Movies for the family

Our own local cinema is showing how to be part of the community.

The Malco/Roxy cinema, 100 Movie Row, is participating in Kids Help Kids through the 2010 Kids Summer Film Fest
......
June 1-2: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
June 8-9: Shrek the Third
June 15-16: Monsters vs. Aliens
June 22-23: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
June 29-30: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
July 6-7: Kung Fu Panda
July 13-14: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
July 20-21: Aliens in the Attic
July 27-28: Charlotte's Web

Have fun!

The petitions are out

It is petition season for the November municipal elections and already there are several for LaVergne and one for Smyrna.

CITY OF LAVERGNE
ALDERMAN
RANDY M BARNES 2010-05-26
CHRISTOPHER M FARMER 5/21/2010 certified on 5/24/2010
JOSHUA C POPE 2010-05-25
KATHERINE C PIERCE 5/21/2010

MAYOR
SENNA L MOSLEY 5/21/2010

SMYRNA
COUNCIL MEMBER
MARCUM G ADKINS 5/21/2010

The qualification date is August so we have a lot of time to go, but I'm happy to see Senna jump up and start early her campaign. Good luck. LaVergne could use a change is direction.

In Smyrna Marc Adkins who was selected to finish the term for Tony Dover has already picked up a petition.

The big race in my mind will be the position of mayor for Smyrna. I see a two way race and it will be a fun one. I'll hold off on who I think it will come down to in the end, but it will be old Smyrna verses New Smyrna in many ways.

$1000

Smyrna police and crime stoppers have taken the next step in catching the killer of that young boy.

CrimeStoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest of suspects involved the shooting death of 14-year-old Rachan "Micky" Chatree.

Chris Bucgong Nachampasak, 19, known as “Chris” or “Gong” was officially named as a suspect two days after the shooting. Johnny Khamla Chomsavanh, 21, was interviewed by investigators and cleared May 17.

Investigators said Nachampasak is considered armed and dangerous.

Being young and dumb the suspect should be caught soon I hope.

Raz'z to host concert

A concert for flood victims will be held at Raz'z here in Smyrna.

Raz’z Restaurant, located at 408 Sam Ridley Parkway, will host a benefit concert for flood victims from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 27.
The event will feature performances from Memarie Gayle, Scott Collier, Josh Connor and Reuben Brock. All proceeds will go to the American Red Cross.

I hope the individual performers links are correct. I did not have any duplicate names so you should get an idea of the music that will be performed.

Summer school lunch program

The following schools will be participating in the summer lunch program to make sure shildren have access to good meals during the summer.

Participating schools are
• Cedar Grove Elementary, 354 Chaney Road
• John Colemon School, 100 Wise Drive
• Roy Waldron School, 125 Floyd Mayfield Drive
• Smyrna Elementary, 1001 Sam Davis Road
• Smyrna Middle, 712 Hazelwood Drive
• Stewartsboro Elementary, 10479 Old Nashville Highway

More details on price and such in the article.

Chicken Wednesdays in other towns

The fight for chickens goes forth in other towns

Chances are good if you attend any organized event in Bremerton in the coming weeks, you’ll see someone asking, “What the cluck?” or another chicken-related pun.

That is one the strategies being employed in the bid to get a chicken decriminalization initiative on the November general election ballot.

Supporters of the movement to allow up to four hens in Bremerton backyards were in view at the Armed Forces Parade on Saturday and planned to hit up commuters and outbound Mariner fans at the Bremerton ferry terminal on Wednesday.

Maybe soon in Smyrna.

Photo Gallery of their activities.

Request for your help III

The Smyrna Police department has announced that they have upgraded the status of Chris Bucgong Nachampasak.

He is no longer a "person of interest" and is now considered a "suspect" in the killing of 14 year old Rachan Micky Chantree. Nachampasak is known to go by the name of "Chris" or "Gong." He should be considered armed and dangerous.

We are currently following a variety of leads in this investigation regarding Nachampasak and other potential suspects.

We are also requesting the assistance from all members of the Laotian community to help us locate Nachampasak, their help is greatly needed. Any person with knowledge about the location of Nachampasak or information concerning this murder is urged to contact their local law enforcement agency or the Smyrna Police Department at (615) 459-6644.

If you see him please contact the included number as the family of the victim is hurting today.




Note. A lot of people in the community have thrown the term 'gangs' around a lot. I have not heard anything official about gangs being involved in this so I have not tagged any of these posts with the term 'gangs'. Jumping to conclusions is not a good things when situations like this arise.

FEMA in Smyrna.

FEMA center to open in town hall.

Beginning Tuesday, May 18th, FEMA, in partnership with the town of Smyrna, is opening a Disaster Recovery Center at 120 Enon Springs Road East, the lower level of Town Hall that once housed Smyrna Police Department. The center will open at 7 a.m.and be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. No appointment is necessary, proof of damage and insurance information is required.
Representatives from FEMA and the Small Business Administration will be on site to assist with the registration process and provide other information. In order to be considered for federal assistance due to recent flooding, citizens who have property damage must register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Request for your help II

The police announced the following this afternoon.

We have had contact with one of the "persons of interest" in our investigation. "Johnny" Khamla Chomsavanh has been interviewed by our investigators and he is no longer considered a "person of interest" in the investigation. We are still hoping to make contact with the other subject, "Chris" Bucgong Nachampasak, who is still considered a "person of interest" in the investigation. We urge anyone with information about the location of Nachampasak or information about the shooting to contact the Smyrna Police Department at (615) 459-6644.

Thanks for any help you can offer the police in bringing justice to this family and that young boy.

The Market in the news.

The Market is a well established business idea in town where you rent space to sell items. A great idea to utilize space and give a place for people to sell. The DNJ did a nice write up on the business and it came out looking good.

"We're both Smyrna natives, and we knew that whatever we were going to do with the building, we wanted it to be a positive effect on Smyrna," Rhonda Allen said.

She added that craft fairs and flea markets had always appealed to her, and Smyrna lacked both.

"The Market was really born out of necessity," she began.

I personally do not like flea market as they simply are too big and are often a hint overwhelming. This is a perfect size for Smyrna and has really gained a foothold.

Request for your help

This was just received by 'This is Smyrna' from the Smyrna police department.

On this date, May 16, 2010, a group of teens was having a graduation party at 101 Lakewood Circle in Smyrna. Around 1:50 am, a black, sub-compact passenger vehicle (possibly foreign in make and model) pulled up in front of the residence and 2 - 4 subjects stepped out of the vehicle and began shooting at the people in front of the house. The vehicle then sped away from the scene. As a result of the shooting, one 14 year old male was shot in the head and was laying on the front porch. Police and emergency medical personnel responded to the scene and the shooting victim was initially transported to Stonecrest Hospital but was transferred to Vanderbilt Medical Center shortly after. The victim is currently in critical condition at Vanderbilt Hospital.

Our investigation is on-going and we need your help locating two persons of interest.

1) Johnny Khamla Chomsavanh - Asian male, 5'11" tall, 135 lbs, 21 years of age, goes by name of "Johnny"

2) Chris Bucgong Nachampasak - Asian male, 5'9" tall, 170 lbs, 19 years of age, goes by name of "Chris" or "Gong"

These are persons of interest and anyone with information about the location of either of these men, or any other information relating to this shooting, is requested to please contact the Smyrna Police Department at (615) 459-6644.

This weekend is a time of celebrations and passages in life...not a time of violence. If you can help the police find these two people of interest or have more information on this crime the community would greatly appreciate your making a call to the police. This is where a community should stand up and do something.

update:
The young 14 year old has passed away and they are now upgrading it to a homicide investigation.

Dell is moving

The computers Dell loaned Smyrna are being moved to the town hall to help people file for FEMA assistance.

"They'll be here as long as we see a need," said Town Manager Mark O'Neal.

Town Hall is located at 315 S. Lowry Street near the Enon Springs Road intersection.

So those with no conection who cannot read this post go to the town hall to file....wait a minute! I see a problem with this informative post.

Dell doing it right

This is how it is done. A few computers and a couple of assistants and this company can help a lot of people start back on the road to normality.

Dell Computers has generously donated a mobile computer lab with 10 computers to be on hand at the Respite Center located in Smyrna, a news release announced.

The lab is specifically for local flood victims to utilize to register for FEMA assistance and to find additional relief resources that may be available in the community.

Volunteers will be on site to assist clients with the computers from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Thanks Dell.

Talk about bad timing

The Lamplighter's theatre next production could not be on a worse subject,

The Rainmaker
May 07, 2010 - May 09, 2010
Held at the Lamplighter's Theatre, 14119 Old Nashville Highway, Smyrna. Spinster Lizzie Curry keeps house for her father and two brothers, but she'd rather keep house for a husband. Romance and the crops both wither without a cloud in the sky until a stranger named Starbuck shows up with a pocket full of promises. Tickets: Adults-$10, Seniors (55 and up)-$8 and children 4 to 12- $5. Contact: Lamplighter's Theatre, (615) 534-0148
www.lamplighterstheatre.net

Wait! It could be worse; The story of Noah and his ark.

Chicken coop in backyard

Chicken coop in backyard of house in Los Angeles
Originally uploaded by peterbphoto1390

A Den of Iniquity if placed in Smyrna...think about it.

Fresh eggs

Fresh eggs
Originally uploaded by zbartrout

This could be the ill-gotten gains of criminal activity in Smyrna...think about it.

chicken coop cleaning

chicken coop cleaning
Originally uploaded by Andrew Ciscel

This is a crimal activity in most of Smyrna...think about it.

What are you doing this weekend?

If you were lucky and only got damp I'm happy for you, but there are many in Smyrna that ended up in dire straights. The town of Smyrna has organized a program to put people together to help volunteers help those here locally.

Marc Adkins posted on Facebook

If you'd like to volunteer to assist a Smyrna neighbor with storm/flood damages..log onto www.townofsmyrna.org and click on the "volunteer" icon. You can register to help someone according to your schedule and ability.

I made the link go directly to the volunteer form that you fill out.

This sounds like a great way to spend some time this weekend. Fill it out early Friday to give them time to find a place where you can best be used.

What do I do now?

You might be pumping the water from your basement or even your ground floor and wondering what is the best way to deal with water damaged items. Here is a small sampling of links and PDF links to informational sites and documents by different agencies that might give you some help on certain chores.

Cleaning up after a flood (with video)

How to clean up a basement after a flood

PDF LINKS

Repairing Your Flooded Home

Cleaning Flooded Upholstered Furniture, Curtains, Bedding, Table ...

MOLD & MILDEW

Cleaning Flooded Wood Floors and Woodwork

Home Clean-Up and Sanitation

I'll call it good for now. The links should give you some specifics on a few items but for the most part common sense is what should guide you. Looking at the news I can say that while Smyrna and LaVergne got hit bad with the initial torrent the main problem is happening down stream in Nashville and other counties.

Most homes were flooded but one was swept away....

One of the employees at the Smyrna Bowling Center was at work Saturday during the day and when she returned home at Antioch pike and Blue hole road she didn't see her mobile home. She found out today that it was the only one that was swept away and crashed into many pieces. She has a 3 yr old daughter and as of today they have nothing but the clothes on their backs. I know we are a family in the town of Smyrna and even though she lived in Antioch, we will come together to help her out. She works usually from 3pm till 11pm on Tuesday nights and then on Saturday during the day and a few other days throughout the week. Please if you have any clothes for a child 3t or any female clothes from size 5 to 7 pants and med tops please stop by the bowling center on the days she works to drop them off to her. Lets show our Smyrna pride and help her!

Thanks neighbors.

I wonder who had the right of way?

Smyrna, TN
Originally uploaded by Pamela Huey

It seems the roads were open for some during the worst of this weekends disaster.

Yes, those are fish. And, yes, they are in the middle of Sam Ridley Pkwy (also known as Nissan Blvd), which is a 5-lane heavily travelled street in Smyrna. There are FISH in the middle of the STREET!!!!

I would say the fish had the right of way, but I have not checked the regulations.

Help the town help you

Town employees cannot be everywhere so they are asking you to take the time to report any visible damage to roads and infrastructure systems so they can get to them quicker to help you.

The flooding of May 1 – 2, 2010 was a 500 year event. The town received more than 10 inches of rain in approximately 30 hours. Our infrastructure system cannot be designed to handle such an event. If you know of damage to public facilities such as roads, drain pipes, headwalls, etc, please click here for a notification form and we will work to make needed repairs. Work will be prioritized as to critical health and safety needs and we will work diligently to make the needed repair as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience.

The town website is calling this last weekend a 500 year event. after the massive number of lingering snowfalls we had this last winter I'm starting to think I might want to update my emergency kit. My column two weeks ago was on how to basically prepare for tornadoes, but it looks like I picked the wrong disaster.

Avoid these road areas

Days later and the water still is flooding certain low areas. The town posted today at 11am that we should avoid these areas for the current time.

Sam Ridley Pkwy. between Threet Industrial and G St - Open, but use caution
8th Ave at bridge
9th Ave at bridge
Fitzhugh Dr from Sam Ridley Pkwy. to Swan Dr.
Maple Street

Florance road is now open. I was hoping to go see Nice Mill Dam while the water was hitting it during the height of the flooding, but will to be disappointed.

who to call

If your house and property has been damaged you might need help. I would hope you had homeowners insurance or other private insurance, but if not the government has announced the following.

Many town of Smyrna departments are receiving calls for assistance due to flooding and other related issues, Town Manager Mark O'Neal said.

Residents are asked to call the Rutherford County Emergency Management Agency at 615-890-5519 or 615-890-2957.

What is worse that in this time of what can easily be called a disaster for many, there was at least one reported already who took advantage of the situation.

Steverson spent the evening at his mother's house and went back to collect items from his home early Monday afternoon. When he walked in, he immediately knew something was wrong.

"Somebody broke in through the bathroom window. And they were carrying a candle because they spilled wax on the floor. It just makes me mad to have to go through this," he said, motioning to the flooded area, "then have to go through (being burglarized)."

My first comment was 'someone needs an a$$ kicking" but realized that sounded so harsh...but WTH I say.

Almaville Rd/Tridon Dr, Smyrna TN

Almaville Rd/Tridon Dr, Smyrna TN
Originally uploaded by Silenus81

My wife comments that she has not seen images like these since her childhood. Some from the Antioch pike area of Nashville are as bad as a certain infamous storm and the tornado storm season still is far from over.

Old Nashville Highway, Smyrna TN

Old Nashville Highway, Smyrna TN
Originally uploaded by Silenus81

At least there are no houses floating down this highway unlike the images from I-24.

Almaville Rd, Smyrna TN

Almaville Rd, Smyrna TN
Originally uploaded by Silenus81

The streams and rivers will be worse tomorrow as what is upstream finally gets to us and more rain falls, so be prepared preople.

Flooding that killed at least five people, closed interstates and drove thousands from their homes across the state is expected to worsen today, with another storm system moving in and adding to the 10 inches that fell in some areas Saturday.

"It's only going to get worse; we may get as much as 4 to 5 inches more over the next 36 hours," Mayor Karl Dean said Saturday night. "Stay home, get off the road."

Good luck.

Rain delay in everything

Hey all!

Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful.
And since we've no place to go,
Let It raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinn!

Sorry for lack of updates but the weather and lightning always knocks out the Internet and my truck is down. Thus no awesome flood shots.

This is La Vergne has some great images, and their poor town has really suffered, and the weather is bad also.

I have not heard if the candidate forum occurred today, but the Smyrna High School football auction was cancelled according to Robin Garner on her Facebook update, and the taste of Smyrna was also cancelled.