Category: News

A sighting of an uncommon species of skunk in Bledsoe County has the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency asking everyone to be on the lookout.
The Eastern Spotted Skunk is slightly smaller and less common. They are found in the eastern and middle parts of the state.
Description: A medium-sized, stout-bodied mammal with a small head, short legs, and a prominent, bushy tail. The long, glossy, black fur has white stripes along the neck, back, and sides to mid-body. Behind these are vertical white stripes or broken stripes (which appear as spots). White spots also occur on the forehead and in front of each ear. The eyes are small and the ears are short. Tail is black, but sometimes has a white tip.
The Eastern Spotted Skunk’s scent is stronger than the similar Striped Skunk.
This particular skunk is “considered a species of greatest conservation need in Tennessee,” according to the TWRA.

What’s next when it comes to the financially struggling Manchester-Coffee County Conference Center? Stan Teal, a member of the Public Building Authority (PBA), has requested the Coffee County government start charging a hotel-motel tax within the city limits of Manchester and use the money collected to fund the conference center. The city already implements a hotel-motel tax.
The center was built in 2002 for $3.5 million dollars with around $1.5 million still owed. Over the last four years alone the center has lost $1.5 million.
State law prohibits the county from levying a hotel-motel tax in cities.
Teal recently told county leaders that before 1988 counties and cities could both enforce a hotel-motel tax.
Teal suggested that a hotel-motel tax could be adopted by the county through a private act approved by the state legislature.
As we reported, the Coffee County Commission approved a resolution asking the state legislature to approve a private act that would establish a hotel-motel tax in rural Coffee County only. This does not include hotels or motels inside the city limits of Manchester or Tullahoma.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been called in to investigate the death of a Bedford County inmate that occurred on New Year’s Eve.
Other inmates reported to jail personnel that the man identified as Juan Carlos Mendoza had stopped breathing. He was pronounced dead at 10:20 p.m.
Sheriff Austin Swing says that the TBI was called to investigate the death, which is standard procedure.
No foul play is suspected in the 32 year-old Shelbyville man’s death. An autopsy is being conducted.

The Tennessee Department of Health Office of the State Chief Medical Examiner has received $1.4 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to gather critical data on homicide, suicide and other violent deaths. Tennessee is one of ten states to receive new funding to use the National Violent Death Reporting System, which will provide NVDRS with state-level data on violent deaths from all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.
The National Violent Death Reporting System helps state and local officials understand where, when, why and how violent deaths occur by linking data from the medical examiner, law enforcement, toxicology and vital statistics records. It is the only data system for homicide and suicide that links law enforcement data with data from non-law enforcement sources.
Violence is a significant public health problem in Tennessee. In 2017, more than 1,800 Tennesseans died as the result of homicide or suicide.

As 2019 begins, a new Tennessee law will create a statewide program to identify causes of suicides and work to prevent suicide deaths.
But legislative action has already begun to continue to raise awareness of the growing problem for the upcoming session. Representative Rick Staples has filed a resolution recognizing teen suicide as a “crisis” across the state.
The rate of people taking their own lives has increased every year for the past three, up to 1,163 in 2017.
Staples said the new 2019 law will help quantify the causes behind people taking their own lives.
He says raising awareness and reducing the stigma that surrounds mental health can make a huge difference for people of all ages.
The suicide prevention lifeline number is 1-800-273-TALK. You can also text the letters “TN” to 741741.

A new law being proposed for Tennesseans would allow sports betting.
The “Tennessee Sports Gaming Act” would allow local governments to decide whether or not to allow sports betting. According to the bill’s sponsor, state representative Rick Staples, the intent of the bill is to allow local governments to have a new form of income. He said the state is losing billions of dollars to other states.
A new federal law would allow sports gambling in the state if state leaders approve “Tennessee Sports Gaming Act.”
The hope is that this will help smaller municipalities.
Some leaders say local bars or restaurants that are not serving alcohol in the same area that the sports book is could generate a lot of income and even more tax dollars.
The next legislative session begins January 8.

Bonnaroo is June 13-16, 2019, but next Tuesday Jan. 8 we will learn the list of entertainers that will hit the stages at the 18th annual music festival in Manchester, Tennessee.
The lineup will be announced on January 8th, and tickets will go on sale two days later on the 10th starting at Noon.
According to Bonnaroo’s website organizers are once again allowing tickets to be paid in installments, starting with a $47 down payment for a tier 3 ticket in January, followed by $84 payments each month through May. Installments can also be made for VIP and Platinum tickets.

The Manchester Police Department is asking for the public’s help with an ongoing investigation. A male subject was allegedly involved in a theft at Walmart.
If you can identify the male subject, you can respond to the department’s Facebook page or call 931-728-2099.
Manchester Police Investigator Trey Adcock is overseeing the case.
The department reminds the public that all subjects are innocent until proven guilty.