Students in Amber Adams Health Science Class and Michelle Malachea’s Art class at Coffee County High School made posters to discourage smoking and to make a plan to stop smoking in conjunction with the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout yesterday. School Nurse Sarah Walker, RN organized this school wide activity. The American Cancer Society marked the 37th Great American Smokeout yesterday by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. By quitting — even for one day — smokers will be taking an important...

Olde Towne Christmas Stroll, a longstanding Tullahoma Tradition… The city invites you to join them Tuesday, December 11 from 5pm – 8 pm. This free musical celebration takes place in Tullahoma’s historic district at sites delineated by luminaries. In keeping with the spirit of Christmas, the city asks you to bring a newly wrapped toy for Toys for Tots or non-perishable food...

A preliminary autopsy revealed that Thomas Colucci died of multiple gunshot wounds. The autopsy was conducted yesterday (Nov. 14) by the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Nashville. Colucci’s body was found Tuesday morning in his residence on Maple Springs Road in the Pocahontas community. His body was found after a passerby saw his fiancé Connie King with blood on her, running in the yard screaming for help. The passerby then called 911. Sheriff Steve Graves says that King suffered injuries in the attack. Sheriff’s investigators spent Wednesday at the Maple Springs Road residence sifting through evidence that they found....

During the Coffee County Commission meeting on Tuesday night, a new commissioner was appointed to the 20th district. Gary Kidd, who recently won the election for that district, was appointed because the votes have not been certified. The seat was open after Chris Bird resigned and left the district without representation for several months. If Kidd had not been sworn in Tuesday, he would have not taken over the seat until January. The meeting may have set a record for the length of time after going for a marathon 4.5 hours. The hot topic of the night was the...

Tennessee sales tax collections for October fell below budgeted estimates, but overall revenue collections for the month reflected growth above a year ago. The Finance and Administration Commissioner reported that state revenue collections for October were $836.7 million, which is 5.72% above October 2011. On an accrual basis, October is the third month in the 2012-2013 fiscal year. October collections were $26.7 million more than the budgeted estimate. The general fund was over collected by $21.5 million and the four other funds were over collected by $5.2 million. Sales tax collections were $9.9 million less than the estimate for...

The Tennessee Board of Regents and the Council on Occupational Education has granted Tennessee Technology Center at McMinnville permission to open a culinary arts and hospitality tech school to be located at the Manchester ~ Coffee County Conference Center.  The program is set to begin on January 2nd 2013.  Applications for the program are currently being taken through the TTC McMinnville Campus. General Manager and Senior Executive Chef at the conference center, Mike Osborne, will head up the program for Coffee County.  Osborne said he was approached by Dr. Warren Laux, Director of TTC McMinnville about starting a technology...

Plans for an Italian restaurant were released at the city of Tullahoma’s beer board meeting held Monday night. An on-premise beer permit request for Bella NaPoli received approval at its location on 1410 N. Jackson St. formerly Casa Mexico in the Quality Inn plaza. Owner Carlos Hernandez and manager Rashid Rashid applied for the permit. Rashid said he’s hoping to open on the first of December. Bella NaPoli will be Hernandez and Rashid’s first Italian restaurant together. Both help run several Mexican restaurants with the corporation Multicultural Provisions, Inc. including Casa Mexico in Tullahoma. Rashid said Bella NaPoli is...

More than half of Democrats like the job Bill Haslam is doing as Governor. A new poll from MTSU also shows the governor getting high marks among independents. Haslam wins support from 54 % of Democrats. With Independents, it’s 76 %. Overall, pollster Ken Blake says voters see Haslam as a moderate Republican. He cites the governor’s stance on whether the state should set up its own health insurance exchange. Blake says Haslam’s popularity mirrors that of his Democratic predecessor, Phil Bredesen, who drew at least 60 percent support among Republicans and independents. One group in the poll where...