Category: News

Gov. Bill Lee will decide whether Tennessee will ban the use of handheld electronic devices, including cellphones while driving.
The Senate voted 23-7 on Tuesday to send Lee the bill. The House previously cleared it in a 53-38 vote.
Supporters in the GOP-supermajority Legislature touted the bill as a safety measure, while opponents argued it’s a government overreach.
Violators would face up to a $50 fine. That amount could reach $100 if the violation causes an accident or $200 for violations in construction or school zones. The bill would take effect in July.
Sixteen states and Washington D.C. prohibit all drivers from using handheld cellphones, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Georgia passed a similar law last year.
Currently, hand-held cellphone use is banned in Tennessee school zones.

While smoke alarms have always been a factor in the survivability of a home fire, their importance has never been greater. Most fire fatalities are not caused by burns, but by smoke inhalation. As the toxicity and speed of smoke increases, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) is sharing tips on how you can keep your family safe from the toxic smoke and fumes produced by a home fire.
When a fire grows inside a building, it will deplete most of the available oxygen which slows the burning process. This slowed rate of fire spread leads to incomplete combustion, resulting in the release of toxic gases like hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and ammonia. As oxygen levels lower and the proportion of toxic chemicals rise, survivability chances become diminished.
Smoke is usually the first element of fire to affect residents. Often the toxic gases that comprise smoke incapacitate so quickly that people aren’t able to make it to a perfectly accessible exit. The crucial early warning of a smoke alarm can provide occupants with invaluable extra seconds to escape.
According to a UL report, smoke is more toxic now than ever as homes are filled with more synthetic, chemical-coated materials that release toxins when burned. This, combined with construction factors like open floor plans and new construction materials, leave occupants with under four minutes to escape.
The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office urges Tennesseans to implement the following guidelines to help protect themselves and their loved ones from the devastating effects of fire and smoke:
• Install working smoke alarms in every sleeping area, outside of every sleeping area, and on every level of your home. If you need working smoke alarms and live in Tennessee, contact your local fire department to see if they participate in the SFMO’s “Get Alarmed, Tennessee!” program.
• Replace smoke alarms that are 10 years old or older.
• Close your bedroom door before going to sleep at night. A closed door can slow the spread of deadly smoke and flames, giving you more time to escape.
• Install working carbon monoxide alarms if your household contains a fuel-burning appliance, fireplace, or has an attached garage.
• Create a home fire escape plan that details two ways out of every room and a designated outdoor meeting place. Practice the plan with all members of your household. You can download a free home fire escape plan grid on the SFMO’s website.
• If smoke alarms sound or a fire is discovered in your home, get out fast and stay out. Never go back into a burning building.
• If you have to escape through smoke, get as low to the ground as possible and go under the smoke to your way out.
• Once you are out, call the fire department from your meeting place or a neighbor’s house.
• If people or pets are trapped, notify the fire department and let them handle the rescue efforts. Never go back inside for people, pets, or things.
For more information on how you can keep your family safe from fire, visit tn.gov/fire.

The next Honor Flight of Middle Tennessee will take flight May 1.
50 veterans including some from Coffee County and their companions will travel to go Washington, D.C. to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of the country.
Fifteen of the veterans will be in wheelchairs, with guardians assisting them.
The group will fly out of Nashville to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
The veterans will visit the World War II, Korean, Vietnam, Marine Corps, and Air Force memorials.
Participants will also watch the changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery.
The flights are free for the veterans due to donations, with guardians paying $450.
The honor flight bus pickup locations are Tullahoma, Manchester, Winchester, and Murfreesboro.
Veterans who qualify to fly are as follows: terminally ill veterans from any campaign, World War II veterans, Korean War veterans, and Vietnam War veterans with a 70% or more VA Disability due to the Agent Orange in Vietnam. (Portion of this story from the Tullahoma News)

In a surprising story today, two Cumberland County sixth graders are charged with plotting to bring weapons to school to shoot students and faculty on the last day of classes.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and Crossville Police Department issued a joint release saying a school resource officer at South Cumberland Elementary was alerted to a rumor of a “hit list” containing students to be shot in a future school shooting.
They did not uncover a hit list, but they did find a hand-drawn map of the school and a plot between the two sixth grade students to bring weapons, hide them in the locker room, and then on the last day of school, enter through the back door, shoot faculty and students, and then commit suicide.
Investigators say the two students had talked several times over the last two weeks about the plot.
Deputies searched both students’ homes for weapons and/or evidence about the plot but found no weapons in either home.
Both students were arrested and taken to the Cumberland County Juvenile Detention Facility where they were charged with conspiracy to commit murder. They remain in custody pending a court hearing. (WATE-TV)

An unnamed person was killed in a one-vehicle accident in Decherd early Saturday.
Authorities have not released the name, pending notifying next of kin.
The police report indicates that the late model Oldsmobile went off the road about 4:30 a.m. and the driver was ejected.
Authorities and first responders arrived, and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. As of Monday afternoon, the name of the victim nor gender had been announced by authorities.

The Tennessee Department of Health State Public Health Laboratory has confirmed two additional cases of measles in residents of East Tennessee. This brings the total number of measles cases in Tennessee in 2019 to three. The two new cases are associated with the first measles case in Tennessee this year which was announced April 18, and were identified as part of the ongoing contact investigation.
TDH is providing information about measles and how to prevent it online at www.tn.gov/health/cedep/tennesee-measles.html. This page includes the number of measles cases in the state this year, which will be updated if additional cases are confirmed.
While this outbreak investigation is currently centered in East Tennessee, all Tennesseans should be aware of measles and its symptoms. Measles symptoms may include fever, runny nose, body aches, watery eyes and white spots in the mouth. Several days after these symptoms start, a red, spotty rash typically begins on the face and spreads over the body. Symptoms may develop any time in the 21 days following exposure to the illness. Nearly one in three measles patients will develop ear infections, diarrhea or pneumonia. Measles can be fatal in approximately one to two out of every 1,000 cases.
All Tennesseans are urged to ensure they are up-to date on MMR vaccine, which is extremely effective in preventing infection. The measles virus is highly contagious and can stay airborne or live on surfaces for up to two hours. People recently infected with measles may not have any symptoms of illness, but can transmit the virus for about five days before the typical measles rash appears.
Anyone who believes they or a loved one has measles symptoms should stay home and contact a health care provider to make arrangements to visit a health care facility before going to a health care center to prevent further exposure of others to the illness.
People with questions about how to protect themselves against measles should call a health care provider, the local health department or a hotline established to provide answers to questions from the public about measles. The hotline number is 865-549-5343; calls to the hotline will be answered from 7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Central time.

On Friday (April 26, 2019) morning a Manchester man faced Coffee County Circuit Court Judge Vanessa Jackson for a bond hearing. 55 year-old James Rick McCoy, Jr is charged with first degree-murder, tampering with evidence, abuse of the corpse and domestic violence.
Judge Jackson denied the bond request made by McCoy’s attorneys Doug Aaron and Bobby Carter. His charges will be treated as eligible for capital punishment.
On September 9, 2018, 46-year-old Lisa McCoy of Manchester was found deceased by Manchester Police. She had been shot several times and dismembered at her home on Duck River Road. The woman’s husband, James Richard McCoy, Jr., was charged with the crime.
McCoy, Jr will remain housed at the Coffee County Jail until his trial. The trial date will be set at a later time.

A Bedford County inmate being transported by a Sumner County corrections officer escaped custody in the corrections officer’s vehicle early Saturday morning.
21-year-old Dreon Key managed to take control of the officer’s car and flee.
Officers from Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department pursued the stolen car on I-24 toward Nashville but discontinued their chase at the Davidson County line.
The stolen vehicle is a white 2011 Chevrolet Impala labeled as a Sumner County deputy’s car.
The man was being transferred to Bedford County to face multiple charges from a previous case and will now be charged with escape and theft of a vehicle in Sumner County.
As of late Sunday afternoon, police were still searching for Key.