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8/30/14 — CLARECE ELIZABETH BROWN BURKS
CLARECE ELIZABETH BROWN BURKS, age 74 of Winchester, Tenn. departed this life when the Lord called her home on Saturday, August 23, 2014, from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.
Ms. Burks was born in Decherd, Tenn., to the late John L. Brown and Louvernia McFarland Brown on October 23, 1939, she was the second of eighteen children.
Ms. Burks was a very loyal and dedicated member of the New Hope Church of God in Christ in Cowan, Tenn. She served on the Mothers Board, sang in the choir, worked in the kitchen and anywhere else she was needed in the Church. Ms. Clarece began working for the Franklin County Board of Education in February of 1966 as an Education Assistant. She retired in May, 2001 after 35 years of service.
In addition to her parents, Ms. Burks was preceded in death by her husband, Leroy Varnell Burks, son, Leroy Burks, Jr. and three of her siblings.
Ms. Burks “Meme” is survived by her five children; Patricia (Roger) Jelks of Winchester, Vanessa (Roderic) Richardson of Smyrna, Nona (Hubert) Hendon of Winchester, Shannon Burks, Millard (Lolita) Burks all of Murfreesboro, Tenn., and eleven grandchildren and twenty-four great-grandchildren.
Visitation with the family will be held from 11:00 A.M. until service time at 1:00 P.M. Saturday, August 30, 2014, at the New Hope Church of God in Christ, 300 Cowan Street, E., Cowan, Tenn., with Superintendent, Willie Bonner, Jr. officiating.
Interment will follow in the Franklin Memorial Gardens in Winchester beside her beloved husband.
8/29/14 —– Denis Andrew Root
Denis Andrew Root of Fayetteville passed this life on Saturday, August 23rd, 2014 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville at the age of 73.
Mr. Root was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts to the late Henry A. and Cora-lou Noonan Root.
During his life he worked as an Agricultural Planner for Toddy Hollow Inc. and was a member of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church and the St. Andrews Brotherhood.
Mr. Root is survived by his wife, Claire Root of Fayetteville, Tennessee; three daughters, Jennifer Sanders and her husband Ed of Calera, Alabama, Mary Ann Watts and her husband Andy of Danville, Indiana, and Louise Rein and her husband Clark of Ottawa, Kansas; one son, Sean Root and his wife Larissa of Nashville, Tennessee ; one brother, Henry Root and his wife Jana of Fort Wayne, Indiana; one sister, Victoria O’Neal and her husband Tom of Rhode Island; and thirteen grandchildren, Gerry, Josh, Jon, and Emily Sanders, Jamie Russell, Lindsey McGlaun, Keely Watts, Margaret Grace Root, Elizabeth, William, Ragan, and Briley Rein, and Jena Gray.
Visitation for Mr. Root will be held on Friday, August 29th, 2014 from 4:00-5:30 pm at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Tullahoma with a memorial service to immediately follow at 5:30 pm with Father Michael Murphy, Father James Pappas, and Father Randal Dunnavant officiating.
For those who wish, in lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to either the St. Barnabas Episcopal Church Building Fund, 110 East Lincoln Street, Tullahoma, Tennessee 37388, or to the National Kidney Foundation at 30 East 33rd Street, New York, New York 10016.
8/27/14 —- Charles Edwin, “Charlie”, “Bubber”, Vaughn
Funeral services for Mr. Charles Edwin, “Charlie”, “Bubber”, Vaughn, age 81 of Manchester, will be Wednesday, August 27, 2014 at 2 p.m. at Manchester Funeral Home Chapel with David Petty, Winston Clinedinst, and Jamey Hurst officiating.
Visitation with the family will be Tuesday, August 26th from 5 – 9 p.m. at the Manchester Funeral Home.
Mr. Vaughn passed away early Monday morning at Bailey Manor in Manchester.
Mr. Vaughn was born in Beechgrove, TN to the late Olan and Bessie Mae Floyd Vaughn who were also of the Beechgrove community.
Charles served in the US Army. He was employed at Genesco for 36 years as a supervisor and where he earned several certifications. After leaving Genesco, he worked for Wal-Mart for 15 years. Charles was a very dedicated member of the Manchester Church of God, loved The Smoky Mountains, working in the yard and the garden, fixing anything that was broken, being a mechanic, spending time with family, and talking to people. He had a special interest in feeding birds and squirrels where he earned yet another nickname “Purple Martin Man”.
In addition to his parents, Charles was also preceded in death by one sister, Oneita Floyd and two brothers-in-law Jr. Floyd and Roy Green and son-in-law, Jack Hurst.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Lula Frances Wimberley Vaughn, son, Ronald (Tina) Vaughn of Manchester, and two daughters, Joyce (Dan) Huddleston of Cookeville and Charlene (Jonathan) Tosh of Manchester; four sisters, Thelma “Sis”(Ervin) Green, Wavelyne (Grady) Brown, Margie Green, and Geraldine (Thurman) Lemons, all of Manchester. Charles was blessed with eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association – Highland Rim Chapter at 201 West Lincoln St., Tullahoma, TN 37388
MANCHESTER FUNERAL HOME IS HONORED TO SERVE THE Vaughn Family
Prep Roundup For Monday (August 25)
Coffee County Middle School soccer girls traveled to Tullahoma on Monday for a conference match. The Lady Raiders remain undefeated at 5-0 on the season after a 4-2 win over the Lady Cats. Jenna Garretson and Morgan Henley scored first half goals to help Coffee Middle to a 2-1 advantage at halftime. Sam Ellison kicked in the two 2nd half goals. The Lady Raiders travel to Sparta on Tuesday for a conference match with White County at 5 PM. The Lady Raiders will be at home on Thursday as they host Algood beginning at 5:30pm.
In middle school volleyball action on Monday the Coffee Middle Lady Raiders split a Varsity/JV doubleheader on their home floor with Warren County. The Lady Raider varsity fell 25-15 and 25-17 while the JV Raiders won their match 25-20 and 25-23. The Lady Raiders will be back on the court today (Tuesday) as they host South Lincoln at 6pm.
In freshman football the Raider Academy took on Tullahoma. At the end of the 1st quarter it was beginning to look like a high scoring game as the Cats led 14-8. In the 2nd the Raider offence would get it rolling taking a 28-20 lead at halftime. In the 3rd the Raider freshmen upped their lead by scoring twice to make the score 42-20 going into the 4th. The scoring just kept on coming as Coffee County added 2 more TD’s and two more 2-point conversion and walked away with a 58-20 win over Tullahoma.
The next game for the freshmen Raiders will be September 14 at Cookeville.
Tonight (Tuesday) the Coffee Middle Raiders will take on Tullahoma in the annual “Coffee Cup” game at Carden-Jarrell Field in Manchester. Thunder Radio will have the broadcast with Dennis Weaver beginning at 6:20pm with kickoff set for 6:30pm.
Basketball Skills Clinic, Bucks Meet and Greet scheduled at Motlow College Aug. 30
Motlow College men’s head basketball coach Matt Sligh is inviting basketball hopefuls throughout the area to learn basic hoops fundamentals and meet the 2014-15 Bucks’ team during a skills clinic on Saturday, Aug. 30, at Nisbett Center on the Moore County campus. Registration is scheduled for 8:30 a.m., with the clinic to begin at 9 a.m. and end at noon. Following the clinic, participants will have the option of purchasing lunch and watching the Bucks perform drills and compete in contests on the Copperweld Arena floor. The clinic is open to boys and girls from age kindergarten through high school seniors. The cost is $25 per child or $40 for families with two children attending. The optional lunch cost is $5. To register for the skills clinic, visit the Motlow College athletics web site, www.MotlowSports.com and print the registration form, fill it out, and mail it to the address provided on the form. Registration can also be completed by emailing Coach Sligh (msligh@mscc.edu).
Manchester and Tullahoma Will Vote On Wine Sells In Grocery Stores
In November Coffee County voters will be voting yes or no on a wheel tax. Now Manchester and Tullahoma are among municipalities across the state that obtained enough signatures to have wine-in-grocery-stores referendums placed on the Nov. 4 ballot.
If the “yes” votes win, shoppers will still have to wait nearly two years for wine to actually appear on grocery shelves, since the bill requires grocery stores to wait until July 1, 2016.
The law allowing voters a choice on wine sells has given liquor stores the option of selling items they have never sold before. Liquor stores can now sell a wide variety of new items including corkscrews, mixers, snacks, beer and cigarettes.
Army Surplus Items Helping Police
Since 1993, Tennessee law enforcement agencies have received more than 41,000 military surplus items worth at least $121 million, much of that going to the state’s smaller cities and counties.
According to a Tennessean report based on data from the state Department of General Services, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office leads the pack at $9.7 million in equipment. It is followed by the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office, $8.1 million, Livingston Police, $4.5 million, Parsons Police, $4.2 million and the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department at $3.8 million in equipment.
Over the past nine years, Tennessee has moved from 47th in the nation to the top 10 in acquiring military surplus.
Shelbyville Man Arrested For Doctor Shopping
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced the arrest of Brian Keith Tucker, 39, of Shelbyville.
Tucker, is charged in Bedford County with three counts of doctor shopping. The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the arrest.
“The fraudulent misuse of TennCare benefits is a serious issue but Tennessee is out front in cracking down on these types of crimes,” Acting Inspector General Lawrence S. Saylor, Jr., said. “Health care providers and their employees have become very good at spotting these cases and they’re as committed as we are to winning the war against TennCare fraud.”
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge. District Attorney General Robert Carter will be prosecuting the Bedford County case.
The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to over $3.5 million paid in restitution and recoupment to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of over $173 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 2,171 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.
Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions. Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tn.gov/tnoig/ and follow the prompts that read “Report TennCare Fraud.”
Teenager Committed To Department of Children’s Services
The Warren County High School student who took a gun to school last week prompting a lockdown has pled guilty in Juvenile Court to the charge of delinquency to the act of possessing a firearm on school property. The teenager has been committed to the Department of Children’s Services. There he is expected to receive rehabilitation and educational services. Some students said they saw the 17 year-old with the gun that turned out to be a loaded .22 caliber handgun inside a locker at the McMinnville school.
Tennesseans Celebrate “The Year of Wilderness”

PHOTO: The landmark legislation that has protected thousands of acres of wild lands in Tennessee and millions nationwide will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary. The Wilderness Act was signed on Sept. 3, 1964. Photo credit: Laura Hodge
Residents across the state are preparing to celebrate a historic anniversary – the 50th year of the Wilderness Act. The act was signed into law on Sept. 3, 1964, establishing the National Wilderness Preservation System “as a mechanism to have kind of a unified way of giving protections to wild places that we want to give our highest protection to,” said Tennessee playwright and wilderness enthusiast Jim Pfitzer, “places where we don’t want to have any road building or developments or mineral extractions, that kind of thing.” Initially, some 9 million acres of wildlands were set aside for the use and benefit of the American people. During the past half-century, Congress has added another 100 million acres. In Tennessee, thousands of acres of the most beautiful natural areas have been protected. Still, Pfitzer said, it’s important that while looking back at the success, people also look ahead to the future. “There are assaults on wilderness from several fronts right now, people who would like to see the law changed,” he said, “So I think it’s real important that people don’t just rest on what we’ve already done. We say we protect things in perpetuity, but laws can be changed.” A celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act will be held Sept. 3 at the East Tennessee History Center in downtown Knoxville. More information is online at wildsouth.org and at jimpfitzer.com.