Outside College St Elementary... By Barry West

Manchester Police searched for a white male who allegedly broke into several vehicles at College Street Elementary on Monday. Police spotted the man and gave chase, but he was able to elude them. The man is said to be in his 20s, white, and has an Afro hairstyle. If you have any information please call the Manchester Police Department at 728-2099.

A Normandy man is free on a bond of $16,000 after he allegedly took items from three local businesses. 31-year-old Richard Leon Russell of Highway 41A was arrested on charges of three counts of theft of property and vandalism. He is accused with the theft of riding mowers from a Hills Power Pro on North Jackson Street. According to a report by Tullahoma Police Officer George Blasingame, the thefts were discovered by Nathan Hill of the business. Hill told the officer that the building had not been entered, but a security cable had been cut, and a support pole to the north end roof had been damaged. The thieves had removed a zero turn riding mower from an outside display area. That mower was recovered from a ditch near 300 Flowertown Road. A second mower, a Husqvarna, was removed from the business and was located by Investigator Jason Kennedy on Metro Highway 41A, Normandy. Kennedy charged Richard Leon Russell with theft of property. He is also accused of taking a utility trailer from Mike’s Gold and Pawn. He is also accused of taking items from Tractor Supply on North Jackson Street.

Dr Greg Carter

Tullahoma City Schools Director Dr. Dan Lawson has announced that West Middle School principal Dr. Greg Carter will be transferred to the central office as of June 1st to serve as the school system’s new personnel director. The announcement follows Dr. Wayland Long’s decision to retire from the position at the end of this month. No replacement for West Middle School principal has been named, but applications are being accepted by the school system.

A new statewide database is being launched in Tennessee to help connect job seekers and employers together, part of the latest state efforts to combat continued high unemployment. Jobs4TN Online is a virtual recruiter, automatically notifying job seekers when jobs they may qualify for are posted and notifying employers when candidates who fit their needs register. The online database contains positions from job orders placed directly by Tennessee employers, from corporate Internet sites, and from major job search engines. Jobs4TN Online also identifies available green jobs. “The unemployment rate for Tennessee is at its lowest since November 2008 and has fallen below the national rate, but it is still too high,” said Gov. Haslam, who had committed to developing a new jobs database during his gubernatorial campaign. Jobs4TN Online makes available labor market information, including demand occupations, education requirements and salaries for positions, labor force projections, and training program graduates. Employers and job seekers are encouraged to log in to Jobs4TN Online at www.jobs4tn.gov.

The next two dates to take the General Educational Development (GED) test at Motlow College are June 13 and July 26. The five-part test will be given from 7:20 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in room 1043 of the Crouch Center on the Moore County campus. The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development’s Adult Education Division is preparing for major changes to the GED test to take effect in 2014. Commissioner Karla Davis said, “We encourage eligible Tennesseans who have not earned their GED to do so now. Beginning January 1, 2014, the GED test will cost more, must be taken on a computer, and will contain significant content changes.” The Division of Adult Education (AE) announces the GED test is undergoing its biggest overhaul since the test began in 1942. The 2014 test will be more rigorous in general and requires higher level math proficiency. Presently the fee for taking the GED averages $50 to $65. When the GED test becomes computer-based in 2014, the fee will be a minimum of $120. Test dates at Motlow are assigned according to availability and applicants must provide the following to be eligible for the test: a completed GED application; a check or money order for $50.00; a recent photo; and a notarized copy of the Official Practice Test and Eligibility for Enrollment Form if applicable. For complete information regarding the test, visit the Motlow website: www.mscc.edu/testing or contact the Testing Center by email at tcenter@mscc.edu or by calling 931-393-1762.