Category: News

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer have announced nearly $820,000 in two transportation alternative grants for Monteagle and Tracy City to connect downtown districts to trails and make other enhancements.
The town of Monteagle was awarded a $216,320 grant for the Pedestrian Corridor Extension Project. The project will install approximately 2,000 feet of 5-foot sidewalks on the east side of Highway 64 beginning at Dubose Street heading south to Elgin Drive. The sidewalk will extend access to the multiuse trail and park in downtown Monteagle. A new pedestrian crosswalk will also be created across Highway 64 at the Monteagle City Ball Park.
Tracy City received a $603,569 grant to fund the Downtown Sidewalk and Mountain Goat Trail Connector Project. The project will provide pedestrian and bicyclist enhancements to the historic downtown business district, including a path and trailhead parking. The grant will also fund a key section of the Mountain Goat Trail, a projected 35-plus mile trail linking Franklin and Grundy counties.
“Enhancing transportation options and connections between areas in Grundy County will increase pedestrian and visitor traffic to businesses and recreation areas,” Haslam said. “Tennessee’s downtowns are the heart of our communities, and projects like these improve our cities’ and towns’ livability and the quality of life for residents.”
The transportation alternative grant is made possible through a federally funded program formerly known as transportation enhancement, and is administered by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).
“Through these grants, TDOT has funded more than $306 million in non-traditional transportation projects,” Schroer said. “This program has assisted communities all over the state in their efforts to revitalize downtowns, highlight historic areas, provide alternative means of transportation, and increase opportunities for economic development.”
A variety of activities, such as the restoration of historic facilities, bike and pedestrian trails, landscaping and other non-traditional transportation projects, are eligible for grant funds under the federal program.
State Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) and state Rep. Paul Bailey (R-Sparta) represent Grundy County in the Tennessee General Assembly.

A constitutional amendment giving Congress and states control of political campaign spending is moving toward a vote on the U.S. Senate floor, after winning approval Thursday in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The goal of Senate Joint Resolution 19, said Jonah Minkoff-Zern, campaign co-director for the group Public Citizen, is to help reverse the effect that big money has had on elections following U.S. Supreme Court rulings in cases such as Citizens United and McCutcheon that increased campaign spending limits. “Across political lines,” he said, “people are saying that they want a constitutional amendment, that they want big money out of our political system – and that they see that they’re no longer in control of the people who are supposed to represent them.” Its opponents point to the Bill of Rights, warning that approval could set a dangerous precedent by potentially giving the government the ability to limit free speech. At this point, approval in the full Senate is considered an uphill climb and the odds in the U.S. House are even slimmer. However, Minkoff-Zern said the tide is turning as support for limiting the role of big money in politics continues to grow nationwide. “For the over 550 local municipalities that have called for a constitutional amendment, for the 16 states that have called for a constitutional amendment – it’s a huge victory,” he said, “the fact that the U.S. Senate is taking it up for a vote.” Passage of a constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress, and ratification from three-fourths of the states. Text of the resolution is online at thomas.loc.gov.

The City of Tullahoma is pleased to announce the Fire Station One Open House. The firefighters will host an open house on Saturday, July 19 from 11am-3pm at Station One, 613 South Jackson Street.
“This event is will increase community awareness of the Fire Department services and awareness of fire safety,” said Chief Richard Shasteen.
The public is invited to this special event to commission the new pumper truck. You are invited to bring your family and friends to visit with firefighters, take a tour of the fire station, get an up-close look at a fire engine, enjoy refreshments, get a photo with Fire pup, take fire extinguisher training, see a vintage fire truck, jump in the bounce house and ride in the aerial truck.
“This is your fire station and Tullahoma’s fire fighters are committed to keeping you safe,” said Mayor Lane Curlee. “We are excited to invite citizens for an up-close look of what it takes to have a world class department sworn to the safety of our community.”

Two Franklin County residents have been charged with murder in the alcohol related death of a teenager there last February.
Anthony Peavyhouse, 33, of Estill Springs and Jessica Bohanan, 27, of Winchester have been charged with reckless homicide and three counts of providing or purchasing alcohol for person under 21 years of age and for the death of Michael Gates Jr., 18, of Winchester.
Last February a Winchester police officer observed a vehicle pull into a Winchester motel and after checking the occupants inside he found Gates unconscious and not breathing. The officer then requested an ambulance be sent to the motel and Gates was transported to Southern Tennessee Medical Center. He was later transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
Also found in the car was Austin Hopkins, 19, of Winchester who was also found to be in need of medical treatment. He was transported to the Winchester hospital and he too was flown to Vanderbilt for treatment of alcohol related problems.
A third teenager from Winchester was also in the vehicle. He was arrested for underage consumption, according to police.
Peavyhouse and Bohanan were indicted by the Franklin County Grand Jury on the charges. They are being held in the Franklin County Jail under a bond of $50,000.

It’s a parent’s worst nightmare, but it happens every summer: kids suffer heatstroke and, in some cases, die after being left in hot cars.
Registered nurse Phyllis Larimore points out that children left inside a vehicle can suffer fatal hyperthermia in just minutes, even when the outside temperature is mild. She says a change in routine is often behind these tragedies.
“Children have stopped going to school, and so there’s something new, or someone else is taking them to the daycare,” says Larimore. “These things happen across all socioeconomic strata, all types of parents.”
According to the website KidsAndCars.org, nearly 400 children in America have died in hot cars in the last decade, an average of 38 deaths per year.
The summer heat and humidity can also spell trouble for kids who spend time outdoors, as a child’s body heats up much faster than an adult’s. Dr. Eric Kirkendall says that makes them more susceptible to heat exhaustion, heat cramps and heatstroke.
“That includes hot, flushed skin typically associated with high fevers, over 104 degrees,” Kirkendall explains. “And that’s when kids will also start to have altered mental states – they’ll start getting really confused and, in some of the worst cases, can have seizures.”
To protect against heat-related illnesses, Kirkendall says parents need to make sure their children stay hydrated and that their exposure to the sun is limited.

We have a couple of fires to report to you that occurred this week.
The Manchester Fire Department was called to a utility trailer fire in the Indian Springs subdivision just off Hills Chapel Road on Wednesday. Manchester Fire & Rescue Chief George DeShields says when firemen arrived at the scene they found a pressure washer on the trailer on fire. The utility trailer included two fuel containers (gas/diesel). The cause of the blaze is unknown at this time.
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Flames were leaping out the roof of a building on East Lincoln Tuesday night when firefighters arrived.
According to Tullahoma Fire Chief Richard Shasteen, lightning struck the roof of Dr. Kelly Biles office during a storm that passed through the area. “Someone driving by saw the fire and called 911,” the fire chief stated. “They said that flames were coming out the roof and when we arrived we found flames coming out.”
Shasteen noted that fire crews were able to bring the fire under control and extinguished it. There was minimum damage to the building.