State education officials are urging Tennesseans who have not earned their GED diploma to take the test soon. That’s because effective Jan.1, 2014, the test will cost more, must be taken on a computer and will have major content changes. According to a news release from the Tennessee Department of Labor Development, the 2014 test will be more rigorous in general and require higher level math proficiency. The current test fee averages $65. In 2014, the fee will be a minimum of $120. Last year, more than 12,000 Tennesseans earned GED diplomas. The state still has about 1 million...

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has released the “Crime in Tennessee 2011″ report which showed a 1.7% decrease in overall crimes reported in Tennessee in 2011 compared with 2010. This is third year in a row that reported offenses decreased when compared with the previous year. For the 2011 calendar year, 576,844 Group A offenses were reported compared with 586,714 in 2010. The largest majority of crimes reported were committed against property at more than 58% which is a decrease of 2.5% from the previous year. Crimes against persons also decreased approximately 2%, however, crimes against society increased 3%....

According to the Better Business Bureau, more than 18 million Americans have been victims of identity theft over the past two years. This weekend the BBB is teaming up with Ascend Federal Credit Union to help area residents protect themselves from fraud. Ascend will host Shred Day on Saturday, April 21. People are welcome to bring old receipts to be shredded, in order to protect themselves from identity theft as much as possible, they should be sure to bring along old documents containing sensitive personal information. Shred Day will begin at 9 a.m. at the credit union on North...

April is National Autism Awareness Month a special fundraiser that had been set for Saturday at Frazier McEwen Park to raise money to combat the devastating neurological and biological disorder is being postponed due to rain in the forecast. Plans have been changed to have the Children’s Spring Festival sometime in mid May, depending on when Frazier McEwen Park may be available to set up booths and recreational equipment to accommodate the event. The festival is planned to feature a bounce house, arts and crafts, games and food items. Autism typically affects children between the ages in 18 months...

The City of Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted Tuesday night for local realtor Janet Nettles as its newest alderman. The position became available when Lonnie Norman resigned his seat to run for mayor in the upcoming August election. A change in the city charter a couple of years ago forces a standing alderman to resign if he or she chooses to run for the higher office. Alderman Nettles was sworn-in by Finance Director Esther Greene after the Board of Mayor and Aldermen...

Tullahoma Police are investigating the theft of a prom dress from Millie’s. According to a report by Officer Daryn Gadeken, a woman, who is thought to be from the Sewanee area, recently paid a $100 deposit on a prom dress. When Julia Bryce of Millie’s attempted to deposit in her checking account, the bank notified her that the account had been closed. Bryce then placed the dress back on the rack. Then the woman returned to the store and advised an employee that she had paid for the dress and that she wanted to pick it up. The employee...

Tennessee is following the national trend of fewer adolescent pregnancies. New federal statistics show that nearly every state in the union saw a decline in teen births from 2007 to 2010. The biggest drop occured in Arizona at 29 percent, while Mississippi had the highest rate. There were 55 teen births in Mississippi per 1,000 girls, though the rate there is also declining. Pregnancies among Tennessee girls between the ages of 10 and 17 fell 25% between 2007 and 2010. There were just over 2600 pregnancies recorded in that age bracket in...

Early indications suggest that construction in Tennessee is starting to rebound. Unemployment in the construction trades fell in the state by an average of more than nine percent per month over the winter. Bill Young is a spokesman for the 600 members Associated General Contractors of Tennessee.  He says the member companies are now reporting an improved business climate. Young stresses that construction in the state has not returned to pre-recession levels and he doubts that it will any time soon. He also notes that many construction workers abandoned the field for other trades during the economic downturn. As...