Category: News

A group of retired military leaders says it is a matter of national security to improve the health and education of children, the country’s future soldiers. Mission: Readiness is a group of some 400 retired generals, admirals and senior military leaders, including retired Brig. Gen. Denny Shulstad. “What we are trying to do is encourage young people to, number one, get a good education,” Shulstad says. “Also, stay out of trouble with the law and stay in some reasonable physical shape so that you are eligible to join the military.” Shulstad says the growing number of young people who are overweight or obese is of great concern to the military, because many potential recruits are not healthy enough to enlist. One way to reverse the trend and help get kids moving toward a healthier lifestyle is to promote and support programs that help provide children with safe routes to school, he adds. “Today only 13 percent of young people either ride their bike or walk to school. We would like very much to see that number increase, because that is a very easy way to encourage kids to get outside, to walk, to run, to ride their bicycles,” he explains. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over the past 30 years obesity among adolescents has quadrupled. More information is available at www.missionreadiness.org. Childhood obesity statistics are available at www.1.usa.gov

This Saturday, May 17th starting at 8 am, firefighters from several counties will participate in the third annual Multi-County Live Burn Weekend. This year’s event will be held at the Coffee County Fair Grounds in Manchester and while the training is for local firefighters, the public is welcome to come see your local departments in action. There will be lots of training, vendors and some fire prevention displays for all to see! The area fire departments hope to see you there.

A Bedford County woman has been found guilty of plotting to kill her husband in 2012.
According to the Shelbyville Times Gazette, a jury on Friday convicted Susan Walls of criminal responsibility to commit first-degree murder and conspiracy in the death of her husband, 55-year-old Larry Walls.
Larry Walls was found dead Aug. 8, 2012 inside his Unionville home. A medical examiner said he died from a head injury and 49 stab wounds.
Also charged with murder in the case are Larry Walls’ daughter Dawn Walls and Sean Gearhardt. Another co-defendant, Jason Starrick, has begun a 51-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in the case.
Assistant district attorney Mike Randles said Susan Walls didn’t have to personally commit the murder, but hiring someone to do it makes her responsible.

Randy Cleek, 51, of Shelbyville, was indicted by the July 2013 term of the grand jury in Moore County. The man was arrested last year and charged with four counts of rape. Jury selection begins Tuesday morning in Lynchburg.
Cleek, is charged with rape of a child, aggravated rape and recklessly engaging in sexual contact with the girl. The child is listed as being between the age of 3 and 13.
The indictment also alleges that Cleek caused bodily injury to the child during the sexual incident.

The City is Tullahoma Police Department is pleased to announce that the Police Memorial will be unveiled on Thursday, May 15, at noon, at the flag on the South Jackson Civic Center. The public is invited to join this special honor to all police Officers.
Proclaimed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, May 15 of each year is designated Police Memorial day.
“This day we recognize the officers of our community and nation that have given the ultimate sacrifice in the service to their communities,” said Chief Paul Blackwell. “Five officers have given their lives in the service to Tullahoma.”
This is a special ceremony because the department will unveil a memorial for Tullahoma’s fallen officers. This ceremony will recognize the five officers and unveil a monument recognizing their sacrifice. The monument was made possible due to the generous donations from citizens, businesses, and churches that the officers serve.
“Although the day is set aside to honor those that have fallen, we, as members of our community, should also honor those that have and are still serving,” said Chief Blackwell. “Their greatest fear is the unknown, and their goal each day is to return to their families when the tour of duty is over.”
Any questions about this or other police operations may be directed to Chief Paul Blackwell at (931) 455-0530.
Two of the city’s officers, as well as a state trooper, were killed in an incident that took place on Dec. 3, 1934.
Officer James Flippo was killed on Sept. 5, 1936. Two officers, Henry Travis and Clifford Riddle, were killed on Sept. 26, 1970 when their car was hit head-on on Highway 55 while the pair was returning to Tullahoma after transporting a suspect to the Coffee County Jail. Travis was killed instantly, and Riddle was in coma until his death on Oct. 10, 1987.
Thanks to donations from the community, a 5-foot tall granite marker will be installed at the flagpole outside the civic center. The monument will bear the names of the officers and a new sidewalk leading to and from the marker has been installed.
Blackwell said the fundraising drive collected enough donations to purchase the monument, but the effort is ongoing in order to expand the memorial in the future. The fundraising effort is being led by the police chaplains. First Church of the Nazarene Pastor Elbert Smith, president of the Tullahoma Ministerial Alliance, agreed to lead the effort, with the assistance of Tim Keller, Blackwell said. Any funds remaining after the memorial is in place will be donated to Concerns of Police Survivors, or C.O.P.S., a national organization that assists the children of slain officers. Donation checks, payable to the Tullahoma Ministerial Alliance, can be mailed to P.O. Box 687, Tullahoma, TN 37388. Donors are asked to note that the check is for the police memorial on the memo line. Donations will also be accepted at the police department.
(Thanks to the Tullahoma News for portions of this story)

Middle Tennessee State University and Civil Air Patrol’s Tennessee Wing have agreed to partner in aerospace education for state high school students in the U.S. Air Force auxiliary’s cadet program.
The agreement puts into play the educational resources of the university’s Department of Aerospace and College of Basic and Applied Sciences to engage cadets in science and technology pursuits.
Aerospace education is one of the primary missions of the CAP, a 61,000-member volunteer civilian organization founded in 1941 and chartered by Congress to support the Air Force.
Established in 1942, the Department of Aerospace is a signature department at MTSU. Fourteen full-time faculty members and 35 flight instructors place it among the largest of the nation’s collegiate aviation programs.

The Tennessee Department of Health is reminding those who travel abroad of the need for vaccination against measles. Although measles was officially eradicated from the United States in 2000, it is still present in other regions of the world including Western Europe and cases continue to occur among Americans returning from foreign travel and among foreign visitors to the United States. Vaccination against measles is extremely effective.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced they have confirmed more cases of measles in the United States so far this year than in any year in the past 20 years. The cases and outbreaks are linked to disease acquired internationally and spread in this country among people who are not immune. The Tennessee Department of Health recently identified the first case of measles in the state in three years. The patient is an adult with an uncertain immunization status who had recently traveled abroad.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that is preventable with vaccine. It causes a high fever, cough, runny nose and “pinkeye”, followed by a rash on the face that spreads down the body. Measles can cause serious complications like pneumonia, and is sometimes fatal.
Children and teens younger than age 19 who have TennCare as well as those who do not have health insurance can receive free vaccines through the federal Vaccines for Children Program in participating private medical offices and county health departments. Parents should ask their child’s health care provider if they participate in the Vaccines for Children Program. If a child has insurance that does not pay for vaccines, local health departments and community health centers may provide the immunizations. Adults who are in need of protection against measles may also call their county health department to ask about vaccine.

The Coffee County Election Commission has recounted the votes from last Tuesday’s election. The commission decided to recount after a computer problem during the Election Day count. The commission members hand counted the votes from the voting machine tape and finished the process on Friday. The final vote count that was given to the media on Tuesday matched perfectly with the recount.
Winners in the countywide races were: County Mayor; Tim Brown, Trustee; Rodney Banks, Register of Deeds; LeAnn Hollandsworth Partin, General Sessions Judge Part II; Jere Ledsinger and Road Superintendent; Steve Moran. All of those winners will face republican competition in August. Moran will also face an independent candidate for Road Superintendent.
On August 7th the general election for county races will be held along with city elections and primaries for statewide seats.

Kyle Wallace, 25, of Bains Road, Hillsboro is facing murder charges. The case has been bound over to the June term of the Coffee County Grand Jury.
Wallace was charged with criminal homicide in the death of Donovan Denlinger, 23, of Florida.
On Saturday night, Jan. 11th at approximately 11:15 pm Manchester Police Department answered a call of a person with an injury to his chest at 620 Woodrow St., Manchester, TN. This injury was the result of an altercation between two individuals.
Denlinger, was pronounced dead at United Regional Medical Center due to a stab wound to the chest.
According to a police report, after arguing for a few minutes, Wallace allegedly took a knife and stabbed Denlinger in the chest.
Attorney Bobby Carter represented Wallace and Assistant District Attorney Kristy West prosecuted the case.

The Sonic restaurant on North Jackson Street reopened Monday, May 5 after repairs were completed following an April 10 electrical fire.
“Everything is back to normal” said owner Brian Young.
The April fire started in the back of a fryer, causing “moderate damage” to the kitchen area. The building quickly filled with smoke and the fire department was notified.
According to Fire Chief Richard Shasteen, the kitchen area of the restaurant suffered the “moderate damage.”
No one was injured in the fire.