A bill that would require transgender students to use bathrooms that match their sex at birth has failed. The bill died in a House Education Administration and Planning Committee meeting Tuesday that was packed with transgender youth who opposed the measure. Transgender students who testified before the committee were elated and said they felt like sharing their personal stories had impacted the vote. Religious conservatives had pushed the legislation, which was supported by Coffee County State Rep. Judd Matheny. A revised fiscal note on the bill said the federal government could withhold education money if the bill passed. The...

We hear reports all the time about “Human Trafficking” which is the exploitation of human beings for personal gain. Hannah Harmon is a missionary whose heart has become burdened by the plight of modern day slavery. To show her support in abolishing slavery and to raise awareness about human trafficking in the United States she’s riding a bicycle over 12,000 miles in 166 days through 37 states. Harmon wants to start conversations about the problem and help launch anti-trafficking initiatives in communities everywhere. Harmon will arrive in Manchester on Friday around 2pm and will be escorted by the Manchester...

A Tullahoma resident had to be rescued from a structure fire that occurred last week in the 1200 block of Pickett Drive. According to Tullahoma Fire Chief Richard Shasteen, the first arriving firefighters were on the scene in less than five minutes. Firefighters Josh Nelms and Rocky Rhoton were able to rescue a resident from the home. The individual victim was transported to Tennova Healthcare-Harton for observation and kept overnight. The other occupants were able to escape. Chief Shasteen said that firefighters entered the front door and found heavy smoke inside of the home with little visibility. Firefighters were able...

After a critical audit report earlier this year detailing a loss of more than $300,000, the Manchester-Coffee County Conference Center (MCCCC) ended the month of February in the black. According to a report in the Tullahoma News, the center turned a profit of $4,434.24 in February after paying $11,000 in outstanding credit card debt. The Coffee County Public Building Authority (PBA) is making an effort to improve the financial standing of the conference center after a recent audit revealed an operating loss of $301,329.01 during the 2014-15 fiscal year. MCCCC Interim General Manager Rebecca French said, “We had to...

This Thursday afternoon at 5 P.M. the Manchester Board of Education will begin to interview current Coffee County High School Principal Dr Joey Vaughn. Vaughn is being interviewed about the open Director of Schools position with Manchester City Schools. The interview will take place at the administrative building at 215 E. Fort Street, downstairs. Last week during a school meeting where members of the board were contemplating between six other candidates school board Chairman Mike Lewis said he thought the board should ask the local education administrator about the possibility that he might interested in being the next director...

All day Tuesday people were calling authorities in the area about thick black smoke around LKQ Used Auto Parts and the Coffee County Jail on the Hillsboro Highway. Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves said that this was a controlled burn of brush and debris by state officials. At times traffic had to be rerouted because of the heavy smoke that blew across the highway. There was no word given on how many days this controlled burn would...

Early Monday morning around 3:50 A.M. Coffee County emergency dispatch advised deputy units of a structure fire at 75 Stump St. When Deputies Jennifer Curbow, Cody Lendley and Harmon Campbell arrived the mobile home was fully engulfed in flames. Deputy Curbow spoke with a female neighbor across the street that called in the fire who stated Matthew Holder lived there. Personnel with the sheriff’s department spoke with Holder, who stated that he did not live there, but did own the property. As the investigation continued it was discovered that person had perished in the early morning fire. The Coffee...