The Tullahoma Fire Department is continuing to collect funds for their annual Toys for Tots drive for the needy children of Tullahoma. Fire Chief Richard Shasteen stated that firefighters have enough toys for the 7-year-olds and some others, but we need money to buy some gifts for 13-year-olds and 2-year-olds. The fire chief noted that several individuals “came forward” with donations that helped boost much-needed funds for the annual drive, but they have not reached the $20,000 goal but they have received money to help buy gifts for the needy children. The chief noted that firefighters were busy yesterday...

Manchester Police Investigator Stuart Colwell has charged 19-year-old Robert Lee Conner of Manchester with solicitation of child rape and sexual exploitation of a minor who is age 12. He is currently being held in Franklin County jail on a violation of probation charge stemming from 2 convictions of statutory rape. He is being served warrants from Manchester while in the Winchester jail. Conner’s bond was set at...

Three people lost their lives in a head-on crash south of Shelbyville late Tuesday afternoon. According to State Trooper Dallas Rife, both drivers died at the scene on Highway 82 South approximately two miles south of Shelbyville. They were identified as Morris Parker of La Vergne, who would have turned 72 Thursday, and Eric Holestak, 46, of Murfreesboro. According to the Shelbyville Times Gazette a passenger in the Parker car, 62-year-old Mary Motlow of Lynchburg, died at a Nashville hospital later Tuesday night. She had been airlifted to Nashville for treatment of multiple injuries, Rife said. Holestak crossed the...

Visits to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are up by nearly 8% over last year for the year to date. A park spokeswoman said November visits to the 500,000-acre park on the Tennessee-North Carolina border totaled 657,935 people. That was up 8.6% from November 2011. After revising October’s figures, which were slightly ahead of the same month last year, year-to-date visits to the Smokies through November totaled 9,204,736 people. That’s up 7.8% from January through November 2011. October is a big month for visits because of the fall foliage. The revised figure for that month is...

A new Vanderbilt University poll shows a strong preference among Tennesseans for a state-run health insurance exchange over one run by the federal government. The poll of 829 registered voters released Wednesday showed 53% favor the state-run exchange, while 33% prefer the federal approach. The results contrast with Republican Gov. Bill Haslam’s decision earlier this week not to pursue a state-run exchange. Vanderbilt officials said the governor was not aware of the poll results before Wednesday’s release. Haslam’s office did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Meanwhile, a pending decision over whether to expand Medicaid was much more...

Tennessee has shown marked improvements in 12 measures of overall health in the last five years, according to a newly released report, but with a ranking of 48th in sedentary lifestyle among all states, most Tennesseans need to “get moving” to make more progress. The United Health Foundation’s 23rd annual America’s Health Rankings report lists Tennessee at 39th overall this year. The state moved up two spots from a recalculated 41st in 2011 in the foundation’s evaluation and measures of how states perform in different categories. Tennessee did show significant improvements in the rankings over a five-year period. During...

Deputies from the Bedford County Sheriff’s department recently answered a domestic violence call and got a surprise when they discovered a cock fight. Charlie B. Seibers, 61, owner of the farm where the fights were taking place was arrested and released without a bond being set, Bedford County Jail records indicate. Several dead chickens were found but no live poultry. The deputies said more than 100 people were at the location. No crowd members were arrested, due to the presence of only two deputies to handle 100 people. There were bleachers set up inside a barn according to police....

The flu season has arrived, and it is widespread across Tennessee, but cases in Coffee County appear to be about average. As a precaution to reduce further spread, the Coffee County Health Department, with clinics at 615 Wilson Ave. in Tullahoma and 800 Parks St. in Manchester, is offering free flu shots. The public health director for Coffee County, Debbie D. Broadway, says they have approximately 700 flu vaccine doses are available at the two Coffee County clinics. You may walk in to request a flu vaccine any time during regular clinic hours. The clinics are open Monday through...