Category: News

Thanksgiving travelers will not be delayed by construction on Tennessee roads during the busy travel holiday. TDOT will halt all lane closure activity on interstates and state highways in anticipation of higher traffic volumes across the state. All construction-related lane closures will be stopped beginning at noon Wednesday through 6am Monday, Nov. 27th.
TDOT Commissioner John Schroer said over a million travelers in Tennessee are expected to drive to their holiday destinations this year. He said halting all road work during this busy time will provide maximum roadway capacity on our highways and help alleviate congestion.

More Americans will travel this Thanksgiving than the past 12. The travel organization AAA released its annual holiday travel forecast Thursday.
It predicts nearly 51 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles to celebrate the holiday. That’s a 3 percent increase from last year, and the highest number since 2005.
Travelers can expect to pay more for gasoline than years past, but less for airfare.
AAA expects 89 percent of travelers to get to their destination by driving. Travel experts said the high number of travelers is a good indicator people are earning money and feel comfortable spending it.

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department will start taking sign-ups for the Christmas boxes beginning Monday November 27, 2017. If you want to sign your children up for this program, you will need to come in person to the sheriff’s department at 76 County Jail Lane in Manchester. Names will be taken Mon-Fri from 8am-4pm.
You will need to bring the child’s birth certificate or court documents showing you have full custody of your child or children. You will also need to bring proof of residency that you live in Coffee County, such as an electric or water bill with your name on it. You cannot be on any other agency’s list.
If you have any questions you may contact Shannon or Lesley at the sheriff’s department at 931-570-4409 or 931-570-4410.

On Thursday, (Nov. 16, 2017) Tennessee Corrections Institute (TCI) approved the Jail Annex to hold up to 42 inmates. The annex is the former location of the Coffee County Jail and located next to the Justice Center in Manchester.
The workhouse is for certain non-violent offenders to be housed. These inmates do work for non-profits in the community.
Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves said, “I would like to thank Coffee County Maintenance Supervisor Robert Gilliam, who oversaw the renovation of the facility.” The Sheriff also thanked Administrative Captain Frank Watkins for the work he did to get the cameras, computers and safety equipment online. He added that he thanks Captain Rick Gentry for his hours of work on employee job descriptions, standard operating procedures and fire evacuation plans.
Sheriff Graves said that it has taken many hours of hard work and dedication from his staff and for that he said he was very proud of all involved in this process.

A Grundy County man is dead after he was hit by a car.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol said 67-year-old Thomas Argo of Gruetli-Laager was walking in the middle of the road on State Highway 56 when he was struck by a car heading north.
The THP said the driver did not see Argo.
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office confirms the 67-year-old man was struck and killed by a vehicle on Hwy 56 in the Cumberland Heights community.
Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum says it appears the man’s vehicle may have broken down in the Cumberland Heights community, and he was walking in the roadway when he was struck.
Officials say no charges have been filed on the driver.

Authorities say a Tennessee man has been arrested after two people suffered overdoses of heroin laced with the opioid fentanyl.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says two people in Murfreesboro suffered non-fatal drug overdoses on Friday.
Heroin recovered from the victims was examined at a TBI forensics lab, and it tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.
Agents arrested Richard Dale Bain and charged him with being the source of the heroin. He was booked into the Rutherford County Jail on a charge of possession of a Schedule I substance.

There’s new research about the importance of minimizing screen time for children during the evening hours.
If children are falling asleep watching TV or with a cell phone tucked under the covers, they’re probably going to bed later and getting much less sleep than children without access to electronic devices.
Monique LeBourgeois is the lead author of a new study published in the journal Pediatrics that says children are uniquely vulnerable to sleep disruption from electronic screens.
She says because young children’s eyes are not fully developed, the light has a greater effect on their internal body clock.
“And many parents believe that media – like watching a video or playing a game – actually calms their children before bedtime,” she relates. “But in fact, it may be the exact opposite, and we may be creating the perfect storm to disruption of the both the circadian clock and sleep.”
Other studies have found that screen time is associated with delayed bedtimes, fewer hours of sleep and poorer sleep quality.
According to Better Tennessee, a project of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Tennessee, 1 in 3 children in the state watch more than three hours of television daily.
A report from the nonprofit group Common Sense Media shows mobile media device use has tripled among children ages 5 to 16 in the past six years.
LeBourgeois describes light as the brain’s primary timekeeper, and says for children and adolescents, self-illuminated devices, including smartphones and televisions, bathe their eyes in blue light that can keep sleep at bay.
“So, this immature eye allows more light to actually hit the retina that signal the internal biological clock,” she explains.
LeBourgeois encourages parents to turn off their children’s electronic devices before bed and charge them somewhere outside bedrooms.
She adds parents can set an example by keeping TVs, computers, tablets and cellphones out of their own bedrooms as well.

Motlow State Community College will be closed in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday from Thursday, Nov. 23, through Sunday, Nov. 26, according to college officials.
The closing applies to computer labs, libraries and other facilities at all Motlow State campuses, including the Moore County, Fayetteville, McMinnville and Smyrna campuses.
There will be no classes on Wednesday, Nov. 22, although Motlow facilities will remain open. Classes scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 23, through Sunday, Nov. 26, will also not be meeting.
All classes will resume their normal schedules, and all campuses their normal hours, on Monday, Nov. 27.

Manchester Fire and Rescue responded to a reported structural fire Thursday morning around 3:30am at 200 West Moore St. Crews arrived on scene and found the front of the home fully involved in fire. Fire crews deployed an attack line and knocked down the main body of the fire within minutes. Crews remained on scene for a while conducting overhaul operations as the fire got into the attic space.
Manchester Fire Chief George Chambers said that fire Crews, Coffee County EMS personnel, Manchester Police Department and Coffee County Communications Center did an outstanding job in assisting Manchester Fire & Rescue personnel with the incident.
There were no injuries at the scene. Coffee County EMS did check a couple of people at the scene, but none were transported for any further treatment.
The fire is under investigation with Manchester Fire & Rescue and TBI arson investigators.

Joe L. Russell, II, 50, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., the former Rutherford County Sheriff Chief Administrative Deputy, was sentenced last week on federal corruption charges to 15 months for his role in operating a private electronic cigarette company in the county jail for personal gain, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran of the Middle District of Tennessee and Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Russell, along with former Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold and Arnold’s uncle, John Vanderveer, were named in a 14-count indictment in May 2016 charging honest services fraud; mail fraud; wire fraud; bribery concerning federal programs; extortion under color of official right; obstruction of justice; and conspiracy. Russell pleaded guilty on January 20, 2017.