Category: News

In a victory for opponents of abortion, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal in a case that has made it easier to restrict abortion in Tennessee.
Abortion-rights supporters had hoped to overturn a 2014 change to the state constitution, which added language saying nothing in the document “secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion.”
The change was approved by 53 percent of voters, but the plaintiffs argued the state’s method of counting votes was unfair and allowed voters to game the system.
A federal judge agreed in 2016, calling the vote-counting system unconstitutional. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that decision in January.
Monday’s denial by the U.S. Supreme Court leaves the constitutional amendment intact.

STORY UPDATE:
On Thursday (Sept. 13, 2018) almost 7 years after being arrested Shannon Eugene Amos, now 46, was convicted for having sex with the teenager who worked in his Tullahoma business. Amos was found guilty after a 7-day trial. That’s when this case began to change. According to Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott, Amos was convicted by a jury for Aggravated Statutory Rape, Statutory Rape by Authority Figure, and Sexual Battery by Authority Figure.
Judge Venessa Jackson denied the prosecution’s request to revoke bond pending sentencing, but the D.A.’s office filed a written motion for her to reconsider. Instead of revoking Amos’ bond, Judge Jackson decided to set aside the jury’s verdict and grant the defendant a new trial. According to Assistant District Attorney Jason Ponder, the entire case will have to be re-tried with a new jury and a new judge.
Judge Jackson has not submitted an order at this time giving her reasons for giving Amos a new trial. Ponder said it is his understanding this will be done soon.
ADA Ponder stated the state will continue to pursue justice in this matter, no matter how long it takes.
Amos who is defended by Attorney Ray Fraley, remains free.

Education Commissioner Candice McQueen has announced that the 2017-18 high school graduation rate held steady at 89.1 percent, which is the highest graduation rate on record for Tennessee. This year, more than 56 percent of districts with high schools saw their graduation rates improve when compared to last year’s rates.
Under Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration, Tennessee has set high expectations for both students and educators, and students have made significant gains as a result. As part of this work, the state transitioned to a more rigorous calculation for graduation rates in 2011, and even under the new criteria, rates have continued to rise.
Additionally, the state raised the bar for graduation expectations when the State Board of Education included participation in the ACT or SAT as a graduation requirement for Tennessee students. This year’s results are the first to reflect this change in accountability.
Coffee County has a graduation rate of 92.8 percent. In Tullahoma the graduation rate was reported at 88.3 percent.

Tennessee’s attorney general says the state will receive a $1.7 million share from a $148 million nationwide settlement with Uber over its data breach.
Attorney General Herbert Slatery’s office says the money will be put in the state’s general fund.
Slatery’s office says the settlement comes after Uber learned in November 2016 that hackers accessed Uber’s personal information on drivers, including driver’s licenses for 600,000 drivers nationwide. Uber paid the hackers $100,000 and the company was assured the hackers deleted the info but did not report the breach in a timely manner under state law, having waited until November 2017.
Slatery’s office says Uber has also agreed to take steps to prevent future similar issues.
The larger settlement included all 50 states and Washington D.C.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is reminding Tennesseans today to be aware of the planned national emergency alert test that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will conduct on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018.
On Wednesday, FEMA and the Federal Communications Commission will conduct a nationwide test of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.
The national test will include both a Wireless Emergency Alert message, sent to mobile devices, at 1:18 p.m., Central, and an Emergency Alert System (EAS) message, to be broadcast on radio and television, at 1:20 p.m., Central.
The Wireless Emergency Alert message will display on mobile devices as a Presidential Alert and will read: THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.
FEMA will send only one Wireless Emergency Alert message to mobile devices and because the Wireless Emergency Alert message is a Presidential Alert, users will not be able to opt out of receiving the message, even if users have deactivated alert notifications in their mobile devices.
Only wireless providers who have chosen to participate in the national Wireless Emergency Alert System test will deliver the alert system message to their customers’ mobile devices.
The EAS portion of the test is expected to last one minute and will allow FEMA to verify the delivery and broadcast of a national test message and assess the infrastructure for its distribution.
This is the fourth time FEMA has conducted a national EAS test and is the first time for a national WEA test. Previous EAS national tests were conducted in September 2011, 2016 and 2017 in collaboration with the FCC, broadcasters, and emergency management officials in recognition of FEMA’s National Preparedness Month.

A Bedford County man wanted by authorities and listed as one of TBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted suspects was arrested by Murfreesboro Police on Saturday night.
Jesse Ray Laurin, 32, was wanted by Shelbyville Police on a charge of second-degree murder in a fatal stabbing on Sept. 26, according to the TBI.
Officers responded to the scene on Choctaw Drive just after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. They attempted to perform life-saving measures on the victim, 25 year-old William Prater, but he later died from his injuries.

Tennessee has the potential to do a better job helping young parents. And failing to do so could leave an impact on multiple generations.
That’s according to a report released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, called “Opening Doors for Young Parents.” The study underscored the need for increased programs to support people between the ages of 18 and 24 who have children.
Rose Naccarato, Kids Count director with the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, said if they’re not supported, the odds are stacked against them.
“It’s a big transition to become a parent. And when you’re in that 18 to 24 age range, you’re going through a lot of other transitions,” Naccarato said. “You’re taking care of yourself financially for the first time and trying to figure out what you’re going to do after graduation.”
In Tennessee, 13 percent of people aged 18 to 24 are parents, placing the state above the national average of 10 percent. There are 99,000 children living in young-parent households and 75,000 such parents.
The report recommended states provide increased access to child care, housing and employment opportunities.
The Casey Foundation report emphasized the importance of a father’s involvement in a child’s life and their development. But Rosa Maria Castaneda, senior associate at the foundation, said men often are left out of programs that support young families.
“They want to be involved in their children’s lives, however they’re less likely to be supported through many of our programs and policies to be able to be involved and to be able to provide for their children,” Castaneda said. “They are really neglected. We should support their involvement.”
Tennessee has programs such as Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect that help some young parents pursue post-secondary education. But Naccarato said there are other needs going largely unaddressed.
“There’s also additional challenges of being able to find someone to take care of children and just generally the finances of supporting a household when you’re that young,” she observed.
She added that numerous bodies of research indicate better economic situations for families improve the healthy development of children and their ability to succeed.

The City of Manchester, Street Department provides leaf vacuum service to all city residents from Fall to Spring of each year.
City Leaf Vacuum Service will resume again this fall on October 8. All leaves and grass must be recycled under State and Federal regulations.
All leaves placed out to be vacuumed must be free of any sticks, rocks, limbs, etc. or any other debris that would obstruct or harm the equipment.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Street Department office at 728-6903 Monday thru Friday, 6:00 am to 4:00 pm.