Category: News

The Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Tennessee Highway Patrol are working alongside Manchester authorities to keep traffic flowing as 80,000 fans descend on Manchester for the 13th Annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.
The festival kicks off on Thursday night and continues through Sunday, though organizers are opening the gates on Wednesday evening to allow more time for vehicles to enter the campgrounds.
“During the Bonnaroo festival, the main goal is to keep through traffic moving smoothly on I-24 while getting festivalgoers safely into and out of the festival site,” said TDOT Commissioner John Schroer.
He continued, “TDOT has once again coordinated with THP and other agencies well ahead of the festival to ensure that traffic delays are kept to a minimum throughout the festival period.”
State troopers will be patrolling the area on ground and by air beginning Wednesday night 24 hours a day.
TDOT HELP units are scheduled to assist with traffic management during the four day festival and will offer aid to any motorists who need assistance.
The speed limit will be decreased to 55 miles-per-hour on I-24 between mile marker 104.6, just west of Exit 105, and mile markers 129.4, during the duration of the festival.
Officials said Exit 111 will be used as the main festival exit, while exits 97, 105, temporary exit 112 along with regular exits 117 and 127 will be used as alternative exits if congestion begins to occur.
TDOT is also expected to provide variable message signs to warn drivers of any delays.
Last year, state troopers worked 17 traffic accidents, including one fatal, and wrote 88 citations.
During the event, motorists can call 511 from any mobile or land line phone for traffic updates or visit the TDOT Web site.

Crude oil and gasoline prices have been volatile across the country. In the past couple of weeks, prices in most states have fluctuated slightly, while motorists in the southeast have seen slow and steady declines. Since last week, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded fell 1-cent in Tennessee to $3.43 per gallon.
“Gas prices in the southeast are falling at about the same rate as they did during June 2013,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “However, the discount at the pump could end anytime. The summer months tend to be more volatile with increased demand, geopolitical tensions and the potential for hurricanes.”
High demand and positive economic news are keeping a floor on gas prices. Last week, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported the highest four-week gasoline demand figures in 35 months. The price of crude oil climbed Friday, following a report that US payrolls exceeded their pre-recession peak. That is encouraging economic news and raises expectations of further increases in gasoline demand. So far, supplies have met the heightened demand.
In Manchester the low price is $3.31 and in Tullahoma the low price for a gallon of gas is $3.28.

Veterans Affairs facilities in Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga and McMinnville have been flagged for further review following a nationwide audit of the agency’s troubled appointment process.
The audit of 731 VA hospitals and large outpatient clinics around the country found that a 14-day goal for seeing first-time patients was unattainable given the growing demand among veterans for health care and poor planning. The VA has since abandoned that goal.
Tennessee facilities in Memphis, Johnson City and Nashville were unable to schedule appointments within 30 days for about 7,000 veterans, or 3 percent of the total.

Myra Neal, 56, of College Street Normandy was arrested for firing a gun that was allegedly pointed at a bride following a wedding. According to a report filed by Detective Sgt. Chad Webster of the Bedford County Sheriff’s Department, Neal said she “discharged the firearm two times in the air while she was in her yard” and admitted threatening to shoot a truck.
She was charged with two counts of reckless endangerment and posted $1,000 bond.
The incident stemmed from a wedding reception being held at the River Cafe in Normandy.
The wedding party went to take photos by a red caboose in an open field” near the old Normandy school, Webster said in his report.
Neal and two other women allegedly yelled at them to leave because the caboose was on private property.
The bride described in an investigative report that Neal pointed the firearm at her with a finger still on the trigger. (Shelbyville Times Gazette)

On Monday night (June 9) at 8:30pm Franklin County Sheriff’s Office personnel conducted a search at a residence on St. Mary’s Lane in the Sewanee, TN. area. A result of the search yielded 7 small green plants, believed to be marijuana, growing in individual containers. Also discovered in the search was material used in the production and cultivation of marijuana along with various drug paraphernalia items. Total street value of the plants at a mature stage is estimated at $5,000.
There is an ongoing investigation concerning this matter and charges are anticipated.

Late Sunday night (June 8) information was received that Gregory Scott Hale, age 37, had murdered a female at his residence on Pete Sain Road in Coffee County and was attempting to get help disposing of her body. An investigation revealed the body of a white female 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.
The victim 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 cannibalizing part of the victim. Her body was sent to Nashville for an autopsy.

Sheriff Graves commended all parties involved for a quick response and resolution leading to this arrest, including sheriff’s department deputies and investigators as well as the Manchester Police Department.
The sheriff said they will continue to investigate in preparation for a preliminary hearing and ensuing trial.
Hale is currently represented by the public defender’s office.
The victim’s name will be released at later time.

With the coming of summer and the warmer weather Tullahoma has seen an increase in car burglaries across the City. The Tullahoma Police Department needs the public’s assistance to apprehend the people responsible for these incidents and attempt to return the property to the rightful owner. The burglaries are occurring in various parts of the city and during the early morning hours. In some cases the vehicles are unlocked and provide easy access, in others a window is being broken to gain entry.
The police reports are including property stolen to include firearms, purses, wallets, and cash. As the Tullahoma Police Department investigates these incidents, officers are being told of people seeing someone suspicious, hearing noises, or area dogs barking excessively; but not paying much attention to it. The police encourage anyone that sees or hears something that is out of the ordinary to immediately call the non-emergency dispatch number at 455-3411, or if an emergency – 911.
The department encourages citizens to take some basic precautions: leave exterior lights turned on, remove any valuables from the vehicle, lock the vehicle, park your vehicle(s) in a well-lit area, and maintain the serial numbers of valuable items. The department encourages citizens to take an active role in reporting suspicious activity; get to know your neighbors; recognize what seems out of place in your neighborhood; and promptly notify the police so they can respond.
If you have any information about these cases or other criminal activity, please call the crime stoppers line at 461-8888, by email to tpd@tullahomatn.gov, or calling the department at 455-0530. Should you have questions about other police operations, please contact Chief Paul Blackwell at (931) 455-0530 or pblackwell@tullahomatn.gov.

The summer concert season has arrived, and there are a number of dangers lurking amongst the music and the crowds that can lead to tragedy, mainly for teens and young adults.
A new analysis from ClickitTicket reviewed more than 200 fatalities at concerts since 1969 and about three dozen were drug-related.
CEO Jason OConnor says the drugs used at concerts include cocaine, heroin, bath salts, meth and one of the most mentioned – MDMA, also known as ecstasy or Molly, which can lead to hyperthermia.
“Often times, people become very dehydrated and they don’t realize what they’re doing to their body, because let’s say they’re at a concert and they’re dancing around and they’re taking this,” he says. “They don’t notice that they’re thirsty. They don’t notice anything. And that’s when you start to get into problems.”
OConnor also notes that there have been stories of bad batches of MDMA, laced with dangerous chemicals.
In addition to the drug-related deaths, the other leading causes of fatalities at concerts are stampedes, structural failures and violence.
While overdoses or deaths can happen at any music venue, OConnor points to festivals such as Bonnaroo, where there have been 10 fatalities over the past decade, at least half drug-related.
“And Phish shows do seem to have quite a bit of drugs there,” he adds. “That’s sort of an extension of the Grateful Dead and there were a lot of drugs in that culture.
“And then the other real big one that we talked about was EDM or electronic dance music.”
OConnor says concert and festival promoters and organizers can’t ensure that all attendees are drug free, but they can take simple steps to make their events as safe as possible for young people, including education, parent involvement and policing.

As summer draws closer, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office is reminding the public of laws concerning sky lanterns.
The sky lanterns, also known as Chinese lanterns, are unmanned airborne paper lanterns fueled by a flame that resemble a small hot air balloons.
Fire officials say the sky lanterns can be dangerous to property and life.
Tennessee lawmakers in 2011 passed legislation stating the lanterns are special fireworks, and can be purchased and used only by individuals with a professional license. These include a certified flame effect operator, certified outdoor display operator or certified pyrotechnic operator.
The sky lanterns are also banned at Bonnaroo this year, which kicks off this week in Manchester, Tennessee.

The number of women issued handgun carry permits in Tennessee is on the rise.
According to the Daily News Journal of Murfreesboro, the number of permits issued to women by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security more than doubled between 2011 and 2013.
The highest number of total handgun permits issued in the state are in Shelby, Knox, Davidson, Hamilton and Rutherford Counties.
The largest percentage of permits for women were issued to women aged 46-50.