Category: News

On Thanksgiving night Jeffery Neal Foster age 46 of Woodbury was stopped for a traffic violation by Coffee County Deputy Blake Simmons on Interstate Drive in Manchester.
When the deputy walked up to the vehicle he says he saw a long firearm in the back seat.
According to the arrest warrant, Simmons says that Foster was acting very nervous while he was checking the man’s driver’s license. The warrant goes onto say the deputy asked Foster if he had been drinking and the man said no but allegedly said he had smoked some marijuana earlier. Deputy Simmons then ask if there was anything illegal in the vehicle and Foster allegedly said no. The deputy asked if he could search the vehicle and according to the warrant Foster said yes. When the officer was searching the man’s person for safety reasons he allegedly found in the man’s left front pocket approximately 62 grams of meth. The officer also found 3 grams of marijuana, several baggies, a set of scales and a glass pipe. Also, allegedly located was a rifle and a handgun.
Foster was booked in at the Coffee County Jail under charges of manufacturing/delivering/selling/possession of a controlled substance, schedule VI drug violation, unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities and illegal possession of a weapon. He was later released on a bond of $16,000. Foster is to appear in Coffee County Court Feb. 12, 2018.

The Motlow State Community College music department is excited to present a pair of holiday concerts during the first week of December on the Moore County campus.
Both performances will be held in Eoff Hall inside Powers Auditorium. The first is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m., and the second, a matinee performance, on Sunday, Dec. 10, at 2 p.m. Both concerts feature Motlow students and community members. A reception will be held one hour in advance of each performance.
This year’s production will feature two new characters, Holly-Berry Christmas Fairy, and Snowflake the Ice Fairy, who will join traditional characters Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Grinch, and of course Santa Claus. Characters will be available prior to the performance and during intermission for photos and autographs.
Reservations may be made by calling 931-393-1700 or emailing Bobbie Spratlin at bspratlin@mscc.edu. Admission is free; donations are accepted and encouraged, and will benefit the Motlow College Music Department.

The City of Manchester’s Christmas parade took place on Saturday night in front of an estimated crowd of over 5,000. The theme for this year’s parade was Christmas Movie Magic.
Exit Realty won 1st place in the regular float division. Coffee County Middle School Cheerleaders came 2nd and 3rd place was Lawrence Family Motors. In the large division; The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department finished 1st followed by Summitville Methodist Church and Manchester Chapter #339 Order of the Eastern Star.
The parade was sponsored by: Lovelady Auto Parts, Al White Ford – Lincoln, First National Bank, The Law Offices of Eric Burch and People’s Bank and Trust Company.
Following the parade, the new City of Manchester Christmas tree lighting was held. The tree is located on the square and is a 25-foot tree and presented by the John Roberts Auto Group and the Manchester Tourism Commission.

Coffee County, Manchester City, and Tullahoma City Schools in partnership with Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition and United Way of Coffee, Moore, and Warren Counties proudly present: ‘Everyone Plays a Role: Connecting Systems of Support Community Summit’ on Friday, December 1st, 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM at the Manchester-Coffee County Conference Center. During this summit, state officials, elected leaders, and health care providers from across the state will lead panels discussing the impact of chronic absenteeism and how it has a direct effect on all facets of a community – workforce, economic, and community development. Panelist will provide insight on how their respective community or entity is connecting support systems to proactively combat this epidemic. Amy New, Assistant Commissioner of Rural Development, Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development; judicial leaders from Bradley and Lincoln Counties; Tullahoma Mayor Lane Curlee, and State Education leaders are among the panelist who will be participating.
“This summit will allow us to drive a conversation with community stakeholders regarding the severity of this issue, direct effect and impact on their specific entity, and how moving forward as a county we can unite together ensuring we meet the needs of each individual student and family,” said Taylor Rayfield, Coordinator of Coffee County Schools Family Resource Center. Join them as they connect and develop a proactive plan, tailored to Coffee County, that invests in building a strong workforce and ensures community growth. To RSVP or for more information, contact Rayfield at rayfieldt@k12coffee.net or (931) 222-1066.

Another challenge looms for the Grundy County School System as Board Chairman Robert Foster has resigned his position.
Foster notified Mayor Michael Brady in a letter of resignation Tuesday.
In his resignation letter, Foster said he thinks certain members of the board are more interested in dividing the county than uniting for the betterment of children.
School leaders are dealing with allegations of attempted rape against football players and trying to replace the football coach.
In other Grundy School news; The school resource officer at Grundy County High School no longer has access to the security cameras.
Sheriff Clint Shrum said the SRO went into his office on Friday and saw that his surveillance monitors were gone and had been moved to the principal’s office.
The SRO now needs permission from the principal to look at the video. The sheriff says that could impact student safety and his department’s emergency response plan.
Shrum said the monitors were eventually moved back into the SRO’s office, but the video is still not able to be viewed without permission.
That same surveillance system is being used to figure out who vandalized a school board member’s car.

The City of Manchester’s Christmas parade will take place on Saturday, November 25th at 6:30 pm. Parade line up will start at 5:00 pm. The theme for this year’s parade is Christmas Movie Magic. The parade is sponsored by: Lovelady Auto Parts, Al White Ford – Lincoln, First National Bank, The Law Offices of Eric Burch and People’s Bank and Trust Company.
Following the parade, there will be a Christmas tree lighting on the square at 7:30 pm. The 25-foot tree is presented by the John Roberts Auto Group and Manchester Tourism.

Two unidentified people were killed in a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 24 early Tuesday morning.
The accident occurred around 1:15 a.m. under the exit 110 overpass in Manchester.
According to a report by Tennessee Highway Patrolman Randy Euler, the truck was operated by a 70-year man from Chicago, Illinois. He was injured in the accident. According to the THP, the truck caught fire after the wreck.
According to the trooper’s report, the truck was in the right lane of the interstate and struck another vehicle that was sitting stationary on the interstate. Both vehicles burst into flames and came to rest off the right side of the roadway.
According to the trooper’s report, the vehicle that was struck was damaged so badly that the markings on the vehicle were impossible to make out to identify what type of car it was. Also, it was not possible to identity the two people killed in the crash at this time.
Traffic was rerouted off I-24 to Highway 41 through Manchester and even though the accident occurred at 1:15 a.m. traffic was still snarled at 4pm Tuesday afternoon. Traffic was reported to be backed up about 8 miles at one point during the clean-up.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the crash.

Two important Tennessee Promise deadlines occur on Dec. 1, 2017. All current Motlow State Community College students have until Dec. 1 to complete eight hours of community service in order to remain eligible for the Tennessee Promise scholarship. The same deadline applies for anyone interested in volunteering to become a Tennessee Promise mentor.
Students who still need to complete their community service hours can visit the Motlow Tennessee Promise webpage at tnpromise.mscc.edu/service-opportunities for an up-to-date listing of community service opportunities in their area.
Students can also visit the tnAchieves website at tnachieves.org/community-service for a listing of community service opportunities for students in their local region. Community service hours can be submitted to the tnAchieves website as well.
Motlow Tennessee Promise Coordinator Debra Smith is urging anyone interested from Motlow faculty, staff, administrators, and members of the general public to apply to the tnAchieves mentor program. Mentors play a critical role in assisting students as they navigate the challenges of post-secondary education.
For further information regarding the Tennessee Promise program at Motlow, contact Debra Smith at dsmith@mscc.edu or 931-438-9766.