Category: News

A Tennessee chicken farm has lost its contract to provide chickens for McDonald’s through Tyson Foods, after the chicken supplier announced it was terminating its contract with the farmer. Late last week, the animal rights group Mercy for Animals released the results of an undercover investigation which it says documented the abuse of chickens at T & S Farm in Dukedom – located in western Tennessee along the Kentucky border. Matt Rice, a Mercy for Animals spokesperson, describes horrific conditions. “At this Tyson contract farm, chickens were treated like mere meat producing machines,” he says. “From the day that they hatched, until they’re violently killed, their short lives are filled with misery and depravation.” There was no answer at T & S Farm for comment on this story. The video shot by the investigator, who was hired as an employee, shows birds being beaten and stabbed with clubs spiked with nails. A statement from McDonald’s says it’s working with Tyson Foods to further investigate the situation. The Weakley County Sheriff’s Office said it has opened an investigation into the farm. Rice says Mercy for Animals has conducted more than 40 investigations at factory farms across the U.S. Each time, as in this case, farms are chosen at random. “Every single time, we’ve documented animal abuse,” he says. “Which leads us to believe that animal abuse runs rampant in the factory farming industry, and we need more laws and stronger oversight from these companies that buy from these farms to ensure these animals aren’t being abused.” According to Mercy for Animals, T & S Farms typically housed more than 120,000 chickens. According to the USDA, Tennessee ranks 11th in the country in terms of the number of slaughtered chickens annually.

Motlow College will host its annual Area-Wide College and Career Fair on Thursday, Sept. 10, inside Nisbett Center on the Moore County campus. Motlow invites its student body, students from area high schools and those who are home-schooled, and the general public. The event is set for 9 – 11:30 a.m. and will include representatives from more than 30 colleges and universities, technology centers, specialty schools and the Armed Forces; according to Brenda Cannon, director of student and campus relations at Motlow. Cannon said, “We are expecting approximately 1,000 students from across the service area. The event is free and open to the public.”
Presentations will be in Eoff Hall inside Powers Auditorium. Reservations are required for these presentations and can be made by calling Cannon at 931-393-1548 or emailing bcannon@mscc.edu. Those attending the fair will be able to gather information from representatives of Alabama A&M University, Aquinas College, Austin Peay State University, Boyce College, Bryan College, Buchanan Beauty College, East Tennessee State University, Fayetteville College of Cosmetology Arts and Science, Inc., Hiwassee College, Johnson University, King University, Lee University, Martin Methodist College, Maryville College, Middle Tennessee State University, O’More College of Design, Paul Mitchell the School in Huntsville, Sewanee: The University of the South, Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Shelbyville, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Tech University, Tennessee Wesleyan College, Trevecca Nazarene University, Tusculum College, Union University, University of Alabama in Huntsville, University of Memphis, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, University of Tennessee at Martin, United States Army, United States Marines, Western Carolina University, and Motlow College.

A 27-year old Manchester man has been arrested on kidnapping and aggravated sexual battery charges, among others, after an incident at the Vista Inn on Westgate Boulevard. Murfreesboro Police Officer James O’Rourke reports when he arrived on the scene Sunday around 9pm, he found the suspect, Shawn William Jones, being held by a male employee of the hotel.
The victim reports Jones entered the lobby and when she asked how she could help him; the suspect said he wanted to have sex. The victim then went inside the office, called 9-1-1 and locked the door. However, Jones found the keys and entered the room. After pulling the victim from a closet, Jones reportedly began sexually assaulting the victim. A male co-worker went into the office after hearing the victim’s screams and detained the suspect until police arrived.
O’Rourke reports after observing video footage of the incident and seeing the cuts and scratches on the victim, Jones was placed under arrest.
Police were asked by the hotel to empty Jones’ room after banning him from the property. Several weapons were found in the room, including a handgun and machete along with a glass pipe and about a half ounce of marijuana.
Jones is being held at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center in lieu of 100-thousand dollars bond and faces a laundry list of charges (burglary, aggravated sexual battery, kidnapping, aggravated assault, simple possession and possession of drug paraphernalia). (WGNS)

Two people are charged with TennCare fraud in separate incidents, both involving prescription drugs.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced the arrests after a joint effort with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office. Both individuals were involved in the sale of prescription drugs paid for by TennCare.
The two arrested are:
Wilford Frankenberry, 58, of Manchester, charged with TennCare fraud in connection with using TennCare benefits to obtain the painkiller Hydrocodone, later selling a portion of the drugs.
Samantha Walden, 48, of Tullahoma, charged with TennCare fraud in connection with using TennCare to obtain the painkiller Oxycodone, later selling a portion of the drugs.
“We dedicate much of our time and resources tracking tips and participating in undercover operations to stop people who are using TennCare to finance prescription drug trafficking, at the expense of the taxpayers,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said.
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison.  District Attorney General Craig Northcott is prosecuting.
The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to more than $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 2,441 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.
Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions. Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or go to http://www.tn.gov/finance/topic/fa-oig.

Two Democrats are introducing legislation to allow all firearms to be banned at major sports and music venues. Senate Minority Leader Lee Harris of Memphis and state Rep. John Ray Clemmons of Nashville say their bill would create an exemption to the new state law that bans local governments from prohibiting people with handgun carry permits to be armed in parks. A recent legal opinion from state Attorney General Herbert Slatery found that the law applies even to facilities rented out to private contractors. The proposed legislation would allow guns to be banned at events at public parks that require a ticket and would also make clear that the law does not apply to stadiums and other facilities used by professional sports teams.

Nathan Keith Layne of Manchester was arrested on multiple charges on Saturday.
According to a report by Deputy Steve Sharketti, the man was seen driving on Ramsey Road with a tire missing from the wheel and he was driving on the rim. After being stopped by the deputy the man was asked for identification which turned out to be a license that was suspended.
The subject advised he had a small dog inside the vehicle and asked if he could retrieve it. Sharketti stated he could. When the subject leaned into the vehicle, he directed his attention to the floor area of the rear of the cab. Sharketti advised Layne to get the dog and to not move items around in the vehicle. Sharketti asked the subject if he had any weapons, drugs or any illegal items on his person or in the vehicle and he stated no. The deputy requested consent to search the vehicle and the subject granted consent. During the consented search, allegedly three (3) plastic baggies containing 9 grams of a crystal like substance which field tested positive as methamphetamine were found along with three (3) electronic scales, one (1) Altoids tin with crystal like residue inside and twenty-one (21) plastic baggies (same baggy type as the ones used to contain the crystal substance) were located and Layne was placed into custody. After the search was completed, Sharketti found Layne in the seat of his patrol car and he told them that he was having a seizure. Coffee County EMS was called to the scene and the subject was transported to Unity Medical Center, while there he allegedly struck two nurses.
While at the hospital Sharketti checked Layne’s wallet and found a driver’s license and a check revealed that they were revoked. It was discovered that the license that he first showed them was his brother’s.
Layne is being held in the Coffee County Jail under a bond of $42,000 on charges of manufacture/delivery/sell of a controlled substance, two counts of assault, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal impersonation, fifth DUI and fifth driving on a revoked license. He is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court on Sept. 14.

Halie Morgan Walker of Lynchburg was arrested last week on forgery charges by Tullahoma Police Investigator Tyler Hatfield.
Walker, 20, of Old Fayetteville Highway, Lynchburg was arrested after a joint investigation by the Moore County Sheriff’s Department and the Tullahoma Police Department.
A Moore County Investigator discovered that a forgery had occurred at Ascend Federal Credit Union.
Moore County authorities discovered the check while investigating a case of a stolen check from a Lynchburg man.
A security video of Walker allegedly showed her depositing a $600 check into her credit union account.

Fueled by an astonishing 60 percent increase at the Smyrna Center, Motlow College began the first week of fall 2015 classes as the fastest growing college in the state of Tennessee.
That’s not just community colleges, but rather all public universities, community colleges and Tennessee colleges of applied technology (TCAT) under the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) system. Motlow welcomed a larger percentage increase of students than any other.
After three days of classes, Motlow’s enrollment is 5,249 students, a nine percent increase over the 4,822 during the same period in 2014. The full-time numbers are more impressive. College-wide full-time, which is a formula that determines how many students are attending full-time, is 3,576, compared with 2,995 last year; a 19.4 percent increase.
Smyrna Center’s full-time after three days of classes is 1,494.3 for this year compared to 934.1 in fall 2014. Headcount at the center is 2,093 compared to 1,722 last year. The full-time percentage increase is 60, while the headcount increase in Smyrna is 21.5 percent.
Motlow’s other three campuses also saw significant increases in full-time. The McMinnville Center grew at a 30.6 percent rate, Moore County’s increase is 24.2 percent and the Fayetteville Center grew at a 23.1 percent rate.

Officials at Great Smoky Mountains National Park are asking visitors to refrain from leaving their mark on the park.
Rangers say graffiti detracts from the park’s natural beauty and in some cases can permanently damage resources that can’t be replaced, such as log structures made from historic wood.
Park rangers and volunteers educate visitors about the results of defacing park resources through education programs, signs and a graffiti-removal program.
The park says last month, five men were arrested at a tunnel near Bryson City, North Carolina after park property was defaced. People who tag the park can be fined up to $5,000 and spend up to six months in jail.