Category: News

Local police would like to make area businesses aware of several counterfeit bills being passed over the weekend. Tullahoma Police Chief Paul Blackwell said his department has received multiple reports of counterfeit currency throughout the city at different locations. He urges businesses to be vigilant when accepting cash payments and mark all bills when possible.
According to police reports, five $20 bills were passed in Tullahoma during the weekend. They were passed at Mapco Mart on Lincoln Street, Domino’s Pizza on East Lincoln Street, Chef Lin Buffet on West Ogee Street and another one at Mapco on East Lincoln Street.
Manchester Police Department has also had several reports of counterfeit $20 bills being passed.
One individual told officers that he had been to Bonnaroo and after leaving he had made several purchases at businesses in the Manchester area.

There was a wreck Sunday evening on Highway 279 outside of Estill Springs.
The accident occurred when a tree fell on a truck that was traveling on Highway 279 near the Elk River Bridge.
According to police reports, Christine Scott was driving a pickup truck that a tree fell on causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Scott hit a guardrail on the opposite side of the roadway and the rail impaled the truck.
The state highway department was called to clear the roadway by cutting the tree up.
Scott was flown to Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga for treatment, a child was transported to Southern Tennessee Medical Center for treatment. A male in the vehicle refused treatment.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol investigated the accident and was assisted by Estill Springs and Decherd Fire Departments and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department.
The road was closed for a while to allow emergency personnel to clean up the debris.

Motorists across the country saw increases at the pump last week, but that trend is not likely to continue. The EIA updated its forecast, expecting monthly average gas prices to decline through the end of the year, reaching as low as $2.27 in December. According to the report, the average price of gasoline from June 1 – August 31 would be $2.60 – the lowest since 2009. The average price through the end of 2015 is forecast to be $2.47. If that forecast holds true, the average price for this year ($2.43) would also be the lowest since 2009.
Oil prices reached their highest level of the year last week, before settling below $60 on Friday. The price for a barrel of oil averaged $60.09 last week – an increase of 44 cents from the week before. Prices settled as high as $61.44 in the middle of the week on news of slowing domestic oil production and reports of increased demand.
The national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline on Sunday was $2.80; 5 cents more than last week, but 86 cents cheaper than this time last year.
The average price for gas in Tennessee is $2.58; 7 cents more than last week, but 83 cents cheaper than this time last year.
The low price per gallon in Manchester this week is $2.46 and the Tullahoma low price is $2.49.

Tennessee is asking a federal appeals court to throw out a class-action lawsuit that claims the state left thousands of TennCare applicants in indefinite limbo, with their applications neither approved nor rejected.
In a brief to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, attorneys for Tennessee say the original plaintiffs already have enrolled in TennCare, with the state’s help. They argue that because their grievances were resolved, the case shouldn’t have been certified as a class action.
They also say the problems the original plaintiffs faced have been fixed.
Attorneys for the TennCare applicants counter that about 100 people a day are still complaining that their applications aren’t being processed in a timely manner.
Oral arguments in the case take place Thursday in Cincinnati.

Tullahoma Police are searching for a man who robbed a convenience store over the weekend.
Store employee Bethany Hodges told Officer Sam Campbell that around 3:30 a.m. Sunday she was in the back of the store when she heard the front door open. She then saw a black male enter the door holding a black pistol. The man was dressed in black and was wearing a bandana over his face and a baseball cap.
The man told Hodges to give him the money from the cash register. After the robber got the money he then fled from the store.
While investigating police found a pair of black gloves outside the store which were taken into evidence.
Detective Sgt. Harry Conway is investigating the robbery.

A Shelbyville man has been charged in connection with alleged incidents involving teenagers near his home.
The Shelbyville Times-Gazette reports that Richard Taylor Napper, 68, of Landers Street is charged with four counts of aggravated statutory rape and one count of violation of an order of protection.
Police say, Napper allegedly purchased gifts for several youths living in the southeastern area of Shelbyville and committed inappropriate acts with them in his home.
He is being held on $200,000 bond.

Tennesseans joined the rest of the country in paying off almost $35 billion in credit card debt in the first quarter of this year, according to a study released this week by the credit card comparison site CardHub. While the accomplishment may sound promising, Jill Gonzalez, the group’s spokeswoman, says it’s important to note that consumers accrued almost $46 billion in debt in the last quarter of 2014. “We’re getting farther from the recession, a lot of people say we’re not all the way out of it yet, but I think consumers are now willing and wanting to spend more,” she says. “Unfortunately they’re still spending money that they don’t necessarily have.” To reduce your credit card debt, Gonzalez recommends paying off cards with the highest interest rates first, or transferring debt on those cards to low interest cards. She says it’s also important not to fall behind on credit card payments because delinquency impacts your credit score significantly. Thirty-one percent of the population in Nashville has to use credit and the average credit score is 658 out of 800. Another method to manage spending is called the island approach, which involves using different credit cards for different categories of transactions. For example, you could transfer existing debt to a zero percent interest card, and use another card for ongoing spending that offers rewards points. Gonzalez emphasizes having a budget is key. “Making a budget, sticking to it,” she stresses. “That’s kind of the age old advice, but really just spending less than you have to begin with and then the money that you are spending, make sure you’re setting it aside to pay off your debt.” In addition to paying off debt, experts recommend building an emergency fund in case of job loss or an unexpected illness.