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August 2008 |
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County Solid Waste Department needs more money for gasoline and propane
By KAREN CAMPBELL
Staff Writer
Increased fuel, propane and natural gas prices are causing departments and offices within the county to find other sources for extra money to cover costs.
Last week, increases in diesel fuel, but largely propane, have contributed to the need for additional funding in the Solid Waste supplies budget, District Coordinator Dave Reichelderfer said. Reichelderfer is the latest county department administrator to request a budget transfer to address high fuel costs.
Reichelderfer requested $7,000 additional from his cost allocation budget, which is typically set aside for unanticipated operation costs, be moved to the Solid Waste fund supplies line item. Commissioners, who approved the change, said he is just one of several department administrators facing that situation mid-year. |
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Wednesday, 23 July 2008 |
By KAREN CAMPBELL
Staff Writer
Country music star Aaron Tippin is warning fans they better fasten their seat belts as they’re in store for a high energy show when he performs at the Shelby County Fair this week.
Tippin, who is scheduled to take the stage at 8 p.m. Thursday in the free attraction tent, said his show, which will include new songs as well as old favorites, runs the gamut of emotions, from laughter and happiness to tears and sadness, with some patriotism thrown in along the way.“We never know what we’re going to do when we take the stage,” Tippin said. “It will be fun. This is not your stand behind the microphone tappin’ your toe kind of show.”
Known as the hardest working man in country music, after three years of touring but not recording, Tippin is back in the studio and ready to share his new material with fans.
“I’m as happy as I’ve ever been,” Tippin said during an interview with the Wapakoneta Daily News this week.
Taking a break from recording inside his log home in Tennessee, Tippin said he feels kind of like he is starting over again, only this time with more than 15 years experience under his belt.
“I’m back making the kind of music fans want to hear, not what some music executive sitting behind a desk in Nashville wants to hear,” Tippin said. “I’m writing and singing songs that country music listeners love to hear, the kind of songs that made Aaron Tippin — Aaron Tippin — instead of worrying about someone else’s opinion on the flavor of the week.”
After parting with Lyric Street records in 2004, Tippin began recording a new CD, “Now & Then,” which he released under his own label — NIPPIT — his last name spelled backward, this spring. The CD which features new songs as well as some of Tippin’s greatest hits, includes one song particularly close to his heart, “He Believed,” which he co-wrote with his wife, Thea, about his father who passed away a couple years ago.
Tippin said his father hadthe most significant influence on his life and all the songs on the album reflect that.
“They’re songs you can take out to the garage and listen to while you work on or fix something,” Tippin said of the tribute to not only his father, but fathers and mentors around the country.
Many of the songs include little sayings Tippin’s father has passed down to him, including “can’t never could do nothing,” that hold more meaning today than Tippin may have ever believed they could growing up.
In addition to that album, Tippin plans to release two more, including a trucking album and a bluegrass album, possibly by the end of the year.
He said his biggest challenge is managing his schedule, but he loves editing his own music, something few artists get an opportunity to do.
“I sometimes end up micromanaging every single detail of my career, but I love it,” Tippin said. “It’s a lot of work, but a lot of fun, too.”
Tippin built his reputation with such hardcore honky-tonk performances as “Working Man’s PH.D,” “Kiss This,” “You’ve Got to Stand for Something,” and “There Ain’t Nothin Wrong With The Radio.”
He began his career performing in local honky tonk bars in the 1970s and competed on TNN’s “You Can Be A Star” TV talent contest in 1985, landing a songwriter’s contract and moving to Music City in 1986.
Tippin worked midnight shifts at a Kentucky factory and commuted to Music Row to write songs for artists that have included Diamond Rio, David Ball, Charley Pride, Kenny Chesney and Garth Brooks. When he got home at night he lifted weights as he dreamed of winning (and did) body building competitions, then he went to bed, got up and started the routine all over again day after day.
“I feel really lucky, it’s awesome to be able to record your own song, but it’s the coolest thing when a peer thinks enough of something you wrote to put his reputation on it,” Tippin said.
To this day, Tippin said he draws much of the inspiration for his songs from conversations with regular, everyday folks, often finding that cliches can turn into the best songs.
His first Nashville nightclub show in 1990 earned him a recording contract with RCA records and tour dates that included country superstars such as Brooks & Dunn, Reba McEntire and Hank Williams Jr., but he also has always made time for the troops, starting with a USO tour to Saudi Arabia with Bob Hope during the Gulf War in the early 1990s.
Patriotism was another value his father, who trained U.S. Air Force cadets, instilled in him early on in life.
Along the way, Tippin recorded more hits that spotlighted his unique voice and style, including “My Blue Angel,” “That’s As Close As I’ll Get to Loving You,” “I Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way,” “I Got It Honest,” and “Whole Lotta Love on the Line.”
Tippin recorded several gold and platinum records between 1990 and 1997 and his songs were included in soundtracks to “The Beverly Hilbillies” and “Fire Down Below.”
After signing with Lyric Street records in 1998, Tippin immediately scored back-to-back hits with “For You I Will” and “I’m Leaving.” His popularity spiked again in the new millennium with the chart topping songs “Kiss This” and “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly” as well as an Academy of Country Music award nomination in 2002.
Tippin continues to make annual visits to U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq and has become the celebrity spokesperson for the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Armed Services YMCA which takes care of military families while their spouses are overseas, and the Marines signature program Toys for Tots.
He said he’s part of Stars and Stripes, a group that not only ask troops who they want to see as entertainers, but takes those entertainers to locations not a lot of other performers go.
“It’s a privilege, an honor to do it,” Tippin said. “I wish every American could go and see what they do.”
At every show, Tippin puts together a bike on stage while performing and at the end of each night, he brings a Marine up and donates the bike to the children of that community that are involved in the program. He plans to continue that tradition Thursday in Sidney.
Aaron, a father of three, refers to himself as a jack of all trades and master of none. Self-proclaimed “Mr. Do It Yourself,” who bought a vineyard after discovering a love for wine shortly before marrying his wife more than 10 years ago, said his goal upon retirement is to learn to make a great bottle of red wine.
But in addition to that, he’s spent time honing a variety of skills through the years.
Tippin was a commercial pilot at 17, and is a multi-engine instrument aviator, a skilled helicopter rated pilot and a certified aircraft mechanic.
He’s a welder, truck driver and heavy equipment operator.
An avid hunter, Tippin enjoys spending time with his children, teaching them how to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors. A firearms store he owned for 10 years was converted into his management offices and recording studio in 2005.
Growing up, Tippin said he didn’t know what he wanted to do. From the time he was 4 years old he always thought he would follow in his father’s footsteps flying an airplane, but instead found a love playing in a bluegrass band as a hobby in his early 20s.
“I didn’t want to be a cooperate pilot,” Tippin said. “I decided I liked picking the guitar and singing. I never thought I’d go past the honky tonk bars, but five years after I started I signed a record deal.
“The fans are truly amazing,” he said. “They’re the reason I still have a job. I’m a very lucky man.”v
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Last Updated ( Monday, 28 July 2008 )
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