Category: News

Tennessee stands out among many other states in the country – with the most comprehensive and restrictive laws around opioid prescriptions.
The legislation (Senate Bill 2257/House Bill 1831) proposed by Gov. Bill Haslam in January and sets a high bar for patients to meet before doctors resort to prescription painkillers known to lead to addiction.
Dave Chaney, vice president with the Tennessee Medical Association, says his organization worked to help shape the law into something that prevents further addiction, while keeping the drugs accessible to those who need them.
“There are stricter-now parameters on that initial prescription that prescribers, that doctors and other health-care providers who prescribe these medications must follow,” says Chaney, “in terms of the initial limits, when it’s written, how it’s filled and the checks and balances they have to do in the controlled-substances database. ”
Chaney says his organization has worked to educate member physicians in recent years on when to prescribe opioids and when there may be nonaddictive alternatives. He adds the state also must invest in addiction treatment and law enforcement.
Just as the state has model legislation to curb the opioid epidemic, it also has demonstrated progress in decreasing prescriptions for the addictive drugs. A report released this month from the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science finds a 21 percent drop in opioid prescriptions in the Volunteer State since 2013.
Chaney says it’s proof that awareness is growing among the medical profession.
“Many of them did get that way from that initial prescription, so the medical community has actually been working for many years to turn back that dial, and we can see now just in the last five years that dramatic drop,” says Chaney.
In 2017, Tennesseans filled 6.7 million prescriptions for opioids. The state is having more demonstrated success than neighboring states and is in line with a national trend of decreased prescriptions.

While working the scene of separate accident on I-24 early Saturday morning, Tennessee Highway Patrolman Adam Malone and Coffee County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Mike Smith were injured when an 18-wheeler collided with their vehicles. The crash took place near mile-marker 112 eastbound, but a portion of the 18-wheeler landed in the outside lane westbound.
According to Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves the Trooper and Deputy that were injured in the accident but were treated and released from the hospital. According to reports the two people in the truck were not seriously injured.
Trooper Malone stated on his Facebook page that God was definitely watching over him and Sgt. Smith. He thanked Deputy Kevin Smith for rushing over to help him get out of that car.
Deputies Kevin Smith and Hassan Peterson were on the scene assisting with the first accident. They were able to move out of the way and avoid injury.
Sheriff Graves said he was thankful that there were no serious injuries or death in the accident. The sheriff who arrived on the scene a short time after the crash took place, said his main concern was with those involved. He said, “cars can be replaced, but lives cannot.”
The deputy car that was heavily damaged was purchased through the drug fund at no cost to the taxpayers and the replacement of that vehicle will be worked out between Coffee County and the insurances companies.
Traffic was rerouted through Manchester for several hours while the wreckage was cleared.

Tullahoma Police are investigating the burglary of a church on East Moore Street.
According to a report by Officer Josh Leverette, on April 21 members of the Church of Jesus Christ located at 519 East Moore Street were in the building cleaning when they noticed a red and white electric guitar, amplifier and a burgundy Fender Strat electric guitar with case missing.
According to the police report, the thieves left a soda can at the church.
Tullahoma Police Detective Johnny Gore is investigating the theft.

The prevalence of U.S. children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is now 1 in 59, according to new estimates released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a significant increase from the 1 in 68 estimated in 2016.
Estimates range from 1 in 34 in New Jersey to 1 in 76 in Arkansas; roughly 1 in 38 boys have autism, outnumbering girls 4-to-1, according to the report.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center partnered with the CDC to publish, for the first time, specific data regarding ASD prevalence in Tennessee, which is 1 in 64 for an 11-county region surrounding Nashville.
VUMC participated in the population study through a $1.8 million grant from the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network.
Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders is using TN Department of Education technical assistance and training grants to meet educational and behavioral needs of children with ASD and their families through:
• A school-aged training program designed to equip teachers, special educators and administrators with evidence-based resources for meeting classroom needs
• An early childhood grant facilitating the development of model preschool classrooms and enhancing the preschool workforce for children with autism
• Early intervention contracts utilizing advancements in telemedicine and early intervention to place meaningful services in the hands of families without delay.

After early voting wrapped up on Thursday 2,811 Coffee Countians had voted. There were 1,977 Republicans and 834 Democrats that cast their ballots. Four years ago, there were 2,840 early votes cast.
Election Day is Tuesday (May 1, 2018), polls open at 8am and close at 7pm.
WMSR-Thunder Radio will provide live election coverage beginning at 7pm.
Winners will face off in the county general election on August 2.
Remember if you plan to vote, you need a photo ID, it is the law.
Primary county elections are being held for: mayor, all 21 commissioners, trustee, sheriff, county clerk, circuit court clerk, register of deeds, road superintendent, road commissioners and constables.
The Coffee County Election Commission will meet on Friday, May 4 at 4:00 PM at the Election Commission Office, in the Administrative Plaza at 1329 McArthur Street, Suite 6, Manchester. The purpose of the meeting will be to canvass election day totals and count any provisional ballots that may have been voted.

A report was made to the Manchester Police Department on April 15th in regards to vandalism of a baseball field at Fred Deadman Park.
An unknown person or persons and an unknown vehicle entered the National League field via an unlocked gate and cut donuts in the outfield causing ruts in the field.
The estimated damage is near $5,000.
If you have any helpful information, please contact Manchester Police Investigator Trey Adcock at 931-728-2099.

A Shelbyville man was arrested April 26 after he allegedly broke into a residence.
Aaron Niebes, 36, of Belmont Avenue, Shelbyville was charged with theft of property and burglary.
According to a warrant obtained by Tullahoma Police Officer Karl Pyrdom, police were called to 1204 Harton Boulevard for a burglary in progress. When the officer arrived, the resident stated that he observed two males inside his residence. The man said that he yelled at the two and they took off through nearby woods.
Officers were able to track Niebes and took him into custody. The other man got away.
Items that the men had allegedly taken were recovered by police.
Niebes was booked into the Coffee County Jail under a bond of $5,000 and he is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court on May 17.