Tennessee gas prices have been on a steep slide for the last three weeks and should drift even lower this week. The state average declined for the 28th consecutive day on Sunday, dropping a total of 20 cents during that time.
Tennessee motorists are paying an average of $2.39 at the pump, an 8-cent discount from last week. Despite the recent decline at the pump, regular unleaded remains 25 cents more than this time last year, as prices recover from supply and demand issues related to recent hurricanes.
The national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is $2.49.
The low price in Coffee County as of Tuesday afternoon was $2.19 in both Manchester and Tullahoma.
Category: News
Gas Prices are Falling
Tennessee Supreme Court Looking to Help Poor People with Legal Needs
Coffee County Courthouse
A court news release recommends a bump from a $40 or $50 hourly pay rate for appointed lawyers to a $65 hourly rate. It would be the first increase in two decades.
Additionally, the court seeks a $500 boost to today’s $1,500 lawyer pay cap in indigent cases.
The court suggests new public defender appellate and conflicts divisions, the latter to ensure public defenders are used instead of private attorneys.
Judges would have to explain public defender conflicts before appointing private attorneys.
A new state commission would oversee indigent representation issues.
The court says it will bill periodically, instead of after cases, to ensure lawyers are paid more quickly.
Many of the suggestions require legislative approval.
New Tennessee State Museum continues to Receive Donations
The new Tennessee State Museum project has yielded more than $25 million in donations by corporations, foundations and individuals.
In a news release this week, museum officials said the money committed during the initial “silent phase” puts the campaign more than halfway toward its $40 million fundraising goal.
Some notable companies that contributed include CoreCivic, HCA Healthcare, Bridgestone Americas Trust Fund, FedEx, AT&T, Verizon Foundation and Nissan North America, Inc.
Well-known political names and their families who donated include Gov. Bill Haslam, House Speaker Beth Harwell, U.S. Rep. Diane Black and former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist.
Haslam and lawmakers secured $120 million in the 2015-2016 state budget for the museum, with the $40 million extra to be raised.
The new museum in Nashville is set to be open in late 2018.
City of Tullahoma Receives Budget Presentation and Financial Reporting Awards
L to R: Paige Jackson, Purchasing Officer; Whitney White, Accounting Clerk; Jody Baltz, City Administrator; Donna Graham, Accounting Manager; Sue Wilson, Finance Director; Mayor Lane Curlee; Debi Graham, Business Loan Administrator; Christopher Ratliff, Accounting Clerk
These awards represent a significant achievement by the City, reflecting the commitment of the Board of Mayor and Alderman and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting, accounting and financial reporting. Only fifteen municipalities in the State of Tennessee received both awards during the last award cycle.
The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting. This is the 18th year the City has received this honor. To receive the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, the City satisfied nationally recognized guidelines for budget presentation, which include an assessment of how well the budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device.
The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting. This is the 23rd year the City has been judged to have demonstrated a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” in the preparation of its annual financial report.
The awards were presented to Susan Wilson, Finance Director, Donna Graham, Accounting Manager, and the Finance Department staff.
Horse Owners Taking Precautions because of Sick Horses
Officials are advising horse owners in Tennessee to take precautions after three horses tested positive for viruses that infect the blood.
State veterinarian Charles Hatcher said in a news release Friday that a horse in Davidson County and a horse in Knox County recently contracted West Nile virus.
Also, a horse in Bedford County tested positive for equine infectious anemia.
Sick horses cannot directly infect humans with either disease. Both illnesses are transmitted to horses through biting insects. Equine infectious anemia also can be transmitted by using needles, dental, or surgical equipment on different animals.
Hatcher says horse owners should consult their veterinarians to establish a schedule for vaccines and tests.
Horse owners also should eliminate standing water where insects may gather and avoid mingling their animals with unfamiliar horses.
Rape Cases on College Campuses
The number of rapes at Tennessee colleges has been released in crime and safety reports required by federal law.
Colleges report crimes annually that happen on or near campus. Numbers released last week from several schools were reported by the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Rapes reported at the University of Tennessee have risen the past three years.
Reports at Vanderbilt University have decreased since 2014, after a woman accused four former football players of rape in 2013. A third former player was sentenced to prison in June over that case.
Rapes reported on campuses:
UT: 9 in 2014; 19 in 2015; 22 in 2016
Vanderbilt: 17 in 2014; 9 in 2015; 9 in 2016
Middle Tennessee State: 5 in 2014; 7 in 2015; 2 in 2016
Blackburn Ad Blocked by Twitter
Marsha Blackburn.. Photo from Wikipedia
Blackburn in the ad boasts that she “stopped the sale of baby body parts.” Twitter found that statement to be inflammatory and “likely to evoke a strong negative reaction.”
A Twitter representative told Blackburn’s vendors that they would be allowed to run the rest of the video if the flagged statement is omitted.
While the decision keeps the Blackburn campaign from paying to promote the video on Twitter, it doesn’t keep it from being linked from YouTube and other platforms.
Blackburn took to Twitter to urge supporters to re-post her video and join her in “standing up to Silicon Valley.”
ONE DAY OF HOPE is Oct. 14
The 6th annual ONE DAY OF HOPE will take place Saturday Oct. 14, 2017 at the Coffee County Fairgrounds from 10am-2pm. The event began in 2012 with about 6 churches and around 30 volunteers. Around 2,000 folks showed up that day for primarily clothes, some food and medical care. This year around 5,000 people are expected to be helped by 1,000 volunteers.
ONE DAY OF HOPE is a day to reach out to our community in the name of Jesus to provide clothes, food, coats, shoes, various FREE services (medical/dental, haircuts, family portraits, groceries, etc).
Jacob Rutledge Claims State Cross Country Title for CCMS
Coach Nathan Wanuch and members of the CCMS XC team on Saturday at the state meet. (Left to right) Greenlee Woods, Wanuch, Ethan Welch and Jacob Rutledge [Photo provided]
Rutledge was one of 3 Coffee Middle runners competing in the event and is the first runner from Coffee County Middle School to earn a state championship in cross country. Greenlee Woods survived a fall in the final half mile to finish in 17th place out of 104 runners. Woods, a 6th grader, completed the 2 mile course in a time of 13:56.49. That time was 6th best among 6th grade runners in the event.
Ethan Welch also qualified for the state meet and finished in 29th place, out of 116 runners, with a time of 12:50.79. That time represents an improvement of 50 seconds over his time in the middle sectional meet. Welch was the lone CCMS runner competing at the state meet to have been with the program since its inception 3 years ago.
After the race, Coach Nathan Wanuch was effusive in his praise for his runners. “I couldn’t be more proud of how all three performed today! Greenlee had an exceptional race. She is a 6th grader going up against older 7th & 8th graders and she holds her own. For her to do so well in her first year as a middle schooler makes me so excited to see how much she will improve in the next two years. She has so much potential! Ethan had a great race today too! I know he wanted to do better than he did, but he has been the heart and soul of the middle school team for three years. I doubt there would even be a team without the efforts of Ethan to recruit athletes and build the team. He has been an incredible leader and has helped every athlete on the team to improve. For him to finish 29th in the state is a great way to bring his middle school Cross Country career to an end. I’m so proud of how he has grown as an athlete and an individual. Jacob had the perfect race today. For a runner who has only been running for a little over a year, he has had an amazing career so far. He has developed into such a smart racer. He knows how to pace himself and he knows how to read his competition and adjust his race to that. All three athletes have had great seasons and represented Coffee County well at the state meet. The future of our program looks great and I’m so excited to see these athletes continue to grow in the coming years.”
Coach Nathan Wanuch will have members of the CHS cross country team competing in Mid State Cross Country Association championship meet on Saturday. The boys’ race will get underway at 10:30 AM and the girls’ race follows at 11:15 AM. The championship races will take place at Buckner Park in Dickson.
Stolen Vehicle Leads to Several Charges against Hendersonville man in Coffee County
Crash scene photo by Barry West
The alleged thief, later identified as Joseph Sandy Thompson age 30 of Hendersonville took off with the female in the vehicle.
Tennessee Highway Patrolman Randy Euler got behind the vehicle on East Carroll St in Tullahoma and trooper activated his lights. Thompson allegedly drove over the median at high rate of speed, eventually ending up in Manchester.
Joseph Sandy Thompson
The arrest warrant states the man was driving very reckless and running stop signs and turned down numerous side roads. When Thompson turned to go back onto McArthur Drive he slammed into a Coffee County Sheriff’s Department vehicle near Heritage Circle where the deputy was attempting to block off the intersection. As law enforcement was trying to get the vehicle stopped on Oak Drive, Thompson allegedly slammed on his brakes causing the deputy to hit him in the rear part of the vehicle and that’s when Thompson crashed. According to arrest warrant, Thompson then fled on foot. Deputy Jennifer Curbow and her K-9 Max were called to the scene and tracked the man to a building that he ran into where the arrest was made.
The owner of the vehicle was on the scene and stated that he reported the vehicle stolen in Murfreesboro over a month ago.
The female that got into the vehicle was reported to be safe.
Thompson was charged by Euler and Deputy Jeremy David with aggravated assault, evading arrest, reckless endangerment, theft of property and driving on revoked suspended license. He was booked at the Coffee County Jail under a bond of $126,500 and first court date is October 23, 2017.
