Category: News

It was a big day on Capitol Hill Thursday as Gov. Bill Haslam signed many new bills. One in particular deals with harsher punishment for people who take inappropriate pictures of others when they don’t know it.
House Bill 1448, sponsored by Rep. Mike Sparks, changes an existing law that deals with cases like what sportscaster Erin Andrews went through.
A man secretly recorded video of her through a peep hole while she was inside her Nashville hotel room.
The new measure gives judges the authority to put anyone convicted of unlawful photography on the sex offender registry list for up to 10 years.
House Bill 1448 goes into effect July 1.

First Vision Bank, with offices in Tullahoma, Manchester, and Franklin County, has announced employee promotions at all three branches, according to Mike Rowland, Bank President.
Pat Jones has been certified as an Accredited ACH Professional and was recently promoted to Assistant Vice President and Deposits Operations Manager. Pat has been with First Vision Bank since 2008 and brings 19 years of banking experience with her. An Alabama native, Pat and her husband, DeWayne, have two children and two granddaughters. Pat’s hobbies include playing with her granddaughters, crocheting, fishing, and camping. Pat says she is grateful First Vision Bank gave her the opportunity to return to her passion – working in operations.
Hanna Sanders began with First Vision Bank in 2007 and has been with the bank for five collective years. Hanna’s most recent promotion has moved her from a teller position at the Franklin County office to a Customer Service Representative in Tullahoma. Hanna is a 2007 graduate of Franklin County High School and resides with her husband, Alex and son, Jaxon, in Winchester. She has an Associate’s degree in Business Administration.
Cary Boyd came to First Vision Bank after more than 20 years in the insurance industry. Cary has been with the bank for three years and has most recently been promoted to Banking Officer and Executive Assistant. Cary and her husband, Eddie, have one son, Bryan, and she spends much of her free time watching her son play sports. Cary says she is very thankful for the opportunities she has been given at First Vision Bank and feels blessed to work with such a wonderful group of people.
Ashley Davis has returned to First Vision Bank as an Executive Assistant and Electronic Banking Coordinator in the Tullahoma office. Ashley has six collective years at First Vision Bank and is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Finance. A Decherd native, Ashley says it feels great to be working in a community in which she grew up. She enjoys crafting, cooking, kayaking, and family time with her fiancé Chase Turner, daughter, Clara Kate Turner and their dog, Moose.
Sharon Kilby has more than 18 years of banking experience, with 10 of those years spent at First Vision Bank. Sharon’s promotion has added Banking Officer to her existing title of Customer Service Representative. Sharon and her husband, Ronnie, reside in Cowan and own Kilby’s Furniture in Tullahoma.
John Shelton was recently named Assistant Vice President of the Franklin County office, where he also serves as the Relationship Manager. He has a degree in Business Finance from Middle Tennessee State University and has also attended classes at the Southwestern School of Consumer Credit and also Commercial Lending. He and his wife, Allison, live in Tullahoma with their two year old son, Eli. He has been with First Vision Bank for five years.
“We are proud of our commitment to community banking and values and our focus on the financial needs of local families and businesses,” said Rowland. “Our employees’ top-notch customer-service skills and dedication to our customers sets us apart.”

As many as half a million Tennesseans are living with Alzheimer’s or caring for someone who is, but advocates say it’s been at least 10 years since a new drug has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and released for public use.
June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, and advocates are underscoring the importance of advancing the treatment of the disease.
Kay Watson-Helton is director of communication and development for Alzheimer’s Tennessee.
“We really haven’t had a new treatment come on the market in well over a decade,” she says. “And so that is something that we are certainly advocating for and supporting research that we hope will help us identify a treatment that will at least help prevent the disease.”
Watson-Helton says their research indicates that if a drug is developed that will help prevent or delay symptoms of the disease, the number of people living with it would be decreased by half.
Three drugs are currently in phase 3 of clinical trials, and four medications are available now.
Alzheimer’s Tennessee raises money for the illness that specifically benefits people of this state.
Watson-Helton says every person living with Alzheimer’s is surrounded by at least four people who help them live with the disease.
For people who haven’t experienced its impact, she says the effects are far-reaching.
“Basically what’s happening is the brain is dying, and as that happens, it affects everything about us,” says Watson-Helton. “It affects our memories, it affects our speech, it affects our ability to function, it affects our sense of smell. And so all of these things, when you put them together, it really is everything about us.”
Warning signs include memory loss, disorientation, struggling to complete familiar actions, poor judgment and mood swings.
Ways to head off Alzheimer’s include eating healthy, getting regular exercise, engaging your brain and staying socially connected.

Tennessee’s annual Free Fishing Day is this Saturday, June 11th when anyone may fish free without a license in the state’s public waters.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency provides the annual free day in hopes of increasing interest in fishing. In addition, children ages 15 and younger may fish without a license beginning on Free Fishing Day through Friday, June 17th.
Free Fishing Day and Week apply to Tennessee’s public waters, TWRA owned and operated lakes, and state park facilities.

Police Chief Paul Blackwell with the Tullahoma Police Department recently received a Certificate of Leadership from the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police (TACP) in Nashville. He was recognized with a Level 4 Executive certification, the highest award given by the organization. The Executive Level certification is based upon an evaluation of an individual’s technical training, academic achievements, leadership and management experience, contributions to law enforcement within their region and the state of Tennessee, and their service to their community.
Chief Blackwell is the 46th law enforcement executive to receive the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police Leadership Certificate Award.

Coffee County officials have applied for a federal grant of $500,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission to assist financially in its efforts to extend water lines to the Bonnaroo site, according to Bryan Pennington, director of the City of Manchester Water and Sewer Department.
The extension of the water lines will also improve the county’s infrastructure, according to Pennington.
“The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) application has been recommended for funding by the governor in the amount of $500,000,” said Pennington.
The purpose of the project is to improve the City of Manchester’s infrastructure and help bring city water lines to the Bonnaroo site, according to county officials.
This year, a permanent water line was installed on the property at Bonnaroo which is fed by a well on the property. It allowed for flushable toilets, permanent showers and new filling stations for water. The proposed improvements to Manchester’s water infrastructure would provide an opportunity for a tie-on to city water at the Bonnaroo site, allowing for more permanent structures to be built.
Coffee County Mayor Gary Cordell said that while the water lines will help Bonnaroo, local industries and citizens will also benefit from the $1.4-million investment.
According to County Commissioner Steven Jones, Jeff Cuellar, vice president of strategic partnerships at AC Entertainment, one of the companies that owns the Bonnaroo property, said that Bonnaroo would fund up to a maximum of $650,000. (Credit: Tullahoma News)

The Tullahoma Police Department is asking for assistance from the public regarding recent vehicle burglaries and vandalism in the Bel Aire area, between Wilson Ave. and W. Lincoln St. Several vehicles have been damaged by someone cutting the seats and items missing from inside. Tullahoma Police encourage you to lock the doors to your vehicles and report any suspicious activity to Police immediately.
To report suspicious persons and have an officer dispatched to the area, the non-emergency number for the Communications Center is (931) 455-3411. If you have general information regarding these crimes the number for the Police Department is (931) 455-0530. You can also send a private message to the Tullahoma Police Department through their Facebook page.