Category: News

County unemployment rates for August 2016 were released on Thursday and they show the rates decreased in 26 counties, increased in 58, and remained the same in 11 counties.
In Coffee County the unemployment rate went up slightly from 4.8 percent in July to 4.9 percent in August. Currently there are 1,220 people without a job in the county.
Bedford County went down from 5.4 to 5.3 percent.
Down in Franklin County the unemployment rate jumped from 5.5 percent to 5.7.
In Cannon County their rate went up from 4.8 percent to 4.9.
On the mountain, Grundy County fell from 6.8 percent in July to 6.6 percent in August.
Moore County had one of the state’s best rates, falling from 4.4 percent to 4.1 and Warren County dropped from 5.1 in July to 4.8 percent in August.

Tennessee ranks 18th in the nation in overall highway performance and cost-effectiveness in the new 22nd Annual Highway Report published this week by Reason Foundation.
The state’s overall ranking has worsened, it was ranked 17th in the previous report.
Tennessee ranks 40th in fatality rate, 10th in deficient bridges, 16th in rural Interstate pavement condition, 19th in urban Interstate pavement condition, and 27th urbanized area congestion.
On spending, Tennessee ranks 22nd in total disbursements per mile and 24th in administrative disbursements per mile.
Tennessee’s best rankings are rural arterial pavement condition (8th), deficient bridges (10th), and rural Interstate pavement condition (16th).
Tennessee’s worst rankings are rural arterial lane-width (41st) and fatality rate (40th). Tennessee’s state-controlled highway mileage makes it the 17th largest system. (WGNS)

The new Tennessee State Museum is scheduled to open its doors to the public in the fall of 2018.
Officials say construction on the building located north of the state Capitol in Nashville should be finished by June of that year, but that exhibits will need to be installed and prepared before it can open.
The $160 million facility will share a parking lot with the city’s farmer’s market, which will also serve as the food court for museum visitors.
Architects have been commissioned to conduct a study on the cost of adding Nashville artist Red Grooms’ Tennessee Fox Trot Carousel to grounds. The merry-go-round that once stood in downtown Nashville features 36 rideable sculptures and 28 painted panels featuring the likenesses of prominent Tennesseans, animals and state symbols.

Motlow State Community College’s Moore County and Smyrna campuses will open up computer labs from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1, for area high school seniors to sign up for Tennessee Promise.
Motlow State staff will assist students in registering for Tennessee Promise, applying to Motlow State, and completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The Tennessee Promise is Governor Bill Haslam’s program to provide two years of community college or technical school tuition. Tennessee Promise is part of the Drive to 55 initiative to increase the number of Tennesseans with some form of post-secondary credential, such as a college degree or technical certificate.
During Scholarship Saturday, students may come to the Moore County and Smyrna campuses and use the college’s computers to sign up online. Breakfast food will be on hand for anyone signing up. Students and parents should bring their social security number, driver’s license number, FSA ID login information and their 2015 tax return.
The Moore County campus is located at 6015 Ledford Mill Rd. in Tullahoma, and the Smyrna campus is located at 5002 Motlow College Blvd. in Smyrna.
For more information visit the Motlow website at mscc.edu or call 1-800-654-4877.

After a problem was identified by the State Fire Marshal’s Office $225,000 will be reimbursed to Coffee County. The money coming back to the county is because of a problem with the smoke evacuation system at the county jail.
Because of the problems with the smoke evacuation system, inmates were not moved until May 2015.
Also, the county had to spend more than $300,000 additionally for upgrades to the smoke system in order to comply with the state’s standards.
After months of negotiations, Centric Architecture, SSR and the county reached an agreement in August. The two companies will pay $225,000 to the county, and SSR will receive the excess materials and equipment the county purchased but didn’t use.
SSR will pay to the county $197,000, and Centric Architecture will pay $28,000.

Special Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have obtained an indictment for a Fayetteville man in connection with the death of an infant earlier this year.
At the request of 17th District Attorney General Robert Carter, TBI Special Agents joined detectives with the Fayetteville Police Department in investigating the May 18th death of 3-month-old Tony Carter. On that day, officers with the Fayetteville Police Department responded to an apartment at 1768 Winchester Highway, where they found the infant unresponsive. During the course of the investigation, Agents developed information that Casey Ryan Dollar, who was babysitting the child, was the individual responsible for the death of the infant.
On Tuesday, the Lincoln County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Dollar, 20, with one count of Second Degree Murder. Dollar was arrested and booked into the Lincoln County Jail, where he is being held on a $150,000 bond.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol has identified the man killed in a Wednesday morning wreck in Marion County as 32-year-old Matthew Ross Burke of Seymour, Indiana.
Preliminary investigation reports state that the semi was traveling west bound on Interstate 24 near mile marker 141 in Monteagle. The driver attempted to negotiate a curve to the left and ran off the roadway on the right side. The vehicle overturned, losing part of its cargo before coming to rest on its wheels.
The driver of the semi was not wearing his seat belt and died on impact. The passenger was the driver’s wife, and was sleeping in the cab of the semi. Sgt. Bailey with the THP said she survived the crash, but was transported to Erlanger and treated for minor injuries.
Investigators haven’t ruled out a mechanical error as a possible cause.

Following up on our story of freighting clowns in the area and also in Chattanooga, two juvenile Red Bank Middle School students, described as both male, were charged by the HCSO for making online threats against schools via social media. These threats were directed to Red Bank High and Red Bank Middle Schools and were first reported Tuesday night to authorities.
A joint investigation between the HCSO, Red Bank Police Department, and administrators with the HCDE, led to the discovery of these two students based on information they received as being responsible for the clown threat made against Red Bank Middle and High Schools.
The two students will be charged as juveniles and have been released to their parents’ custody pending further action by the juvenile court.
Reports of these types of clowns have been reported in Coffee and Grundy counties.

Recent claims concerning scary clowns frightening people that have been heard in other parts of the country have now been heard here in our area.
The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department received a call about a possible incident in Summitville Monday night concerning a clown cutting an individual. Deputies responded to the area and conducted a search for the clown, but no clown was found
Sheriff department officials say that the department is checking the report out. The spokesperson said, “We check all reports to prove or disprove such claims.”
Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves says, “People in Tennessee carry guns and somebody jumping out and scarring someone is subject to getting shot.” He also noted that if a person is found to be scaring people or hurting someone they will be arrested. It is also important to note that filing a false report about such alleged incidents can result in the person being prosecuted.
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Department receive two calls Monday night about someone dressed up as a clown in the Tracy City area. Chattanooga Police also warned its residents on Tuesday.
The National Crime Prevention Council offer the following tips for parents:
• Know where your children are at all times
• Point out safe places for children to play, safe roads & paths to take and safe places to go if there’s trouble.
• Encourage children to play with others. Remember there is safety in numbers.
• Don’t talk to, take anything, or go anywhere with strangers
• Always go to a trusted adult when needing help – i.e. teacher, police officer, SRO, school bus driver, parent, older siblings or neighbor.
• Report suspicious activity to school & police department