A Manchester woman has filed a $300,000 lawsuit against a company in connection with an explosion that occurred in 2011.
Johnnie Turner of Shady Grove Road filed the suit in Coffee County Circuit Court last month against the Tennessee Bio-Energy, Inc, Consolidated Bioenergy LLC, Andrew Brindle and Oakley Gentry following an explosion that occurred July 30, 2011 at the biodiesel production facility just outside Manchester which is known as TBE and CBE.
She alleges in the suit that because of the explosion she was “forced to evacuate her home as a result of the toxic fumes and explosions, and her water supply continues to be contaminated with petroleum compounds as a result of release of toxic chemicals from the facility.”
Turner is asking for “at least $300,000 to compensate her for decrease value of her property, loss of quality of life, aggravation and inconvenience and past and future out of pocket expenses” that she has suffered due to the result of the company’s “negligence, trespass and maintenance of a nuisance.”
Also asked in the suit is relief that the Court might see necessary and discretionary cost, clerk’s cost and general relief.
Turner is represented by attorney Russell Thomas of Murfreesboro and Gary A. Davis of Asheville, North Carolina.
This is only one side of the legal issue.

Motorists heading to the gas pumps are finding the cheapest August gas prices since 2010. On August 1, 2010, the national average price was $2.74. Since that time, average prices on August 1 ranged from $3.52 in 2012, to $3.71 in 2011. The current average of $3.50 is 3 cents cheaper than last week and the discount at the pump should continue in the near future.
“Typically gasoline prices fluctuate in July and August, but for the most part, prices have steadily declined,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Oil prices decreased dramatically last week, so there’s no reason gas prices should go up any time soon.
Oil prices plummeted last week. The price for a barrel settled at 97.88 on the NYMEX Friday – $4.21 less, compared to a week ago. That was the biggest weekly decline in seven months, and the lowest settlement since February. Refineries are running at record levels and there is more than enough gasoline in the market, which has helped bring down prices despite multiple overseas conflicts.
The current average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in Tennessee is $3.27. The low price in Manchester is $3.17 per gallon and in Tullahoma the low price stands at $3.18.

August is National Breastfeeding Month, and that has supporters touting the benefits of mother’s milk, often called nature’s perfect baby food.
Marian Tompson, one of the founders of the La Leche League, says mothers who breastfeed can reduce their risk for diabetes, cardiovascular conditions and some forms of cancer.
And for the baby, she says there is a variety of health benefits as well, such as a stronger immune system, better motor development and a reduction in allergies.
“There have been thousands of studies during the past 50 years that confirm babies are healthier when they’re breastfed,” she adds. “And it makes sense because they’re getting the food that was meant for their growth and development.”
Tompson says when La Leche League was founded in the 1950s, fewer than one-in-five mothers started out breastfeeding her baby. Today that figure is 79 percent.
While more mothers are starting with breastfeeding and they are nursing for longer on average, Tompson says there are still too many who quit in those first weeks or months, often because the moms have to return to work and are separated from their babies.
“I think our culture could do things to make it a little easier for those women, with flex-time, with allowing them to have a baby close by where they could get over to nurse,” she stresses. “And I think we have to appreciate how important breastfeeding is to us all.”
One initiative that is already having a positive impact, explains Tompson, is the growing number of hospitals in the U.S. that are gaining certification as breastfeeding-friendly. There are now nearly 200 of them across 44 states.