Josh Peterson

Tuesday,  February 25 is your final day to vote early for the upcoming March 3 primary.

Early voting began on February 12 and ends on Tuesday, Feb. 25. If you do not vote early, you will be able to vote on election day, which is March 3.

Those wishing to vote early can do so in Manchester at the Coffee County Election Commission office, located at 1329 McArthur St. Suite 6 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Voters in Tullahoma can vote from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the CD Stamps Building.

If you wait until election day, you will need to vote at your assigned precinct. Hours for voting on March 3 are 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.

In this election, locally, candidates for general sessions judge are placed on the Republican primary (there were no Democratic candidates). Voters will need to choose whether they will be voting in the Republican or Democratic primary, a ballot that will also include presidential candidates.

For additional information, please contact the Coffee County Election Office at 931-723-5103.

Manchester Police Department has released its annual report for 2019. The 25-page report touches on a myriad of statistics, financial information and staffing levels. Here are a few of the highlights.

Calls for service were virtually identical in 2019 compared to 2018, up only a half a percentage point with 16,977 total calls. However, arrests were actually down 10% as officers made 1,250 arrests compared to 1,390 in 2018.

Total citations issued saw a steep increase – up 25 percent  when compared to 2018. In 2019, Manchester Police issued 4,141 total citations, that number is up from 3,314 in 2018, or 25%. Speeding citations were up 27.5%, seatbelt citations increased by nearly 29%, insurance citations were up nearly 34% and other miscellaneous citations increased by 20%.

Manchester police also worked 436 traffic crashes, that is an increase of 8.46% from the previous year.

When it comes to specific crimes, most crimes remained at or near previous year levels. However, cases of forgery nearly tripled, from 15 to 43, and fraud cases increased by over 42%, from 80 to 114.  Robbery cases dropped from 7 to 1. Drug violations increased by almost 14%.

The investigations division cleared 59.6% of its cases in 2019, that was down slightly from the 65% of cases that were cleared in 2018.

You can see the report in its entirety by clicking here. 

Manchester’s Board of Education has entered into a contract  with Lashlee-Rich, Inc to oversee a $4.1 million expansion project at College Street Elementary School.

The project is being operated as an at-risk contract, meaning that any project overruns will be covered by the contractor. If the total project is less than the amount of $4.1 million, the district and the city benefit from the savings.

The project means the addition of four classrooms to the school and a new kitchen. The existing kitchen and the cafeteria will be remodeled to flow together and expand seating.

“The school has just outgrown that cafeteria area and with the growth we are experiencing, four classrooms are very much needed,” said Dr. Joey Vaughn, director of schools.

Vaughn said he hopes to break ground this spring.

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the theft of a white box trailer from the Beech Grove area on Tuesday morning, Feb. 18. The truck with the trailer appears to be a silver colored Nissan Frontier with a luggage rack. The vehicle could be from Cannon or Rutherford County, according to sheriff’s officials. Anyone with information should contact Coffee County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. James Sherrill at 931-570-4404. See a photo of the box trailer below.

 We have an update to a story Thunder Radio news first brought to you earlier this week.

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department is searching for a stolen 2001 Audi Roadster. Investigators have released a photo of a pickup truck that appears to be blue in color (see photo below), stating that the driver of that truck is a person of interest in the theft of that Audi Roadster. Anyone having information about this theft should contact Coffee County Sheriff’s Department investigator Brandon Reed at 931-570-4191. A reward is being offered to anyone with information leading to an arrest in this case. 

A Statewide AMBER Alert has been issued on behalf of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office for Evelyn Mae Boswell. Evelyn is a 15-month old, white female, 2 ft tall, 28 lbs., with blonde hair and blue eyes. Evelyn was last seen wearing a pink tracksuit, pink shoes, and a pink bow. Evelyn was entered as a missing child on Tuesday February 18, 2020 but was reportedly last seen on December 26, 2019. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Evelyn, please contact the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office at 423-279-7330 or the TBI at 1-800-TBIFIND.