Category: News

Federal highway officials have unveiled a campaign aimed at combatting drunk and drug-impaired driving.
On Tuesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed the campaign that will run national television, radio and digital ads through Labor Day weekend.
The administration says state and local law enforcement agencies will be stepping up enforcement of impaired driving as well.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deputy Administrator Heidi King discussed the new initiative in Nashville on Tuesday, alongside law enforcement, safety, other interested groups and drug-impaired driving victims.

On Saturday afternoon (August 11th, 2018) around 4pm Coffee County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Jerimiah Kirk conducted a traffic stop on Cornish Street in Tullahoma. While on the traffic stop Kirk observed a subject driving a motorcycle at an extremely high rate of speed and driving dangerously. The deputy attempted to stop the motorcycle and the driver attempted to evade the officer. According to Kirk’s report, the man later identified James Ray Hudgins age 37 of Glendale Place, Tullahoma pulled into a driveway, jumped off the motorcycle and began running. According to Kirk’s report, he was able to catch up with the man and Hudgins began struggling with him. Hudgins allegedly struck Kirk several times.
The report goes on to say the man knocked Kirk to the ground, then ran into a home and out the back door. The report states the man ran two streets away onto East Decherd Street in Tullahoma where Corporal Blake Simmons caught Hudgins and the two began to struggle. Simmons’ report says he deployed his taser, striking Hudgins, however he pulled the probes loose and continued to struggle.
At one point during the altercation, Hudgins allegedly attempted to hit Simmons with his motorcycle helmet. The arrest warrant says Hudgins struck Simmons several times.
After a lengthy struggle the deputies they were able to bring Hudgins into custody.
Hudgins was transported to Tennova-Harton Hospital for his complaint of pain. After Hudgins was cleared by the hospital, he was transported to the Coffee County Jail.
Hudgins was charged with Violation of Probation, Reckless Driving, Evading Arrest, Resisting stop-halt-frisk, Resisting Arrest, Assault, Aggravated Assault and Driving on Revoked Suspended License 5th Offense. Hudgins’ bond was set at $33,000 and his first court date September 10, 2018.

Manchester Fire & Rescue responded to reported kitchen fire Sunday morning at around 6am at J&K Market on McMinnville Hwy. When crews arrived on scene, a person getting fuel for his vehicle acted quickly and extinguished the grease fire just prior to fire crews arriving on scene. His quick thinking most likely saved the establishment from any severe damage.
Manchester Fire & Rescue ventilated the establishment, checked the area out, and advised the manager on duty what steps needed to be done to clean the area up and how to prevent this type of fire from occurring again.

Manchester Fire & Rescue responded to a fire at a home on Hillcrest Rd around 10AM Sunday morning. When firemen arrived at the home the owner was attempting to extinguish the fire on his porch with a garden hose. Most of the fire was knocked down by the homeowner. He was alerted to the fire by one of his neighbors, which most likely saved his home and his life.
Manchester Fire & Rescue checked the home and attic area for any further fire extension and found none. They ventilated the attic area of residual smoke. Manchester firemen investigated the incident and ensured the scene was secure.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced Tuesday the first-ever statewide assessment of school facilities and safety procedures will be fully completed by the end of August, with unprecedented school security funding now available to school districts to implement identified school security and safety needs.
To date, 1,796 schools – or about 99 percent of Tennessee’s public schools – have completed the security assessment with the remaining 1 percent set for completion by August 31.
Additionally, the Department of Safety and Homeland Security is working to secure a developer to complete a statewide school safety mobile application. The application will be used by students, faculty, and staff to anonymously report concerning or suspicious behavior to local law enforcement and school officials. In tandem, the Department of Education is developing a complementary training program that will prepare school officials to properly assess and respond to reported threats.
The governor’s fiscal year 2019 budget, passed by the General Assembly, includes $25 million in one-time funding for schools to address vulnerabilities and risks, and $10 million in recurring grant funding for ongoing safety and prevention programs. Funding may be used for a variety of enhancements such as entry to and exit from schools, training and availability of school resource officers, and in-school mental health resources for students.

On Saturday night (August 11, 2018) at 8:25pm, Sgt Dwayne Mullins and Corporal Keith Raney with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department responded to a fire at 100 West First Street in Hillsboro. According to Mullins’ report, upon their arrival, the fire was contained to the far west end of the residence with fire coming out the windows and roof. While waiting on the fire department to arrive, the blaze traveled through the house until it was fully engulfed.
The report went on to say that when then Hillsboro Volunteer Fire Department arrived, the roof had completely collapsed.
While Hillsboro VFD was putting out the fire, the owner arrived on the scene. According to Mullins’ report, the owner stated he purchased the house about two weeks ago and was in the process of remodeling it. He also said that the house had previous damage from a fire last year before he bought it. The owner said that there was no power to the residence, but while it was burning, sparks began coming from where the power line went into the meter box.
Upon Duck River Electric Co-op’s arrival, they advised the line was still hot, but the meter to the house had been pulled.
The home was a total loss and the cause is still undetermined and is under investigation by the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department.

Gas prices in the southeastern U.S. moved in opposite directions during the past week. While pump prices climbed in Florida, they moved lower in Tennessee and Georgia.
Gas prices in Tennessee declined 2 cents last week. The state average of $2.63 per gallon is the 9th lowest in the nation. Sunday’s state average is the same as last month, yet nearly 50 cents more than this time last year.
AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said traditionally, gas prices decline in the second half of the year, due to lower demand. However, oil analysts are forecasting significant volatility in the oil market through the end of the year, leaving a big question mark for the long-term direction of prices at the pump.
The national average price of a gallon of regular unleaded is $2.86.
On Monday afternoon the low price per gallon for gas in Manchester was $2.59 and in Tullahoma the low price was $2.62.

All Motlow State Community College campuses will be closed Thursday, Aug. 23, to permit faculty and staff to attend fall convocation. All campuses will reopen and resume normal business hours on Friday, Aug. 24.
Faculty and staff from all Motlow campuses will meet on the Moore County campus for the annual assembly, when presentations are made for the fall semester, including recognition of faculty and staff accomplishments, presentation of service awards, and faculty discipline meetings.
“We are excited about this opportunity to bring the entire Motlow family together for the convocation,” said Melody Edmonds, interim vice president for academic affairs. “The 2018-19 year is going to be one of our best ever, and convocation is a great way to kick it off. Faculty and staff from all campuses have the opportunity to come together and share ideas.”
Regular classes on all campuses begin Monday, Aug. 27.

The Tennessee State Museum is scheduled to open to the public on Thursday, October 4, 2018 at its new location on the corner of Rosa Parks Blvd. and Jefferson Street at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. Grand opening events will take place throughout the weekend.
The Museum hosted its final event in its former location in the James K. Polk building in early May. Throughout the summer, artifacts and exhibitions are being installed in the new location.
For over 35 years, the Tennessee State Museum, one of the oldest and largest state museums in the nation, has been confined to the lower levels of the James K. Polk State Office Building.
In 2015, Gov. Bill Haslam proposed, and the Tennessee General Assembly appropriated $120 million to build a new home for the museum with the additional funding to complete the project to be raised in private contributions. To date, more than $30 million in private donations have been raised, and the construction of the new museum is running on time and on budget.
The former Tennessee State Museum hosted approximately 115,000 visitors each year. The new museum, which is located on the northwest corner of the Bicentennial Mall in Nashville, is expected to host more than 220,000 visitors annually.

Coffee County officials say they are applying for a state grant to help with security at the Coffee County Justice Center. The court security grant is for $68,000 with 10% match from the county.
If the grant is approved the money will be used to add concrete traffic barriers in front of the justice center and protective panels to some areas in courtrooms and court clerk’s offices.
The justice center already has barriers protecting the main entrance, but they are temporary and on loan from the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Other new items expected at the justice center are a public address warning system and Automated External Defibrillators. Officials plan to purchase these items to be used in emergencies.
An AED is a CPR and trauma medical kit. These emergency kits will be mounted in secured, easily accessible boxes on each floor of the justice center, allowing for quick response for critical medical situations.

 

On Friday morning around 5am a 2007 Chevrolet driven by 23-year-old Cody D Slatton of Gruetti-Laager, TN was traveling westbound on U.S. Hwy 64. near Pelham in Franklin County.
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, a pedestrian was walking westbound, on the westbound side of the left lane of the highway. Slatton’s vehicle struck the pedestrian, 74-year-old Larry Seymour Chaffe of Mid-West City, OK. Chaffe later died from his injuries due to the collision.
No other injuries were reported, and no charges were filed.