Just before 11:00pm Friday night an alarm was sent to all volunteer fire departments. A passerby reported a house on fire in the 12,000 block of Murfreesboro Hwy. Dispatch was told the home was fully engulfed and did not know if anyone was at home. When WMSR photographer Barry West arrived on the scene the very large house was indeed all in flames. The flames were shooting 100 feet in the air and the lit up the night sky. The orange glow could be seen for miles. The late night fire is being...

William Julian Pillars, 42, of Sunshine Circle in Decherd was arrested recently on an indictment for the alleged rape of a child of less than 13 years of age. In addition to the one charge of alleged rape of a minor under 13 years old, Pillars also faces a charge of sexual battery. Pillars was booked into the Franklin County jail under a $100,000...

Area citizens are invited to a holiday concert on Nov. 29 on the Motlow College Moore County campus, according to Motlow music students and their instructor, Dr. David Bethea. Music will begin at 7 p.m. in Eoff Hall’s Powers Auditorium and will feature the Motlow vocal ensemble and jazz band. The vocal portion of the concert will include a wide range of music, from American Patriotic pieces to holiday favorites, according to Bethea, who said the audience will be invited to sing along to some numbers. Students in the vocal ensemble are Vaun Justin Lee Baltimore of Unionville; David...

A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais said Friday that the physician-turned-politician has no plans to step down despite new revelations that could jeopardize his medical license. “No, he does not,” spokesman Robert Jameson told The Hill, a Washington, D.C., newspaper, when asked if DesJarlais planned to resign his 4th District seat. On Thursday, the Chattanooga Times Free Press published a story confirming that the recently re-elected, anti-abortion Republican supported his ex-wife’s two abortions in the 1990s before they were married. The information came from the congressman’s own sworn testimony in his 2001 divorce trial. While that led Democrats...

A decade before calling himself “a consistent supporter of pro-life values,” Tennessee physician and Republican U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais supported his ex-wife’s decision to get two abortions before their marriage, according to the congressman’s sworn testimony during his divorce trial. Obtained by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the couple’s 2001 trial transcript also confirms DesJarlais had sexual relationships with at least two patients, three coworkers and a drug representative while he was chief of staff at Grandview Medical Center in Jasper, Tenn. During one affair with a female patient, DesJarlais prescribed her drugs, gave her an $875 watch and...

An unofficial tally of votes from the recent presidential election shows more than 2.4 million people cast their ballots in Tennessee. According to the secretary of state’s office, 2,454,470 Tennesseans voted. That’s down from the 2,599,749 votes cast in the 2008 presidential election. This year, voters were required to show photo identification before voting. Those who didn’t have proper ID could vote provisionally. Secretary of State Spokesman Blake Fontenay said Thursday that there were 674 photo ID-related provisional ballots cast, 178 of which have been counted. Earlier this week, a coalition of Nashville poll watchers called for an audit...

To honor Korean War veterans, Motlow College is hosting a screening of the documentary “Chosin.” The documentary is about the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, an epic battle that took place in North Korea in November, 1950. Tullahoma native Curtis Hice, the driving force behind the Motlow screening, said, “I wanted to give Korean War veterans a chance to see this great movie,” he said. “I knew that many wouldn’t get to see it unless an event like this was held. It will give non-veterans a chance to see what these guys went through, also. The screening will be shown...

Tennessee’s unemployment rate decreased slightly in October. Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Karla Davis said in a news release Thursday that October’s rate was 8.2 percent, down from 8.3 percent in September. She said the October rate is the lowest since June. The national unemployment rate for October was 7.9 percent, which is one-tenth of a percent higher than the previous month. In Tennessee, total nonfarm employment rose by 7,500 jobs from September to October, with increases in leisure/hospitality and professional/business services. There were declines in government and...