Category: News

The new Sheriff in Grundy County is conducting an internal audit. This, comes after a TBI investigation into the department back in March under the watch of former Sheriff Brent Myers.
That investigation ended up with former deputy Deke Mathew Stone facing official misconduct charges in July and one count of theft under $1,000 dollars. The TBI says Stone took three handguns from the evidence lockup. Officials said he had left his job with the department before the TBI began their case in August. Sheriff Clint Shrum was officially sworn into the office as Sheriff, September 1st. He is wasting no time to initiate the internal investigation and says an evidence room audit is necessary.
Over the next several months, deputies will be working with ATF agents to run an E-Trace check on the 329 guns stored in the evidence room.
Sheriff Shrum added, “We may have some that were stolen that need to be returned to the owners, we may have some that are a part of cases current and we may have some that need to be disposed of and so that’s why we brought the ATF in to make sure we maintain the integrity of the cases”.
The Sheriff says he is also working to assign new patrol zones North and South of the county to decrease emergency response times. Officials say the audit will be a long tedious process. At this time it’s unclear exactly how long it will take for the ATF agents to finish. (WRCB-TV)

Tennessee has received a $499,000 federal grant for efforts to stop worker misclassification.
According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Labor, the money will help Tennessee’s unemployment insurance tax programs identify instances where employees are misclassified as independent contracts. The money will also go to detecting instances where employees fail to report the wages paid to workers.
U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez said in a news release that the grants are intended to help “level the playing field for employers while ensuring workers receive appropriate rights and protections.”
Tennessee was one of 19 states to receive a grant.

L-R #8- 2nd runner-up Karly Brinkley, #7- 3rd runner-up Jaydee Nogodulla, #1- 1st runner-up Allison Paige Russ, #11- 4th runner-up Anna Wood and #17- WINNER Lydia Claire Lanier… Photo by Barry West

Little Miss Coffee County Contest (4-5)  

#11- 4^th runner-up Anna Wood

#7- 3^rd runner-up Jaydee Nogodulla

#8- 2^nd runner-up Karly Brinkley

#1- 1^st runner-up Allison Paige Russ

#17- WINNER Lydia Claire Lanier

Wednesday, September 17

9:00 AM Senior Citizens Program
5:00, 7:00, & 8:30 PM Nick’s Kids Show
5:00 PM-7:00 PM Front Porch Stage– (Michael Lockhart and
Sarah Pearson)
7:00 PM-9:00 PM Grandstand Stage– REFUGE from Trevecca

The price at the pump is at its lowest point in seven months, nationally. Gas prices fell for the sixth consecutive week, while oil had its lowest Friday close since May 2013.
“Motorists should continue to see a discount at the pump,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “High domestic oil supplies, a decrease in global demand, and the easing of geopolitical tensions in Libya and Iraq are keeping downward pressure on gasoline prices. Starting yesterday, refineries are no longer required to sell summer-blend gasoline. Winter-blend is cheaper to produce, which will help push prices even lower in the coming months.”
The price for a barrel of oil settled at $92.27 on Friday – $1.02 cheaper than last week’s close, and the cheapest close in four months.
The current national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is $3.40, 4 cents cheaper than last week. In Tennessee the price of gas fell 3 cents to settle at $3.18 a gallon. In Coffee County the low price in Manchester is $3.06 per gallon and in Tullahoma the low price is $3.09.

New research shows states that have expanded Medicaid are seeing a surge in the number of parents with health insurance, compared to little change in uninsured rates in states like Tennessee that have not opted for expansion. Photo credit: Images Money/Flickr

When it comes to parents who have health insurance, there is a growing gap among the states – with a stark difference in coverage trends between those that have expanded Medicaid and those that have not. A new report finds that states with expanded Medicaid coverage have seen the insured rate for parents jump by 33 percent on average. In states with no expansion, such as Tennessee, there has been no significant change. Genevieve Kenney, co-director of the Health Policy Center for the Urban Institute, says there are implications for the children when their parents lack insurance. “You can imagine that they delay getting health care, and perhaps go without needed health care, because they can’t afford it,” she stresses. “And the nature of those unmet health needs can affect their ability to effectively parent their children.” Tennessee is one of about two dozen states that have thus far declined the federal funding to expand Medicaid, although Gov. Bill Haslam has said the state may submit a proposal this fall. The plan would need approval by both federal officials and the state legislature. Despite the importance of health insurance to parents and their children, Kenney says whether states have expanded or not is a decision that has fallen largely along party lines. “There’s been so much focus on, and so much rhetoric around, the politics of the Affordable Care Act,” she points out. “Maybe not quite as much focus on the human dimension, and what is at stake for families.”

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands confirms they’ll provide free legal assistance to TennCare applicants whose applications have been delayed.
Legal Aid Society’s actions come on the heels of a Sept. 2 preliminary injunction ordered by U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell of the Middle District of Tennessee requiring TennCare to provide hearings for any individual who has proof they applied more than 45 days ago – or 90 days for disability cases – and has not yet received a decision on their application. The injunction was in response to Wilson vs. Gordon, the nation’s first challenge for a state’s refusal to implement the Affordable Care Act.
The Tennessee Justice Center, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Health Law Program filed Wilson vs. Gordon in federal court on July 23 on behalf of Tennesseans who applied for TennCare through the Federal Marketplace and had not been given a decision in more than 45 days. Judge Campbell certified the case as a class action and is calling on the state to promptly adjudicate claims and hold hearings.
Individuals who have applied for TennCare on or after October 1, 2013 and have not received a final eligibility determination within 45 days (or 90 days if the case involves a disability determination) are urged to contact Legal Aid Society.
The Legal Aid Society in Coffee County is located at 123 NW Atlantic St, Tullahoma and their phone number is (931) 455-7000.

Participating firemen from Manchester L-R  Joey Baumstien. Drive/Operator Jeremy Woods, Chief George DeShields, Eli Kidder and  Lt. Mark Reed

The 5th Annual Nashville 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb was held Sunday at the William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower in Downtown, Nashville, Tennessee. 343 Firefighters climbed in remembrance of the 343 New York Firefighters that died 13 years ago at the Twin Towers on 9/11/01.
Manchester, Hillsboro, Tullahoma, Summitville, AEDC and others firefighters from the state participated in the event. Partisipating firemen from Manchester were Eli Kidder and Joey Baumstien. Drive/Operator Jeremy Woods, Lt. Mark Reed and Chief George DeShields. This was Kidder and Baumstien’s first time, Woods’ third time, Reed’s second time and Chief DeShields’ 5th!!
The 343 Firefighters participating wore full gear (from 60 to 80 pounds) and climbed for someone specifically. Each climber was given a badge to wear with the name and photograph of one of the FDNY firefighters killed on 9/11/01.
Each firefighter that climbed went up 110 floors to match what FDNY did on 9/11/01.