A fisherman on the Duck River in Bedford County discovered a mysterious human skull on a gravel bar in the river. Officials said the skull appears to be larger than a child’s, but smaller than an adult’s. Detectives scoured the area where it was found for much of the day but didn’t turn up any other clues. Investigators said there’s no indication of the skull’s age. Detectives with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said that skull will be taken to the University of Tennessee Department of Anthropology in Knoxville for examination. The TBI is also studying the skull in...

Parents/caregivers play a major role in their children’s choices about alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. A recent national survey of parents and teens by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found one-third of teen partygoers have been to parties where teens were drinking alcohol or using other drugs while a parent was present. By age 17, nearly half (46 percent) of teens have been at such parties where parents were present. In Coffee County forty percent (40%) of adults have first-hand knowledge of parents who knowingly allow youth under 21 to drink in their...

Tullahoma youngsters will have to find an alternate place to swim this summer.  The Joel Ferrell Outdoor Pool is closed due to heavy deterioration. Kurt Glick, Tullahoma Parks and Recreation director, says the pool’s poor substructure caused the pool to be out of commission. The pool has been operating the past 23 years with a liner designed to last 15 years. The recreation department has managed to repair the vinyl material for eight extra years, but an October 2011 hail storm left it beyond repair. The recreation director says the city received $82,810 in insurance money to replace the...

Two people were arrested Saturday after they were allegedly found to be in possession of a methamphetamines lab and other drugs. Tullahoma Police responded to a disturbance at 212 West Moore Street and arrested 40-year-old Karen Sue Partin of Decherd.  54-year-old Charles Gipson of West Moore Street of Tullahoma was charged with manufacture/delivery/sell of controlled substance, possession of controlled substance, possession of Schedule II, possession of Schedule IV, and possession of drug paraphernalia. When the officer arrived he found an operating meth lab and another one outside the residence. The officer alleges that he also found multiple meth ingredients....

TCAP tests will be administered April 23-30. TCAP, a state mandated assessment for grades 3-8, is a summative test that measures how well students have mastered grade level skills and what they are able to do beyond grade level. For the first time, TCAP scores will count 15% of a student’s second semester grade in reading/language arts and math. If a student is absent and does not make-up the test, a grade of 0 will be averaged for 15% of the second semester grade. Coffee County Schools TCAP Schedule: Monday, April 23 – Reading/Language Arts Tuesday, April 24 –...

The House passed a bill that would make it a felony to make or sell synthetic drugs often called bath salts that imitate controlled substances. The bill passed unanimously during the House floor session on Monday. Sponsor Rep. Jon Lundberg, a Republican from Bristol, said the drugs have hit his district in northeastern Tennessee hard after Virginia banned the drugs and people have been crossing state lines to purchase the drugs in stores in Tennessee. Lundberg said the drugs are not marketed for ingestion and can be purchased in convenience and tobacco stores. The bill would also allow authorities...

Law enforcement is searching for a Marion County man. 34-year-old Joshua Luke Mitchell is wanted in connection with charges of child rape and violation of the Tennessee’s sex offender registry. The man is listed on sexual offender’s registries in Alabama, Texas, and North Carolina. Mitchell is wanted in connection with an incident Sunday involving a 4-year-old girl in the Haletown area of Marion County. He had been living in Marion County for about two months.  Mitchell is described as a white man, 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-10, weighing between 175 and 190 pounds with blue eyes and blond or strawberry-colored hair....

Former Saturday Night Live star Victoria Jackson recently paid a visit to Murfreesboro. Jackson filmed a news story about the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro constructing a mosque on Veals Road. Jackson works as a conservative citizen journalist. Jackson did not have any luck on interviewing anyone from the Islamic Center, but says she believes the center is building a new mosque in Murfreesboro because of its college town status and will use the college as a recruiting ground for Muslim...