Category: News

On Jan. 2 Tullahoma Police Officer Tommy Elliott responded to a burglary alarm at East Carroll Street Liquors.
When the officer arrived he found a large glass window broken on the east side of the building and a large rock laying in front of the window that had been used to break it.
The owner of the business, Patricia Holt, told the officer that three bottles of Grey Goose Vodka had been taken. The liquor was valued at $73.99 a bottle.
In looking at security video, the officer observed three people wearing hooded sweaters come from behind the store and break the window. They then fled on foot toward South Washington Street.
Detective Tyler Hatfield is investigating the theft.

Franklin County Sheriff’s Office investigators, in conjunction with the Cowan Police Department, are investigating a series of vehicle burglaries that occurred Monday Jan. 2nd from approximately 8:00pm to 5:00am Jan. 3rd.
The investigation, so far, has revealed that several vehicles in the Elliott Drive area of Cowan were burglarized and several weapons are missing from vehicles including an assault rifle.
If anyone has any information regarding this incident please contact the Cowan Police Department at 931-962-0110, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office at 931-962-0123 or Crime Stoppers at 931-962-INFO.

On New Year’s Eve Manchester Police found a female passed out in the driver’s seat with her vehicle’s motor running at a local restaurant. Once the officers got the subject awake she allegedly tried to hide something between her legs. Once the officers got the subject out of the vehicle they allegedly found a black bag with approximately 21 grams of methamphetamine along with approximately 2 grams of marijuana in the same seat. There was also a key chain that contained allegedly 11 hydrocodone 10mg, 2 alprazolam 1mg. In the subject’s purse was also allegedly a torch, a set of scales, 2 glass pipes and several baggies. The officers also say they found a loaded 25cal automatic handgun. The woman identified as Jennifer Michelle Fuqua age 34 of Cook St, Tullahoma allegedly admitted to the officers that she drove to the location where she was found.
Fuqua was charged by Manchester officers Jamie Norris and Dale Robertson with manufacturing/delivering/selling/possession of a controlled substance, schedule VI, II, 2 counts of schedule IV, unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities, firearm use in association with dangerous felonies, DUI 3rd offense, driving of revoked/suspended license 3rd offense and habitual motor offender. Her bond was set at $80,000 and she’ll appear in Coffee County Court on 2-28-17.

A Tennessee group of businesses is charging into the fiery debate over how to balance LGBT rights and religious conviction.
About 300 companies, from health-care giant HCA to FedEx, have joined under the moniker Tennessee Thrives to oppose religious objection and bathroom bills, like the one in North Carolina that has stirred a months-long uproar.
Companies in other GOP-led states have successfully voiced opposition under similar names: Georgia Prospers, Opportunity West Virginia, Missouri Competes.
In North Carolina, lawmakers continue to feud over whether to repeal its transgender bathroom law nine months after they passed it. Businesses, conventions and sports events have avoided North Carolina in protest. Republican Gov. Pat McCrory lost his re-election under criticism of the law.

With 2017 upon us, one organization has issued a set of New Year’s resolutions calling on mothers everywhere to preserve advances in human rights.
Moms United to End the War on Drugs was founded seven years ago to fight policies the group says destroy families and promote mass incarceration. But its lead organizer Gretchen Burns Bergman, who is also the co-founder and executive director of A New PATH, said she feels the sharp and sometimes violent political tensions of the past year have threatened to undermine decades of progress – not only in drug-law reform, but in a whole host of social-justice issues.
“The main message is: Remain vigilant, get organized, get connected, resist and defend our values,” Bergman said.
The complete list of seven New Year’s resolution is available online at momsunited.net. They include resisting all forms of prejudice and bigotry, and promoting peace and tolerance in the face of hatred.
Bergman said her years of advocacy against the so-called war on drugs have convinced her that it is intrinsically connected to attacks on reproductive rights and the poor and immigrants, as well as to rising racial tensions.
“And it was time to kind of expand that, and to say that we need to dig in and protect the rights of all human beings,” she said.
During the first week of January, Moms United will be using social media to promote the resolutions, which Bergman said will remain a focus of the group’s activities throughout the year.
Bergman observed that, throughout history, mothers have come forward to demand sensible policies for the sake of their children, and that continues today.
“Moms are saying that we will resist and protect, and protest and promote and fight,” she said. “And we won’t allow our principles and our values, and our human rights and dignity, to be decimated.”

 

At a time when donations are typically low, blood centers across the country recognize January as National Blood Donor Month.
According to America’s Blood Centers, 4.5 million Americans will need a blood transfusion each year. Only 37 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, but less than 10% do annually.
Unity Medical Center of Manchester is encouraging area residents to roll up their sleeves in January to ensure that local patients get the life-saving blood transfusions they need. Call Kristen Fox at Unity Medical Center, (931) 728-6354 to set up an appointment!

County Commissioner Margaret Cunningham who is also a member of the Coffee County Wastewater Treatment Authority has made a request for the debt for paying off the loan on the Wayside Sewer System to be forgiven.
The request to forgive the nearly $280,000 was made during the most recent budget and finance committee meeting. Cunningham made the request with the hope that if the financial situation of the sewer system looks better, an entity separate from the county would agree to start operating the system.
The homeowners using the system have been penalized unnecessarily, said Cunningham.
In November, members of budget and finance committee agreed to pay off the loan, provided that the 58 owners who currently use the system will pay the county back in ten years. This would mean their rates would almost double.
The next meeting of budget and finance is set for 5 p.m. on Jan. 3.

This past Thursday (Dec. 29) David Andrew Melton age 44 of Shelly Rd Manchester was driving a vehicle on Hwy 55 in Manchester. Manchester Officer Daniel Ray stopped the vehicle for reckless and erratic driving.
A check of the man’s driving privileges revealed his status to be revoked, eighth offense and records further indicated Melton to be a habitual motor vehicle offender, second offense.
Ray arrested Melton and booked him in the Coffee County Jail under a $32,000 bond and a court date was set for Feb 28, 2017.

Authorities in Warren County say a 47 year old man is believed to have died in a house fire Thursday morning in the Mt. Zion Community.
A body, believed to be that of 47 year old Troy Lavalley, was recovered from the house. The identity has not been confirmed.
Lavalley was the owner of the home.
A woman and her 7-year old twins were able to escape the fire unharmed.
Witnesses said Lavalley was sleeping in an upstairs bedroom when the fire broke out.