Author's posts

Meet the Finalist For President of Motlow College Tuesday and Wednesday

Meet and greetMotlow State Community College has named the finalist for president of the school. A meet and greet with the candidates will be held on Tuesday, April 21 and Wednesday, April 22 at the Moore County Campus, Marcum Technology Center Room 105.
Dr. Anthony Kinkel, Tuesday, April 21 from 5:00-5:45pm, also on Tuesday will be Dr. Shanna Jackson 6:00-6:45pm. On Wednesday, April 22 from 5:00-5:45pm you can meet Dr. Michael Torrence and from 6:00-6:45pm Dr. Cynthia Kelley will be the final candidate.
Motlow State Community College President MaryLou Apple will retire effective June 30, 2015.

4/17/15 —- Sam Thomason

Sam Thomason of Estill Springs died peacefully in his sleep  April 17, 2015.

He was preceded in death by his spouse Doris Ann Sheldon Thomason, his parents Katie Mae Kitchen Thomason and Samuel E. Thomason Jr, his brothers: Troy Thomason and Richard Thomason, and his sisters Mildred Whitworth, Grace Mason, Mary Katherine Williams, Lily Mae Pate and Ruby Garwood.

He left behind sons: David W. Thomason and his wife Terri Dale of Atlanta, Barry P. Thomason of Estill Springs and daughter: Kristi T. Anderson of Estill Springs. His grandchildren: Michael A. Thomason and his wife Jenna Thomason of Seattle, Washington and Sara E. Anderson of Chattanooga, TN; his brothers Jack B. Thomason and wife Blanche of Dallas, TX and Gene E. Thomason and wife Betty of Powder Springs, GA. His godchildren: Ted Sheldon and his wife Bonnie Sheldon of La Pas, MS and their 2 children Cody and Sadie, and J. Marshall Sheldon II of La Pas, MS and cousin Arlene Hanlos of White Bear Lake, Minnesota along with many beloved nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.

He was born June 6, 1928 in Loganville, GA. He was the 7th of 10 children. He graduated from Snellville High School. In his late teens while he was working at AC Delco a friend set him up on a blind date. The young woman became his wife when they were married 10 months late at Central Congregational Church of Christ. They had 3 children. Sam worked many second jobs over the years but his passion was working on anything that ran. He and his family moved to Memphis in 1976 where he was a member of Balmoral Presbyterian Church in Memphis. He was a patron of the arts at Germantown Playhouse. Sam retired from AC Delco as a Regional Service Sales Manager in 1985. That year he and his wife moved to Estill Springs where they designed and built their current home. While in Estill Springs he was a Member of Tullahoma 1st Presbyterian Church, Methuselah’s Mob, did volunteer work and received the John Knox Award in 2001. Sam was well known for his love of tinkering with cars and clocks. He was a seasoned traveler and enjoyed traveling especially with his spouse, children, grandchildren and godchildren. In recent years he has suffered from many medical issues which limited his abilities to travel and enjoy his hobbies. He continued to bring hugs to the lives of those that he came in contact with until his death.

Tullahoma Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.flower27

4/22/15 —- Fred Kilby

Fred Kilby, age 87, of Estill Springs, TN, retired from the United States Air Force and Harton Regional Medical Center, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Saturday, April 18, 2015.

Mr. Kilby was born on March 14, 1928 in Wilkes County, NC to Troy Freeman and Nancy Dancy Kilby.

He was drafted into the United States Army at the end of World War II, and completed a degree in business college after being dischanged. He then began his enlisted career in the United States Air Force. He served through the Korean and Viet Nam conflicts, retiring in 1976 as a Senior Master Sergeant from the Air Force’s Organization of Special Investigations (OSI).

Upon retirement, Mr. Kilby moved with his family to what became his permanent home in the Duncantown Community of Estill Springs, TN. He was employed locally by Harton Regional Medical Center in Tullahoma, retiring from their Materials Management department in 1998.

He was an active Deacon and choir member of his beloved Hope Baptist Church in Cowan, TN. He was a former member of the Captitol Hill Lions Club and a charter member of the Franklin County TN 911 board.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Kilby is preceded in death by two daughters, Kathy Lynn and Deborah Kay Kilby; seven brothers, Don, John, Bennie, Lake, Troy, and Gwen Kilby; and one sister, Nellie Mae Kilby. He is survived by his wife Irene Elliott Kilby; two sons, Duane Kilby and his wife Joan of Gallatin, and David Kilby and his wife Tracy of Manchester; one sister, Linda Holloway and her husband James of Wilkes County, NC; and five grandchildren whom he adored, in addition to numerous cousins.

Visitation for Mr. Kilby will be held on Tuesday, April 21st, 2015 from 5:00-8:00 pm at Kilgore Funeral Home.

Funeral services will take place Wednesday, April 22nd at 2:00 pm in the Kilgore Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Bill Owens officiating.

Burial will military honors will follow at Hillsboro Methodist Cemetery in Hillsboro, TN.

Kilgore Funeral Home in charge of arrange of arrangements.

veteran4

State Troopers Make Drug Bust On I-24

THP 3Members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s (THP) West Bureau Interdiction Plus team discovered approximately one and a half pounds of crystal methamphetamine on a routine traffic stop last week in Coffee County.
Trooper Jeremy Miller initiated a traffic stop on a 2008 Honda Accord for speeding in a construction zone near mile marker 124 on Interstate 24 westbound at approximately 10:36 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
Trooper Miller noticed marijuana residue on the floor mat on the passenger side of the vehicle. The investigating trooper asked the driver to exit the vehicle, when she began to roll up the windows and lock the doors. She also attempted to call someone on her cell phone. However, after additional dialogue with the trooper, the driver exited the vehicle without incident.
Trooper Miller then requested THP Sgt. Wayne Dunkleman and his drug detector canine to respond to the scene to assist. During the deployment of the K-9, the driver of the vehicle became nervous and agitated. The K-9 eventually gave a positive alert to drugs on the vehicle.
The troopers uncovered a box of diapers in the back seat and found that the box flaps had been glued down and taped. A search of the diapers revealed approximately one and a half pounds of crystal methamphetamine (ICE) within two sleeves of pampers.
Ashton Jones, 27, of Atlanta, Ga., was arrested and charged with possession of schedule II drugs with intent to sell and deliver, simple possession of schedule VI drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia and speeding. She was taken to the Coffee County Jail.

Local Business To Grow At Tullahoma Airport

Tullahoma Airport

Tullahoma Airport

A Florida company has announced that it is joining with a company based at the Tullahoma Regional Airport.
Sarasota Avionics will be teaming up with XP Services in providing Garmin equipment for aircraft. XP Services is located in the northwest section of the airport property.
The Florida company is known worldwide for installing flight equipment on airplanes.
“We will be a full-fledged Garmin dealer and sell avionics equipment,” Armstrong said.
He said at least six to eight new jobs will be created and that the business will be operating out of an existing hangar that XP Services has at the airport.
Airport manager Jon Glass informed the authority that the state Department of Transportation is scheduled to start construction of a road into the area where XP Services is located in July or August.

Large Drug Bust In Winchester

meth2Late last week Winchester Police executed a search warrant in a joint operation with the FBI and other special agents at a residence located at 815 North High Street in Winchester. The residence has become known as a dispensary of Mexican ICE (methamphetamine). The search produced multiple ounces of crystal methamphetamine (ICE), powder cocaine, marijuana, and a firearm. Suspect, Michael L. Thompkins, of Norcross, Georgia was arrested on scene in possession of a semi-automatic handgun. Thompkins was a convicted armed robber, a violent felon, whom was recently released from a George State Penitentiary. The drugs in the residence were believed to come from MS-13 Gangs associated with Mexican Cartels. Thompkins was arrested on multiple narcotics charges and convicted felon with a firearm and being held on a $100,000.00 bond in Franklin County Jail.

1st National Bank of Manchester Receives Grant

grant_moneyGovernor Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips have awarded $15,014 in Incumbent Worker Training Grants to First National Bank of Manchester. Incumbent Worker Training Grants assist employers with upgrading skills to avoid layoffs of their employees.
“We have to make sure that we have the trained workforce to fill the jobs companies want to create in Tennessee, and these grants are a part of the effort to meet the demands of a very competitive marketplace,” said Governor Haslam.
“So far this year, we have awarded more than $546,000 in Incumbent Worker Grants to 25 Tennessee businesses benefiting 537 workers,” said Commissioner Phillips. “Since the program’s inception,
Incumbent Worker Grants have assisted 675 businesses by providing nearly $16 million to train approximately 53,000 employees.”
In their application for the grant, First National Bank of Manchester stated this grant would upgrade skills while cross-training employees on necessary computer applications, allowing the company to be more competitive and helping to maintain the current workforce.
Workforce Solutions played a key role in awarding the grant to First National Bank of Manchester.
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development administers the Incumbent Worker Training program. The program has been structured to be flexible to meet the business’s training objectives. The business may use public, private, or its own in-house training provider based on the nature of the training.

Plane Crash In Winchester

Downed plane in Winchester

Downed plane in Winchester

Authorities confirmed a small plane crashed just after takeoff at the Winchester Municipal Airport on Saturday.
Officials said the Mooney 21 aircraft had 5 people on board. All 5 suffered injuries and were taken to nearby Southern Tennessee Medical Center for treatment. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said they were expected to survive. The names of those injured have not been released.
Authorities said the plane initially made impact in the ground, skidded across Williams Cove Road, and spun around, stopping partially on the road.
The investigation will be conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Sterling Weekend for Red Raider Soccer

CHS sophomore Breyer Taylor of Red Raider soccer

CHS sophomore Breyer Taylor of Red Raider soccer

“Anyone that says soccer is boring, has never seen a match like this!” proclaimed a jubilant Robert Harper, head coach for the Coffee County High School soccer team following a 1 to 0 thrilling victory on Saturday night at Raider Field.   Coffee County, playing host to the favored Eagles, played 80 minutes of inspired soccer as they controlled the time of possession and outshot the Eagles 18 to 8 on the night.  Lafredo Ramirez was solid between the pipes as he stopped all 8 shots he faced while defensively; the Raiders frustrated the Shelbyville attack as they limited their touches.  The lone Raider goal came in the 23rd minute as Breyer Taylor chased down a long feed from Ernesto Gomez, faked out the Eagle keeper and drilled a left footer into the open net.  The goal was the 15th goal of the year for the Red Raider sophomore.

CHS junior Ernesto Gomez(right) battles for a ball at midfield against a Siegel defender in recent soccer action.

CHS junior Ernesto Gomez(right) battles for a ball at midfield against a Siegel defender in recent soccer action.

Saturday’s win gave the varsity Raiders their 2nd district win in 2 days as the Raiders demolished Lawrence County 10 to 0 on Friday night.  Breyer Taylor had 2 goals and an assist in the match that allowed Coach Harper to clear his bench early.  8 Raiders found the back of the net for Coffee County as Paco Barrera, Ernesto Gomez, Cole Hawkins, Clarison DeBerry, Miquel Mendoza and John Parigger all had single goals while Samuel Brown added 2 goals of his own.

The JV Raiders also had a strong weekend as they were 3 and 0 in Cookeville’s JV Tournament on Saturday.  The Raiders got a 3 to 1 win over McMinn County followed by a pair of shutout wins over Mt. Juliet and Stone Memorial by scores of 1 to 0 and 3 to 0 respectively.

Coffee County returns to the home pitch on Tuesday night for a 7 PM match with Oakland.  That match is set to begin at 7:00 PM.

CCMS Raider Baseball Falls at South Franklin

Hayden Skipper of CCMS baseball

Hayden Skipper of CCMS baseball

Scoring 2 runs on a suicide squeeze proved to be the winning advantage as South Franklin’s baseball team dropped the Coffee County Middle School Raiders 4 to 3 on Friday afternoon in Winchester. The Raiders, coming off a disappointing sweep by Tullahoma, got 6 strong innings on the mound from 7th grade left-hander Hayden Skipper. Tyler Serber continued to swing a hot bat for the Raiders in the losing effort and Cody Esslinger had a big hit. The Raiders open up their final week of the regular season on Monday as they open up a 2 game series with Warren County on Monday in McMinnville. The Raiders will host their last home game of the year on Tuesday against Warren County with their 8th grade night. First pitch for both games is set for 5:00 PM.