Category: News

The Tullahoma City Clean Up day is Saturday, October 22 from 8:00 am until Noon. Volunteers are asked to report to Public Works for tools and assignments. Volunteers who register at Public Works will be entered to win two tickets to Peter and the Starcatcher performed at South Jackson Civic Center.
“Getting litter picked-up is critical to the vibrancy of our City,” said Director of Public Works, Wayne Limbaugh. “We ask residents to not litter. With your help, we can go a long way in keeping Tullahoma clean and beautiful. It is simple to keep the garbage with you and throw it away and recycle it at home or a gas station.”
“We want Tullahomans to care enough to help us keep our roadways free of litter,” said Director of Community Development, Winston Brooks. “To encourage volunteers, we have partnered with South Jackson Civic Center and two volunteers will win tickets to Peter and the Starcatcher.”
Concerned citizens can take action by reporting litter when you witness littering from vehicles on the state’s roadways to 1-877-8-LITTER. If you get the license plate, they’ll hear from the state. The letter will include information about how to contain their litter and inform them that litterers can be fined up to $1,500. Residents can also report hot spots to Public Works at 454-1768.
Public works will supply the bags and grabbers to pick up the trash.
If you want to be officially counted for service hours, Volunteers should call Public Works at 931-454-1768 to sign up and then meet between 8:00-9:00 a.m. at the Tullahoma Public Works Department, 942 Maplewood Avenue for supplies and assignments the day of the event.

You may remember we reported that Coffee County and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Center in Shelbyville wanted to open a location in Manchester.
The county was turned down for a state grant in the amount of $350,000 to open the site.
Director Ivan Jones of the school in Shelbyville said he will continue to search for chances to establish a technology school in Coffee County because there is a need.
This year, there were 32 applicants for the grants and only 12 of them were awarded.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a report of a stolen tractor just outside Coffee County. The report states that a person(s) took a tractor from a filed in the Deans Shop Rd. area between 10/6/16 at 10:00pm and 10/7/16 at Noon.
The tractor was a 2016 Case Farmall 90C red in color with a front loader attachment and a red canopy. The tractor’s estimated value is $50,000. Anyone having any information regarding this incident is asked to contact Investigator Todd Hindman at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office at 931-962-0123 or Investigator Mike Whaley with the Agricultural Crime Unit at 1-844-242-7463.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear two death-penalty cases this term, and while the court will primarily consider constitutional law in reaching their decisions, research shows that half of the country does not support capital punishment.
A new study released by the Pew Research Center found that the number of Americans in favor of the death penalty is at its lowest level in four decades.
The shifting opinion is often rooted in distrust in a broken system, according to Kristin Collins, a spokeswoman for the Center for Death Penalty Litigation. She noted that more than 150 people on death row have been exonerated in recent years, including three in Tennessee.
“Seeing these kinds of cases, I think people are seeing that the system, it’s not fair and it can’t be trusted to decide which people deserve to die and which people deserve to live,” Collins said.
According to Pew, in the 1990s eight in 10 Americans supported capital punishment. The latest report showed that while support has declined across the spectrum, Republicans favored the death penalty more than two-to-one over Democrats.
According to the Tennessee Department of Correction, there are currently 64 people on death row, some of them with convictions dating back to the 1980s.
Collins said people are beginning to understand that a life sentence is not the “country club” atmosphere sometimes portrayed in movies.
“Life without parole is a really harsh sentence, and I think anybody who might think it’s sort of some fun, cushy sentence should go try it out,” Collins said. “If you’re in central prison, you never even get a contact visit. You only visit through thick glass and bars with your family. It’s not a pleasant life.”
It has been over two years since anyone has been sentenced to death in Tennessee.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol cautions motorists to watch out for deer on or near the roadways this fall season. An increase in deer-related crashes is likely during the months of October through December due to deer mating season and hunting season.
In Tennessee, between 2011 and 2015, 22 percent of deer-related crashes occurred on interstate highways. Last year there were 6,953 deer-related crashes, including 351 that involved injuries. That was up by 8 percent from the previous year.

A new report sheds light on the millions of additional dollars announced earlier this year by the state for teacher salaries in Tennessee.
According to The Tennessean, the state Comptroller of the Treasury report explains that when Gov. Bill Haslam said in his State of the State address that he was putting $105 million into the Basic Education Program for teacher salaries, it didn’t necessarily mean raises for educators statewide.
That’s because the report says local school districts get to decide how to spend that money on positions, whether it be through employee raises or on hiring new staff.
The report states that because the BEP is a formula for funding education, rather than a spending plan, increases in BEP dollars doesn’t necessarily mean larger paychecks for every teacher.

WMSR News has received information from the Tennessee Department of Transportation and local officials that the bridge over Interstate 24 on State Route 127 will be closed for repairs starting on Monday October 17, 2016 and will remain closed until Wednesday October 19, 2016.
TDOT says there will be a detour route set up via Newt Vanattia Rd to Bains Rd then back to State Route 127.
Please avoid this area in Coffee County (if possible) until repair work is completed.

If you are not registered to vote, Coffee County Election Administrator Vernita Davis reminds residents that next Tuesday, October 11th, is the deadline for registering to vote in the November 8th presidential election.
People without a driver’s license will also need more time to obtain a voter ID card.
More information is available at the Coffee County Election Commission in the Coffee County Administrative Plaza on McArthur Dr in Manchester between the hours of 8am-4:30pm M-F or call 931-723-5103.
In Manchester, residents can vote early beginning Oct 19 at the Coffee County Administrative Plaza, which is located at 1329 McArthur St., Suite 6. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. The hours will be extended through 5:30 p.m. on the last day of early voting, which is Thursday, Nov. 3.
In Tullahoma, voters can cast their ballots early starting Oct 19 at the C.D. Stamps Community Center, located at 810 S. Jackson St. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. The hours will be extended through 5:30 on Nov. 3.
Election Day is November 8.
The total number of registered voters in Coffee County is more than 32,000.

There are efforts in many states to seize control of federal public land to sell it or lease it to private interests.
U.S. Rep. Diane Black of Tennessee is on a committee in Congress working on a potential framework to transfer public lands to local control.
But a group of attorneys general in Western states has studied the legal merits of the idea – and says it won’t work.
Many people in Carter County in the northeast Tennessee might agree. They experience the benefits of public land daily, through their economy and quality of life.
County tourism director Kayla Carter says the 85,000 acres of Cherokee National Forest are a big draw.
“People come here to stay in cabins, to explore those public lands,” she points out. “If we didn’t have our public lands, we wouldn’t see as many people coming to visit and contributing to our tax base in that way.”
A report adopted by the Public Lands Subcommittee of the Conference of Western Attorneys General found little legal merit to these land transfer cases.
John Leshy, a land-use expert with the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law, says he’s followed this debate for a number of years.
“It’s not surprising from the standpoint of mainstream legal thought,” he states. “Anybody who knows anything about these issues thinks that these claims are kind of bunk.
“But it’s refreshing to have the Western AGs basically agree, and issue this report that’s saying, ‘Yes, there really is not anything to these claims.'”
According to Carter, private developers make a lot of promises of economic development in her county, but preserving the land is priceless.
“They might argue that they’re going to build something with jobs, or they might contribute in a different way, but we can’t have complete dominion over everything, all of our land,” she states. “There needs to be some preserved for future generations.”
Nationwide, outdoor recreation, natural resource conservation and historic preservation activities contribute more than $1 trillion annually to the economy.

A memorial cancer walk will be held on the Moore County campus of Motlow State Community College on Thursday, Oct. 13, beginning at 1:45 p.m. at the Crouch Center.
This year’s event, The Greer Alsup Memorial Cancer Walk, honors the memory of Greer Alsup, a Motlow employee of 24 years who lost her battle to cancer in June. The walk will consist of one lap around the loop road and will be culminated with a reception in the Crouch Center.
To recognize Alsup’s service and dedication to Motlow State, a ceremony will precede the walk. A tree will be planted beside a park bench outside of Crouch Center and an engraved marker will denote the many contributions made by the at-large Motlow State community.
“The legacy of Greer Alsup will continue,” said Brenda Cannon, director of special events at Motlow. “This event, which for many years Greer served as grand marshal, honors the memory of our special friend and colleague who recently lost her battle with cancer.”
Additionally a Greer Alsup Memorial Scholarship Fund is being established through the Motlow College Foundation. Contributions are being accepted.
Cancer walks raise awareness of cancer and show solidarity of support for those affected by cancer. October is breast cancer awareness month.
To make a donation to the Greer Alsup Memorial Scholarship fund please contact Lane Yoder, Motlow College Foundation director, at lyoder@mscc.edu or 931-393-1692.