Judge Vanessa Jackson

Day 2 of the murder trial of Jeffrey Smithson on Wednesday (Dec. 5, 2012) saw a call from defense attorney Margo Kilgore for a retrial. Kilgore made the request after a Manchester Police officer testify that he was told by a friend of Virginia White who was found murdered in her apartment that Jeffrey Smithson had just been released from prison, when in reality he had been out of prison for some time. Kilgore stated that the statement was not true and would prejudice the jury. But District Attorney Mickey Layne argued that the judge could instruct the jury that the statement was not accurate and that they should disregard it. That is what Judge Vanessa Jackson did and instructed the jury that the statement was not true and for them to put it behind them. Manchester Police Officer Sgt. Justin Smith who was the first officer on the scene the night that Ms. White’s body was found testified that after he found the body he secured the murder scene and called for investigators to assist at the Ingram Apartments in Manchester. TBI agent Kendall Barham testified about the murder scene when he arrived to assist Manchester Police investigators in the murder investigation. He told of the evidence that he collected at the scene and sent to the state crime lab in Nashville as well as finding the body with panty hose tied tightly around Ms. White’s neck. The trial continues today in Manchester.

Overhead view of Tullahoma Airport

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced yesterday (Dec. 6, 2012) that federal and state aeronautics grants totaling $12.2 million have been approved for 13 Tennessee airports. The grants are made available through the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division. The Division administers federal and state funding to assist in the location, design, construction and maintenance of Tennessee’s diverse public aviation system. In Coffee County the Tullahoma Airport received a grant for Drainage System Repairs. State= $90,250. Local =$4,750 Total=$95,000. Also the Tullahoma Airport got a grant for the NW Taxiway Rehabilitation – Phase II. State= $760,000 Local=$40,000 Total=$800,000.

Gun sales are spiking in Tennessee, and whether that is tied to presidential politics or hunting season, it depends on whom you ask. This year, gun sales could break records across the state. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, some 51,330 people applied for the background check necessary to buy a gun last month alone. That is compared to just 37,347 in November 2011. “The only other time that there was kind of a peak in November was in 2008, and it was an election year as well,” said TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm. However, those numbers may not tell the entire story because customers can buy more than one gun on a single background check. So the actual increase might be even higher. The overall increase in recent years has led the TBI to add more staff in order to keep pace with the demand.

Tennessee Supreme Court

Tennessee’s original, handwritten Constitutions are going on display to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the state’s Supreme Court Building. The trio of documents, from 1796, 1834 and 1870, have never been put on public view together. They’ll be available to the public at the Tennessee Supreme Court today, Friday and Saturday, then again on Monday before moving back into storage. The state’s first constitution gave almost total control to the legislative branch. After forty years, it was replaced with a new one that balanced powers along the same principals as the US constitution. The third was written after the Civil War, when the former Confederate states were required to draft new constitutions.

Flu season has officially arrived in Tennessee, with cases of seasonal influenza now categorized as widespread in our state. But it’s not too late to vaccinate! The Department of Health urges all Tennesseans who have not yet received a flu vaccine to get one now to help protect vulnerable people around them, their families and themselves from the flu virus. This is the earliest start to an ordinary flu season in Tennessee since 2003, with seasonal flu now spreading in communities across our state. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week that the vaccine is a good match for the flu strains currently circulating in the U.S. CDC officials caution that the most common strain of influenza now circulating tends to cause more severe cases of illness, particularly among the elderly. Seasonal flu activity is now highest in the southeastern and south central U.S., including Tennessee. CDC and the Tennessee Department of Health recommend annual flu vaccination for everyone over the age of six months. Flu vaccine for people of all ages is widely available throughout Tennessee from primary health care providers, walk-in clinics, pharmacies and county health departments. Children covered by TennCare or without insurance that covers flu vaccine can get it for just a small administration fee at county health department clinics through the Vaccines for Children program. Children will not be turned away if parents cannot afford the administration fee. The flu vaccine is especially important for people at high risk for serious illness or death from influenza such as the elderly, pregnant women and young children, as well as healthcare workers and family and friends of anyone at high risk. Expectant mothers should be vaccinated during pregnancy to protect themselves and pass protection on to their unborn babies. People who are sick should stay home to recover if at all possible to prevent spreading illness to coworkers and others. If someone at high risk of serious illness gets sick with the flu, it is important to contact their healthcare provider to see if antiviral medication or other treatment is recommended to prevent complications.

(L-R) Mayor David Pennington, Gary Kidd, Brian Coate and Jamie Weaver... Photo by Barry West

On Wednesday afternoon Coffee County Mayor David Pennington, swore in the three local people that were elected to office during the November election. Those sworn in were Gary Kidd County Commissioner from the 20th District, Brian Coate Constable representing Seat 7, the 19th, 20th, & 21st districts and Jamie Weaver Road Commissioner representing Seat 1, the 5th & 6th Districts.