Category: News

Tennessee’s unemployment rate for August was 3.3 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from the previous month. This marks an all-time low for the statewide unemployment rate and August is the seventh consecutive month Tennessee has seen a decline in unemployment.
The national unemployment rate increased from 4.3 to 4.4 percent. Over the past year, the state and national rates have declined by 1.5 and five-tenths of a percentage point respectively.

For the third consecutive year, Motlow State Community College has the largest enrollment in school history and is among the fastest growing colleges in Tennessee, according to official enrollment numbers released recently for the fall 2017 semester.
Motlow enrolled 6,597 students this fall, a 12.9 percent increase over the 5,841 enrolled during the same period last fall. Final enrollment numbers are based on the preliminary census report from the Tennessee Board of Regents.
Full-Time Equivalency (FTE), which is a formula that determines how many students are attending full time, rose almost as dramatically. Motlow’s FTE is 4,481 this year, a 9.7 percent increase over the 4,084 last year.
As a comparison, in fall 2014 Motlow had an enrollment of 4,822 and an FTE of 2,995. In just three years, enrollment has increased 37 percent and FTE has shot up almost 50 percent.

On Friday night Sept. 8, 2017 around 9:30pm Coffee County Sheriff’s Department Corporal Harmon Campbell reported to a burglary in progress at A & G Equipment on the Woodbury Hwy.
Campbell requested a K-9 to assist, not knowing if the suspect was on foot. The building was cleared and no one was found in the business. It appeared that the suspect pulled a vehicle inside the gate where he or she made entry. Once inside the suspect removed items from the business.
The person or persons involved in this burglary could also be suspects in other cases outside of Coffee County.
If you have any information that could help authorities in this case, please contact Investigator Jason Dendy at 931-570-4427. If no answer, please leave a message, he may be working on other cases.

On Wednesday Sept. 13, 2017 Tennessee Highway Patrolman Jason Boles stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on Interstate 24 going west near mile-marker 113 in Coffee County.
The trooper asked the driver for permission to search the vehicle and permission was given. The officer asked the man to get out of the vehicle and according to the arrest warrant, there were two credit cards in the seat where he was sitting. Also found in the vehicle were two credit cards in the console with the subject’s cell phone, two in the subject’s wallet and two more in a passport holder. The credit card information on the magnetic strips belonged to another person and bank.
Alejandro Rodriguez Martinez age 50 of Miami, FL was booked in at the Coffee County Jail by Boles for eight counts of identity theft/use of another’s information and eight counts of criminal simulation. Martinez’s bond was set at $80,000 and he will appear in Coffee County Court on October 24, 2017.

A new scam is working in Coffee County and the sheriff’s department is warning area residents. According to Sheriff Steve Graves a local person receives a call from an unknown caller and claims that the intended victim has won a prize from Publishers Clearing House. While the sheriff has heard of Publishers Clearing House scams before, this one has a new twist. The scammer tells the intended victim that they have won a prize, but they owe taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.
Publishers Clearing House claims on their website that winning is always free and you NEVER have to pay to claim a prize award.
If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House and are asked to send money, pay a fee or pre-pay taxes to enter, collect or claim a sweepstakes prize, DON’T BE FOOLED: IT’S A SCAM! You have not heard from the “real” Publishers Clearing House. The call you received was most likely from a fraudulent sweepstakes scam operation. Again, at Publishers Clearing House the winning is always free.
Sheriff Graves warns the public to not fall victim to this scam, simply hang-up if someone calls you asking for money in this way. Also, remember the IRS will never ask for money over the phone.

Larry Flatt of Warren County has been named the executive director of the new Advanced Robotics program at Motlow State Community College, according to Hilda Tunstill, interim president of Motlow.
During his career, he has held positions as process engineer, quality engineer, production manager, manufacturing engineer, advanced design and development engineering manager, staff training manager, senior staff quality manager, executive vice president of operations and manufacturing, and instructor.
In February of 2012, Larry was invited to become an instructor in the Mechatronics department at Motlow’s McMinnville campus. After joining the Motlow team, he was assigned to teach all four of the freshmen level Mechatronics classes.
In addition to his Motlow duties, Larry teaches five classes, for TN Tech University. They include business management, managing change, leadership, workplace performance, and operations and supply chain management.

On Monday, September 11, 2017 VIAM Corporation in Manchester, TN made donations to local first responders.
Before the donations were made, State Rep. and Congressman Candidate Judd Matheny presented United States flags that flew over the state capitol to Deputies Wendell Bowen and Wade Bassett. The two men were injured during the shooting on June 19, 2017 at the Coffee County Justice Center.

VIAM representative Mark Miller presented a donation to Bowen and Bassett for help with their recovery. VIAM COO Keith Hayes then gave donations to the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, Manchester Fire Department and the Coffee County Rescue Squad.

Sheriff Steve Graves states the donation for his department will be used for deputy supplies. Graves says he wants to thank VIAM for their continued support of the sheriff’s department, plus other first responders and community organizations. He said that VIAM has helped the department with monetary donations throughout the years to help buy equipment and for the purchase of department K-9 deputies.

The Tennessee Valley Authority has scheduled a four-hour planned power outage for Duck River Electric Membership Corporation members served out of the Lynchburg Substation. This outage is necessary for TVA to replace equipment.
The outage is scheduled for midnight Saturday night, September 16, until approximately 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning, September 17, and will affect all Duck River Electric members in the following areas.
All areas of Moore County will be affected including: Lynchburg, Motlow, Cumberland Springs, Booneville, Charity, Lost Creek, Ridgeville, Browington, Marble Hill, Beech Hill, Turkey Creek, Hurdlow, Liberty Hill, Edde Bend, Smith Chapel and County Line.
Duck River Electric appreciates the cooperation and understanding of its members, as well as Jack Daniel, the county and city of Lynchburg during this outage as they work with TVA and strive to improve the reliability of the electric system. In the event of inclement weather, the outage will be rescheduled for September 23.

The Murfreesboro Police Department is aware that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is investigating a report of an alleged sexual assault that took place at the MTSU/Vanderbilt football game on September 2, 2017. The investigation involves an off-duty Murfreesboro Police Department officer.
Reports indicate that when the department was informed of the accusations, Officer Mark Todd was placed on decommissioned status in an administrative function pending the outcome of the investigation.