Category: News

Tennessee State Parks will offer free, guided hikes at 56 of its parks on Friday, Nov. 25, including Old Stone Fort State Park in Manchester. This is the day after Thanksgiving and is the third year for this event, and one in a series of five statewide ranger-led hikes throughout the year.
All hikes will be guided by park rangers and will feature the best that Tennessee lands have to offer, ranging from hikes along historical and interpretive trails to stunning views of waterfalls, peaks and plateaus.
The hikes are designed for all ages and abilities. Some hikes will be approximately one mile in length, tailored for novice hikers, while others are lengthier, and geared toward more experienced hikers.

A Sewanee professor’s chance encounter with Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Corker during a weekend hike gave him a chance to vent his frustrations about the former Chattanooga mayor’s support for President-elect Donald Trump.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports David George Haskell, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his 2012 book “The Forest Unseen,” says Corker responded by saying, “If you don’t like it, leave.”
Haskell, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Britain, said Corker challenged him to explain what he has “ever done to contribute to the state.”
Corker spokeswoman Micah Johnson says Haskell “aggressively approached” the senator and shouted at him about the election outcome. She says Corker “calmly suggested” that the professor did not have to live in Tennessee if he did not wish to do so.

Gov. Bill Haslam has issued a proclamation declaring a regional ban on burning in 51 counties in response to the ongoing drought and destructive wildfires throughout Middle and East Tennessee.
Coffee and Franklin counties are included. The ban is in effect until Dec. 15.
Residents in counties covered by the regional ban are not permitted to conduct any open-air burning. The ban includes campfires, and burning of brush, vegetation, household waste or construction debris.
A violation of a burn ban is punishable as a Class A misdemeanor which carries a fine of $2,500 and/or up to 11 months, 29 days in jail.

Davidson County Chancellor Bill Young has suspended Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold – without pay – pending the outcome of his February 2017 federal JailCigs trial. The ruling came down Monday afternoon in the civil ouster suit filed by 12 Rutherford County residents.
This means that Arnold will no longer receive his $127,078 per year salary while in a Kentucky jail awaiting trial.
The Rutherford County Commission will now have to decide on at least a temporary sheriff.
You’ll recall the sheriff had his bond revoked in late September after a judge found “sufficient evidence” that Arnold intentionally harassed his wife after an alleged Labor Day night incident.
Sheriff Arnold faces a 14 count federal indictment on February 7, 2017 in Nashville.
The 14-count indictment charges Arnold, Joe Russell (Chief Deputy of Administration at the Sheriff’s Office) and John Vanderveer (Arnold’s uncle) with honest services fraud; mail fraud; wire fraud; bribery concerning federal programs; extortion under color of official right; obstruction of justice; and conspiracy.
Deputy Chief Randy Garrett has been running the day-to-day operations of the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office while Arnold is jailed. (Thanks to WGNS Radio for help with this story.)

Representatives from Motlow State Community College and the University of Tennessee Chattanooga recently signed an articulation agreement allowing Motlow State’s Honors Program students to transfer seamlessly into the UTC Honors College’s Innovations in Honors (IIH) program.
Dr. Tony Kinkel, Motlow State President, and Dr. Steve Angle, UTC Chancellor, recently signed this important agreement that is designed to ensure that high-performing students can take advantage of Motlow State’s low tuition and scholarship opportunities, including the Tennessee Promise, and then continue their path to academic excellence upon transfer to UTC.
UTC and Motlow recently implemented a dual admissions program, allowing Motlow students dual admission to the two campuses, an academic advisor on UTC’s campus, and other academic and extracurricular benefits.

On Sunday, Tullahoma officers were called to the corner of Polk and Warren streets concerning a disturbance or possible robbery attempt. Upon arrival officers ran a check of the subject and the vehicle he was apparently driving. The officer was notified that the subject’s vehicle was entered in to NCIC as stolen out of Hendersonville Tennessee. According to the arrest warrant, a witness confirmed that Zachary A Garrett age 26 of Hendersonville was driving the vehicle. Upon being placed under arrest, Garrett allegedly became combative with the officer attempting to break the window of the patrol car with his head.
Tullahoma Officer Tim Brandon charged the man with theft of property and resisting arrest. Garrett’s bond was set at $25,000 and he’ll appear in court on November 17, 2016. He is facing other charges in Bedford County and the City of Hendersonville.

Coffee County commissioners agreed recently that they will pay off the loan for the Wayside Sewer System using $281,583 out of its rural debt service fund.
In exchange for the county’s assistance, the 58 property owners who are connected to the sewer will see their bills go up by roughly 62 percent starting early next year.
Those paying $56 a month will now pay close to $90 a month.
In September, following the angry objections of dozens of unconnected property owners, the county commission decided not to enforce the resolution and seek another solution.
Property owners in the Wayside Sewer System area received a letter from Coffee County Mayor Gary Cordell. The letter stated that starting Oct. 1, 2016 owners in the area of Wayside, Country Air and Deer Range would be required to pay fees for the sewer system.
Also the letter, it stated that if an owner wanted to connect to system there would be a $500 connection fee and $5,500 fee for the cost of tank and installation, effective until October 2017 when the cost of installation of the tank could change.
The new fees for those 58 property connected owners will be effective Feb. 1, 2017. (Portions provided by the Tullahoma News)

The wildfires in southeast Tennessee triggered an air quality alert in Middle Tennessee on Monday.
Middle Tennessee was under a “code orange” air quality alert because of the burning wildfires. Active older adults and children as well as people with respiratory diseases such as asthma had to limit their time outside until the smoke cleared the area.
Middle Tennessee residents in several counties including Coffee County reported smelling and seeing smoke on Sunday and Monday.
As of Sunday, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture reported more than 70 fires burning state-wide, including eight new fires that started on Sunday. The fires currently burning have burned more than 13,000 acres.
Multiple emergency agencies in Middle Tennessee asked the public to not call about the smoke and smell. They assured everyone it was from the wildfires and that there was no immediate danger to our area.
According to the Division of Forestry no one in the state of Tennessee is being issued burn permits.