Josh Peterson

Gas prices have fallen in the past week in Manchester, but only slightly. The current state average is $2.43, which is three cents lower than a week ago and 21 cents cheaper than a year ago at this time. That 2.43 average is 27 cents below the national average. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in Coffee County is $2.40. 

Motlow State Community College is celebrating 50 years of being
one of the south’s foremost community colleges, one of Tennessee’s top higher education institutions, and a leader of educational, economic, and community development in middle Tennessee.

During the 2019-20 academic year, stretching from August to May, the College will embark on a series of special events designed to provide opportunities for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the communities of its 11-county service area to celebrate Motlow’s past. While reminding the more than 600,000 people that live in its service area of past accomplishments and milestones, the College
will also share glimpses into its aspirations for the next 50 years – hence the theme of the anniversary – “50 More”.

Motlow’s celebration will feature a significant number of engaging community events, including a Family Fun Day on Sept. 28 and the 50th Anniversary Founders Day Celebration Sept. 29. Both events will be held on the Moore County campus.

Additional highlights during the coming year include the grand opening of the third Smyrna campus building in December, the Motlow College Foundation Emerald and Gold Gala in March, and the 1st Annual Bucky Awards Athletic Banquet in April. The celebration concludes with Motlow’s 50th Commencement, scheduled for May 10 at MTSU’s Murphy Center.

Motlow opened its doors to 551 students in September 1969 on 187 acres in Moore County. The land was donated by the Motlow family of Lynchburg. Because of this generous gift and State Senator Reagor Motlow’s contributions to education in Tennessee, Governor Buford Ellington and Commissioner of Education J. Howard Warf recommended the college be named Motlow State
Community College.Groundbreaking ceremonies were held November 26, 1967, with Governor Ellington, Commissioner Warf, and approximately 250 persons from surrounding counties in attendance. Martindale Brothers, a Murfreesboro firm, was awarded the contract for construction of the original five buildings – almost 140,000 square feet to accommodate 1,200 students. The College’s service-area counties at the time were Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Lincoln, Moore and Warren. Since then, the service area has added five more counties – Cannon, DeKalb, Rutherford, Van Buren and White, while Grundy County has been moved to the Chattanooga State service area.

On Sept. 22, 1969, after almost five years of planning and work by a group of dedicated citizens, Motlow opened its doors. More than 100 classes were offered during the day and 12 at night.

Approximately 97% of the first students were from the seven-county service area, with 50% residing in Coffee County. There were 18 full-time faculty members and seven adjunct faculty. Fifty years of serving students, partnering with business, industry, and four-year universities; creating dynamic economic growth, and employing thousands of dedicated faculty, staff and administration has culminated in Motlow being named the top performing college in Tennessee with an enrollment of almost 7,000 students.

Complete 50th Anniversary celebration information, stories, schedules, and more can be found at www.Motlow50.com. Help celebrate with Motlow on social media by using #Motlow50.

Area citizens were committed to turning the dream of Motlow State Community College into reality in the mid-1960s. Visiting with the Governor are, l-r: Morris Simon, Pat Lynch, Nelson Forrester, Reagor Motlow, Education Commissioner Howard Warf, Governor Buford Ellington, Senator Ernest Crouch, and Tullahoma Vice Mayor O.B. Carroll.

The finance committee resubmitted the Franklin County 2019-20 budget and continues to recommend a 20.5 cent property tax increase. The Herald Chronicle reports that the county commission failed to pass the budget back on July 29th because of concerns that school system employees would not get pay increases while other county personnel would. The budget will go back to the commission in a special called 7 p.m. meeting on Aug. 19 at the courthouse in Franklin County. 

Manchester Police Department is asking for the public’s help identifying a suspect who was allegedly involved in a theft from the Manchester Walmart.  If you recognize this person, contact chief investigator Jackie Matheny at 931-728-2099. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District announces the immediate closure of Ragland Bottom Day Use Beach at Center Hill Lake in Smithville, Tenn., due to high bacteria levels in the water. The area is still open for picnicking and boat launching. No other beaches at Center Hill Lake are affected.

Signs have been posted and caution tape installed warning the public not to swim at this location. The day use volunteer will direct visitors to the Floating Mill Day Use Beach, an alternative swim area. 

Follow-up testing of Ragland Bottom swimming area will continue until conditions return to acceptable levels

Manchester Police have arrested Brandon Raspberry, age 22, after they say he violently killed a kitten at the Royal Inn after getting into an argument with his girlfriend. 

Brandon Raspberry

Raspberry has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty and domestic assault. 

According to Manchester Police Department Chief Investigator Jackie Matheny, Jr. authorities were able to obtain video footage of parts of the incident that happened on July 28th. Raspberry was arrested on August 1st. 

Matheny said Raspberry got into an argument with his girlfriend and he later killed the kitten, which the two had adopted. Raspberry’s bond was set at $2,000. 

In an update to a story we have been reporting on at WMSR news for months, Adam Braseel is now a free man. Braseel was found guilty in 2007 in the beating death of Malcolm Burrows and in an assault on Burrows’ sister. 

A plea deal was reached Friday  in which Braseel’s murder conviction was dropped in exchange for pleading guilty to aggravated assault. Judge Justin Angel ordered Braseel freed immediately on time served for the guilty plea on assault. Braseel has sought a new trial since being convicted, stating that he was a victim of mistaken identity. Braseel entered the plea of aggravated assault as part of an Alford plea, meaning he did not admit guilt but acknowledged enough evidence was available to convict. Braseel and his attorneys were in court Friday to make a case for a new trial on his murder conviction when prosecutors offered the deal. 

Photo from Free Adam Brasell

Whoever killed Borrows beat him to death in January of 2006 when a man showed up at his home asking for help with stalled car. Burrows offered the man a ride in his Chrysler but never returned. 

Fingerprints found on the Chrysler’s passenger door handle at the scene did not belong to Braseel, but to Kermit Bryson, a felon who later killed himself while on the run for killing Grundy County deputy Shane Tate. Braseel maintained that he was with a friend in a church parking lot at the time of Burrows’ death. But he was found guilty when Burrows’ sister, Becky Hill, identified him as the man Burrows left with. Bryson and Braseel each had red hair and were near the same height, weight and built. Braseel was borrowing his mother’s gold 1995 Acura that weekend. Bryson often drove his girlfriend’s beige 1998 Ford Escort. 

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development has compiled the latest data that reveals the largest occupations in the state and the salaries workers in those fields earn. 

The occupational group with the largest percent of Tennessee employment in 2018 was Office and Administrative Support Occupations, taking up 15.8% and accounting for almost 469,000 workers. These include jobs like customer service reps, office clerks, stock clerks and order fillers. The occupations with the highest wages within this group were postal service mail sorters, processors and processing machine operators at $58,000. The lowest wages in this group were resort, hotel and motel desk clerks at $21,000.

The profession group taking up the second most jobs in Tennessee would be sales related occupations, occupying 9.7% or 287,000 workers. Third is food preparation and serving occupations, fourth is transportation and material moving operations, fifth is production occupations and sixth is healthcare practitioners and technical occupations. Believe it or not, the jobs taking up the fewest jobs are farming, fishing and forestry occupations and legal occupations. Get the full report by clicking here. 

Results from last Thursday’s Tullahoma municipal alderman election were very tight. Four candidates were seeking two seats, and winners were Rupa Blackwell and Daniel Berry.

Berry finished just five votes better than incumbent Jackie Duncan, according to unofficial totals. Results will be certified on August 15th. 

Unofficial vote totals are as follows:

Rupa Blackwell – 1,017

Daniel Berry – 739

Jackie Duncan – 734

Stephen Landers – 246