Duck River Electric Membership Corp. (DREMC) is conducting what it calls a “selective low volume back pack” herbicide application process. The purpose, according to the notice mailed to customers, is to destroy problem trees, brush and vines in unmaintained areas of power line rights of way and fence rows under power lines that have grown up with trees and brush. The work by DREMC crews will be performed from June to September. A spokesperson for the electric company said that the spraying is there effort to improve the electric service reliability to its members. The goal is said to...

A 17-year-old is facing charges following an incident at his residence on Druid Lane in Tullahoma. Police were dispatched to the house because of a possible disturbance. When Tullahoma Officer Jim Tate arrived, he allegedly found the teenager attempting to set a mattress on fire. Tate stopped him and grabbed the fire extinguisher from his patrol car and put the fire out. He then escorted the boy out of the house and met members of the fire department who removed the mattress from the...

A 12-year-old Shelbyville boy has died  following a five-year battle with cancer. Alex Rodriguez was diagnosed with a rare cancer that affects the soft tissue, when he was just he was just seven years old. After his diagnosis, Alex underwent chemotherapy and radiation but when the treatments weren’t working he made the decision to stop them and instead spend the time he had left with his family. Funeral services were held...

County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for April 2012, are out and they show the rate decreased in 84 counties, increased in five counties, and remained the same in six counties. Williamson County had the lowest county rate at 5.3% and the highest rate is in Scott County at 15.4% The rate in Coffee County in April stayed the same as in March at 7.6%. In surrounding counties like Franklin County they fell from 8.3 to 7.6, Grundy down from 9.4% to 9.1, Cannon County dropped 0.2 to 7.3, Bedford has a nice drop from 9.1 to 8.4, Moore County...

The Music City Roots free concert and free food event was a big success at Roberts Nissan yesterday (May 28, 2012). The Volunteer String Band put on a fantastic show and Free Vietti Chili dogs were served along with free Sundrop. During the event Manchester Mayor Betty Superstein gave the “Key to the City” to the Coffee County Lady Raiders softball team and coaches. Head Coach Terry Floyd told the crowd and radio listeners that he was extremely proud of the girls and thanked the community for their support. Music City Roots is a weekly, two-hour radio show that...

The annual Memorial Day Ceremony was held yesterday (May 28th, 2012) on the square in downtown Manchester. The event paid tribute to the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Speakers included State Representative Judd Matheny, representatives from Coffee County, the City of Manchester, Arnold Engineering Development Center, the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Mayor Betty Superstein presented a “Key to the City” to Veteran Jimmy Taylor. Taylor for many years has helped organize veterans events on the...

A Manchester woman is in critical condition in Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga after being severely beaten Friday night by three males. According to Investigator Butch Stewart, around 9:30 p.m. Friday night Amanda Townsend, 32, of Summer St. Manchester was in her residence when three black males kicked the door open and entered the house. “They began to beat her and asking her where’s the money,” the investigator stated. “They beat her for some time until she eventually passed out,” Stewart stated. Townsend later gained consciousness and found herself stuffed in a closet in the kitchen of the residence....

A 32-year-old Shelbyville man is being held in the Franklin County Jail after he was arrested Thursday night on kidnapping and sex charges. Christopher Blunkall, of Cedar Grove Road, Shelbyville, was charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and solicitation of a minor with electronic devices. He is being held under a $100,000 bond. Blunkall’s arrest comes after a 12-year-old Winchester girl told police last month that she was kidnapped from a local convenience store and raped. She later recanted the kidnapping story and told police she had been with a man in a motel having sex. But she refused to...