Category: News

If you took a hike in the wilderness last weekend, you may have noticed little blocks or packets on the ground. Those are actually vaccine packets. The Tennessee Department of Health is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to distribute them to 20 counties to help vaccinate the raccoon population against rabies. Deputy state epidemiologist Dr. John Dunn says efforts like this are important in the fight to control the spread of the disease. “We hope this project will limit the amount of raccoon rabies that comes into Tennessee,” says Dunn. “People also need to be aware there are vaccination laws in Tennessee and that dogs and cats need to be currently vaccinated for rabies.” The vaccine baits are distributed by aircraft, and this is the 14th year of the program. Rabies is almost always fatal once it develops. If you happen to see one of the fishmeal-coated packets, the state asks that you put on gloves and throw it into a wooded area for the raccoons to better access it, while keeping it away from children and pets. Dunn says if you or your pet encounter a raccoon, quick action is called for. “If someone does have a suspicious exposure or their dog gets into a fight with a raccoon, we recommend they see their veterinarian and that they contact the local health department,” says Dunn. Raccoon rabies was first detected in the state in 2003, but it has not spread as quickly as it has in other parts of the country. So far this year there’s been only one case of raccoon-variant rabies found in the state.

Old Timers day is this weekend starting Friday night at 7 with a free concert by Burning Beard.
Saturday the parade starts at 10, music starts at 11. The 5K run for juvenile diabetes is Saturday morning and free train rides all day on the square, free games all day and Fro yo eating contest. There will also be a blessing of the animals Saturday afternoon. So bring your pets.
Don’t miss the fun and excitement of this year’s Old Timer’s Day on the square in downtown Manchester.
For info call Roger at 931-570-0370.

A Tullahoma man is facing several charges after he allegedly took two vehicles that did not belong to him.
Paul Harvey Hill, 36, of Carter Road is charged with habitual traffic offender, driving on revoked/suspended license, leaving the scene of an accident, five counts of theft of property and two counts of manufacture/sell/delivery and failed to give immediate notice of an accident. His bond was set at $106,500 and he is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Oct. 15.
On Sept. 12 Tullahoma Police learned that Hill had allegedly taken a 2002 Dodge Ram truck from a residence on Freeman Street. While the officer was searching for Hill he learned that he was wanted for taking a vehicle in Bedford County.
On Sept. 26 police were dispatched to Helen Street concerning the theft of a car. Hill had allegedly left in a gold Cadillac. That vehicle was later found on Ledford Mill Road.

Tennessee women are paid 77 cents for every dollar paid to men, and it won’t get any better until 2059, if current conditions prevail, according to a report by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
Jessica Milli, the study director, says the median income for a woman working full-time was more than $10,000 dollars less than men in 2014.
Milli says more needs to be done to close the gender wage gap, not only because she says women deserve to be paid equally for their work but because it’s hurting families and the economy overall.
“If you were to add up the earnings gains that women would get if they were paid the same as men – so in the same occupations, for the same hours of work – that would amount to an extra $450 billion into families’ pockets,” she points out.
Milli concedes the pay gap between women and men isn’t always due to unfair employers – more women work in occupations that historically have paid less.
Still, she says, policies to modernize overtime pay regulations, increase access to affordable child care and mandate paid family leave would go a long way to help shorten the time women will have to wait to be paid the same as men.
The report found neither women nor men saw a significant increase in inflation-adjusted earnings last year compared with 2013.
And it says women who are represented by a union earn on average over $200 more per week than those in nonunion jobs.
Milli notes that for decades, women have been adding more education and job experience to their resumes, but says investment in what she calls human capital hasn’t translated into fair earnings fast enough.
“Those losses due to the wage gap really add up,” she stresses. “Women lose about $530,000 by the time they reach the age of 59.”
Milli adds that losses over a career for college-educated women can be as high as $800,000. She says if the pace of closing the wage gap continues at the same rate as it has since 1960, it will be another 44 years before women see equal pay.

Late last week Manchester Police located a subject in the Wal Mart parking lot in Tullahoma that had active warrants. After the arrest of Kenneth Lee Wyatt, Jr, 43 of Kefauver St, Manchester officers allegedly found two packs of lithium AA batteries, cold packs and numerous pseudoephedrine pills on Wyatt. The items are consistent with manufacturing methamphetamine. Wyatt, Jr was also found to be in possession of 13 grams of a white crystal like substance believed to be methamphetamine. Officers state that the methamphetamine was in several plastic baggies. Manchester Police also recovered approximately $1,700.00. Officers also located numerous plastic baggies in the vehicle Wyatt was located in.
Wyatt, Jr was charged by Manchester Investigator Jonathan Anthony with Manufacture/Sell/ Delivery and Intent to manufacture methamphetamine. His bond was set at $100,000 and he is set to appear in court 10-27-15.

A deadly hunting accident in Grundy County is now being investigated by the TBI.
Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum says deputies were called out to Northcutt’s Cove Road in Altamont for a hunting accident on Sunday morning.
They found 44-year-old Chad Killian with a gunshot wound to his upper body. Killian was taken to the hospital and later died from his injuries.
Sheriff Shrum says he was with another man at the time of the accident. 45-year-old Robin Smartt told deputies Killian was shot during a hunting accident. The Sheriff has now asked the TBI to investigate.

A woman who said she was raped told investigators she struck her assailant in the face.
A Bedford County Sheriff’s Office report says, the accused man, Billy Ray Bowling, 34, of U.S. 231 South allegedly entered the bedroom of the woman’s home in southern Bedford County between 9 and 9:30 p.m. Wednesday Sept. 23.
The victim said she attempted to fight him off and struck him as they struggled, leaving him bleeding from the mouth, according to the report. Sgt. Josh Tolar’s report noted blood was all over her shirt, in the bed and on the bedroom floor.
Bowling is charged with aggravated rape and was booked on $100,000 bond at Bedford County Jail. An order of protection was also filed against him. (Shelbyville Times-Gazette)

State Rep. Judd Matheny will chair a steering committee that will develop all details and scheduling of a Bilateral Session of the Legislatures. It will be a public meeting of Tennessee’s nine U.S. Congressmen, two U.S. Senators, and the state’s Republican and Democrat House members.
House members will use the committee process to determine which issues will be addressed in the Bilateral Session.
The Bilateral Session will coordinate with the start of the 2016 legislative session for both bodies of government.