Category: News

Nearly 70 percent of Americans think it’s unlikely a driver will get caught by police for driving while high on marijuana, according to a new AAA For Traffic Safety survey. A finding shows an estimated 14.8 million drivers report getting behind the wheel within one hour after using marijuana in the past 30 days. A news release says the impairing effects of marijuana are usually experienced within the first one to four hours after using the drug. And users who drive high are up to twice as likely to be involved in a crash.
In the AAA Foundation survey, 7 percent of Americans said they approved of driving after recently using marijuana-more than other dangerous behaviors like alcohol-impaired driving, drowsy driving, and prescription drug-impaired driving.

We have an update on the death at Bonnaroo. We now know the identity of the 27 year-old man that died Saturday morning inside the campground area of Bonnaroo in Manchester.
According to local authorities, Ryan Dunleavy of Brentwood, TN died from an “underlying medical condition” while attending Bonnaroo with his Father.
According to crisis communication for the festival, Bonnaroo Medical and Coffee County Emergency Services responded quickly to the scene.
In a statement from officials, “The medical team administered CPR, and he was transported to Unity Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
The was the 14th death at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival over its 18-year history.

Drivers on Tennessee roadways will have to put down their phones in less than two weeks. The state’s new hands-free law takes effect on July 1.
The key to the new law comes down to whether the car moving. If it is, Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers say you can’t touch your phone in any way, even balancing it on your shoulder.
The new law makes it illegal for a driver to hold a cellphone, send a text or take a picture on a phone or mobile device.
THP troopers say a driver can use technology like Bluetooth earpieces or similar devices.
If you have to make a call or text, troopers say find a safe place, like a parking lot, to pull over.
There are exceptions. This law does not apply to certain people while working: These include law enforcement officers, campus police and public safety officers, emergency first responders, firefighters, including volunteer firefighters, paramedics and utility service employees or contractors.
One more exemption is if you’re calling first responders in the case of a genuine emergency.

Over 90 newly certified officers are slated to graduate from Basic Law Enforcement School at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy (TLETA) on Friday, June 21, 2019. The graduation ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. (CT) at the Hermitage Hills Baptist Church (3475 Lebanon Pike) in Hermitage.
Bedford County Sheriff Austin Swing will be the guest speaker for the graduation.
Graduates of Basic Police School Class 1863 will serve several police departments (PD), sheriffs’ offices (SO), and state agencies:
Some of those include Bedford County (SO), Cannon County (SO), Coffee County (SO), Estill Springs (PD), Shelbyville (PD) and many others.
The TLETA’s Basic Law Enforcement School course provides technical and tactical expertise in addition to the ethical and professional standards needed to be a successful law enforcement officer. The newly certified officers who will graduate this week will join thousands of law enforcement officers who have studied at TLETA during its more than 50-year existence.

Local veterans you are invited to a celebration of America at the Fountains at Gateway; 1500 Medical Center Parkway; Murfreesboro on June 28th from 6 to 9 pm.
They will also be honoring our veterans in a special way: If you have served or are currently serving in any branch of our military, they hope that you especially will make plans to attend! Oh, and if you’re able, they would love for you to wear your uniform!
Schedule of Events:
6:00 PM – 7:15 PM -Thank a Veteran Meet and Greet
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM -Touch a Truck – Come explore a variety of emergency response vehicles and more!
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM -Food Trucks
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM -The Tennessee Philharmonic Orchestra’s Musical Petting Zoo – Try out an instrument!
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM -Patriotic Make and Take with Board & Brush
7:30 PM – 8:00 PM -Franklin Road Baptist Church choir and kid’s choir
7:50 PM – 8:00 PM -Presentation of Colors
8:00 PM – 8:05 PM -National Anthem performed by Maria Komisky
8:05 PM – 8:10 PM -Veteran Recognition
8:15 PM – 9:00 PM -Performance by the Tennessee Philharmonic Orchestra
Also, the Coffee County veteran groups would like to invite you to their monthly Veterans of Foreign Wars breakfast on Saturday, June 29th from 7 to 10 a.m. at the veterans building on Shelton Road in Manchester. All proceeds go to veteran programs or community service projects.

The 18th annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival ended late Sunday night. Manchester Police Department Chief Investigator Jackie Matheny gave WMSR News the total number of citations and violations during the event (73 citations with a total of 107 violations that will head to General Sessions Court and 13 citations with a total of 24 violations in city court).
Matheny added Manchester Police made two arrests.
Most of the arrests and citations were drug and alcohol-related.
The 18th annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival was sellout meaning at least 80,000 people attended, up around 15,000 from last year.

A group that partners with musicians on voter registration efforts say the 1,390 voters it signed up at Bonnaroo represent its all-time high for one festival.
A news release from HeadCount says it has registered almost 600,000 voters at 7,500 concerts and music festivals since 2004. Bonnaroo ran from Thursday through Sunday in Manchester.
HeadCount says it wants to register more than 200,000 voters by the 2020 presidential election.
A new Tennessee law set to take effect in October allows fines and potentially jail time for voter registration workers who don’t follow new rules. Tennessee will likely be the first state imposing fines for submitting too many incomplete registration forms.
HeadCount says it hopes the group can keep providing its services without risking fines or prosecution.

Farmers and nursery operators in Coffee County and across the state will benefit from a new state law that takes effect July 1.
Under legislation adopted by the Tennessee General Assembly and signed by Governor Lee this year, qualified farmers and nursery operators may obtain a sales tax exemption for any trailer used to transport farm products, nursery stock, equipment, supplies, and other agriculture products. A sales tax exemption is already in place for livestock trailers.
The qualified farmer, nursery operator, or timber harvester must present a valid exemption certificate to the county clerk or dealer in order to claim this exemption.
The change takes effect on July 1, 2019. The current exemption on livestock trailers alone stays the same until July 1, 2019.

Tennessee’s state average gas price is $2.35 per gallon for regular unleaded, which is seven cents less than a week ago, 20 cents less than one month ago and 19 cents less than a year ago.
The national average is $2.68, which is six cents cheaper than last week.
AAA spokesperson Stephanie Milani said the decline is unusual for this time of year. Typically, increased demand puts a strain on supply and the imbalance pushes pump prices higher. This year however, gasoline stocks have remained consistent thanks to strong domestic outputs and healthy imports, which help push prices lower.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, the low price per gallon for gas in Coffee County could be found in Tullahoma at $2.12. In Manchester, the low price for gas was $2.18 per gallon.