Category: News

Arnold Engineering Development Complex’s (AEDC) economic impact – which includes AEDC and its remote operating locations in Maryland and California was $620.9 million in Fiscal Year 2014.
Each location impacted the local areas through payroll, secondary jobs, created through local spending, and other expenditures for supplies, utilities, fuel and services and the spin-off impact of those purchases.
AEDC employed a mixture of active-duty military personnel from the Air Force and Navy; Department of Defense civilians; and contractor personnel, which totaled 2,310 personnel in fiscal 2014. Of the 2,310 personnel, 52 were active-duty military; two Air Force Reserve and National Guard; 291 appropriated fund civilian employees (includes general schedule, federal wage board and other military branches); 60 government non-appropriated fund employees; 30 other civilians (credit union, Base Exchange and commissary tenants); and 1,875 contractor and sub-contractor employees.
Additionally, using the Tennessee Valley Authority economic impact model, AEDC estimated that more than 1,640 secondary jobs were created in the local area, for a total of 3,950 jobs directly related to AEDC. Examples of secondary jobs include those created by home construction and at local supermarkets, car dealerships and department stores.
During fiscal 2014, the payroll cost for AEDC government and contractor personnel was $304.4million. AEDC’s direct expenditures – which include utility costs, service contracts with outside vendors and military health insurance paid to local doctors and hospitals – was $117 million. Furthermore, the indirect spin-off impact of these direct expenditures is approximately $198 million.
The overall economic impact figure does not include more than $102 million paid to the approximately 4,554 retired military personnel living in the local area. In total, this retired pay group generates more than $150 million, including the spin-off effect.
The economic impact data and secondary employment estimates represent AEDC’s economic impact during fiscal 2014, which runs from Oct. 1, 2013 to Sept. 30, 2014.
AEDC operates the world’s largest complex of ground test facilities with a replacement value of more than $11.8 billion.

Tennesseans looking to keep their New Year’s resolutions may be forgetting a key advocate as they work their way towards better health. A new survey finds the majority of Americans are looking to make changes to their diet and exercise this year – yet only about half of them will consult his or her doctor as part of the process. Dr. Glen Stream, board chair of the Family Medicine for America’s Health, says many Americans are bypassing a valuable resource. “Your family doctor can help sort through all of those potential options as far as different diets are out there, to find the one that may both be the most effective, but also the safest and the most medically appropriate for us,” he stresses. Stream adds a family doctor can help cut through the barrage of health and diet information that’s available. According to the survey from Family Medicine for America’s Health, Americans have the most trust by far in physicians to provide advice about healthy behaviors, yet they turn most often to online sources. Stream understands that some people are embarrassed or nervous about discussing diet and exercise with their doctor, but he says a personal physician should be considered an ally. “So often, patients come in with medical issues that are so difficult to treat,” he relates. “I think if the patient comes in and says, ‘You know, I’m ready to change my lifestyle and I want you to help me.’ Those sorts of interactions – for me, as a physician – make my day.” Stream points out that money spent on treatment of medical conditions far exceeds prevention. And he says more emphasis on primary care and prevention could help address the country’s growing rates of chronic disease. “Investing in this type of primary care and wellness not only promotes better health status, but we know that that investment helps reduce the total cost of our health care system, and that’s important to everybody,” he states.

State Senator Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) is inviting local students in grades 6 – 12 in the 16th senatorial district to experience the legislature in action as a page in the State Senate. Bowling said page duties consist of anything from making copies, running errands within the Capitol building, to distributing legislative information to members of the General Assembly. The student pages report to the Chief Clerk of the House and Senate.
“This is the best civics lesson I can imagine,” said Senator Bowling. “Student pages are right there with us on the Senate floor. They get a unique front-row view of the lawmaking process.” Students wishing to be considered as a Senate Page can contact Senator Bowling online at sen.janice.bowling@capitol.tn.gov or they can call her office toll free at 1-800 449-TENN ext. 16694. The pages will also receive a tour of the capitol. Parents or teachers are invited to attend with their child or student.
Senator Bowling represents Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, Van Buren and Warren Counties in the Tennessee Senate.

During the latest meeting of the Manchester School Board Monday night, board attorney for the past 16 years Mark Williams announced his plans to resign at the end of the fiscal year, which ends June 30.
Williams also owns the building that the system leases in downtown Manchester. The school system started using that building in July of last year for its central office. The cost of the lease comes in at just under $150,000 over three years. According to the Manchester Times, Williams told the board, speaking as a citizen rather than as board attorney, “I’m not in a position to say you can just walk away from the lease.” The system was looking at way they could possibly get out of the agreement.
The school system is waiting on decision by the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen on whether a referendum will be put on a ballot to merge the city schools with the county.
Work on the budget begins this month by the system’s executive committee.

A Tullahoma man has been arrested for robbing three men last week.
Russell Nathaniel Farris, 37, of South Franklin Street was charged by Detective Rana Pawlowski with robbery, aggravated assault, especially aggravated kidnapping, criminal impersonation, possession of drug paraphernalia and manufacture/delivery/sell of a controlled substance in connection with a robbery on South Jefferson Street on Feb. 5.
According to a police report by Officer Holly Sparkman and warrants by Detective Rana Pawlowski, Farris entered the South Jefferson Street residence under the pretense that he was a police officer. Once inside the residence, Farris allegedly held the three occupants at gunpoint and made them lay on the floor of a bedroom while he ransacked the room.
He allegedly stole $1,500 and a cell phone and left.
During the investigation Detective Pawlowski learned that Farris lived on South Franklin Street. When she entered the residence she located in the dining room a large amount of what is believed to be marijuana, a set of digital scales, baggies for packaging and a knife.
Farris was booked into the Coffee County Jail under a bond of $116,500. He is to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court on Feb 12.

Tennessee teachers are hopeful after Governor Bill Haslam proposed spending $100 million for teacher salary increases during his annual State of the State address Monday night.
Tennessee Education Association President Barbara Gray called Gov. Haslam’s proposal “a great first step to fulfilling his promise to make Tennessee the fastest improving in teacher salaries.”
The governor’s budget proposal includes nearly $49 million additional money for K-12 education, including:
• Nearly $44 million to fully fund the Basic Education Program; and
• $5 million to create the Educators’ Liability Trust Fund to offer liability insurance to Tennessee teachers at no cost to them.

The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall will be at the Winchester City Park Red Roof Pavilion from May 21 through May 26, 2015.
The wall is a 3/5 scale depiction of the original in Washington D.C. and is six feet in height at the center with a span of 300 feet from one end to the other. The names of over 58,000 soldiers who were lost are inscribed on the wall.
Viewers are reminded of the great sacrifices made during the Vietnam War, and the building of the wall was intended to promote healing, to allow soldiers to rekindle memories of friends that they lost, and to provide those who cannot travel to see the original an opportunity to honor hometown soldiers.
The traveling wall visited Manchester in 2009.

A Tullahoma mother has been arrested on multiple charges following an alleged abuse of her child Saturday.
Saundra Leah Waegner, 25, of East Grundy Street was charged with two counts of child endangerment, child abuse or neglect, manufacture/delivery/sell of controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. She is being held under a bond of $10,500.
Ethan James Payne, 23, also of East Grundy Street was arrested on the same charges and is being held under a bond of $10,900. Both are due to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court March 5.
The arrest were made by Officer Cody Brandon Saturday afternoon.
In Brandon’s report he alleges that Waegner’s six year old son had a large bruise on his left check, a scratch mark over his left eye and ear, bruising from what appeared to be strangulation on the throat, a bruise on the right eye and a small circular bruising around the right and left wrist.
The boy told the officer that he tried to kiss his 3-year-old sister and when his mother found out she hit him. The child also alleged that Payne grabbed him around the throat.
Waegner first told the officer that the 3-year-old caused the bruises, but Officer Brandon advised her that that was untrue and how did he get his hands tied behind his back. She replied that she used a rope chain to place her son’s hand behind his back.
She defended her actions saying that the boy held his 3-year-old sister down and was trying to kiss her. She said that she struck him in the face and tied his hands behind his back to show him what jail was like. Waegner then threw the child onto his bed, breaking the bed into several pieces.
She stated that she strangled the child.
The mother told officers several times that Payne had nothing to do with the abuse, even though the child said he was.
While Officers Brandon, Chase Sons and Rocky Ruehling were in the residence they allegedly found four grams of marijuana, three glass pipes, rolling papers, scales and burnt marijuana in the bedroom. A jar was found with approximately 17 grams of marijuana in a closet.

A resident of Roosevelt Street in Tullahoma reported to police that he was robbed while walking home from the grocery store.
Earnest Medley reported on Feb. 6 to Officer Daryn Gadeken that while he was walking home from the grocery store on East Moore Street he was approached by two white males. One of the men asked him for a dollar. When he told the man that he didn’t have any money, he was struck on the right side of his face with some type of blunt object and knocked him backwards.
When the man regained himself he had been robbed of his wallet, cash and a denim jacket.
Detective Tyler Hatfield is investigating the robbery.