Author's posts
Two Area Police Departments Asking for the Public’s Help
The Tullahoma Police Department needs your help identifying a person that might have been involved in a fraud case. Anyone with information regarding this person’s identity or the fraud committed, is asked contact Tullahoma Police Department Investigator Tyler Hatfield by calling 931.455.0530 or by emailing thatfield@tullahomatn.gov.
Wesley Mark Shaw
Shaw was identified as a person of interest and is believed to be the sole suspect in an ongoing fraud investigation involving numerous mid-state restaurant owners. Shaw, who is impersonating a licensed fire inspector, is extorting money from minority business owners and charging exorbitant fees for the false inspections.
If you know of his whereabouts or have been victimized by Wesley Mark Shaw please call Detective Cody Swift at the Shelbyville Police Department 931-684-5811.
Two Men Charged with Aggravated Arson
Alexander Michael Constantaras… Photos provided by the CCSD.
Patrick Scott Potts, 24, of West Moore Street, Manchester and Alexander Michael Constantaras, 51, of Kennesaw, Georgia were charged with aggravated arson and public intoxication.
Patrick Scott Potts
The charges were filed after the two were seen leaving a restroom at Fred Deadman Park in Manchester and a witness finding paper towels on fire. After finding the fire, the witness then “stomped out” the fire.
The men were later found on West Moore Street in Manchester and Potts, according to warrants, had several lighters in his pocket.
The warrants state that when the fire was set a female and her child were in the women’s restroom at the time of the fire.
Bond for Potts and Constantaras was set at $11,000 and they are to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court on April 24.
Mobile Household Hazardous Waste Collection is Saturday in Coffee County
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s (TDEC) mobile household hazardous waste collection service will be in Coffee County on Saturday, April 14. Since the program’s inception in 1993, more than 346,000 Tennessee households have properly disposed of more than 22 million pounds of material.
“I encourage all Tennessee households with eligible hazardous materials to participate in this free annual event which helps protect our waterways and our air,” said TDEC Commissioner Bob Martineau.
Any Tennessee resident is encouraged to bring their household hazardous waste – including cleaning fluids, pesticides, batteries, and more – to the designated drop-off locations. You do not need to live in the county listed to participate in the event.
Coffee County – Solid Waste Department, 2180 Murfreesboro Highway, in Manchester from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. The local contact for this collection event is Wannella Ingleburger at (931) 723-5139.
Household hazardous waste materials are considered flammable, toxic, reactive and/or corrosive and should not be placed with regular garbage. Typical items to dispose of include cleaning fluids, pesticides, mercury thermometers and thermostats, fluorescent lamps, lithium and button batteries, aerosols, adhesives, medications, brake fluid, swimming pool chemicals, paint thinner and used needles in sturdy containers. Items not accepted include ammunition, explosives, alkaline batteries, paint, electronics and any empty containers that should be disposed in normal trash.
While household waste may be disposed for free, there is a cost for disposal of Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator Waste (i.e. wastes from non-household sources such as businesses, schools, farms, churches, etc.). An appointment is also necessary. Call (615) 643-3170 to request a price quote and schedule an appointment.
Many counties and municipalities meet the needs of local residents by providing collection of batteries, oil, paint, antifreeze and electronic scrap. When handled correctly, these materials are minimally hazardous, but inappropriate for collection at household hazardous waste events. Contact your local city or county solid waste department to find collection sites in your area.
When transporting materials to the site, place containers in sturdy boxes lined with newspaper to prevent spills and cross-contamination in the trunk of a car or back of a truck. Be sure to keep materials away from children and pets. Materials should be kept in the original containers whenever possible. If not, place each waste in a separate plastic container with a secure lid and label its contents.
For more information on the household hazardous waste mobile collection service, please call 1-800-287-9013
Scientists Are “Listening” to Our Tweets
While Facebook faces scrutiny over how user data is used and collected, there’s growing awareness that our “tweets” are also being used to provide insight into consumer behavior. (Thomas Malbaux)
Social computing researcher Casey Fiesler, an assistant professor in the University of Colorado’s Department of Information Science, is co-author of a study on how tweets are used. Of about 68 million active U.S. Twitter users, Fiesler said 268 were surveyed, with an average age of 32.
“So this was a survey, and we asked people generally how they felt about this, whether they were previously aware,” she said, “and one of the striking things we found was that the majority of our participants had no idea, previously, that this was a thing that could happen.”
Sixty-two percent of the people surveyed did not know researchers used their tweets, and 61 percent thought it would be a breach of ethics. Twitter’s privacy policy states that public information can be broadly disseminated to a wide range of users, including universities.
Fiesler said there are uses for “tweeted” information in the name of science that may not be intended by people with Twitter accounts, but added that she doesn’t think they need to stop using social media or lock up their information.
“I think that most people know intellectually that Twitter is public,” she said, “and I would actually say that research is one of the less harmful things that could happen with a tweet.”
Fiesler said most survey respondents were more comfortable having a tweet they’ve posted analyzed along with millions of others, or quoted anonymously, rather than having tweets attributed to them when they are used.
“Lots of researchers also look at things like Instagram, Yelp reviews,” she said. “Anything that is just public, so that anyone on the Internet can see it, is a typical ethical heuristic for whether researchers can look at that data.”
The study, funded by the National Science Foundation, recommended that researchers develop ethical guidelines and standards for mining Twitter data from users.
The study is online at journals.sagepub.com.
Wednesday Prep Results and Thursday Prep Schedule
Wednesday Prep Results
> CCMS Track beat North, Harris and Warren County on Monday – See the Story HERE
> CHS Track wins All Area Track Championships on Tuesday – See the Story HERE
> WMS Softball lost to Moore County – 5 to 0 – See the Story HERE
> CCMS Softball fell at North Franklin – 7 to 0 – See the Story HERE
> Westwood Boys’ Soccer beat CCMS Boys’ Soccer – 5 to 0 – See the Story HERE
> CHS Baseball beat Shelbyville – 5 to 2 – See the Story HERE
Thursday Prep Schedule
4:00 PM – CHS Tennis at Cannon Co
4:00 PM – CCMS Golf vs Westwood at Old Stone Fort
4:30 PM – CCMS Baseball HOSTS Middle Tenn Monarchs
5:30 PM – WMS Softball HOSTS Cannon Co
7:00 PM – CHS Boys’ Soccer at Columbia
7:00 PM – CHS Softball HOSTS Lawrence Co – Thunder Radio broadcast
CHS Baseball Drops Shelbyville on Wednesday
Hayden Skipper of CHS baseball
A five run 1st inning was just enough on Wednesday as the Coffee County baseball team got a bounceback win over Shelbyville. The Red Raiders snapped a 6 game losing streak and got their 10th win of the year as they won 5 to 2.
Coffee County got 5 hits and 2 hit batters in the 1st inning to jump out to a 5 to 0 lead. Raider pitcher Hayden Skipper pitched 5 1/3 innings to get the win. Zack Milan came on in relief in the 6th inning to get the save. Kael McCall had 2 singles and 2 RBI to lead the Raider attack. A.J. Rollman, Skylar Bratcher, Gage Edwards and Hayden Skipper all had a hit for Coffee County. The win improves the Raiders record to 10 and 8 on the year and 6 and 4 in district play.
Coffee County will open up play in the Grundy County Tournament on Friday with a pair of games. The Raiders will take on Whitwell at 5 PM and Grundy County at 7:15 on Friday at Grundy County High School. They will finish up play on Saturday.
Download the broadcast at: /http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/
Westwood Soccer Shuts Out CCMS Soccer on Wednesday
John Martinez of Westwood soccer
Facing off in a regular season game for the first time in recent memory, the Coffee County Middle School and Westwood Middle School boys’ soccer teams squared off at the Raider Academy on Wednesday night. In front of an overflow crowd, the Rockets used a pair of 1st half goals to jump start them to a 5 to 0 win over the Raiders.
Westwood got a pair of goals from John Martinez and single goals from Keaton Sherrill, Jose Carbajal and Nico Sanfilipo. Louie Frazier and Kevin Perigrino added assists.
Both teams will take part in Saturday’s Red Raider Invitational. The Red Raiders will take on DeKalb County at 9 AM at Carden Jarrell Field while the Rockets will square off against Prescott at 10 AM at the Raider Soccer Field.
CHS Track Claims All Area Meet Title on Tuesday
The Coffee County CHS track teams got a pair of huge wins on Tuesday evening as they captured a pair of wins at the All Area Championships at Tullahoma. The Red Raiders and Lady Raiders each finished in first place in the 5 team meet. The Red Raiders outdistanced 2nd place Franklin County 201.5 to 179. The Lady Raiders snuck past the Rebelettes of Franklin County 186 to 172.
The Red Raiders got first place individual finishes from Leo Penne in the 800M run and 1600M run; Neil Slone in the 3200M run; Jalen Cummings in the Shot Put; Raven Weber in the 110M hurdles and Trace Bryant in the high jump. The Red Raiders also captured 1st place in the 4×400 relay.
Other Red Raiders with Top 5 finishes were:
Dillon Helms – 2nd, 110M hurdles; 3rd, 300M hurdles; 4th, High Jump;
Raven Weber – 2nd, Pole Vault; 5th, Triple Jump;
Jacob Melton – 2nd, 3200M;
Neil Slone – 2nd, 1600M;
Jalen Cummings – 3rd, 400M; 3rd, Long Jump;
Trace Bryant – 3rd, Pole Vault;
Sebastian Ledford – 4th, 3200M;
Zach Speegle – 4th, High Jump;
Johnny Dulin – 4th, Triple Jump;
Tanner Hulvey – 5th, 200M;
Eli Norton – 5th, Discus;
Tyler Luttrell – 5th, Shot Put;
The Lady Raiders got first place individual finishes from Jaden Campbell in the 3200M run and Macy Tabor in the high jump. The Lady Raiders also won the 4x200M relay.
Other Lady Raiders with Top 5 finishes were:
Sarah Pearson – 2nd, 300M Hurdles; 2nd, 400M; 3rd, High Jump;
Ryan Green – 2nd, 3200M; 4th, 1600M;
Emily St. John – 2nd, 1600M; 5th, 400M;
Jaden Campbell – 2nd, 800M;
Chloe Haggard – 3rd, 300M Hurdles; 3rd, 100M Hurdles; 5th, Long Jump;
Laura Bogard – 3rd, High Jump; 3rd, 200M;
Trava Brown – 3rd, 3200M; 5th, 1600M;
Keisheal Norton – 3rd, Shot Put; 5th, Discus;
Faith Floyd – 4th, Shot Put; 4th, Discus;
Taela Bland – 4th, 200M;
Jaden Campbell – 4th, Long Jump;
Macy Tabor – 5th, 300M Hurdles;
The Raider runners will be back at home on Saturday. When they play host to the Coffee County Night of Miles. Field events are set to begin at 1 PM at Carden-Jarrell Field.
CCMS Track Sweeps Monday Meet at Home
The Coffee County Middle School track team played host to Warren County, Harris and North Franklin on Monday. The Red Raiders captured 1st place as they outdistanced North Franklin 75 to 50. The Lady Raiders edged Warren County 55.5 to 51.5. North Franklin came in 3rd place with 51 points.
The Lady Raider 4x400M relay team of Greenlee Woods, Alyssa McClanahan, Kinzie Givens and Madison Rooker finished in 2nd place.
Top finishers individually for the Lady Raiders were:
Marley Perry – 1st, Shot Put; 2nd, Discus;
Kinzie Givens – 1st, High Jump; 4th, 400M;
Emma Wood, 1st – Long Jump;
Chandlar Carter – 2nd, Shot Put;
Greenlee Woods – 2nd, 1600M;
Madison Rooker – 3rd, 800M; 4th, Long Jump;
Jayda Wright – 3rd, Discus;
Alyssa McClanahan – 4th, Shot Put;
Josie Willis – 4th, 1600M;
Jorja Waggoner – 4th, 800M;
Katie Cotton – 4th, 200M;
Alexis Wise – 5th, 800M;
Brianna Shelton – 5th, 200M;
Nikki Graham – 5th, Discus;
The Red Raider 4x400M relay team of Ethan Beaty, Braison Yancer, Preston Houck and Jacob Rutledge captured 1st place.
Top finishers individually for the Red Raiders were:
Jacob Rutledge – 1st, 1600M; 1st, 3200M; 1st, 800M;
Ethan Welch – 1st, Discus; 1st, High Jump; 2nd, 1600M;
Kelby Walker – 1st, 100M; 3rd, High Jump; 3rd, 200M;
Braison Yancer – 1st, Long Jump; 3rd, 400M;
Ethan Beaty – 1st, 400M;
Jacob Slabaugh, 2nd, 800M;
Michael DeLong – 4th, Shot Put; 4th, Discus;
Ethan Baker – 4th, 200M; 5th, 100M;
Blake Young – 5th, 800M;
Elijah Clemmons – 5th, High Jump;
Phinehas Rollman – 5th, Shot Put;
The Coffee County Middle School track teams will be back at home on Friday. The Raider thinclads will play host to Harris, North Franklin and South Franklin. Field events will begin at 4:30 PM at Carden-Jarrell Field.
Ground Broken on CCMS Indoor Facility
Construction photo by Rob Clutter
In a story we first brought to you in November, plans were put in place to erect an indoor practice facility for football at the Coffee County Middle School. After months of design, planning, site work and weather delays, construction began on the facility on Wednesday at CCMS.
Local businessman Robert Gilley, CCMS athletic director Kyle Harris, CCMS Principal Kim Aaron and others undertook discussion in August and it became evident that there was a need for space for other sports as well. It was after those talks that it was decided that if a facility was going to be built that it should be used by other outdoor sports including football, baseball, softball and boys’ and girls’ soccer. The facility was designed as a 60 by 75 foot practice facility with artificial turf, locker rooms, weight room and offices for the coaches. The proposed building is being erected beyond the right field fence at the softball field at CCMS.
As talks continued it became about money and how much this facility would cost. Gilley, the owner of Gary Crane talked to other businesses and community leaders and they decided that they should be able to get a lot of the work and needed materials donated. This brought down the need for money drastically.
Gilley told WMSR Radio that there is still a need for monetary donations for equipment and other various needs for the complex. Harris says that people can make donations to the CCMS Athletic Facility and he added that NO taxpayer money will be used for the facility, it will be 100% funded by donations. Donations can be made at the Coffee County Schools central office, CCMS or Robert Gilley. The school board has approved the building of the facility on the campus of Coffee County Middle School but there is no money in the budget for such a facility, so it would take the community to get this done.