Category: News

Nicholas Dillon Murphy age 23 of Old McMinnville Hwy, Manchester was charged over the weekend by Coffee County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Jason Dendy with Theft of Property.
According to the arrest warrant, on December 1, 2017 Murphy removed two vehicles from 386 Sharp Lane in Beechgrove without the owner’s permission. The vehicles were allegedly taken to a salvage yard and sold for $397.10.
Manchester Police Investigator Jackie Matheny also charged Murphy on Friday for shoplifting from Walmart on December 6, 2017. Murphy allegedly removed items valued a $1,002.06 from the store without paying for them.
He was booked in at the Coffee County Jail under a bond of $10,000 and Murphy will appear in court on January 18, 2018.

Tennessee State Senator Jim Tracy of Shelbyville resigned his seat in November to take a job with the Trump administration’s Department of Agriculture.
There will be a special election for voters in Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall, Moore and Rutherford counties to fill the Tennessee Senate District 14 vacancy. Candidates are former State Representative Joe Carr and area businessman Shane Reeves.
The republican primary election will be Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018 with early voting going on now through Saturday. The general election will be Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
The winner of the Republican primary between Reeves and Carr will face Democrat Gayle Jordan, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary, in the March 13 special general election.

Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell has filed legislation to pursue TennCare work requirements for able-bodied adults without young children.
The bill directs the state to file a federal waiver to impose “reasonable” work requirements for able-bodied, working age adults without dependent children younger than 6.
On Thursday, House Democratic Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh said that if Medicaid were expanded under the Affordable Care Act, he would support work requirements and copays.
Lawmakers killed a Medicaid expansion proposal by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2015. The administration doesn’t plan to revive it this year.

Beginning February 1, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) will launch its fifth annual Seatbelts Are For Everyone (SAFE) campaign. This statewide initiative is designed to increase Tennessee’s average seatbelt usage rate through community outreach, occupant-protection education, and targeted seatbelt enforcement.
Country music artist Mickey Gilley is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) to promote seatbelt usage after surviving a rollover crash in Texas on January 3, 2018. At the time of the crash, Gilley’s vehicle was struck by another vehicle whose driver failed to halt at a stop sign. Gilley is currently recovering from several injuries, including a fractured ankle, fractured shoulder, cracked sternum, and cracked rib. He credits his seatbelt for saving his life.
“In 2016, Tennessee’s average seatbelt usage rate was 88.95 percent,” said THSO Director Vic Donoho. “Last year, the state’s usage rate decreased to 88.51 percent. Our goal this year is to achieve 100 percent seatbelt usage across Tennessee through the SAFE campaign and other occupant-protection initiatives.”
For more information about the THSO or the SAFE campaign, please visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) is accepting applications for the 2018 Spring Citizens Trooper Academy. Classes in Nashville start March 6, at the Tennessee Highway Patrol Training Center. Sessions will run from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. weekly.
The 10-week academy consists of approximately 30 hours of training, which is designed to give citizens a better understanding and awareness of THP and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Citizens receive hands-on instruction and training from state troopers and other department personnel. Topics covered include investigations, special operations, homeland security, and many other areas of the patrol, as well as driver license and handgun permit issuance.
Participants must be at least 21-years-old, available to attend weekly three-hour sessions with no more than one absence, sign required waivers and agreements, and have no criminal history.
Applications are available by sending an email to bill.fitzgerald@tn.gov.
The deadline to register is January 23, 2018. Applications must be returned to bill.fitzgerald@tn.gov by that date for processing.

A Tullahoma man is being held in jail after a stolen vehicle was reported to Tullahoma Police in June.
Thomas Edward Noel, 28, of East Moore Street was arrested by authorities in Kentucky in connection with the theft of a vehicle in Tullahoma.
Noel allegedly took a 2010 Ford Fusion on June 2 from a residence on Ovoca Road in Tullahoma.
The owner told Tullahoma Police Officer Willie Young on June 2 that the car was stolen from her driveway. She told the officer that the keys had been left in the car. Also in the car at the time of the theft was a pink jacket and an iPad.
Kentucky authorities arrested Noel and notified the Coffee County Communication Center of the arrest, who then notified Investigator Tyler Hatfield and the Coffee County Jail. His bond on the theft charge is $7,500 and for being a fugitive from justice, $100,000.

A growing number of Tennessee young people are finding community-service opportunities online.
DoSomething.org is one portal that offers projects focusing on everything from hunger and violence to discrimination.
Historically, the organization found its home in traditional school clubs that held in-person meetings, but talent relations manager Dezmon Gilmore says it is finding better ways to reach the technology-focused generation.
“What we realized is that this generation is involved, and they have more access, because of the amount of time they spend on the internet,” says Gilmore. “We saw this unique opportunity to take it from this closed group of young people who were in these clubs in schools, to scale that to give more access to even more young people.”
DoSomething has more than 3,100 members in Tennessee. Projects range from baking cookies for firefighters to raising money for children in need in other countries.
According to research from the University of Nevada , youth volunteering has increased steadily over the past 10 years, with 30 percent of youth participating in volunteer activities at least once a month since 2000.
Gilmore says the organization works hard to make sure projects are accessible to all people.
“We try to make it so that they don’t require an adult, don’t require any money, and they shouldn’t require a car,” he says. “That way, any young person, no matter where you are or how much money or time you have, can feel empowered to take an action in your community.”
Internationally, DoSomething.org membership has increased from just over a million when it sponsored high school clubs, to more than five million young people.

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Driver Services division is offering Tennesseans more ways to reinstate their driver license.
Citizens have the ability to reinstate online, in-person, or via mail.
Once fees have been paid, court clearance documents and receipts have been received and posted to your driving record by the Financial Responsibility Division,
you may go online at www.tn.gov/safety to get your license reissued. If you are not eligible to be reissued online,
you may visit one of the Driver License Reinstatement Centers across the state.
Compliance documents can be faxed to the Tennessee Department of Safety at (615) 242-3480 or submitted in person at the reinstatement centers.
Online: The quickest way for reinstatement is offered online. The driver must know his/her Tennessee driver license number,
the last four digits of his/her social security number, and the last name as it appears on the driver license.
Also, online reinstatement requires a valid credit/debit card for payment. To check eligibility and pay fees online, go to: https://dl.safety.tn.gov/
In Person: Tennesseans also have the opportunity to reinstate their license in person by visiting one of the Driver License Reinstatement Centers.
Please note days and hours of operation of reinstatements vary by location. Before going to a reinstatement center,
be sure to check the closure advisories for the latest information.
IMPORTANT: It may be necessary to cease taking applications prior to the closing time listed in order to complete processing by the end of the business day.
To view reinstatement requirements and extended schedule, please go online to https://dl.safety.tn.gov/ or contact the Reinstatement Call Center toll-free at 866-903-7357.
Mail: To reinstate by mail, include the driver’s full name, date of birth, social security number (if one has been issued), mailing address and phone number.
Additionally, include the Tennessee driver license number and reason for cancellation, suspension, or revocation, if known.

Keep Coffee County Beautiful is working to provide warmth for shelters in our community. We have seen a harsh start to the season and it looks like it will be long cold winter.
Keep Coffee County Beautiful is asking that everyone recycle any washed blankets, quilts, throws, towels, sheets and pillow cases so they can pass them out to citizens and animal friends. They are collecting items now through January 25 at the Administrative Plaza in their office in Manchester, Manchester Recreation Center, South Jackson Civic Center in Tullahoma, or the D.W. Wilson Center in Tullahoma.
If you collect as a group Keep Coffee County Beautiful will pick up at your location. For more information call Tonya Wilkinson at 906-450-2479.