Head of the Class Charged $2 Million Falsely
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Wednesday Herald-Citizen The Daily Newspaper of the Upper Cumberland 114th Year — No. 226 Cookeville, Tennessee, September 21, 2016 16 Pages — 2 Sections • 50¢ Weather UCHRA finally makes HR director hire Tonight Tomorrow By TRACEY HACKETT Parker, who is currently the HR manager “A lot of really strong candidates applied Randy Porter, Putnam County Executive. HERALD-CITIZEN Staff for Fruit of the Loom in Vidalia, La., was for the position,” said Danny Rader, Porter was one of five board members the second pick to fill the UCHRA open- UCHRA attorney. who voted against hiring Parker. The Upper Cumberland Human Re- ing. Cindy Smale, HR director at Liv- One board member expressed a desire to Before the vote was taken, Porter told the source Agency hired a new human re- ingston Regional Hospital, turned it down fill the position by hiring someone from Parker his choice was not a personal slight 66º 86º sources director Tuesday to fill a in August after being offered a $71,500 within the agency’s 14-county service toward the candidate, simply a desire to year-long vacancy. starting salary that would have been raised area. hire locally. Complete forecast, Page 2 In a meeting called specifically for that to $75,000 with a favorable job perform- “It’s hard for me to imagine that we None of the other board members of- purpose, the executive committee voted to ance at the end of a six-month probation- couldn’t have hired a good, qualified can- hire Joseph W. Parker Jr. ary period. didate from one of those counties,” said See HIRE, Page 2 Sports Nursing home Head of the class charged $2 million falsely Focused Mabry Healthcare & Rehab Upperman Bees face Center in Gainesboro included Cannon County Friday /B1 more than $2 million of non- allowable expenses on its an- nual Medicaid cost reports, which were used to calculate Living the nursing facility’s reim- bursement rates, according to findings of an audit by the state Comptroller’s office. This amount included money that was spent for the personal benefit of the owner and her immediate family members. Comptroller auditors discov- ered that Mabry Healthcare in- cluded personal expenses and expenses unrelated to resident care on the facility’s cost re- ports for five consecutive Adopt-A-Road years. These expenses in- Family to keep part of cluded hundreds of thousands Buffalo Valley of dollars spent at discount stores, restaurants, home im- Road clean /A8 provement stores, furniture Amy Davis | Herald-Citizen stores, department stores, Upperman Middle School students Holden Walker, in front, and Chase Pippin put their Chromebooks to use. The beauty and nail salons, etc. school is completely one-to-one with electronic devices for all students in math and English language arts Auditors determined that classes. Nation Mabry Healthcare also claimed for reimbursement $322,500 paid to a business Putnam recognized for tech learning mix run by the owner’s husband, $33,162 spent on college tu- By AMY DAVIS Clayton Christensen Institute, a national Schools, said. ition and books for the HERALD-CITIZEN Staff nonprofit organization dedicated to ad- Brooks said blended learning refers to a owner’s daughter, and $1,184 dressing and improving issues in society, mix of technology and traditional face-to- used for the owner’s daugh- Blended learning. with a strong focus on education. face instruction. It incorporates a variety of ter’s wedding. It’s a concept that’s taking hold in today’s “They’ve been highlighting practices of educational programs, learning experi- “It goes without saying that learning environments — and Putnam schools and districts that are moving to- ences, instructional approaches and aca- nursing homes should never County schools are no exception. ward more blended learning strategies in demic support strategies to address the The school system was even designated the classroom,” Sam Brooks, personal See AUDIT, Page 2 as a Blended Learning Universe district by learning supervisor for Putnam County See SCHOOLS, Page 3 Skeptical Town remembers Trump’s promises /A5 MHS poker run City to vote on Index Abby............................A8 maintaining Calendar......................A6 Crossword ...................A9 Living ..........................A8 Buck Cemetery Obituaries ...................A7 Dorcas Langford By MEGAN TROTTER recent meeting to discuss the HERALD-CITIZEN Staff cemetery’s fate. Mary Allen The cemetery first belonged to R.L. Claborn At one time, Buck Cemetery a slaveholder family with the last Leah Smith off of Gainesboro Grade in name of Buck. Historians be- Cookeville was nearly erased lieved that the first graves there Mary Tompkins from the minds of people. were of that family’s slaves. Ermine Dougherty Thanks to the hard work of vol- From those first burials, the site James McCreless unteers, the Putnam County grew to be known as a place Archives and city officials, the strictly for African-American Homer Hackett historic slave cemetery site is burials. Opinion.......................A4 well on its way to being pre- As the years went on, the site Sports ..........................B1 served. became neglected and over- Ty Kernea | Herald-Citizen The Cookeville City Council grown. The cemetery was Sudoku ........................A9 Preparing for Saturday’s poker run that will benefit Project Graduation at Monterey will be discussing taking over brought to the attention of the Weather ......................A2 High School are, from left, Aimee Webb, event organizer and Project Graduation vice the upkeep of the graveyard at its staff of the Putnam County president; Kayla Holpp, Donovan Farley, Caitlin Sampley, Clair Webb, Chelsey regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. Archives in 2011, and archivist Groves and Dalton Beard, Project Graduation members; and Sandy Sampley, Project Thursday, Sept. 29, at City Hall. Glenn Jones headed up a group Graduation president. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at MHS. Motorcycle kick- “The city does not want to own of volunteers to clean off the site stands will go up at 9:30 a.m., and participants are due back by 2 p.m. Registration it; we just want to honor the peo- and fix the sunken graves. How- is $20 per card, with a 50-percent payback with a winning hand. Stops include Con- ple buried there by keeping it in ever, it proved too much for vol- venience Mart, Norris Supercycle, Leatherworks and Mid-State Motorsports. Cars order,” Council Member Chuck are welcome to participate. Womack told those gathered at a See BUCK, Page 2 A-2 — HERALD-CITIZEN, Cookeville, Tenn. — www.herald-citizen.com — Wednesday, September 21, 2016 LOCAL READER Utility on its way to having in-house maintenance SERVICES By LAURA MILITANA our checking account,” general manager that budget, something else for the same place.” HERALD-CITIZEN Staff Jason Pierce said. “The trailers and the amount may be substituted, he added. Currently, the district has two loans that equipment can be purchased separately.” “You can’t do it unless you cut some- have been approved to repair the dis- Contact us: One truck should arrive this week while Total amount on the two trucks is thing out,” he said. trict’s leak issues — one in the amount Address: another is being ordered, along with two around $80,000. “Now, here’s where it gets complicated. of $750,000 and another that is $2 mil- trailers, for Cookeville Boat Dock Util- Board president Grover Bennett made Let’s say, you can’t match it for dollar lion. 1300 Neal St. ity District. the motion to purchase the second truck for dollar...maybe there’s not anything Bennett and Mattson decided to look at Cookeville, Tenn. All of these purchases are an effort to out of the checking account. exactly that amount. Grant money is lost the loan budgets and rework the project get the district’s maintenance services Attorney Shawn Fry explained the if you don’t spend it. It would work in to see how the equipment could get pur- Mailing Address: in-house, as opposed to depending on loans and how the proceeds can be used. your favor to figure something to cut and chased under those funds. outside contractors. “As far as the large loan we got, you something to substitute. If you didn’t The goal is to have its own mainte- P.O. Box 2729 “Time is of the essence to make this cannot use those proceeds for these pur- want to do that, you can get a new loan, nance crew and equipment by Nov. 1. Cookeville TN 38502 happen,” utility board member David chases,” he said. “You can’t use those but it’s at a slightly higher interest The Cookeville Boat Dock Utility Mattson said during Tuesday’s meeting. funds because all of those are budgeted.” rate...but if you’re going to scale it back, board is scheduled to meet again at 4 “We have the funds to do both trucks in However, if there is something cut from you should substitute something in its p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4. Phone: 931-526-9715 Fax: 931-526-1209 Email: News County applies for [email protected] Sports [email protected] Advertising [email protected] tennis court grant Living [email protected] By LINDSAY inside parks and recreation.” have,” said one. Circulation McREYNOLDS Putnam Parks and Recreation The county courts are oper- [email protected] HERALD-CITIZEN Staff Director John Ross Albertson ated on a first-come, first- Business News said the six courts at the com- served basis, but that may [email protected] One of the largest outdoor munity center on Carlen Drive change if the facility becomes Church News public tennis facilities in Put- probably haven’t been resur- a more attractive place to host [email protected] nam County could be getting a faced since the 1980s.