Argie Ruth Ridner, an 88 year-old female of Manchester, died after she was involved in a two car crash in Manchester Sunday morning. According to police two vehicles collided at the intersection of Coffee and Spring Street. Ridner was transported to a local hospital and later airlifted. As the chopper was in route to Nashville, they made an emergency landing at Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro because Ridner’s condition had gotten worse. Ridner passed away at the hospital.

For the second time in less than a week, a Coffee County resident has been attacked at their residence. Timothy Richard Howard of Silver Street reported to Tullahoma Police Officer Chase Sons that 3 black males attacked him Tuesday morning around 12:30 a.m. when he went to get something out of his vehicle. Howard told the officer that the men hit him multiple times, and that one picked up a beer bottle and began to beat him in the head. The attackers took Howard’s wallet with $200 cash and bankcards. Manchester Police are continuing to investigate an attack on a woman on Summer Street in Manchester Friday night. 32-year-old Amanda Townsend told officers that the attackers entered her residence and beat her until she lost consciousness. She said that when she regained consciousness, she was in a closet with her hands and feet tied behind her. Townsend was taken to a local hospital and released over the weekend. Manchester investigator Butch Stewart says the attacks are similar to some in Nashville, and that information has been shared with Nashville.

Willard Henderson and family along with Lottery leader Rebecca Hargrove

A Powerball ticket worth $1 million was sold in Manchester last week, and the winner came forward yesterday. Willard Henderson of Manchester collected his money on Tuesday.
Saturday’s winning numbers were 13-14-41-49-59 with a Powerball of 14. No one won the jackpot, but players in five states will get $1 million for matching five numbers.
Prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing.

Area police remind parents not to leave a child alone in a hot car as summer months approach. With temperatures soaring into the 90s, it may seem like common sense, but every summer law enforcement agencies deal with calls about unattended children in vehicles. According to statistics some 38 children die each year after being left in hot cars across the country. Most of those children are under the age of three and are strapped into a car seat. Children are more susceptible to heat than adults. A child’s body heats up three to five times faster than an adult. The temperature inside a car can rise 10 degrees in just 10 minutes. Officials urge parents to double check vehicles before getting out and locking the doors.

Tullahoma Director of Schools Dan Lawson

The Tullahoma Board of Education is contracting with the Tennessee School Boards Association to lead the effort in finding a replacement for the Tullahoma City Schools director. The board has approved spending $8,500 with the education group association to manage the process to handle advertising, field applications, screen candidates, check references, and provide other services related to finding a replacement to fill the position that will become vacant as Dr. Dan Lawson’s contract expires on June 30, 2013. The board plans to conduct community meetings with the candidates, teachers, government officials, and parent-teacher organizations before any final decision is made. Lawson’s contract expires at the end of next school. The school board hopes to have a decision made in May 2013.

The Wild Eagle Coaster

Dollywood has a new roller coaster. Elvis has a different side to see. And you can prepare to take a nip at the Jack Daniel distillery.
Those are just three of the lures this year as Tennessee’s summer tourism season gets under way.
The peak of the travel year falls as gasoline prices are high, but going down. For the state’s busy $14 billion tourism industry, which employs more than 170,000, there are signs that business is picking up.
The sprawling Great Smoky Mountains National Park already is seeing a 15 percent increase in visitors over last year. With 9 million visitors annually, it’s the most popular national park.
Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge has a new roller coaster to go with its four others. The Wild Eagle is 21 stories high and goes 61 mph in each 2 1/2 minute ride.
In Memphis, Graceland is offering visitors a new perspective of Elvis: Just opened is the Elvis Presley Stable Tour displaying saddles used by Elvis, personal western wear and home movie footage of the king of rock ‘n’ roll on horseback. This August will mark the 35th anniversary of his death.
For the first time, visitors can sample Jack Daniel whiskey on tours at the Lynchburg distillery under plans being fine-tuned. It was outlawed until recent legislation authorized it.
Nashville, as usual, relies heavily on music to attract 11 million visitors annually. There are up to five Grand Ole Opry country music shows weekly, plus the annual CMA Music Festival June 7-10 featuring Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Blake Shelton and others.
Here in Manchester, the annual Bonnaroo festival on the same dates as the CMA’s will include performers like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, the reunited Beach Boys, Phish and Kenny Rogers.