Category Archives: Crissy Haslam

Bill & Chrissy Haslam to reign over ‘RC Kingdom’

Gov. Bill and Crissy Haslam will help celebrate the 20th RC Cola / Moon Pie Festival June 21 in Bell Buckle, along with noted country singer Mark Collie, reports the Shelbyville Times-Gazette.

Crissy Haslam, who was in Shelbyville on Tuesday for the groundbreaking of a new library, told the Times-Gazette she was looking forward to the event.

In the past, the festival has crowned an RC Cola King and a Moon Pie Queen. This year, it will have two sets of royalty, with the Haslams crowned “King and Queen of the RC Kingdom” while Collie and original Moon Pie Queen Florence Hall will be “King and Queen of the Moon Pie Kingdom.”

The annual festival, which brings huge crowds to Bell Buckle on the third Saturday of June, includes a parade and a 10-mile run.

This year’s festival will include the return, after several years’ absence, of the “synchronized wading” skits.

… A parade is held at midday, and the king and queen — or, in this case, the kings and queens — are at the end of the parade, disembarking at the town square so that they can go to the coronation ceremony on the stage in a lot behind the town’s storefronts.

The festival wraps up later in the day with the cutting of the world’s largest Moon Pie, which is served to festival-goers.

Knox Trustee John Duncan III pleads guilty, resigns

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Knox County Trustee John Duncan III pleaded guilty today in Criminal Court to a felony charge of official misconduct and resigned from office, reports the News Sentinel.
He entered the plea by information, which means he agreed to skip a grand jury review.
He received a one-year probation and may apply for diversion.
He must cooperate with “this” and “any other probes,” according to his plea agreement taken by Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz.
His father, U.S. Rep. Jimmy Duncan, said after the hearing, “We can rely on our faith to get on with our future.”
He declined further comment.
Prosecutor Bill Bright said that Duncan had then-attorney Chad Tindell file a salary lawsuit on Sept. 30, 2010, approving bonuses of $3,000 each for himself and five others, and a $2,000 bonus for a sixth staffer for completing a training program that none of them had, in fact, completed.
Duncan, as part of the plea, is specifically agreeing to participate in the probes of the other employees who received bonuses who have not yet been charged.
Bright alleged that Duncan lied to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation by saying that no one ever told him that it was improper to collect bonuses before completion of the training program.
However, three employees told the TBI that they had, in fact, warned Duncan against trying to collect bonuses without having completed the training.
In February, Tindell received judicial diversion on a misdemeanor charge connected to his participation in the bonus program that let some employees in the Trustee’s Office receive extra money for educational studies they never completed. Tindell worked more than two years as the tax attorney for the Trustee’s Office before leaving early this year. He can seek to wipe his record clean if he abides by the terms of his probation.

Crissy Haslam’s Reading Choice: ‘Independent Dames’

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — First lady Crissy Haslam is using her Read20 Family Book Club to commemorate Women’s History Month.
Haslam is scheduled to read to about 60 fourth-grade students in the House chamber of the state Legislature on Thursday.
She will be reading Laurie Halse Anderson’s Independent Dames, a book with stories about women who influenced the Revolutionary War.
Haslam will be joined by House Speaker Beth Harwell, the state’s first female speaker of the House.
As first lady, Haslam is working to promote early literacy. Last summer, she launched the Read20 Family Book Club, challenging Tennessee families to read together for at least 20 minutes each day.

Expungement Law Complexity Frustrates Some Who Could Benefit

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A new state law allowing some criminals to get their criminal records expunged is so complicated that it’s not working well, opines Wendi Thomas.
Just figuring out who qualifies is a chore.
Tennessee Code Annotated 40-32-101(g) is so narrowly tailored that it says yes to a felon convicted of car burglary but no to someone convicted of getting too rowdy at a funeral.
Most nonviolent offenses committed before Nov. 1, 1989 do, but dozens committed after Nov. 1, 1989 don’t.
Eligible convictions include Class E felonies on the inclusion list or misdemeanors not on the exclusion list.
No sex crimes qualify, which would include the conviction of a driver stopped for playing porn on TV screens inside the car.
Then, there are the costs. The law levies a $350 fee, but there’s another statute that allows the county clerk to charge another $100.
Sen. Beverly Marrero, D-Memphis, said her office talked to a woman who took out a car title loan to come up with enough money.
“She needed to get this expunged from her record to get employment,” Marrero said.
“When she went there with her $350 in hand, they told her she needed $450. It’s outrageous.”

Haslams Pick Eight Christmas Trees for Governor’s Residence

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News release from Department of Agriculture:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The eight local Christmas trees Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and First Lady Crissy Haslam will display at the State Capitol and the Tennessee Residence will be adorned with slightly more than ornaments this year.
Donated from tree farms across the state, the six trees at the Tennessee Residence and two at the Capitol will have a mobile phone “quick response,” or “QR,” bar code displayed with the trees, linking many smartphone users directly to the Pick Tennessee Products Christmas tree directory.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture created the bar codes so Tennesseans only have to point their phone’s camera at the bar code to launch an application giving instant information about local tree farms.
“Choosing locally grown products is one way everyone can join the effort to strengthen our rural economies,” Haslam said. “It’s a great way for us to help each other, and that’s something we all think about during this time of year.”
Pick Tennessee Products is the state’s promotional campaign to connect consumers with local farm products. Through the website, visitors can access directories, seasonal recipes and find local artisan products from wines and cheeses to aged hams and local honey. The site’s Taste of Tennessee Online Store provides links to numerous Tennessee produced or processed products popular during the holidays.
Christmas tree farms grow a completely renewable and recyclable resource which is 100 percent biodegradable. While growing, natural Christmas trees absorb carbon dioxide and other gases and emit fresh oxygen. Christmas trees are often grown on soil that doesn’t support other crops, and their root systems serve to stabilize soil, protect water quality and provide refuge for wildlife. Grown on farms just like any other crop, one to three new seedlings are planted for every tree harvested to ensure a constant supply.
After the holidays, cut trees can be turned into mulch for area trails, and live trees can be replanted. Buying a live tree from a nearby farm guarantees that variety grows well in the area, and farmers are happy to share tips on planting and care for a transplanted tree. Always call ahead and confirm hours of operation and activities.
For more information about locally grown and processed products, visit www.picktnproducts.org or follow on Twitter or Facebook @PickTnProducts

Crissy Haslam Focuses on Landscaping at Governor’s Residence

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Tennessee’s First Lady held a luncheon Thursday to raise money for continuing restoration of the Governor’s residence, reports WTVF-TV of Nashville.
The Tennessee Governor’s Mansion was originally built for a family in 1929 and purchased by the state in 1949. The renovation and restoration of the home began in spring of 2010 by former First Lady Andrea Conte.
The current first lady, Crissy Haslam, is continuing the project through her term. Haslam said the looked at the master plan for the project and has chosen to work on the landscaping and gardening around the residence. She will be partnering with Tennessee landscape artist Ben Page.
Haslam and Page unveiled the plan to renovate the garden on Thursday, and began raising money for the project.
“It’ll be a project that goes on for several years, hopefully I can complete it. We’ll see. [There are] about 630 to 640 people here today — men and women from across the state with an interest in horticulture and gardening and they are here because of that reason,” said Haslam.
Mrs. Haslam said they’ve had a lot of interest in the project from Garden Clubs around the state
News release is below.

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‘First Ladies for Healthy Babies’

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Crissy Haslam had hoped to meet with a dozen female church leaders Wednesday in Memphis to promote a program that helps children reach their potential, according to The Commercial Appeal. About 175 women turned out.
Haslam, wife of Gov. Bill Haslam and a Memphis native, was promoting the role churches can play in raising healthier children at a luncheon at Neighborhood Christian Centers, a ministry uniting 86 congregations.
“She is warm, down-to-earth and genuinely concerned about the children in the state,” Ephie Johnson, NCC president and CEO, told the crowd while introducing the state’s first lady.
Haslam was in Memphis last month reading to elementary school students as part of her emphasis on literacy. On Wednesday, she announced her statewide initiative, “First Ladies for Healthy Babies.” Haslam’s campaign is inspired by NCC’s Operation Smart Child, which connects church leaders and pastors’ wives — often called first ladies — with mothers to mentor them on the importance of early interaction with their babies.

Crissy Haslam Reading to Kids

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News release from governor’s office:
NASHVILLE – Tennessee First Lady Crissy Haslam today began a month-long statewide reading tour to promote improving literacy rates.
The tour kicks off a year-long partnership with ten Tennessee schools located across the state to improve local reading proficiency levels.
Haslam will work to help each of the ten schools with specific needs or struggles they might face will promote early reading initiatives and programs available to students in their communities.

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Crissy Haslam & Easter Eggs

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From the governor’s office:
First Lady Crissy Haslam is going to revive the Easter Egg Roll tradition, which was first started by First Lady Martha Sundquist. Sixty five children from the Martha O’Bryan Center will join Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Mrs. Haslam at the Governor’s Mansion on Monday, April 18 for a morning of Easter activities, reading and arts and crafts.