The violence in Iraq caused plenty of pain at the pump for U.S. motorists last week. Throughout the last seven days, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded rose 5 cents in Tennessee. AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said the unrest in Iraq is likely to continue influencing gas prices in the near future. The national average for a gallon of regular on Sunday was $3.68, an increase of 2 cents from last week. Tennessee’s average of $3.47 increased 5 cents from last week. One year ago the average was $3.34. In Manchester the low price is $3.37...

The July 4th holiday is approaching and the fireworks tents have popped up around town. This is a time when people, young and old, ignite fireworks in our neighborhoods. The City of Tullahoma several years ago authorized the shooting of fireworks within the City limits, but with guidelines. Each year the Police Department responds to calls from citizens about the fireworks. According to the City of Tullahoma Municipal Code, there are specified periods for the shooting of fireworks. Also no person under 16 years of age is permitted to purchase fireworks. The code also identifies dates and times in...

The Moore County campus honors program at Motlow College will host a yard sale on Saturday, July 12, to raise funds for a trip to the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference in Denver this coming November. The fundraiser event will be held at the Collegiate Ministries building on the Moore County Campus between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Lunch will be served beginning at 11:00 a.m. At the conference, Motlow students along with honors students from across the nation, will learn leadership skills and participate in academic discussions. Additionally, Motlow students Dallas Foster and Heather Morris, along with Dr....

A Tennessee State Comptroller’s report has found that the amount of money stolen from Tennessee counties outpaced the amount recovered in fiscal year 2013. The Tennessean reports counties began the last fiscal year with more than $563,000 in unrecovered cash shortages. They recovered more than $237,000. Some of that came from restitution payments while some came from insurance claims or other means. But nearly $450,000 in new shortages were detected. That leaves a new shortfall of more than $775,000, an increase of more than $200,000. The report is based on a snapshot taken June 30, 2013, and drawn from...

Tennessee Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips has announced the Tennessee preliminary unemployment rate for May is 6.4%, a tenth of one percentage point higher than the 6.3% April revised rate. The U.S. preliminary rate for May is 6.3%, same as the U.S. April revised rate. Economic Summary: • Over the past year, Tennessee’s unemployment rate decreased from 8.4% to 6.4% while the national rate decreased from 7.5% to 6.3%. • Total nonfarm employment increased 6,700 jobs from April to May. The largest increases occurred in leisure/hospitality, retail trade, and local government. • Over the year, nonfarm employment...