The man accused of murdering two men in a Tullahoma motel in October 2010 is scheduled to go on trial January 3rd in Coffee County Circuit Court. Marcus Wade is being held in the Coffee County Jail under a $1,000,000 bond on the charges. Wade is accused of murdering 34-year-old Timothy Wayne Gill and 50-year-old Richard Wayne Elliott in a motel room on North Jackson Street. In addition to first degree murder, Wade is also charged with two counts of aggravated robbery of the two men.

The Tullahoma Kiwanis Club air show and fireworks is expected to go on in 2013, but what entertainment will be offered depends on the financial shortfalls.
This year’s extreme heat led to low attendance, greatly reduced donations, leading to more than a $9,000 shortfall. Mike Rutherford, who is the Kiwanis Club’s Independence Day coordinator, the club has reduced the deficit to about $5,000. The club has received approximately $1,000 in personal donations and vendors have contributed, corporate donations have been made and patrons have paid for advertising related to the show. Rutherford said aviation rules require that having fireworks on airport property require an air show be held. He noted that entertainment has increased expenses.

More than the usual number of Tennessee Highway Patrol cars and motorcycles were parked at the Coffee County Justice Center yesterday. General Sessions Judge Tim Brock issued subpoenas for all of the troopers who issued tickets during Bonnaroo to be in attendance. That meant that troopers from as far away as Memphis had to make the trip to Manchester to attend yesterday’s court proceedings. Many of the tickets were dismissed. Several people called into “Straight Talk” on Thunder Radio after Bonnaroo to complain about how they were treated by out-of-town THP officers during the June event.

A dispute between Tennessee walking horse owners and a national animal advocacy group intensifies as the major horse show of the year plays out in Shelbyville.
The Humane Society of the United State has posted a new video on its website in which a trainer convicted of intentionally soring horses is interviewed.
Barney Davis says on the video that the only way to win at the National Walking Horse Celebration is to sore the animals to walk with an exaggerated gait.
Celebration officials say the claims made by the 39-year-old Davis are false.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported Celebration officials fault the society for allowing horse abuse to continue for 11 months at a Collierville stable where an undercover operative was secretly taking video to document it.

As kids are now back in school, some cafeterias have introduce revamped menus.
The menus offer nutrient-rich flavored milk, and more whole grains, fruits and veggies, all in line with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new school lunch regulations. All flavored milk will be fat free, and lower in calories and sugar than ever before.
Despite these positive advances and the essential nutrients milk offers children, school milk consumption continues to decline for the third year in a row and kids are falling far short of the recommended servings of milk each day.
Registered dietitian Carolyn O’Neil says, “Flavored milk is the most popular choice in school lunch rooms and students drink less milk when it is not offered”. O’Neil added “it’s important that kids learn how to make food choices in the lunch room to develop skills that last a lifetime.”O’Neil continued, “By providing a variety of nutritious and delicious foods – like fat free chocolate milk — we’re teaching kids good decision-making to ensure that lunch doesn’t end up in the trash. Flavored milk is a win-win on the lunch tray”.
For more info, visit milkatschools.com.

The Tennessee Department of Safety says it has initiated the department’s second “No Refusal” enforcement campaign beginning at 6 pm Friday (Aug. 31).
“No Refusal” is the latest enforcement strategy aimed at deterring impaired driving and reducing fatal crashes on Tennessee roadways. The new law, passed this year by the General Assembly, allows law enforcement officials to seek search warrants for blood samples in cases involving suspected impaired drivers.
In years past, a person could refuse testing unless he or she had prior convictions or there was a serious injury. The new enforcement allows the district attorneys to seek a warrant regardless of objection. A sound application based on probable cause is required.
The targeted enforcement will focus on 16 counties where impaired driving and fatal crashes have increased in 2012. The counties are McMinn, Meigs, Roane, Campbell, Robertson, Rutherford, Shelby, Tipton, Jefferson, Sullivan, Cumberland, Warren, Bedford, Lincoln, Chester and Weakley.
In Tennessee, the preliminary number of alcohol-related crashes has increased 8.7 percent through the first seven months of 2012, compared to that same time period last year. The number of DUI arrests made during that time increased by 29 percent.
In addition to the “No Refusal” program, motorists can also expect sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols in other counties across the state for routine holiday enforcement.

The investigation into the murder of Megan Sharpton is continuing according to Franklin County District Attorney Mike Taylor. The prosecutor stated that investigators for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and the TBI have gathered a large amount of evidence in the case and are continuing to gather more. Taylor stated that his office is awaiting results of lab work from the TBI in the case. He stated that investigators are following up on some evidence.
The young nursing student’s burning body was found off of Awalt Road in northern Franklin County on July 2nd. Sharpton lived in Tullahoma.