Here is your Cleveland, Tenn. | Bradley County, Tenn. news on mymix1041.com, sponsored by Toyota of Cleveland: From WRCB Channel 3… Channel 3 has co
Here is your Cleveland, Tenn. | Bradley County, Tenn. news on mymix1041.com, sponsored by Toyota of Cleveland:
Channel 3 has confirmed the State of Tennessee has suspended the license for a migrant children facility in Chattanooga.
The state’s Department of Children’s Services suspended the license of the Baptiste Group, LLC, the company in charge of the migrant children center on Vance Avenue, according to State Senator Todd Gardenhire.
The department said the suspension follows a series of issues beginning when an unannounced inspection of the facility was conducted on June 3, 2021.
During the visit, staff with the department’s Division of Licensure spoke to six youth housed in the facility, one of whom disclosed a report of alleged child abuse.
Department staff initiated a referral to the child abuse hotline and an investigation commenced.
The department also referred to subsequent incidents, including a youth who left the facility on June 15 and Chattanooga PD’s announcement of criminal charges against a staff member on June 30.
Sen. Gardenhire told Channel 3 the children and teens being housed at the facility were moved to other locations last week.
The department had issued a conditional license to the Baptiste Group on May 29, 2020, and a full license on Feb. 29, 2021.
COVID-19 cases are up 10 percent this week as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads. Though cases in Chattanooga have remained relatively low, that strain has been detected in the area, according to local researchers.
Dr. Elizabeth Forrester of Athena Esoterix Lab told Channel 3 that we know the South African variant is present in our area as well as Delta.
Through sequencing technology, Forrester and Lab Manager Dr. Dawn Richards confirmed they identified multiple cases of the Delta variant in Chattanooga.
With just 41 percent of Hamilton County residents vaccinated, she said it’s something to keep an eye on.
While normal activities resume, Forrester recommended residents keep following CDC guidelines on wearing masks and take advantage of the availability of a vaccine.
From the Chattanooga Times Free Press…
Summer’s in full swing as the Fourth of July holiday weekend approaches and folks on the water can expect a significant law enforcement presence as the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency teams with the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators for “Operation Dry Water.”
Tennessee’s waterways are already very busy, according to TWRA spokesperson Mime Barnes
So far this year there have been 11 fatalities on Tennessee waters, 19 serious injury incidents, 25 incidents involving property damage and 44 arrests for boating under the influence, Barnes said.
As far as the numbers of people on the water, the 2021 season has been more normal compared to last year, according to Stephanie Cooke, co-owner of the Ocoee Inn Marina in Polk County, Tennessee.
Whatever the craft, the greatest danger comes from impaired boaters, according to a TWRA investigator. Sun, wind, noise, vibration and motion intensify the effects of alcohol, drugs and some medications.
In 2020 during Operation Dry Water, there were 11 boating under the influence arrests and eight serious injury boating-related incidents across Tennessee.
Operating a boat with a blood-alcohol content of .08% or higher is illegal in Tennessee, the same as operating a motor vehicle, officials said. Penalties may include fines, jail, boat impoundment and the loss of boat driving privileges.
Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in recreational boater deaths.
