Category: News

Thanksgiving travelers will not be delayed by construction on Tennessee roads during this busy travel holiday. The Tennessee Department of Transportation will halt all lane closure activity on interstates and state highways in anticipation of higher traffic volumes across the state. All construction-related lane closures will be stopped beginning at noon Wednesday through 6am next Monday, the 28th.
TDOT officials expect over a million travelers in Tennessee to drive to their holiday destinations this year. Halting road work during this busy time will provide maximum capacity on the roadways and help alleviate congestion, especially during the peak travel days of Wednesday and Sunday.

Al White Motors and WMSR (Thunder Radio) are teaming up to honor those who serve that thin blue line, our local law enforcement. Each month someone in law enforcement will be honored as a Hometown Hero.
Our hero this month is Investigator James Sherrill with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department. James has been employed at the Sheriff’s Department since October, 1999 when he began as a Corrections Officer. He left the department for a brief time but returned to become a Road Officer September, 2002. He was promoted to a corporal in July, 2010 and was put on directed Patrol until promoted to an Investigator July, 2014. He is married with two children. He is very dedicated to the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department and the community he serves. James is always willing to be called out to protect the community at all hours of the day, night, holidays, and weekends. He strives to make Coffee County drug free and the best community to raise a family.
We are continuing to ask for the public’s help for more hometown heroes. Go to our Facebook page or the Al White Ford Lincoln Mercury Facebook page to nominate a law enforcement official. Tell us why you think someone that serves Coffee County in law enforcement deserves to be chosen as a “Hometown Hero”. The man or woman that is selected each month will be recognized on WMSRradio.com and receive a nice surprise from Al White Motors.
Thank you to all that serve and protect us, our Hometown Heroes.

On November 14, 2016 Coffee County Deputy Eva Villegas responded to a call on Fredonia Road. The owner of the property said he noticed his John Deere tractor valued at $11,000 and bush hog missing. He said there were some visible tracks on the road heading toward Gnat Hill Rd. A previous burglary was reported at the same address that occurred a few days earlier.
In that report, the owner advised he resides out of town and came to his home in the Fredonia area to check on his property. He found the back door of the house open. He said there was no sign of forced entry. He discovered his refrigerator and dishwasher missing from inside the house.
If anyone has information that could assist authorities contact Investigator Jason Dendy at 931-570-4427. You may also call the Coffee County Sheriff’s department at 931-570-4409 or 570-4410.
As always Sheriff Steve Graves thanks you for your assistance.

McMinnville Police have arrested a woman accused of trying to rob the McMinnville Waffle House on Sunday. The suspect, identified as Queen McElrath was arrested at a residence in Morrison Sunday night.
Police say the suspect entered the restaurant, sat at a booth and ordered a drink. When the waitress came back, the suspect showed the barrel of a gun and ordered the waitress to get the money out of the cash register. During this time another employee told the suspect the police had been called. The suspect then ran out of the building without obtaining any money.
Police say their investigation led them to McElrath, who had disguised herself to look like a male prior to the robbery attempt. The gun turned out to be a BB gun.
McElrath was charged with aggravated robbery and was jailed under a $25,000 bond.

More than 4 million U.S. workers will become newly eligible for overtime pay thanks to a Federal rule that goes into effect on Dec. 1.
The new Fair Labor Standards Act will be a boost to some worker’s wallets while others will keep the same pay but work fewer hours.
The new rule would make time-and-a-half mandatory for anyone earning less than $47,476 a year.
It would more than double the salary threshold under which employers must pay overtime to their white collar workers. Overtime protections would apply to workers who make up to $913 a week, or $47,476 a year, and the threshold would adjust every three years to reflect changes in average wages.
The Department of Labor estimates that nationally 4.9 million workers will receive the overtime protection.

According to the American Farm Bureau, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner is down from last year, but not by very much.
A family of 10 will spend roughly $50 total for the entire meal. That’s $5 per person, and 24 cents less than last year.
A big reason why your Thanksgiving meal will cost you less is because of the turkey. A 16 pound Turkey will cost 30 cents less than it did last year. The U.S. has an oversupply of turkey, which is helping to keep turkey prices from going higher.
You’ll also save money on dessert for Thanksgiving. Pumpkin pie mix will cost about 7 cents less and a gallon of milk is 6 cents less.
However, not all your Thanksgiving favorites are cheaper. Bread, sweet potatoes, and fresh cranberries all went up.

The Motlow State Community College music department is excited to present the 2016 Holiday Concert in early December in Powers Auditorium on the Moore County campus.
The concert will feature The Motlow Vocal Ensemble and The Motlow Community Band. The students and the community members will be performing a wide variety of musical styles and holiday standards. The vocal ensemble will be singing holiday pieces from the recent past as well as pieces from long ago.
The opening concert will be Thursday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m., with refreshments being served at 6 p.m. The matinee performance will be Sunday, Dec. 4, at 3 p.m., with refreshments served at 2 p.m.
Santa will be available one hour before each performance and during Intermission for pictures and autographs plus other characters will be available during Intermission only.
Please call 393-1700 and speak with Bobbie Spratlin, or email to bspratlin@mscc.edu, to make your reservations soon.

Daniel Austin Freeze of Manchester was arrested recently on indictments for rape.
Freeze, 36, of Petty Road, Manchester was indicted on six counts by the November term of the Coffee County Grand Jury for statutory rape by an authority figure, incest, two counts of sexual battery by an authority figure and aggravated statutory rape.
Freeze is accused of having sexual relations with a child between the age of 13 and 18 years old. The alleged sexual encounters allegedly occurred between May 2014 and December 2014.
Freeze was released from the Coffee County Jail after posting bond that was set at $50,000. He is scheduled to appear in Coffee County Circuit Court on Wednesday.

Tullahoma Fire & Rescue and Manchester Fire & Rescue have teamed up to assist with the ongoing firefighting effort in Hamilton County, Soddy Daisy area. Friday morning both teams came together and deployed up to the fire area to assist local area departments and other departments deployed to the area (Knoxville, Brentwood, Chattanooga, and Hardin County Fire Depts). At the request of the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association mutual aid group from the State Forestry Service another team of area firefighters has deployed to Hamilton County, Soddy Daisy area to continue the firefighting efforts. These teams will be combating the fires for the next few days or until relieved by on site Incident Management Team.
Manchester Fire Chief George Chambers said, “This is a continuation of the efforts started the week before by Coffee County Fire departments (Summitville, Hillsboro, Hickerson Station Volunteer Fire Departments and Tullahoma Fire Rescue along with Metro Moore County Fire Department). Chambers added, “This is has truly been an outstanding team effort by area firefighters coming together to assist other departments and communities in need of assistance.”

Local youth tobacco use data indicates that most youth in Coffee County are making great choices when it comes to tobacco use. The 2012-13 PIRE Student Survey conducted by the Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition (CCADC) shows that 53% of 10th graders reported not smoking cigarettes, even once, in their lifetime, while 72% of 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders reported not smoking cigarettes, even once, in the past 30 days. Data points to the average age to start using tobacco as 11 years old and many youth are addicted to nicotine by the age of 14. This is a point for concern for the Coalition and the Coffee County Health Council when tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
The Coalition is partnering with the Coffee County Health Council to assist our three local school systems in creating clean air spaces where youth play, educating the public on the dangers of tobacco/nicotine use, and enhancing public health laws already in place regarding tobacco, e-cigarettes, and chewing tobacco. All school buildings and public seating areas in Coffee County are completely “smoke-free” thanks to the state of Tennessee’s Children’s Act for Clean Air (TCA Sec. 39-17-1604) which prohibits:

• Smoking by youth on grounds of all public and private schools.
• Adults smoking within 50 feet of any entrance into the school building.
• Adults smoking in any public seating areas, bleachers and restrooms for school sporting events.

County Health Rankings notes that 26% of adults in Coffee County currently use tobacco. If you or someone you love uses tobacco/nicotine products and wants to become tobacco-free, here are a few free resources to kick start a healthy habit: call 1-800-QUIT-NOW, visit www.smokefree.gov or download a smartphone app at www.quitterscircle.com
Join the Coalition in creating, supporting, and maintaining a safe, healthy, and drug-free community by observing smoke-free laws already in place to preserve clean air and good health for our schools’ young lungs at work and play. Get more information at www.ccantidrug.org, call (931) 570-4484, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
In an effort to support local tobacco/smoke-free campuses the Coalition, in partnership with the Coffee County Health Council and local school districts, will be placing permanent signage at school entrances, pick-up/drop off lines, and sporting areas over the next few months to bring attention to the smoke-free laws. Announcements at sporting events, bathroom placards, informational packets, banners, and increased patrols are other avenues that will be used to inform and educate the public.