Category: News

A fishing pole or a new tie may be traditional Father’s Day gifts, but experts say another important gift could be a conversation with the men in your life about taking control of their own health. Time spent caring for and providing for their families can lead many men to neglect their own health-care needs, said Brandon Leonard, director of strategic initiatives for the Men’s Health Network. “Men need to take responsibly for their own health,” he said, “so that they can be there for the birthdays and the graduations and the weddings, and so that they can enjoy life with their family and with their friends as well.” Leonard said prevention is the best medicine, and habits developed now will have a huge impact on what happens later in life. As part of Men’s Health Week, he encouraged men to get regular doctor checkups and think about their risk factors for problems such as heart disease, different types of cancer and diabetes. Men of all ages need to focus on getting regular exercise and good nutrition, Leonard said. “Getting plenty of fruits and vegetables, and whole grains and lean proteins,” he said, “and really making a conscious decision to cut back on things like junk food – cut back on the sweets, cut back on the fried foods – because those are certainly going to have an impact on your health down the road.” As men age, Leonard said, it’s important that they keep an eye on their blood pressure and cholesterol levels and get regular screenings for certain types of cancer. “Continuing to look at things like prostate cancer, colorectal cancer,” he said, “and men are also dealing sometimes with urinary tract issues; enlarged prostate can become an issue at that point.” Leonard said cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of men in the United States – and for women as well. More information is online at menshealthnetwork.org.

On Wednesday (6/11/2014) at the Southland Conference on technology, entrepreneurship + southern culture, Connected Tennessee announced new statewide research showing that nearly 1 in 10 Tennesseans now have broadband speeds of 1 Gbps (“gigabit”) or greater available to their home or residence. Gigabit broadband is around 100 times faster than today’s average residential broadband Internet download speed.
Connected Tennessee’s April 2014 semi-annual broadband inventory update indicates that a total of 8.8% of Tennesseans from the communities of Bristol, Chattanooga (North America’s 1st residential gigabit community), Clarksville, Morristown, and Tullahoma currently have availability to broadband speeds of 1 “gigabit” or above. Google Fiber and AT&T GigaPower are also exploring ultra-high-speed broadband network build outs in Nashville and neighboring Middle Tennessee communities.
174,000 Tennessee households are still without broadband availability at FCC minimum speed targets.

There will be a fundraising rally for Jason Sain on Saturday, June 21st at Deerfield Elementary beginning at 4 PM. Jason, a 40 year old father of 2 and former Coffee County star athlete, was diagnosed with malignant brain tumors in April and 100% of the proceeds from this event will go to help with medical expenses not covered by insurance as well as living expenses. Dinner will be served at 4 PM with a Live Auction starting at 6. Price to attend is $12 for adults and $8 for children and there will be door prizes and raffles open to all attendees. To donate online, visit: dustyelamfoundation.org AND click on the “HelpJason” link. For more information, contact June Fann at 931-409-1700 or Melinda Ashburn at 931-728-3381.

DUCK RIVER CLEAN-UP for Coffee County will be held on June 28th, 2014 at the Normandy Dam & Boat ramps from 8am-Noon.
FREE T-shirt for first 100 people to volunteer.
Check will be at 7:30 am at Normandy Dam. Please come on out and help keep Coffee County and our rivers and lakes beautiful. Don’t forget your hat, sunscreen, insect repellent and of course a Big Smile! Tons of garbage is expected to be cleaned from in around the water.
For more information about the DUCK RIVER CLEAN-UP contact Connie Janosek at (931) 409-6091.

We now know more information about the disturbing murder earlier this week here in Coffee County.
The woman who was killed was Lisa Marie Hyder a 36 year old mother of six children. Her youngest child is just one year-old.
She, according to the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department lived in Pikeville, TN in Bledsoe County and was here in Coffee County visiting.
Hyder apparently met her suspected killer, Scott Hale, at a liquor store in Manchester on the day she was murdered.
Hyder’s ex-husband Charles says Lisa was recently diagnosis with ovarian cancer.
Hale is being held in the Coffee County Jail under a $1.5M bond and will be in court represented by the public defender on June 16.

The Coffee County Commission met on Tuesday night for nearly 4 hours. A controversial vote was taken on what is called the 81 Act. If passed all finances in the county would fall under one umbrella. The county school system’s money would be distributed out of the county financial office. One of the main reasons that commissioners were looking at the possibility was anytime the county approves money to be spent by the county school system that money had to be doubled. So if the county system got $1M the Manchester and Tullahoma school systems would split another $1M. Tullahoma receives more based on average daily attendance or ADA. Some in the county school system disagree with this plan because they say it would slow down the process of getting funds they need. They said it could take a month or longer to release funds for needed projects, classroom needs or any other needed purchasing. County commissioners voted in favor of the 81 ACT by a vote of 12-7 with two abstaining. Despite those 12 votes the proposal did not pass because it needed a 2/3 majority vote of 14 commissioners. According information provided to WMSR the proposal can be voted on again since it did not officially fail.
Commissioners are also discussing the county budget for 2014-15. Tuesday night no vote was taken. A possible 32.7-cent increase in property tax remains a possibility and some commissioners would still like to vote on a $50 wheel tax and some say the overall budget needs to be cut more than it has been already. If commissioners vote for a property tax increase here is the breakdown; Coffee County and Manchester property owners would see an increase of $83 per year on a home valued at $100,000 and Tullahoma would go up $82. County land owners based on the $100,000 figure would go up from $743 to $826 per year, Manchester $1,240 to $1,323 and Tullahoma going from $1,220 to $1,303 in property tax per year.
The next chance for a vote on the budget or the 81 ACT again will be at the next Coffee County Commission meeting will be held on June 24.

Samuel Arthur McCurry is charged with four counts of Aggravated Sexual Battery and Rape of a Child by the Grundy County Sheriff’s Department. McCurry failed to appear on June 4, 2014 for his court date. The Tennessee Code denotes a “child” as being 12 years of age or younger. He has prior convictions of Escape, Manufacture, Deliver, Sell or Possess Schedule II Drug and is considered an escape risk. Samuel Arthur McCurry has been added to the TBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted List. A $1,000.00 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest.
Age: 47
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown
Height: 5’6″
Weight: 260
McCurry has a scar on his left cheek.
Call 1-800-TBI-Find if you have any information that can help authorities.

A woman charged with TennCare fraud has been apprehended after eluding authorities for over a year.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG), with the assistance of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, has announced the arrest of Julie D. Wright, 36, of McMinnville.
She was charged in an indictment in April of 2013 with TennCare fraud in connection with obtaining a controlled substance paid for by TennCare, while planning to sell a portion of the drugs.
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony, carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison. District Attorney General Randall A. York is prosecuting.
To date, 2,119 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.
Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions. Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tn.gov/tnoig/ and follow the prompts that read “Report TennCare Fraud.”

Dr. Gail Holland has tendered her resignation for the purpose of retirement from Tullahoma City Schools. Dr. Holland has served for the past seventeen years as the principal of Jack T Farrar Elementary School and Robert E. Lee Elementary school and has been an essential leader in the school district. During her tenure she has been recognized as a Regional Principal of the Year, a leader in the Regional Principal Study Council and a presenter for numerous conferences and professional development activities.
Principal Donna Rhoton of Bel-Aire Elementary School has been assigned to the position of principal at Robert E Lee Elementary School. Mrs. Rhoton has served in leadership positions in Tullahoma as assistant principal at East/West Middle Schools and most recently as the principal at Bel-Aire Elementary.

We now know the identity of the victim in the gruesome murder that took place on Pete Sain Rd. Lisa Marie Hyder, 36 whose last known address was listed as being from Pikeville, TN in Bledsoe County. Gregory Scott Hale, age 37 of Pete Sain Rd has admitted to taking Hyder’s life.
Late Sunday night (June 8) information was received that Hale had murdered a female at his residence and was attempting to get help disposing of her body. An investigation revealed the body of Hyder at his residence.
Hale was taken into custody and charged with 1st degree murder and abuse of a corpse. His bond is set at $1.5 million, and he is scheduled to be in court on June 16, 2014.
Hyder according to the arrest warrant was beheaded and the rest of her body was dismembered. The warrant states that Hale buried the torso of the body in a burn pile at the residence. According to the warrant Hale allegedly admitted to cannibalizingpart of the victim.
Hale is currently represented by the public defender’s office.