Category: News

The body of a missing boater was recovered from Tims Ford Lake.
According to Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency officials, Christopher S. Hale’s body was found around 5pm, Monday.
Emergency personnel responded to a 911 call in the early morning hours of August 19, near the Bluegill Grill on Tims Ford Lake. According to witnesses, 41-year-old Christopher S. Hale, of Shelbyville, TN, entered the water and disappeared. Mr. Hale was not wearing a lifejacket.
The TWRA, Franklin County Sheriff’s department personnel along with Franklin County and Coffee County Rescue Squads searched for Hale for many hours until he was found.

Tennessee Department of Health data show 1,776 Tennesseans died from drug overdoses in 2017, the highest annual number of such deaths since reporting began. Prescription opioids are still the most common drugs associated with overdose deaths in Tennessee.
TDH data show almost three fourths of drug overdose deaths in Tennessee in 2017 were associated with opioids. There were 1,268 overdose deaths associated with all opioids; of those, 644 were associated with prescription opioids for pain, which include drugs such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine and codeine. Prescription opioids for pain were associated with more overdose deaths in 2017 than any other group of drugs.
Deaths related to “street” drugs obtained without a prescription were a key driver of the increase in overdose deaths in Tennessee 2017. There has been a dramatic increase in deaths related to fentanyl, which is similar to heroin but much stronger and dangerous. Heroin was associated with the deaths of 311 Tennesseans in 2017, a 20 percent increase over the previous year. Fentanyl was associated with 500 deaths, a 70 percent increase since 2016. Fentanyl is an extremely potent opioid that may be made legally or illegally. Fentanyl is often used to “cut” or mix with other drugs; users have no way to know if it is included in a drug obtained illegally and if so, in what amount.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Commissioner on Monday announced a series of grants totaling more than $15 million to help fund parks and recreation projects in Tennessee communities.
“Easy access to parks, trails, walking paths and other recreational facilities can make a good community a great community,” said Haslam. “These grants provide the resources needed to help make Tennessee an even more desirable place to live, work and raise a family.”
TDEC will award approximately $13.5 million in Local Park and Recreation Fund (LPRF) grants to 51 communities as well as approximately $2.1 million in Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grants to 15 parks, communities and organizations across the state.
The City of Manchester will receive a grant of $336,000 for one prefab concrete restroom building; LED lighting for the Championship Soccer Field; and renovation of the Fred Deadman Playground for ADA accessibility standards.

The Coffee County Fair has been carrying on family traditions for 160 years. There are so many events to enjoy at the Coffee County Fair for all ages. There are carnival rides, beauty pageants, great food and more! Come out this year to join in the fun at the fair September 15-22, 2018.

There have been lots up upgrades going on at the fairground facilities like new paint and repairs in various areas. They are working on upgrading the food booths. Big news this year is that the 2018 “Fairest of the Fair” winner gets a $1,000 scholarship prize.
The activities start with the Miss Teen Coffee County and the Fairest of the Fair beginning at 5:30pm on Saturday September 15.
For more information, check out the fair’s Facebook page or go to www.coffeecountyfairtn.org

Veteran-owned and operated Black Rifle Coffee Company is proud to announce the opening of its Manchester, Tennessee, roasting facility as part of the company’s $6 million investment in that state. Combined with their Utah facility, the Tennessee plant will ensure that consumers all over America receive the freshest coffee available, roasted to order and delivered right to their door.
“As our company grows, so does our need to be close to our customers,” said Evan Hafer, the CEO and founder of Black Rifle Coffee Company. “Opening the roasting facility in Tennessee gives us the ability to deliver the highest-quality product to the entire eastern half of the United States in the most cost-efficient and timely manner possible.”
The Manchester facility is expected to create 52 jobs over the next five years, and since Black Rifle Coffee Company is committed to hiring 10,000 veterans as the business expands, qualified veterans living in Tennessee will have first consideration for any open positions. As a further commitment to former service members, the company will give preference to veteran-owned businesses as they bring on new vendors and suppliers.
Black Rifle Coffee Company is hosting a grand opening event on August 22 from noon to 3 p.m. at the new facility located at 621 Park Tower Road in Manchester. This event is open to the public and will include a ribbon cutting with words from Evan Hafer, Mat Best, and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe; a tour, food, entertainment, and lots of fresh-roasted coffee!

Last week the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office received a call of a male subject lying near an outside building at Layne’s Funeral Home in Palmer. When deputies arrived, they identified the man as 27 year-old Tyler Nunley from Palmer.
Employees of Layne’s Funeral Home also discovered the building had been burglarized. Deputies found Nunley in possession of the missing items as well as items from Privett’s Monument Company next door.
Nunley was arrested and is being held in the Grundy County Jail.
Sheriff Clint Shrum says more arrests could follow in the coming days.

The Tennessee Department of Education released the state’s 2018 TNReady school-level results Thursday, along with school and district student growth data.
The TNReady scores show that nearly 700 schools – more than 40 percent of schools in Tennessee – saw improvement across the majority of their grades and subjects in 2018, and 210 of those schools saw improvement across all grades and subjects. Additionally, 88 school districts – about 60 percent – met or exceeded student growth expectations. There were 11 school districts that demonstrated the top level of growth in all tested subjects.
The administration of the TNReady test in spring 2018 had many issues, including website outages and a possible cyber-attack.
The department announced in June that issues with the state’s TNReady testing that plagued schools this spring were not the result of a malicious attack. Instead, the department said the issues were the fault of the testing vendor, Questar.

The Tullahoma Sports Council is proud to be the recipient of a major donation from Tullahoma’s Jimmy and Mary Louise Stewart. The Stewarts donated $100,000 to the Tullahoma Sports Council to fund the Tullahoma Sports Hall of Fame, which will honor accomplishments on and off the field, enshrine the great sports legends of Tullahoma, and educate the youth on the value of sports.
“We see the Tullahoma Sports Hall of Fame as a platform to connect athletes, coaches, officials, sports fans, and supporters by acknowledging life achievements implemented through sports” said Tullahoma Sports Council Chairman, Jim Bratcher. “One of the important first steps will be to decide on the first inductees and then establish an annual honorary banquet.”
Mr. and Mrs. Stewart wrote a letter to the Board: “Please accept this $100,000 donation for the purpose of funding the Tullahoma Sports Hall of Fame to be created for the Citizens of Tullahoma by the Tullahoma Sports Council.”
The Mayor and Board of Aldermen voted to accept the Stewarts’ donation during the August 13, 2018 meeting. The Board was excited to accept this donation and pleased that the Stewarts would provide such a generous donation for the creation of the Tullahoma Sports Hall of Fame. “Two Fine individuals and longtime Tullahoma Citizens have asked us to accept this donation,” said Mayor Lane Curlee. “This is an exciting development for our city that will benefit our citizens for many decades.”
Mayor Curlee also announced that First Baptist Church will host a 100th birthday celebration for Mr. Stewart on August 25 at 2:00pm in the church Ministry Center. Everyone is welcome to attend this celebration.
“On behalf of the Tullahoma Sports Council, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Jimmy and Mary Louise Stewart for their generous donation to the Tullahoma Sports Hall of Fame and our foundation. With their support, we will be able to continue to celebrate Tullahoma’s sports history and to inspire the next generation of athletes through our education and community outreach programs.”
For more information please visit: http://www.tullahomasports.org/.