Top (L-R) Jason Sherrill and Stephanie Sherrill and bottom Kenneth Freeman

Three Coffee County residents are facing sentences in Ohio for their part in the distribution of steroids in that state. Jason Sherrill, 31, and Stephanie Sherrill, 27, both of Tullahoma and Kenneth Freeman, 44, of Manchester were all arrested last November on charges of purchasing drugs in powder form from China and mixing the substance into injectable form to sell. The three are accused of engaging in corrupt activity and trafficking in drugs in Ohio. The three were indicted by a Warren County Ohio grand jury along 30 other in the operation to distribute steroid in Ohio. The Ohio authorities then came to Tullahoma and with the assistance of the 14th Judicial Drug Task Force in conducting a raid on a residence located on the Old Estill Springs Road and Rutledge Ford Road. Freeman was sentenced to four years in jail for three counts of trafficking of steroids. The Sherrill’s are to appear in court in Warren County, Ohio on April 18 to be sentenced on the charges.

A newly released report ranks the health of the residents in Tennessee’s 95 counties, and the scores for four area counties are all over the chart. Coffee County ranks 48th overall on the list of the healthiest counties in the state, according to the 2012 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. Moore County ranked fifth, Franklin County came in 20th, and Grundy County came in dead last, ranked at 95th. The rankings consider factors that affect people’s health within four categories: health behavior, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment. This year’s Rankings include several new measures, such as how many fast food restaurants are in a county and levels of physical inactivity among residents. The rankings are based on the latest publicly-available data for each county.

Tullahoma Director of Schools Dan Lawson

To keep up with technologically changing times and to save money, the Tullahoma Board of Education is looking into what it would take to provide the school system’s students with electronic textbooks. The board recently discussed the idea during a meeting. But Dr. Dan Lawson, Tullahoma City Schools director, said students actually using electronic textbooks by computer companies, such as Apple’s iPad and Google Inc.’s Chromebook, is at least two years away. But the board is looking into possibilities in the meantime regarding what it would take to make the computer-age move. Lawson said the electronic devices can cost several hundred dollars, But a single high school printed literature textbook can cost about $120. The electronic device can access various different textbook sources, potentially leading to a great cost savings. At issue is how the school system’s 3,400 students would be equipped with the electronic textbooks. Lawson said many students will probably have their own electronic books.

While the surface may look clear in the woods off Wattendorf Highway, there are still crews out clearing up Unexploded Ordnance in the woods at Arnold Air Force Base. The difference between the work done last year and now is this time they’re going underground. The Military Munitions Response Project on base has moved into the remedial investigation phase, which means workers are looking for any munitions sub-surface that may have been fired onto these historical ranges and impact areas. The munitions date back to the 1940s, when Arnold AFB was actually the site of the U.S. Army’s Camp Forrest.

Gov. Bill Haslam

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has rolled out a comprehensive statewide campaign designed to inform Tennesseans about the consequences of violating the “I Hate Meth Act,” which took effect on July 1, 2011. The announcement took place in coordination with the Tennessee Sheriffs’ Association meeting in Nashville.

“The goal of this campaign is to communicate the harsh consequences of violating our anti-meth law,” Haslam said. “We want to deter people from making and using meth in our state, which will save lives, protect children, save taxpayer dollars, and make Tennessee safer overall.”

The communications campaign targets the counties in Tennessee where there have been the highest number of children removed from homes due to meth-related incidents and the greatest number of meth lab seizures. In 2011, the Department of Children’s Services removed 321 children from their parents’ custody due to meth use or manufacturing. Law enforcement officials also seized 1,687 meth labs in Tennessee last year, the second highest number in the nation, according to the Tennessee Meth Task Force.

The governor also announced $750,000 in his budget amendment for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to assist local governments with training and equipment costs related to meth clean-up. Partners in the effort include the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Department of Children’s Services, Tennessee Meth Task Force, Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference, Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, Tennessee Sheriffs’ Association, Tennessee Pharmacists Association, and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.