Latest Headlines
Stolen Credit Card in Tullahoma Sends Man on Spending Binge
One man appears to have gone on a shopping binge in Rutherford County, but Murfreesboro Police say the culprit was using someone else’s credit card. Murfreesboro Police Public Information Officer Larry Flowers says that the suspect broke into a vehicle in Tullahoma and reportedly took a credit card. The male suspect then took the stolen card into Best Buy in The Avenue in Murfreesboro where two computers were charged to the card. Then the man went to Target in the ‘Boro where the suspect charged six Smart Watches. The total amount of items charged on the stolen credit card...
Local Schools to Receive TVA Grants
Some public schools in our area are getting an extra boost for their STEM projects. On Tuesday, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced $580,000 in grants to help public school educators in the Tennessee Valley develop their science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education projects, large and small. According to TVA, the competitive grant program provided teachers an opportunity to apply for funding up to $5,000 and preference was given to grant applications that explored TVA’s primary areas of focus: environment, energy, economic and career development and community problem-solving. Schools who receive grant funding must receive their power from a...
Looks like State Won’t Allow Sports Betting
A Tennessee Senate panel has voted to recommend against passing a bill to legalize sports betting in the state. The Senate Government Operations Committee voted 8-1 Wednesday to make a negative recommendation on Sen. Steve Dickerson’s bill. The legislation still heads to another committee for a vote, but Wednesday’s vote could hamper its prospects. Dickerson’s legislation would allow and regulate statewide mobile and interactive sports gambling, with no brick-and-mortar locations to place bets. Dickerson said it could generate up to $50 million in revenue in its second year. Dickerson said the bill would bring sports betting from the black...
Bill Banning Use of Cell Phone while Driving Moves Forward
A bill banning most cell phone use while driving could soon be one of Tennessee’s new rules of the road. The measure unanimously passed the House Transportation Committee Tuesday with little opposition. A few years back, Rep. John Holsclaw successfully passed a cell phone use ban for drivers in school zones. Now he wants to ban all handheld cellphone usage on every road in the state. “Tennessee, sad to say ranks No. 1 in deaths due to distracted driving,” said Holsclaw, citing an analysis of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation...
Bill would Ban Landlords from Renting or Subleasing to people in U.S. Illegally
A Tennessee bill to ban most landlords from renting or subleasing housing to people in the U.S. illegally is dead for this year’s legislative session. A House panel voted 10-8 Tuesday to send Rep. Bruce Griffey’s legislation to summer study, ending its consideration. Griffey’s bill would penalize landlords for allowing residents in their property while knowing or recklessly disregarding that they’re in the U.S. illegally. First-time offenders would face a misdemeanor punishable by a $350 fine, with increasing penalties. The proposal would exempt landlords with fewer than five units. Joining Democrats in opposition, some Republican lawmakers questioned the constitutionality...
Looks like the Handicap Symbol will change in Tennessee
A proposed Tennessee law updating the international wheelchair symbol has passed in the General Assembly and now goes to Governor Bill Lee for signing. The bill changes the current symbol to a more “dynamic character leaning forward with a sense of movement, be readily identifiable, and be simply designed with no secondary meaning.” The symbol will also be accompanied by the word “Accessible” for signage to designate points of entry on all state buildings purchased after July 1, 2019, and on current buildings when signs need to be replaced. The symbol would also be added to placards, decals, license...
DREMC Updates Text Alert System
DREMC has recently updated its text alert and reminder service to offer members new features, which include two-way communication using the texting option. The new system began March 26, 2019, and DREMC members who opt-in to receive the daily or monthly text alerts and reminders will receive messages from the cooperative’s short code number of 352-667 rather than from alerts@dremc.com. No changes are being made to the alerts and reminders that members have opted to receive, but they will now see a message below the text alert that states, “Reply STOP to opt out.” One of the 11 available...
Tax Refund That Disabled Tennessee Veterans Might Not Know
Some Tennessee veterans might be entitled to a tax refund without even realizing it. Last July, the IRS sent out letters (numbers 6060-A and 6060-D) to roughly 130,000 veterans across the country notifying them about a refund available to those who had taxes improperly withheld from their disability severance pay between 1991 and 2016. To take advantage of the refund, an eligible veteran has to file an amended tax return before the end of July 2019 for the year in which they received disability severance. As that deadline swiftly approaches, the Tennessee Taxpayer Project, an initiative of Legal Aid...
