A storm in June is still causing controversy for one Donelson family.
The controversy surrounds whether Nashville Electric Services should be responsible for removing debris and branches its crews cut away from electric equipment.
The company says that is against its policy.
Marcia Troutt says if you make the mess you should clean up your mess.
Troutt’s mother is 77 and her father is 82 and confined to a wheelchair. The couple has lived in the small house next to the NES right of way for decades.
Troutt says in June, after a storm, the door bell rang, late at night. Her mother answered the door. It was NES technicians asking to access their equipment through the couple’s property.
“A man with flashlight from NES went back there. He said we have a problem and we’re sending a crew right out. They went back and cut down some trees on the lines. It was the middle of the night, like 2 a.m. They left [the limbs] where they cut them. One fell on my dad’s shed. One fell in their backyard. They left them there for us to clean up. My dad is confined to wheelchair. I think you make a mess, clean it up.”
Messed Up takes the issue to NES. The power giant assigns spokesperson Tim Hill to the case.
“We had a trouble call. There was a tree on a distribution line behind the customer’s home. Crews went out to trim the tree off the line to reenergize. They asked [the property owner] for permission to put bucket in there, to do the work, he said okay, so we trimmed the tree, and it was on the line and there were limbs on the shed he has back there. Our policy is we don’t remove it from out buildings. It is a liability issue.”
In addition, Hill says the company believes the tree fell on the shed from a neighbor’s property.
“Our policy is we clear the lines and because it is weather-related, the trees that fall on private property we don’t clean up from a shed or out building for liability issues. We just don’t remove it.”
Messed Up asks Mr. Hill if anyone from the electric giant would be willing to meet with the family and re-evaluate their case.
Mr. Hill says he asks, and the answer is no. NES is not willing to meet with the family, citing company policy as the bottom line.
Hill suggests to Messed Up that the family turn the case over to their homeowner’s insurance or get someone to haul the tree to the curb where Metro Public Works can pick it up.
“They were back there. They got mom out of bed two times. They were back there and cut trees. It is clearly cut. It’s not lighting. It is a clean saw cut,” Trott explains.
“Are they blowing you off?”
“I think they made a mess and don’t want to clean it up. My parents are elderly. They can’t clean it and we expect people to do right.”
So what do you think? NES says its policy prohibits crews from cleaning up debris they themselves may make while fixing electrical equipment.
Metro crews have cleaned the storm drains that were causing Dwain Davenport’s parking lot in Whites Creek to flood every time it rained.
Check out the before and after pictures below.
Read the story from August 23, 2010.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dave Rosenberg, 615.249.8683, dave@davetn.com
Rosenberg Continues Push to Strengthen Voters; Court Orders Compliance from Election Commission
Nashville, TN – In another push to give voters a real voice in politics, attorneys for Dave Rosenberg, candidate for Tennessee House District 50, yesterday filed suit against the Davidson County Election Commission for its “willful failure to take action, fostering voter confusion.” The Davidson County Chancery Court promptly issued an order requiring the commission to comply with a request Rosenberg made last Monday.
“We respectfully ask that the election commission be compelled to perform its duties under Tennessee Law, which empowers the commission to require ‘further identifying information’ if voters will be confused or misled by a candidate’s name,” attorney Rob Hill said before the court’s decision.
The complaint noted that one of Rosenberg’s opponents in the race, Dymon Hall, has asked to appear on the ballot as “Dave Hall,” a derivative of the name David Hall, who is a candidate for U.S. Congress and will appear on the same ballot. The candidates Hall are also using identical branding, and robocalls on behalf of the younger Hall alternate between identifying him as “Dave Hall” and “David Hall.”
“Regardless of intent, nobody has disputed the fact that voters will be confused and misled. This fact has been demonstrated in virtually every conversation regarding this matter,” Hill added. “If my client asked to run under the name Phil Bredesen, we would expect the election commission to take action to inform voters that Mr. Rosenberg is not the outgoing governor. Similarly, we are seeking to have Mr. Hall’s officially used and familiarly used name, Dymon, printed on the ballot.”
The lawsuit is another in a long list of efforts by the Rosenberg campaign to strengthen voters’ voices on election day. He has previously stated his opposition to incumbent Gary Moore’s proposed Constitutional amendment to double the length of time lawmakers remain in office before facing the voters. Rosenberg has also called for a transparent redistricting process to guarantee competitive elections rather than the drawing of “safe seats” behind closed doors that prevent voters from having a real choice.
Rosenberg concluded: “The bottom line is we should know with 100% certainty we are voting for the candidate we intend to—and not have to guess whether or not the same candidate is running in two races. Further, we should have the right to hold our elected officials accountable rather than cancelling legislative elections, and have the right to choose between the best candidates available—rather than allowing qualified candidates to be scared off by uncompetitive districts that are the result of backroom political deals.”
To learn more about Dave Rosenberg’s position on the Moore Amendment, click here.
To learn more about Dave Rosenberg’s position on redistricting, click here.
For a copy of the relevant court filings, please contact Dave Rosenberg for State Representative.
The grass and bushes and small trees are so thick, so tall, I literally drove by the address three times wondering where the house was.
The property owner has two homes on Lawing Drive just off Old Hickory Boulevard in the Belshire community.
His corner lot is so overgrown at the curb, that cars have difficulty seeing on coming traffic and his second home, which neighbors say has not been occupied for decades, is a jungle.
Willard Short has lived next to the man since the 60s.
When I tell Short that I couldn’t see his neighbor’s home from the street, he bursts out laughing.
“It’s a big mess. It’s been this way since his wife divorced him 35 years ago. We’re lucky if it is cut once a year.”
I ask why he doesn’t maintain the property.
“He is tight as bark on a tree,” Short replies. “He won’t let go of the money.”
“How does this make you feel?” I ask.
“It makes me feel bad. [There are] skunks and possums and coons and they come out at night and we can’t even leave out bird feeders.”
“What do people say?”
“There’s not a house there is it? This used to be one of the nicest houses on the street.”
“What would you say to the man?”
“I would tell him to get off his lazy butt and do something about it.”
Wayne Denton works with the Metro Health Department, an agency that gets, on average, 3,400 high grass complaints every year.
Denton says he’s seen worse yard problems but admits Lawing Drive is pretty bad.
“We’re trying to get this property cut. The owner has been in court several times. We have a show cause hearing to get it cut.”
A show cause hearing, according to Denton, is where the judge orders the resident to prove that court order has been obeyed.
Denton says the first complaints on the man’s two properties date back to mid-May.
“He needs to cut it or clean it or he’ll be fined,” he adds.
Officials say the judge has imposed a $100-a-day fine on the property owner until he proves the property has been cut.
Denton takes Messed Up around back where he finds a myriad of violations, not the least of which is buckets full of stagnating water.
“These are mosquito breeders, there is some trash here and some buckets here that could be mosquito breeders,” he says. “We can cite him for breeding mosquitoes.”
Inspectors have done all they can to get compliance. It is now up to the court to decide if the owner must pay the $100 per day injunction or possibly go to jail.
Riding a horse in Davidson County parks is free today but beginning in January, the Metro Department of Parks and Recreation is going to require a permit to ride.
According to Tommy Lunch, director of the parks department, the permit will cost $30 and will verify that the horse is free of disease and the rider is properly insured.
“In March of this year, the park board directed our staff to look at all fees for all facilities. The park board implemented new fees across the board and the implementation of [the fee for horses] was delayed until January 2011. The permit will do two things. We wanted to make sure was the horses coming into our parks have the Negative Coggins test and they are healthy and able to use the facilities. There is a yearly permit of $30 for Davidson County residents to also provide us with confirmation that they have insurance and this allows them access to bridal paths and horse trails,” he said.
The fees are not just for horseback riders, according to Lynch. Other park users who are also seeing fees include people who make picnic shelter reservations and those who fly model airplanes. There are also new golf course and baseball fees.
Horse lovers like Jennifer Tieche say the fee for horses is a tax and if they are going to tax horseback riding, they shouldn’t discriminate and tax all park users.
“Horse people were not consulted. I have lots of ideas and was not consulted. It is a tax targeting horse people. There are many park users. Why choose this segment to permit and show liability insurance?” she asked.
According to Tieche, many people who use city parks are renters, and do not contribute to the property tax base, which helps pay for parks. Almost all horse people are land owners and pay property taxes.
She calls the permit fee a tax on horse riders.
“There are those who think they are trying to reduce or eliminate horseback riding in the parks,” she continued, adding that horses have minimal impact on trails and unlike dogs, there are no known instances of horses injuring anyone in the parks.
Lynch says this is not a fee just targeting horse people, though he says horseback riding in parks is much different than jogging with a dog.
“They are not being singled out. It is a fee as we looked at everything. It was a fee that had not been applied in the past. One of the things it will do is tell us how many do we have, how many trails are good and appropriate for the horses using these trails. It’s good to have the data to know what is being used,” he said. “Let’s compare it to a bike. If someone falls off the bike, the bike falls with them. If someone falls off the horse, the horse is loose in the park. There are potential liabilities to that extent. Everyone has the right to feel how they feel. We are being prudent managing parks department and apply permits for some activities and other activities that are free and will remain free. We think we are good stewards of the parks, and feel we are acting appropriately from parks standpoint.”
American Shingle Roofing “has been forced to close its doors due to significant financial hardship.”
That is the message countless Middle Tennesseans who did business with the controversial roofing company are now receiving.
Messed Up has obtained a copy of the document which states the following:
American Shingle has been forced to close its doors due to significant financial hardship. Under advisement of counsel we are beginning an orderly wind down of the business. American Shingle will continue to collect the money owed to us for completed work. Any monies collected will be used to refund our creditors, which is inclusive of the homeowners whose roofs have not yet been installed.
Your patience and cooperation in this process is appreciated. In the near future all homeowners with roofs yet to be installed will receive additional information regarding the status of their refund
Regretfully,
American Shingle Customer Accounts
Messed Up has tried repeatedly to get someone, anyone from American Shingle on the phone.
We have called the Nashville office, the Atlanta office and even the Charlotte office.
We get the same recording at each: “Due to high call volumes… blah, blah, blah…”
What is happening is exactly what many at the Better Business Bureau and the roofing industry predicted would.
To try and erase the negative stigma that American Shingle has cast on the entire roofing industry in Middle Tennessee, reputable area roofers decided to give back.
There are countless families who need help, but by the winds of luck, the family that is getting a new roof is William Sneed who lives in Woodbine.
We met Sneed by accident on August 17 at the main office for American Shingle in south Nashville.
It was the usual story. Sneed’s insurance company had authorized thousands of dollars to American Shingle to fix Sneed’s roof. Weeks and weeks went by and nothing happened.
All Star Roofing owner Steve Morgan saw the story and contacted his friends in the roofing business. He called ABC Roofing and the good people at the Home Depot.
Morgan got the companies to donate time and materials and they plan to do the job that American Shingle did not.
“It’s a point of watching people get taken advantage of and a black eye [for the roofing industry] and I called some guys. They donated the shingles and the felt and the nails.”
Morgan wants to remind citizens that there are plenty of good roofers in Middle Tennessee.
“Call the BBB the next time before doing business. Check with the state and ask for insurance and licensing and bonds and get references. Don’t make a split decision. [Fly by night roofers] are fast talkers.”
What surprises me is how emotional Bill Sneed’s wife is about the roofing issue.
Rachel Sneed is coming up on 72 years of age and she has not been in good health. With lip quivering and emotions super charged she thanks the roofers and Channel 2 for her good fortune, but she also has caustic words for the people of American Shingle.
“I think it is great what [the roofers] are doing here. It put me in bed three days, I was so sick. I called every number on that paper, and they never answered. I knew something was going on. It makes me [not trust] people, till I met these people here and Channel 2. God bless [the roofers].”
I bring up the other countless victims in Middle Tennessee and she becomes more emotional.
“I feel sorry for them. My heart goes out to them. I prayed for not just us, but I prayed for all the others who were taken. I know how they feel. I cried I was so upset. I have lost so much weight. I had a funny feeling something was wrong. My husband is sick. He’s had seven major surgeries. I don’t think he would have turned that check over to them, but they out talked him. They were smart and shrewd. I pray to God, that they catch them. I want them in jail. For the pain they have caused me, the pain, and for the other people not just me. Those other poor people, they are crooks!”
The BBB says customers should still register all complaints with them.
Messed Up has contacted the Tennessee Attorney General’s office where sources say it is possible state and/or federal authorities could get involved.
A White’s Creek landowner says a nearby construction site is causing his parking lot to fill with mud after it rains.
Dwain Davenport owns a building on Hickory Hill. He says before the construction of a nearby apartment complex, his lot never flooded. Now he says it happens frequently.
Davenport says to clean up a half inch of mud in the large lot can take hours.
Davenport complained to the city, which told him the construction site is not the source of the problem.
Sonia Harvat of the Metro Water Department explains in the email below.
Andy,
This was inspected and placed in our system the end of May by an inspector who submitted a work order. A crew chief went out in July and has the work tentatively scheduled for August 23. I am not sure what he means by “nobody will help him.”
A MWS inspector was there on May 21, 2010 to investigate a flooding complaint. There were three existing inlets full of dirt with grass growing on top. That dirt did not appear to come from the construction site and appeared to have been there for some time. Our inspector met with Mr. Davenport onsite and explained the process to him and told him it might be a while before they could be cleaned out due to the recent flood remediation work being done. We received another call from Mr. Davenport in July about the same issue and explained that the request was in our system.
After Messed Up gets involved, Harvat says Metro crews will clean out the storm drains and verify that they are clear and able to flow properly.
City Councilman Walter Hunt also comes to the location at the request of That Is Messed Up.
“If that is a problem up there, I know the builders. They will fix it,” Hunt says.
Hunt would later tell me he insists that the builders put down gravel on the hill and maintain the road to minimize possible mud run off when it rains.
Mr. Davenport seems pleased, sending me the email below.
This will help. Mr. Walter Hunt called me later in the day and told me about the stone.
I believe the only reason anything is getting done is because of you. I want to thank you for your help.
-Dwain Davenport
Two LaVergne men are charged with reckless endangerment, accused of allegedly shooting the owner of a Chinese restaurant with a high powered pellet gun.
The Shun Cheong owner was not seriously injured, though police say the pellet is still in the man’s shoulder.
Detectives say the pellets were fired from a nearby neighborhood.
Authorities say the business owner was actually inside the restaurant working when the pellets traveled through an open rear door, striking him.
The incident reportedly happened last Saturday night, August 14.
LaVergne police quickly responded to the scene thinking they had shooters in a nearby wood line.
Authorities identified two men who live behind the strip mall.
Detectives tell Messed Up they discovered high powered air rifles and pellets matching those found at the crime scene.
Unknown to police at the time, there are possibly three other victims.
Members of the Come Together Band, who routinely play at Tequilas Mexican Restaurant in the same business complex, claim they too have been shot over several weekends.
Guitarist Steve Curnow told Messed Up he was first struck on Sunday, August 1 while playing on the rear patio that faces the wood line.
Curnow also says three of his band mates were hit on August 8.
Curnow shows us a wound on his side that he says still burns, though he was shot weeks earlier.
Fellow Guitarist Lee Russell pulls back his scraggly hair and shows us a red dot on the back of his skull that he says bled badly.
Curnow says his drummer also reports being shot in the chest while performing.
The band members told Messed Up they don’t initially report the incident, because they were not clear at first if they had been shot.
Those questions were answered August 17 as Messed Up brings band members back to the scene of the crime.
It’s here that three members of the LaVergne Police Department are identifying evidence, showing Messed Up pellets on the ground, and pellets actually wedged in the stucco of the cantina.
Curnow, who is from England but has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years, is still shocked by the turn of events.
“That is where I was hit,” he says pulling up his shirt and showing our cameras the round red dot on his stomach. “That is two weeks old. I thought what the hell is that? There’s blood. I thought it was a bug sting. Then the following week, we were on the deck again. My drummer stood up and I got hit in the chest. A few minutes later I was hit too, and I felt it and thought it was a live wire on stage or something. Then my guitar player got hit in the neck and it was bleeding.”
Russell says he knew right away.
“Something hit my head. Blood was running down my back. My hand was bloody. It felt like I was hit with a beer bottle. No glass. Nobody there. I knew I was hit.”
“This is way beyond messed up,” Curnow says. “I hope justice is served.”
Police tell Messed Up they are actively investigating the possible link between the suspects developed in the Chinese Restaurant shooting and the incident involving the Come Together Band.
If you have any information you are urged to contact Det. Bob Hayes at the LaVergne Police Department at 615-793-7744.
In the meantime, Curnow asked if I would promote a cause and a gig he feels strongly about.
Click here for complete information on a concert to help homeless kids.
If you are a customer of American Shingle and you got your money back or your roof fixed, consider yourself lucky.
Messed Up has spent months investigating the Atlanta based roofing company. We have taken dozens of complaints talking to victims and former company employees. Messed Up has been to the main office in south Nashville a half a dozen times trying to get comment.
Here’s the latest.
As many frustrated customers know, as of this writing, 8-18-10 when you call a number for the company you get an answering machine that does not allow you to leave a message.
The message says, “Thanks for calling American Shingle. Our offices are currently closed while we relocate to our new facility. These changes will allow us to better serve you with your request. We will reopen on Monday, August 16, thank you.”
On Tuesday, August 17, one day after the offices are supposed to reopen, Messed Up goes to the Metroplex offices and finds the doors locked and the office empty.
We look inside the boiler room and see a classroom with motivational phrases and posters. We see a black board with names and financial incentives.
While here, we meet frustrated customer, William Sneed. The Woodbine man has traveled to this location looking for answers.
Sneed says his insurance company paid American Shingle $5,000 to fix his roof. That was months ago. Now Sneed feels like he has been scammed.
“I have not been scammed in a long time,” he says softly.
“I am not saying they won’t reopen,” I say. “It just seems most companies would announce a grand gala opening, here is our phone number and address and that is not happening here.”
“You can’t contact them,” he chimes in.
Officials with the Nashville business park where American Shingle is headquartered tell me the roofing company didn’t indicate it was leaving nor did it leave any forwarding information.
The Better Business Bureau says it is taking complaints and compiling information against the company.
Kathleen Calligan at the BBB says the Attorney General’s office of North Carolina is taking action against the roofer.
Could that happen here? Calligan urges anyone who feels like they have been victimized to contact the Better Business Bureau.
Messed Up tries repeatedly to get comment from Public Relations officer, Jamie Werner at jwerner@americanshingle.com. We get no response. We call her number 678-495-7198 numerous times and get no calls back.
Messed Up staffers tried calling the main headquarters in Atlanta only to be connected to the same answering machine message we heard here in Nashville.
That’s not a good sign.
BBB Contact Info:
Middle Tennessee Headquarters
201 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 100
P.O. Box 198436
Nashville, TN 37219
Phone: 615-242-4222
Fax: 6150-250-4245
Email: BBBNash@aol.com Click here to file a complaint.
Bob was the sheriff of Sumner County, a lifetime law man.
Bob was a great public servant, but he was a better man. He was a glass is half full kind of guy. No matter how bad the situation, Bob would find the positive ray of sunshine.
Bob was always busy, but he always made time for a friend.
I met Bob in 1996 when I first came to Channel 2.
We covered so many stories together; they all tend to blend together.
It didn’t matter what the issue, who the perps were, who the victims were, Bob made sure I had the facts to do my job. He was honest and sincere.
Bob came to a fundraiser in Franklin for my cameraman Al Devine, when Al’s house caught fire.
Gallatin is not exactly close to Cool Springs, where the gathering was being held, but Bob came all the way down, just to put a check in Al’s hand. The fact that Bob came to shake Al’s hand, put a smile on Al’s face.
That’s the kind of guy Bob Barker was.
I didn’t know Bob was sick that night. Like most of you, I only learned of this when I saw he had cancer on the news.
I saw him looking as healthy and vibrant as always in those campaign ads for Diane Black.
Then the news today that he passed away. I was floored. I was sad.
Bob Barker was a family man first and foremost. I would call to talk about a crime and the next thing I knew we were talking about his trip to Hawaii to see his grandkids.
Bob Barker is what was right about law enforcement and life in general.
I’m a better man for knowing Bob Barker.
I feel a hollow space in my heart today.
I know Bob is in a good place where nobody has to be arrested anymore.
Bob thanks for your friendship and service to your community.
Bob was only 55 years old. But he did more in 55 years than most people who live into their 80s.
Bob reportedly passed away at home, where he was happiest, with family.
by
“A man with flashlight from NES went back there. He said we have a problem and we’re sending a crew right out. They went back and cut down some trees on the lines. It was the middle of the night, like 2 a.m. They left [the limbs] where they cut them. One fell on my dad’s shed. One fell in their backyard. They left them there for us to clean up. My dad is confined to wheelchair. I think you make a mess, clean it up.” 
“Our policy is we clear the lines and because it is weather-related, the trees that fall on private property we don’t clean up from a shed or out building for liability issues. We just don’t remove it.”
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The grass and bushes and small trees are so thick, so tall, I literally drove by the address three times wondering where the house was.
Wayne Denton works with the Metro Health Department, an agency that gets, on average, 3,400 high grass complaints every year.
Denton takes Messed Up around back where he finds a myriad of violations, not the least of which is buckets full of stagnating water.
Horse lovers like Jennifer Tieche say the fee for horses is a tax and if they are going to tax horseback riding, they shouldn’t discriminate and tax all park users.
Messed Up has tried repeatedly to get someone, anyone from American Shingle on the phone.
All Star Roofing owner Steve Morgan saw the story and contacted his friends in the roofing business. He called ABC Roofing and the good people at the Home Depot. 
Rachel Sneed is coming up on 72 years of age and she has not been in good health. With lip quivering and emotions super charged she thanks the roofers and Channel 2 for her good fortune, but she also has caustic words for the people of American Shingle.
A White’s Creek landowner says a nearby construction site is causing his parking lot to fill with mud after it rains.
City Councilman Walter Hunt also comes to the location at the request of That Is Messed Up.
Fellow Guitarist Lee Russell pulls back his scraggly hair and shows us a red dot on the back of his skull that he says bled badly.
“That is where I was hit,” he says pulling up his shirt and showing our cameras the round red dot on his stomach. “That is two weeks old. I thought what the hell is that? There’s blood. I thought it was a bug sting. Then the following week, we were on the deck again. My drummer stood up and I got hit in the chest. A few minutes later I was hit too, and I felt it and thought it was a live wire on stage or something. Then my guitar player got hit in the neck and it was bleeding.”
While here, we meet frustrated customer, William Sneed. The Woodbine man has traveled to this location looking for answers. 
