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WEDNESDAY » SEPTEMBER 25, 2013 » GALLATIN, TENNESSEE » SERVING SUMNER COUNTY SINCE 1840
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Uninsured in Sumner estimated at 21,000 Federal health care exchange opens enrollment Tuesday By Sherry Mitchell Gallatin News Examiner
With enrollment opening for the federally facilitated healthcare exchange next week, an estimated 21,000 uninsured adults in Sumner County may be faced with the decision to buy coverage or face penalties from the IRS.
Volunteer State Community College student Jacob Marina, 21, is among the uninsured, working part-time while he’s in school. Standing outside the Wood Campus Center Thursday, he said he was aware of the upcoming mandate, but wasn’t sure how he would pay for it on his limited income. “I honestly don’t think I can afford it, but I guess I will have to try to get some,” Marina said. “I think, overall, it would help if we had a (totally) funded government healthcare system.”
Marina is among the 21,253 or 15.1 percent of residents in Sumner County between the ages of 18 and 64 who are Marina currently uninsured, according to information released in September by the U.S. Census Bureau. Starting Tuesday, Oct. 1, residents can go online to sign up for individual coverage and see if
PERCENTAGE OF UNINSURED BY COUNTY Williamson
9.2 Wilson
13.8
they qualify for a government subsidy on premiums. Local residents can choose a plan from the federally facilitated healthcare exchange – a requirement that has been received with mixed feelings by some. The mandate was implemented after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, often referred to as Obamacare. The new law requires every resident to have coverage by 2014 or pay a fine. For individuals, the fine for the first year is $95 and
» UNINSURED, 5A
Sumner
15.1 Rutherford
16.5 Robertson
17.7 Davidson
19.4
Project may be boost for economy
A purr-fect friend
TVA plans to bring 900 workers to city By Josh Cross Gallatin News Examiner
Sugar the cat is eager to get a treat from resident Virginia Gilliam, 90, on a recent Wednesday afternoon at Morningside of Gallatin assisted-living home. DESSISLAVA YANKOVA/GALLATIN NEWS EXAMINER
Judge rules no abuse in civil suit against schools By Sarah Kingsbury Gallatin News Examiner
A Sumner County teacher may have treated six special needs children in a “rough and inappropriate’’ manner but it did not rise to the level of abuse and the school system is not responsible for what happened, a judge ruled last week. The suit, filed in 2011, involved six children who had attended either Beech Elementary or Station Camp Elementary. In many instances, the special judge Jane Wheatcraft found that even if the incidents could be considered abuse, half the fault would be on the parent or teacher for not immediately reporting it, making the civil claim moot. The ruling cited several incidents addressed during the trial that were not
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Read the complaint filed against the school system and the judge’s ruling at GallatinNewsExaminer.com
found to be abusive, such as requiring a child who often took her shoes off to walk around barefoot, or pulling or shoving a child in a rough manner but without causing physical injury. One of the alleged victims “was made to clean up her own fesces (sic) to teach her to take control of her bodily functions” but the court “did not find that to be abusive.” Wheatcraft ruled Sept. 16 that the parents who sued the school system did not sufficiently prove that abuse had occurred, though the behavior of the accused teacher,
» LAWSUIT, 4A
Two teams from the White House volleyball league square off inside the old gym at city hall on Thursday, Sept. 19. A renovation project will soon begin on the gym. NICOLE YOUNG/GANNETT TENNESSEE
White House invests in rec hall By Nicole Young Gannett Tennessee
Work is slated to begin next week on a gym renovation project at White House City Hall. The board of mayor and alderman took its first steps on the project, approving a bid of more than $75,500 to replace the roof over the old gym, during its Thursday meeting. “That gym goes all day long every day,” said White House City Administrator Gerald Herman. “From seniors walking
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Local leaders hope the $1.1 billion project at the Gallatin TVA Fossil Plant to reduce emissions will benefit the city economically when 900 workers arrive in Sumner County to help with the project. More than 50 people, including local business owners and representatives, attended a TVA business outreach meeting at city hall in Gallatin Monday to talk about how they can best prepare for the influx of workers in the community. “We are excited about (the project) not only because it keeps our plant open, but also because it provides jobs and an economic boost to this community,” Mayor Jo Ann Graves said during the meeting. As part of the multi-year project, four scrubbers will be installed at the plant to cut sulfur dioxide emissions and reduce nitrogen oxide levels. Once complete, the project is expected to help reduce certain emissions by as much as 96 percent. While TVA estimates that as many as 900 contract workers will be needed to complete the installation of the scrubbers, the majority will be on-site during a12-month period beginning next year. More than 750 of the workers will be at the plant from April 2014 until April 2015, said Ron Nash, vice-president of major projects for General Construction, the company responsible for building the addition. Clay Haynes, owner of Haynes Properties, attended Monday’s meeting. Haynes, whose company manages multiple rental properties throughout the city, said that the TVA project presents a “tremendous opportunity” for both the real estate industry and local businesses. “One of the biggest reasons why I’m here is (to see) how I can support the local businesses that I lease to and help empower them to market directly to these new customers that are going to be in town,” Haynes said. “The more income they have coming in, the more viable their businesses will be.”
early in the morning to kids playing basketball in the afternoon, it’s always hopping. And it is desperately in need of some work.” The board had originally set aside $300,000 for the project, which includes replacing the gymnasium floor, putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls, adding air conditioning and refurbishing the heating system, in its 2013-14 budget. The roofing project was not
The Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce plans to give each new worker a bag when they ar-
» GYM, 3A
» TVA, 5A
Business outreach
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