Category: News

Tennessee is preparing to launch a $1 million advertising campaign to encourage adults who dropped out of college to go back and get their degrees.
The Tennessean reports the ads will promote Tennessee’s Reconnect and Complete initiative. It seeks to reach 110,000 Tennesseans who were more than halfway to a degree when they left college.
College representatives meeting this fall got added training on the best ways to work with adult students, who often balance families and jobs with their education. Each state college also has put a staff member in charge of outreach to adults.
Reconnect and Complete is part of Gov. Bill Haslam’s Drive to 55 campaign that aims to increase the percentage of Tennesseans with college degrees and certificates to 55 percent by the year 2025.

Police are searching for a man wanted on a probation violation warrant in Smyrna and felony warrants out of Coffee County.
Police said that 36-year-old David Pryor was last seen in Smyrna on Dec. 20.
According to police, Pryor, who is on the Tennessee Sex Offender registry, has relatives who live in the Smyrna-area.
Police said he has violent tendencies and should not be approached.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call Smyrna police at 615-459-6644 or the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department at 931-728-3591.

County unemployment rates for November show the rates decreased in 12 counties, increased in 59 and remained the same in 24 counties.
1,300 people are unemployed in Coffee County after the unemployment rate went up slightly from 5.1 in October to 5.2 percent in November. Warren County’s unemployment rate experienced a drop from 5.7 percent to 5.3 percent. Grundy County went from 6.9 to 7.0 percent. Cannon County went from 5.2 to 5.4 percent. Bedford County stayed the same at 5.9%. Franklin County’s unemployment rate went up in November from 4.8 to 5 percent and Moore County rose from 4.1 to 4.4. Williamson County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 3.9 percent, while Hancock County had the highest at 9.9 percent.

A Christmas tornado was not in a letter to Santa, but that’s what a small area of northeastern Shelbyville received Christmas morning around 7:15 a.m.
According to the National Weather Service and Bedford County Emergency Management Agency the tornado had a top wind speed of 90 mph. The EF-1 twister hit the Newell Rubbermaid distribution facility on Railroad Avenue and then the Calsonic complex buildings before lifting.
No injuries were reported.

American City Bank granted $100,000 to local 501(c)3 organizations last week on behalf of the Clayton Family Foundation.
Jim Clayton, the founder and president of the Clayton Family Foundation, has dedicated decades in areas of Tennessee serviced by Clayton Bancorp Inc., a billion dollar multi-bank holding company based in Knoxville.
His local banks include American City Bank in Coffee County and Franklin County as well as Farmers Bank in Moore County.
Of the total funds allocated on Tuesday, $37,500 went to Tullahoma and Moore County organizations, $35,000 went to Manchester organizations and the remaining $27,500 was distributed to nonprofits in Franklin County.
Tullahoma organizations receiving funds were: Tri-Lakes Young Life, ALS Night of Hope, 5 Loaves 4 Kids, CASA Works Inc. of Bedford, Coffee and Franklin Counties, Partners for Healing, the Tullahoma Day Care Center and the Tullahoma Fine Arts Center.
Manchester organizations receiving funds were: Arrowhead Ranch, Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center, Westwood Elementary School, Westwood Middle School, Manchester Arts Commission, Sportsmen and Business Charitable Organization, Park Partners, One Day of Hope Canvas Community Church and Coffee County Drug Court Foundation.
Franklin County organizations receiving funds were: Franklin County Drug Court, STEP Program, Campora Family Resource Center and Good Samaritan of Franklin County.
The Moore County Band Boosters also received funds.
For more information about the Clayton Family Foundation visit www.clayton.org. (Tullahoma News)

The winter holiday season should be a joyous time of year. Colorful lights and decorations are a large part of celebrating. However, certain types of fires and injuries associated with decorating are all too common and can put a damper on holiday celebrations. “December is the peak month for home candle fires,” Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Julie Mix McPeak said. “Two out of five home decoration fires are started by candles. The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office encourages Tennesseans to consider using flameless candles, which look and smell like real candles. However, if you do use traditional candles, keep them at least 12” away from anything that can burn, and remember to blow them out when you leave the room or go to bed. Avoid using candles in the bedroom where one-third of U.S. candle fires begin or other areas where people may fall asleep. According to the state’s fire incident reporting system, candle-related fires in Tennessee during 2015 have already caused 3 fire deaths, 62 house fires, and over $3.7 million in property loss. ·Maintain Your Holiday Lights. Inspect holiday lights each year for frayed wires, bare spots, gaps in the insulation, broken or cracked sockets, and excessive kinking or wear before putting them up. ·Do Not Overload Electrical Outlets. Do not link more than three light strands, unless the directions indicate it is safe. Connect strings of lights to an extension cord before plugging the cord into the outlet. Make sure to periodically check the wires – they should not be warm to the touch. ·Do Not Leave Holiday Lights on Unattended. Turn them off when you leave the house or go to bed.

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department is reaching out once again for the public’s help to fight the war on drugs. Drug use leads to other more serious and violent crimes. There are things that you and your community can do to help assist in this fight. Drug activity can cause problems for any neighborhood.
It’s understandable that you would want fight this threat in your neighborhood and there are ways you can do this; one thing you can do is report any suspicious activity. If you live in an area where homes are close together or in an apartment complex, watch for excessive foot traffic to and from the residence you suspect. A presence of many vehicles that stop for only a short period of time and then leave is another suspicious pattern.
If you suspect or know that someone is selling or making narcotics, contact Coffee County Sheriff’s Investigator James Sherrill at 931-570-4404. Your call can be anonymous and could lead to a cash reward for your information.

The Winchester Police Department needs to alert the public about dangerous synthetic drugs that have been distributed to youth in the community. Over the last two weeks, they have responded to at least 11 overdoses, one death, life threatening injuries, and one serious accident pertaining to the following two synthetic drugs. The first synthetic drug that they need to alert the public to is a Synthetic Marijuana with a street name of “Fruity Pebbles”. In exit interviews with those that have tried this product, it has been reported that after one puff, the users experienced a complete blackout. One of the juveniles tried this drug while operating a vehicle and blacked out leaving the roadway and crashed into a light pole. Another juvenile experienced the same reaction and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit where he learned that he was having organ failure. K2 spice, commonly sold under the false pretense as spice/ potpourri but actually is altered with a synthetic marijuana chemical. The most recent brand seen on the market, “Fruity Pebbles”, and other names being used are “Bang Bang” and “Diablo”, all are in the same family as “K2”, just under a different name. The poison being sprayed on the latest version of synthetic marijuana hasn’t been identified as of yet and the manufacturers change the chemical makeup on a frequent basis. Children do not realize the dangers associated with these altered products.
The second synthetic is in the pill form, labeled Percocet 10/325. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) lab has determined that the active ingredient in these fake pills is actually a drug called “Fentanyl”; an opiate base drug normally used in a transdermal patch with a slow release.
In the last week alone, there were six reported overdoses in Winchester from these fake pills, with one death reported.
The Winchester/Franklin County CrimeStoppers program is offering a reward up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest for those manufacturing these fake pills. Call the Winchester Police Department at 931-967-3840.

Tennessee collected $400 million last year from its tax on tobacco and the settlement made with cigarette companies in the 1990s, and spent only $5 million of that, a little more than 1 percent, on tobacco prevention programs. That’s significantly lower than the recommended spending by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), which is $75 million annually. Those facts are highlighted in a report released this month by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which ranks the Volunteer State 36th in the country when it comes to spending. John Schachter, the campaign’s spokesman, says it would also help to update state laws. “We know for example that Tennessee is one of the few states that has no statewide smoke-free laws, not covering restaurants or bars or even smoke-free workplaces,” he points out. Tennessee’s tobacco tax is 62 cents per pack, well below the national average of a $1.60. Schachter says while the state spends a fraction on tobacco use prevention and education, the tobacco industry spends almost $300 million annually on marketing in the state. In 2008, Tennessee spent $10 million on tobacco prevention. “States used to spend, across the board, a lot more on tobacco prevention programs, and over the years, as state budgets have been in flux and as we’ve made great strides in fighting tobacco use, you’ve seen states back off of their spending,” he states. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 24 percent adults and 15 percent of high school students in Tennessee smoke. Schachter says Tennessee and its neighbors feel a significant burden from tobacco’s effects. “The impact of tobacco use is more heavily weighed on southern states,” he relates. “These are states that have higher tobacco usage rates, higher cancer rates, higher heart disease rates, really a lot of the issues that deal with smoking-related issues are worse in that region.” The report also notes that smoking generates $2.6 million in annual health care costs, creating a state and federal tax burden of a $1,000 per household.

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