pad at Eiffel tower park, which the mayor of Paris says will offer a boost to tourism. Mayor Gerrell says that these two grants are the product of teamwork between local and state governme

It’s a peaceful day out at the Paris Landing State Park marina as fisherman load and unload for a day on the water. But when they go out on the water, they face a growing problem; Asian carp. “They’re jumping into people’s boats and it’s getting to be a real nuisance. It gets worse every year,” said Steve Chadwick, a local fisherman. Chadwick is a longtime henry county resident. He says the area is suffering from the carp. “The fishing has really declined the last two or three years.” Kentucky Lake and Paris Landing State Park are a huge part of the local economy for the city of Paris and Henry County according the Paris Chamber of Commerce. One of the major areas they’ve seen the spread of

If you have driven past Le Bonheur's Children Hospital on Vann Drive in the past two days, you may have noticed a new sculpture on the outside of the building. The art instillation was put up July 20th and is the final part of work to be done at the new outpatient clinic. The heart sculptures are to represent courage, hope, compassion and love. Officials from the hospital say this piece is for the families of Le Bonheur. "We want our patients and families, especially our children to be able to experience art. Having pieces like this in our facility just gives children experience they might not have otherwise," says Diane Rushing, Director of West Tennessee Pediatrics. Rushing also says the s

“It began as a retirement hobby for my mom and step-father and it kind of got out of control.” The owners of Century Farms Winery started growing grapes in 2003. “It kept growing and growing and we’ve expanded three times now.” Bart Horton runs the day to day operations for Century Farms. He and his family moved back to West Tennessee last year to help his mother and step father run the winery because of how much it has grown over the past fifteen years. For Bart, one of his favorite aspects of running the winery is interacting with the customers and helping learn more about the wine. “I’ve got a bit of a culinary background, so for me, it is really interesting and fun to pair foods with the

The University School of Jackson spent Monday collecting used uniforms for their uniform consignment sale. Over 200 families came by to donate uniforms that no longer fit and could be better used by someone else. Volunteers say the sale has been going on for as long as the University School of Jackson has had uniforms. The sale is mainly run by parents and volunteers, and they say they continue it to help families save money on something that can quickly get expensive. "I just think it's such a service to our families. It can get kind of expensive to go out and buy an entire wardrobe of new uniforms and when people can get a few pieces here and there to supplement," says Michelle Prince, vol

Pencils and papers aren't the only thing kids need when they head back to school in a few weeks. “Our goal is so our students can be healthy and ready to learn and what better way than to have them fully vaccinated,” said Annette Wilson, JMCSS Health Administrator. In Tennessee, immunizations are required for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and seventh graders before they start the year. Medical director for West Tennessee’s Health Department, Michael Revelle, says these vaccines are important for more than just the students. “Having herd immunity or having the entire school population immunized is very important. Vaccines keep us safe, they keep our children safe from diseases we haven’t see

JACKSON – An investigation by Special Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the arrest of a Savannah woman, who is charged with stealing from her former employer. At the request of 24th District Attorney General Matt Stowe, in December 2017, TBI Agents began investigating an allegation of theft from Bob’s Discount Pharmacy on Pickwick Street in Savannah. During the course of the investigation, Agents developed information that indicated Teresa Crumby, who had managed the deposits at the store, was responsible for the theft of approximately $90,000 to $100,000 from March 2016 through May 2017. On July 16th, the Hardin County Grand Jury returned an indictment chargi

On July 23 around noon, a woman was robbed at gunpoint by two males in the 800 block of Whitehall Street. The woman had just made a purchase inside a store, and the suspects were in line behind her. As she left, they followed her outside and robbed her of money and her cell phone. They then fled on foot toward Lincoln Courts. the suspects were captured on video surveillance inside the store, and images are released in an attempt to identify them. One suspect was described as a black male of average height with short twists in his hair. He was wearing a red and white shirt with black sleeves. The other suspect was taller and thin with long dreads wearing a black and white soccer style jersey

JACKSON, Tenn. – As Dr. Roderick Payne enters his twentieth year as an educator, he will take on a new role as Dr. Eric Jones, Superintendent of the Jackson-Madison County School System, announces his hiring as principal of Parkview Learning Center. “I look forward to the challenge of changing students’ mindsets that their futures are not set, that their potential has yet to be realized,” said Dr. Payne. Joining the district after nine years in administration in the Shelby County Schools, Dr. Payne most recently served as District Administrator of Academic Operations and School Support. He spent the 10 previous years in Memphis City Schools working in the middle and high school levels. “T

JACKSON, Tenn. – Though the start of the 2018-2019 is still a couple of weeks away, the office staff at all schools in the Jackson-Madison County School System are already back at work and available to help with new student registration. Any student who is new to the district or moved to a new school zone over the summer must register at his or her new school before the first day of class on August 3. There are two parts to the registration process: Complete the registration forms online. Visit , scroll down to the middle of the page and click on “” on the yellow Quick Links bar. Click on “” and follow the directions on the page. If you do not have a computer or internet access, there are co

The Music of Jackson! Thursday, July 19 Steve Short & Scott Myatt, Libation Station (Discovery Park), 5:30pm Jackson Area Plectral Society, Old Country Store, 6pm Tyler Goodson & Friends, Redbones, 6pm Josh McKee, Breakers Marina (Buchanan), 6pm Herz, Dairy Queen (Lexington), 6pm Brandon Boyd Lewis w/ Rum Brown, The Downtown Tavern, 7pm Open Jam, Elks Lodge 192, 7pm Karaoke, West Alley BBQ, 7pm No Time Flatt, Nights On Broadway (McKenzie), 7pm Open Mic w/ The Skeleton Krew, Cody’s, 8pm Open Mic w/ Dave Thomas, The Tap, 9pm Friday, July 20 Scott Myatt, The Blacksmith, 6pm TBD, Under the Bud Light Tent (theAMP), 6:45pm AM Whiskey, Mulligans, 7pm Southern Fire Band, International Rockabilly Hal

JMCSS announces school open house dates JACKSON, Tenn. – The Jackson-Madison County School System will welcome students back to class for the 2018-2019 school year on Friday, August 3, for a half-day. In preparation for the year, schools are hosting open houses. These are great opportunities for parents to visit their students’ schools and meet teachers, classmates and administrators. Please, note some elementary schools host open houses for kindergarteners on different dates than older grades. Tuesday, July 31 North Parkway Middle, Family Title I Meeting – 5:30 p.m. North Parkway Middle, 6th only – 6:00 p.m. Northeast Middle School – 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Pope School, Family Title I Meeting, in

Manufacturer to invest $10 million to expand production capabilities in Weakley County NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and MTD Consumer Group Inc officials announced today that the manufacturer will invest $10 million in its Martin operations over the next five years. MTD is Weakley County’s largest private employer and a leading global manufacturer and distributor of residential and commercial outdoor power equipment under brands such as Cub Cadet and Troy-Bilt. The company plans to create 200 jobs in Weakley County as it adds production at the Martin facility. “I’m very pleased to see MTD move ahead with this i

The two winners of the “Do The Write Thing” essay contest have packed their bags and are ready to head to Washington DC. Laila Houston and Ben Pledger will represent Madison County during their action packed, all expenses paid, four-day trip. They will visit Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court and even get their essays published at the Library of Congress. They will meet other essay winners from around the country and hear their experiences and solutions to ending youth violence. Both Houston and Pledger wrote in their essay that the solution is not keeping quiet about it. "You need to speak out because if you don’t speak out nobody will know that you’re hurting, have been abused, violence and

Ryder Jones is one of many kids attending the language camp at the West Tennessee Hearing and Speech Center. The camp provides an inclusive environment for children with speech and articulation impairment and other disabilities advance their speech and their hearing with different activities throughout the week. The different activities aim to boost the camper’s language skills, so when they go back to speech therapy, they’re one step ahead. “We see children with various disabilities, we see children that are on the autism spectrum, diagnosed with down syndrome, and those with other various disabilities who may not have opportunities to go to other camps, so we provide a good opportunity for