Photo from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry is now accepting urban forestry tree planting project proposals through the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP).
“Trees are vitally important to our state,” Commissioner Jai Templeton said. “Providing cost-share funding through TAEP supports tree planting projects. These activities benefit our commercial nursery industry and provide clean air and water, storm water control and aesthetic values to our communities.”
Local governments, private non-profit organizations and educational institutions are eligible to apply. TAEP offers a 50/50 matching cost-share program for tree planting on public property, rights-of-way, and private non-profit land and covers half the cost of trees and shipping, contracted planting, mulch, tree-watering bags, tree labels and acknowledgement signs.
TAEP funds can also be used for tree planting on private property but only within riparian areas. A riparian area is characterized as a 35-foot zone extending outward from the edge of a river, stream or creek bank. Although riparian tree plantings are allowed on private property, grants are not available to individual land owners.
Proposals must be received in TDA’s Division of Forestry office in Nashville by 4:30 p.m. CDT on Friday, June 23, 2017.
As summer kicks off and families hit the road for vacation, Manchester Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) to remind motorists to “Click It or Ticket.” From today (May 22) to June 4, participating agencies across the state will increase seat belt enforcement as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) nationwide mobilization.
According to Tennessee’s Integrated Traffic Analysis Network (TITAN), 349 people killed in Tennessee traffic crashes last year were not wearing a seat belt. This represents approximately 34 percent of the state’s total traffic fatalities in 2016.
Although the state’s average seat belt usage rate increased from 86.2 percent in 2015 to 88.95 percent in 2016, Tennessee is still nationally classified as a “low use” state. In 2017, the THSO strives to change this by achieving 90 percent or higher.
“Our goal is to prevent fatalities and keep the roadways safe,” said Vic Donoho, Director of the THSO. “We ask every Tennessean to buckle up, every trip, every time.”
According to the NHTSA, nearly half of the 22,441 passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2015 were unrestrained. At night from 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., that number soared to 57 percent of those killed. Therefore, the primary focus of the “Click It or Ticket” campaign is nighttime enforcement. Participating agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement. In Tennessee, the maximum penalty for a seat belt violation is $50.00.
For more information about seat belt safety or the THSO, visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.
Police are investigating after five pedestrians were hurt in a parking lot accident after a graduation in Shelbyville Saturday.
It happened in the parking lot of the Calsonic Arena as graduation attendees were exiting the arena after Shelbyville Central High School’s graduation ceremony.
Police said a total of five people were hurt. Of those, one refused medical treatment. Three others were taken to St. Thomas Rutherford and another to Tennova Healthcare of Shelbyville.
The driver, who police say is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa but is not being named at this time, was cited for failure to exercise due care.
All of the injured are said to be non-life threatening.
On Thursday, the Shelbyville Police Department Criminal Investigations Division arrested Dalton Tyree and Brittney Matthews of 400 Barksdale Lane in Shelbyville. They are charged with multiple counts of auto burglary and theft of property.
Thousands of dollars in property was recovered from their apartment that links the pair to multiple burglaries and thefts occurring within the city over the last few weeks.
Brittney Matthews
The Criminal Investigations Division got the break they needed after Patrolman Nathan Everhart stopped Tyree and an associate walking suspiciously through a residential area in the early morning hours of May the 18th.
Both Tyree and Matthews are in the Bedford County Jail under a $150,000 bond each.
Tennessee’s unemployment rate for the month of April was 4.7 percent, down from 5.1 percent in March. That’s according to numbers from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The national unemployment rate for April was 4.4 percent, a drop of one-tenth of a percentage point from March.
Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has not declined this much since January of 1984.
Over the past year, Tennessee’s unemployment rate experienced a slight uptick of a tenth of a percentage point, increasing from 4.6 to 4.7 percent. The national rate decreased from 5.0 to 4.4 percent.
Lucky Knott (L) hanging out with Coach Terry Floyd on Saturday night. Photo by Barry West
As many of you local sports fans know, former Coffee County Central High School softball coach Terry Floyd has battled serious health issues over the last couple of years. Coach Floyd experienced liver failure and anxiously waited on a liver for transplant. His condition forced him to stop working and give up the sport he loved to coach due to poor health and hospital visits. In April Terry received the call that a donated liver was available for transplant. Coach Floyd went through the surgery and is now recovering in Birmingham at the University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital.
Coach Terry with Bella Hennessee
Before the surgery he went through many tests and treatments in preparing him for the surgery and this caused considerable expense for coach and his family. Currently Coach Floyd is having to stay in Birmingham, AL for continued treatments and tests.
BB Brown (middle), Mark Messick (far left), Betty Superstien (left), Ross Simmons (left) and Gene Taylor (right) worked the auction… Photo by Barry West
The doctors have allowed him to come home for short visits and on Saturday Terry was able to attend a fundraiser for him and his family at Coffee County High School. A large crowd attended and enjoyed a BBQ dinner and participated in a live auction.
Coach Floyd said he wanted to thank everyone for their generosity and support. Terry also said he is feeling better and stronger, but knows this a long process. For those of you that know Coach Floyd’s coaching style, it’s all about team and his famous words “One Team One Fight”. On Saturday night everyone showed that they are part of “Team Terry Floyd”.
The Coffee County Lady Raiders “dogpile” Kaylee Skipper following Friday’s sectional win at Soddy Daisy
For the 5th time since 1999, the Lady Raider softball team is heading back to the TSSAA state tournament. Coffee County punched their ticket courtesy of a dominant 3 to 0 win over Soddy Daisy on Friday night on the Lady Trojans home field. Using an effective short game, 2 double plays triggered by outfield assists and a flawless pitching performance, Coffee County earned their first trip to the Spring Fling since 2014 and their first trip coach Steve Wilder.
Left to right, Katie Rutledge, Kaylee Skipper and head coach Steve Wilder following Friday’s sectional win at Soddy Daisy
“She did the same job she has done all year” said Coach Steve Wilder when asked about the performance of his senior pitcher Kaylee Skipper. Skipper tossed a 3 hit shutout with 3 strikeouts as she pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the 4th inning to grab her 17th win on the year. Slappers Raven Rogers and Katie Rutledge each had 3 singles and each had an outfield assist. Rutledge drove in 2 runs on a 4th inning single. Rutledge and Skipper were named the Crazy Daisies co-players of the game for Coffee County.
After loading the bases in the 2nd inning, and stranding a runner at 3rd in the 3rd inning, Coffee County once again used a 2 out rally to take a 2 to 0 lead in the 4th. inning. After a pair of outs, Lauren Tomberlin was hit by a pitch before Rogers got aboard on a bunt single and pinch hitter Sarah West drew a walk. That brought Rutledge to the plate. The sophomore centerfielder calmly laced a fastball to center field for a 2 RBI single to give the Lady Raiders all the runs Skipper would need. “Sarah had just had a good at-bat and I wanted to keep the momentum going” said Rutledge following the game. Lucky Knott called the RBI single and it sounded like this…….
Coffee County got an insurance run in the 5th when Haley Hinshaw blasted a double off the centerfield fence and scored on a textbook slide after a Soddy Daisy error at first base…..
Skipper got the final out on a called 3rd strike and initiated the celebratory dogpile….
The win advances the Lady Raiders to this week’s TSSAA Spring Fling. Coffee County will open play on Tuesday night at 5:30 PM against Gibbs at Murfreesboro’s StarPlex complex, Field #1. Win or lose on Tuesday night the Lady Raiders will come back for a game on Wednesday morning. As always, Lucky Knott will be on hand to bring the action to you LIVE here on Thunder Radio
Following multiple Franklin County Grand Jury indictments, a Tullahoma man faces rape charges, including statutory rape, stemming from an incident that occurred in December 2016.
Christopher Alan White, 24, 1707 Ovoca Road, Tullahoma, was arrested shortly after midnight May 3 at 609 Montgomery St. in Cowan. White was transported to the Franklin County Jail and charged with rape and two charges of statutory rape. White’s bond was set at $75,000.
His arraignment hearing was held on May 12, during which he was assigned a public defender. Court dates were scheduled for June 20 and 29.
According to the indictments handed down by the Franklin County Grand Jury, White engaged in sexual activity without the consent of the victim. The indictment also states that White knew or had reason to know that the time, the victim did not consent to the sexual activity. Additionally, the Grand Jury found the incident to be accompanied by force or coercion.
Since, the victim was at least 15 years of age but less than 18 years of age and the accused was more than 5 years older but less than 10 years older than the victim, statutory rape charges were filed.
The indictment says that the incident occurred between Dec. 24 and 27, 2016 in Franklin County.
A power bill payment scam has hit the Shelbyville area of Duck River Electric Membership Corporation’s service area.
This fraud appears to be aimed at members and originates from an (866) area code. The scammer informs the member that their DREMC bill is overdue, and the service is subject to immediate disconnection unless they call the number back to pay over the phone and the meter box will be removed from their home.
The member recognized it was a scam immediately when the caller stated he was from Middle Tennessee Electric. “The member did the right thing by calling us to let us know so that we could warn other members,” commented Shelbyville District Manager Mike Bayne. “If you ever have any question about your bill or recent payment, dial your local DREMC office yourself to ensure that you are talking to an actual DREMC employee working in one of our local offices,” advised Bayne. “You just can’t be too careful these days.”
DREMC members will receive mail notices of bills past due and scheduled disconnection. There also are a variety of ways to pay bills, including in the local offices, by phone talking to a DREMC representative on lines manned 24/7, online at dremc.com and by using the co-op’s mobile app (a free download).
People are reminded not to leave children inside vehicles. With the temperatures headed into the 90s, leaving children in a vehicle can lead to death. As the temperature inside a vehicle can escalate by 15 degrees in just 10 minutes and with the hot temperatures and high humidity death can come very quickly. Even if you leave the windows rolled down some, the temperatures inside a vehicle can become deadly. Please take children in the store or leave them at home as it would be better than death.
When temperatures outside exceeded 86 degrees F, the internal temperatures of the vehicle can quickly reached 134 to 154 degrees F. Heat stroke may occur when a body temperature passes 104 degrees Fahrenheit. This can overwhelm the brain’s temperature control, causing symptoms such as dizziness, disorientation, agitation, confusion, seizure, and/or death. On average, 38 children die in hot cars each year from heat-related deaths after being trapped inside motor vehicles. Even the best of parents or caregivers can unknowingly leave a sleeping baby in a car; and the end result can be injury or even death.
Anyone seeing children left in a vehicle without the air conditioner running are ask to call 911.
