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Fire Crews Battle Two Interstate Truck Fires
New Union VFD requested manpower and mutual aid response from Manchester Fire-Rescue. When crews arrived on scene, the tractor had separated itself from the trailer, and firemen attacked the trailer fire which was fully engulfed when crews arrived on the scene. The 18-wheeler was loaded with cotton.
Manchester Fire Chief George Chambers says that all crews on the scene did a great job of controlling and extinguishing the fire. He added that it was a joint effort by all the responding departments. Chambers went on to say, “By providing assistance to each other is key to our success in the county, and crews did a great job of coming together to extinguish this fire, and get the interstate open quicker.”
Traffic was shut down on the interstate for several hours while emergency crews cleaned up the scene. No injuries were reported.
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Fire crews from New Union and Manchester were back at it Sunday morning around 9:15am. Apparently the brakes on an 18-wheeler hauling new automobiles caught fire. According to one firemen one of new cars was completely destroyed along with the cab of the truck. I-24 traffic was closed while fire crews battled the blazing truck. No one was injured.
Unemployment Rate Drops in Coffee County
County unemployment rates for January show the rates decreased in 82 counties, increased in 12 and remained the same in one county.
Coffee County’s unemployment rate for January was 4.7 percent, a drop of a half a percentage point from the December rate of 5.2 percent.
Warren County went down from 5.2 to 4.6 percent. Bedford County fell from a December rate of 5.7 percent to 5% in January. Franklin County also saw their unemployment rate fall from 4.9 percent to 4.6%. Grundy County dropped from 7.2 to 6.7 percent. Down in neighboring Moore County the rate dropped from 4.1 percent in December to 3.8 % in January. Cannon County went from 5.3 to 4.8 percent.
Williamson County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 3.2 percent, while Houston County had the highest at 8.9 percent.
Winchester Police Needing the Public’s Help
Investigators are hoping someone saw or heard something the afternoon of Dec. 31 at the stop light on Dinah Shore Boulevard at Highway 41 when a 2008 Kia optima driven by 83-year-old Mary Parks ran into a minivan, killing 7-year-old twins and seriously injuring their parents.
Up to this point, all authorities know is Parks told first responders the car ran away with her accelerating to 90 miles per hour.
Initial reports indicate Parks didn’t attempt to brake, making federal investigators believe the car malfunctioned.
Winchester police are waiting on findings from the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency.
Drivers in the area at the time of the crash are asked to call Officer Kelly Gass at 931-967-3840.
Parks died days after the accident, so police don’t have a lot to go on.
A memorial is set for John and James Hill March 19 at their school, Deerfield Elementary.
Manchester Board of Education meets Monday Afternoon
The Manchester Board of Education is set to meet Monday at Westwood Elementary School beginning at 4:00 p.m. During this meeting discussion will take place about hiring the next Director of Schools. The board recently wrapped up interviewing 6 finalist for the position; Dr. Sharon Harper, Dr. Charles Lawson, Mr. Chad Fletcher, Dr. William Childers, Dr. Don McPherson and Sharon Edwards.
The board could decide on the new director at the meeting or according to school officials the decision could be pushed to a future date.
3/13/16 — Vera D. Stepp
Funeral services for Mrs. Vera D. Stepp, age 83 of Beechgrove, will be conducted Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 2:00 PM at Coffee County Funeral Chapel with Reverend Louis Johnson and Brother Tom Brantley officiating. Burial will follow at Beechgrove Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Saturday, March 12, 2016 from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Coffee County Funeral Chapel.
Mrs. Stepp was born on April 5, 1932 in Franklin County, Tennessee. She was a member of Bell Springs United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Stepp was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Mary Daniel; her loving husband, Max Neal Daniel; 4 brothers and 4 sisters. Survivors include her daughter, Mary Jane Stepp (Danny) Myers; grandchildren, Jamie Myers, Austin Myers and Morgan Myers.
Coffee County Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements
3/16/16 — Wanda Diane Davis
Funeral services for Mrs. Wanda Diane Davis, age 63 of Manchester, will be conducted Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 1 PM at Coffee County Funeral Chapel with burial to follow in Fredonia Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be held Tuesday, March 15, 2016 from 5-8 PM and on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 from 12-1PM at Coffee County Funeral Chapel.
Mrs. Davis was born October 2, 1952 in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is preceded in death by her parents, Charles C. Perdue, Jr. and Nellie S. Perdue.
Her survivors include her loving husband, Steven A. Davis, Sr.; son, Steven A. Davis, Jr. (Kimberly); daughters, Cindy Dunn, Lorrie Vickers (Brian); brother, Charles C. Perdue, III. (Barbara) and his family; sister, Vanessa L. Eanes (Ike) and her family; 8 grandchildren including Austin, McKenzie and Skylar Davis; 9 great-grandchildren; and her faithful poodle companions, Honey and Shadow.
Coffee County Funeral Chapel in charge of the arrangements
3/15/16 — Georgia Fay Garner Rieder
Mrs. Georgia Fay Garner Rieder age 94 of Pelham, Tennessee passed away Sunday morning, March 13, 2016, at her home. She was born in Franklin County, a daughter of the late Lou Allen Garner and Mary Catherine Hayes Garner and was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd H. Rieder; grandson, Mark L. Mayes; sisters, Reba Baker and Gertrude Gipson; brothers, Eugene, Dewey and Jim Hayes Garner.
Mrs. Rieder was a faithful member of The Church of Christ. Survivors include her daughters, Linda (Kenneth) Mayes, Sandra (Fred) Hale both of Tracy City; grandchildren, Kenneth R. Mayes, Melinda Harrub, Ben Hale and Beth Myers; 8 great-grandchildren, several nieces and nephews.
The family wants to give a special thank to Mrs. Rieder’s caregivers, Linda Smith, Brooke Kilgore, Jane Hill, Kim Meeks, Bonnie Bodine, Faye Henley and Kay and also to East Tennessee Hospice.
Funeral services will be 11:00 A.M. Tuesday in the funeral home chapel with Minister Ray Winton and Ben Hale officiating. Burial will be in Warren Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Ben Hale, Ken Mayes, Bill Rieder, Tim Rieder, Sam Myers, Jay Myers, Clinton Myers and Brad Harrub. The family will receive friends Monday 5-8 P.M. at the funeral home. On line condolences may be made at: www.cumberlandfuneralhome.net.
Arrangements are by Cumberland Funeral Home
3/19/16 — Joy Bean Martinez
Joy Bean-Martinez was called home on March 9, 2016. She was born on January 3, 1966 in Winchester, Tennessee to Athen Thomas Bean and the late Annie Myrtle Brannon Bean. In addition to her mother, Joy is also preceded in death by her son, Lucas Martinez Jr.; sister, Deborah A. Taylor; and brothers, Athen Thomas Bean III and Don A. Bean. Joy leaves behind to cherish her memory, daughter, Saniya LaCole Shanes – Bean; sons, James Allen Crutchfield and Justin Adam Crutchfield both of Tullahoma; grandchildren, Kylan Bean, Uriyah Bean, and Shadimon Williams; father, Athen Thomas (Barbara) Bean of Winchester; brother, James (Cynthia) Kincherlow of Patterson, NJ; and sisters, Beverly Wilkerson and Teresa (Victor) Carden, both of Estill Springs, Jimmie (Tony) Taylor and Annette (Scott) Mosley both of Winchester. Visitation will be held Saturday, March 19, 2016 from 12-2pm at Friendship United Primitive Baptist Church with funeral service following at 2pm. Interment will follow in Watson-North Memorial Park with family and friends serving as pallbearers.
Moore-Cortner Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements
3/19/16 — Saniya LaCole Bean
Saniya LaCole Shanes – Bean was called home on March 10, 2016. Born on March 25, 2001 in Lebanon, TN. Saniya attended Tullahoma High School where she was a freshman. Saniya is preceded in death by her father, Don A. Bean; mother, Joy Bean – Martinez; and grandmothers, Annie Bean and Pam Carter. Saniya leaves behind to cherish her memories, mother, Angela Shanes; sisters, Jasmine Bean of Columbus, GA, Taleisa Bean of Fayetteville, and Jaelyn Leggett-Bean of Winchester; brothers, Anthony “Day” Gaines of Nashville, Jordon Legget – Bean of Winchester and Donovan Batey of Woodbury; grandparents, Ken Carter of Nashville and Athen T. (Barbara) Bean Jr. of Winchester, great-grandmother, Gertrude Carter of Nashville; best friend and cousin, Shadimon Williams of Tullahoma; nieces and nephews, Malaysia, Adon, Kenyon and Amara; aunts, Beverly Wilkerson and Teresa Carden both of Estill Springs, Jimmie Taylor and Annette Mosley both of Winchester, Abby Carter and Tara Bond of Nashville; and uncles, James Kincherlow of Paterson, NJ and Clint Carter of Nashville. She also leaves behind a host of great aunts, great uncles, cousins and friends. Visitation for Saniya will be held on Saturday, March 19, 2016 from 12-2 pm at Friendship United Primitive Baptist with the funeral service following at 2pm. Interment will follow in Watson-North Memorial Park with family and friends serving as pallbearers.
Moore-Cortner Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements
3/13/16 — Warren Dale Underwood
Our beloved father and dedicated husband, Warren Dale “Woody” Underwood,
died Friday at age 78 in his home in Tullahoma surrounded by his family.
Warren was retired from the Air Force, where he served our country as a
B36 bomber mechanic. He attended the Spartan College of Aeronautics and
Technology in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he met his wife whom he loved
faithfully for the last 55 years. He enjoyed a 39 year career, working
in the propulsion wind tunnel complex at Arnold engineering Development
Center, retiring in 2000. Woody was born June 4, 1937, the son of Samuel
Underwood and Dorothy DuBois, the fourth child in a hard-working farming
family in Woodbury, Tennessee. He attended Central High School in
Nashville, Tennessee, receiving his diploma in 1955. Much of Woody’s
life was defined by his sacrificial love for his family. He is survived
by his loving wife, Sherry; dedicated sister, Gladys Bogle; and three
children, Terry Underwood, Susan Sudberry, and Jimmy Underwood. Woody
was proud that his hard work and commitment to his children resulted in
all three kids graduating from Tennessee Tech University. He was blessed
with five grandchildren, Tyler Maxey, and Zachary, Madison, Abigail, and
Sarah Beth Underwood. Woody developed a love for sports while coaching
three children in softball and baseball. He impacted the lives of many
young men in Tullahoma, coaching Little League baseball for 8 years and
Babe Ruth baseball for 3 years. Visitation for Woody will be held on
Sunday, March 13th, 2016 at Kilgore Funeral Home from 2:00-4:00pm with a
memorial service to celebrate his life to immediately follow at 4:00pm.
Kilgore Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.