Sylvester Norman nephew of Manchester Mayor Lonnie Norman passed away unexpectedly on Monday. The 51 year-old Norman was recently elected as Seat 1 Constable in Coffee County. He also served as a crossing guard for the City of Manchester and was a captain on the Coffee County Rescue Squad. You can read more about Norman and his arrangements on our obituaries page at www.wmsrradio.com.
WMSR News talked with Coffee County Administrator of Elections Vernita Davis about Norman’s constable seat and she says the local Democratic Party will nominate someone, send that name to Nashville for approval and back to her for admission to the August ballot. The name must be selected by June 13 at noon.

On Sunday morning April 27th at approximately 1:00am Morrison, Tenn., resident Bridgette Haley died of blunt-force trauma to her head and upper body in Franklin County. The suspect Robert Troy Whipple, 47 of Winchester has not been charged with her slaying because the site where the homicide took place has not yet been identified.
The 46 year-old Haley, was found after law enforcement stopped the car her body was found in on Chase Bend Road in Estill Springs following a pursuit that started outside of Decherd, traveled the back roads to the outer Tullahoma City limits and back to Estill Springs.
Whipple ran after police stopped the vehicle he was driving and then fought with officers. After being captured Whipple was booked into the Franklin County jail where he remains.

County unemployment rates for April 2014, show the rate decreased in all 95 counties. In Coffee County we fell from 6.1% to 5.1. Bedford County went down from 6.5 to 5.6%. Over in Cannon County the unemployment rate in March was 5.7%, going down to 4.8% in April. Franklin County dropped from 6.4 to 5.4%. On the mountain in Grundy County the unemployment rate fell from 9.1% to 8.3. Moore County had a nice drop from 5.7% in March and 4.5% in April. The biggest drop locally was in Warren County falling 1.3% to 6.4%. Williamson County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate in April, 3.9% and Scott County remains the highest at 13.5%.

With recent word on the first U.S. transmission of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, many across the state and the nation are concerned about what it could mean for public health.
Dr. David Swerdlow is leading the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s response team for this virus.
There is no alarm for Tennessee at this point, with Swerdlow explaining that while the virus can spread from person to person, it isn’t easily transmitted.
“There’s been no sustained transmission like you see with flu, where it goes from person to person to person,” he explains. “So, at the current time, we are concerned about the virus, we do think that there could be imported cases, but we don’t see this being a major problem in the U.S. with widespread cases.”
According to the CDC, the first U.S. transmission happened when an Illinois resident had contact with a person in Indiana, who was infected while traveling in Saudi Arabia.
These two cases of MERS are not linked to third patient in Florida, who had also traveled to Saudi Arabia.
MERS was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
There have been almost 600 confirmed cases in 15 countries, and 173 deaths.
Swerdlow says most patients develop respiratory illness, with fever, cough and shortness of breath. And he says there is no specific treatment.
“Of course, if a person gets a respiratory illness like this, they can be treated in an intensive care unit if needed, and sort of the standard things that we do for patients with respiratory illness,” he stresses. “But there’s no specific treatment, like an anti-viral.”
The CDC advises health care workers traveling to the Arabian Peninsula to follow guidelines for infection control, and for other travelers to take precautions to protect their health.
As with any respiratory illness, Swerdlow says that means frequent hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, and avoiding contact with those who are sick.

Area police departments, as well as Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, have received complaints that a person/persons are calling their phones advising that they failed to appear in court and have ignored a subpoena. The caller then states to get a green dot credit card and deposit money into an account or they will be arrested by a deputy or police officer. This is a SCAM. Neither the local police departments nor the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department would attempt to collect money for this, nor would they request any payment in lieu of going to jail.
Another scam is a rip off the Publisher’s Clearing House contest. The caller tells the intended victim that they have won $10M and a new car. The scammer ask you to put money on a Green Dot credit card for processing fees. Remember this is a scam and has nothing to do with Publisher’s Clearing House and if you didn’t enter the contest you are not going to win.
If you have been contacted by someone soliciting money please notify the Criminal Investigation Division of the Manchester Police Department at 931-728-2099, Tullahoma Police at 455-0530 or the sheriff’s department at 728-3591. Do not give these people any money or personal information.

Bonnaroo Works Fund (BWF) has named nearly 40 nonprofit organizations as 2014 recipients, doubling the number of grantees from last year. The Bonnaroo Works Fund is the charitable arm of the world-renowned Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival and supports national and regional organizations that advance the arts, education and the environment; with a focus on local reinvestment.
Program administrators also announced that The Avett Brothers have signed on as 2014 Bonnaroo Works Fund Ambassadors and will help raise awareness of the Fund’s purpose and impact.
Bonnaroo Works Fund is a component of the East Tennessee Foundation (ETF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which administers the fund. Grantees are selected by committee, based on need, mission and the specific use of funding.
Local 2014 Grant Recipients
CASA Works, Inc., Manchester (Court Appointed Special Advocates)
Coffee County Central High School, Manchester
Coffee County Raider Academy, Manchester
Coffee County Schools Libraries, Manchester
Coffee County Soil Conservation District, Manchester
Franklin County Arts Guild, Cowan
Highland Rim Habitat for Humanity, Tullahoma
Manchester Municipal Arts Commission, Manchester
Mountain Goat Trail Alliance, Monteagle
South Cumberland Community Fund, Tracy City
Tennessee Clean Water Network, Benefiting Manchester
Tennessee Opportunity Programs, McMinnville
Tullahoma Fine Arts Center, Inc., Tullahoma
Tullahoma South Jackson Civic Association, Tullahoma
Westwood Elementary School, Manchester
Westwood Middle School, Manchester

Without desperately needed financial help, the Tullahoma Kiwanis Club will not be able to sponsor this year’s annual July 4 fireworks display and air show, club spokesman Mike Rutherford.
“We have $5,000 and we need another $15,000 to have a show comparable to last year’s show,” Rutherford said.
He noted that the Kiwanis Club has sponsored the annual Independence Day fireworks event since 1968, “but if the collections don’t come in within the next few days the skies over Tullahoma will be dark on July 4.”
Rutherford explained that in the past the club has depended on donations from businesses and individuals to hold the event, but this year those donations have been slower coming in.
In order for a fireworks event to be held at the Tullahoma Regional Airport, an air show must also be held as a requirement of the Federal Aviation Administration. At this time, the airport is the only viable location for a fireworks event, according to local officials.
Rutherford said he has met with Mayor Lane Curlee to ask the city to pay for a larger portion of the event. The city currently contributes $2,500 to the fireworks show. “The city isn’t going to contribute anymore,” the mayor said. “We want to give other organizations a chance to step up and participate.”
Tullahoma fire inspector Richard Steiner said that even if the air show was scrapped, the new fire codes would restrict the fireworks event from behind Wilkins Stadium because of the new safety requirements that expand the distance required between the stands and the fireworks themselves, as well as between the fireworks and the school. This helps keep debris from falling on those watching the fireworks.
Steiner noted that the same rules would apply to holding the fireworks show at Frazier McEwen Park or Waggoner Park.
Anyone wishing to donate may do so by visiting the website at kiwanisfireworks.com.

America’s Health Rankings released its second annual report on senior population health at the state and national levels. The data from America’s Health Rankings 2014 Senior Report shows Tennessee Ranks 43rd in the country for the health of its seniors, down one place from 42nd in 2013 after accounting for an update in the study’s methodology.*
This analysis reflects the health of Tennessee seniors on 34 measures of health, including prevalence of obesity, chronic health conditions, level of physical activity, food insecurity and poverty.
Tennessee’s low rank can be attributed to multiple factors, including:
• The second highest rate of smoking in the country, at 12.5 percent or 110,000 seniors who smoke,
• Ranking 46th for preventable hospitalizations, with 80.8 preventable hospitalizations per 1,000 Medicare discharges,
• High rates of hip fractures (47th) and teeth extractions (45th), and
• A bottom-10 ranking for food insecurity among seniors for the second year in a row.
Thankfully, the news isn’t all bad for Tennessee seniors. The state ranked well for its low prevalence of chronic drinking among seniors (5th), a high percentage of social support (4th) and high flu vaccination coverage (2nd). The study also shows that physical inactivity among seniors decreased by 22 percent in the past year. The percentage of hospital deaths among seniors also decreased by 22 percent, boosting the state’s ranking on that measure from 45th to 35th.
Tennessee’s senior population is expected to grow by 46.3 percent between 2015 and 2030; that’s why improving the health of our seniors is both a moral and an economic imperative.

A Memorial Day remembrance of fallen soldiers and honoring local veterans was held in Manchester. Local veteran groups hosted the event.
Those receiving honorary swords from MSG Tim Brown were:
*Seaman 1st Class William Keesee – WWII
*SFC C. M. Houston Tosh – Vietnam
*Sgt. Buster Bush accepted the memorial sword passed down from Staff Sgt. K.K. Huddleston.
The Memorial Sword is presented in honor of our fallen heroes who served bravely and gave their lives to protect and defend the constitution of the United States of America.