Category: News

A fire destroyed a home in Hillsboro on Wednesday morning. The home was located 1050 Meadows Rd. in Hillsboro.
Three volunteer fire departments responded along with the sheriff’s department, EMS and the rescue squad.
The home is owned by Robert Thompson, III and his wife Samantha.
No injuries were reported.
If you would like to help the family, you can drop them off items at Dr Jay Trussler’s office at 585 Interstate Dr in Manchester. Samantha is a nurse for Dr Trussler.

On Tuesday September 25th at approximately 4:15pm, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the area of Circle E. Ranch located on Keith Springs Mountain in reference to Jackson County Alabama Sheriff’s Office and Scottsboro, AL Police Department being in pursuit of a vehicle. Sheriff’s deputies joined the pursuit on State Route #16 in the area of the Circle E. Ranch. A report filed by deputies stated that the vehicle was traveling at a very high rate of speed, placing other motorist safety in extreme danger. The pursuit proceeded to the intersection of State Route #16 and Highway 64, where Sheriff’s Office deputies were able to force the vehicle off the roadway and into the ditch.
At this point, the suspect, Jessie Ray Smith of South Market St. Scottsboro, AL., was taken into custody and transported to the Franklin County Jail where he is currently being held on multiple charges with a $35,000 bond. Smith has a court date in Franklin County General Sessions Court set for December 3rd, 2018 at 8:00am.
The traffic crash is being investigated by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. There were no reported injuries at this time.

In an update on the fatal shooting in Grundy County, we can now report that the man accused of shooting his wife, John Wesley Smith is now in jail.
Officials say four people were shot including Smith himself in Altamont on Sunday.
Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum says that Smith’s wife Carolyn Powell, her acquaintance Christopher Hurst and Powell’s father Jerone were all shot by Smith. Jerone Powell then shot Smith and Carolyn Powell died at the scene.
Six children were in the home at the time of the shooting including Smith and Powell’s four children.
Smith will be in court on October 2. He is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted criminal homicide, 11 counts of reckless endangerment, and felon in possession of a firearm.

Experts are saying it is time to go ahead and get this year’s flu vaccination.
Flu season typically runs from October to March. With October close at hand, it’s important to go ahead and get that vaccination because protective antibodies can take up to two weeks to develop.
The Center for Disease Control recommends everyone six months or older should get vaccinated every flu season by the end of October.

The first-ever Tennessee assessment of school facilities and safety procedures is complete. 147 school districts will get a portion of $35 million from the state for security needs.
Some school districts are using the funds to get enhanced door locks, improved visitor screening procedures, shatter-resistant glass and more.
Several districts are improving mental health services for students by funding salaries for school counselors and child psychologists. The money will also help pay for 213 new school resource officers across the state.
Coffee County schools will receive a state recurring (yearly) allocation of $59,700, including a recurring local match of $14,910. Local matching funds can be “In-kind,” like labor and supplies for work to be done.
Manchester City Schools will receive $20,200, including a local match of $5,080.
Tullahoma City Schools will receive $42,700, including $10,670 local match.
In non-reoccurring (one-time) funding for School Safety, Coffee County gets a total of $149,200 with $37,240 being local match funding.
Dr LaDonna McFall Director of Coffee County Schools says she is very gracious that Gov. Bill Haslam put the funding needed for extra school safety in the state budget…

She says the money will help with more security measures at all schools and the central office… Those are just some of the safety updates being added to county schools.

Money will all be used for a mental health counselor.
Manchester City Schools will receive non-reoccurring funding in the amount of $50,400 that includes $12,600 local funding.
Tullahoma City Schools will get a total $106,700, that includes $26,630 in local money.

Tennessee State Parks is seeking public input to inform park business plans at a series of community meetings. The public is invited to hear about current and future park improvement projects and submit comments.
Locally there will be a meeting at Old Stone Fort State Park in Manchester, TN on September 27, 2018 (Thursday) at the park office in the museum, 732 Stone Fort Drive. The meeting will take place from 5-6pm.

Nashville is one of several Tennessee cities pushing ahead with more sustainable transportation.
Livable Nashville has a goal of reducing vehicle emissions citywide 70 percent by 2050, with even higher goals for the city’s transportation fleet. Nashville Mayor David Briley is a member of the Climate Mayors group; and his sustainability manager, Mary Beth Ikard, said while Music City is pushing ahead with electric vehicle priorities, the climate in Washington could have an impact.
“We do depend on the federal government for things like that,” Ikard said. “And so a shift in priorities by the administration might impact our ability to get federal funding for the transit authority, which is obviously something that we would prefer not to see.”
Ikard added the city also is looking at partners to help launch an all-electric car-share service, similar to one created in Chattanooga, and is encouraging transportation companies to shift over to E.V. fleets. Recently Climate Mayors announced a purchasing collaborative to make it easier for cities to afford electric vehicle infrastructure.
Twenty-six cities, states and businesses in the U.S. and other countries also announced commitments to 100 percent zero-emission vehicle targets, joining dozens of others in the Z.E.V. challenge. Helen Clarkson, CEO of the Climate Group, said the group represents a population of more than 237 million people and businesses with a combined revenue of more than $470 billion dollars.
“And when you aggregate that, put it all together, you really get a strong market signal to the automotive companies to say that this is what your customers want and to ask them to start signaling when they’re going to start the endgame of the combustion engine,” Clarkson said.
Ikard said it’s important for cities and consumers to consider the reduced long-term costs of electric vehicles, as opposed to just the initial investment.
“There are all the time oil changes, replacing of parts,” she said. “So you might have a larger upfront investment for your electric bus or your electric sedan, but the maintenance and operation costs on those vehicles over time save money. ”
Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga mayors are all part of the Climate Mayors group. Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero is a founding member.
Manchester currently has 2 charging stations for electric vehicles, with multiple outlets at each location.