Category: News

College St Elementary School in Manchester has become the third local school to become a Trauma Informed School. Earlier this month we reported that North Coffee Elementary and Coffee County Middle were also named Trauma Informed Schools.
In a Trauma Informed School, the adults in the school community are prepared to recognize and respond to those who have been impacted by traumatic stress. Those adults include administrators, teachers, staff, and parents. Trauma Informed Schools provide students with clear expectations and communication strategies to guide them through stressful situations. The goal in a model Trauma Informed School is to not only cope with extreme situations but to create an underlying culture of respect and support.
Director of Manchester City Schools Lee Wilkerson explains how proud the school system is of College St. Elementary…
College St. Elementary and the two county schools that are now trauma informed schools that are prepared to recognize and respond to those impacted by traumatic stress. Children’s reactions to trauma can interfere considerably with learning and behavior at school. Schools serve as a critical system of support for children who have experienced trauma. Administrators, teachers, and staff can help reduce the effects of trauma on children by recognizing trauma responses, accommodating and responding to traumatized students within the classroom. This may include such things as bullying, family problems, and more.
According to statistics from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, one in every four school children has been exposed to a traumatic event that can affect learning and behavior.
The three local schools are among the total of 88 schools across the state of Tennessee to become the state’s first Trauma Informed Schools.

On Monday October 29th, 2018 at approximately 6:30pm, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office personnel responded to 245 Mansford Rd. in reference to a criminal trespassing incident.
A report filed by Deputy Cameron Bolin stated that the complainant advised him that a man knocked on his front door stating that someone had put a bomb in his vehicle. The report further stated that the suspect then entered the complainant’s house and proceeded to the kitchen and retrieved a large knife. Upon arrival, Sgt. Daryl Sweeton and Deputy Cameron Bolin were able to make contact with the suspect, remove him from the residence, place him in custody and transport him to the Franklin County Jail.
The suspect, Steven Michael Bullock of 7262 Rock Creek Rd. Tullahoma, TN was charged with 2 counts of Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Burglary and Aggravated Criminal Trespass.
Bullock is currently being held under a $25,000.00 bond and has a court date set for Monday January 14th in Franklin County General Sessions Court at 8:00am.

Manchester Fire and Rescue responded to a shed fire on Madison St on Monday night at 9:15PM. Crews arrived on scene and discovered the large out building next to the house totally engulfed in flames and that the rear of the home was also on fire. Firefighters attacked the fire in the out building first, then a crew entered the home and began attacking the fire inside the home. The primary location of the fire inside the home was found to be in the attic area towards the master bathroom and bedroom.
Manchester firemen searched the home confirming that all residents were out of the home.
Crews extinguished the fire outside the home and then continued with salvage and overhaul operations inside the home, making sure they extinguished all the fire located in the attic area of the home.
Fire Chief George Chambers said this was an excellent save of the home firemen arrived quickly and attacked the fire aggressively keeping it from spreading any further through the home.
The American Red Cross was contacted to provide assistance to the family, as they could not remain in the home for that evening.
Once again Manchester Fire received outstanding support from Manchester PD, Coffee County EMS, Duck River Electric and the Red Cross.

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department is searching for a utility trailer that was apparently stolen from the Mt View Road area of the county between Tuesday October 23, 2018 and Sunday October 27. The trailer is 12 feet in length with a new floor and side rails.
Anyone that has seen this trailer or has any information regarding this alleged theft please contact Coffee County Sheriff’s Department Investigator James Sherrill at 931-570-4404.

Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center will conduct the 11th Annual Safe on the Square on Wednesday, October 31st, 2018 from 2:30 PM-5:00 PM. Safe on the Square is a family friendly trick-or-treating event for children on the historic Manchester Square. Around 2,000 trick or treaters are expected.
The Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center would like to thank everyone including the many businesses who come together each year to make this event possible for our community!

Story and photo by Dennis Weaver
In a special called business meeting on Monday afternoon, the Coffee County Election Commission met at the Election Commission office in the Coffee County Administrative Plaza. On the agenda for the meeting, the 5 election commissioners were set to appoint a new Administrator of Elections to replace outgoing administrator Vernita Davis. Davis has expressed her desire to retire from her position at the end of the calendar year.
Earlier in October, the commission selected Donald Andrew (Andy) Farrar for the position in what Election Commission chairman Sandra Soesbe called “a secret ballot vote.” It has been reported that 21 prospective candidates submitted applications and the field was whittled down to 5 finalists prior to Farrar’s selection. After a notice of complaint was filed with the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office; Lee Pope, who is the Open Records Counsel for the comptroller’s office, ruled that the commission vote violated the tenants of the Tennessee Open Meetings Act.
On Monday, Coffee County Election Commission members Sandra Soesbe (chair), Frances Powers (secretary), Bill Bates, Emily Thoma and Barbara Arp met to revote the open position. Davis announced that one of the 5 finalists had withdrawn their name from consideration. Davis announced the 4 finalists as Donald Andrew (Andy) Farrar, Lauren Jernigan, Roxanne Patton and Teresa Wright.
Soesbe announced that she would accept nominations and a second for an appointee from the 4 finalists. After being seconded, the commission would vote on whatever candidate was placed in nomination. The first candidate to receive a majority vote would be selected.
After the finalists were read, Bill Bates nominated Farrar and that nomination was seconded by Arp. In the ensuing roll call vote, all 5 commissioners voted “Aye” on the selection of Farrar as the new Administrator of Elections. He will take over the office once Davis retires.
Before Soesbe opened the floor to the public for questions, Davis announced that over 7,800 voters had participated in early voting prior to 3:30 PM on Monday. When the floor was opened for questions, Coffee County Republican Party Chairman Sally Singles asked if candidates that hand delivered their application were immediately disqualified from consideration. Soesbe said that 3 applications were hand delivered to the Election Commission office and those 3 were rejected. “That was a test to see if (the applicant) could follow the rules set out in the process. The Administrator of Elections must follow a lot of rules in carrying out their duties,” said Soesbe.
WMSR News wants to remind everyone that early voting continues through Thursday in the State General Election, Election Day is November 6.

Newly-released data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development shows the vast majority of Tennessee’s 95 counties experienced lower unemployment rates in September when compared with the previous month.
Rates decreased in 70 counties, increased in 10 and remained the same in 15 counties.
Coffee County’s unemployment rate for September was 3.8 percent, which is up slightly from the August rate of 3.7.
Bedford County’s rate fell from 4.2 percent to 4 percent.
Franklin County dropped from 3.7 percent to 3.6 percent.
Moore County stayed the same at 3.3 percent.
Warren County’s unemployment rate for September was 4.1 percent down from the August rate of 4.2.
Grundy County went from 4.7 to 5.2 percent. Cannon County was unchanged at 3.5 percent.
Williamson County had the state’s lowest unemployment at 2.7 percent, while Lauderdale County had the highest at 6.5 percent.

The principal at Sequatchie County High School in Dunlap has been transferred to a teaching position after 24 years as the school’s leader.
Tommy Layne had hoped to retire after this school year with fifty years of service.
The school was recently involved in a controversy with Grundy County High School after an incident in which Sequatchie football players apparently held up the jerseys of teammates who were not allowed to play in the Sequatchie-Grundy game. The students were reportedly Grundy transfers who may have been involved in an assault which led to their dismissal from Grundy County High. There is no word on whether this had anything to do with Layne’s transfer.
Several parents and students say plan to protest Layne’s transfer after school on Tuesday at the central office in Dunlap.

More than 5,000 new cases of breast cancer were reported in Tennessee in 2017, according to the Tennessee Breast Cancer Coalition.
Women whose breast cancer is detected in its early stages have a 93 percent survival rate, so screening is particularly important.
Because of a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, qualifying women can benefit from the Tennessee Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program.
Kelly Luskin, director of Reproductive and Women’s Health for the Tennessee Department of Health, says beyond screening, appropriate follow up from doctors is important.
“Early detection is key, and I think having providers having that conversation right from the very beginning of, ‘OK, we’re going to do this screening and, based on the results, we may need to follow up with you,’ and the importance of timely treatment,” she states.
Women can qualify based on income and current insurance coverage gaps.
Doctors recommend mammograms no later than age 50, with some advising women to begin them at 40, unless there are additional risk factors.
Family history, obesity, previous cancer history and smoking are all reasons why you may want to be screened early.
Last year the state screening program provided services to more than 9,000 women.
Luskin says care goes beyond the initial mammogram.
“We navigate them through the entire process,” she explains, “from getting them in for screening, to get them in through all of their diagnostics and to make sure they get on and get started with their treatment.”
According to the American Cancer Society, Tennessee ranks 30th in the country in terms of screening, with 71 percent of women 40 and older getting a mammogram.