Your Local News
Gang Crimes Are Growing
Gang-related crimes rose by nearly 25% across Tennessee in 2011. Citing statistics from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, The Tennessean reports that such crimes have more than doubled since 2005. But the real story isn’t necessarily in places like Nashville or Memphis. Statistics show the state’s small towns are becoming incubators of gang violence. Since 2005, cities with fewer than 50,000 residents saw gang crime more than triple. Gangs are becoming problems in places like Springfield, a town of about 16,000 people 30 miles north of Nashville. In the past two months in Springfield, three suspected gang members were...
It’s Almost Early Vote Time
Any voter registered in Coffee County may vote early at the Coffee County Election Commission in Manchester or CD Stamps Center in Tullahoma starting Friday July 13-July 28. Election Day is August 2. Each facility will be open till noon on each Saturday during that time frame. State or Federal photo ID is now required. This may include, driver’s license, US passports, military or veteran ID, handgun permits with photos or a Department of Safety ID. IDs can be current or expired. Student IDs will not be accepted. Those who come to vote in person without a photo ID...
Accident Hurts 5 Wattendorf Hwy/AEDC Access Road
On Monday morning around 7:30am a head-on collision occurred on the Wattendorf Highway the AEDC access road. Four people were injured in the two-vehicle crash. According to a report by Tennessee Highway Patrolman Carl Seagroves a 1998 Nissan Maxima driven by Evan John Smith, 20, of Louisville, Kentucky drifted off the highway and struck a guardrail. The car then crossed the centerline into the path of a 1996 Chevrolet pickup operated by James Richard Edwards, 45, of Hillsboro. According to the trooper’s report, Smith was the only occupant in the Nissan and he was apparently on his way to...
Two I-24 Crashes Send Four To Hospitals
At 8:00 p.m. Saturday night (July 7, 2012), four people from Georgia were traveling east on I-24 when they experienced a blowout in one tire that sent them into a skid off the right side of the interstate, overturning several times. An eyewitness said they were right behind the Mitsubishi when they heard a loud pop and saw the crash. No other cars were involved in the incident. One person was flown to Vanderbilt and another was taken to an area hospital. Manchester Fire & Rescue used the Jaws-of-Life to extract the two victims from the backseat of the...
Trees More Vulnerable During Drought
Forestry experts warn that persistent drought conditions in Tennessee have made trees more vulnerable to gusts of wind. The National Weather Service reports that at least 64% of Tennessee is experiencing severe drought conditions. Severe drought conditions mean agricultural losses may occur. The fire risk is very high and water shortages are common. Extreme drought conditions are marked by significant agricultural losses, extreme fire danger and widespread water shortages. Afternoon storms have caused several trees to fall across Middle Tennessee. The trees have damaged homes and brought down power lines. This past Thursday a strong storm damaged homes and...
Tullahoma Man Being Held For Texas Lawmen
A Tullahoma man is being held in the Coffee County Jail under a $2 million bond after his recent arrest. 40-year-old Murray Dewayne Strawn was arrested on a fugitive from justice warrant that originated in Texas. According to warrants at the Coffee County Jail, Strawn is accused of aggravated assault in Dallas, Texas. He will be held in jail until the Texas authorities come and pick him...
Shelbyville Man Charged With Raping Wife
Police in Shelbyville are calling a domestic abuse case one of the most horrific they have ever seen. Investigators believe a woman was held against her will for nearly three days inside her own Shelbyville home while she was beaten, stabbed and raped by her husband, David “Bubba” Johnson. And the whole episode may have started because of an argument over Facebook. Detectives said Johnson snapped Wednesday, repeatedly attacking his wife after he saw her chatting with another man on Facebook. The couple’s three small children were inside the home at the time, too. Police said after two-and-a-half days...
“Micropolitan” Tullahoma
According to a new study, Tullahoma ranks third in the state for “Micropolitan” areas due to its economic strength. The study recognizes communities that have consistent growth in both size and quality for an extended period of time. “Micropolitan” areas, according to the 2000 Census, are too rural to be considered urban and too urban to be considered rural. The Tullahoma “Micropolitan” Area ranks 134th out of 576 in the nation for 2012, which is up from 148th in 2011. The city has ranked as high as 44th in the nation in years prior and is behind Harriman (85th)...
