By The Numbers: Hawkins Stats Look Good For 'three Star' Renewal In 2015

 ROGERSVILLE — Hawkins County's education scores are improving, obesity is on the decline, and the crime rate is decreasing, which bodes well for the county's 2015 application to remain part of the state's Three Star program.Rogersville Chamber of Commerce Director Nancy Barker told the Hawkins County Commission on Monday that Hawkins County was accepted into the Three Star program again for 2013-14 and will be applying again in April 2015.Being accepted into the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development's Three Star program provides counties increased grant eligibility, as well as access to funding and grants for business development, downtown programs, and community improvements in areas of safety, education, work force development, and health and welfare.As part of that application process, Hawkins County must show improvement in four specific categories, and Barker told the commission that the county had succeeded in meeting that goal.In the public safety category, Hawkins County's crime rate decreased 17.4 percent, from 60 per 1,000 people in 2012 to 49.6 per 1,000 people in 2013.The education and work force development category focuses strongly on education.Improvements identified by Barker for purposes of the Three Star application included increasing math proficiency 6.8 percent from 48.8 percent in 2013-13 to 52.2 percent in 2013-14; improved high school graduation rate 1.3 percent from 90.3 percent in 2012-13 to 91.5 percent in 2013-14; and improved average ACT scores 4.4 percent, from 18 in 2012-13 to 18.8 in 2013-14.In the health and welfare category, Hawkins County decreased its obesity rate from 51 percent in 2011-12 to 50.3 percent in 2012-13 — the latest statistics currently available.In the fourth category, fiscal strength and efficient government, the Hawkins County Commission met a required improvement by creating a new audit committee."These are some great numbers for Hawkins County, and we're very proud to be a part of helping do that," Barker told the commission.Hawkins County's current adult obesity rate is 34.5 percent, above the state average of 32.1 percent.Hawkins County also exceeds the state average for adult smokers.