We spoke with residents who were upset to see stickers for a local sky diving company vandalizing public property throughout Hillsboro Village.
Since our report, Metro Legal has compelled the company featured on those stickers into court later this week to answer some questions. On top of that, Metro Legal says they have witnesses who they hope will help the city put a stop to the alleged vandalism.
Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, but for dogs and cats, it can be a time of stress, strangers, and danger.
According to the Metro Animal Control, a large number of pets disappear during the holidays.
According to Director, Judy Ladebauche, there a number of reasons why.
1) A large number of guests coming and going, continually opening the door allows pets a chance to escape.
2) New faces and voices in the house can upset an animal not use to so many strangers.
Laudebauche says last year, the first business day after Thanksgiving saw a flood of anxious phone calls from people who had lost their pets.
“Everyone loves their pets,” she says. “But they don’t realize the pet is vulnerable during those times. If your pet is an inside pet, then put it in a secure place, like a bedroom. Leave the TV on. Separate the animal from the festivities.”
Ladebauche says care should also be given if you are having a pet sitter come to your house, or if you plan to board your animals.
“Check references. A pet can be confused, thinking mom and dad left the house and now there is a stranger is in the house and they might dart out because of that.”
For a list of other holiday do’s and don’ts check out these web sites:
Today’s Messed Up Email of the Day comes from a parent whose children will go to two different schools under Williamson County Schools rezoning. (As always, we do not edit emails for grammar or spelling)
We are terribly upset with our new proposed rezoning map. It is not economically efficient by any means. Per C.Birdsong she said that this is due economical reasons! My children are zoned for Page Schools. When my son start High School half of the Page Middle students went to Independence High. Now the board wants to rezone Bethesda Community Students. It will put my children at two different schools across the county. I’m confused on this is effecting the Bethesda Community Students when there are parents that are wanting to go to the new middle/high school that live in that area of the new schools.. That has not even been considered. This would leave these children in there communities. Why not put the children to the middle school that they have siblings in the school near them. I feel that it needs to be relook at to see that there are families that are closer and want to go to those schools? With the new zoning information that would leave the county to higher more bus drivers and bye more buses to transport these students across the county. So this is more of a strain on the county budget . Along with having to bye more gas for the buses. It sounds like to me the board members put up a map on the wall and through darts at it. They need to reconsider the rezoning map all together. Maybe with all the new expenses for the new schools rezoning the school board members would like to cut their salaries? We are in hard financial hard ships in our county this is has not been look at properly.Please help us.
The Better Business Bureau calls it one of the biggest crimes currently hitting Middle Tennessee.
It’s one of the oldest scams on the books, just dressed up to trick people into parting with their hard earned cash.
It’s essentially a counterfeit check scheme that has some red flags that you need to be aware of.
Kathleen Calligan who runs the BBB of Middle Tennessee shows me counterfeit checks on her desk that total almost ½ a million dollars.
Calligan says by Christmas she expects the number of checks to double.
Here’s how it works. A company you recognize contacts you about a product or service you are either selling or associated with.
The scammer agree to purchase it, and then sends a check, which is more than the agreed upon amount.
When citizens inquire about the amount of the check, the scammer assures the citizen that everything is all right.
“They say it was a mistake, the bookkeeper misunderstood,” Calligan says, sitting behind a desk stacked with fraudulent activity. “OK, you say. I’ll send you the check back. NO NO NO. The person will say no. please don’t send the check back. We don’t want to slow down the purchase. Just deposit our check in your account and you send to me by money gram or certified check the difference. Think about this. You have deposited a check for 55-hundred dollars in your account for an item that is 35-hundred dollars and what you do is, you are taking $2,000 out of your checking account and getting a very valid very legal transfer of a check and sending it to a con artist. That is the scam.”
Here’s how it works. Calligan says this scam is dressed up to fool you in a couple of ways.
First, they send you check using established delivery systems like UPS or Fed Ex. Calligan says the scam artists steal these numbers as well.
Secondly, she says; the checks are written on authentic looking accounts that might even be recognizable as company’s the citizen does business with.
Calligan says the key to not being ripped off is to slow down and think about what is happening.
Ask yourself, why is a company sending me a check for $5,000 when you are selling a boat on Craig’s List for $3,000 dollars?
If you have questions check with your bank before you send one penny anywhere.
Calligan says chances are, the only place your money is going is to a mail drop and then out of the country. and you’ll be left holding the bag.
Shelbyville residents say smoke billows across their neighborhood every day.
Residents say the smoke makes them sick and burns their eyes.
Residents tell Messed up the smoke comes from a nearby pallet company that burns waste wood adjacent to their homes.
Jay Wolfe is 61 years old. He is a Vietnam Vet and two time Purple Heart recipient.
The Shelbyville resident says the smoke is so bad in his neighborhood it has become unbearable for him, for his ailing wife, and for his neighbors.
Residents describe running in and out of their homes, quickly slamming doors to keep smoke from getting in. Neighbors describe beautiful 70 degree days when they want to open windows but cannot. Residents tell me that their neighborhood smells like a campfire night and day.
I call multiple agencies in Shelbyville about the company.
Brian Nicholson is the fire marshal. He tells me he has been to the incinerator and it does not pose a problem and the owner does not need a permit to burn the waste wood inside the city limit.
“They are not required to have a permit,” Nicholson says. “They are burning in a container manufactured for the purpose. We are aware of it. It is no fire hazard whatsoever.”
What about smoke I ask?
“That is an EPA issue,” the fire fighter counters.
David Langford is a city codes official. He tells me that he has been to the incinerator because of complaints from residents.
“I did smell the “pungent” smell of smoke,” he says. “I said let me call Brian Nicholson and see what his fire inspections show. Brian told me the epa had been out there before, the incinerator has a bag system, and at times, if the bag system is too full and not cleaned out it will puff out, smoke will come out.”
I call the air pollution division of T.D.E.C. which tells me that burning waste wood is EXEMPT from any regulatory authority in the state of Tennessee.
While that may be the case, PIO, Meg Lockhart tells me that the agency is investigating whether the company owner needs a permit to operate the incinerator due to the size of the machine and the fact that it runs on gasoline or diesel.
I go to the company for answers. The owner does not wish to go on camera, but by phone he surprises me, telling me that the reason his incinerator is not burning on the day I visit is because he has stopped burning for good.
The owner tells me:
He is looking at ways to sell the waste material rather than burning it.
He is tired of complaints from the neighbors and visits from city officials and Messed Up reporters and he wants to be a good neighbor.
He says he would rather have everyone happy and be a good business man.
I tell neighbors of his decision and they applaud.
The issue is very complex and Meg Lockhart with TDEC sends me a thorough note to explain what has transpired and what might happen in the future. Here a few bullet points from her note:
Complaint filed Oct. 1 with the Division of Air Pollution Control / Columbia Environmental Field Office
Investigation found owner once transported waste wood, but started burning it because it was cheaper. That prompted many neighborhood complaints.
The state’s air quality act says: burning of wood waste is exempt from TDEC’s regulatory authority
The owner did not have a permit to operate the incinerator. TDEC is investigating whether that is a violation.
State lawmakers have asked TDEC to investigate whether laws governing wood waste burning should be strengthened.
Today’s email of the day comes from a viewer who feels sometimes crime pays… for police.
We’re contacting you on behalf of our brother, He had a motorcycle stolen about two months ago. He was contacted yesterday by a police officer who had told him it had been found! BUT… He had to pay 400$ to the in pound yard because of storage and towing fees. It turns out they have had the motorcycle for a week and he was obligated To pay $40 a day, the bike was so tore up it was not worth getting anymore and they had forced him to hand the title over… sounds like a money making scam… AND THAT’S MESSED UP!
A South Nashville senior citizen goes on vacation to India. When she returns, 2 weeks later, there are steep stairs in front of her house that she is afraid to use.
Alice Klingshirn says she can’t get her mail, or easily get to the street where her car is parked.
She says she calls the city to complain, but when she feels the city is dragging its feet, she calls Messed Up.
The 72 years old former ex-ray tech went to India in late October. In the two weeks she was gone, city crews tore up the street and put in new storm sewer drains.
Alice says the street needed it, but not at the cost of her being trapped in her front yard.
Officials with metro public works tell me that engineers tried to contact Alice prior to installing the stairs, but because she was out of the country, they were unable to, so they did what they felt was right.
Officials with the Metro Water Department tell me that crews try and leave a community the same or better than the way they found it.
Officials say normally the city tries to communicate with residents prior to construction, should there be a dramatic change to their property.
After Messed Up’s involvement, crews returned to Alice’s home and began tearing down the steps. The plan is to make a gradual ramp that the woman can easily navigate.
Have you been out driving in Nashville, and suddenly had the urge to go sky diving?
There might be a reason for that.
It seems that someone has been slapping sky diving bumper stickers on stop signs all over town.
This wave of guerrilla marketing has residents and city officials stewing.
Todd Adams lives in Hillsboro Village. He noticed the stickers all around his house. Then he went home and noticed a sticker on his mail box.
The 38 year old says that crosses the line.
“They are putting graffiti all over our neighborhood. We have to see it everyday. For the hope of a little bit of business they are spreading litter all over Nashville and it is not right. If this company is not punished for this, if an example is not set, then this is a problem we will deal with over and over and over. Metro has laws on the books to prohibit this and it is time to enforce it!”
Adams says he knows someone who confronted someone posting the bumper stickers. According to Adams the person said they got 50-dollars to put up a 100 stickers.
I call the number on the sticker multiple times. Each time I request a company rep to call me back. So far SILENCE!
The woman who answered the phone does indicate to me that they give out bumper stickers, but they don’t tell people what to do with those bumper stickers.
Veronica Frazier is the Director of the Metro Beautification Division.
Frazier says the stickers are an eye sore and her department is working with the Legal department to try and stop the guerilla marketing.
“It is a violation of Metro codes,” she tells me. “It is illegal to post these signs in public right of way. They put signs in right of way and they are defacing government property.”
Frazier says she has called the company several times, and so far, no one has called her back. Frazier says the company operates out of Waverly.
Frazier says the city is considering an injunction to force the company to stop this practice.
“For crews to go out and pull them down, it takes a significant amount of time,” Frazier says. “It is time and paint and crews. The services we provide the citizens would be better used.”
According to the Metro Health Dept, the Kirkpatrick Elementary re-inspection (11/9/09) found the following:
the leaking pipe in the boiler room has been repaired.
middle tn exterminating co serviced the school on 10/15/09 no live insects observed
some roof work has been done.
damaged / unsafe picnic table s have been removed
grass and weeds are starting to get high trash is gone from under portables
trash, debris and old post have been removed from the playground area
playground tarp is gone/covered. Ditch is still present rocks in ditch are covered with the leaves and mulch. Hole under fence is partially filled with old concrete.
there is still an odor under the hand sink in room 114. An air freshener is present.
There score improved significantly. You can read our past stories drawing attention to the school’s condition:
You remember our story about the 1000’s of rockers who pack River Front Park for Buzz Fest 2009? Part of the show was cancelled due to rain.
We have an update: Alice in Chains is coming back to Nashville to do teh fans right.
Buzzfest Fan Appreciation Show with Alice In Chains - March 1st, 2010 @ Municipal Auditorium
Tickets go on sale 11/20 @ 10am at all Ticketmaster locations or the Municipal Auditorium Box office.
All Buzzfest 09 ticket holders have a 30 day window to exchange their Buzzfest ticket stub for a free ticket to the show. The window is from November 20, 2009 - December 20, 2009 to do their exchange.
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The Shelbyville resident says the smoke is so bad in his neighborhood it has become unbearable for him, for his ailing wife, and for his neighbors.
Officials with metro public works tell me that engineers tried to contact Alice prior to installing the stairs, but because she was out of the country, they were unable to, so they did what they felt was right.
Todd Adams lives in Hillsboro Village. He noticed the stickers all around his house. Then he went home and noticed a sticker on his mail box.
