Category: News

Grandaddy’s Farm, located in Estill Springs, kicks of 10 years off Fall family fun this weekend and there is no shortage of memories to be made and fun to be had! You’ll be able to enjoy all of your favorites like the Corn Maze, Hillside slide, Hilltop Hopper and Bacon Run Pig Races. Of Course, you don’t want to miss the Hayride to the Pumpkin Patch. Plus, the Fall Market is back and features many of the items you have come to love! Whether it’s a delicious apple pie, an apple cider slushie, or their new apple cider donuts, there’s plenty of treats available. Mums and other items are available to help you get your fall decorating done. The fun all starts this Saturday, September 10th, with the farm opening at 9:00 a.m. To celebrate 10 years, Grandaddy’s is offering half price admission on opening day only! Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy everything you love about the Farm for only $5 per person. This is the best deal of the season!
Birthday celebrations aren’t meant to last only a day! Grandaddy’s is celebrating throughout the month with Hot September Nights, featuring live music in the evenings until the sun goes down on September 10th, 17th and 24th on their brand the new stage. Also, there are a variety of other theme weekends featured as well! You can enjoy every theme weekend at a great price by purchasing a season pass!
For more information, visit www.grandaddysfarm.com or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ GrandaddysFarm. Grandaddy’s Farm is located at 454 Highland Ridge Rd in Estill Springs.

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department would like to invite everyone to its 18^th Annual Fishing Tournament to benefit needy children of Coffee County at Christmas. The event is Saturday Sept. 24, 2016 from 7:00 a.m. till Noon at the Normandy Lake, Barton Springs Boat Ramp. Entry fee is $10.
Sheriff Steve Graves says last year was a huge success and he’s hoping that more people come out and do some fishing. He added that because of this event and the generosity of the people of Coffee County many children that might not get anything for Christmas will receive something special.

Fishing Tournament Trophies given in each category as follows:

Bass 1st 2nd 3rd Places                     Crappie 1st 2nd 3rd Places

Bream 1st 2nd 3rd Places                 Biggest fish caught by a kid 1st Place

 

Rules for the Tournament:

1. Only the waters of Normandy Lake may be fished and only during Tournament hours.
2. Everyone is to check in at Barton Springs Boat Ramp prior to the start of the tournament
3. You may weigh in at any time during the Tournament.
4. This is for the biggest fish tournament in each class.
5. All Bass be alive at the weigh in station. All other fish must show being freshly caught and be of legal size as defined by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency for Normandy Lake.
6. You must be inside the no wake buoys by Noon in order to be eligible to weigh in.
7. Life jackets must be worn while big motor is running.
8. Coffee County Sheriff Department accepts no liability for accidents or injury personal or property during this tournament.
9. No alcoholic beverages or drugs will be allowed before, during or after this tournament
10. Tickets may be purchased at the Coffee County Jail, 76 County Jail Lane on the Hillsboro Hwy. or at the Boat Ramp the morning of the tournament or call:728-3591

16 year-old Ryan Schafer of Coffee County attended a family outing at Grundy Lakes State Park in Tracy City on Saturday. According to Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum, around 3:30pm Schafer went swimming in the lake and went under the water and when he didn’t rise back up a family member swam out to the young swimmer. Schafer was pulled from the water and authorities were called to scene. Grundy County EMS, Sheriff’s Department personnel and the Park Ranger reported.
Schafer was airlifted from Tracy City to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga and according to Sheriff Shrum, at last report he was still in the Intensive Care Unit.

Recently we reported that Tennessee tourism’s direct domestic and international travel expenditures reached an all-time high of $18.4 billion in 2015, up 3.7 percent over the previous year, as reported by the U.S. Travel Association.
For the 10th consecutive year, tourism topped $1 billion in state and local sales tax revenue, reaching $1.6 billion, up 7 percent over 2014. Tourism-generated jobs for Tennesseans reached 157,400, an increase of 2.9 percent.
WMSR News has now learned that Coffee County has demonstrated some of the strongest growth in the state in each of the five major categories measured in the economic impact study. As a County, we ranked 7th in Expenditure Growth, 7th in Payroll Growth, tied for 7th in Employment Growth, 6th in State Tax Receipts Growth, and 7th in Local Tax Receipts Growth.
In late 2014, the Manchester Tourism and Community Development Commission started developing a strategy that would later become known as the “Strengthen, Develop, and Grow” strategy. This strategy focuses on each of the five metrics (expenditures, payroll, employment, state tax receipts, local tax receipts) the State of Tennessee uses to determine the impact the Tourism Industry has on our community. In 2015, the Manchester Tourism and Community Development commission fully launched their strategic plan to stakeholders, which focused on growing our tax base through various tourism avenues including Occupancy Tax (Hotel/Motel) and sales tax.
Ryan French, City of Manchester Vice Mayor and Tourism Commission Chairman said, “We are thrilled with the early results of the Strengthen, Develop, and Grow strategy; However, we are just getting started. The beginning of our strategy was designed to focus on growing the impact of tourism has on occupancy and sales tax collections. Manchester is currently experiencing some of the strongest sales tax growth in its history. We as a commission are focused on continuing to grow those numbers.”

We have an update on the bus fire on Interstate 24 near Monteagle.
About 40 U.S. Marines from Marine Corps Base Camp in Jacksonville, North Carolina were aboard the bus. They were on their way to Nashville to celebrate Marine Week.
Investigators believe the bus overheated and caught fire near mile marker 136, though the cause of the fire has not been confirmed.
Troopers say the captain, who was driving the bus, noticed a fire sparking from the engine, and immediately pulled over in the emergency lane, so everyone could escape what eventually grew into massive flames.
The Monteagle Fire Department was able to put the fire out in about 30 minutes.
No one was hurt, and no other cars were damaged.
The Marines were taken to a city park in Monteagle shortly after the fire, where the fire department hosted a fundraiser, but also provided lunch to the marines while they waited for new bus.
Though their journey was delayed, the Marines did make it to Nashville.

Americans paid the lowest gas prices this Labor Day holiday weekend since 2004. The national average of $2.22 is 24 cents less than Labor Day 2015, and $1.24 less than the holiday two years ago.
“Despite the increased gasoline demand from holiday travelers, gas prices actually declined a couple of cents throughout the holiday weekend thanks to lower oil prices,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. He added, “Gas prices in the Fall should get even cheaper, because demand declines as Americans return to school and work.”
Gas prices in Tennessee are averaging $2.02 per gallon. In Coffee County, the low price in Manchester is $1.88 and in Tullahoma the low price per gallon is $1.95.

You’re invited to the 2nd Annual Family Fest this Saturday from 3-7pm at the Manchester Rotary Amphitheater. This family friendly event is being put on by area churches to provide a fun atmosphere for people in our community to enjoy, while helping to benefit the “One Day of Hope Outreach” coming up in October. There will be food, games, prizes, and live entertainment, featuring a variety of Christian music! Come on out on September 10th from 3-7pm at the Rotary Park Amphitheater, next to the Rec Center. For more information, visit wmsrradio.com.

Susan Gail Stephens, a former substitute teacher in Tullahoma, was charged with two counts of statutory rape and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in connection with an incident involving a teenage boy that occurred in 2006.
According to court documents, Tullahoma Police had reports in late 2005 and early 2006 that Stephens and her friend had been “hosting parties for high school students” at home in Tullahoma that allowed young boys to consume alcohol and smoke cigarettes.
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled recently that Stephens will stand trial on decade-old charges that she had sex with, and provided alcohol to a 17-year-old student.
Stephens had been denied pretrial diversion on three occasions by the Coffee County District Attorney’s Office. She twice appealed those denials to the state Court of Criminal Appeals, and that court sided with her both times.
However, the district attorney’s office continued to reject her request. Following the most recent denial, Stephens appealed the district attorney’s decision to the Tennessee Supreme Court, which ruled against her.
Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcutt said the case will be placed on the Coffee County Circuit Court docket in upcoming weeks.

A bus fire on Interstate 24 near Monteagle snarled traffic on Labor Day morning.
About 40 people were aboard the bus, which overheated and caught fire near mile marker 136 on top of Monteagle Mountain. The 40 people were Marines who were en route to Nashville.
No injuries were reported, but the westbound lanes of I-24 were closed while the burned bus was cleared from the interstate.
A lot of drivers sought alternate routes until the Tennessee Highway Patrol and fire crews gave the all clear.