Category: News

Manchester Board of Education Special Call Meeting on Wednesday, January 23, 2019 immediately after the work session. (Work Session starts at 5:00 p.m.) in the administrative building at 215 E. Fort Street in Manchester, TN.
A G E N D A
1. Contract between Manchester Board of Education and Lee Wilkerson
2. Offer Position for New Director of Schools
3. Adjournment
According to a recent report on WMSR News, the board is likely to offer the system’s director position to current Coffee County Deputy Director, Dr Joey Vaughn.

“One suicide death is too many,” says Scott Ridgway, executive director of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network. The public-private partnership responsible for reporting findings cites an almost 55 percent increase in suicides among children ages 10 to 17 in the last three years.
The new report, in collaboration with the Tennessee Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, analyzes suicide demographics to share with mental-health professionals, lawmakers and the public.
While there’s no single reason for a person taking their own life, Ridgway says children’s exposure to “mature concepts” should be a concern.
“We’re seeing younger kids think about suicide and part of that is, is that they are exposed to social media, they are watching stuff on TV,” says Ridgway. “There’s a lot more exposure.”
Experts say it’s unclear how big a role social media plays in suicide attempts, but a 2016 study ties online bullying to increased anxiety in young adults. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is open 24 hours a day, at 800-273-8255.
Ridgway says helping to identify the root causes of kids’ anxiety could be the key to preventing suicide. His organization is offering free training for community, faith and civic groups focused on listening and compassion.
“If they’re dealing with some stress in their life, instead of us just saying, ‘Oh everyone’s dealing with that,’ what we need to do is kind of find out what’s the root of what’s going on in that child’s life,” says Ridgway.
He adds for every number and rate in the “2019 Status of Suicide in Tennessee” report, a family member, loved one, neighbor, co-worker or friend left behind is also suffering.
Ridgway says mental-health professionals no longer believe that people who talk about considering suicide aren’t “truly serious” or are just trying to get attention. He says it’s now clear that these cases should be referred to professionals.
“Take every sign seriously when it relates to suicide,” says Ridgway. “So, when a child says, ‘I am thinking about killing myself,’ instead of them saying that they’re ‘attention seeking,’ we really need to focus on yes, they’re seeking your attention.”
Every day, three Tennesseans take their own lives. For help or to learn more about the suicide prevention training, look online at ‘tspn.org.’

A logging crew was doing some work on Panhandle Road in Coffee County on Monday afternoon around 1:30pm. One worker was operating a bulldozer and the other was using a chainsaw. At least a portion of the tree the man was cutting with the chainsaw came crashing down and hit the man. The 52-year-old man was killed in the accident. No name was given as of 5pm Monday afternoon because the next of kin was being notified.
Coffee County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Stephen Sharketti is in charge of the investigation. Coffee County EMS, Coffee County Rescue Squad and Coffee County EMA assisted at the scene.

A news release from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department states:
On January 20, 2019, at approximately 5:30pm, Coffee County Sheriff’s Department along with Hickerson Station VFD and Tullahoma Fire Department responded to a travel trailer fire at the Barton Springs recreational area on Frank Hiles Road. The trailer was fully engulfed in flames upon arrival. After the fire was extinguished, firefighters found a body of an individual in the remains. Coffee County investigators responded along with Tennessee Bomb and Arson, TBI, and Coffee County EMA. The identity of the individual is currently unknown and awaiting positive identification from the medical examiner’s office. Agencies will be working to determine the cause and origin of the fire as well as the manner of death of the individual.

Visitors at Great Smoky Mountains National Park and others across the country have seen trash, overflowing toilets and damaged property during the government shutdown.
Some park advocacy groups want the Inspector General to investigate an Interior Department decision to keep some parks open, even without enough staff to ensure visitors and natural resources are protected, calling it “reckless.” Kristen Brengel, vice president for government affairs with the National Parks Conservation Association, said the last thing the department should be doing is inviting more people into potentially dangerous situations.
“They’re essentially manufacturing a crisis here by allowing parks to remain open,” Brengel said. “If parks were closed and just had essential staff, then those staff who are there would just be monitoring the parks to make sure that they were safe.”
In previous government shutdowns, all parks have been closed to the public. To address some of the problems, the National Park Service is diverting funds from camping and other fees to “ensure that parks are protected, and that visitors can continue to access parks with limited basic services.”
After human feces were found outside closed restrooms, the nonprofit group Friends of the Smokies announced it would help pay employees to maintain the restrooms at Newfound Gap and Cades Cove Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park is using revenue from recreation fees and support from the Friends group to allow limited public access to campgrounds and restrooms.
But Brent McDaniel, marketing director with Friends of the Smokies, said they’ll still need ongoing maintenance.
“In the partial shutdown, where there aren’t services provided but the gates aren’t closed, there need to be some basic necessities met to ensure the safety of visitors and cleanliness of the park,” McDaniel said. “So, I think it’s really important that they’re able to provide funding through these fees that are collected by the National Park Service.”
He said his group has raised more than $18,000 in private donations during the shutdown, with more coming in.

The Manchester Parks and Recreation Commission has decided to up the rate on the rental of the Ada Wright Center.
The new policy, which will go into effect for all new reservations on March 1. The new cost will be $200 per day, or $100 per day for nonprofits.
Currently you can rent the center for $50 for the first hour and $10 for every hour after that, allowing for more than one event per day. Recreation staff was only available to clean it during the morning and are not able to provide any type of security.

Sunday evening around 6pm Hickerson Station Volunteer Fire Department was called to the scene of a pull behind camper fire at Barton Springs camping area at Normandy Lake. When they arrived, the camper was fully engulfed in flames. While extinguishing the fire a body was discovered.
Coffee County Sheriff Chad Partin responded to the scene and told WMSR News that the body has not been identified to be male or female because it was burned so badly. The sheriff’s department secured the scene until the state bomb and arson team arrived to investigate. They will look into the cause of the fire. The body is being sent to Nashville for an autopsy to determine the cause and approximate time of the person’s death. Sheriff Partin says his department is investigating who owns the camper.
WMSR News will keep you up to date on this story when new information is released.