Local News
A group has stepped forward to pay for the funeral of a woman whose body was found near the Cheatham Dam last week. The Jae & Zeke Foundation has offered to pay for 25-year-old Chase Stafford’s funeral which will be held Wednesday. Stafford was reported missing May 10 and her body was recovered last Thursday. The investigation into her disappearance and death continues.
A number of school districts in Middle Tennessee are holding TCAP re-tests today. Numbers released by the Tennessee Department of Education show only 40 percent of the state’s third-graders passed the English Language Arts portion of the assessment on their first attempt. Due to a new state law, students who do not reach a proficient score are at risk of being held back from the fourth grade. Successful completion of the summer classes, with a test score improvement of five percent or more, allows them to advance into fourth grade.
Hendersonville now has a group of workers in place whose sole focus is keeping the city looking good. Mayor Jamie Clary says the three employees on the “Clean Team” are now tasked with picking up trash, fixing signs, weeding, and other beautification efforts each day on the job. The clean-up work is planned along city streets and along the banks of the Cumberland River. Residents who would like to report an area that could use some attention can do so by visiting the city’s website.
A former Republican Tennessee lawmaker believes the state’s elections are rigged. Zack Wamp represented Tennessee’s third congressional for eight consecutive terms, starting in 1995. Wamp believes gerrymandering across the state has “gotten goofy” and says it creates districts that are out of sync with voters. He said, “the easiest way to win in elections is if you have the pen in your hand and you get to draw the lines that you are running in, basically to choose your own voters.