Sacred Assembly, an event conducted by followers of Jesus from around Coffee County gathered on Sunday as a body. At the event on the Court House Square in downtown Manchester there were well known public leaders, pastors and singers participating. The event however is a nameless and faceless event in order to give the entire focus to no one but Jesus Christ.
The day’s activities included praying in humility, without hype or self-promotion. Asking God, begging God, to forgive our sins, to heal our land, to revive the church, to save the lost and to have mercy on all.
Brother Chris Boyce from the Forest Mill Church of Christ told WMSR News that the Sacred Assembly idea began at a church in Franklin as a one shot deal but it has grown from there. The non-denominational event is hoping to be in every Tennessee county by late 2016.
Over 1,000 people attended in Manchester.
Category: News
Huge Crowd Attended The Sacred Assembly Event In Manchester
Mayor Asking Fire Chief To Resign
The mayor of Manchester is calling for the resignation of the city’s fire chief.
Manchester Mayor Lonnie Norman told WMSR News Monday night that he has ask Fire Chief George DeShields to resign. He has also suspended DeShields until a meeting is called about the issue. The mayor says that there is a specially called meeting of the board on Tuesday night on another topic so the fire chief will not be discussed until possibly next Tuesday at the city’s regular meeting.
Mayor Norman would not say exactly why he wants DeShields to resign but did say all department heads work at the will of the board.
WMSR News tried to reach out to Deshields, but his number has been changed or disconnected.
Body Found In Tims Ford Lake
A body was found floating in Tims Ford Lake on Sunday.
This happened near the Bel Acres subdivision in Franklin County.
Investigators said details were limited, but they did confirm a fisherman found the body in the lake around noon Sunday.
Franklin County authorities said the investigation was active, and an autopsy was being done to help in the investigation.
Sgt. Chris Guess with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department said, “The identity of the body is unknown at this time.”
Decherd Man Dies In Crash
Terry J. Pride age 46 from Decherd man was killed in a head-on collision with a cargo truck Friday morning March 6.
The accident shut down State Highway 50 from U.S. 64 in Fayetteville to Highway 129 in Lynchburg for several hours Friday.
According to a report by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Pride, was driving a 2014 Chevy Silverado pickup truck in the eastbound lane of Highway 50 in the middle of the road.
Derrick J. Everett, 24, of Winchester, was driving westbound in a truck hauling beer and swerved to avoid Pride’s pickup truck.
According to troopers, Pride swerved into the westbound lane, and Everett swerved into the eastbound lane and ran over the top of the Silverado. Pride’s truck came to a final rest in the westbound lane. The cargo truck came to a final rest off the eastbound side of the roadway.
Pride died in the crash. Everett was injured and transported to Vanderbilt Hospital by helicopter.
MTSU Helping Community College Students
Middle Tennessee State University is providing some guidance to community college students interested in attending its four-year institution.
MTSU President Sidney McPhee recently announced that university administrators, academic counselors and admissions team members will be at seven two-year state institutions from March 17 to April 16 to counsel students seeking guidance about the university’s programs and services.
There will also be workshops to help students who wish to declare dual admissions status.
Agreements signed between MTSU and Tennessee Board of Regents colleges in recent years allow two-year students to enroll as MTSU students while still pursuing an associate degree.
If the students transfer before getting an associate degree, the pacts allow the “reverse transfer” of MTSU credits back to the colleges to earn a two-year credential.
TN Voter ID Law Challenged In U.S. District Court

The constitutionality of Tennessee’s voter ID law is being called into question with a lawsuit filed in a U.S. District Court in Nashville. Photo courtesy: flickr.com/JasonBrackins
Tennessee’s voter ID law may have its day in court now that a group of college students has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the state is violating rights guaranteed to them by the U.S. Constitution.
At issue is the exclusion of student ID cards from the accepted list of voter IDs.
Jon Sherman, an attorney with the Fair Elections Legal Network, is representing the students.
“The state has discriminated against students and discriminated on the basis of age,” he states. “They’ve made it easier for older voters to cast ballots without showing ID and made it harder and harder for students to cast their votes.”
Tennessee does not require voters submitting an absentee ballot with an acceptable excuse such as illness to provide a copy of their ID.
Sherman adds that most other states that do have strict voter ID laws allow for student IDs as an accepted form of identification. Only Tennessee, South Carolina and Texas do not.
Tennessee’s voter ID law was passed in 2011. The state insists that a lack of uniformity among student IDs would make it difficult for poll workers.
In 2012, the U.S. the Government Accountability Office determined youth turnout dropped by more than 2 percent as a result of the law.
Sherman says there are thousands of students in Tennessee who are legal residents and legal voters, but who do not or cannot obtain a state-issued photo ID.
“A lot of students are residents of Tennessee but they don’t have anything except the ID they got while they were a high school student back in their prior residence and their student ID card,” he points out.
The plaintiffs in the case are waiting on the state’s response to their lawsuit. Out-of-state students can get a free ID-only Tennessee card and be allowed to vote, but the lawsuit asserts that process is not feasible for many students.
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Coming To Tullahoma
NASCAR 2014 Sprint Cup Series Champion Kevin Harvick is coming to Tullahoma in August.
Pennsylvania-based Ollie’s Bargain Outlet is set to open a new store in the Tullahoma Square shopping center.
Ollie’s will be moving into the former Fuji Photo building on West Lincoln Street, occupying roughly 30,000 square feet of retail space.
Founded in 1982, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet has grown to be one of the nation’s largest retailers of closeout, surplus and salvage merchandise.
The Tullahoma store is expected to hire up to 60 associates.
The Ollie’s team is hoping to open in August with Harvick on hand to sign autographs for 250 ticket-holding fans.
Tickets will be distributed on the morning of Harvick’s appearance on a first-come, first-served basis.
Manchester Burger King Robbed At Gunpoint
Manchester patrol officers were quick arriving on the scene and started pursuit of the suspect. 8 minutes after the emergency call came out Manchester Police stopped 36 year-old Nemon Omar Winton of Hillsboro on Volunteer Parkway. Winton was charged with aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping and was booked in at the Coffee County Jail under a $400,000 bond. Money belonging to Burger King was recovered.
The Crime Investigation Division of the Manchester Police Department thanks the patrolmen for their quick response and arrest of Winton.
Gov Haslam Wants To Know Why 11 Tennesseans Froze To Death During Winter Weather
Some people were found dead in their homes after being without heat. Bill Barton, 73, was found dead in his Magnolia Street Lynchburg home. At least two others were elderly people who froze outside their homes after falling down.
Tennessee’s Health Commissioner said that neighbors checking on neighbors is the best means of preventing hypothermia deaths.
He said most of those who died of hypothermia probably had people who were worried about them but couldn’t get out to check on them.
Unemployment Rate Up Slightly In Tennessee
Tennessee Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips says the Tennessee preliminary unemployment rate for January was 6.7 percent, one-tenth of one percentage point higher than the December revised rate of 6.6 percent. The U.S. preliminary rate for January was 5.7 percent, also gaining one-tenth of one percentage point from the prior month.
• Over the past year, Tennessee’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.7 percent, while the national rate declined from 6.6 percent to 5.7 percent.
• Total nonfarm employment increased 8,300 jobs from December, 2014 to January, 2015. The largest increases occurred in trade/transportation/utilities, professional/scientific/technical services, and manufacturing.
• Over the year, nonfarm employment increased 71,700 jobs. The largest increases occurred in trade/transportation/utilities, professional/business services and manufacturing.