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Manchester Man Sentenced for Animal Cruelty
A Manchester man has been sentenced in Coffee County General Sessions Court for animal cruelty. Ronnie Dale Walden, 56, of Wood Street in Manchester was convicted of animal cruelty and sentenced to perform 40 hours of public service work at the animal shelter, to pay $300 to the Manchester Animal Control and was given a suspended 11 month 29 days. According to warrants obtained by Manchester Police Officer Jackie Matheny Jr., on Feb. 6, 2012 a dog was found abused and neglected at the Wood Street residence. The dog was, according to the warrant, starved and tied with a rope, which had cut into the dog’s neck causing severe lacerations. The dog was transported to a veterinarian’s off where the dog, which was pregnant, later died.
Back to School Next Week
The summer break for most children is soon coming to an end. Coffee County Schools will have an abbreviated day on Aug. 2 from 7:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. with the first full day of classes on Aug. 6. Manchester City Schools will have an abbreviated day on Aug. 2, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., with regular classes beginning on Aug. 6. Classes at Tullahoma City Schools will be back in session Aug. 1. Franklin County’s back to the drawing board on Aug. 7. Moore County Schools will have an abbreviated day on Aug. 2 with the first full day on Aug. 6.
Grundy County Schools will have an abbreviated day on Aug. 3 with the first full day of classes on Aug. 7
Sales Tax Holiday Begins Friday, August 3rd
The new school year is about to start up and for the seventh-annual Sales Tax Holiday, which runs Friday through Sunday, Aug. 3-5. There will be no state or local sales tax on clothing with a price of $100 or less per item, school and art supplies with a price of $100 or less per item, and computers with a price of $1,500 or less. The Tennessee commissioner of revenue says that state officials are hopeful that all shoppers will take advantage of the tax relief provided by the 2012 Sales Tax Holiday,” said Revenue Commissioner Richard H. Roberts.
Scam Alert: Online Utility Bill Offer
State officials are warning about a scam in which perpetrators offer to arrange payments of consumers’ utility bills. The Tennessee Regulatory Authority says scammers ask for Social Security numbers or other personal information. The scammers, in exchange, provide phony bank account numbers and bank routing numbers they say would be used to pay bills online. Officials say the perpetrators tell people it’s a special federal program to pay such bills. The bogus information is being disseminated through social media, email, text messages and in-person solicitations.
TRA chairman Kenneth Hill described the scammers as “bad actors in the marketplace.”
Libraries Respond to Proposed Budget Cuts
State and Regional Library officials recently sent a warning to Coffee County officials after the Budget and Finance Committee proposed a less than 1.4 percent reduction to the county libraries’ budget. Coffee County Library Board Chairwoman Kathy Rose informed last week’s budget meeting and said that the library received notification from the Regional Director, Betty Jo Jarvis, that the 39,000 patrons of the library stand to lose a substantial number of services from the state and regional library if we try to cut our budget by even as little as $12,100. She asked the committee to put the money back.
She distributed a letter that stated that due to the Maintenance of Effort clause requiring local government to fund and expend amount equal to or greater than prior years, the county had to fund the libraries at the same level as last year. The county’s director of Budgets and Accounts, Marianna Edinger, said she found it hard to believe that such a huge number of services would be cut over a mere $12,100 reduction in the total library budget of $878,235. While no action was taken at the meeting, Edinger said she would research the matter prior to the upcoming meeting of the full commission at tomorrow night at 6 p.m. at the Coffee County Plaza.
Middle Tennessee Suffering Severe Drought
Record-setting temperatures and widespread drought are spelling disaster for the 2012 corn crop in Tennessee, and officials say there’s little chance of enough rain the rest of the summer to even raise hopes for a rebound.
Despite recent rains, Tennessee agriculture officials say farmers will lose about half of their corn yield this season — a crop typically valued at $280 million to $300 million a year. The loss will have an effect felt all the way to grocery store cash registers. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows most of East Tennessee ranges from “normal” to “abnormally dry” conditions, while the western two-thirds of Tennessee is in “moderate” to “severe” drought, with “exceptional” drought conditions on the western edge of the state.
Murfreesboro Man Wins National Paratriathlon
By Consetta Woosley
AEDC Press Release
Jeremy Winters has one word he lives his life by: perseverance.
Winters, the son of Joe and Patricia Winters, was recently named the Men’s Paratriathlon (Tri 6) National Champion. Jeremy, who is legally blind, competed in the USA Paratriathlon National Championship in Austin, Texas, in May.
“It was a long road for him,” says Patricia, Jeremy’s mother and a technical specialist in Aerospace Testing Alliance’s (ATA) Integrated Test and Evaluation Department. “But once Jeremy sets his mind to do something, you can rest assured he will work hard until he accomplishes his goal.”
Jeremy, 39, was diagnosed with the degenerative eye disease Cone-Rod Dystrophy (CRD) at age 10. CRD is an inherited progressive disease that causes deterioration of the cone and rod photoreceptor cells and often results in blindness.
“Losing his vision slowly each year helped him adjust to a different way of seeing as he grew older,” Patricia said. “Jeremy was involved in several contact sports at a young age, and little things that occurred during the games caught our attention that something just wasn’t right.”
“Jeremy is a very positive person which I contribute a lot to his dad, Joe,” Patricia said. “When he could no longer see well enough to play contact sports his dad helped him turn to track, which Jeremy really enjoys. Joe drove Jeremy back and forth to Nashville during Jeremy’s junior and senior year of high school to participate in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) track. It was a great, positive experience for Jeremy. “
While there is no cure for CRD, Jeremy does not let his visual impairment keep him from reaching his goals … one of which was teaching. Jeremy received his doctorate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and is a math education professor at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).
“I love my job, because the professors I work with are so supportive,” Jeremy said. “In fact, another professor in our group, Dr. Kathy Burress, also has the same eye problem and she has been a great mentor.”
MTSU provides Jeremy with an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) graduate assistant and closed-circuit television that changes normal print into oversize lettering, which allows him to perform his job.
Jeremy and his wife, Kristen, and their three children moved closer to campus when Jeremy could no longer drive. Several times a week Jeremy walks to school and then changes into his running clothes to run home.
“I get my exercise in before I ever reach home, which allows me time to play with my kids,” Jeremy said. “I ran all through high school and college so I run at the same time I practiced every day, so it doesn’t seem that unfamiliar to me.”
The idea of Jeremy participating in the USA Paratriathlon National Championship came from Melissa Miller, an engineer in ATA’s Information Technology & Systems Department.
“Melissa is very involved in marathons and triathlons and coordinates the annual Mach Tenn race here at AEDC,” Patricia said. “She helped Jeremy and his sister, Allison, participate in their first event by allowing them to ride close together on their bikes so Allison could be his guide. After that Melissa researched rules and races so that he could continue to participate in racing events.”
Jeremy is also very thankful for Melissa’s assistance.
“Melissa has helped in so many ways,” Jeremy said. “I wanted to contact her first when I came home to let her know how the race went and to thank her for putting me in contact with the right people.”
The 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike, 5-kilometer run race required the contestants to prequalify with a successful completion of a sprint distance triathlon in two hours or an Olympic distance triathlon in four hours.
Jeremy’s division (Tri 6: Visually impaired) required each participant to have a handler or guide of the same sex present throughout the race. The guide serves as the athlete’s eyes for the race. Participants were also required to use a tandem bicycle and be tethered to their guide while also wearing blackout shades during the run so that everyone’s sight would be the same – totally blind.
“I knew I wanted to compete in the race,” Jeremy said. “But I just wasn’t sure who would be willing to be my guide.”
Jeremy asked a close friend and his daughter’s soccer coach of six years, Justin Kulers, to be his guide for the race.
“With some convincing, Justin decided he would do it and started training with me for the race,” Jeremy said.
Kulers had only competed in a triathlon as an individual, so he and Jeremy had work ahead of them to complete the race as a duo. As a duo, both needed to perform at the same level.
“It took a while for us to get in sync with each other’s pace, because he has to constantly communicate to me during the whole race,” Jeremy said. “The most difficult part of the race is when I get around crowds, because I can’t hear Justin’s commands when we are running and riding the tandem bike.”
Jeremy and Kulers completed the triathlon in 1 hour and 24 minutes, making Jeremy the Men’s Tri 6 National Champion.
Also competing that day were veterans from across the country who re-affirmed that despite loss of limbs there is no loss of living life to the fullest.
“I was so inspired with other athletes who served our country and were there competing with loss of arms and legs,” Jeremy said. “You can always take other people’s accomplishments and use them as a source of inspiration.”
Jeremy also automatically won a spot on the Paratriathlon National Team which will compete in the ITU Paratriathlon World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand, Oct. 22.
“I’m looking forward to the world championship,” Jeremy said. “I have more training ahead of me but I take everything day by day and keep God as my head Coach. Life is full of challenges for everybody, but overcoming them is what makes you successful.”
Coffee County Soccer Alumni Game
Saturday July 28, beginning at 7PM at the football stadium.
All former players of the men’s and women’s soccer teams at Coffee County are invited to player.
“We want everyone to invite friends and family for
the fundraiser event and relive some old soccer memories.” – Coach Andy Escue
Quarterback Club Hosts Golf Tournament
The Coffee County Red Raider Quarterback Club will host a tournament fund raiser on July 28.
7/24/12 — Tommy Lee Russell
Tommy Lee Russell, age 63 of Huntland, Tennessee passed away on Saturday, July 21, 2012, at Southern TN Medical Center in Winchester.
He was born November 29, 1948 in Winchester, Tennessee.
He was the husband of Modena Clark Russell. He was employed by AEDC, worked as a farmer and was a store keeper. He served his country in the US Army. Mr. Russell was preceded in death by his father, Clyde Russell.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by sons, Tommy “T” (Vicki) Russell of Huntland, TN and Richard (Stacy) Russell of Huntland, TN, brother, Larry (Becky) Russell of Huntland, TN; mother, Rosa Nell Russell of Huntland, TN, granddaughters, Amber Nelle Russell, Bethany Russell and Veronica Russell ; and great-granddaughter, Jayci Annelle Sullivan.
A Funeral service will be at 2:00 PM on Tuesday in the Moore-Cortner Chapel with the Rev. Mike Robertson officiating.
Interment will be in Russell Cemetery, Huntland, TN. Serving as pall bearers are, Mark Swafford, Robert Sullivan, Kenny Peters, Steven Smith, Robbie Shockley and Steve Majors.
The family will receive friends from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Monday, July 23, 2012, at the Moore-Cortner Funeral Home, 300 First Ave. NW, Winchester.
Moore-Cortner Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.