Dr. MaryLou Apple, Motlow College president, Billy Hix, associate professor of education and director of the Motlow STEM program, and Jan Rogers, director of Advancement, invite the public to the October Skies Motlow College Star Party on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Regions Bank parking lot on the Moore County campus.

The Motlow College Foundation and the Motlow STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) outreach program invite the public to attend the annual October Skies Motlow College Star Party on Motlow’s Moore County campus. The program is free and begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, in the Regions Bank parking lot.
The event is outdoors, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs, bug spray, and jackets if desired. If there is inclement weather the program will be rescheduled for a later date.
The Star Party will feature a short lesson on an astronomy topic and a planetarium program utilizing the viewable stars in the night sky. Those in attendance will learn about facts concerning the stars. The night will conclude with viewing objects through telescopes, weather permitting.
The Motlow College Foundation is accepting donations to the STEM endowment fund to support this program into the future. Interested donors should contact Jan Rogers at 931-393-1692 or email jrogers@mscc.edu.
For more about the Motlow STEM program, contact Billy Hix by calling 931-393-1609 or email bhix@mscc.edu.

A 63-year-old man’s body was found in the Duck River early Monday morning.
According to the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, a passerby discovered William Harris’ body floating in the river located off Hopkins Bridge Road, near the Riverview Primitive Campground, around 7:30 a.m.
Authorities said there were no obvious signs of foul play. His death remains under investigation.
Harris was a nearby resident, investigators said.
His body has been taken to the state medical examiner’s office to determine the cause of death.

The Motlow College honors program is currently selling cookbooks as its final fundraiser for the academic year, according to Dr. Scott Cook, associate professor of history and honors program advisor.
The cookbook, titled “Food For Thought,” is a compilation of recipes from honors program students and faculty, and contains approximately 250 recipes.
The cost is $15 per copy and pre-orders will be accepted until Friday, Oct. 3. The book can be ordered by contacting an honors student or Dr. Cook. While a text-only copy is available, the printed version will feature the artwork of honors program students.
“This is a student-driven project,” said Cook. “Students submitted recipes and one of our honors scholars, Heather Morris, took the lead and joined me in entering the majority of the recipes. Another honors scholar, Sarah Temple, designed the cover and artwork for the different sections of the book.
“The table has always been a place where the honors fellowship comes together, and to share that experience we have put this cookbook together in the spirit of community that lives within this program, this college, and the service area,” added honors student Robin Keel.
For more information about the fundraiser or the honors program, contact Dr. Scott Cook by calling 931-393-1738 or email scook@mscc.edu.

Actual package left at the Jiffy Burger.. Photo by Barry West. Click on picture to enlarge.

A suspicious package was found at a Manchester business on Monday afternoon. Adayna Pennington an employee at the Jiffy Burger on the Hillsboro Blvd witnessed a man acting strangely walking around in the parking lot carrying a clipboard. Pennington said the man walked to his SUV and came back toward the business carrying what appeared to be an ammo box and placed outside near the backside of the building.
Manchester Police was called to the scene and began investigating. Authorities evacuated the Jiffy Burger, Hardee’s and the library.

Suspect is backing out of the Jiffy Burger parking lot in the small white SUV. Picture is from surveillance video at Hardee’s.

Manchester Police, Coffee County Emergency Management, Coffee County deputies, Manchester Fire and Rescue and Coffee County EMS were all on the scene on stand-by.
Manchester Police blocked off a portion of Hwy 41 (Hillsboro Blvd) so no traffic could drive near the threatened area.
The bomb squad from Christiana, TN was called in to take care of the package. They used a water cannon device to destroy the metal box.
Manchester Assistant Police Chief Adam Floied told WMSR News that authorities discovered that similar devices are used in a game called Geocaching. This is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called “geocaches” or “caches”, anywhere in the world.

Bomb squad member working on destroying the package… Photo by Barry West

A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook (with a pen or pencil). The geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name. After signing the log, the cache must be placed back exactly where the person found it. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (Tupperware or similar) or ammunition boxes can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little financial value, although sometimes they are sentimental.