Alderman Nettles was sworn in by Finance Director Esther Greene

The City of Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted Tuesday night for local realtor Janet Nettles as its newest alderman. The position became available when Lonnie Norman resigned his seat to run for mayor in the upcoming August election. A change in the city charter a couple of years ago forces a standing alderman to resign if he or she chooses to run for the higher office. Alderman Nettles was sworn-in by Finance Director Esther Greene after the Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting.

Outside Millie's In Tullahoma... Photo by Scott Anderson

Tullahoma Police are investigating the theft of a prom dress from Millie’s. According to a report by Officer Daryn Gadeken, a woman, who is thought to be from the Sewanee area, recently paid a $100 deposit on a prom dress. When Julia Bryce of Millie’s attempted to deposit in her checking account, the bank notified her that the account had been closed. Bryce then placed the dress back on the rack. Then the woman returned to the store and advised an employee that she had paid for the dress and that she wanted to pick it up. The employee notified Bryce that the woman was attempting to get the dress. Bryce then advised the employee that the dress had not been purchased due to a bad check. Bryce advised that she was in route to the store. But the woman had other ideas, as she allegedly took the dress and left the store without paying the owed amount of $436.61. Tullahoma Police Detective Dale Stone is investigating the theft.

Tennessee is following the national trend of fewer adolescent pregnancies. New federal statistics show that nearly every state in the union saw a decline in teen births from 2007 to 2010. The biggest drop occured in Arizona at 29 percent, while Mississippi had the highest rate. There were 55 teen births in Mississippi per 1,000 girls, though the rate there is also declining. Pregnancies among Tennessee girls between the ages of 10 and 17 fell 25% between 2007 and 2010. There were just over 2600 pregnancies recorded in that age bracket in 2010.

Early indications suggest that construction in Tennessee is starting to rebound. Unemployment in the construction trades fell in the state by an average of more than nine percent per month over the winter. Bill Young is a spokesman for the 600 members Associated General Contractors of Tennessee.  He says the member companies are now reporting an improved business climate. Young stresses that construction in the state has not returned to pre-recession levels and he doubts that it will any time soon. He also notes that many construction workers abandoned the field for other trades during the economic downturn. As a result, Tennessee could actually experience a shortage of qualified employees in the years to come.

A fisherman on the Duck River in Bedford County discovered a mysterious human skull on a gravel bar in the river. Officials said the skull appears to be larger than a child’s, but smaller than an adult’s. Detectives scoured the area where it was found for much of the day but didn’t turn up any other clues. Investigators said there’s no indication of the skull’s age. Detectives with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said that skull will be taken to the University of Tennessee Department of Anthropology in Knoxville for examination. The TBI is also studying the skull in hopes of determining an identity.

Parents/caregivers play a major role in their children’s choices about alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. A recent national survey of parents and teens by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found one-third of teen partygoers have been to parties where teens were drinking alcohol or using other drugs while a parent was present. By age 17, nearly half (46 percent) of teens have been at such parties where parents were present. In Coffee County forty percent (40%) of adults have first-hand knowledge of parents who knowingly allow youth under 21 to drink in their home and do not do anything about it (2008 Focus Group Study).

Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition has teamed up with Drug-Free Action Alliance along with national sports icon and the 2012 Parents Who Host, Lose The Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking Campaign Spokesperson Clark Kellogg to spread the word in our community that underage drinking is unsafe, unhealthy and unacceptable.

FACT: As a parent, you cannot give alcohol to your teen’s friends under the age of 21 under any circumstance, even in your own home, even with their parent’s permission.  You also cannot knowingly allow a person under 21, other than your own child, to remain in your home or on your property while consuming or possessing alcohol.  There are legal consequences if you do.  According to Tennessee law, it is a Class A misdemeanor for any owner, occupant or other person having a lawful right to exclusive use and enjoyment of property to knowingly allow an underage person to consume alcoholic beverages.

With prom and graduation season upon us, it is imperative for parents to be aware of the increased risk of teen alcohol parties occurring and the potential dangers that accompany those alcohol-fueled gatherings. Simply taking away the car keys does not solve all of the problems related to underage drinking.

It is important for parents to proactively take measures to help ensure these special times are fun, yet safe and drug-free for their teens. Here are a few ideas for parents (and teens) planning celebratory parties:

§  Create a party plan, including a guest list, with your teen

• Invite just the friends on your list and let them know in advance the party is ‘invitation only’
• Let party guests know that if they leave, they cannot come back
• Plan some activities such as music, games, movies, etc
• Make regular and unobtrusive visits to the party area with sensitivity to teens’ needs for privacy

If your teen is attending a party:

• Know where your child will be. Call the parent in charge to verify the location of      the party. Ensure there will be adult supervision ant that the host will not be serving or allowing alcohol.
• Set a curfew for your teen to be home and when they arrive home, have them check      in with you.
• Know how your child is getting to and from the party.  Reinforce the message to your teenager      that he/she should never allow someone who has been drinking to drive them anywhere.

For additional information, including the full list of parent tips and ideas, visit www.DrugFreeActionAlliance.org.