Professional
Medical Services
Near Algood, TN

PUTNAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Algood Elementary School and Algood Middle School each have mascots that not everyone is a fan of.

“All these terms and these mascots have got to go,” said Sayota Knight. “It has to go.”

The mascots that Knight wants gone are the Redskins and Braves.

“There’s no proudness or pride, if you call it that, in being mocked or being dressed up or being imitated as this caricature,” he said.

Knight is a Chiricahua Apache Native American who fought for the removal of the middle school mascot last year.

“The Putnam County School Board has tried to manipulate it and twist it and say that they are trying to honor us and there’s no honor in that,” he said. “Once you know the history and once you know the facts, you can’t turn back from it. You can’t turn around from that.”

Putnam County Schools voted to keep the mascots last year.

Knight decided it was time to revisit this issue again after he claims numerous people from the community have harassed and assaulted him and his family.

“We’ve had people drive by our house, (and) throw rocks at our house,” he said. “Throw rancid meat in our yard or put garbage in our mailbox.”

But when he reached out to the district requesting to speak at the November 3rd school board meeting, he was told he wasn’t allowed.

“‘Cause I spoke back in October, I can’t speak on this issue ever again,” he said.

Guidelines-Public-Comm_001-2Download

The guidelines the school board forwarded to Knight stated underneath signing up to address the board that speakers may not speak more than once on a specific topic.

Despite this, Knight says it won’t stop him from fighting this issue he believes he will win.

“I’m not going to give up,” he said. “I’ll continue on to get this mascot changed.”

? Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com

News 2 did reach out to the Putnam County School Board to clarify the guideline they told Knight about not speaking again on this issue, but we have yet to hear back.

For The Tennessean

Spring brings with it a long to-do list of household duties, to which you can add pulling out the grill. And with 82 percent of us saying that burgers are the most popular item to cook out (according to a Weber Grill survey), you should get those buns ready as well.

Let's start with the meat you purchase, because that makes the difference between juicy and dry burgers. I always buy ground chuck to make the patties because I like the fat content in the meat. This is cut from the shoulder and typically has about 20 percent fat, which is what gives your burger moisture. If you select a cheaper grind of round, which comes from the rump area, you get less fat and run the risk of it drying out.

At a minimum, you'll need to add salt and pepper, along with perhaps some grated onion or minced garlic. Avoid using Worcestershire sauce in the meat mixture because if you are judging doneness based on looks, it can interfere by masking the pink color of undone meat.

Thin is not in when it comes to burgers because they will overcook quickly. If you keep the patties at but not more than ¾-inch thick, you'll have time to develop a nice crust on the outside and still have the meat thoroughly cooked on the inside.

Don't overhandle the meat or compact it too much. And keep in mind that burgers tend to "rise" in the middle as they cook. You can avoid this by dimpling or making a small indention in the top of each raw burger. This makes for a more level finished burger that will hold toppings evenly.

And finally, turn the burgers only once in order to develop a nice crust on each side. When you can lift the edge of the burger with your spatula and there is no sticking, it's time to flip.

You asked for it

James Fergerson of Nashville just started cooking when he retired. He asks, "How do I clean food brushes?"

James, immediately after use, my food brushes go into a sink of hot water with a grease-dissolving detergent. Then, after soaking a bit, I make sure to separate the bristles as much as I can to remove any food that might be lodged at the base. They are then blotted and air-dried. Some brushes have sliding ferrules (the metal or nylon collar at the base) that can be pulled back for more thorough cleaning. If you have silicone brushes, they can go in the dishwasher.

ABOUT

Tammy Algood is a marketing specialist with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and has written numerous cookbooks. She can be reached at tammy.algood@tn.gov or 615-837-5347. For recipes and more, read Tammy's blog at http://tammyalgood.wordpress.com or visit www.picktnproducts.org.

For The Tennessean

I am old enough to remember the hippie generation, and back then is when I had my first taste of carob. Just to sit and munch on some isn't that exciting to me, but in baking it soars! That's where carob really lives up to the reputation of being a worthy substitute for chocolate.

The flowering carob tree is an evergreen shrub that is actually in the pea family. When you see the pods, you'll get it. Other names for it are locust beans and Saint John's bread. The latter name comes from the book of Matthew, which says that John the Baptist existed on locusts and wild honey. The Greek word in the translation is believed to be referring to carob pods.

The tree is remarkably resilient to harsh weather conditions, including drought, and does well in hot, subtropical areas. It is a native of the warmer Mediterranean areas of Southern Europe and Northern Africa.

Carob trees develop long, gnarly pods that look a bit leathery. It's the sweet, edible pulp that we dry, roast and grind into the carob powder that is the prize. It can be eaten fresh, except for the hard seeds that are also in the pod. It takes the pods a year to fully ripen.

Unlike chocolate, carob doesn't contain caffeine. You can find it in the form of chips that can be folded into baked goods, powders and even flavorings.

Store it as you would chocolate. It pays to look for it on sale because it can be a bit pricier than chocolate.

Part of the reason for the expense is the length of time for production. At 6 years old, a tree might yield about 5 pounds of pods. That jumps up to 100 pounds at 12 years and steadily increases as the tree ages.

YOU ASKED FOR IT

Janice Douglas of Nashville wants to know about cardoons after a trip to Europe where they were plentiful.

Janice, cardoons look like giant celery stalks that have been mashed flat. I love the taste, which seems to be a mixture of celery and artichokes. They are plentiful in the early spring, if you can find them at all. They can be baked, boiled and braised. You will find that many recipes require precooking to soften the vegetable.

ABOUT

Tammy Algood is a marketing specialist with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and has written numerous cookbooks. She can be reached at tammy.algood@tn.gov or 615-837-5347. For recipes and more, read Tammy's blog at http://tammyalgood.wordpress.com or visit www.picktnproducts.org.

Recovers $42K for 44 workers, assesses Red Oak Roasters $9K penalty for child labor violations

ALGOOD, TN – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $42,373 for 44 employees after finding an Algood restaurant illegally kept tips that employees earned.

The department’s Wage and Hour Division found McCurdy Enterprises LLC – operating as Red Oak Roasters – withheld the tips and used that money to inflate hourly wages by dividing it among workers, including managers. Investigators also found Red Oak Roasters incorrectly classified a salaried employee as exempt from overtime. By doing so, the employer failed to pay overtime premiums to this employee for hours over 40 in a workweek.

“What Red Oak Roasters did is wage theft, plain and simple. Tips are the property of the employees who earn them and rewards them for providing good service to customers,” said Wage and Hour District Director Lisa Kelly in Nashville, Tennessee. “Employers have no right to keep those earned tips and use them to reduce their cost of doing business.”

In addition, the division found the employer allowed five minor-aged employees to engage in prohibited and hazardous activities by operating a vertical dough mixing machine, a violation of the federal child labor standards. The division assessed Red Oak Roasters a $9,900 civil penalty to address the child labor violations.

“In addition to wage theft, our investigators found alarming child labor violations,” Kelly added. “Power-driven bakery machines have the potential to cause serious injuries to even experienced workers. Allowing minor-aged workers – in this case 16 and 17-year-olds – to operate these machines is both troubling and illegal.”

Wage and Hour Division investigators recovered more than $27 million for more than 22,500 workers in the food service industry in fiscal year 2022. In fiscal years 2020 and 2021, the Wage and Hour Division’s Southeast region found child labor violations in more than 190 food service employers investigated, resulting in more than $1 million in penalties assessed to employers.

Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including tip regulations under the FLSA and also a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division. Workers can call the Wage and Hour Division confidentially with questions – regardless of where they are from – and the department can speak with callers in more than 200 languages.

Cellular phones continue to be one of the most dangerous forms of prison contraband, allowing inmates to bypass internal security measures creating a security risk that can reach beyond prison walls. Correctional authorities have indicated that cellular phones have become more valuable inside a prison than drugs or other contraband, and are often referred to as the new prison cash because inmates can sell minutes or cellular phone use to other inmates.

To combat the contraband cell phone issue, the Georgia Department of Corrections recently implemented ORION Non-Linear Junction Detectors to detect and locate contraband cell phones. The ORION Non-Linear Junction Detector (NLJD) manufactured by REI in Algood Tennessee USA, detects electronic components allowing the user to detect and locate hidden electronic items (such as hidden cellular phones), even if the electronic item is turned off or not transmitting.

Feedback from the Georgia Department of Corrections has been very positive indicating that they have located multiple contraband cell phones as well as other electronic contraband using the ORION.

Tom Jones, General Manager of REI, responded by stating that "REI is very excited to be assisting the corrections market in addressing the security threats posed by contraband cellular phones. We are impressed with Georgia's strong commitment to provide safe correctional facilities."

The ORION is one of the leading technologies being used to combat contraband cellular phones inside correctional facilities. For additional information on the ORION NLJD for locating and detecting cell phones in prisons visit: http://www.reiusa.net/system/products/NJE-4000/NLJD_Prison_2007.pdf

About Research Electronics International For 25 years, Research Electronics International (REI) has specialized in the design and manufacture of Technical Security Countermeasure equipment, and is the largest manufacturer of Non-Linear Junction Detection equipment in the World. REI's technical security equipment is used in over 100 countries worldwide by law enforcement organizations, government agencies, and corporations. REI's corporate offices, manufacturing facilities, and Center for Technical Security are located in Tennessee USA, with an extensive global network of resellers and distribution partners throughout the world. For more information call +1 (931) 537-6032 or visit REI on the web at http://www.reiusa.net.

Contact Person: Lee Jones Research Electronics International Tel: +1 931 537-6032

###