Jan. 23– A Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency secretary working out of the Jackson office was pocketing cash collected at pay-to-fish ponds and lakes, a special report from the state comptroller of the treasury released today reveals.

A "pay lake" is a private body of water that charges a fee to fish, a fee per pound of fish, or a fee only if a fish is caught.

According to the audit, the missing funds, totaling nearly $4,700 for the period of May through October of 2009, came from honor boxes at various lakes

Pam Lefler, the former secretary for the TWRA Region I office which serves Hardin County, admitted to keeping the pay lake funds, telling authorities she was "under extreme financial distress" and took the money with the intent of paying it back later.

Jan. 18– With new housing starts still showing weakness, an Aqua Glass plant is shutting down.

Parent company Masco Bath told The Courier this afternoon that the Aqua Glass manufacturing facility in Klamath Falls, Ore., will cease production activities March 30.

Like the Aqua Glass plant in Adamsville, the west coast facility makes bathroom and shower products.

The Adamsville operation has seen several rounds of layoffs in the wake of the slow housing market.

"This was an especially difficult decision because of the quality of the workforce, but necessary due to economic conditions," said Kathleen Vokes, director of communications for Masco Corporation.