Saturday, March 3, 2:00 – 4:00 pm at Williamson County Public Library. Local author Stephen Hines, will discuss his recent book Titanic: One Newspaper, Seven Days, and the Truth That Shocked the World, which examines the account of the loss of the world's largest liner from the pages of the world's largest newspaper, London's The Daily Telegraph.

His presentation will focus on facts about the ship such as its size, purpose, and safety features. The audience will learn about the vast amounts of misinformation that were first published about the sinking, about the frustration of relatives desperately seeking news of survivors, and about the reforms that followed in the wake of the Titanic disaster.

Tennessee’s annual Arbor Day, always the first Friday in March, will be celebrated on March 2, with ceremonies commemorating the day set for Centennial Park in Nashville at 11 a.m.

National Arbor Day, founded in 1872, is celebrated each year on the last Friday in April, but a number of states mark the day at the times of the year best suited for planting in their climate zones.

Kyle Holmberg, horticulture marketing specialist at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, says there’s more than just the time of year to consider, however, when adding trees to a landscape.

Most people understand that adding trees to a landscape adds ‘curb appeal’ and is a smart investment in the property,” says Holmberg. “Just as you carefully invest your money wisely, or keep up your home so it retains or increases its value, be careful choosing the right trees. Then, help them retain or increase their value.”

“Consider the available spaces you have with the eventual sizes of the trees you think you want to plant,” says the specialist. “Are there places where you need fast growing trees to create privacy or block noise and wind? Are there areas of your lawn that are always in shade?”

Holmberg recommends doing a quick overview of your property conditions, then spending some time on the Internet researching varieties which are both appealing and suited to your purposes.

“Then it’s time to visit local retail nurseries and garden centers,” says Holmberg, “not just to buy the trees, but to get the recommendations of the growers and landscapers who are experts about what grows best in the area. Don’t forget to bring some photos of the areas in your landscape you’d like to improve.”

“Success with transplants is linked to two things: knowing what is most likely to do well in Tennessee’s climate, and buying from a reputable plant grower,” says Holmberg. “When you buy a locally grown tree, you know it already has been thriving out in the field of a Tennessee nursery and is clearly accustomed to Tennessee’s seasonal variations.

“That tree has not suffered stress from traveling long distances, either.”

“When you purchase directly from the grower, you can also get solid information about where in a landscape that plant belongs, with how much sun, and other important information.”

“Choosing locally grown trees is the best way to ensure that what you plant on Arbor Day will be a source of pride, pleasure and value for many years to come.”

A list of nurseries and garden centers with locally grown trees is available at www.picktnproducts.org.

Registration deadline approaches for a number of Williamson County Parks and Recreation youth and adult sports leagues, including:

Youth Volleyball

The Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department continues registration for recreational youth volleyball leagues for fourth through twelfth graders through February 17.

Registration forms are available at the Indoor Sports Complex in Brentwood, 920 Heritage Way and at the Franklin Recreation Complex, 1120 Hillsboro Road.  Practices begin March 5. Match play will run from March 24 – May 12.  Practices will be held at area schools and matches will be played at Academy Park gym (old BGA campus) in Franklin.  For more information on youth volleyball leagues, call Amber at (615) 370-3471, ext. 17 or e-mail .

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Youth Flag Football

The Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department is pleased to announce open registration for the Spring NFL Youth Flag Football program at the Robert A. Ring Indoor Soccer Arena, 1878 Downs Boulevard in Franklin.  Registration ends February 24.

Offered through a partnership with the National Football League, the non-contact indoor league is for boys and girls ages 7-12.  The league will have two age divisions: 7-9 and 10-12.  Age is as of September 30, 2011, and a copy of a birth certificate must be provided. A mandatory draft will take place on Monday, March 5. Practices will begin March 10, and games are scheduled for April 9-May 15.  A participation trophy will be awarded to all.

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Tennis Clinics

The Athletics Division of the Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department announces a new session of the indoor tennis clinics at the Indoor Sports Complex, 920 Heritage Way in Brentwood. Adult and junior clinics in beginner through advanced skill levels are offered Monday(s) through Saturday(s).  Clinics start the week of February 21. Prices vary depending on the duration of clinic. A full class schedule and fees are available at www.wcprathletics.org. 

To register for clinics, call the Indoor Sports Complex at (615) 370-3471, ext. 10. All fees must be paid in order to secure placement in a class. Space is limited!  Contact Tennis Coordinator, Mike Martin for more information about the clinics at (615) 370-3471, ext. 16.

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Fairview Men's Basketball

The Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department is pleased to announce open registration for the Fairview Men’s Basketball League at the Fairview Recreation Complex, 2714 Fairview Boulevard.  Registration is open through February 25.

The registration fee is $400 per team. There will be 12 teams in the league. Games will be played on Tuesday and Thursday nights with the season beginning on March 13. For more information about men’s basketball, contact Ron Embry at (615)799-9331, or .

The Williamson County Board of Education and the Franklin Special School District Board of Education met in a special joint session February 6, 2012, to discuss Senate Bill 2210. The bill as introduced includes changes to the teacher salary schedule, elimination of the average class size requirement and changes to the BEP funding.

Earlier in the day, WCS Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney and FSSD Su...perintendent Dr. David Snowden met with members of Governor Bill Haslam’s executive cabinet who are making adjustments to the original bill by removing the portions relating to BEP funding of positions. However, no formal amendment to the bill has been made at this time.

While neither board took any formal action regarding Senate Bill 2210, both boards expressed concerns about unintended consequences of the legislation. In addition, both Superintendents were instructed to keep a close eye on the bill’s movement through the legislative process and to keep both School Boards informed at all times.

The next regular meeting of the WCBE will be Monday, February 20, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Administrative Complex.

Sister Cities of Franklin and Williamson County begins its second year of the highly successful Passport to the World series by traveling to France, with Amelie de Gaulle, from the French Consular Agency in Nashville as our guide Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Williamson County Public Library main branch.

The discussion will begin with a short history of Paris, a lesson on French wines and a taste of French cheeses with an expert from the Whole Foods cheese counter.

The Passport to the World series walks you through the doorways of the world into the seven continents to experience the art, music, food, lifestyle, landscape, and heritage of our international neighbors without leaving the Williamson County Library.

Passport to the World is presented by Sister Cities of Franklin and Williamson County and co-sponsored by the Williamson County Public Library and the Townsend Institute for Global Competency at O'More College of Design.

Four out of ten drivers feel less safe on the road than they did five years ago. That’s according to a recent highway safety survey of Tennesseans conducted by the Center for Transportation Research (CTR) and the Center for Applied Research and Evaluation (CARE) at the University of Tennessee.

The biggest fear factor: distracted drivers. Texting and emailing while driving was considered to be equally as threatening by Tennesseans as drinking while driving. Nine out of ten respondents cited the behavior as a threat to their personal safety.

“It is telling that Tennesseans now find texting and e-mailing while driving a threat equal in severity to drinking and driving,” said Jerry Everett, CTR research director.

While drivers may find this behavior unsafe, it does not stop them from doing it. The survey found one out of five drivers engaged in this behavior in the past thirty days. This research showed inconsistencies between attitudes and behaviors were common among the respondents.

Other key findings include:

Seventy percent said it was unacceptable to drive fifteen mph over the speed limit on a freeway, yet 40 percent said they had in the past thirty days. Ninety-four percent of drivers say driving drowsy is unacceptable, yet nearly a quarter of the respondents had done it in the past thirty days. Only four out of 100 people say they had driven after drinking too much in the past year. Eighty-two percent support a health screening and “behind-the-wheel” driving test for license renewal for drivers over the age of seventy-five. More than 90 percent support requiring new drivers to take a training program on how to operate a vehicle and a classroom-based driver education course. Seventy-five percent of drivers always drive with a seatbelt. Four out of ten Tennesseans cited automobile crashes as the main cause of death when in fact it is sixth leading cause of death.

“While deaths due to automobile crashes are down in Tennessee, the more than 900 lives that were lost on Tennessee roads in 2011 and the roughly 45,000 injuries from crashes are still too high,” said Everett. “Further reducing the number of injuries and fatalities on Tennessee highways will likely require a culture shift with regard to safety that leads to changes in driver behavior.”

Everett notes that while almost all respondents consider drinking and driving unacceptable, driving while texting or while drowsy are still considered risks worth taking.

This survey of more than 900 Tennessee residents this past year was designed to assess the safety culture and driving habits of Tennesseans. It was modeled after the annual Traffic Safety Culture Index conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

The full report is posted on http://ctr.utk.edu/. The AAA Safety Culture survey can be found at http://www.aaafoundation.org/resources/index.cfm?button=research.

Looking Back. Moving Forward.

2011 was the 10th anniversary for the Franklin Farmers Market. It's hard to believe
that when it began, there were only 8 farms that were a part of the market. This year, approximately 70 farms were at the market over the course of the summer season. One of the highlights for the market in 2011 was the creation of the Growing Kids
Educational Garden at the Park at Harlinsdale. The project was awarded four stars
from the state's Parks and Recreations Association. The Franklin Farmers Market also teamed up with Amerigo Italian Restaurant to feature fresh food from local
farms in dishes served at the restaurant. Amerigo Chef Stephen Ward took it one
step forward with demos of delicious foods during the summer season prepared with
local farm ingredients at the market. The first Harvest Under the Moon dinner was held at the market in 2011 too, with Whole Foods chef Michael Martin preparing a fantastic meal from foods raised or grown on local farms. The new year is shaping
upto be a good one at the market.

In 2012, the Growing Kids Educational Garden classes will continue with a number
of special activities planned for the kids, such as a visit to a local farm. A
number of new market events are also planned, along with the return of such favorites
as the Invasion of the Scarecrows and the Harvest Under the Moon dinner. And as
it is each year, the best in fresh food from local farms will be at the market every
week for you.

Happy New Year!