Category: News

A resident of Iris Drive in Tullahoma recently reported to Tullahoma Police that he received a call by an unknown individual in reference to repairing his computer. The victim was advised that he was receiving a refund for the protection plan he had purchased on line.
The scammer told the victim that they were depositing $1,100 in his bank account but that he needed to return $600 of it. He was told to purchase six iTune cards at $100 each and to give them the number off the cards.
The scammer took the numbers on the cards but did not deposit the money into his account.
Police remind people not to fall for such scams. Police warn that if you are told that you would receive money but have to give back a portion of it, it is more than likely a scam.

Growing numbers of Tennesseans are raising backyard chickens, both as pets and as a healthy source of food. While there are plenty of benefits to having feathered friends, the Tennessee Department of Health says it’s seen more than 40 cases of salmonella this year that it believes are connected to live poultry.
Deputy State Epidemiologist John Dunn says it comes down to hygiene.
“We don’t recommend that people snuggle up or kiss live poultry, baby poultry, you know,” he says. “And of course hand-washing, hand hygiene is critical – that’s a really important step. Supervision of children is also important.”
Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control reports almost a thousand cases of salmonella so far this year. Tennessee and neighboring states Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia are among those with the highest numbers of cases. Experts also recommend you keep any shoes you wear near live poultry outside the house.
Symptoms of salmonella are similar to cold and flu symptoms. But if you get sick, Dunn says it’s important to share information with your doctor about your exposure to live birds.
“If someone does have a diarrheal illness, which is the typical symptom of salmonella, then we would advise them to see their medical provider,” he adds. “They can mention to the provider that they had contact with live poultry and that might prompt the provider to think about their diagnosis and treatment a certain way.”
Cats and dogs can also get sick with salmonella. Children under age five and adults over 65, and people with compromised immune systems are advised against handling live poultry.
Dunn instructs people to wash any produce that might have come into contact with your chickens, and wash any eggs you collect before consuming them.

State lawmakers have announced they will research if Tennessee should legalize marijuana.
Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally and State House Speaker Beth Harwell wrote a letter announcing their decision to form an ad-hoc committee to consider the issue.
The committee will study, evaluate, analyze and undertake a comprehensive review to determine if medical marijuana is in the best interest of the state.
Ten lawmakers will serve on the committee.

The Tennessee STEM Innovation Network, a public/private partnership between the Tennessee Department of Education and Battelle Education, has announced the fourth annual Innovative Leaders Institute – a six-day interactive series of workshops designed to train highly effective principals, assistant principals, and school leaders to use STEM strategies and innovative instructional techniques to impact teacher practices and student achievement in Tennessee.
The professional development workshop series was designed by Tennessee school leaders for Tennessee school leaders and aims to move school leader preparation into real school settings with an expectation of immediate impact on leader practice.
Application for the Innovative Leaders Institute is restricted to a two-person team, that must consist of a school’s principal or assistant principal and another building-level school leader. Jimmy Anderson and
Todd Reinholtz from Hickerson Elementary School will be attending.
Director of Coffee County Schools Dr Ladonna McFall stated that due to the great work on behalf of Anderson and Reinholtz they were chosen to participate in the program. She added that 16 schools were chosen and the school system is proud that Hickerson is included. She congratulated Mr. Anderson and Mr. Reinholtz.

The three men and two juveniles arrested in Coffee County on August 16 are now facing charges in Georgia and Florida. The five individuals led Coffee County deputies on a short pursuit after speeding through the school-zone at Coffee County High School.
According to the Valdosta Georgia Police Department, they were investigating multiple car burglaries at a hotel when they were contacted the next day by Coffee County investigators.
The five suspects were captured by Coffee County deputies on August 16th after Deputy Charlie Taylor, the School Resource Officer observed their SUV speeding near the school entrance.
The deputy tried to pull the suspects over, but they sped away before stopping on Old Bushy Branch Road and attempting to flee on foot across I-24. They were captured and taken into custody.
Deputies found a duty weapon and a detective duty holster belonging to a Brunswick, Georgia police officer.
Coffee County deputies also found several other firearms, ammunition, laptops, and clothing in the SUV. The vehicle turned out to be stolen as well.
In addition to their crimes in Georgia, Fort Lauderdale, Florida Police came to Coffee County to interview the suspects in connection to a homicide and a rape.
The five suspects now face a total of 50 arrest warrants, including 45 for felonies in Valdosta alone. The three adults have been identified as Miguel James Harvey age 18 of Sunrise, FL, Karvis Christian David age 20 of Coral Springs, FL, Dean Hyatt age 19 of Margate, FL. The juveniles are not being named at this time.
The three adults are in custody at the Coffee County Jail and the two teens were taken to a juvenile detention center.
The adults are facing charges in Coffee County for evading arrest, resisting/halt/frisk/stop or search (non-violent), theft of property, adult contributing to delinquency of a child and unlawful carrying or possession of weapon.
The juveniles are facing rape charges and a possible homicide charge to go along with the charges in Tennessee.
The Valdosta Police Department wanted to recognize the excellent work by the Coffee County deputies for their assistance in the case.

Amid historic lows in statewide unemployment, Tennessee’s county unemployment rates for July decreased in 40 counties, increased in 24, and remained the same in 31. That’s according to numbers from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Coffee County’s unemployment rate was unchanged from the June rate of 4.1 percent.
Bedford County went up slightly from 4.7 percent in June to 4.8 in July.
In Franklin County, they also went up 0.1 to 4.4 percent.
Down in Moore County the unemployment rate went down from 3.9 in June to 3.8 in July.
Warren County’s unemployment rate for July was 4.6 percent, down slightly from the June rate of 4.7 percent. Grundy County went up slightly from 5.9 to 6.2 percent and Cannon County was unchanged at 4.2 percent.
Weakley County had the state’s highest unemployment rate at 7.4 percent, while Davidson County and Williamson County had the lowest at 3.1 percent.

Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen has announced that more than 29,000 students took Advanced Placement (AP) exams in 2017 – a record high for Tennessee. In addition, the number of students who scored a 3 or higher, which makes students eligible for college credit at many institutions, increased from 15,065 last year to 16,240 this year. Across Tennessee, students earned as many as 79,833 college credits from the AP results – which is a 54 percent increase since the 2011-12 school year.
AP classes offer students the ability to take college-level course work and earn college credit based on their performance on the national AP exam. In recent years, the state has been encouraging schools to increase the availability and number of AP exams they offer as part of a diverse portfolio of early postsecondary opportunities. AP exams are one of the eight early postsecondary opportunities offered in Tennessee. Data shows students who take at least four early postsecondary opportunities, which also includes IB programs, dual enrollment, dual credit, and industry certifications, are more likely to be prepared for college.