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Here's Johnny
'Ring of Fire' starts at Park tonight
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Seth Wright photo The cast of "Ring of Fire" performs a rousing rendition of "Jackson." Pictured are, from left, Tyler Morton, Kenny Johnson, Jonathan Womack, Shelly Womack, Allie Morton, Delanie Sullivan, Mary Wanamaker, Yvonne Hendrix and Kimberly Hunt.

For a show "hotter than a pepper sprout," check out Warren Arts' performance of "Ring of Fire" this weekend at the Park Theater. 

"Ring of Fire," a jukebox musical based on the music of the "Man in Black," Johnny Cash, features a wide array of songs from the iconic singer's career performed by talented locals. Show director Kennette Dixon is pleased with how rehearsals have been going. 

"We have a fabulous cast and we can't wait for everyone to come out and appreciate the amount of work they've put into this show," Dixon said.

"Ring of Fire" brings back much of the cast which starred in the February, 2020 production of the show at the former home of Warren Arts at 5482 Manchester Hwy. The show features such Cash classics as "Five Feet High and Rising," "Jackson," "I Walk the Line," and "I've Been Everywhere."

Warren Arts Executive Director Gregg Garrison is enthusiastic about not only reviving a previous Warren Arts performance, but about bringing the show to McMinnville's historic theater.

"I'm very excited for the show," Garrison said. "The sound system here is going to make it so much better."

The cast takes the stage Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 plus sales tax and charge card fees at mcminnvilleparktheater.com or at the door.

Local law enforcement on the lookout for distracted driving
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April is National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Distracted Driving Awareness Month and McMinnville Police Department (MPD) is on the roads to educate motorists about appropriate hands-free driving.

The amplified focus of cracking down on distracted driving is a nationwide initiative, with many states taking part. MPD Officer Mark Mara indicated the local department is increasing patrols, funded by overtime grants, to enforce and educate about Tennessee’s Hands Free Law.

“We’re trying to get people to change their habits,” Mara said. “There’s a lot of people that are distracted while driving, whether its their cell phones or not. When driving, there are already so many distractions, so having electronics in your hands while you’re driving down the road is dangerous. We need to focus on getting where we need to go and getting there safely.”

According to its records, NHTSA estimates 3,308 lives were lost in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2022 and 8% of all fatal crashes could be attributed to the same. To illustrate the point on a larger scale, it approximates over 32,000 people have died and nearly 290,000 were left injured from crashes attributed to distracted motorists between 2013 and 2022.

Violation of the Tennessee Hands Free Law is a Class C misdemeanor and traffic citations based on the violation are considered moving traffic violations. A first-time offense is typically $50 with third-time offenses and violations resulting in a crash rising to $100; citations received in a work zone while workers or present or in a marked school zone while flashes are in operation carry a penalty of $200. Three points are also added to a motorist’s driving record for each violation with 12 points leading to license suspension.

While the law specifically mentions hands in its name, it is similarly illegal to prop the phone up with any other part of their body.

“We’re going to be stopping vehicles whose operators are distracted by using their cell phones or other electronic devices,” Mara said. “It is against the law for a motorist to be holding their electronic device or having it on their body, so if you’re holding it to your ear or with your shoulder, it’s against the law all the same.”

When using GPS technology, Mara recommends investing in windshield-, vent- or dash-mounted mobile device holder to support the phone while using it for those purposes so your hands can remain on the wheel without compromising your ability to navigate to a destination.

“I understand that your cell phones are a lifeline and we get that — we use them ourselves for GPS. If you have an important phone call that’s coming in and you really need to focus on talking to that person, just pull over to the side of the road and turn on your emergency lights,” Mara said. “When you’re on a phone call, you’re not paying attention to all of the things you need to. You’re going to be concentrating on that conversation and you’re going to find yourself drifting in your lane, going through a stop sign or not stopping properly before a red light.”

Mara additionally recommended drivers sync their phones to their vehicles in models with Bluetooth capabilities and to use phone mounts that do not obstruct vision of the roadways through the windshield.

“The greatest danger of distracted driving is ending up in a crash that was absolutely avoidable, which might hurt yourself or someone else,” Mara said. “You’ve got a lot in front of you when you’re driving and a vehicle is a piece of machinery. We want all motorists to be driving safely on the roads and getting to their destinations without misadventure.”

Warnings and citations will be rendered at officers’ discretion during the increased patrols.