On Sunday afternoon (01/07/2018) Corporal Harmon Campbell with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department responded to a house fire at 999 Roberts Ridge Rd. When Campbell arrived, the house was fully engulfed.
A short time later the North Coffee County Volunteer Fire Department arrived and began extinguishing the fire. Other volunteer departments were also on the scene for mutual aid.
Campbell made contact with the owner Virgil Johns who said he grabbed two fire extinguishers to fight the fire but could not see through the heavy smoke.
Johns called 911 and exited the home with his daughter.
The home, valued at $150,000 was destroyed by the blaze.

The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate after an assault call led to the discovery of marijuana and weapons. Deputies responded to the call on Ducktown Circle in Palmer last week.
Upon arrival they discovered the suspect, Thomas Joshua Day (32), had been fighting with family members.
During the course of the investigation, deputies found approximately two pounds of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and legend drugs. Also found was an AR-15, .45 semi-auto and 22 revolver pistols along with body armor.
Day is currently being held at the Grundy County Detention Center and is charged with manufacturing/sell & delivery of Schedule VI, felon in possession of a firearm, possession of firearm during dangerous felony, possession of legend drugs and drug paraphernalia.

An east Tennessee lawmaker wants to make it more difficult for DUI offenders to buy alcohol by putting a mark on their driver’s license.
State Representative Bud Hulsey will be in Nashville this week to propose the new bill.
When someone is convicted of a DUI, Hulsey wants a red strip across the license for three years that says they can’t buy alcohol.
The bill would also include a misdemeanor charge for anyone who sells alcohol to that person.
The new session for the General Assembly starts January 9th.

Bitcoin may sound like points you’d earn in a video game, but the electronic currency is valued at an estimated $700 billion worldwide, and is beginning to attract the attention of Tennessee consumers looking to invest in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Litecoin.
The interest is enough to prompt the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance to issue a message of caution to people who may be tempted to invest.
“It’s unregulated, there is no real backing for cryptocurrency – there’s no bank, there’s no guarantee,” said Kevin Walters, communications director with the department. “So at this point, what we’re doing is just trying to help people understand the risks associated with them.”
Cryptocurrencies are not insured by a central bank or government authority. They cannot be exchanged for other commodities.
Walters warned consumers to beware of promises of high rates of return and unsolicited offers. A recent survey by the North American Securities Administrators Association found that 94 percent of members believe there is a “high risk of fraud” involving the electronic currency.
Walters said the state has had no reports of anyone being scammed so far. But when it does happen, there’s not much recourse.
“If someone were scammed in a cryptocurrency scam, there wouldn’t be anything that we could do about it because your money would disappear, essentially,” he said.
Cryptocurrencies do have some advantages, including no delay in payments between parties. Also, traditional fees associated with credit card merchants and other money transfers are reduced or eliminated.

Motlow State Community College will be closed on Monday, Jan. 15, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, according to college officials.
The closing includes all college facilities, including libraries and computer labs, on the Moore County, Fayetteville, McMinnville, and Smyrna campuses. Regular business hours for all sites will resume on Jan. 16.
Spring semester classes begin on Jan. 16 at all locations. The deadline to fill out a Motlow College application for admission is Jan. 10.
For more information, visit the Motlow website at mscc.edu or call 931-393-1500 or 800-654-4877.
All area school systems (Manchester City, Tullahoma City and Coffee County) will be closed for students on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018.