Johnson City Press. June 30, 2023.
Editorial: Protect and provide for the pollinators
We and our planet simply can’t survive without butterflies, bees and other pollinators.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates one-third of the human diet comes from insect-pollinated plants.
June 19-25 was designated National Pollinator Week to celebrate and raise awareness for the birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles and other small mammals that pollinate plants. To help out, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is undertaking Project Milkweed to send free native milkweed seeds to Tennesseans all over the state.
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Milkweed is a flowering plant that provides a place for monarch butterflies to lay their eggs and provides food for their larvae and caterpillars. When the caterpillars eat the plant, it gives them a naturally bitter taste, which protects them from predators.
Monarchs, the orange-and-black-winged butterflies known for their long-distance annual migration, pollinate plants while feeding on nectar from flowers on their cross-country journeys.
They, and other pollinators, fill an important role in the food chain.
Both monarch butterflies and milkweed habitats have declined by 90% since 1992, making efforts to preserve and protect them critical.
Through the state’s Project Milkweed, Tennessee residents need only fill out an online form at tnpollinators.org/milkweed to receive free milkweed seeds by mail.
Orders are accepted throughout the year, but seed shipments will be made in the fall, between Aug. 1 and Oct. 1.
For successful germination, the milkweed should be planted before Oct. 15.
The two species available, red milkweed for small gardens and common milkweed for larger areas, produce attractive flowers and foliage in addition to providing habitats for butterflies.
The Department of Transportation also provides educational materials for children on its website, tnpollinators.org, to help young Tennesseans become conservationists.
It’s up to us to be good stewards for the planet, and that means protecting and preserving the pollinators that provide for us.
Kingsport Times-News. June 29, 2023.
Editorial: ‘Do Not Text’ law goes into effect July 1
Bad enough we continue to be hammered with robocalls, but text messages have become another avenue for unsolicited sales pitches.
Bombarded with complaints about telemarketers pestering us, the Tennessee General Assembly has responded with a new law that takes effect July 1 that aims to end unwanted texts.
It’s a takeoff on the state’s “Do Not Call” registry that was established in 1999. The “Do Not Text” law will expand the registry of Tennessee residential telephone subscribers who have elected not to receive telephone solicitations. Business telephone numbers may not be included on the list.
The law prohibits those attempting to sell consumer goods and services by telephone from calling or texting telephone numbers that appear on the list, with some exemptions.
Telephone solicitors may still call/text in response to an express invitation or permission by the person being called. They also may call/text on behalf of a not-for-profit organization, or if the caller has a business relationship with you.
For some, the unsolicited texts have become an almost daily occurrence. The Do Not Text law was sponsored by Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) who said some of his constituents were getting daily texts from people wanting to buy their homes. Under the new law, anyone who sends a text encouraging the purchase or rental of, or investment in, property, goods or services could face a fine of up to $2,000 per violation.
The bill also applies to solicitors requesting donations with the exception of not-for-profit organizations. Many of the same provisions that already applied to telephone solicitation will also be expanded to what the bill defines as “text message solicitation,” including that solicitors are prohibited from using any method to block a residential subscriber’s use of caller identification.
Anyone who has registered their phone number on the Tennessee Do Not Call list will automatically be covered under the Do Not Text program. Otherwise, you may sign up now for protection from calls and texts here: tinyurl.com/yhtwdaw9.
There’s also a national Do Not Call list that intends to protect landline and wireless phone numbers, and you can register your numbers at no cost by calling 888-382-1222, or register at donotcall.gov. After your number is on the registry for 31 days, you can report unwanted sales calls at the same URL. If a company fails to comply with the registry, they may be subject to a fine of up to $11,000 for each violation.
Unwanted calls including illegal and spoofed robocalls are the Federal Communications Commission’s top consumer complaint. These include complaints from consumers whose numbers are being spoofed or whose calls are being mistakenly blocked or labeled as a possible scam call by a robocall blocking app or service.
The FCC says it is “committed to doing what we can to protect you from these unwelcome situations and is cracking down on illegal calls in a variety of ways, issuing hundreds of millions of dollars in enforcement actions against illegal robocallers and empowering phone companies to block by default illegal or unwanted calls based on reasonable call analytics before the calls reach consumers.
State and federal government can’t help stop the unwanted calls and texts unless you ask for that help.
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