Category: News

Lisa Beechum of Silver Street reported on Dec. 9 the theft of several items from her vehicle.
Beechum stated that the thieves took a Christmas toy, various childrens clothes and a Sony face plate for a car CD player. She told the officer that the doors had been locked at the time of the theft.
Detective Tyler Hatfield is investigating the crime.
Detective Rana Pawlowski is investigating the theft of $2,251.93 worth items from the Wal-Mart Store on North Jackson Street that took place Aug 8 and Sept. 13.
According to store officials, a person loaded a shopping cart and pushed it out the door without paying for the merchandise.
According to a report by Pawlowski, there is a video of the individual taking the items. The investigation revealed that the person who took the items has been charged by the TBI in Davidson County for large scale thefts from Wal-Mart Stores in middle Tennessee and North Alabama.

Gov. Bill Haslam has unveiled several proposals intended to support Tennessee teachers.
The Republican governor discussed the proposals this week at the annual conference of Learning Forward, an association devoted to advancing professional learning for student success.
They include adjusting the way teachers are evaluated, aligning state academic standards with assessments, providing educators with more information and feedback on state assessments and improving teacher communication and partnership.
The proposals reflect input Haslam received following an academic standards review process, ongoing statewide meetings with educators and an education summit in September.

Federal officials have awarded a $17.5 million grant to Tennessee to expand preschool services.
A statement from the U.S. Education Department on Wednesday says Tennessee is one of 13 states receiving funding from the Preschool Development Grants program to expand services. Five other states received grants for preschool development.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said expanding access to quality preschool “is critically important” to ensuring the future success of children.
Duncan says that states receiving the grants will serve as models for expanding preschool to all 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families.

The 2014 Middle Tennessee Association of REALTORS® (MTAR) Charity Golf Scramble, held September 25th at WillowBrook Golf Club in Manchester, was very successful in helping this year’s two recipients of funds.
The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department’s Christmas Charity Fund provides toys and food for needy families during the holidays. Last year the Fund provided toys to 527 children and food to 233 families. Janet Nettles, broker of Middle Tennessee Properties and Golf Scramble Chairperson Vicky Spellings, broker of Exit Realty Partners, presented a check to Sheriff Steve Graves and Sandy McKinney of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department for $4721.80 to help fund their holiday giving this year.
The MTAR Scholarship Fund will also receive $4721.80 from the event. MTAR annually presents scholarships to college freshmen within the 8-county area served by the Association. For more information on applying for MTAR Scholarships, call 615/893-2242.
The Bill Carey REALTOR® Golf Scramble and the MTAR Charity Golf Scramble brought in over $20,600 this year for these two charities and the American Diabetes Association.
MTAR is a not-for-profit trade association serving over 1400 real estate professionals across the Middle Tennessee region. MTAR serves Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Moore and Rutherford Counties in Tennessee. The mission of MTAR is to provide its members with state-of-the-art tools, training and support to ensure that all members have the ability to become ethical, professional and successful REALTORS®.

Motlow College will host a holiday benefit concert on Friday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. inside Eoff Hall’s Powers Auditorium on the Moore County campus. Prior to the performance, there will be a reception inside Eoff Hall at 6 p.m.
Admission to the event is free to the public, but reservations are required as seating will be limited. To make reservations, please call Bobbie Underwood at 931-393-1627 or email bunderwood@mscc.edu. Donations will be accepted and proceeds will support the music program at Motlow.
“We’re excited about our first benefit concert,” said Dr. David Bethea, instructor of music at Motlow. “We’re hoping that we can raise money to assist students through scholarships and the purchasing of instruments and musical equipment.”
The concert will feature holiday-themed music from Vicki Collinsworth and Kyle Copeland, along with other area musicians.
“The music is going to be interesting Christmas music,” added Bethea. “While it will be traditional enough for the audience to recognize, the arrangements themselves will be unique.”
For more information about Motlow’s music program, contact Dr. Bethea at 931-393-1616 or email dbethea@mscc.edu.

In total, over the past five years local school systems and governments inside of Coffee County – including Manchester City, Manchester City Schools, Tullahoma City, Tullahoma City Schools, Coffee County and Coffee County Schools – have filed, settled or prepared to file approximately $4.46 million dollars in litigation against one another.
According to a report in the Tullahoma News, a heavy influx of litigation began early this year after County Technical Advisory Service (CTAS) and state officials pronounced that liquor-by-the-drink (LBD) taxes were unremitted for years by counties and municipalities across the state.
The Coffee County School System is seeking $387,488 from the City of Tullahoma and an additional $137,340 from the City of Manchester, but the case was dismissed by Coffee County Judge Vanessa Jackson Sept. 18 and upheld by Jackson Nov. 3, leaving the other cases more in question.
According to the order filed by Jackson in Coffee County Chancery Court Nov. 3 to deny the school board’s request, the county school board does not have the authority delegated to it to maintain the cause of action. Attorney Eric Burch has filed an appeal with the Tennessee Court of Appeals.
After statements from the Tennessee Attorney General’s office that LBD money would be owed to many school districts across the state, local school systems began seeking that money from local governments inside Coffee County.
The City of Tullahoma recently agreed to pay its city school system $127,603.60 in installments of $31,923. Meanwhile, Tullahoma School System is still seeking approximately $83,360 from the City of Manchester government.
The Manchester School System could seek $109,948.33 from the City of Tullahoma and $40,000 from the City of Manchester government in LBD money. However, because the system didn’t file to seek reimbursement prior to June 1, it forgoes funds owed prior to 1999, leaving the Manchester Schools able to seek $33,574 from Manchester’s government and $76,518 from Tullahoma.
Both Tullahoma and Manchester municipalities are not set to negotiate at this time with the school systems.
In addition to LBD tax disputes, Manchester City Schools recently re-opened a lawsuit against the Coffee County government seeking $1.56 million and pre-judgment interest for misappropriated second-half sales tax dating back to 1983.

November, 2014	CLOSED RES. SALES	Last Month Closed	AVE. SQ. FT.	Last Month Sq. Ft.	AVE. SALES PRICE	Last Month Sales Price	DAYS ON MARKET	CLOSED Y-T-D
Bedford County	31	46	1706	1692	$       116,882	$139,280	101	453
Cannon County	3	11	1393	1779	$       110,133	$131,686	133	112
Coffee County	51	59	1905	1883	$       129,377	$134,911	122	522
Franklin County	44	55	1741	1996	$       155,334	$157,758	154	425
Grundy County	4	1	1855	1128	$       181,375	$19,500	306	40
Moore County	3	5	2810	3140	$       174,500	$407,800	473	45
Rutherford County	353	483	2020	1999	$       194,354	$192,679	61	4558

On Monday morning Officer Dustan Foster of the Manchester Police responded to a call concerning a person walking around the square pulling on the door handles of parked cars. According to a police report, Foster said dispatch advised that a male subject had walked up a stairway at 107 W. Main St. Foster says he knocked on the door of an apartment telling the person he was with Manchester Police and a male’s voice answered saying hold on. In the report Foster says he could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from the residence. After entering the apartment with another officer the person they saw met the description of the person given out by dispatch. In the report, 26 year-old Richard David Allen, said he was walking around the square looking for his keys and cell phone.
Due to the strong smell of marijuana Foster asked Allen if he could search his residence and he complied. While that was being done the police report goes on to state that another male subject enter the apartment and because of safety Sgt Mitchell West conducted a pat down. That person was asked if he had anything such as a weapon or drugs on his person and he said yes, but the jacket he was wearing was not his. Found on his person was approximately 8 grams of methamphetamine (Ice) and 4 blue Xanax pills found inside a baggy. In his backpack several syringes were located and $221 was found in his wallet. 36 year-old Jonathan Potts of Mill St, Manchester was placed into custody and charged with sale and delivery of meth along with drug paraphernalia.
The police report went on to state that approximately 5 minutes later, another a male, female and a 3 year-old juvenile came into the apartment. The male subject, 27 year-old Jessie Coker of Estill Springs was placed into custody for an active warrant out of Franklin County, TN. Children’s Services and Manchester Police Investigators were called to the scene.
Officers found in the apartment inside a boot approximately 2.5oz of methamphetamine (Ice) and Meth lying on a dresser. Also found was a marijuana cigarette on the floor and digital scales. Richard David Allen was arrested and charged with manufacture, sale and delivery of methamphetamine.
Officer Foster also seized a 1999 Cadillac for allegedly transporting the narcotics to the residence from Jonathan Potts.