Three Coffee County residents have been sentenced for their part in the distribution of steroids in Ohio. Jason Sherrill, 30, Stephanie Sherrill, 26, both of Tullahoma and Kenneth Freeman, 43, of Manchester were arrested late last year as part of an alleged steroid drug distribution ring that was operating in Warren County, Ohio. The trio was accused of purchasing drugs in powder form from China and mixing the substance into injectable form to sell. They were accused of engaging in corrupt activity and trafficking in drugs. Freeman appeared March 21 and pled guilty to trafficking drugs and engaging in...

Hate crimes in Tennessee jumped in 2011 from a 5-year low the year before. According to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation statistics reported in the Commercial Appeal, there were 261 recorded hate crimes last year. That is a 51% increase from 2010. Hate crime statistics tend to fluctuate a lot from year to year. There were 426 in 2008, 243 in 2009 and 173 in 2010. TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm said it is hard to know whether the fluctuations are the result of more crimes being committed or more people reporting the crimes. It could also reflect changes in the...

Tullahoma Industries, one of the main government contracted manufacturers of US Army Combat Uniforms, announced April 24, 2012 that it will launch a premium denim jean brand through e-commerce, fall 2012. The jeans will be called “Grady Mac Denim.” Grady Mac Knight is the native Tennessean, father-in-law and grandfather of the jean’s designers and owners of Tullahoma Industries Richard and Jamie Davenport. Grady Mac Denim will be sold exclusively through e-commerce initially with the potential to move into specialty boutiques later on. The jeans will be priced from $120-$160. The premium jeans will reflect the American spirit and pride...

The Coffee County Ambulance Service has seen an increase in the number of calls this year. Coffee County Ambulance Service Director John Cathey said that so far this year we have answered 5,734 calls as compared to 6,011 for all of last year. He added that the fiscal year still has several months to go. He said that the ambulance service is now handling more transports calls to and from nursing homes as well as other such calls as well as the emergency calls in Coffee County. Cathey stated that accounts for some of the increase. He also noted...

After having its funding from Coffee County cut from $12,000 per year in 2010 and 2011 to $0 in 2012, the Tullahoma Airport Authority is now requesting $60,000 from the county for 2013, a substantial increase over previous years, citing that the majority of its users are businesses in the Manchester and Interstate Industrial Parks, as well as for Bonnaroo. Karla Smith, the Authority’s treasurer, and Airport Manager Jon Glass say that the heaviest users of the airport are M-Tek, Createc and Nissan, some of which are located in Coffee County outside of Tullahoma, yet the majority of the...

A man wanted for the murder of a retired Tennessee State Trooper who was living in Whitfield County Georgia was arrested Thursday at his residence in Winchester. Daniel York was arrested on first degree murder charges for the murdering William “Bill” Malone and then setting his house on fire 4 years ago. York was arrested by Winchester Police and the TBI at his residence on North High Street in Winchester. Malone was the former police chief of Monteagle. According to Winchester Police Chief Dennis Young, York is being held in the Franklin County Jail without bond and has reportedly...

Hotels in Manchester and beyond have until May 21st to install a handicap lift to their pools and hot tubs. The lifts cost up to $10,000 each and hotels are the ones left holding the bill. The initiative was put into place by the U.S. Justice Department under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Evidently, the proposal to require all hotels to have a lift in their pools and hot tubs was passed in 2010 and then scheduled into action on May 21, 2012. Reports indicate that many hotels will simply close their pools and fill them in instead of...

County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for March 2012, released yesterday, show the rate decreased in 89 counties, increased in five counties, and remained the same in one county. Tennessee’s unemployment rate for March fell to 7.9 percent, down from the February revised rate of 8.0 percent. The national unemployment rate for March 2012 was 8.2 percent, 0.1 percentage point lower than the February rate. Williamson County is the lowest rate in the state at 5.2 percent and Scott County the highest at 17.1 percent. Coffee County’s unemployment rate fell from 8% in Feb to 7.6. Cannon County dropped 0.4...