Day 2 of searching for Leo Paul Massicotte was held yesterday in Manchester. Massicotte was last seen July 3, 2011 when his girlfriend let him out of her car on Skinner Flat Road in Manchester. Over the last 2 days over 50 law enforcement officials have searched for the man and clues concerning his disappearance. The search has been conducted mostly A.E.D.C. property. The search involved Manchester Police, Manchester Fire Department, Coffee County Rescue Squad members, deputies from Coffee County, Franklin County along with Warren and Cannon Counties. Also involved were Tennessee State Troopers, the THP helicopter, and K-9...

Legislation altering the boundary line between Marion and Franklin counties is on its way to Gov. Bill Haslam after the House took final action on the bill this week. The measure, previously approved by the Senate, passed 97-0. According to the Chattanooga Times Free-Press Rep. David Alexander, R-Winchester, said the change would bring 56 parcels of mountain property, currently part of Franklin, into Marion County. The reason, Alexander said, is a development on mountainous terrain that includes property in both counties. The private developers had built a road to the property on the Marion County side and it is...

The Senate has voted to overrule the sponsor of a bill that originally sought to require the phrase “In God We Trust” to be painted behind the speaker’s podiums in the state Capitol. Republican Sen. Stacey Campfield of Knoxville urged the chamber to reject House changes to the bill that would instead instruct the State Capitol Commission to study having the phrase painted in the tunnel connecting the building to the Legislative Plaza. But the Republican-controlled chamber voted 19-8 against Campfield’s motion, which had the effect of agreeing to the House version of the bill and sending it to...

A watered-down version of Gov. Haslam’s anti-meth legislation has been approved by the House. The measure was approved 80-17 Wednesday, and is different than the Senate version. The House bill would set an annual cap of 150 days’ worth of allergy and cold medicines that could be bought without a prescription. Haslam’s original proposal would have established a monthly limit of 2.4 grams of pseudoephedrine, or a 10-day maximum dose, before requiring a pharmacist to authorize another 10 days’ worth before getting a doctor’s prescription. The governor later removed the pharmacist element, and instead proposed a 4.8 gram monthly...

Keith Hamilton, corporate manager of the North America Manufacturing and Education Center for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operation in LaVergne, will address the more than Motlow 700 students who participate in commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 10, according to Dr. MaryLou Apple, president of Motlow College. Hamilton from Tullahoma, has worked for Bridgestone since the ground breaking of the Warren County plant in 1989. He served as the manager for Technical Training and Performance in Warren County until being transferred to the LaVergne operation. Hamilton has two bachelor degrees from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, one in electronic engineering...

Leo Paul Massicotte was last seen July 3, 2011 when his girlfriend let him out of her car on Skinner Flat Road in Manchester. Wednesday over 50 law enforcement officials searched for the man on A.E.D.C. property, but so far the man has not been found. The search involved Manchester Police, Manchester Fire Department, Coffee County Rescue Squad members, deputies from Coffee County, Franklin County along with Warren and Cannon Counties. Also involved were Air Force personnel, Air Force OSI, and Air Force Security, Tennessee State Troopers, the THP helicopter, and K-9 units from Florida, Louisiana and North Carolina....

The state Senate has passed a bill to allow Tennesseans to openly carry guns without a state-issued permit. The chamber voted 25-2 in favor of the bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Mae Beavers of Mt. Juliet. Beavers said the measure would keep the background checks and training requirements in order to carry concealed firearms, but would allow anyone legally allowed to own a gun to carry it openly. The bill would also remove state restrictions on the location of ammunition when firearms are being transported in vehicles, and would allow guns to be removed from cars on school property...

Years in the making, an effort to help protect some of the state’s most pristine areas finally is moving forward in Congress. First introduced in 2010, the Tennessee Wilderness Act is headed for the Senate floor after passing through committee Tuesday. Among those applauding the approval is Will Skelton, an advisory committee member with the group Tennessee Wild. “If this bill does pass, it’s going to mean a lot for the residents of Tennessee, because we’re going to have some additional areas protected for recreation and hunting and fishing that are just simply outstanding,” Skelton said. “Upper Bald River...