Category: News

Motorists traveling for the year-end holidays saw the cheapest Christmas day gasoline since 2008. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded was $2.18 in Tennessee. These prices broke the previous lows set in 2009 of $2.45.
“Low gas prices are helping consumers save more than $21 for a tank of gasoline compared to the highs earlier this year ($3.70), and that has a positive effect on holiday shopping and travel,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “The new year will bring new expectations for even cheaper gasoline. Prices could drop another 3-6 cents by New Year’s Day.”
Crude prices settled at $54.73 per barrel at the close of formal trading on Friday, a decline of $1.79 from the week before.
Gas prices are also forecast to be lower in 2015. The national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded will be $2.60. So far, the national average price for 2014 is $3.35.
The low price in Manchester is $2.03 per gallon and $1.99 in Tullahoma.

The Manchester Police Department is asking for the public’s help.
Authorities need to talk to a female that was inside Wal-Mart in Manchester on December 21, 2014 at 4:29 PM.
A picture of this particular woman was taken by a Wal-Mart security camera. The female in the picture is wanted for questioning concerning an on-going theft case.
If you recognize this person or have any information that could help, please contact Manchester Police Investigator Jackie Matheny at 931-728-2099.

So far 11 children nationwide, have died from the flu since September, and the flu season is far from over. Now it’s called an outbreak.
In Knoxville, Flu-like symptoms reportedly caused a Health and Rehab Center to temporarily lock down last weekend. In addition, two schools systems closed for a day this month due to widespread illness.
The flu outbreak in Tennessee for the week ending Dec. 13 was still considered regional, one step below widespread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Influenza surveillance report.
The Tennessee Department of Health says there have been three pediatric deaths cause by the flu this season.
Two of the deaths were in Middle Tennessee and the third was in East Tennessee. (Story from WGNS)

The latest report on how well states are funding tobacco prevention and cessation efforts has Tennessee ranked in the back of the pack at 36th in the nation. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Tennessee will take in more than $400 million in tobacco revenue this year, while spending only $5 million to prevent children from starting and to help smokers quit. The group’s spokesman, John Schachter, says that’s less than 7 percent of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation. “There’s a lot of work to be done in Tennessee to be able to bring the youth smoking rate down and the adult smoking rate down and to be able to help people stop smoking and prevent kids from starting in the first place,” he stresses. In Tennessee, nearly one-in-six high school students and one-in-four adults are smokers with more than 11,000 related deaths each year. Nationwide, Schachter notes that states are collecting more than $25 billion this year from tobacco taxes and lawsuit settlement dollars, but are spending less than 2 percent of that on prevention and cessation programs. “And those numbers are indicative that those states are literally sacrificing the lives and health of kids,” he states. “And it’s something which doesn’t have to be the case.” Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing nearly a 500,000 Americans each year.

The success of the first Tullahoma Citizen’s Police Academy (TCPA) in early 2014 was met with positive comments from the participants. Once again the department would like to extend an invitation to Tullahoma citizens to participate in the next session. The Tullahoma Police Department is currently accepting applications for the 2015 Citizen’s Police Academy (TCPA). The TCPA is being offered in order to maintain a strong partnership between the residents of Tullahoma and the Police Department in order to enhance the quality of life in our community. The TCPA will provide for an introduction to the operation of the Police Department and the resources and requirements necessary to provide a professional and proficient community service. The TCPA will focus on an interactive curriculum consisting of classroom instruction, discussion periods, mock scenarios, situational activities, and hands-on activities.
Applications for the TCPA will be taken through the month of January for the session that will begin March 24, 2015 and conclude May 26, 2015. The application and eligibility requirements and other information can be found at www.tullahomatn.gov, or pick up an application packet at the Police Department, 201 W. Grundy St.
Once the applications have been received, a total of eighteen (18) participants will be selected to attend. The participants will be notified by mail of their acceptance before the middle of February.
Upon notification, the participants will be required to submit a thirty dollar ($30) registration fee to cover materials. The TCPA will be held on Tuesday evenings for the ten week period from 5:30 pm to approximately 8:30 pm. The program will consist of a total of forty-four (44) hours of instruction and a participant must attend thirty-six (36) hours in order to graduate.
Completion of the TCPA does not certify participants as law enforcement officers. The purpose and intent of the TCPA is to provide residents with an opportunity to gain insight and knowledge as too the operations of the local law enforcement agency. Any questions about the TCPA can be directed to Chief Paul Blackwell at (931) 455-0530 or pblackwell@tullahomatn.gov.

Christmas night turnout to be not so merry for residents of Kingwood Arms apartments in Manchester. A fire was reported around 5:30pm Thursday and emergency personnel responded quickly to the scene. The sprinkler system activated to extinguish the small fire on the 5th floor of the complex on the McMinnville Hwy next to Raider Academy.
Manchester Fire Chief George DeShields says that no one was injured but Coffee County EMS provided oxygen to a few of the occupants that were evacuated.

Kingwood Arms management worked with others to find places to stay for those displaced.
There was a large amount water damage plus a couch and wall was burned.
Cigarette smoking may have started the fire but the cause is under investigation.
Manchester Fire & Rescue, Coffee County EMS, Manchester Police, Red Cross and the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene.

At 3:50pm Friday afternoon emergency crews were called to the scene of a crash with injuries on Wayside Road in Coffee County. A local woman said she was traveling east on Wayside Road as she approached a sharp curve and another car was traveling west. The female driver of the east bound car said she swerved to the left to avoid colliding with the other vehicle. She then went off the road, through a fence and into some trees.
Coffee County EMS personnel provided medical assistance to the woman and she turned down transport to an area hospital. She was only person in the vehicle. Her Pontiac car did receive damage after crashing into the fence and trees.
Coffee County Sheriff’s Department was in charge of the scene.