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Fire Damages Summitville Home

Fire scene photo by Barry West

A fire call came out on Friday morning around 10:30am concerning a structure fire at 2290 Martin Rd. The Summitville Volunteer Fire Department was called to the scene. When they arrived the home was on fire and mutual aid began to arrive from Coffee and Warren Counties to assist. The home suffered extensive damage.
Coffee County Sheriff’s deputies and Coffee County EMS were also on the scene.
Apparently no one was injured and the fire will be investigated by the sheriff’s department.

Shelbyville Police Looking For Bank Robbery Suspect

Robbery suspect

Shelbyville Police detectives need your help to identify the suspect responsible for an armed bank robbery.
Approximately 1:15 p.m. on Thursday September 17, 2015, the pictured suspect robbed First Community Bank located at 2841 Hwy 231 North.
The suspect entered the bank and handed the teller a note stating he was armed and demanding cash. The suspect took the money and fled the bank on foot heading southbound.
The suspect is described as dark skinned man, approximately 30 years old, 5’11” tall, with a slim build.
If you know the pictured suspect please call the Shelbyville Police Department at 931-684-5811 or Crimestoppers at 931-685-4300.

Unemployment Rate Stays The Same In Tennessee

The latest Tennessee unemployment rate was released late last week for the month of August and it was the same as July at 5.7 percent, that’s according to Tennessee Labor Commissioner Burns Phillips.
The U.S. rate for August was 5.1 percent, two tenths of one percentage point lower than the prior month.
Over the past year, Tennessee’s unemployment rate decreased from 6.6 percent to 5.7 percent while the national rate declined from 6.1 percent to 5.1 percent.
The county unemployment rates will be announced later this week.

Tennessee Expected to Receive Syrian Refugees

Thousands of Syrians are displaced as a result of the country’s civil war. Some are expected to arrive in Tennessee in the next few months. Credit: United Nations

Tennessee will likely receive some of the 10,000 Syrian refugees that President Barack Obama says the U.S. will admit for resettlement over the next 12 months. The Tennessee Office for Refugees, based in Nashville, is waiting for more information on the families it will help relocate and Holly Johnson, spokeswoman for the organization, says they are prepared to assist those who come. “Statewide our program is very strong,” says Johnson. “We have very successful employment outcomes, self-sufficiency; refugees quickly thrive and become part of the community.” Johnson says it’s important to note the high level of screening the Syrian immigrants will undergo before arriving to the United States. For that reason it’s unlikely, she says, that any of them could pose a danger to citizens here. Catholic Charities in Nashville played a large role in resettling Kurdish refugees who came to the U.S. in the 1970s. Now the city has the largest Kurdish population in the country, totaling 13,000 people. Johnson says the Kurds are a model for how immigrants can contribute in a positive way to their community. “We’re proud of the Kurds, they’ve done so well and talk about sort of becoming part of a community but still sort of keeping dear the pieces of your own culture,” she says. The Tennessee Office for Refugees is administered by Catholic Charities and is supported with funds from the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement. There are six settlement agencies in the state, three in Nashville and one each in Chattanooga, Memphis and Knoxville.

“Pink Out Night” Raises Large Amount Of Money

Estimates of over $10,000 was raised for Breast Cancer Awareness during the “Pink Out” game and weeks prior to the Coffee County/Riverdale game this past Friday.
A huge crowd attended the game and with the help of the Future Business Leaders of America at CCCHS, Farm Bureau Insurance and many other businesses and individuals the thousands of dollars were raised.
It was also a great football game and you can read about the exciting action, just click on sports on our website.

High School Football

Launch the LIVE statewide scoreboard at FridayNightThunder.com

No Foul Play Suspected In Inmate’s Death

Coffee County Jail

A Manchester man was arrested on Wednesday by Manchester Police on alleged drug charges. He was picked up on sealed indictments.
After being booked in at the Coffee County Jail the inmate died a few hours later. Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves says that CPR was quickly administered by jail and medical staff and an ambulance was called, but the inmate did not recover. Graves added that foul play was not suspected in the man’s death. An autopsy will be done by the state medical examiner to determine the exact cause of death.
An investigation is being conducted by the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department.

CDC Says It’s Time To Get Your Flu Shot

It’s time for flu shots again, and health officials expect to avoid a repeat of the misery last winter, when immunizations weren’t a good match for a nasty surprise strain.
More than 170 million doses of flu vaccine are expected this year, with options ranging from traditional shots, a nasal spray, a high-dose version for seniors and even a needle-free injection.
Last year’s flu season was especially rough, as a harsh new Type A strain burst on the scene after vaccine doses already were brewed, leaving them less effective than usual. Flu-related hospitalizations of seniors were the highest recorded in the decade that CDC has counted.
This year’s vaccine contains protection against that bug and other strains that specialists consider most likely to spread.
Still, flu viruses are tricky, and there’s no guarantee another surprise won’t crop up.
Fewer than half of Americans get an annual flu immunization, even though the CDC says on average, flu kills about 24,000 people a year in the U.S.
New CDC data shows vaccination rates last year were highest for children ages 6 months to 23 months – at 75 percent, the only age group to meet public health goals. Not far behind were adults over 65 and children ages 2 to 4 – about two-thirds of each group got vaccinated. Least likely to be vaccinated were adults ages 18 to 49.

Some Relief for Tennessee Rape Kit Testing Backlog

Alexenko (left) pictured with Vice President Joe Biden at a recent event to raise awareness for the backlog of rape kits in New York. Courtesy: Alexenko

Thousands of rape kits sit on police department shelves across Tennessee some going untested for as long as 30 years. Late last week, the U.S. Department of Justice and the District Attorney of New York announced that Memphis will be receiving nearly $4 million to process the 12,000 backlogged rape evidence kits in that city alone. Natasha Alexenko is a survivor of rape and waited nine years before her kit was processed. “Basically, your body becomes a crime scene after an assault,” says Alexenko. “My hope when I went in for a rape kit was, ‘OK, let’s find this guy’ and then to find out that, oh my gosh, all that I went through was almost for nothing.” Alexenko fought to have her kit processed, and her attacker was caught and convicted 15 years later, after committing multiple other violent crimes across the country. She now runs Natasha’s Justice Project, with a goal of ending the backlog of cases found in cities across the nation. Nashville has a backlog of 200 rape kits and Knoxville has 394, according to the website, endthebacklog.org. Alexenko says, as in her case, rapists left uncaught often go on to commit other crimes. Once their DNA is entered into the database, it makes it possible for law enforcement to more easily identify and apprehend dangerous criminals. “It’s just such a phenomenal investigative tool, and to know that these kits are sitting there, not doing anything. It’s not only tragic, it’s disgusting. It’s just unfair to the American people.” Processing a rape kit can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,500. Alexenko says in cities where there is no backlog, there are reports of increased incidences of perpetrators being caught and a reduction in repetitive crime.

Motlow College Opens Math Labs and Writing Centers

In an effort to better serve its growing student population, Motlow College has opened and staffed math labs and writing centers on each of its four campuses. The labs and centers are designed to assist students in reaching their goal of successfully completing their degree or certificate.
With the help of Sandra Arman, department chair for mathematics at Motlow, the math labs will offer tutoring for students in need of assistance in mathematics.
While the writing center was initially piloted at the Moore County campus and Smyrna Center last fall, it was expanded to all four campuses in spring, 2015.
Students can find available hours and make appointments in advance by visiting the writing center website at www.mscc.edu/writingcenter. While appointments are encouraged, walk-in clients are also welcome. In Fayetteville, the writing center is located in classroom FC 030; in McMinnville, the Library Lab; in Moore County, upstairs in the library in CGL 219; and in Smyrna; near faculty offices in STAH 122.
Math lab tutors will be available at the Fayetteville Center on Mondays and Wednesdays inside FC 030 from 8 – 9:25 a.m. and 1:30 – 3 p.m. In McMinnville, tutors will be available inside the library on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:10 – 2:10 p.m. and on Tuesdays from 12 – 2 p.m. On the Moore County campus, tutoring will be available in Clayton Glass Library 220 Monday – Thursday from 9 – 10:30 a.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. In Smyrna, tutoring will be available in STAH 112 on Monday – Thursday from 3 – 6 p.m.

Category: News