Category: News

According to Coffee County Emergency Management Agency Director Allen Lendley, around noon Monday a semi-truck was backing into U.S. Display on South Washington in Tullahoma. The truck got off in the grass into the soft ground. The truck’s fuel tank struck a curb and punched about a three inch hole in the fuel tank, causing about 50 gallons of fuel to spill.
Tullahoma Fire Department quickly responded to the call and started the process of containing the spillage. Fire Chief Richard Shasteen said they used sand to help contain the spill to the area.
A hazardous materials company, Evergreen AES, from Murfreesboro was called to the plant to clean up the spill.
There were no injuries reported from the accident.

Franklin Police are investigating a home burglary where thieves took more from the family than insurance can ever replace. On Sunday (03/16/2015), sometime between 11am and 5pm, someone broke into the Tuck residence in the 300 block of South Margin Street. Joel Tuck arrived home to find his back door standing open, the glass broken out of it, and his daughter’s ashes gone.
“We’re just devastated by this,” said Tuck. “Our home was violated, and our things were stolen. Whitney’s ashes were inside her favorite pink purse, stolen from my room. I’m heartbroken, and just want her home.”
Whitney formerly of Tullahoma died in 2005, days after Christmas. She was 19 when she lost her battle to Leukemia. Whitney’s stolen ashes were in a black wooden box inside of the stolen purse. The box holding Whitney’s ashes is 8.5 x 11 inches, and about two inches tall. A second box, with the name “Duchess” engraved on the top of it contains the remains of Whitney’s puppy that died a short time after her.
Other items stolen include two flat screen televisions, several checkbooks, and a bottle of liquor.
A reward of up to $1,000 is available for information in this case: Call Franklin, TN Crime Stoppers: (615) 794-4000.

Beginning March 20, 2015, Manchester City Hall Offices at 200 West Fort Street, will start construction on the building roof. For safety and to avoid damage to vehicles there will be road closures around the City Hall Building starting on March 20, every Friday evening from 7 p.m. until Sunday evening at 8 p.m. until further notice. The closures will be at the corner of Irwin and Fort Street, Fort Street at Highway 41 prohibiting turning on Fort Street from and to Highway 41 (at traffic light), at the intersection of High and Irwin Streets which will close the water department drive through window. The closures will prohibit parking in front of the building, the Irwin Street side of the building, and the front row parking in the parking lot behind the building JUST DURING WEEKENDS.

Tennessee’s unemployment rate for the month of February was 6.6 percent, a decrease of one tenth of one percentage point from the January rate of 6.7 percent. That’s according to Tennessee Labor Commissioner Burns Phillips.
The U.S. rate for February was 5.5 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from the prior month.
Over the past year, Tennessee’s unemployment rate increased from 6.5 percent to 6.6 percent, while the national rate decreased from 6.7 percent to 5.5.

Motlow College sophomore Elizabeth (Beth) Kinser has been named a 2015 Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Silver Scholar.
Kinser, who majors in psychology and sociology, is from Tullahoma and was selected this year to represent the McMinnville Center as Miss Motlow. While at Motlow, Kinser has earned Dean’s List honors while actively participating in Motlow’s honor society.
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Community Academic Team program by recognizing 50 Gold, 50 Silver and 50 Bronze Scholars, and providing nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually. Each Silver Scholar receives a $1,250 scholarship and a special medallion.

Earlier this week we reported that James Timothy Hall of Winchester shot and killed his estranged wife in Bedford County on Saturday morning.
Police say Kristal L. Hall, 46, of 207 Franklin Park in Winchester, died from one shot to the head from a 9 mm handgun. Hall was staying at a friend’s house on State Highway 64 East just past the Fairfield Pike intersection.
James Timothy Hall was in court this week with his defense attorneys. Bryan Hoss and Stevie Phillips of Chattanooga called his alleged actions “a crime of passion.” The Franklin County man was ordered to undergo a mental evaluation.
His bond set at $750,000 by General Sessions Judge Charles Rich. A preliminary hearing is set for May 28.
Hall is accused of first degree murder, burglary and reckless endangerment.

Duck River Electric Membership Corporation is excited to start the DREMC Weatherization Wizards project in Manchester. DREMC employees are weatherizing a member’s home in Manchester on March 21 starting at 8:00 a.m. This project will help a family with a child spend less money for electricity and live more comfortably. A variety of weatherization work is planned to make the residence more energy efficient. The family could not believe DREMC would do this – and their surprise was greater when they learned that an HVAC contractor wants to donate a new heat pump as part of Weatherization Wizards! They have been using electric heaters this winter.

The Grundy County School Board called a special meeting on Monday to seat an interim director. At the meeting, school board members formally accepted Dr David Dickerson’s resignation and voted to name Dr. Willie Childers as interim director. Childers is the current principal at Pelham Elementary School and Jamie Hill will fill that position when he moves to the Central Office. Dickerson will take over as Supervisor of Elementary Instruction for Grundy County Schools.
The resignation of Dickerson came as a surprise to teachers and staff in Grundy County.

Poisoning is the leading cause of injury death for all residents, according to the Tennessee Poison Center, killing more people than car accidents. This week is National Poison Prevention Week, and experts are reminding people of ways to respond to and prevent poisonings. Alysha Behrman, a nurse specialist at the Drug and Poison Information Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, said 90 percent of all poisonings occur in the home, and it’s crucial to act quickly. “If there’s no symptoms initially, call the poison-control center, where we can ask questions, find out what happened, and then give medical advice over the phone,” she said. “The majority of our exposure calls are actually managed at home and do not require emergency medical care.” But if the person is unconscious or having a seizure, Behrman said, seek medical help immediately. In Tennessee, call the Poison Help Line for assistance, at 1-800-222-1222. Most poisonings involve children under age 5, Behrman said, and include exposure to cosmetics, household cleaners and pain medications. She said there are signs that indicate a child was exposed to something dangerous. “Sometimes, you’ll notice that they’re drooling excessively,” she said. “They might have redness around their mouth, they might be crying, they’re acting more tired than normal, if they’re acting more excitable or have more energy than normal. Any of those could be indications.” More than 2 million poisonings are reported annually to the 56 poison-control centers around the nation. Adults account for most poison-related deaths, Behrman said, mainly because of the misuse or overuse of drugs or medications. “Take and give medications safely,” she said. “Always read the label and always follow directions. Only give medications with the lights on and with glasses on, if needed, to make sure that you can see the label and dose appropriately.” Medications, cleaning products and outdoor chemicals should be kept out of the reach of little ones. Behrman said, adding that people should never mix chemical products because it could create a poisonous gas.
More information is online at mc.vanderbilt.edu.

The Manchester Police Department would like to announce that they have three Child Passenger Safety Technicians. They can assist residents with installing a new child safety seat. The Manchester Police Department is a certified fitting station to instruct, inspect and install child safety seats for any citizen. Officers can also provide child safety seats for anyone who can’t obtain one. If you would like assistance with any issues related to child passenger safety seats, please call and speak with one of the three technicians at 931-728-2099.