Category: News

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Tennessee Highway Patrol are looking for Edgar Torres-Rangel. He is Hispanic and 28 years-old with black hair and brown eyes. Torres-Rangel stands 5’06” weighting 150 lbs. He is wanted by the TBI and THP to face a charge of Vehicular Homicide, in connection to an incident in October in Bedford County.
Both agencies have kicked in reward money, which totals up to $5,000 for information leading to his arrest.
If you know anything concerning the whereabouts Torres-Rangel call 1-800-TBI-Find or THP at 615-253-3234.

The Motlow State Community College children’s theatre class will present the public performance of “Babes in Toyland” on Friday, Nov. 30 inside Powers Auditorium in Eoff Hall on the Moore County campus.
Show time is set for 7:00 p.m., with a reception at 6:00 p.m. There is no admission charge, but reservations are highly recommended. To reserve your seats please call 931-393-1709.
To the delight of thousands of elementary school children from the College’s 11-county service area, the all-Motlow student cast performed as many as three shows per day over the last two weeks. Directed by Emily Seal, Motlow associate professor of speech and theatre, the production is one of many cultural events scheduled each year on Motlow’s four campuses, with most being free to the public.
The villainous Barnaby has fallen in love with sweet Mistress Mary Quite Contrary. Unable to buy Mary’s love, Barnaby plans to force her to marry him by threatening to foreclose on her mother, the poor Widow Piper. Mary already has her heart set on marrying Barnaby’s nephew Alan — but not if Barnaby can help it! He hires two bumbling ruffians to do away with Alan, who returns to Mother Goose Land amidst much rejoicing.
Mary journeys to the mysterious Toyland through the dangerous Spider Forest. Barnaby, however, not giving up, herds the whole gang of Mother Goose Land characters to Toyland in pursuit of Mary. There they encounter the magical mystery of Toyland and meet the Master Toymaker and his quirky assistants.

The First Baptist Church at 1006 Hillsboro Blvd. in Manchester is sponsoring a FREE Christmas Toy Shopping Event for parents on Saturday, December 8, 9 AM to 11 AM.
According to Lead Pastor Brenton Cox, he says they have 85 cases of toys that will be given to parents that need help.
Also, you can donate money toward the purchase of food boxes by marking your envelope “food boxes”. The cost of each box is $50. Food Boxes will be packed on Friday, Dec. 14 at 5:00 PM and delivery will take place Saturday, Dec. 15 at 8:30 AM. Your help on these dates is appreciated, however, the priority for assistance is Saturday morning when the food boxes are delivered. The First Baptist Church in Manchester will be delivering to about 80 families, so plenty of drivers are needed.

The City of Manchester’s Christmas parade took place on Saturday night in front of an estimated crowd of over 5,000. The theme for this year’s parade with over 60 entries was “The Joy of Giving” lead by Grand Marshal James Anthony and the Hickerson Kindergarten Class.
Coffee County Head Start won 1st place in the regular float division. Manchester Youth Football came in 2nd and the 3rd place winner was Fast Cash.
In the large division; The Coffee County Middle School Cheerleaders finished 1st followed by Manchester Order of the Eastern Star and 3rd place was the North Coffee Elementary Basketball team.
Following the parade, the City of Manchester Christmas tree lighting was held. The 25-foot tree is located on the square and presented by the John Roberts Auto Group and the Manchester Tourism Commission.

It looks like a case where a former employee of Coffee County government took the county to court over her losing her job, might soon have a financial settlement.
On May 27, 2010, Melinda Keeling was fired from the Coffee County codes department. At that time, Glenn Darden was the department director and David Pennington served as a county mayor.
According to County Attorney Bob Huskey, Keeling was laid off because there was not enough work to justify keeping her position.
After a trial and an appeal by the county, an opinion was issued by the Tennessee Court of Appeals affirming the judgment of the trial court in the case of Melinda Keeling v. Coffee County. That means county taxpayers could now on the hook for more than $1 million in damages and attorney fees.
Huskey says he recommended the county file an application with the Tennessee Supreme Court in an effort to reverse the decision.
Now after this very long process, a special meeting of the Coffee County Commission will be on Monday, November 26, 2018, for the specific purpose of addressing and approving a settlement of pending litigation between Melinda Keeling and Coffee County. The meeting will take place at 6:00 p.m. at the Commission Meeting Hall at the Coffee County Administrative Plaza, 1329 McArthur Street, Manchester.
Following the vote on the issue by the Commission, the meeting will close.
Following the closure of the first meeting, the County Clerk will immediately prepare the minutes of the meeting and upon the completion, a second Specially Called meeting of the Coffee County Commission will be called to order for the specific purpose of approving the minutes of the 6:00 p.m. meeting.
WMSR News will continue to update you on this story.

The Tennessee Department of Commerce warns buyers that if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Tennessee’s high ranking for fraud and financial abuse complaints to the Federal Trade Commission has motivated local groups to come together to help prevent scams. Kevin Walters, communications director at the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, said it’s a real challenge.
“Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated. They are cunning and they’re ruthless and, a lot of times, they’re anonymous,” Walters said. “And they can use technology to cloak phone numbers to hide their location.”
He said this year, cases of fraud and financial abuse are up more than 33 percent statewide.
Doing research on special offers and charitable groups is key, especially during the holiday season. Walters warned that scammers use these organizations as a cover to take advantage of a person’s good nature – and it’s okay to say “no” to giving your financial information to anyone over the phone.
“If someone’s contacting you to get that information and you’ve never spoken to them before, and they’re calling you out of the blue, again, that’s a red flag that they’re probably after more than just a donation to their charity,” he said. “They’re probably after much more than that, and it could lead to some real problems down the road for you and your family.”
In 2017, the FTC said Tennesseans filed more than 43,000 fraud reports, totaling losses of almost $14 million.
Walters added seniors and adults with disabilities are among the most vulnerable targets for scams. TDHS Adult Protective Services received more than 4,000 complaints of financial exploitation in the past year.
“So, the problem of fraud and identity theft is growing, across Tennessee and all segments of the population, in particular for elderly and vulnerable adults,” Walters said.
He said it’s important to report scams to local law enforcement, and get information from the AARP Fraud Watch Network at aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.

Claire Mason, a Motlow State Community College sophomore from Tullahoma, has been nominated for the 2019 Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) Statewide Outstanding Achievement & Recognition (SOAR) Student Excellence Award for community colleges in Tennessee.
Mason attended the Tennessee Leadership Training Institute (TLTI) at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin this week. She will participate in the Middle Regional Competition at TCAT Nashville in February, where three regional finalists will be selected to attend the state competition in March.
Nominees must meet an extensive list of requirements, including recognizing TBR’s critical impact on Tennessee’s overall workforce readiness and economic future, having a strong work ethic, a dedicated sense of loyalty, and a healthy enthusiasm for promoting education throughout Tennessee. In addition, nominees must have at least a 3.3 cumulative GPA, exhibit exceptional service at the institution and throughout the community, and exhibit outstanding academic accomplishment during enrollment.

What would the holiday season be without a parade? The City of Manchester’s Christmas Parade with the theme of “The Joy of Giving” will be held Saturday, November 24, 2018 beginning at 6:30 pm.
To go along with the theme, the Manchester Recreation Center has partnered with the local Good Samaritan to have a city-wide food drive. The Manchester Rec Center will have drop off locations set up along the parade route to accept donations.
There is a new route this year for the parade and you can see the map at www.wmsrradio.com just click on this story.
The downtown Christmas Tree lighting will take place at 7:30 pm.

As families prepare to gather for Thanksgiving Day feasts this Thursday, November 22, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office reminds Tennesseans the recipe for holiday fire safety always includes add good cooking safety habits.
Thanksgiving is the No. 1 day of the year for home fires involving cooking equipment, with three times the average number of fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association. An estimated 2,000 Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings are reported to U.S. fire departments each year according to the U.S. Fire Administration. In Tennessee, 26 percent of reported home structure fires in 2017 involved cooking equipment. Those 1,672 fires resulted in 12 civilian fatalities, 43 civilian injuries, two firefighter injuries and over $6 million of direct property damage, according to the Tennessee Fire Incident Reporting System.
“Careless cooking can turn a relaxing family get-together into an emergency,” said State Fire Marshal and Commerce & Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak. “We’re urging Tennesseans to practice fire-safe behavior this Thanksgiving to protect themselves, their families, and their properties. We want everyone to have a safe and fire-free Thanksgiving this year!”
The SFMO offers these Thanksgiving fire-safety tips:
· Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling or broiling. If you have to leave the room, even for a moment, turn off the burner.
· Use a kitchen timer when boiling, simmering, baking, or roasting to remind yourself to check the cooking often.
· Use caution with turkey fryers. It is recommended that consumers utilize the oil-free models that are available or seek commercial professionals to prepare this entrée.
· Turkey fryers must always be used outdoors and a safe distance from buildings and other flammable materials.
· Never use turkey fryers indoors or on a wooden deck.
· Make sure the fryer is used on a flat surface to prevent accidental tipping.
· Never leave a turkey fryer unattended. Most fryer units do not have thermostat controls. If you do not watch the fryer carefully, the oil will continue to heat until it catches fire.
· Never let children or pets near the fryer, even if it is not in use. The oil inside the cooking pot can remain dangerously hot for hours after use.
· To prevent spillover, do not overfill the fryer.
· Use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts when touching pot or lid handles. If possible, wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from oil splatter.
· Make sure the turkey is thawed and dry before cooking. Ice or water that mixes into the hot oil can cause flare-ups. The National Turkey Foundation recommends thawing the turkey in the refrigerator approximately 24 hours for every five pounds of weight.
· Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby. Never use water to extinguish a grease or oil fire. If the fire is manageable, use your all-purpose fire extinguisher. If the fire increases, immediately call the fire department by dialing 911.