Category: News

Thousands of Tennessee families lose a pregnancy or newborn child every year, and experts say the loss can devastate an entire family, particularly when they don’t access help that is otherwise available.
October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and Amy Moseley with the Hope Clinic for Women in Nashville says if you have a friend or family member who experiences an infant loss, experts recommend you reach out to them to show your concern and recognition of that loss.
“The more they’re able to talk about it too and feel like it’s not something that people shy away from and that they can’t express, the more acceptance there is,” she says. “Then the less shame and guilt there’s going to be around these issues.”
In addition to the mother, Moseley says it’s important to also check in on fathers and siblings who are also mourning the loss of the child. Counseling resources available through your doctor or local hospital.
Moseley says grief from the loss of a child can re-emerge as years pass, when parents think of what milestones the child would be reaching, such as learning to walk, starting kindergarten and other life events.
“They say they feel like people are putting an expiration date on their grief,” she says. “They feel that they should have moved on, or ‘gotten over it by now.’ Just acknowledge and understand there’s a real relationship with this unborn child that they had, and it’s a real loss.”
Sleep-related deaths – just one cause of infant mortality – are on the decline in Tennessee, falling from 130 in 2012 to 117 in 2013, according to the most recent data available. Despite the decline, experts recommend safe sleeping practices to prevent any unintended deaths to young infants.

The City of Tullahoma has been notified by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) that it has received both the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its FY2014-2015 budget and the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) for the Fiscal Year ending July 2014.
Only fifteen municipalities in the State of Tennessee received both awards.
This is the 16th year the City has received this honor. The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting.
The awards were presented to Susan Wilson, Finance Director, Donna Graham, Accounting Supervisor, and the Finance Department staff.

Jeremy Dewayne Fielding of Tullahoma is in Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville after being shot Monday night.
Fielding, 33, of West Grundy Street was flown to the Nashville hospital after suffering multiple gunshot wounds to the body by an unknown shooter or shooters. He was to undergo surgery Tuesday afternoon for his injuries.
According to a report by Tullahoma Police Officer William Pyrdom, a resident of 206 North College Street called 911 after a man came to her door covered in blood asking for help.
The woman told the officer that she was sitting in her home when Fielding fell through the open front door and asked for help.
According to the officer, police found a blood trail leading to an address on East Grundy Street.
According to Tullahoma Police Chief Paul Blackwell, detectives worked the case throughout the night Monday and are continuing to investigate the shooting and are following up on leads in the case.

The price of gasoline inched up an average of about a cent during the past week, but prices leveled off during the weekend. The national average price of $2.29 is the cheapest for this day since 2004.
“Gas prices fluctuated during the past couple of weeks, because gasoline demand is unusually high at a time when refineries are entering their maintenance season,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group.
Gas prices are forecast to average $2.20 this month, $2.10 in November, and $2.03 in December. The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts the price of oil for 2015 to average $49.23, then rise to $53.57 in 2016. Still, the average price of gasoline next year is forecast to be lower than this year’s by about 3 cents, as average gas prices are not forecast to rise as high as they did earlier this year.
The average price in Tennessee is $2.00 per gallon, up one-cent from last week. The low price in Tullahoma is $1.92 and in Manchester the low price per gallon is $1.91.

After nearly 15 years of federal oversight, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services expects to meet all the requirements of a 2001 settlement agreement by the end of the calendar year.
If DCS can meet that goal and maintain compliance for a full year, officials could then ask U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell to end the federal supervision. The earliest that would happen would be 2017.
The settlement came after the court found serious problems with the department’s treatment of foster care children. It sets out a series of requirements for the department including reasonable caseloads and sufficient training for case workers and a quick response to reports of abuse or neglect.
At a progress hearing Monday, both sides agreed the department is about 90 percent of the way there.

Motlow College recently completed a major renovation of Simon Hall, the primary classroom building on the Moore County Campus. It is the first comprehensive upgrade of the building since it opened in 1969.
“Simon Hall underwent an interior finish and an upgrade to improve Americans with Disability Act (ADA) standards,” said Brian Gafford, director of facility services. “This entailed a complete asbestos abatement, as well as removal and replacement of all flooring in the building.”
The first and second floor student bathrooms underwent renovations to become ADA compliant, while bathroom fixtures were upgraded as well to meet these standards.
“All interior walls were painted including classrooms, hallways and offices,” added Gafford. “New furniture was purchased for six classrooms and new student seating areas were also provided.”
Maintenance renovated Simon’s science labs, which included upgrading classroom technology.
New student and teacher stations were added in the chemistry, biology and microbiology labs and more. Several classrooms received upgrades to the audio/video and ITV equipment, including new large screen televisions and new projector screens.
The renovation plans were approved by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) in July 2014, with work beginning in May 2015. The total cost of the project was $1.25 million which included renovating a total of 56,294 gross square feet in Simon Hall.
Before 1986, Simon Hall was simply known as the “classroom building”. However, it was renamed in a dedication ceremony in honor of Morris E. Simon, former publisher of the Tullahoma News, who was instrumental in the early development of Motlow College.

Coffee County Sheriff’s investigators are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing Manchester area teen.
Hailey Metcalf, 15, of Manchester has been missing since Sept. 6 when she left a Knoxville residence.
She is 5 feet 4 inches tall, 135 lbs., has blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a short sleeve shirt, gray pants and shoes. She has a scar on her right arm near her elbow and a scar on her left leg.
She may accompanied by a white female.
Anyone with information of Hailey’s whereabouts can call Investigator Jason Dendy through the sheriff’s dispatch at 931-728-9555. Calls can be anonymous.

Location matters when it comes to your smoke alarm. That’s the message behind this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep. Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm!”
Along with firefighters and safety advocates nationwide, Tullahoma is joining forces with the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) during Fire Prevention Week, going on now, to remind local residents about the importance of having working smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement.
“In a fire, seconds count,” said Fire Chief Richard Shasteen. “Half of home fire deaths result from fires reported at night between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep. Home smoke alarms can alert people to a fire before it spreads, giving everyone enough time to get out.”
To learn more about smoke alarms and “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep. Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm!” visit NFPA’s Web site at www.firepreventionweek.org and www.sparky.org/fpw.