Grundy County School Board members have chosen Jessie Kinsey to lead the district for the next four years. Kinsey is a 1999 graduate of Grundy County High School, where she was valedictorian of the senior class. She has served as a school counselor for the past eight years, most recently at the high school. She replaces William Childers, who had been serving as interim director since last spring. The school district has had heavy turnover in the director’s position in recent years, with Jody Hargis, Clay Newsome, David Dickerson and Childers all serving during the past ten years, some...

Tennessee’s State Fire Marshal’s Office is urging people who purchase a self-balancing scooter, more known as a hoverboard, to use caution after several have been reported to have caused fires. In a news release, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office said it is urging people to do some research before buying the popular hoverboard because a growing worldwide number of injuries and fires involved with the gadgets. The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office is joining the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) in issuing the following safety tips for the use, care, and maintenance of hoverboards. When shopping...

An investigation that began with the Tullahoma Police department has led to six people being arrested on drug charges. Arrested Tuesday morning by officers on the federal indictments were Amy Glasgow of South Franklin Street, Franklin “Frankie” Bennett of Cobb Hollow Road, Dillon Champion address unknown, and Michael Sibert of Ovoca Road. Also arrested were Timothy Powers of Winchester and Joseph Martin of California. Tuesday morning officers with the Tullahoma Police Department, Winchester Police Officers, U.S. Postal Inspectors and ATF agents made the arrest in connection to conspiracy to distribute 100 kilos of marijuana that was shipped to the...

An Alabama man was arrested on Monday at the Red Roof Inn in Manchester after he allegedly tried to sell crystal ice to an undercover agent. Marvin Leslie Pope Jr., 71, of Birmingham, AL was charged with unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities and manufacturing /delivering/selling/possession of a controlled substance. According to warrants by Sheriff’s Investigator James Sherrill, the arrest was made after Pope allegedly produced 29 bags of ice. He allegedly told the undercover officer that he wanted $1,200 an ounce for the ice. According to the warrant he also had a set of digital scales to weigh...

Aliya Thomas a student at Coffee County High School was walking home from school Monday afternoon when she was struck by a vehicle. Thomas, 17, was hit after two vehicles crashed, sending one spinning onto the sidewalk and striking her. According to Officer Trey Adcock’s report a 2002 Ford minivan operated by Edward Stambaugh, 43, of Manchester, and a 1996 Ford pickup operated by Bobby Baker, 17, of Manchester were involved in the accident. Thomas was transported by Coffee County Ambulance Service to Unity Medical Center, where she was then flown by Air Evac to Vanderbilt University Children’s Hospital...

The Manchester-Coffee County Conference Center is looking for its third General Manager in the last year and a half as Alyce Heifner has resigned. She served in that capacity for approximately a year and five months after long-term General Manager and Chef Mike Osbourne left for a job in Rutherford County. Coffee County Public Building Authority (PBA) which oversees the conference center will now start the search for Heifner replacement. Her resignation was not expected according to a current board member. The Manchester-Coffee County Conference Center has been in operation since 2003 and is funded by Coffee County and...

Five years of development, impressive outcomes, teamwork and diligence has paid off in a big way for the mechatronics program at Motlow State Community College. The program recently received a critical accreditation from the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE), a nationally recognized accrediting agency for technology programs within community colleges and universities. The mechatronics program at Motlow began with the Level One certification in 2010, with the goal to build it into a two-year AAS (Associate of Applied Science) program while working to achieve accreditation. The AAS program began in 2012. Over a dozen Motlow employees...

The Tennessee Highway Patrol has issued a preliminary crash report. It states 82-year-old John Nagata from Huntsville, Alabama was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes (wrong way) of Interstate 24 around 5 o’clock Sunday morning near the 135 mile marker in Monteagle when his vehicle struck a minivan head-on. Nagata did not survive. The minivan, with Wisconsin plates, was carrying a 29-year-old male driver and four passengers; a 36-year-old woman, a 17-year-old girl, a nine-year-old boy, and six-year-old girl. The 36-year-old woman was ejected from the van on impact into a grass median. She was wearing a seat belt....