Two stolen computers, eleven grams of cocaine, and marijuana were recovered during a traffic stop on I-24 at the 72-mile marker. The traffic stop was executed by the Tennessee Highway Patrol this past week. Arrested and charged with theft, felony possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, and driving on a revoked license was 27-year old Courtney Skinner. The computers that were located in the trunk of Skinner’s car were apparently stolen from two separate Wal-Mart stores. One computer was said to be stolen from the Wal-Mart in Tullahoma, and the second was allegedly taken from a Wal-Mart in Springfield. A female passenger in the car was not arrested, even though the marijuana and cocaine were located in her purse. Skinner allegedly admitted to the state trooper that the drugs were his. Skinner was taken to the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center where he was booked under a $27,000 bond.

An employee of one of the Nissan suppliers was involved in an accident Tuesday at the Decherd Powertrain Assembly Plant, resulting in the loss of life. Emergency response authorities are working to confirm details. The company will provide any support needed in the investigation, and Nissan will do everything possible to support those affected in the aftermath of this heartbreaking event. Nissan officials have declined to provide further comments on what led to the death of the employee or his name.

Tennessee public high school graduates improved their performance on the ACT test in 2012, earning an average score of 19.2 out of 36, up from 19.0 the year before, according to state-by-state results released by ACT this week. Tennessee is one of only nine states to mandate that all high school students take the ACT test, so statewide scores help the Tennessee Department of Education measure the state’s progress towards its goal of greater college and career readiness for all students. The percentage test-takers meeting all of the ACT’s college readiness benchmarks rose from 13 percent to 14 percent in Tennessee as scores increased in 2012. “It’s going to take year after year of these incremental gains to see Tennessee students exhibiting the high levels of achievement we know they can reach,” said Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman. “Far too many students in our state graduate without the knowledge they need for college or the job market. We are implementing education reforms designed to address these deficiencies and drive continuous improvement.” In Tennessee, 56 percent of graduates met ACT benchmarks in English, 26 percent in math, 39 percent in reading and 18 percent in science. This year’s scores highlight the necessity for Tennessee to increase college readiness among certain racial minorities. Only 3 percent of black students and 9 percent of Hispanic students met college benchmarks in all four core subjects, compared to 18 percent of white students and 31 percent of Asian students. Under the leadership of Gov. Bill Haslam, Tennessee has prioritized establishing pathways to post-secondary education and careers. With the education department’s No Child Left Behind waiver, the state now measures schools’ overall achievement as well as their progress closing gaps between groups of students. Through curricula targeted at developing the skills needed for college and the workplace, the department strives to better prepare students and continue to improve Tennessee’s ACT results.

Health officials are urging Tennesseans to be extra careful around mosquitoes this summer. Five cases of the West Nile Virus have been reported in Tennessee, and that number could jump soon. Doctors are reporting 11,000 cases of the virus this summer; almost triple the amount usually seen at this point of the year. They say this could be due to this year’s mild winter and early spring. So how does one avoid West Nile Virus? The CDC says the most important thing is to use insect repellant such as bug spray. They also advise to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants if the weather permits. One should also check window and door screens, so mosquitoes can’t get inside and make sure to get rid of any standing water near your home.

Tuesday afternoon Coffee County Middle School PBS hosted a “Welcome to Middle School” event for sixth grade students and their parents. The sixth grade teachers and the administrative staff were on hand to meet parents and answer any questions. Everyone ate hot dogs cooked on the grill, got to know each other a little better, and learned a couple of cheers before going to the football game. This event also served as a Positive Behavior Support celebration.
Students at Coffee County Middle School participate in PBS which stands for Positive Behavior Support. The premise of PBS is to set high expectations for students and then recognize them for meeting those expectations. Local businesses make donations to sponsor our efforts in recognizing our students during these activities. The “Welcome to Middle School” event was one such activity. Throughout the year, other events will take place. Students who follow the three expectations of PBS may participate. The three expectations for Middle School students are be responsible, be respectful and be prepared.
The school would like to thank Lewis Bakery, Spring Street Market, Little Debbie, Coffee County Realtors, The Ice House and the sixth grade parents for the donations that made this event a success.

A new mayor and three new aldermen were sworn into office last night in Manchester. Lonnie Norman replaces Betty Superstein as mayor. Incumbent aldermen Ryan French and Roxanne Patton were also sworn in. They are joined by newcomers Russell Bryan, Tim Pauley, and Cheryl Swann. Alderman Donnie Parsley remains on the board; his seat was the only one not up for election on Aug. 2.
During the meeting Mark Yother was named police chief, and Charlie Taylor was named the new fire chief. Ross Simmons, who was serving as the safety commissioner in charge of both departments, announced his retirement recently.

Customers of Tullahoma’s Mike Thompson Ford have been getting an unpleasant surprise in the mail—a letter from a lawyer warning them their newly purchased vehicles are being repossessed. Several individuals have reportedly received the letters saying that the dealership owned Citizens Tri County Bank money on the cars. The bank has since promised several individuals that they would be getting an apology letter for the threat. Monday night more problems hit the car dealership as Citizens Tri County Bank repossessed the cars on the dealership’s lot and parked them in a parking lot located behind the North Jackson Street office of the bank. When asked what they planned to do with the cars, bank branch manager and vice president Wes Fanning stated that he could not comment due to privacy laws.

Six young people in trouble after what they did over the weekend. The six are facing charges of aggravated assault after they allegedly shot vehicles and people with paint balls. According to a report by Manchester officer Keith Hendrix, 19 year-old Dalton Mai, 18 year-old Jay Wooten, and 20 year-old Cody Smart were at Sonic talking about shooting paintball guns. After picking up a juvenile at Sonic, they went to Wal-Mart and bought equipment and met up with others, 19 year-old Josh Thomas and another person. The 6 then went around Manchester allegedly shooting buildings, cars and people including vehicles at Al White motors. They also allegedly shot into a group of people around McDonalds with the paintballs. They then drove down Woodland Street and shot a stop sign at Highway 53. They later disposed of the paintball supplies near the Duck River Bridge, which police recovered.

Interstate 24 was closed for over two hours Tuesday afternoon around mile marker 121 after a one-car crash around 12:20 p.m. took the life of a Beech Grove man and sent a Manchester man to Vanderbilt Medical Center for treatment. According to Tennessee Highway Patrolman Charles Graham, Wendell Reed, 62, was driving a 2007 Nissan went he went off the roadway and he pulled back onto the roadway and crossed into the median. The car eventually ended up flipping until stopping in the median on its top. Reed was pronounced dead at the scene while William Dewolfe of Manchester was flown to the Nashville hospital.