Category: News

A male juvenile from Manchester has been charged in three separate cases. The juvenile was arrested for burglarizing, theft and vandalism at three Manchester businesses; Jughead’z Juice and Quick Stop Tobacco both located on McArthur St and Manchester Tobacco and Beverage on the Hillsboro Blvd.
Investigators Trey Adcock and Brandon Tomberlin with Manchester Police worked together to make the arrest. The juvenile is facing three counts of burglary, three counts of theft and four counts of vandalism.
Due to the age of the accused, his name cannot be released.

Manchester Police have been searching for a wanted man by the name of Randall “Randy” Patrick Curtis. Curtis has numerous warrants for burglary and theft of property.
Investigator Trey Adcock told WMSR News that earlier this week Curtis was arrested by Franklin Police in Simpson County, Kentucky. They charged Curtis with three counts of theft at Walmart in Franklin, KY, along with possession of methamphetamine, trafficking methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Curtis will first have to deal with his charges in Kentucky before he is returned to Manchester, TN, to face multiple charges here.

Nearly 43 million Americans will start their summers on a high note with a Memorial Day weekend getaway. This long holiday weekend, marking the unofficial start of summer vacation season will see the second-highest travel volume on record since AAA began tracking holiday travel volumes dating back to 2000.
In Tennessee, more than 863,000 travelers are expected. 752,000 Tennesseans are expected to travel by automobile, which would be a 3 percent increase over last year. 80,000 are expected to travel by air, which is a 7 percent increase.
While road trippers are paying more at the gas pump this year, some of that additional expense can be made up with lower prices on car rentals and hotels this Memorial Day.

The Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) – McMinnville is accepting enrollment applications for the Cosmetology program! Classes will be held at Coffee County Central High School at 100 Red Raider Dr. Manchester, TN 37355. Classes will begin June 3, 2019, and will meet M-Th 4-10pm.
Tuition and fees are $1,153 per trimester plus books and supplies.
The length of the program is 1500 hours to set for the State Board of Cosmetology Licensure Exam and includes a Shampoo Assistant Certificate at 432 hours.
Financial aid is available for those who qualify. You may complete a FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov (TCAT McMinnville school code 005307). If you have questions or need assistance, please call (931) 473-5587 to speak with Kelsey Vanatta ext. 234 or Tennille Davenport ext. 235. Enrollment applications are available at www.tcatmcminnville.edu. For additional information contact Tennille Davenport.
Apply now! Limited space is available.

After a work session on Monday night, Coffee County Board of Education Chairman Brett Henley announced on Tuesday the five finalists for the director of schools’ position. You might remember that Dr LaDonna McFall resigned from the job and Joe Pedigo is currently serving as the interim director until the new director is hired.
Henley gave WMSR News the names of the finalists in no certain order:
Dr. Charles Lawson Principal at Tullahoma East Middle
Current Coffee County Middle School Principal Kim Arron
Dr. Keith Cornelius Attendance Supervisor for Coffee County schools
Scott Hargrove Principal at Tullahoma East Lincoln Elementary
Rutherford County Central Magnet School Principal John Ash
Aaron received a vote from each board member to become a finalist. Lawson and Cornelius received 6 each. Ash and Hargrove received 4 each.
Henley stated that interviews with the five candidates will begin in the next couple of weeks and he said the board should be completed with the first round of interviews in a month.
The Coffee County Board of Education narrowed down their list of applicants for director of schools from 16 to five during their work session on Monday, May 13.

Tennessee’s state average gas price is $2.56 per gallon for regular unleaded, which is four cents less than the average a week ago and 4 cents less than one month ago.
The national gas price average is $2.86, which is three cents less than last week’s average.
AAA spokesperson Stephanie Milani said that for the first time in three months, gas prices are declining slowly but steadily across the country. She said the move to cheaper gas may indicate that demand and supply are potentially leveling out. However, there are many factors that could quickly push prices up in the coming weeks such as the impact of Chinese tariffs, weather, gasoline stock levels and Memorial Day travel volume.
The low price per gallon for gas in Coffee County as of Tuesday afternoon was $2.41 in Tullahoma and in Manchester the low price was $2.45 per gallon.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III has filed a lawsuit against Endo Pharmaceuticals and Endo Health Solutions, Inc. for making “unlawful and false claims about the safety and benefits of its opioid products.”
The lawsuit, filed in Knoxville, alleges Endo violated the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act and contributed to a public health crisis in the state.
The allegations in the State’s 180-page complaint detail how Endo deceptively marketed its opioid products as being less addictive and more effective than others on the market. It did this despite evidence to the contrary.
The Complaint alleges that Endo also knew the dangers of its opioid products, including increased risks of respiratory depression and death in elderly patients, and failed to clearly disclose those risks while it specifically targeted patients in that age group.
The Attorney General requested the complaint be filed under a temporary seal because Endo claims the information produced during the State’s investigation is confidential. The order sealed by the judge allows the seal to expire in 10 days unless Endo acts to extend it. The Attorney General believes the complaint should be made available to the public in its entirety.

Thirty-one educators have been selected for the 2019-20 class of the Tennessee Educator Fellowship through a competitive admissions process, according to State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE).
The Tennessee Educator Fellowship is a yearlong program that equips teachers, school counselors, interventionists, and librarians to learn about education policy and advocate for their students and their profession. The educators chosen this year work in a variety of settings: traditional public schools, public magnet schools, and public charter schools.
One local educator was chosen, Deb Wimberley who teaches seventh-grade English language arts at Coffee County Middle School. Wimberley has been teaching for nine years.
This is the sixth year of the Tennessee Educator Fellowship. The fellows chosen for the 2019-20 cohort have a combined teaching experience of 358 years and represent elementary, middle, and high schools in 26 districts across East, Middle, and West Tennessee. The members of this cohort teach English language arts, math, science, social studies, STEM, construction trades, and special education in urban, suburban, and rural schools. The cohort also includes educators who serve as school counselors, a librarian, and an educator who teaches English language learners.