Category: News

Christopher Wayne Holman of Tullahoma was arrested Tuesday night on a charge of arson. He allegedly set fire to his own business.
Holman, 33, of South Polk Street was charged after a fire at Wayne’s Radiator located 710 South Polk Street.
Warrants obtained by Tullahoma Police Detective Tyler Hatfield indicate that Holman may have poured gasoline on the floor of the building and ignited it.
According to Tullahoma Fire Chief Richard Shasteen, firefighters were able to contain the fire and extinguish it within about 15 minutes. The fire chief said that the fire was contained to the area where it was set.
An investigation determined that an accelerant was found in the area of the fire.
Holman is being held in the Coffee County Jail under a $50,000 bond. He is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Sept. 3.

As many Tennessee companies ask employees to do more with less in the post-recession era, many of those workers are not being compensated for working overtime. As it stands, salaried workers can be denied overtime if they make a little more than $23,000 a year. The threshold hasn’t been raised since the 1970s and the U.S. Secretary of Labor wants to raise the cap. Michelle McIntyre, outreach manager with the Center for Effective Government, explains why it’s important. “By raising it, you would be able to give a bump to working Americans and the middle class by moving it from such a low number to a more moderate number which is $50,440,” says McIntyre. According to the Economic Policy Institute, 30 percent of Tennessee workers would directly benefit from raising the threshold. Overtime pay equals time and a half of an employee’s hourly rate. The Department of Labor is accepting public comment on the issue until Sept. 4, before it makes a final decision. Some employers argue they will be unable to afford the additional pay and it will make it difficult for small businesses to succeed. McIntyre points out many companies, particularly those in unionized regions or professions, already pay overtime for salaried employees. If your company doesn’t, McIntyre says, it’s important to know your rights. “If you work 40 hours and your boss doesn’t want to pay you overtime, you can leave,” he says. “You don’t have to work that overtime, because essentially you’re working for free.” McIntyre says if you are supposed to receive overtime, keep track of your hours on your own, utilizing a time sheet or app on your smartphone. “You need to make sure you’re tracking your hours of overtime, so your pay in the end actually reflects the correct time,” says McIntyre. “We’ve seen in case after case and time after time employers have simply paid their workers straight time, not actually the higher wage.” The proposal would qualify at least five million more Americans for overtime. McIntyre says a majority of Americans who would benefit from raising the overtime threshold are women, two-thirds of them with children. Many of those are black and Latino.

Motlow College’s nursing program recently learned that all 51 of its 2015 graduates passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), giving the College a best-in-the-state 100 percent pass rate.
In 2014, Motlow exceeded state and national pass rates. Motlow’s 2014 nursing graduate pass rate was 97 percent, while the state average was 87.44 percent and the national average was 81.79 percent. Sixty-three of Motlow’s 65 graduates in 2014 passed the test.
While the state average was one of the highest in the nation, Motlow’s 2014 NCLEX pass rate was the highest of all the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) programs as well as the TBR Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs.
With a perfect pass rate in 2015, Motlow again leads state and national averages and remains a leader for nursing programs in Tennessee and the United States.
Interested individuals who want to know more about Motlow’s nursing program are encouraged to review the program information materials on the website at www.mscc.edu/nursing. For additional information or assistance, please call 931-393-1628 to schedule an appointment.

Tyler Scott Calloway of Tullahoma was arrested on Monday for his 10th driving on revoked/suspended driver license.
Calloway, 22 of Silver Street Tullahoma was arrested by deputies of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department.
According to a report by Investigator James Sherrill, Calloway was seen driving on Highway 55 and the officer knew that he was driving on revoked license and that there was an arrest warrant for failure to pay child support. Sherrill along with Deputy Brandon Reed then saw Calloway turn onto Freeman Street and then to Silver Street in Tullahoma.
When he approached a stop sign, the deputies turned the blue lights on but he went around a car at the stop sign and started to drive on the Old Manchester Highway toward Manchester. At Sears Roebuck Road he passed a Honda Civic with two people inside it. Once he was around the Honda, Investigators Jason Dendy and Kelly Smith attempted to stop Calloway by placing a spike strip on the road but he was able to get around the strips.
He then traveled toward Highway 55 and turned toward Manchester. The deputy’s report states that Calloway was driving in and out of traffic at speeds up to 85 m.p.h. Two more attempts were made with the speed spikes. On the second attempt, Manchester Police got him stopped by puncturing the tires on the passenger’s side of the vehicle. Calloway was taken into custody and transported to the Coffee County Jail where he is charged with 10th driving on revoked/suspended license, reckless driving, reckless endangerment and evading arrest. At last report, he was being held under a bond of $30,000 and is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Sept. 1.

Five Republican state senators, including Sens. Janice Bowling of Tullahoma and Paul Bailey of Sparta, are calling on Gov. Bill Haslam to enact “emergency rules” for abortion providers in Tennessee.
The lawmakers want the governor to take action to ensure that the illegal sale of fetal tissue after abortions isn’t taking place in the state. They want the emergency rules to provide a “chain of custody” until the disposal of the fetus; create a hotline for reporting any illegal activity at abortion clinics; and authorize the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to investigate abortion facilities.
Haslam said he shares the lawmakers’ concern, adding that he’s “more than willing to have that conversation.”

A privately owned section of a popular hiking route along the Cumberland Plateau is closing, leaving officials to change the course of the 13-mile Fiery Gizzard Trail.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports the closure in December gives park officials and volunteers with the Friends of the South Cumberland State Park just months to reconnect the path between the Grundy Forest trailhead and Foster Falls in neighboring Marion County.
One landowner says he wants to sell his property, but the price is higher than the Friends organization can afford. The other property owner decided it was a good time to move the section of trail off his land.
The newspaper reports that up to 4,000 people visit Fiery Gizzard Trail each month. Interim park manager George Shinn says the new segment will be more difficult to maneuver.

A Tullahoma man was arrested on Thursday (Aug. 20) after deputies found him parked in a way to block the entrance of Van-Rob, Inc. on Volunteer Parkway in Manchester.
According to warrants, Wesley Thomas Foutch, 24, of White Pine Drive, Tullahoma was found to be in possession of 10.37 grams of methamphetamines and .44 grams of cocaine as well as digital scales, a spoon with residue, three straws with residue and three used needles.
Foutch was charged with possession of schedule II, manufacture/delivery/sell of controlled substance and driving on revoked/suspended license. He is being held in the Coffee County Jail on a $58,000 bond.
A passenger in the vehicle, Melissa A. Young, 23, of White Pine Drive, Tullahoma was also charged with manufacture/delivery/sell of controlled substance. She is being held in the Coffee County Jail under a bond of $56,500. They both are scheduled to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court Sept. 14.

Gov. Bill Haslam is visiting several community colleges this week to help kickoff his Tennessee Promise program.
The scholarship provides high school graduates with two years of tuition-free attendance at a state community or technical college, which began classes on Monday.
As many as 18,000 students are expected to be enrolled. More than 58,000 high school seniors applied for the scholarship.
Tennessee Promise was launched as part of Haslam’s “Drive to 55” initiative, which aims to increase the percentage of Tennesseans with a degree or certificate beyond high school, help improve overall job qualifications and attract employers to the state.