Spring Blossom and Little Miss & Mister Pageants set for Saturday Night

The 2010 Junior Miss Haley Marie Hale of Smithville will crown her successor during Saturday nights annual Spring Blossom Pageant at the DCHS gym, sponsored by the Smithville Women's Club.

Hale is the 14 year old daughter of Melissa and Chad Hale.

Meanwhile the 2010 Little Miss and Mister, Kenlee Renae Taylor and Anthony Gage Trapp, will also be retiring after reigning for a year. Taylor is the five year old daughter of Cindy and Ken Taylor of Smithville and Trapp is the seven year old son of Amanda and Tony Trapp of Smithville.

Saturday nights activities begin with the Little Miss & Mister at 4 p.m. followed by the Spring Blossom pageant. The Little Miss & Mister contestants are between the ages of four and six and the participants in the Spring Blossom are girls in sixth through eighth grades.

This years pageant features nine handsome boys and thirty-nine beautiful girls competing for the title of Little Mister King and Little Miss Queen. For the Spring Blossom there are sixteen young ladies vying for the title of Junior Miss Queen.

Little Mister contestants include: Andrew Reece Vickers, Kotler Garrett Kilgore, Jase Glendon Bain, Brayden Seth Creek, Dylan Chase Bogle, Toby Lee Hayes, Landon Speaks, Trevor Matthew Kirby, and Holden Craig Trapp.

Little Miss participants are: Lydia Grace Johnson, Addison Hale, Jaylynn Nichlos, Kiley Isabella Speaks, Micah Bogle, Katelyn Knight, Alexis Riley Hawkins, Courtney Elizabeth London, Katie Patterson, Addison Grace Miller, McKenzie Faith Sanders, Ashlynn Knight, Katherine Irene Knowles, Leah Michelle Hayes, Allyson Roxanne Fuller, Kathryn Alysse Hale, Melanie Bogle, Briahna Ryan Murphy, Nadia Celeste Creek, Natalie Snipes, Carlee Elizabeth West, Madelyn Rose Ray, Kyra Michelle Baker, Addison Gray Roller,Katherine Dell Gassaway,Graceson Elise Boyd, Elizabeth Carlene Gaines, Peyton Elizabeth Norris, Ella Rea Florida, Addison Jean Puckett, Hannah Dawn Hall,Kendall Michelle Davis, Kora Lin Kilgore, Katherine Ann Vickers, Haidyn Renee Hale, Jenna Elizabeth Wright, Jazmine Elaine Wagner, Kylee Raegan Cantrell, and Elaina Bryce Turner.

The Spring Blossom contestants are: Alexis Kasara Davis, Hailey Nicole Glass, Bethany Brooke Poss, Morgan Marie Vickers, Meranda Kay Atnip, Alyssa Kayleen Funk, Brooke Danielle Roller, Kacie Brooke Bain, Hannah Walker, Kelsey Sueanna Hedge, Tyra Graham, Amisti Jae Loftis, Mariah Faith Jones, Rachel Fuson, Casey Elizabeth Vickers, and Bethany Burke.

All contestants are to attend the pageant rehearsal on Friday, April 1, beginning at 5:30 p.m. for the Little Miss and Mister participants and at 7 p.m. for the Spring Blossom contestants.

Studio Six Limited will be offering portrait packages the night of event. Pageant photos will begin at 3 p.m Admission is $3 (excluding contestants only) for anyone four and older and concessions will be available throughout the evening. The pageants are sponsored by the Smithville Women's Club.

A Look at the Tennessee Legislature

The following is a legislative update from State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver:

Since taking office in January, the Governor has made clear his vision for wholesale reform of Tennessee’s education system. He has said student achievement should be the cornerstone of any educational initiative. Legislators agree and have stated on numerous occasions that promoting teacher excellence is one way to ensure that vision becomes a reality for Tennessee students.

The Speaker and Lieutenant Governor have confirmed their respective Chambers will aide the Governor’s quest to raise standards in our classrooms. This week, major legislation was advanced to that end in the House.

On Thursday, in a landslide vote of 64-32, the teacher tenure reform legislation easily won approval in the House. The bill’s sponsor said, “We said last fall that we would do what it takes to make Tennessee the number one destination for high-quality jobs in the South. That included top-to-bottom reforms in business regulation and education. This is yet another promise kept to Tennesseans that we are committed to bringing accountability to the classroom to ensure every student is led by a great teacher.” The House Majority Leader added, “The Governor laid out a clear vision for raising standards and bringing more accountability to our educational system. We’ve done just that with passage of this legislation. With high-performing teachers, our students will receive the training and skills they need to be successful in the workforce. That means more and better jobs for Tennesseans.”

On Wednesday, the charter school initiative started its legislative trek. The House Education Subcommittee held debate on the legislation and is expected to vote on the measure next week. The legislation will do away with the current restriction on the number of charter schools allowed in Tennessee and provide greater access to a quality education to Tennessee students. These measures, along with other initiatives moving through the House, will ultimately lead to a more diverse and skilled workforce in Tennessee, bringing in more businesses and jobs to the Volunteer State.

U.S. Senator Corker Visits the General Assembly, Offers Strong Conservative Message

On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) paid a visit to the General Assembly where he spoke with Members and gave an encouraging message about the work being done in Nashville.

The Senator spoke to the Members about international affairs and education matters but spent the majority of time talking about the fiscal crisis facing our nation. He remarked, “…I was here to encourage them to help us motivate lawmakers throughout our state at the federal level and to talk with their citizens that they represent, their constituents, about how important it is to take action.” He pointed out he was proud of the efforts to rein in spending at the State level and hopes to lead the federal government to follow suit.

The Senator was welcomed by the Speaker and introduced by the Lieutenant Governor and afterwards took questions from the Members about issues facing Tennessee.

Work of the Governor and General Assembly Lead to Job Growth in West Tennessee

The State received encouraging news during the week as a federal grant had been approved for construction to begin on a new deepwater port in Northwest Tennessee on the Mississippi River. However, the grant would have been removed had it not been for the hard work of the Governor and some Members of the House.

For several weeks now, the Governor and legislators from West Tennessee have highlighted the fact Tennessee needed to find resources to continue moving forward with construction plans for the forthcoming Port at Cates Landing. When it is finished, the port will lead to approximately 1,700 jobs and bring in a much-needed economic boost of $354 million to the local economy. The facility will be the deepest port on the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge, LA and Saint Louis, MO. The positive commerce and shipping effects of the project will be felt throughout Tennessee.

Empowering Educators with Equal Access Bill Moving Through the House

The House moved legislation touted as a “new way forward” on education reform this week by passing HB 130 out of the House Education Committee. The pro-teacher legislation gives a voice to all teachers who have not had a voice in education negotiations over matters in the classroom. The bill, like many other common sense measures working their way through the Legislature, promotes student achievement and allows teachers to be rewarded for excellence in the classroom through items like merit pay.

The bill calls for a collaborative effort at the education negotiating table between all interested stakeholders and allows for “equal access” to all professional teaching associations. The Governor recently stated his support for the measure because it, “(G)ives superintendents greater flexibility in making personnel decisions and supports my central focus of doing what's best for children in Tennessee classrooms.” The bill now moves on to the Budget Committee for consideration.

General Assembly Begins Work on Health Care Compact

Tennessee is poised to take the lead in reasserting the role of States with recent legislative maneuvers—a priority for many voters in last fall’s elections who believed the federal government has stepped into areas not meant for Washington.

After passing the Health Care Freedom Act two weeks ago and the Governor signing it into law, the Legislature started working on the Health Care Compact. The Compact is a multi-State effort to rein in the federal government and allow States to determine their own individual plans for health care coverage for their citizens. The States utilize federal resources for the programs and get to determine the amount of government interference over health care decisions.

The Act envisions a partnership among the States and Congress to bring more transparency, accountability, and individual responsibility to health care at the local level, instead of allowing the bureaucracies of Washington to run the system. The measure currently is being debated in the House Health Committee.