A burglar’s lost wallet has led to a Tullahoma man’s arrest. Michael Lee Curtis, 28, of General St. Tullahoma was charged with burglary and theft following an incident that occurred in the office of Dr. Harry Nisbett located on East Carroll Street. According to a report by Tullahoma Police Officer Cory Cannon, when Nisbett arrived to his office he someone had taken dental and surgery tools valued at $805: a control panel for an X-Ray machine valued at $200, 20 metal feed pans valued at $250, two Oster clippers valued at $320, 54 peanut bags and nine sunflower seed bags valued at $35. Nesbitt also found a wallet that contained Curtis’ driver’s license. Tullahoma Police Investigator Ty Brazier obtained warrants for Curtis’ arrest. Curtis is being held in the Coffee County Jail under a $30,000 bond.

A member of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department was one of 264 law enforcement officers to recently graduate from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA. Captain Frank Watkins says the school is the best he has attended since starting a career in law enforcement, and that he learned so much from it. Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves says that he feels that the department will benefit from Watkins attending the school. The sheriff proudly noted that Watkins is the third member of the sheriff’s department to attend the FBI Academy.

Allen Lendley

Allen Lendley, Director of Coffee County Emergency Management, is urging citizens to take fire precautions for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry is asking the public to refrain from debris burning until significant precipitation is received. A burning ban is in effect for Tullahoma and Manchester.

Tullahoma Airport

The Tullahoma Airport is a step closer to the development of an industrial airpark at the facility. Last Tuesday afternoon the airport authority met and announced that they had received a check for $45,000 from the Momentum Foundation. Airport manager Jon Glass told the Tullahoma Airport Authority board members during a meeting this past week that the check will cover the local share of a $450,000 infrastructure grant,” The Momentum Foundation had told the board that if they obtained the grant then the firm would pay the local matching cost. The company currently operates its business of testing aircraft from a hangar at the airport as well as its other business of operating aircraft from the hangar. Airport authority vice chairman Jim Apple stated that this will help with the development of the industrial park in the northwest corner of the airport. He explained that the grant will allow work to get started for the installation of water and sewer lines as well as electrical lines. The airport plans to work with Tullahoma Area Economic Development Corp. director, in recruiting industry to the park.

Amazon will begin accepting applications today (July 2) for their two Mid-State facilities scheduled to open later this year. The fulfillment centers, located in Lebanon and Murfreesboro are expected to begin operations this fall and are looking to hire 1,500 full-time employees. Job seekers must be at least 18-years-old, as well as have a high school diploma or equivalent, willing to work all shifts and overtime and pass a drug test and background check among other requirements. Pay is expected to start between $11 to $13 per hour. Applications for the fulfillment centers will be available at area career centers including in Dickson, Franklin, Gallatin, Lebanon and Murfreesboro among others beginning Monday through July 13 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Tennessee State Capital

A measure to require drug testing as a condition for receiving welfare and the reduction of the sales tax on groceries are among new laws taking effect Sunday in Tennessee.
The welfare legislation requires new welfare applicants to undergo a special screening process. If suspicion is raised after the screening, then the applicant will be drug tested.
In the case of the sales tax on groceries, the measure that’s included in the governor’s spending plan will reduce the tax from 5.5% to 5.25% – with a goal to lower it to 5% in about two years.
However, Democrats have called for the state’s roughly $225 million in excess revenues to be used to reduce the food tax sooner rather than later.

A list of other new laws that took effect on July 1: GOV. BILL HASLAM’S BUDGET: Enacts Tennessee’s more than $31 billion annual spending plan. ABORTION DOCTORS: Requires physicians to have hospital privileges in the home or adjacent county of woman seeking abortion. TRA OVERHAUL: Overhauls the Tennessee Regulatory Authority with a part-time board. MENTAL HEALTH-NAME CHANGE: Adds the words Substance Abuse Services to the name of the state Department of Mental Health. EMBRYO ASSAULT: Includes embryo as victim in assaults on pregnant women. DOMESTIC ABUSE: Requires mandatory jail time for repeat domestic abuse convictions. GANG BILL: Increases penalties for violent crimes committed by three or more people. GATEWAY SEXUAL ACTIVITY: Prohibits teachers from promoting or condoning “gateway sexual activity.” CORRECTIONS TRANSFER: Merges the Board of Probations and Parole into the Department of Correction. CHARTER SCHOOLS FOREIGNERS: Limits number of foreign workers allowed to be employed at charter schools. CHARTER SCHOOL TRANSPARENCY: Requires charter schools to operate under state open meetings laws. SCHOOL ACTIVITIES: Allows parents to keep their children from joining extracurricular groups at school. JUDICIAL DISCIPLINE: Creates new panel for disciplining judges. DUI MINORS: Increases penalties for drunken driving when child under 18 is in car. WILD APPEARING SWINE: Makes it a crime to release wild-appearing swine without proper documentation. BATH SALTS: Makes it a felony to sell synthetic drugs known as bath salts. BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: Allows governor to appoint heads of boards, including Tennessee Higher Education Commission. CIVIL SERVICE: Revises state civil service laws to make it easier to hire and fire state employees. ETHICS DISCLOSURES: Requires local and regional planning commissioner to submit state ethics disclosures. MONOXIDE MONITOR-RV: Requires working carbon monoxide detectors in leased recreational vehicles. REMOTE MEETINGS: Allows school board members to participate in meetings remotely. ROLL YOUR OWN CIGARETTES: Promulgates rules for new requirements for roll-your-own tobacco retailers. SAGGY PANTS: Prohibits students from wearing saggy pants or other indecent clothing on school grounds. SCHOOL SAFETY: Gives teachers more authority to act against students who pose a safety risk. TATTOO LEGISLATION: Increases the penalty for tattooing a minor.

The Tennessee Board of Regents has voted to increase tuition and fee rates for the six universities, 13 community colleges and 27 technology centers it governs. The rates of increase are lower this year than in previous years. TBR does not oversee the University of Tennessee, but they do oversee all other community colleges such as Motlow State Community College. The new mandatory and maintenance fee/tuition rates will result in price increases ranging from 3.4 percent at Austin Peay State University to 7.2 percent at East Tennessee State University. MTSU will go up by 6.8%. Students at the University of Memphis will see a 7 percent increase in price and at Motlow Community College students will pay 4.3 percent more. Tennessee Technology Center students across the state will see a 6.2 percent price increase per trimester.