By SABRINA GARRETT
The Wilson Post

Keeping roads in Wilson County safe is not an easy task.

Just ask Wilson County Sheriff Robert Bryan.

In order to educate young people in the community, Bryan has arranged for the department’s Traffic/DUI Division to create “mock” crashes at Mt. Juliet Christian Academy, Watertown High School and Wilson Central High School this spring. During the scheduled events, deputies will create an actual crash scene involving vehicles from past accidents provided by Hamblen’s Wrecker Service in Mt. Juliet.

“The actors, or victims and the suspect, are being provided by the drama departments of each individual school. They will have all of the broken bones and blood the special effects groups can conjure up,” Bryan said in a release.

Once the “crash” has taken place, Wilson County Emergency Management Agency personnel will arrive on the scene. One student actor will be given a field sobriety test and placed in handcuffs in the back of a WCSD patrol car. The students portraying victims will be placed in an ambulance or LifeFlight helicopter according to their “injuries.”

Bryan hopes that by staging these events, students will realize the dangers of drinking and driving or texting and driving. He also will ask that students take the Prom Pledge, in which they promise their peers and parents that they will not engage in dangerous behavior on prom night.

Mock scenes will be held at MJCA on April 25; Wilson Central on May 3 and Watertown High School on May 9.

By SABRINA GARRETT
The Wilson Post

Cowboys and cowgirls are already anticipating the fourth annual Whip Crackin’ Rodeo & Outdoor Show which is scheduled to come barreling into Lebanon next weekend.

The two-day event begins on Friday, April 26, at 8:30 a.m., with a day dedicated to special needs children in the community. Lebanon Mayor Philip Craighead said the best part of the rodeo is seeing the smiles on children’s faces as they get to interact with rodeo animals and play games at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center.

At 2 p.m., the all-new outdoor show will begin, featuring more than 20 vendors with merchandise including campers, luxury RV’s, boats, tractors, outdoor furniture, pool and spa options, and fashion.

Craighead said that the outdoor show, as well as inflatables for children, will be open and free to the public outside of the covered arena. Guests are welcomed to register for a drawing and door prizes such as movie tickets, gift certificates to local restaurants, rounds of golf and the grand prize of a night out of the town in a 14-passenger luxury tour coach donated by Four Seasons Coach Leasing.

The rodeo will begin on Friday at 7 p.m. with a Best Dressed Cowboy and Cowgirl Contest sponsored by Wilson Bank & Trust for children ages 10 and under and a Kid’s Gold Rush with prizes in the straw. Doors to the Outdoor Show will open Saturday at 10 a.m. There will also be a rodeo on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Craighead said a mechanical bull has also been added this year for locals who wish to try their hand at bull-riding.

In the past three years, the Whip Crackin’ Rodeo has raised more than $115,000 for local charities. Event Platinum and Gold Sponsors are: Bates Ford, Permobil, Wilson Bank & Trust, Boot Barn, Bays Southern Bread, Capitol Theatre, Craighead Home Sales, Four Seasons Coach Leashing, Goodall Homes, Johnson Controls, Lochinvar Corporation, Lojac Materials, Manheim Auto Auction, Rose Tire, John Greer State Farm Insurance, THW Insurance Services and Tickets Nashville.

Discounted tickets are available at Bates Ford, Permobil, Wilson Bank & Trust, Boot Barn, Rose Tire, John Greer State Farm Insurance, Manheim Auto Auction, Lebanon/Wilson County Chamber of Commerce, Crystal Couture and Lebanon City Hall -- $10 for adults and $8 for children. Tickets will also be available at the door on both nights of the event -- $15 for adults and $12 for children.

A Wilson County woman is charged with TennCare fraud for filling fraudulent prescriptions and using TennCare to pay for them.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG), along with the Wilson County Sheriff’s Department, on Wednesday announced the arrest of Tiffany N. Ferguson, 27, of Lebanon. 

Ferguson is charged with two counts of TennCare fraud and two counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. The charges against Ferguson allege that on two separate occasions she presented an altered prescription for the painkiller Percocet, using TennCare to pay for certain services.

“Our message is clear: if you commit fraud against the TennCare program – and the taxpayers – you’re going to be caught and prosecuted,” Inspector General Deborah Faulkner said. “Local officials, providers and law enforcement, as well as citizens, are behind us and assisting us in our efforts across the state.”

TennCare fraud is a Class E felony, carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge. Obtaining a controlled substance by fraud is a Class D felony that carries a sentence of up to four years in prison per charge. District Attorney Tom P. Thompson is prosecuting.

The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to over $3.5 million paid in restitution and recoupment to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of over $173 million for the TennCare program, according to latest figures. To date, over 1,700 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.

Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions.  Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tn.gov/tnoig and follow the prompts that read "Report TennCare Fraud."

By SABRINA GARRETT
The Wilson Post

Interviews for the four finalists for the Wilson County Schools Director’s job will be interviewed for on Saturday, April 20.

The four finalists, narrowed down from 32 applicants by Wayne Qualls of Teams Inc., include Dennis Albright, current Braxton County director of Schools in Sutton, W.Va.; David Huff, current Obion County director of Schools; Tim Sutterland, assistant director of Schools for Memphis City and Shelby County; and Donna Wright, current assistant director of Williamson County Schools.

Of the 32 applicants, two were from Wilson County. They were Tim Bell, principal of Mt. Juliet Middle School, and Wendell Marlowe, principal of West Wilson Middle School.

Don Weathers, chairman of the Wilson County Board of Education, said he was pleased with how smoothly the process has gone, since beginning in early 2013. Qualls was hired by the school board to collect resumes and spearhead the effort to narrow them down to a handful of finalists by April 20.

 “We are actively going to interview them on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. We have four really good candidates to select from,” Weathers said.

Following the interviews, the board will narrow the selection down to two finalists for a final interview on Saturday, April 27.

“From there we will make our final determination and do an extensive background check on that individual,” the school board chairman said. “We are ready to have our new director named so we can get on with other business.”

Mike Davis, current director, has been named Robertson County Director of Schools and will transfer to the position when his current contract with Wilson County expires June 30.

By SABRINA GARRETT
The Wilson Post

Wilson County Commissioners decided on Monday to send a proposed payroll plan for county employees, which was on the floor for vote at the meeting, back to the Budget Committee for review by department heads before further action is taken.

The plan, as it was presented, would establish pay ranks for employees and also an annual 1 percent step increase for all general fund employees, provided the county meets a 2 percent revenue growth.

County Mayor Randall Hutto said that he did not talk “individual numbers” with departments regarding the plan until commissioners voted it up or down.

“This was a direction you gave me,” he said of the scale plan. “It is a different philosophy than what we have had. The department heads would still have control over what they are doing.”

Hutto gave several instances of how the plan could work and allow employees to annually increase their salaries – instead of staying at the same pay rate year after year.

He shared a story about when he took a job with the Lebanon Special School District and to be paid the same as a veteran employee. Hutto said that he was told that he would not earn as much as his predecessor because he had many more years of experience – but could work his way up.

“Our goal is to help our employees,” he added.

The general consensus among commissioners was not to kill the proposed plan, but to allow them more time to look at it. District 17 Commissioner Gary Keith said he had just seen the plan on Friday and was out-of-town over the weekend on a personal matter. “I have some question. I’m not against it, but let’s work on the details,” he said.

“If you guys want to send it back, send it back. I didn’t send it back to kill it. I don’t think it should die,” District 15 Commissioner Mike Justice added.

District 9 Commissioner Sara Patton said that she thought the plan would be on the floor to vote on the “concept of it” and to “maybe consider adopting” – not for an actual movement.

Commissioners agreed to revisit the plan for vote during their May meeting - allowing those with questions and concerns at least 30 days to address them.