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4/29/12 — Bessie Estelle Lawson
Bessie Estelle Lawson, of Tullahoma, passed this life on Thursday, April 26th, 2012, at Alive Hospice in Nashville, at the age of 83.
Ms. Lawson was born in Franklin County to the late Clarence and Effie Mae Lawson.
She formerly worked as an inspector for Wilson Sporting Goods and Tennessee Apparel. Ms. Lawson was a member of Canaan Baptist Church of Christ and Woodmen of the World.
In addition to her parents she is preceded in death by four brothers, James Lawson, Frank Lawson, Doyle Lawson, and Clarence “Bug” Lawson.
Ms. Lawson is survived by three brothers; G.W. Lawson and wife Betty, Lacy Lawson and wife Alice, Tony Lawson and wife Mary; one sister; Frances Thomas all of Tullahoma; numerous nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews; and also a very special friend, Curtis Vaughn.
Visitation will be held on Saturday, April 28th,2012 from 5:00-9:00pm at Kilgore Funeral Home.
Funeral Services will be held on Sunday, April 29th, at 2:00pm in the Kilgore Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Gary Ratliffe officiating.
Burial will be at Maplewood Cemetery.
Kilgore Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
4/30/12 — Channing Austin Kitts
Channing Austin Kitts, infant son of Jarrett Austin Kitts and Brandy Lynn Thomas of Tullahoma passed this life on Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, TN.
Channing has three sisters, Erin Lynn Thomas and Emma Layne “Lou” Thomas, and Bailey Brooke Kitts all of Tullahoma; grandparents Donald and Patricia Sparks, Springfield, TN, Alan Dean Smith, Colfax, IN, and William and Lori Kitts, Knoxville, TN, Deborah Lola Austin, Halls, MS; great-grandparents Dashia Smith, Tullahoma, Delores Kitts, Knoxville, TN, Larry and Margie Lyons, Knoxville, TN and Juanita Wright, Halls, MS.
Visitation will be Monday, April 30th from 12:00pm to 2:30pm with Funeral Services immediately following at 2:30pm in the Kilgore Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Tim McGeehee officiating.
Burial will follow at Rose Hill Memorial Gardens.
Kilgore Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Raiders Lose Late At Home
Ricky Rameriz got the scoring going in the soccer match yesterday as Coffee County hosted LaVergne. With the game tied the Wolverines scored with around 90 seconds left for a 2-1 win.
Coffee County EMS In Better Shape This Year
The Coffee County Ambulance Service has seen an increase in the number of calls this year. Coffee County Ambulance Service Director John Cathey said that so far this year we have answered 5,734 calls as compared to 6,011 for all of last year. He added that the fiscal year still has several months to go. He said that the ambulance service is now handling more transports calls to and from nursing homes as well as other such calls as well as the emergency calls in Coffee County. Cathey stated that accounts for some of the increase. He also noted that the ambulance service is collecting more funds this year than last, which is good for the overall operation. Last year the ambulance service ended the fiscal year with some $700,000 in the red, but that number has been reduced this year. So far this budget year the service is short $129,000. The director stated that they are collecting more money so far this year. He noted that the ambulance authority is on a better footing financially.
Tullahoma Airport Needs Money
Tullahoma Airport
After having its funding from Coffee County cut from $12,000 per year in 2010 and 2011 to $0 in 2012, the Tullahoma Airport Authority is now requesting $60,000 from the county for 2013, a substantial increase over previous years, citing that the majority of its users are businesses in the Manchester and Interstate Industrial Parks, as well as for Bonnaroo. Karla Smith, the Authority’s treasurer, and Airport Manager Jon Glass say that the heaviest users of the airport are M-Tek, Createc and Nissan, some of which are located in Coffee County outside of Tullahoma, yet the majority of the airport’s funding comes from the city of Tullahoma. Glass said that Tullahoma appropriates $125,000 a year, while last year the county gave them nothing. Members of the county commission this week said that they would not have as much problem with giving the airport money if there was a member from the county, to which Smith said she had no problem with that as there use to be a county commissioner on the board.
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Man Charged With Killing Former Local Chief
Daniel Yokley
York was arrested by Winchester Police and the TBI at his residence on North High Street in Winchester. Malone was the former police chief of Monteagle.
According to Winchester Police Chief Dennis Young, York is being held in the Franklin County Jail without bond and has reportedly told authorities there that he planned to fight extradition back to Georgia.
Some Hotels May Do Away With Swimming Pools
Pool at Ambassador Inn
Hotels in Manchester and beyond have until May 21st to install a handicap lift to their pools and hot tubs. The lifts cost up to $10,000 each and hotels are the ones left holding the bill. The initiative was put into place by the U.S. Justice Department under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Evidently, the proposal to require all hotels to have a lift in their pools and hot tubs was passed in 2010 and then scheduled into action on May 21, 2012. Reports indicate that many hotels will simply close their pools and fill them in instead of complying with the new federal guidelines. Ken Wagner General Manager of the Ambassador Inn in Manchester says his business is in the process of scheduling the installation of the lift. Other hotels in the area are also planning for installations.
Unemployment Numbers Come Down
County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for March 2012, released yesterday, show the rate decreased in 89 counties, increased in five counties, and remained the same in one county.
Tennessee’s unemployment rate for March fell to 7.9 percent, down from the February revised rate of 8.0 percent. The national unemployment rate for March 2012 was 8.2 percent, 0.1 percentage point lower than the February rate.
Williamson County is the lowest rate in the state at 5.2 percent and Scott County the highest at 17.1 percent.
Coffee County’s unemployment rate fell from 8% in Feb to 7.6. Cannon County dropped 0.4 to 7.4. Bedford County saw their rate come down from 9.6% to 9.1. Grundy County had a good month falling 1.1% to 9.5. Franklin County came down going from 8.8 to 8.4. Moore is now 7.3% from a March rate of 8%. Warren County dropped from 9.8% to 9.1.
2nd Round For Preds On Thunder Radio
Game 1 @ PHX – Friday, April 27 at 8pm CT / 9pm EST
Game 2 @ PHX – Sunday, April 29 at 7pm CT / 8:pm EST
Game 3 @ NSH – Wednesday, May 2 at TBA
Game 4 @ NSH – Friday, May 4 at TBA
4/27/12 — James “Jim” Fredrick Bell, Sr.
Mr. James “Jim” Fredrick Bell, Sr. went to be with the Lord on April 25, 2012 ending a 93-journey of selfless service to his family, his church, his community and his country. Mr. Bell was born the second son of William Gilbert Bell, Sr. and Alice Lucile Rawlings Bell in Chattanooga, Tn. on July 15, 1918. Following the death of his father in a railroad accident in 1923., Mr. Bell’s mother moved the family to Tracy City to live with her mother-in-law, Mrs. Mary Crouch Bell widow of Mr. Allen Tribble (Tib) Bell. The house is located next to what is now the Foster-Lay Funeral Home. Mr. Bell was a member of the Tracy City Boy Scouts. Father Adamz, the Episcopal Minister, was the Scout Master who established the renowned Boy Scout Museum. Mr. Bell graduated for James K. Shook School and Grundy County High School in Tracy City. While attending high school, Mr. Bell lettered in football under Coach John Anderson. Mr. Bell’s first career job after high school was at the Crane Plant in Chattanooga. Mr. Bell left the Crane Plant after getting a job as switchman with the NC&StL Railroad at the Cravens Yard in Chattanooga in 1940. On November 9th of the same year he married Charlotte “Lottie” Elizabeth Partin of Tracy City at the Episcopal Church with Father Adamz officiating. Mr. Bell was a patriot and proud member of America’s Greatest Generation, a World War II Veteran having served in the U.S. Army in Company C of the 718th Railway Operating Battalion from Oct 1943 to Jan 1946. Mr. Bell served in France, Belgium, Luxemburg and Germany. Mr. Bell received the European African Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with 4 bronze Service Stars, the Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. Mr. Bell was also awarded the “Cross of Military Service” by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Mr. Bell flew from Huntsville, AL to Washinton DC in April 2008 as part of the “Honors Flight”. The “Honors Flight” was established to give World War II veterans a means t visit the W W II Monument (their Monument) at no cost to them. After the war, Mr. Bell returned to his previous job with the NC&StL Railroad in Chattanooga. He later transfered to the Tracy City Branch. His wife’s family lived in Tracy City and he considered this a good move for the family. He moved with his wife and two young boys back into the house where he had lived as a boy. The Tracy City branch line was known as the Mountain Goat Line. At that time the trains were pulled by steam locomotives and primarily carried coal off the mountain at Sewanee to the main line at Cowan. For years Mr. Bell would toss bubble gum to children who would run out to see the train as it passed. Mr. Bell retired from the railroad after 39 years. Mr. Bell also worked at Partin’s Store in Tracy City until the store closed in June 1976 at which time he retired to his farm on Partin’s Farm Road. Mr. Bell was a member of the Hobbes Hill Methodist Church, Tracy City where he had served in all the capacities of the church. Mr. Bell was also a member of the “Sons of Confederacy Veterans” and a member of the NC&StL Railroad Preservation Society.
Mr. Bell was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years Mrs. Charlotte “Lottie” Elizabeth Partin Bell, his parents William Gilbert, Sr. and Alice Lucile Rawlings Bell, and two brothers William Gilbert Bell, Jr. and Eugene Bell.
Mr. Bell is survived by a sister Margaret Bell Griffin of Red Bank Tn. two sons Lanny Bell of Tracy City and James Bell, Jr. of Huntsville, AL, a daughter Elizabeth Ann Bell of Tracy City; seven grandchildren Carissa Bell Callan, Mark Bell and Jason Bell of Huntsville, AL; Dr. Amy Bell Shirley and Sarah Bell Wilson of Murfreesboro; Jon Wesley Bell of Tracy City and SGT James Bell of Fort Riley, KS, 14 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held 2:00 P.M. Friday in the funeral home chapel with Reverend Clayton Jones and Reverend Danny Coffelt officiating. burial will be in the Plainview cemetery.
The family will receive friends Thursday from 4-8 P.M.
Funeral arrangements are made by Foster & Lay Funeral home, 96 St. Clair street, Tracy City.