Category: News

Early Monday morning around 3:50 A.M. Coffee County emergency dispatch advised deputy units of a structure fire at 75 Stump St. When Deputies Jennifer Curbow, Cody Lendley and Harmon Campbell arrived the mobile home was fully engulfed in flames.
Deputy Curbow spoke with a female neighbor across the street that called in the fire who stated Matthew Holder lived there. Personnel with the sheriff’s department spoke with Holder, who stated that he did not live there, but did own the property.
As the investigation continued it was discovered that person had perished in the early morning fire. The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department has not released the name at this time, as they are going through an identification process.
All county volunteer fire departments along with Manchester Fire and Rescue and Coffee County EMS responded to scene.
The fire is still under investigation by the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department.

Grundy County deputies and state agents recently recovered stolen vehicles and other items from a garage building located on Holland Road in the Hubbards Cove area in Grundy County late last week.
Sheriff Clint Shrum explained this location had been on the radar for several months however opportunity had never presented itself to conduct a search.
Sheriff’s deputies along with the U.S. Marshals office went to the residence to serve a warrant. When they arrived they arrested 27-year old Jonathan Creek on an outstanding warrant. Creek gave consent to search an area of interest.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol Special Investigations Bureau was called to assist with the search and identification of vehicle identification numbers. Two vehicles were determined to be stolen as well as a number of vehicle parts.
Creek is charged with violation of probation, theft of property and violation of chop shop law. (Grundy County Herald)

A report released by the state of Tennessee suggests that up to 1.4 million people are at risk of losing their jobs to automation.
Citing a study by the Center for Economic Research in Tennessee, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports that automation could replace nearly 50 percent of the state’s workforce.
The findings were published on the Tennessee Workforce Disruption Index last week. According to the report, automation would change the way the workplace is configured and would make new demands on educational facilities.
Randy Boyd, the commissioner of the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development, says that a massive loss of jobs could be avoided by shifting educational resources and by training workers for the new career opportunities.
He says the people who are most at risk of losing jobs are those who don’t have post-secondary skills.

It’s the end of an era. The Bluegrass Crossroads Show is coming to end on Thunder Radio in Manchester. The live Blue Grass Radio Show started in June of 1998-(known then as the Saturday Morning Bluegrass Show) and was hosted by Max Northcutt and Tom Brantley. Then Jeff Haley stepped in to co-host with Max. Later the show evolved into the Bluegrass Crossroads show with Dennis Flatt and Kraig Smith sharing hosting duties with Becky Buller-Haley. All of the former and current hosts of the show got together recently to reminisce and say goodbye, here is what they had to say about their years on the air:

Catch the very last Bluegrass Crossroads show on Thursday, March 31 at 10AM and a special re-broadcast at 7:00AM this Saturday.

Terry Fults, 36, of Twin Cedars Lane in Tullahoma, entered a guilty plea to aggravated sexual battery against a 10-year-old boy. The plea occurred last week in the Moore County courthouse.
The former elementary school substitute teacher will serve nine years in prison, she’ll be barred from having any contact with the victim; must register as a sex offender; and serve community suspension for life. There is the potential for a 15-percent reduction in jail time based on credits earned and retained.
Fults was charged on Oct. 29, 2014.
Fults had been working as a substitute teacher at Lynchburg Elementary School prior to her arrest.
According to court documents, Fults had sexual relations with the 10-year-old boy who was a student at Lynchburg Elementary School.

Tennessee’s unemployment rate for the month of February decreased from 5.4 percent to 4.9 percent, a decrease of five-tenths of a percentage point. The national rate was unchanged at 4.9 percent. That’s according to numbers from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Over the past year, Tennessee’s unemployment rate decreased from 6.0 percent to 4.9 percent, while the national rate declined from 5.5 percent to 4.9 percent.

It’s official golf will be played once again at Old Stone Fort in Manchester. Driver Properties LLC purchased 140 acres of land from the state of Tennessee for $561,000.
Tink Driver his wife Judy and Pete Jackson are the owners and they plan on opening March 1, 2017. Mr Driver told WMSR News that work has already begun on the course that has been closed since Sept 8, 2011. He added that some work around the course may take up to 18 months to complete, but he plans on having the golf course itself open by the March 1, 2017 date.

Driver said they are renovating the old Country Club building and the former driving range will be reopened. He also said that he will have a pro working out of the pro shop and golf lessons will be available.
Driver wants to make the course at Old Stone Fort affordable to all, but stressed it will be a great place for senior players and kids to play a round of golf.