Schools closed Wednesday but area appears to have avoided major problems

Dickson County schools are closed again Wednesday. Roads in Dickson County appear to be wet but mostly clear of any of the ice that has coated trees and yards. A dispatcher at Central Communications said this morning there have been scattered power outages reported and a few icy spots on roads, mostly on bridges and overpasses, but for the most part the area seems to have escaped the predictions of an ice storm that prompted a National Weather Service warning. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency activated its command center Tuesday evening to prepare for possible ice in west and middle Tennessee and potential flooding in the eastern part of the state. So far, no major problems have been reported. Dickson and all surrounding school systems are closed today, except for Williamson County, which is open, and Stewart County, which is opening two hours late. Extended care programs in Dickson County elementary schools are closed. Dickson First United Methodist Church preschool program is closed. Gerald Burgess, human resources director at Nemak, one of the industries still operating around the clock in the Dickson County Industrial Park, said the plant would continue to run on its normal schedule and the company saw good attendance for its third shift overnight. No other industries have reported any schedule changes due to the weather.