Category: News

Motorists are saving an average of $10 for a tank of gas compared to this time last year. Gasoline prices crept closer to $2 a gallon last week and nothing is slowing them down. Domestic oil supply is at a three decade high and forecast to keep growing. Meanwhile, the price of oil fell to its lowest level in five years.
The national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded has fallen 35 cents in the past month, settling at $2.56 on Sunday. According to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report, prices are as low as $2.09 in Brighton, Tennessee.
“Tennessee motorists should begin seeing gasoline as low as $2 a gallon at various gas stations in the next couple days.
Last week, the price of oil fell below $60 a barrel for the first time since July 2009. West Texas Intermediate settled at $57.81 a barrel Friday, $8.03 less than the week before and the lowest closing since May 2009.
The average price is $2.36 per gallon in Tennessee. The low price in Manchester is $2.25 and in Tullahoma it’s $2.22 per gallon.

A contractor working at the new Hampton Inn that is being built on the Woodbury Hwy in Manchester struck a two-inch natural gas line late Monday morning. The contractor was doing excavating when the accident occurred. Elk River Public Utility District personnel were called to the scene along with Manchester Fire and Rescue. The gas company responded to shut off the gas.
Emma’s Restaurant and workers at the building site were evacuated from the area for about 15 minutes. Manchester Fire and Rescue Chief George DeShields said all ended well with no one injured.

A Shelbyville youth lost his life in a single-vehicle accident Friday afternoon on Fairfield Pike.
According to the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, William Tristan Richmond, 15, a Cascade High School student was dead at the scene according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Richmond was in the left rear seat of a 1999 Ford Explorer driven by Kyle A. Becerra, 17, of Shelbyville.
Becerra was westbound toward Shelbyville on a sharp turn near Cascade Veterinary Clinic, the THP report said.
The SUV left the roadway on the westbound side, overcorrected, crossed the roadway leaving it on the eastbound side, struck a utility pole and overturned, coming to rest on its side.
The impact with the pole was on the driver’s side, near the position where Richmond had been seated.
Becerra and three other passengers — Shanna N. Fanning, Zachary Becerra and Sydney Becerra, all of Shelbyville — were injured in the accident. According to information we received four injured teenagers also attended Cascade High School.

We have an update on a story we reported to you a few weeks ago. Tyler Mook is the ex-husband of a missing Bedford County woman and teacher Shelley Mook. He got into trouble in October down in Florida and now charges have been filed.
As we reported in October, police said Tyler Mook got into an argument with his girlfriend, threw her off a boat into the water and attempted to hold her under. Mook has been charged with attempted first degree murder.
Police said Tyler Mook’s brother, Andrew Mook, was able to put him in a chokehold long enough for the woman to escape. Another witness on the boat claimed to have heard Tyler Mook say, “No one disrespects me in front of my family. I will kill her.”
Police upgraded the original domestic battery charges on Tyler Mook to attempted first-degree murder.
While he does not represent Tyler Mook in Florida, Tyler Mook’s Tennessee attorney David Raybin said, “I am not aware of any reason an alleged domestic dispute should have been elevated to a felony. Mr. Mook has asserted his innocence of this, and I stand behind him.”
Tyler Mook is now in the Martin County jail in Florida on a $100,000 bond.
Shelley Mook went missing in 2011. Her burned car was later found in Murfreesboro. Tyler Mook made several appearances in court trying to get custody of the couple’s daughter. The child is in the custody of Shelly’s Mother. Mook has not been charged in this case.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday unveiled a two year pilot program to provide health care coverage to Tennesseans who currently don’t have access to health insurance or have limited options.
Called Insure Tennessee, the program rewards healthy behaviors, prepares members to transition to private coverage, promotes personal responsibility and incentives choosing preventative and routine care instead of unnecessary use of emergency rooms.
The governor announced that he plans to call a special session to focus on the proposal after the 109th General Assembly convenes in January.
“We made the decision in Tennessee nearly two years ago not to expand traditional Medicaid,” Haslam said. “This is an alternative approach that forges a different path and is a unique Tennessee solution. “
Haslam said the plan leverages federal dollars to “provide health care coverage to more Tennesseans, to give people a choice in their coverage, and to address the cost of health care, better health outcomes and personal responsibility.”
Health care advocates heavily criticized Haslam for refusing last year to agree to $1.4 billion in federal funds to cover about 180,000 uninsured Tennesseans under the terms the money was offered.
Nine other Republican governors have agreed to expanded Medicaid, and at least three more are in discussions with federal officials.
A Vanderbilt poll released this month said 56 percent supported expanding Medicaid for low-income residents.

The passenger in a vehicle involved in a Nov. 7th high-speed chase has been sentenced in Warren County General Sessions Court.
29 year old Tammy Crusinberry pled guilty to charges of evading arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was ordered to serve 12 days of an 11 month 29 day sentence.
Crusinberry was the passenger in vehicle that led officers on a high-speed chase to the Viola area before coming to rest in a field. The car, driven by 24 year old Steffen Brady, ran a deputy’s car off the road, slightly injuring the officer. Crusinberry and Brady were both wanted by police. Brady for violation of parole and Cruisinberry for violation of probation. The pursuit began in McMinnville and included officers from Grundy and Coffee Counties. Brady and Cruisinberry fled on foot. Brady was caught quickly by deputies and Cruisinberry was captured by a TWRA officer.
Brady still faces numerous charges.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced Thursday the recipients of the Labor Education Alignment Program (LEAP) competition, a state effort focused on increasing opportunities for Tennesseans to obtain a certificate or degree beyond high school that is aligned with the needs of the workforce in their communities.
“These types of intentional partnerships between local agencies and their colleges or TCATS are what we want to see across the state as a significant piece of the Drive to 55 initiative,” Haslam said. “Tying the training and skills that our colleges are teaching directly to current workforce needs will help more Tennesseans qualify for good paying, high quality jobs.”
Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Shelbyville will receive a $970,000 grant as part of the Labor Education Alignment Program (LEAP).
Funded by a $10 million appropriation by the General Assembly, the LEAP competition required applicants to respond to a competitive Request for Proposals that was released in September.

As parents across Tennessee continue to pack the malls and stores, they’re being reminded that some gifts for their kids that may bring joy could also bring pain. Each year in the United States, thousands of accidents each year involving children and toys result in eye injuries and even blindness. Optometrist Jessica Schara said some of the more dangerous toys include “BB guns, paint guns, slingshots, darts – anything that’s a projectile. But even things like chemistry sets, woodworking sets, crafts that involve scissors and glue can also be dangerous.” Schara also said parents need to heed the age recommendations of toy manufacturers and teach their kids about safe use. One common toy-related eye injury is a corneal abrasion, but Schara said she also has treated kids with more serious trauma, including orbital bone fractures and detached retinas. “What’s important for everybody to know is, if there is any sort of eye injury, you really should seek the advice of an eye-care practitioner,” she said, “because sometimes there are things that aren’t visible deep inside the eye that might be going on, that could potentially lead to vision loss.” Toys that could do physical harm to a child’s eyes, however, are not the only danger to vision that may come wrapped up under the tree. Schara pointed to all those tech gadgets and screen time. “Blue light from things like tablets, smart phones, computers and even the TVs can cause computer vision eye strain.” For kids and adults who have long periods of screen time, one recommendation is to follow the 20-20-20 rule: taking a 20-second break every 20 minutes, and viewing something 20 feet away. A safe-toy checklist from Prevent Blindness is online at preventblindness.org.

Every year a new theme is chosen for Fire Prevention Week which is held in early October to promote good safety habits. This year’s 2014 Fire Prevention week theme was Close the Door. Most people remember Stop, Drop, & Roll when they think of fire safety, but did you know that the simple act of sleeping with your bedroom door closed could help save your life in case of a fire? That’s right.

While the room temperature of the fireside of a door can reach up to 700 degrees, the room temperature behind the closed door can be below 90 degrees and allow you to stay in manageable temperatures until help can arrive. To learn more about the Close the Door concept and to help teach good safety habits for the coming year to your children, be sure and watch the all new Thunder TV News Video at WMSRradio.com.