Josh Peterson

The Manchester City School system is announcing calendar changes due to the upcoming Exit 111 festival, which will take place October 11-13 at Great Stage Park – also known as the home to Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. 

The changes include the following. There will now be no school for city schools on Friday, Oct. 11. Wednesday, May 20 will now be a full day of school and Thursday, May 21, will be early dismissal at 12:30 p.m. The Last day of school will be Friday, May 22 with a 9 a.m. dismissal. This move corresponds with a move the county schools made earlier in the summer to cancel classes for Oct. 11. So, as of now, both county and city school systems will be closed on Oct. 11 while the festival is in town. 

Here is Manchester Director of Schools Dr. Joey Vaughn for more on this decision (click play to listen): 

The autopsy released for Ryan Dunleavy, who passed away at the 2019 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, reveals that he overdosed on drugs.

Dunleavy, 27, was found to have fentanyl, MDMA (otherwise known as ecstasy) and clozapine in his system, according to the report conducted by Davidson County Assistant Medical Examiner David Zimmerman. The report states that the death was accidental, according to The Tennessean.

Dunleavy was found the morning of Saturday, June 15 in the campground area by his father and authorities responded.

Bonnaroo officials released this statement at the time of the death in June: “The well-being of our patrons, staff, volunteers and artists is our primary concern, and we work diligently to ensure the safest festival possible. Earlier today, our medical team in Plaza 11 was asked to respond to a medical situation in a nearby campsite. The Bonnaroo Medical team and Coffee County Emergency Services were on the scene within minutes. A 27-year-old male patron camping with his father was unresponsive. The medical team administered CPR, and he was transported to the hospital. We understand that he had an underlying medical condition, and that, unfortunately, he has died. We have no further information at this time. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”

Dunleavy was from Williamson County, Tennessee.

EnableComp LLC, a Franklin, Tennessee- based company that processes complex medical insurance claims, submissions and appeals, will expand into Tullahoma, creating over 200 jobs in the next five years. State economic officials announced the deal Friday. 

The company will invest $1 million to open an office. It is the third Middle Tennessee office for the company. 

The facility is expected to open in September and there will be a career fair from 3-6 p.m. August 21st at Northgate Mall in Tullahoma. 

Watson was apprehended Sunday morning. (Photo provided by TBI)

Curtis Ray Watson, an escapee of the West Tennessee State Penitentiary in Henning last week was caught Sunday morning in the Henning area. He was on the run for five days. He was captured after home surveillance video caught him going through a couple’s outdoor refrigerator at their home.

Watson was serving a 15-year sentence for aggravated kidnapping. He escaped from prison during his daily lawn-mowing detail. Watson is suspected to have killed corrections officer Debra Johnson, who was 64.

The autopsy released for Ryan Dunleavy, who passed away at the 2019 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, reveals that he overdosed on drugs.

Dunleavy, 27, was found to have fentanyl, MDMA (otherwise known as ecstasy) and clozapine in his system, according to the report conducted by Davidson County Assistant Medical Examiner David Zimmerman. The report states that the death was accidental, according to The Tennessean.

Dunleavy was found the morning of Saturday, June 15 in the campground area by his father and authorities responded.

Bonnaroo officials released this statement at the time of the death in June: “The well-being of our patrons, staff, volunteers and artists is our primary concern, and we work diligently to ensure the safest festival possible. Earlier today, our medical team in Plaza 11 was asked to respond to a medical situation in a nearby campsite. The Bonnaroo Medical team and Coffee County Emergency Services were on the scene within minutes. A 27-year-old male patron camping with his father was unresponsive. The medical team administered CPR, and he was transported to the hospital. We understand that he had an underlying medical condition, and that, unfortunately, he has died. We have no further information at this time. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”

Dunleavy was from Williamson County, Tennessee.

Manchester’s Police Department has released its annual report for 2018.

A few numbers worth noting: The department answered 16,881 calls in 2018, that is down 4.2 percent from 2017. The department worked 402 traffic crashes in 2018, which was up 7.5%, DUI arrests doubled, with 88 arrests in 2018, up from 43 in 2017. Traffic citations were down 10.9 percent, with 3,314 issued in 2018.

Manchester Police Chief Mark Yother.

The investigation division cleared 915 of the 1,408 cases it took, which is 65%. That is up from the 59% of cases cleared in 2017 and 2016. The department made 1,390 arrests in 2018, which is virtually the same as 2017, when 1,394 arrests were made. Speeding citations reported are down 25% and seatbelt violation citations were down 50%. You can see the full report, including a breakdown of specific crimes by clicking here. 

Westwood Middle School held a ceremony Wednesday to dedicate a parking space at the school.

In partnership with the Manchester Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10904, Westwood dedicated a parking space in honor of Purple Heart recepients. The parking space features a special sign with a purple post that reserves parking for the combat wounded. The parking lot stripes for that location are painted purple.

Tennessee officials are warning residents about charitable donation scams following mass shootings last weekend in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. 

If you are contacted either my phone, social media or email by someone claiming to be associated with charities affiliated with assisting victims of these shootings, here are some steps you can take to ensure you are donating to a legitimate organization:

*If a group is soliciting donations over the phone or internet and you did not make the first initial contact, do not provide personal or financial information until you can do your own research about the group.

*If the charity is in Tennessee, you can check that the group is registered with the Tennessee Secretary of Stat’s office online.

*Avoid giving cash. Always ask for a receipt and ask if your contribution is tax deductible.

*Take your time – resist pressure to donate on the spot. 

*These are just a few tips – more tips click here. 

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has issued a Statewide Tennessee Blue Alert for Curtis Ray Watson. Watson is listed as a person of interest in the homicide of a Tennessee Department of Correction employee on August 7th, 2019

Curtis Ray Watson

and is an escapee from the West Tennessee State Penitentiary in Henning, Tennessee. Watson should be considered extremely dangerous. If you have any information concerning Watson, please contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND. A $32,500 reward has been offered. Watson is a person of interest in the homicide in two correctional officers.