Shots Fired at JTA Bus

JPD investigating shooting of JTA bus last nite
About 9:50 p.m. Thursday, a Jackson Transit Authority bus driver reported that an individual with at least one other person shot 2 or 3 times into his bus as he passed them on Tracewood near Raintree breaking glass. The driver left the area and called for Police to come to the K-Mart lot on Old Hickory. There was one passenger on the bus at the time that left before Police arrived.

The driver was not injured and did not believe the passenger to have been injured either. The driver was substitute driver on the route. Investigators would like to speak with the passenger as a witness to the incident. He is described as being a black male in his late teens to early 20’s about 5’10” tall with a dark complexion and “bad teeth”. He may have been talking on a cell phone when the shooting occurred.
Contact Inv. Aubrey Richardson at 425-8470.
Anyone with information regarding this crime, please call Crime Stoppers at 424-8477 or on the web at www.424TIPS.org.

Tennessee Driver Service Centers to Celebrate Valentine’s Day and National Donor Day in February

Nashville ---The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security will partner with Donate Life Tennessee to designate February as Show Us Your Heart! month. Over the course of the month, select driver service centers will distribute chocolate hearts to customers who check “Yes” to join the state’s organ and tissue donor registry.

“We are pleased to join Donate Life Tennessee in the Show Us Your Heart! campaign,” Michael Hogan, Director of Driver Services said. “As thousands of Tennesseans wait for a lifesaving transplant, we hope people will take notice and take action to sign up to be an organ, eye and tissue donor.”

Currently only 35 percent of Tennessee’s licensed drivers have said “Yes” to organ and tissue donation, and documented their decision on the Tennessee Donor Registry. Donate Life America and each state is striving for a national average of 50 percent of licensed drivers to be listed on state organ and tissue registries.

“Our ongoing partnership with the Department of Safety and Homeland Security is a key in saving more lives through transplantation,” Lisa Clark, the department’s liaison with Donate Life Tennessee said. “The driver license process is the easiest and best opportunity for residents to legally document their decision to be a donor on the Tennessee Donor Registry.”

Over 117,000 people are currently on the national waiting list for a lifesaving transplant. Of that figure, more than 2,500 live in Tennessee. In an effort to educate the public and call attention to the great need for donors, Donate Life Tennessee representatives and volunteers will be located in various driver license service centers throughout the state during February providing information to customers.

Tennesseans can register to be an organ donor by simply Checking Yes when applying for or renewing their driver’s license or state identification card. A red heart is placed on the driver license and ID, signifying them as an organ donor. For more information on organ and tissue donation visit www.DonateLifeTn.org or call toll free 1-877-552-5050.

BEWARE of Phone Scams and Identity Theft

Be wary of phone scams asking for personal identifying information. Go to www.consumer.ftc.gov for more info

The Jackson Police Department regularly receives calls about phone scams. We are all potential targets for scammers. While their crime isn't generally limited to race, gender, age, education, or income, they seem to concentrate on our older citizens. They are often targeted because the caller assumes they may live alone, have a nest egg, or may be more polite toward strangers.

Recently a caller reported they were contacted by a foreign sounding person who represented himself as being associated with the Social Security Administration and stating they were verifying information to send out new Medicare/Medicaid cards. The reportee became suspicious when the “Social Security Administration” needed to know her social security number.

Beware of anyone who calls you unsolicited, especially if you are on the Do Not Call Registry and represents themselves as your bank, your credit card company, a government agency, etc. These entities already have your information… they find you every month with no problem. But, these telephone scammers are good at what they do. They will try to convince you if you let them. They may seem very friendly — even calling you by your first name, making small talk, and asking about your family. These are ploys to ease your suspicions. They get the data they can from public records or on line about you and use it to give themselves credibility.

Be especially wary of anyone who says you have won anything – especially money - and telling you that they need your credit card or a money order or a wire transfer for processing fees. Also be wary if you are advertising something for sale where the caller wants to send you a check for more than the purchase price with instructions for you to deposit it and send the overage to them or someone else for whatever reason. Count on it, the check is counterfeit and your account will take the hit for the loss. Many work at home scams work this way as well.

The Federal Trade Commission has excellent resources to help us to protect ourselves and to recover if we have been victimized by identity thieves. Go to http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/ for more tips and information.

National Do Not Call Registry https://www.donotcall.gov/ or by calling the registry’s toll-free number (1-888-382-1222)

Businesses Gain Steam with Business At 212º

The Jackson Chamber of Commerce raised the temperature on business this Friday as they had their first Business At 212º event.

Business At 212º is the rebranded and revamped B for Business. 

Each event focuses on a different business trait. The focus of this event was action. 

When you sign up for the event, you receive a business article or “hot tip” in your inbox every Friday. 

When you attend, you have the chance to set up one of two table displays for your business and give a two minute presentation on your business, if your business card is chosen. 

In addition to the table displays, another card is drawn and that person’s business will be featured in the Chamber monthly membership newsletter. That newsletter has a readership of around 2,000 members.

Chad Wilson, President of Foundation Bank, gave five tips to improve your networking. One of these important tips to see the person you’re networking with as a person, not a sale.

Participants then moved into place to begin speed business networking. 

Borrowing from speed dating, speed business networking lets multiple people meet each other in two minute sessions. One person speaks for one minute and the other person speaks for the other minute.

After those two minutes are up, those on one side of the table would shift while the other side stayed still and the two minute process begins again.