Category: News

The most expensive oil of 2015 triggered increases at the gas pump, and prices could continue to climb this week. The national average price of regular unleaded gasoline is $2.45 per gallon, up 6 cents since last week. The price rose 9 cents in Tennessee to $2.26 per gallon.
A primary factor driving prices this week was more expensive oil prices keyed by a combination of increased geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, a sharply lower U.S. dollar, and the release of OPEC’s monthly market report. News of Al Qaeda militants taking control of a major oil terminal in Yemen stoked some fears that violence could spread in the region.
The price per gallon in Coffee County shows Manchester’s low price is $2.16 and in Tullahoma the low price per gallon is $2.18.

A bill requiring an on-line registry of people who abuse dogs or cats passed the TN House of Representatives this week. HB0147, sponsored by Nashville Representative Darren Jernigan, would create a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation registry of people who are convicted of aggravated cruelty to animals, animal fighting or a criminal offense against animals.
Under the bill, the TBI would post that list on a website dedicated to those convicted of serious crimes against companion animals. For the first conviction, the person’s picture would be posted and remain on the website for two years. If convicted of a second offense the length of time would expand to 5 years. The bill has already passed the Senate and now moves on to Governor Haslam’s desk.

A Middle District of Tennessee judge has ruled in favor of 200 former employees of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in a class action suit that alleged the medical center violated the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. The WARN Act requires employers give employees a 60-day notice in advance of mass layoffs. According to attorney Jerry Martin, the 200 Vanderbilt employees received no notice when they were fired in July 2013. “A lot of these individuals are hourly-paid employees who made $12, $13, $14 an hour,” says Martin. “The WARN Act is intended to give those individuals two months to make plans to look for other employment.” Martin says in most cases the affected employees were low-wage workers with little or no ability to absorb an unexpected job loss. The court-approved settlement will require Vanderbilt to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to the workers, plus attorneys’ fees. Vanderbilt has reserved its right to appeal the decision. According to Martin, Tennessee has little protection for workers in state employment law, forcing citizens to rely on federal regulations, as they did in this case. “There’s a lot of states that have comprehensive and progressive state law that provides protection and benefits to workers beyond the federal statutes that apply,” he says. “Here in Tennessee we have none of that.” Tennessee is an “employment at will” state, which means employers can legally hire, fire, suspend or discipline individual employees at any time for any reason – or for no reason at all. The WARN Act supersedes that practice for employers with 100 or more employees, and requires them to provide 60 days advance notice of plant closings and mass layoffs.

Dr. Frank Glass, former president of Motlow State Community College, will address the more than 700 students who plan to participate in commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 9, according to Dr. MaryLou Apple, president of Motlow College. The ceremonies will be held inside Nisbett Center on the Moore County campus.
A resident of Tullahoma, Motlow’s third president, and its first president emeritus, Dr. Glass is a career educator who served the College for 26 years.
Motlow’s commencement will include two ceremonies, with the first at 10 a.m. for nursing students and students who attended classes primarily on the Moore County campus. A second ceremony for those who took classes at the Fayetteville, McMinnville and Smyrna centers will begin at 2 p.m.  Glass will speak at both.

Police are investigating a fire that was set at a residence on Southwest Atlantic Street over the weekend in Tullahoma.
Wesley Eason reported to Officer Rocky Ruehling that a section of his residence had been damaged by fire. He showed officers the rear of his residence where someone had burned what appeared to be a plastic container on his back concrete steps.
Officers reported finding what appeared to be a button and several .22 caliber shells in the burned material.
The heat generated by the fire melted and discolored some vinyl siding on the house.
According to the police report, Eason didn’t have any idea of who might have set the fire.

The members of the Tullahoma Kiwanis Club will decide by the end of May whether or not to hold a fireworks show this year, that according to club member Mike Rutherford.
Rutherford appeared before the Tullahoma Airport Authority and told them that a decision still has not been made as to where to hold the show.
Rutherford said that some money has been promised to have a show at the airport or a possible show at the Tullahoma football field. “If we hold the show at the airport then we can have a small airshow,” he said. “That would cost about $16,000 to $17,000.”
He said that they are still trying to raise money for the show. Airport Authority Chairman Sam Crimm suggested to Rutherford that he use the website www.gofundme.com. Board member Sharon Tinkler said that people from all of the world donate to people on that site. “Tell them that you are in a small Tennessee town trying to keep alive a Fourth of July tradition and you need funding,” Crimm said. “People will donate.” Rutherford said that he would check out the site.

According to officials with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the pilot of the plane that crashed on Saturday afternoon was identified as Clint Payne. His passengers were Michael Lombard, Desarae Thomas, Adam Miller, and Elizabeth Miller. All five were from Winchester, according to authorities.
Emergency crews responded to the scene of the crash around 3 p.m. Saturday on Williams Cove Road.
Three of the victims were taken to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, one was transported to Huntsville Hospital, and the fifth was taken by ambulance to Southern Tennessee Medical Center in Winchester.
Authorities said their injuries were not life-threatening.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.

Legislation that would allow handgun-carry permit holders to be armed in all the state’s parks is headed to the governor’s desk for his consideration. Both the Senate and the House approved a special committee report on the bill late last week. The measure strips a provision that would have allowed permit holders to be armed at the state Capitol complex. The legislation keeps a ban on guns at school events, but it would not apply to playgrounds and other sports fields that aren’t used by schools. The governor will review the final report and decide whether he signs it or not.