WDKN http://wdkn.com Dickson's Home Town Station Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:48:53 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 NE Wins District; Cougars Get Better Game http://wdkn.com/ne-wins-district-cougars-get-better-game http://wdkn.com/ne-wins-district-cougars-get-better-game#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:01:11 +0000 sports http://wdkn.com/?p=1943 The Northeast Eagles took home the District 10-AAA Tournament Championship at home on Tuesday night, besting our Dickson County Cougars 55-46 in a sluggish battle in front of a full house at the Eagle’s Nest. Unfortunately for Northeast, the District prize could prove to be a gag gift, as the win puts the Eagles into a must-win Region game with a hard-luck Mt. Juliet team that amassed 24 wins before backing into the Region Tournament.

The Cougars kept things close throughout against the homestanding Eagles. Northeast seemed to sleepwalk through the first half, amassing an 11 point lead late in the first before allowing a surging Dickson County squad to keep trimming that margin. The Eagles seemed to awaken in the second half, but the Cougars cut the lead to a single score. Northeast found an answer, as persistent defense stymied the DCHS boys as they tried to take over the game. Alex Poythress was the only double-digit scorer for the Eagles, but his 29 points were enough to turn back the Navy and Orange and give the Eagles a tournament crown.

Dickson County outscored Northeast in the middle quarters (15-13, 12-9), and had two double-digit scorers. Caleb Tuck hit three big 3-pointers in the contest, and had 10 of his 13 points in the second half as DCHS made its run, so Tuck earned MVP honors. JeQuan Lewis endured endless heckling from the Northeast students, who booed nearly every time he touched the ball and mocked his selection of Virginia Commonwealth in comparison to Poythress and his University of Kentucky scholarship. The junior didn’t seem phased in the least, however, and led the Cougars with 16 points on the night against a chorus of “S-E-C” chants. Unfortunately, Northeast had just enough left to hold off Lewis and the Cougars and deny Dickson another championship.

While no loss is a “good loss,” this one goes about as close as it gets, however. The Cougars were in the game throughout, played hard, and had a chance to hand Northeast its third loss of the year, and Dickson County still takes home second place and hosts its Region Tournament game. However, in District 9-AAA, crazy things have been happening that make the DCHS loss into a positive. Regular season champion Mt. Juliet took an upset loss 50-49 to Hendersonville in the semis, dropping them into the consolation game–where tournament host Wilson Central dropped the Bears 65-55. As a result, the Bears finish fourth in the tournament, and travel to the 10-AAA champion to open Regions.

In other words, Northeast can boast a McDonald’s All-American, a sweep of Dickson County in three games this season, and both District regular season and District tournament championships, and their reward is a win-or-it’s-over game with the 24-win regular season champs from 9-AAA, still angry from two straight losses in its own tournament. By contrast, Dickson County hosts the Wilson Central Wildcats who pulled the upset, but have almost the same record as the Cougars. While the win will not be easy, especially with the season on the line, it’s a better matchup than a District champion looking for redemption as a last place team.

The Dickson County Lady Cougars travel to Station Camp Friday night at 7pm, while Creek Wood hosts Fairview. The Dickson County boys also play at 7, hosting Wilson Central on Saturday. Much like the District Tournament, if any of our teams should fall in these games, their seasons would come to an abrupt end at that point.

]]> http://wdkn.com/ne-wins-district-cougars-get-better-game/feed 0 Museum to dedicate new Civil Rights and Education room with Monday ceremony http://wdkn.com/museum-to-dedicate-new-civil-rights-and-education-room-with-monday-ceremony http://wdkn.com/museum-to-dedicate-new-civil-rights-and-education-room-with-monday-ceremony#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:45:58 +0000 cnorman http://wdkn.com/?p=1932 The Clement Railroad Hotel Museum will formally dedicate its new Civil Rights and Education Room at a dinner and naming ceremony Monday. The museum’s African-American Interests Subcommittee has been developing the new permanent exhibit for several months. The exhibit focuses on the African-American citizens of Dickson County and their experiences, exploring the community’s successes as well as its challenges. “This is an opportunity for all of Dickson County, white or black, to experience the past and to realize how far we have come as a community,” said subcommittee Chairperson Serina Gilbert. Eight principle areas have been created in the new exhibit, focusing on education, the Civil Rights movement, experiences in war, the development of the railroad, churches and more. Displays share the evolution of education for the African-American community from one-room schoolhouses to the founding of Hampton High School and into integration, including a tribute to the Clinton 12 when Tennessee public schools were integrated under Gov. Frank Clement. At one time the hub of the African-American community in Dickson, North Mulberry Street has been re-created from the 1920s through pictures, stories and maps. A Room Naming Ceremony and Dinner honoring Concrete Structures of Charlotte and its owners, Bobby and Lita Speight, whose donation made the exhibit possible, will be Monday, Feb. 27, beginning with a reception at 5:30 pm followed by the ceremony at 6:30 and a dinner catered by Sisters Restaurant. Annie Driver Merritt, a Hampton High School alumnus and 35-year educator in Chicago and Nashville, will speak at the ceremony. Tickets for the event are $65 and are available at the museum or by calling 446-0500. Tickets include all the evening’s activities plus a family membership to the museum. The Civil Rights and Education Room is the museum’s 11th permanent exhibit, joining rooms that focus on the Civil War, railroad development, commerce and industry, communities and the popular model railroad exhibit.

]]> http://wdkn.com/museum-to-dedicate-new-civil-rights-and-education-room-with-monday-ceremony/feed 0 Council opts for education campaign instead of time limit for trash cans http://wdkn.com/council-opts-for-education-campaign-instead-of-time-limit-for-trash-cans http://wdkn.com/council-opts-for-education-campaign-instead-of-time-limit-for-trash-cans#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:45:01 +0000 cnorman http://wdkn.com/?p=1930 Instead of putting a strict time limit on having trash cans removed from the roadside, the city of Dickson will go with a public education campaign to make residents aware of the safety issues involved. Councilman Scott England told the city’s Finance and Management Committee last week that the Public Works Committee has opted to put aside a proposed amendment and “try to enforce the ordinance we have on the books.” The committee had been discussing an amendment that would have required residents to remove their city-issued trash cans from the roadsides within 24 hours of the trash being picked up. England previously said there have been some safety issues with cans left at the end of driveways blocking the view of drivers. But instead of putting a time limit into the ordinance, England said the city hopes to do more to make residents aware of the issue. The current ordinance requires residents to remove the containers to within or to the rear of their premises and away from the street line “as soon as practicable” until the next scheduled pickup. England said the city hopes to use a local media campaign to make residents aware that they are expected to remove the cans from the roadside due to safety issues.

]]> http://wdkn.com/council-opts-for-education-campaign-instead-of-time-limit-for-trash-cans/feed 0 Coalition of churches to provide transportation to polls on election day http://wdkn.com/coalition-of-churches-to-provide-transportation-to-polls-on-election-day http://wdkn.com/coalition-of-churches-to-provide-transportation-to-polls-on-election-day#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:43:27 +0000 cnorman http://wdkn.com/?p=1928 A member of the Dickson County Election Commission is putting together a coalition of churches that are willing to provide their vans for transporting voters to the polls on election day. Marie Fossie said so far five Dickson County churches have agreed to provide transportation services for the March 6 Presidential Preference Primary. “It has always been my desire for all people to have a way to the polls and a further desire to make sure that all who want to vote have an opportunity to do so,” Fossie said in a prepared statement. She said her plan to help provide transportation for voters originated from seeing her parents walk to the polls to cast their votes. Fossie had hoped to have a system of transportation in place for the early voting period but was not able to make all the arrangements in time. The five churches that have agreed to provide election day transportation are Bowman Chapel Methodist Church, New Day Church, Worley Furnace Baptist Church, St. James Methodist Church and New Hope Baptist Church. “Volunteers are the heart and soul of all organizing,” Fossie’s statement says. “In addition, in an era where financial resources are limited, a good volunteer operation can help bridge the financial gap.” Fossie, a Democratic appointee to the election commission, said the churches have agreed to finance the voter transportation effort and no county funds are being utilized. “To the churches I would like to say thank your for your time, your cooperation and your generosity in helping me with this endeavor.” While the launch of the project is for the March 6 primary, Fossie said she hopes to have a transportation system in place for future elections, including the early voting periods. In the first five days of early voting for the presidential primary, 313 voters have gone to the polls and 79 absentee ballots have been turned in. Early voting continues at the election office in Charlotte and Restoration Church in Dickson through Feb. 28.

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'This Ole Boy'

 

 

 

 

 

 

Craig Morgan’s CD Hometown Event continues with an acoustic concert at the Renaissance Center. The show is free! Doors open at 7:30pm on Monday (February 27th). Showtime: 8pm. Craig will also be signing copies of his new CD after the show. Since the new CD doesn’t even go on sale until the day after the concert, you can get a special advanced copy Monday at the Renaissance Center before the show. Cat’s Music will be on site with your copy! You can also preview and/or pre-order ‘This Ole Boy” HERE. WDKN will also be giving away special V.I.P. seats throughout the day on ‘Craig Morgan Monday’ on February 27th.

]]> http://wdkn.com/craig-morgan-free-concert/feed 0 Lady Cougars Finish Third http://wdkn.com/lady-cougars-finish-third http://wdkn.com/lady-cougars-finish-third#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:33:15 +0000 sports http://wdkn.com/?p=1915 Dickson County out-slugged Kenwood 57-41 in the District 10-AAA Basketball Tournament Consolation Game on Monday night. The defensive battle was sluggish for most of the night, but Dickson County took a lead and stretched it out past double-figures, then weathered a handful of second-half comebacks to outlast the Lady Knights and take home third place. Kiwi Knox had a game high 16 points and Payton Grove added 13, but the MVP for the Lady Cougars was Rachel Stanford, who scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half as DCHS fought to defend the lead. Knox and Grove were also named to the District All-Tournament Team.

With the win, Dickson County’s girls will play in the Region Tournament at Station Camp on Friday night. The Lady Bisons lost the 9-AAA championship game to Mt. Juliet 41-28 on Monday night. The Creek Wood Lady Red Hawks will also open their Region Tournament on Friday, as they will play host to Fairview.

The DCHS boys battle Northeast Tuesday night at 7:30 at Northeast for the District 10-AAA Championship. The Eagles rallied back from 11 down to beat Dickson County on senior night the last time the squads met in the Eagles’ Nest, and Northeast’s crowd will be raucous. The winner of this game will also have an easier road in the Region Tournament, hosting the 4th place team (instead of the 3rd) out of 9-AAA on Saturday.

]]> http://wdkn.com/lady-cougars-finish-third/feed 0 TDOT asks city for input on choosing alternative for proposed southwest bypass http://wdkn.com/tdot-asks-city-for-input-on-choosing-alternative-for-proposed-southwest-bypass http://wdkn.com/tdot-asks-city-for-input-on-choosing-alternative-for-proposed-southwest-bypass#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:12:33 +0000 cnorman http://wdkn.com/?p=1913 Even though a final decision is up to the commissioner, the Tennessee Department of Transportation has asked the Dickson City Council for its recommendation on an alternative for the proposed southwest bypass around the city. TDOT Project Manager Greg Hamilton and the department’s consultant updated the council on where the project stands and asked the city to provide input in the selection of an alternative, which is scheduled to be announced by September. Ashley Farless of Arcadis said the consulting company and TDOT would like to have some feedback on where the city stands with the seven proposed alternatives, five of which include building a new road to route traffic out of downtown Dickson. Hamilton said the department has been working on the Draft Environmental Impact Study that was presented last year since 2007 and is now ready to choose an alignment, whether it is one of five proposed routes for a bypass connecting Highway 70 to Interstate 40 and/or Highway 46, improvements to traffic management on Highway 46 or doing nothing. Mayor Don Weiss said the city has been discussing the project since 1998 and contributed $300,000 to the environmental studies with the idea of moving traffic from Highway 46 to the west side of town. The mayor said the proposal to seek a new interchange on I-40 came from the county commission, which has never contributed any money to the proposal. He said the eventual hope is to extend north of Highway 70 to connect with Highway 235 and create easier access to the airport and stimulate development on the west side of the county. Farless said an interchange justification study for an interstate connection is almost complete. Weiss said the council would take a look at the environmental studies and hopefully be prepared to discuss the project at its March meeting. TDOT spokesperson B.J. Doughty said last week a decision on which alternative to pursue is scheduled to be made by September.

]]> http://wdkn.com/tdot-asks-city-for-input-on-choosing-alternative-for-proposed-southwest-bypass/feed 0 House of Hope to host public informational meeting Feb. 27 http://wdkn.com/house-of-hope-to-host-public-informational-meeting-feb-27 http://wdkn.com/house-of-hope-to-host-public-informational-meeting-feb-27#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:11:36 +0000 cnorman http://wdkn.com/?p=1911 Organizers of a proposed homeless shelter in Dickson are having an informational meeting for the public next week and have asked the city of Dickson to consider supporting the project. Representatives of The House of Hope and New Beginnings appeared before the council’s Finance and Management Committee last week to explain the project and seek financial assistance. Dickson County resident Debbie Mitchell has said she is hoping to turn tragedy into hope by using settlement funds she received following her husband’s death in an industrial accident as seed money for the proposed shelter. Pam Edmonds, a volunteer with House of Hope, told the committee the organization has its bylaws in place and its charter as a 501c3 non-profit organization is pending. The group hopes to not only create a shelter for homeless families, but also provide case management to assist families in breaking the cycle of homelessness with programs to assist in finding jobs, skills training, counseling and more. Edmonds said House of Hope has been looking at the former Jackson Academy building on Church Street as a possible location. “We want your support. We hope you will think of us for funds,” Edmonds told the committee. There was no discussion on the request at last week’s meeting. The House of Hope and New Beginnings will hold an informational meeting for the general public at 7 pm Monday, Feb. 27, at the Dickson County Emergency Medical Services building on Cowan Road.

]]> http://wdkn.com/house-of-hope-to-host-public-informational-meeting-feb-27/feed 0 About 30% of city covered in first 5 days of special census http://wdkn.com/about-30-of-city-covered-in-first-5-days-of-special-census http://wdkn.com/about-30-of-city-covered-in-first-5-days-of-special-census#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:10:36 +0000 cnorman http://wdkn.com/?p=1909 Through the first five days of a door-to-door special census, Dickson firefighters have covered about 30 percent of the city, according to acting city Administrator Rydell Wesson. Starting this week, city workers will begin calling homes where no contact was made in the areas already covered. The city is conducting the special census to try to regain almost $500,000 in annual shared revenue lost when then 2010 federal census showed the city losing almost 5,000 residents since 2007. Wesson told the city’s Finance and Management Committee last week that the city had planned to work with the county on a countywide special census, but with an April 1 deadline to have an appeal filed with the state there is not enough time to seek requests for qualifications from professional planning firms. Wesson said if the city’s special census is certified, the new population figure will be used to determine the city’s share of state funds beginning with the new budget July 1. By using city workers already on duty for the door-to-door count, Wesson said the city’s biggest expense for the census is the printing of cards that are left behind where nobody is home. He said if the count gains 100 or more people for the city it will more than cover the expense of the census. With a projected annual loss of around $497,000, the city stands to lose close to $5 million over the next 10 years before another federal census is conducted. Dickson Mayor Don Weiss said the city of Dickson was second only to Memphis in per capita revenue losses after the 2010 census. A countywide special census in 2007 turned in over 21,000 residents for Dickson, but the city was only certified at 19,274 by the state. The 2010 census showed the city with a population of 14,538, a decline of 4,736 residents in three years. “It is imperative upon us to start this and get it complete,” Weiss said. Wesson said he would have a more detailed progress report to present at the March 5 council meeting.

]]> http://wdkn.com/about-30-of-city-covered-in-first-5-days-of-special-census/feed 0 Cougars to battle for district tourney title, Lady Cougars fight for 3rd tonight http://wdkn.com/cougars-to-battle-for-district-tourney-title-lady-cougars-fight-for-3rd-tonight http://wdkn.com/cougars-to-battle-for-district-tourney-title-lady-cougars-fight-for-3rd-tonight#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:09:35 +0000 cnorman http://wdkn.com/?p=1907 Dickson County High School’s Cougars will battle top-seeded Northeast for the District 10-AAA Tournament championship Tuesday night while the Lady Cougars go for third place tonight against Kenwood. The Cougars beat Henry County 81-56 in the semifinals Friday and held off Kenwood 59-51 Saturday to advance to the title game at Northeast High School Tuesday at 7:30. After a 76-28 loss to top-seeded Clarksville Saturday, the Lady Cougars will take on Kenwood in a battle for third place at 6:00 tonight at Northeast. Clarksville and Rossview meet for the title. After losing their regular season finale to Waverly, the Creek Wood Lady Red Hawks were upset by the Lady Tigers again Saturday in the District 11-AA Tournament championship. Waverly took the title 60-45 at Montgomery Central. The Lady Red Hawks will host a game to open the region tournament Friday while the Lady Cougars will be on the road. The Cougars will host a region game Saturday.

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