Recent editorials from Tennessee newspapers:
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May 10
The Commercial Appeal of Memphis on billboard regulations:
The Memphis and Shelby County Office of Planning and Development is said to be working on a plan to tighten enforcement of billboard codes. Not to seem impatient, but completion of the project cannot happen too soon.
The burden simply should not be on citizens to get rid of billboards that are not in compliance with codes designed to prevent them from becoming unsightly, obsolete and, in some cases, threats to public safety.
And yet that is what is happening in four cases in which local citizens and the Memphis Bioworks Foundation have had to file petitions to force the removal of billboards that are either serving no legitimate purpose or pose a safety hazard.
Three of the signs, all in the Medical District area and situated in or near residential areas, should be taken down because they were issued permits improperly, the petitioners say, and the fourth should be removed because it was improperly converted to a digital message board.
Current zoning codes prohibit nonconforming billboards that were erected when siting rules were not as strict as they are now from being used again if they go six months without carrying a message.
But regulating nonconforming billboards that have lost their grandfathered status has been difficult, Josh Whitehead, planning director and administrator for the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Planning and Development, told The Commercial Appeal’s Tom Charlier.
Attorney Webb Brewer, who is representing the petitioners, describes enforcement of zoning codes for billboards as somewhat “laissez-faire.”
The critics of unsightly and dangerous signs have had mixed results in Environmental Court.
Meanwhile, the challenges faced by the critics of roadside clutter have become more difficult than ever because of an unfortunate ruling in late March by a federal judge that overturned Tennessee’s Regulation and Control Act, which has governed outdoor advertising along highways.
The public can only hope that the General Assembly will go to work soon on an approach toward the problem that will withstand judicial scrutiny.
While free speech must be protected, there is a genuine public interest, too, in limiting the number of billboards that line our roadsides, obstructing views, depressing property values and creating distractions that threaten public safety.
Particularly in residential neighborhoods, forcing the removal of billboards that are contributing to blight should not be as heavy a lift as it has turned out to be. Whenever there is a legitimate cause for removal, a nonconforming billboard should be easy to bring down.
Online: https://www.commercialappeal.com/
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May 18
The Daily Post-Athenian of Athens on graduation:
There’s a reason why graduation ceremonies are called “commencement.” It would be easy to see the culmination of four years of high school - as well as many more years of education stretching from the kindergarten playground to middle school gym class - as an end. Yet, by definition, commencement is a beginning.
It’s a beginning of many new adventures: Embarking on the path toward a college education, or taking on a new career, or serving our country in the military, or starting a family.
While setting off on those adventures would all seem to close the book on graduates’ high school chapters, that’s only partially true.
As newly minted high school graduates, you now have a choice regarding which path you take. But, despite whether that path is to college or technical school or the military or the job market, they all have the same requirement for a successful journey: Education.
Getting a piece of paper announcing to the world you are a “high school graduate” does not mean your education will end. Grade school and high school were merely stepping stones in a long line of learning what life has to teach.
Whether it’s a new skill you learn on the job or a new lesson you learn as a parent, just because it’s no longer coming from a textbook or a classroom doesn’t mean you won’t be learning something new every day. Your teacher will no longer be a man or woman who stands in front of a few rows of desks every morning and tells you what you need to know, though; now, it may be a manager or a co-worker or a friend or a life event or something you read about or something you witness with your own eyes. In school, students were taught by people. In life, students are taught by experience.
Of course, you’ve known that all your lives. Your classroom teachers only got you part of the way. You also learned from parents, grandparents, siblings, and even friends, and we encourage you to never forget the love and support of everyone who encouraged you and helped you along the way, from your favorite chemistry teacher to your best friend.
Honor their commitment to you by not letting that commitment be made in vain. Be a lifelong learner. Always find opportunities to broaden your horizons and improve your knowledge, then use that education to help others. Just as previous generations of graduates used their knowledge to change the world, it’s now your turn. Our community and our society require leaders who are learners. After all, the only way to move forward is to know where you’ve been and understand how to get where you want to go.
Congratulations, graduates, on taking this next step toward the rest of your lives. May it be planted on a firm foundation and aimed in a positive direction.
Online: https://www.dailypostathenian.com/
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May 24
The Johnson City Press on ATV accidents:
Physicians at Vanderbilt University Medical Center say the number of people they have treated this year for injuries from all-terrain vehicle accidents is reaching an all-time high. The Associated Press reported earlier this week that VUMC officials say the Nashville hospital has treated 48 ATV accident victims since the beginning of the year, and it’s still another month until the start of summer - the peak of the ER trauma season.
Among the patients treated at VUMC this year were 14 children hurt in ATV accidents.
Most of the injuries were the result of riders not wearing helmets and from having more than one rider on a vehicle built for only one person.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission says Tennessee ranks seventh in the nation for the number of ATV-related deaths (492) recorded since 1982. Officials say that number includes the 64 Tennesseans killed in ATV accidents between 2013 and 2015.
Nationwide, the CPSC estimates more than 150,000 people are treated in emergency rooms annually for ATV-related injuries, and more than a quarter of them are children. This alarming figure cries out for action, but what should be done to reverse this trend?
Many concerned parents and consumer safety advocates are calling for tougher state and federal regulations involving children and ATVs. They argue the design of ATVs makes them extremely dangerous.
ATV manufacturers, however, say it’s not the vehicle but the driver who’s at fault for accidents.
The CPSC says it must be understood that ATVs are not toys. They are powerful machines that should command the respect the rider, regardless of his or her age. That means riders should thoroughly familiarize themselves with ATVs before they take to the trails.
Accidents can and do happen to the most careful of riders, and even the most experienced ATVers are subject to serious head injuries if they are not wearing a helmet. Studies show wearing a helmet can help riders reduce their risk of head injury in crashes by up to 85 percent.
Tennessee lawmakers approved a law in 2007 requiring helmets for ATV riders younger than 18. However, the measure makes an exception for private property.
This exemption, along with another that allows adults to operate ATVs without helmets in Tennessee wildlife management areas, should be ended.
Online: https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/
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