Category: News

The University of Tennessee will soon begin providing free tuition to Tennessee residents starting in the fall of 2020.
Interim university President Randy Boyd announced Thursday that tuition and fees will be covered for students with household incomes under $50,000 a year.
Qualifying students will be matched with volunteer mentors and need to complete service-learning hours. Both incoming students and those already enrolled in 2020 will be eligible.
Tennessee five years ago became the first state to make community college tuition-free for new high school graduates. It later expanded that program to allow older adults. State commitments have enabled 46 percent of UT students to graduate without debt.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is teaming with local grocers and cleanup partners to promote litter prevention and feature “Great American Cleanup” events happening in Tennessee communities this spring. While supplies last, free reusable bags will be available at 483 Tennessee grocery stores. Sorry only one per person. The bags will feature the logo of TDOT’s “Nobody Trashes Tennessee” litter prevention campaign, as well as campaign partners Keep Tennessee Beautiful and the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association.
In addition to distributing reusable bags, grocery stores in each of Tennessee’s 95 counties will host booths or displays of local governments and non-profits conducting “Great American Cleanup” events this spring. The public is encouraged to visit those organizations and volunteer for an upcoming cleanup.
Be sure to ask your local grocer if they have “Nobody Trashes Tennessee” bags.

The Tullahoma Police Department is asking that anyone with information regarding a shooting that happened on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 on Campbell Avenue to contact Investigator Johnny Gore at 931-455-0530.
At 2:00 am on March 6, 2019, Tullahoma Police Officer Randy Baltimore responded to shots fired at 509 Campbell Avenue. On arrival, Tullahoma Police called EMS to assist two injured individuals, who were transported to Tennova-Harton for further treatment.

On September 9, 2018, 46-year-old Lisa McCoy of Manchester was found deceased by Manchester Police. She had been shot several times at her home on Duck River Road. The woman’s husband, 54-year-old James Richard McCoy, Jr., was charged with the crime. After being arrested the man was charged with 1st Degree Murder, Tampering with Evidence, Domestic Violence and Abuse of a Corpse.
On Wednesday (March 13, 2019) McCoy, Jr., was scheduled to go to court for a bond hearing. District Attorney Craig Northcott told WMSR News that the hearing was continued, and a new date will be set at a later time.
McCoy, Jr., continues to be held under no bond at the Coffee County Jail.

Police in Murfreesboro and the district attorney’s office are looking for the man accused of killing a female in 2016. The woman’s body was found discarded off a Rutherford County roadway. Rutherford County District Attorney Jennings Jones has more: Our news partner WGNS Radio reports that Investigations say that the deceased woman and the suspect were living together with their 6-year old daughter. Neighbors told officials that the couple always seemed happy and without issues, however Hernandez-Mayo reportedly left the child suddenly with a neighbor prior to the body of the victim being found. Shortly after that, a missing person report for Francisca Gomez-Cordero was filed with Murfreesboro Police. About three days later, the woman’s body was found.
A warrant for first-degree murder was issued for 47-year old Romolo Hernandez-Mayo.
If you see Hernandez-Mayo or someone matching his description, call Murfreesboro Police at 615-893-1311.
In the event you know his whereabouts or have any information that leads to an arrest and conviction, you can remain anonymous and receive a cash reward of up to $1,000 by calling CRIME-STOPPERS at 615-893-STOP (7867).

With just weeks away from what usually marks the end of the flu season, Tennessee is still seeing widespread activity.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last year around mid-March, flu activity in the state started to go down from widespread to regional.
According to the CDC, influenza activity remains elevated in the United States.
The highest numbers of reported flu cases from last week were from East Tennessee with 75 confirmed flu cases and in Memphis with 67.
Health officials say with weeks away until the end of the flu season, we may not have yet hit the peak.
The reported number of flu cases is based on the providers who volunteer to report, so the actual flu activity could be higher.

Tennessee lawmakers have advanced legislation that critics argue is designed to restrict which public restrooms and other areas that people who consider themselves transgender can use.
The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee agreed Wednesday to send the proposal to a full hearing after debating the language for just 15 minutes. Roughly a dozen protesters sat in the front row and held signs signaling their opposition to the bill.
Republican Rep. John Ragan, the bill’s sponsor, said the bill is needed due to confusion caused by President Barack Obama-era regulations that had instructed schools to allow students to use bathrooms and locker rooms in line with their expressed gender identity as opposed to their sex assigned at birth.
President Donald Trump’s administration has since rolled back those regulations, but Ragan says confusion remains.

An old scam is working its way around Manchester and Coffee County. IRS imposters are threatening arrests, lawsuits, and property seizures unless the victim pays up. Law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission warns residents to be very aware of this scam. In a lot of cases the scammers are spoofing phone numbers, meaning they are fake.
Caller ID spoofing is the practice of causing the telephone network to indicate to the receiver of a call that the originator of the call is from someone or place other than the true originating person or place.
Here is what one of the calls sounds like:
The call back number is also considered fake.
The Internal Revenue Service will never demand payment over the telephone. Typical IRS communication comes in the form of U.S. Mail. If you receive a phone call that you suspect is a tax scam, hang up and report it to the US Treasury, Office of Inspector General at 1-800-366-4484. To help avoid becoming the victim of a scam, area law enforcement recommends to never transfer funds through third-party wire or card services.
People in Manchester and Coffee County have fallen for this scam in the past, so please don’t become the next victim.