Category: News

Yesterday (Nov. 20, 2012) Manchester city officials accepted the resignation of City CFO Ester Greene.
Mrs. Greene expressed her desire to resign from her post on Monday citing her lack of confidence that she “would be able to live up to this boards expectations.” The city did seek legal council on protocol before accepting the resignation.
Vice Mayor French released the following statement on the matter:
“The city is at a critical juncture in terms of instituting new best business practices in our finance/accounting division and we need a focus and dedication from our staff that will see us through these transitions of policy, as well as our current audit. Mrs. Greene was not confident that she was able to perform these duties to the expectation level of this board.”
French added, “At the end of the day our board has requested the highest level of transparency. It is critical to this administration that we continue to strive for honesty and transparency in our local government and I am confident that we are on the correct path in that regard.”
French said, “Moving forward the search for a new CFO will be comprehensive and detailed. This particular hire is something that should be completed only when the highest level of confidence is entrusted into a candidate and when we feel we have the right person to work in a completely open and honest atmosphere.”
City of Manchester officials accepted the resignation at last night’s city meeting. Leaders also named Bridgett Anderson as interim Finance Director.

Three Franklin County teenagers were killed in a fiery crash, just over the Alabama line on Sunday night.
Two vehicles were involved in the crash on Mulberry Road in Hazel Green, Alabama. Four people were inside one of the vehicle, a 2013 Dodge Dart. The victims were identified as Jonah Bradley, Chad Swafford and Jeff Stewart.
Waylan Terpay, who was also inside the boys’ car, survived the wreck and was taken to a hospital in Huntsville, AL. The three victims all graduated from Huntland High School in May.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Monday upheld a decision of the Chancery Court for Franklin County to permit the continued development of Cooley’s Rift, a 1,400-acre residential development near Monteagle, despite objections from some original homeowners to changes in the development plan. In 2005, after the president of the original developer of Cooley’s Rift died, New Life Development Corp. purchased the real property and the rights to develop Cooley’s Rift. Several existing property owners objected to New Life Development’s revised plans for the property and filed suit in the Chancery Court for Franklin County. The trial court dismissed property owners’ suit, but in 2009, the Court of Appeals instructed the trial court to decide whether the revised plans were contrary to implied restrictions in the subdivision plat or the development documents. In a unanimous opinion, the court ruled that the homeowners’ association had validly adopted the amendments.

TEPRO, Inc., a manufacturer of automotive parts, violated federal law by subjecting a class of 20 or more employees to age discrimination, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed last week. The EEOC’s suit alleges that TEPRO, operating a facility in Winchester, targeted and terminated employees on account of age, while retaining younger employees. TEPRO told older employees that they had to accept demotions or lose their jobs, and then eliminated those jobs anyway. TEPRO is a Tennessee corporation and subsidiary of the Kinugawa Rubber Industrial Co., a Japanese manufacturer of automotive parts with overseas facilities. TEPRO supplies automotive parts for various automobile manufacturers. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement. The suit seeks monetary relief in the form of back pay and liquidated damages, reinstatement, and an injunction against future discrimination and retaliation. District of the EEOC’s Memphis District Office, which has jurisdiction over the area said that said systemic age discrimination is of great concern to the EEOC, and we will do our job to eradicate it. Employers cannot discharge older workers based on discriminatory stereotype.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is halting all lane closures during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Officials say all construction-related lane closures will be stopped beginning at noon on Wednesday until 6 a.m. on Monday.
They say there will also be increased law enforcement on the roads.
TDOT Commissioner John Schroer says about a million Tennessee travelers are expected to drive to their destinations over the holiday.
According to AAA, about 44 million motorists nationwide will travel 50 miles or more during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Anyone who purchased a television or computer with an LCD screen before 2006 may be getting some money back.
Several manufacturers and their U.S. affiliates are accused of inflating the prices of those devices containing LCD screens, including TVs, computer monitors and laptops purchased between 1999 and 2006.
Those manufacturers have agreed to a proposed deal to refund customers in 24 states, including Tennessee. The settlement totals $692 million.
If you believe you are eligible to file a claim, register at: https://lcdclass.com/.

Tennessee State Parks is offering special winter rates for 360 villas and cabins.
The discount, which also includes six state park inns, began last Thursday and lasts through March 15, 2013.
The special rate allows park visitors to stay at 1 of Tennessee’s six state park inns for $54.95 a night, excluding tax.
The inn discount can be used seven days a week and applies to both individuals and groups. A 50% discount also is being offered for villas and cabins with a two-night minimum stay.
For more information about the special promotion, call the Tennessee State Parks information line at 615-532-0001 or toll free at 1-888-867-2757. To make online reservations, visit the Tennessee State Parks website at www.tnstateparks.com.

Coffee County resident Christian Ball recently graduated from Basic Firefighting at the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy. Ball, a Volunteer Firefighter for the Manchester Fire & Rescue and the Hillsboro Volunteer Fire Department, paid his own tuition for the 10-week basic firefighting to become a state certified firefighter. On hand for the graduation ceremony from the Manchester Fire & Rescue were Assistant Chief Mark Reed, Firefighter Chris Spencer and Fire Chief Charlie Taylor.

Coffee County Sheriff’s investigators are attempting to determine the cause of fires that destroyed three houses in the Lakewood Park area Sunday night. Emergency communication dispatchers received a call of a house exploding and catching fire on Kennsaw Pike in the Lakewood Park area. When Deputy David Reed arrived, the house located at 30 Kennsaw Pike was fully engulfed with flames. Several neighbors advised that they did not know if Troy Toler who lived at 70 Kennsaw Pike was in the house or not. Reed then went in to check but he wasn’t there. Several rural fire departments were dispatched to battle the blaze and as they were fighting it the firemen stated that it was appeared that there was some type “of flammable liquid in the structure.” The firefighters stated that the more they sprayed water on the fire the more it spread. The fire spread to another nearby house. Fire investigator Capt. Jeff McCullough stated that arson is suspected as being the cause of the fire at 30 Kennsaw Pike.

The Coffee County Commission has approved the issuance of $22 million for the construction of a new 400 bed jail. The current jail is averaging nearly 300 inmates on the weekends and a little less during the week. Sheriff Steve Graves there will not be any ground breaking for at least another month at the site on Hillsboro Boulevard beside Fann’s Salvage.