Category: News

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett announced Tuesday 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.
Top five counties include Davidson ($5.686 billion), Shelby ($3.196 billion), Sevier ($2.031 billion), Hamilton ($1.016 billion), and Knox ($1.014 billion), were acknowledged during the event for all achieving more than $1 billion in travel expenditures. All 95 counties in Tennessee had more than $1 million in direct travel expenditures; 19 counties saw more than $100 million each.
Tennessee is ranked in the Top 10 destinations in the U.S. for total travel, with more than 105 million in total visitation, a 3.9% increase over 2014.

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On Monday Manchester Police received a call of a suspicious person at Sonic. The male subject was said to be acting erratic.
After receiving information about a vehicle the person was in, Manchester Officer Dustan Foster located the maroon Chevrolet Tahoe in the parking lot at Walmart.
Foster made contact with the driver and then the passenger approached the vehicle. The arrest warrant says the man identified as, Cory Scott Webster age 28 of Montgomery, AL smelled of an intoxicant and was unsteady on his feet. Webster was placed in custody for public intoxication.
While the officer was searching the man, he allegedly found a meth pipe in his left front pocket. Officer Foster also allegedly located a small wooden box with approximately seven Tramadol pills, two and a fourth of a Xanax and 4.7 grams of methamphetamine/ice along with two sets of scales, $331 in cash and also allegedly found was another half a gram of methamphetamine in a plastic baggie. The drugs were all tested at the scene for authenticity.
Webster was charged with; Manufacturing/delivering/selling/possession of a controlled substance, 2 counts of schedule IV drug violations, public intoxication and unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities
His bond was set at $56,500 and he’ll appear in court October 4, 2016.

County unemployment rates for July show the rates decreased in 73 counties, increased in 11, and remained the same in 11 counties.
Coffee County went from 4.9 in June, down to 4.8 percent July.
Warren County’s unemployment rate was 5.1 percent, down from 5.3.
Bedford County fell from 5.6 percent to 5.5.
Franklin and Moore counties unemployment rate went up slightly. Franklin going from 5.4% in June to 5.5 in July and Moore from 4.3 to 4.4%.
Grundy County went from 6.8 to 6.7, and Cannon County went from 5.0 percent to 4.9.
Williamson County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 3.6 percent, while Hancock County had the highest at 8.7 percent.

Beginning Sept. 1, the Coffee County Emergency Medical Service (EMS) will implement a 26-percent collection fee on late payments.
According to a report in the Tullahoma News, the fee will affect those who are 120 days late with their payments for services they have received from EMS.
After 120 days of nonpayment, those owing payments to the EMS will be turned over to Revenue Recovery Corporation, according to Coffee County Budget and Finance Director Marianna Edinger.