Outside College St Elementary... By Barry West
Manchester Police searched for a white male who allegedly broke into several vehicles at College Street Elementary on Monday. Police spotted the man and gave chase, but he was able to elude them. The man is said to be in his 20s, white, and has an Afro hairstyle. If you have any information please call the Manchester Police Department at 728-2099.
A Normandy man is free on a bond of $16,000 after he allegedly took items from three local businesses. 31-year-old Richard Leon Russell of Highway 41A was arrested on charges of three counts of theft of property and vandalism. He is accused with the theft of riding mowers from a Hills Power Pro on North Jackson Street. According to a report by Tullahoma Police Officer George Blasingame, the thefts were discovered by Nathan Hill of the business. Hill told the officer that the building had not been entered, but a security cable had been cut, and a support pole to the north end roof had been damaged. The thieves had removed a zero turn riding mower from an outside display area. That mower was recovered from a ditch near 300 Flowertown Road. A second mower, a Husqvarna, was removed from the business and was located by Investigator Jason Kennedy on Metro Highway 41A, Normandy. Kennedy charged Richard Leon Russell with theft of property. He is also accused of taking a utility trailer from Mike’s Gold and Pawn. He is also accused of taking items from Tractor Supply on North Jackson Street.
Dr Greg Carter
Tullahoma City Schools Director Dr. Dan Lawson has announced that West Middle School principal Dr. Greg Carter will be transferred to the central office as of June 1st to serve as the school system’s new personnel director. The announcement follows Dr. Wayland Long’s decision to retire from the position at the end of this month. No replacement for West Middle School principal has been named, but applications are being accepted by the school system.
A new statewide database is being launched in Tennessee to help connect job seekers and employers together, part of the latest state efforts to combat continued high unemployment. Jobs4TN Online is a virtual recruiter, automatically notifying job seekers when jobs they may qualify for are posted and notifying employers when candidates who fit their needs register. The online database contains positions from job orders placed directly by Tennessee employers, from corporate Internet sites, and from major job search engines. Jobs4TN Online also identifies available green jobs. “The unemployment rate for Tennessee is at its lowest since November 2008 and has fallen below the national rate, but it is still too high,” said Gov. Haslam, who had committed to developing a new jobs database during his gubernatorial campaign. Jobs4TN Online makes available labor market information, including demand occupations, education requirements and salaries for positions, labor force projections, and training program graduates. Employers and job seekers are encouraged to log in to Jobs4TN Online at www.jobs4tn.gov.
The next two dates to take the General Educational Development (GED) test at Motlow College are June 13 and July 26. The five-part test will be given from 7:20 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in room 1043 of the Crouch Center on the Moore County campus. The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development’s Adult Education Division is preparing for major changes to the GED test to take effect in 2014. Commissioner Karla Davis said, “We encourage eligible Tennesseans who have not earned their GED to do so now. Beginning January 1, 2014, the GED test will cost more, must be taken on a computer, and will contain significant content changes.” The Division of Adult Education (AE) announces the GED test is undergoing its biggest overhaul since the test began in 1942. The 2014 test will be more rigorous in general and requires higher level math proficiency. Presently the fee for taking the GED averages $50 to $65. When the GED test becomes computer-based in 2014, the fee will be a minimum of $120. Test dates at Motlow are assigned according to availability and applicants must provide the following to be eligible for the test: a completed GED application; a check or money order for $50.00; a recent photo; and a notarized copy of the Official Practice Test and Eligibility for Enrollment Form if applicable. For complete information regarding the test, visit the Motlow website: www.mscc.edu/testing or contact the Testing Center by email at tcenter@mscc.edu or by calling 931-393-1762.
The Tullahoma Police Department is currently investigating three different church burglaries that have occurred in the past couple of weeks. The churches were located on Cedar Lane, Wilson Avenue and Campbell Avenue. During the burglaries money and property were stolen. If you have any information about these burglaries, please contact the Tullahoma PD @931-455-0530. Your name will remain anonymous and you could receive a cash reward up to $1,000.
Also, two other church burglaries have occurred in the county. If you have any information on either burglary, call the Sheriff’s Department at 728-9555.
Outside County Jail... Photo by Barry West
A Winchester man is being held in the Coffee County Jail under a $1 million bond. Marcus Wade was transferred from federal custody to the county lock up Friday morning to face charges in connection with the October 2011 double murder at a Tullahoma motel of two Franklin County men. Wade is accused of killing Richard Wayne Elliott and Timothy Gill. He was released from federal custody after charges were dismissed last week. Sheriff Steve Graves stated Friday that Wade’s return to Coffee County is causing serious problems in the already overcrowded jail. The sheriff noted that due to Wade being a high risk prisoner, one cell block has been cleared out and he is being held in the cell. Wade has been linked to several murders in Franklin County, another one in Coffee County and possibly Bedford County. He has been called part of a major crack cocaine drug trafficking organization. He is scheduled to appear in Coffee County Circuit Court May 30.
Indiana Bat
During a meeting of the Coffee County Budget and Finance Committee was told by members of the Jail Review Committee that an endangered species known as the Indiana bat could delay construction of the new jail if the county decides to issue bonds through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to county and USDA officials, the USDA’s rural development bonds require National Environmental Protection Act assessments by several environmental and wildlife agencies for any project involving the clearing of trees, construction or land disturbance. Upon the county’s recent application for rural development bond financing to construct the new jail, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that, due to the presence of wetlands and trees of a certain size at the new jail site, a biologist will have to determine whether the Indiana bat resides on the property. If the bats are present, the county cannot clear any trees on the property until after the bat’s mating season ends September 30 if the county wishes to use this source of federal funding to construct the jail. That means jail construction will be delayed.
House burns in Gossburg... Photo by Barry West
Just as the rains started around 8:30 Saturday night, a call came into the Communication Center to report a house fire on Gossburg Road. It occurred around the 6 mile marker and the home was totally engulfed when the Sheriff’s Deputies and North Coffee Fire Department arrived. It was reported as a vacant house and the fire department made the decision to let it burn. The department stayed at the scene and made sure the fire was contained. No one was hurt and the cause was unknown at this time. Coffee County Deputies will investigate.
The Tullahoma Beer Board has directed Gregory Jackson of Young, Inc., owner of the Piggly Wiggly store on East Lincoln St., is to appear for a “show cause” hearing at City Hall tonight to explain why the company has not met the conditions established at its complaint hearing in February. The February hearing resulted from a December “sting” operation in which 10 of 27 local establishments with permits to sell beer were caught selling it to an underage female. In lieu of other penalties, Jackson had accepted the option of having his employees and himself complete an approved vendor training program within 60 days of the February hearing, but according to the Beer Board, the company has thus far failed to comply. Completion of said training and certification would have resulted in a reduction of the probationary period from five years to one year.
