The sale of alcoholic beverages to minors is a continued concern of the Tullahoma Police Department. In the ongoing effort to discourage and detect the unlawful sale of alcohol to minors by beer permit holders, the Department conducts periodic compliance checks to ensure permit holders are being vigilant in their sale of alcohol.
A recent compliance check conducted by the Detective division of the Department, resulted in twenty seven (27) businesses being checked. Out of the businesses checked, only two sold alcohol to the underage agent. The Department conducts the compliance checks with clear instructions to the underage agent to provide a valid identification when requested.
Citations for the sale of beer to the underage agent were issued to Piggly Wiggly, 811 East Lincoln St, and Mapco Express, 315 East Lincoln St. The employees that sold the beer were cited into the Tullahoma Municipal Court and have a scheduled appearance May 13, 2014. All alleged violations of the beer compliance checks are referred to the City’s Beer Board for review after the City court cases are adjudicated.
The Police Department would like to thank the businesses and their employees that so diligently and responsibly comply with the requirement for identification for the sale of alcohol. The Department will continue to use compliance checks as a means to reduce the availability of alcohol to underage people. Any questions about this or other police operations may be directed to Chief Paul Blackwell at (931) 455-0530 or pblackwell@tullahomatn.gov.

Soldiers from the Tennessee National Guard’s 194th Engineer Brigade moved into Lincoln County on Wednesday to assist the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and local responders as cleanup efforts continue near Fayetteville. A powerful EF-3 tornado devastated the region on the evening of April 28. Local responders requested support from the Guard through the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
The mission of the Tennessee Soldiers will cover a widespread area, with their base of operations at the Fayetteville National Guard Armory.  They are scheduled for State Active Duty for a period of ten days assisting local responders in debris removal and recovery operations.

A Middle Tennessee State University student is asking for the community’s help in a contest that could change her life.
Jennifer Austin of Cowan was paralyzed from the chest down after a hit-and-run crash in 2006 on I-24 in Manchester. Doctors only gave her a 20 percent chance of living.
She now uses a wheelchair and went on to graduate college and study for a master’s degree.
But winning a national contest would be a big help. The National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association is giving away wheelchair-accessible vans.
Austin was in the 2013 contest, and says she finished as a semifinalist in the top five percent of all votes. However, it wasn’t enough to snag a van.
Her sister, Ashlee Austin, nominated her again for 2014. So far, the profile has more than 5,000 votes.
“Winning this van would be life-changing for me and would give me the opportunity to drive again!” Jennifer Austin told WSMV-TV this week.
The contest ends on Friday at midnight. You can vote by going clicking on this link. http://www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/jennifer-austin-cowan-tn/

We have an update on the drowning story we brought you yesterday.
According to Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves, around 4 p.m. Tuesday, 16-year-old Jake Taylor from Cannon County was pulled from the water at Rutledge Falls. “He apparently slipped on some of the slick rocks and went under the water,” the sheriff stated.
Graves stated that some teenagers that were with Taylor rushed to get him out of the water and one friend started CPR but was unable to revive him.
The Coffee County Ambulance Service, the Coffee County Rescue Squad and the Tullahoma Fire Department responded to the scene.
The 16 year old Taylor a Cannon County High School student died due to drowning according to the State Medical Examiner.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has released its 2013 ‘Crime in Tennessee’ report.
The annual study compiles data reported from each law enforcement agency in the state, providing an updated and comprehensive picture of the successes and challenges facing every community in Tennessee.
Among the report’s findings:
• Overall, reported incidents dropped in the Group A (counted by offenses) category by 5.4% and by 7.6% in the Group B (counted by arrestees) category.
• Reported murders decreased by 18.6% from the previous year.
• Domestic violence offenses made up for 51.4% of all ‘Crimes Against Persons.’
• Weapon Law Violations increased by 29.5% in 2013.
• Reported methamphetamine clandestine labs increased by 11.6% over 2012.
• The number of reported DUI arrests dropped 10% since 2012’s report.
In the City of Manchester the crime report says in 2012 there were 68 cases of assault and 48 in 2013. One case of arson in 2012 and 2 in 2013. In Manchester there were 74 burglaries in 2012 and 79 in 2013. In 2012 Manchester had 161 cases of vandalism and 116 in 2013. There were 7 robberies in 2012 and 5 in 2013. Drug cases worked by the Manchester Police Department in 2012 were 172 and 296 in 2013.
Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves says the county has seen an increase in murders, domestic violence and cases of child abuse are up.
Tullahoma Police Chief Paul Blackwell stated. “This is a statewide concern in that approximately one half of all our Crimes Against Persons are domestic related.” In 2012, there were 282 cases reported while in 2013 there were 277.
Weapons violation crimes in Tullahoma in 2012 was 21 cases as compared to 26 in 2013.
According to statistics maintained by the police department, there were no statutory rapes reported in 2013 as compared to four in 2012. There was two forcible rape cases in 2012 and one in 2013. In burglaries there were 149 in 2012 in Tullahoma compared 122 last year. Tullahoma Police worked 10 robberies in 2013 compared to seven in 2012.

A recent report shows Tennessee high school seniors’ performance in math and reading is below the national average.
Tennessee was among 13 states that voluntarily participated in the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test, also known as the nation’s report card.
Twelfth-graders in those states were tested last year from January to March.
According to NAEP, the average score of students in Tennessee was 282, which was lower than the national average score of 287 for public school students.
In math, Tennessee 12th-grade students scored 145, compared to 152 nationally.
Last year, NAEP’s assessment of Tennessee students in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math showed the state leading the nation in academic improvement.
Education experts say the reason for the recent subpar performance results of 12th-graders is unclear.

As the time that kids spend with television, video games, apps and computers continues to grow, they’re being encouraged to take the next seven days to unplug. This is Screen-Free Week, an annual initiative encouraging children to turn off screens in favor of activities like reading, hands-on playing or exploring nature. Sara Adelmann, screen time project manager, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, says they hope that it leads to family connections that continue beyond the week. “For instance, some families find that they have more, richer conversations at dinner if there’s no devices around, so they might do that more frequently during the year. Or they might find that they and their children have a better night’s sleep if they don’t use devices a few hours before bed.” Screen-Free Week began in 1996 as “TV Turnoff,” and since then millions of children and their families have taken part. Excessive screen time can be linked to poor school performance, childhood obesity and attention problems, Adelmann says, and it is becoming more and more of an issue as tablets and smart phones become more common. “Certainly we’re seeing an increase in the use of mobile devices. A recent survey came out saying that just in the past two years, the time children spend on media devices has tripled,” she says. It’s now estimated that school-age children spend more time with screen media than in any other activity except sleeping. More information is available at www.screenfree.org.