Some Tennessee students attending college in the fall could see an increase in tuition and fees of more than 7 percent. The finance committee of the state Board of Regents met Tuesday and unanimously recommended increases at its six universities, 13 community colleges including Motlow College and 27 technology centers. The hikes varied, with East Tennessee State University seeing the highest increase at 7.2 percent. Austin Peay was the lowest at 3.4 percent. The increases will be presented to the full board that meets later this month. Regents Chancellor John Morgan said no hike is ever welcomed, but that...

Tennessee’s unemployment increased slightly in May, the first increase in two years. The 7.9% unemployment rate is up from 7.7% in April. Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Karla Davis said in a release on Thursday that the increase in the jobless rate is mainly due to people “re-entering the workforce to look for work.” The national unemployment rate for May was 8.2%, 0.1%age point higher than the previous month. Education and health services saw the biggest increase compared with last month, at a growth rate of 1.5%. Next were jobs in mining, logging and construction at 1.2%, and positions...

Governor Bill Haslam has issued an executive order to make the management of state drug courts the responsibility of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Haslam said in a statement Wednesday that the move will increase efficiency and that the change fits with the department’s role as the main authority for substance abuse in the state. Commissioner Doug Varney said the change recognizes that the state faces what he called “a major prescription drug problem,” and that Tennessee must focus its resources to have the biggest effect on drug abuse. The change will take place on...

Tennessee is once again ranked among the best in economic development by Area Development magazine, a leading executive publication covering corporate site selection and facility planning. The Volunteer State, along with Texas, South Carolina and Utah, were named the winners of the magazine’s 2012 Gold Shovel Awards, presented annually to states that have achieved significant success in terms of job creation and economic impact. Tennessee received a Gold Shovel award in 2009 and Silver Shovel awards in 2006, 2010, and...

The 18th annual RC-Moon Pie Festival will be held Saturday (June 16) in Bell Buckle. The Southeastern Tourism Society has rated the long-running festival a top 20 event. The festival began in the mid 1990s when a previous event, a somewhat generic country fair, was losing steam, and town merchants learned that the Moon Pie was about to celebrate a birthday. The day will begin at 7 a.m. with the 17th annual RC-Moon Pie 10-Mile Run. The run, on a challenging, hilly course in what are often warm conditions, expects more than 900 runners ranging in age from 6...

Coffee County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday night. A controversial vote on re-zoning land in Hillsboro was on the agenda. Wright Paving and Custom Stone wants to use the property they own to be used as a rock quarry. County commissioners voted to send the issue back to the Coffee County Planning Commission for further review with a report due by the November meeting. Commissioners also were to vote to restore the original reclamation plan that was presented to the planning commission several years ago. Reclamation is done to put land back to as close to the...

Preliminary figures from the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Chattanooga District indicate that State Troopers investigated 29 traffic crashes with zero fatalities during the 2012 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Coffee County from last Wednesday through Monday. State Troopers issued 347 moving violation citations and responded to 534 motorist assist calls. The THP sends officers from each district to work in Manchester during...

A follow-up to a story we brought you yesterday about a Coffee County Animal Control worker accused of allegedly shooting and killing a dog without following proper procedure: Animal Control officer Charlie Brown filed a police report with the Manchester Police Department concerning the dog’s owner, Bryan Pennington. The report of intimidation states that Pennington and Brown had a verbal altercation Tuesday morning. Brown says in the report that Pennington made “threats to do bodily injury” to Brown. The animal control officer says Pennington said he would “beat him up” and told him “this is small town and you...