Category: News

Tullahoma Utilities Board (TUB) sent a small, 4-man crew Tuesday to Athens, Alabama, to assist in the repair of utility poles and electrical lines following Monday’s line of severe storms that pummeled much of the southeast.
Kyle Riddle, Cameron Denney, Steven Mantooth, and David Myers left Tullahoma Tuesday to assist in the recover and repair of approximately 200 broken poles and their associated downed power lines. The damaged area has about 40,000 meters and is a fellow Tennessee Valley Public Power Association utility.
The crew was sent as part of the Mutual Aid Assistance Program which, according to TUB Fiber and Electric Manager Brian Coate, “Utilities work together in the region to provide the highest level of reliability.”
In the past, TUB has sent multiple crews to assist utilities in the event of heavy storm damage. Luckily, the local area saw minimal damage from Monday’s storms.

AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins says gas prices continue to rise nationally, but the peak could be in sight. He said wholesale prices on the gulf coast have tentatively pulled back, which could result in slightly lower pump prices.
Refinery production has increased dramatically and there is hope that supplies will begin to build across the region.
Sunday’s national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $3.70, 3 cents more than last week. Tennessee’s average of $3.52 rose 2 cents. In Coffee County the low price in Manchester on Tuesday night was $3.47 and in Tullahoma the low price was also $3.47.

County unemployment numbers for the month of March indicate the unemployment rate decreased in 86 counties, increased in four counties and stayed the same in five counties.
Coffee County’s rate was unchanged at 6.1 percent. Cannon County dropped from 5.7 to 5.6 percent.
Warren County’s unemployment rate for March was 7.7 percent…down from the February rate of 8.1 percent. Franklin County’s unemployment dropped in March by 2.3% and stands at 6.4%. The Grundy County rate dropped by .3% of a point last month to 9.1%. In Bedford County their unemployment rate dropped from 6.8 to 6.5% and in Moore County the March rate rose from 5.5% to 5.8. Williamson County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 4.6 percent, while Scott County had the highest at 14.8 percent.

Motlow College students recently visited the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, Georgia.
Lisa Mayo is the assistant professor of geology at Motlow College. Mayo says the excursion, which she plans every semester for her geology classes, gives students the opportunity to obtain a hands-on experience with the material they study in class.
For more information on Motlow College events and more go to www.mscc.edu

The Southern Middle Tennessee Entrepreneur Centers (SMTEC) and the Center for Executive and Professional Development at Martin Methodist College will be conducting a FREE 1-day TennesSeed Camp™ on Thursday, May 15.
The 1-day event will be held on the campus of Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, TN.
“Our goal is to create economic growth in Middle Tennessee communities by connecting promising start-ups and young companies with the resources they need to succeed”, said Dan Marcum, SMTEC Executive Director.
“This 1-day event is designed to provide attendees with a foundation on how to transform an idea into an ‘Investable Story’ worthy of receiving seed investment.”
Southern Middle Tennessee Entrepreneur Centers is one of nine regional accelerators located across Tennessee, each established to assist entrepreneurs through mentoring and experiential learning.
The centers serve the following counties: Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry, and Wayne.
Martin Methodist College’s Center for Executive and Professional Development provides education and training for business people throughout the region, to foster regional business and economic growth.
To apply to participate in this free 1-day event, call 455-0155.

At approximately 10:00am Monday morning, Manchester Fire and Rescue responded to reported structure fire on Woodbury Highway, near the Manchester Recreation Center. The initial call reported the fire was in the second floor apartment. When crews arrived on scene, they found heavy smoke and fire on the second floor, with occupants outside. Firemen attacked the blaze as crews searched the apartments for other occupants and fire extension.

The fire was contained to the 2nd floor apartment, the ground floor apartment suffered water and smoke damage.
Personnel from 1-800-BOARDUP, the Red Cross as well as Manchester Police Department, Coffee County EMS, Duck River Electric and ERPUD assisted. Tullahoma Fire Department responded with an air truck to refill breathing apparatuses.
Investigators are working to determine a cause of the fire. See video below.

Bridgette Haley of Woodbury was found dead in a car early Sunday morning in Estill Springs. According to an autopsy by the State Medical Examiner she died of blunt force trauma to the head and upper body.
The 46 year-old Haley, was found Sunday morning around 1 a.m. after law enforcement stopped the car her body was found in on Chase Bend Road in Estill Springs following a pursuit that started outside of Decherd, traveled the back roads to the outer Tullahoma City limits and back to Estill Springs.
Robert Troy Whipple, 46, homeless of Woodbury who was thought to be driving under the influence turned into a subdivision and ran into some rocks and came to a stop. He allegedly got out of his car and started to run toward some woods but turned back around with a knife and got into a scuffle with Franklin County Sheriff’s Sgt. Milton Binkley and cut him on his hand. Binkley and State Trooper Larry Fraley then subdued Whipple and he was arrested. “Milton (Binkley) was treated at Southern Tennessee Hospital for the knife wounds to the hand,” Franklin County Sheriff Tim Fuller stated. “He is going to be okay but his hand is swollen.”
Whipple was transported to the hospital as well for treatment of his injuries that he sustained during the scuffle.
According to the sheriff, investigators found the body of Haley in the passenger seat of the car. Her body was transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Nashville where the autopsy was performed.
According to Fuller, Whipple has been charged with manufacture/sell/delivery of schedule II (cocaine), possession of drug paraphernalia, habitual motor vehicle offender, felony evading arrest, DUI, resisting arrest and aggravated assault. He is being held in the Franklin County Jail under a bond of $1 million.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident and the murder. Since Binkley was involved the TBI will be investigating the incident and they will be handling the murder charge.
(Thanks to Wayne Thomas with the Tullahoma News for his assistance with this story)

Time is running out for Gov. Bill Haslam to make his decision on a bill that would allow Tennessee women to be charged with a crime for drug use during pregnancy if it harms the baby. It is an idea that has raised concern among medical professionals, including physician Pamela Gonzalez, who serves on the committee on substance abuse for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Gonzalez said she fears that the threat of criminal charges would drive women away from getting treatment and prenatal care.
“The most important thing for any woman, whether she’s got a substance abuse problem or not, is for that woman to present for prenatal care,” Gonzalez said. “One of the biggest damaging things that is a potential outcome of having legislation like this, is going back to a place where women go ‘underground.'”
Supporters of the bill said it is needed to address the growing number of babies born addicted to drugs in Tennessee, and pointed out that it allows for women to avoid prosecution by seeking treatment.
Another concern is that the criminalization could have a disproportionate impact on the state’s most vulnerable women, according to Cherisse Scott, CEO, SisterReach of Memphis.
“What we recognize is that low-income women, especially those from communities of color, really have the fewest resources to navigate the courts,” Scott said. “So, what we understand with this legislation is that families with the least amount of support are going to be torn apart, not strengthened.”
Scott said addiction is a medical issue and that women struggling with substance abuse need support in seeking treatment, rather than punishment. That’s why she’s among those calling for a veto.
Also urging Haslam to reject the legislation is the ACLU of Tennessee, said Executive Director Hedy Weinberg.
“This legislation is very problematic, not only because it raises serious Constitutional concerns about equal treatment under the law, but also because it jeopardizes the health and well-being of women in Tennessee,” Weinberg warned.
The focus should instead be on increasing the options for pregnant women to get help when they are struggling with substance abuse issues, Weinberg added. Currently, only two out of the nearly 180 addiction treatment facilities statewide provide prenatal care onsite.
The governor has until Tuesday to decide whether to veto the bill, sign it or let it become law without his signature.
Details of the bill are available at http://1.usa.gov. Tennessee statistics on “Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome” are at http://health.state.tn.us/.

A new report shows Tennessee is on pace to meet a goal of a 90 percent high school graduation rate by the Class of 2020.
The report released Monday by the education advocacy group America’s Promise Alliance shows the state increased its graduation rate 17 percentage points from 2003 to 2010, and has continued to make progress with a graduation rate of 87 percent in 2012.
American’s Promise set the 90 percent goal for the nation in 2010.
The report also highlights Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam’s free tuition plan at two-year colleges, saying other states should note Tennessee’s efforts to increase access to college- and career programs and consider similar legislation.
Under Haslam’s plan that passed during the recent legislative session, any high school graduate will be able to attend a two-year college free of tuition.

A number of area residents turned out at the Tullahoma Regional Airport Saturday to watch members of the Tennessee Skydiver’s club attempt to break an unofficial record. 33 skydivers jumped from two planes at a height of 14,500 feet and then joined hands to create a formation over the airport. The unofficial state record was set in the 1990s at the Tullahoma airport.
People with lawn chairs and cameras showed up for the various jumps that took place throughout the day, with the first one at 9:15 a.m. Everyone who watched the skydivers float to the ground were impressed with the proficiency of the jumpers as they cruised in to the landing site.