Category: News

Saint Thomas Heart is pleased to announce the expansion of Dr. Wilburn George’s cardiology practice and the opening of a new cardiac clinic in partnership with United Regional Medical Center in Manchester.

Wilburn George, MD, FACC, is a board certified interventional cardiologist and has been seeing patients at Saint Thomas Heart in Tullahoma for more than 22 years. Dr. George holds certification from the American Board of Internal Medicine, with additional certification in Cardiovascular Diseases. He specializes in diagnostic catheterization, peripheral vascular interventional procedures, cardiac interventional procedures and cardiac imaging.

“We are thrilled that Dr. George is expanding his practice to the Manchester community,” said United Regional Medical Center CEO Martha McCormick Logan. “Our goal is to offer the highest quality, comprehensive heart care to patients in Middle Tennessee. Dr. George’s affiliation with Saint Thomas Heart and his partnership with United Regional Medical Center will not only provide this community with increased access to exceptional care, but will also further expand our mission.”

Dr. George received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis, Tenn. and completed both his residency and fellowship in the Department of Cardiology at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

Dr. George will begin seeing patients on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Saint Thomas Heart office in Manchester effective January 22, 2013. Additionally, the office includes a comprehensive diagnostic center that provides a host of cardiac diagnostic services, including echocardiography, treadmill stress testing, stress echo, and nuclear stress testing (perfusion imaging). Dr. George will continue to see patients at the Tullahoma location on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Saint Thomas Heart in Manchester is located at 1000 McArthur Street, Tullahoma Highway. To make an appointment with Dr. George, please call 931-728-2056.

Flu is more widespread across the nation, but the number of hard-hit states has declined, health officials said Friday. Officials at Harton Regional Medical Center stated Friday afternoon that the emergency room has “seen a large number” of cases of the flu so far this year. Nationally, 20 children have died from the flu. According to officials at Harton, there have been more cases seen in the emergency room of the flu involving children than adults so far. Most people with flu have a mild illness. But people with severe symptoms should see a doctor. They may be given antiviral drugs or other medications to ease symptoms. It’s not too late to get vaccinated. Many county health clinics are even offering the vaccine for free.

Last year Coffee County recorded fewer traffic deaths than the previous year. But that was not the case in neighboring Franklin County. The number of traffic fatalities in Franklin county set high marks in 2012 that will trigger increased state and local enforcement there and across the region. Franklin County, where fatalities jumped in one year from two to 12, Sheriff Tim Fuller says he believes impaired drivers remain at the heart of the problem. The sheriff said that eight or nine of the fatalities were alcohol related. A total of 1,018 people died on Tennessee roads in 2012, compared with 937 in 2011, records show. State figures show statewide traffic deaths increased in 47 of the state’s 95 counties, stayed even in 12 counties and decreased in 36 counties. In 2012 Coffee County recorded 12 fatalities as compared to 16 in 2011.

In an effort to promote electric vehicle use, the City of Tullahoma is on its way to partnering with a project to have two charging stations at C.D. Stamps Community Center. City Administrator Jody Baltz said the Board of Mayor and Aldermen is considering an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy and ECOtality North America Inc. Baltz said the only other charging facility in the immediate area is at the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Manchester. Since re-charging takes at least 30 minutes, Baltz said it will give those who are charging their cars a chance to use the community center’s recreational facilities.

Protesters and counter-demonstrators in Coffee County got emotional Saturday over what some say is being done to abandoned animals up for adoption.
It’s the second time in six months the county’s animal control has made headlines. Last June, animal rescuers were upset to learn an animal control worker shot and killed a dog belonging to the county mayor’s son and the dog was put in a dumpster behind the shelter.
Saturday morning, dozens from the community and animal rescue groups gathered again in Manchester, this time protesting what they call unfit conditions and a high kill rate at Coffee County Animal Control.
Coffee County Humane Society gathered in support of Coffee County Animal Control. They and Coffee County Animal Control Director Kevin Brown both claimed dogs in bad condition come to animal control that way and rescue groups are selective about which dogs they save.
Also at issue for the rescue groups were the hours when animal control operates. The department is now open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Protesters said this doesn’t give people who work a time to come by animal control, and it needs to be open for one day during the weekend.
Brown told reporters he wants to work with rescue groups involved with the protest in order to save as many dogs as possible. Brown added that animal control has actually reduced their kill rate from 40 euthanized in a month a few years ago to only 10 animals euthanized last month because he is working with rescue groups. -WSMV-

Last week we reported that the state comptroller has issued a report that the state’s current way of monitoring the sell of Pseudoephedrine products is not curbing the production of methamphetamines. Billy Cook who is a director of the East Tennessee Meth Task Force stated that the area has seen an increase in the number of meth labs last year. Cook along with Sheriff Steve Graves say that they feel that the state needs to switch to requiring those obtaining products with Pseudoephedrine to obtain a prescription. Both lawmen say they feel that by requiring a prescription the production of the highly addicting meth would decrease.

A Shelbyville judge ruled Friday that a man who is a suspect in the disappearance of his ex-wife in 2011 cannot have visitation with his daughter. The Shelbyville Times Gazette reported Judge Lee Russell wrote in his opinion that he concluded that the child’s story is credible.”
Russell was referring to accusations made by the now 8-year-old daughter of Tyler and Shelley Mook, who claimed that Tyler and Kim Mook, the child’s paternal grandmother, spoke to the child about burning down her maternal grandmother’s house in Pennsylvania. The judge wrote in a letter to the attorneys given the actions of the father and paternal grandmother, I find it is not appropriate to resume any form of visitation at this time. He said he would discuss “our future course” in more detail in his full written opinion.

Questions about a special meeting called by Tullahoma Mayor Lane Curlee in October which was attended by members of the Tullahoma Board of Education may have violated the state’s open meetings act has led to a move to form a special ethics committee. The Board of Education will meet Tuesday night in a study session.
Chairman Pat Welsh said he was asked to have an ethics committee investigation initiative on the agenda, stemming from the October meeting that was attended by the mayor, some aldermen and Board of Education members. Board of Education member John Manis, who was not at the October meeting, said he made the request to have the special committee because he believes ethics violations have occurred. He said he believes the meeting was not properly announced, plus some board members may have taken other action that has violated the board’s operational policy.

The Tullahoma Police Department is pleased to announce the graduation and certification of our newest Officers. Officer Jamie Norris and Officer Randy Baltimore graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in Donelson Dec 20, 2012. Both officers are currently undergoing their post academy training in the Department’s field training program. Norris was a graduate of Coffee County Central High School, 2003. Norris served six years in the United States Army as an Infantryman and served two tours in Iraq. He is a graduate of Motlow State Community college and is currently working on his Bachelor’s Degree in History at MTSU. Baltimore is a 1987 graduate of Tullahoma High School. Prior to his selection as a Police Officer, he worked for 8 years for the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. He was also a correctional officer with the Tennessee Department of Corrections prior to his employment with Davidson County.

Miss Tennessee Chandler Lawson of Tullahoma hit the Miss America jackpot on her 23rd birthday finishing in the top 10 and winning $9,000 in scholarships during the nationally televised finals on Saturday night from the Planet Hollywood Theatre in Las Vegas.
Ms. Lawson received a $7,000 scholarship as a top 10 finisher and was the recipient of a $2,000 Quality of Life grant earlier in the week for outstanding community service in starting 5 Loaves 4 Kids in her hometown of Tullahoma.