The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department has received information that a scam is going around the area. The Caller ID advises that the number is a local number showing up as Coffee County Government. During the conversation, the scammers begin asking for personal information and credit card information. Officials with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department say this not a legitimate call, this is a scam. If you receive a call regarding this scam, do not give out any personal information. You can report the activity to local law...

Gov. Bill Lee says his upcoming budget proposal will include $40 million to improve school safety. Lee’s team announced on Thursday that $10 million was already budgeted for school safety from former Gov. Bill Haslam’s plan for the upcoming fiscal year. Lee will add $30 million to that amount, with $20 million slotted for one-time funding and $10 million in recurring funds. The funding will be used as a safety grant fund. Lee’s team says the administration will sponsor additional legislation that will prioritize the distribution of those grants to pay for school resource officers. Schools that already have...

The Special Investigations Section of the Tennessee Department of Revenue conducted the investigation that led to Serapio Granados pleading guilty to eight counts of tax fraud. Granados, 49, pleaded guilty to charges related to sales tax evasion on Tuesday. Judge Forest Durard, Jr. accepted Granados’ guilty plea and placed him on 16 years of probation. Granados was ordered to pay restitution of $74, 539.91. Granados is the owner of Stonebridge Restaurant in Fayetteville. The Department pursued this criminal case in cooperation with District Attorney Robert Carter’s office. Citizens who suspect violations of Tennessee’s revenue laws should call the toll-free...

More than 37,000 Tennesseans are likely to find out they have cancer this year, and the American Cancer Society and its advocates gathered Wednesday at the State Capitol to ask legislators to zero in on smoking as the largest cause of the disease. Last year, smoking-related health issues cost the state almost $3 billion. However, nearly $4 million was zeroed out of last year’s budget for tobacco-cessation and smoking-prevention programs for youths. This includes the Baby and Me program, designed to help pregnant women quit smoking, says Emily Ogden, government-relations director for the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network....

Flooding in certain areas of Coffee County is causing some issues with travel. With more rain falling, some roads may become impassable. Manchester and Tullahoma street departments, the county highway department, area law enforcement and Coffee County Emergency Management are all working together to keep roads open and clearing debris. On the state level the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Tennessee Highway Patrol officials are taking steps to keep roads clear and safe. TDOT crews started cleaning storm drains last week to help keep roads from flooding. Officials said any kind of debris can clog drains quickly. TDOT also...

Attorneys for Adam Braseel, a Grundy County man, who has been in prison for more than 10 years are hoping that new evidence will free their client. Braseel was convicted in 2007 for the 2006 slaying of Malcolm Burrows, in Grundy County. His conviction included; first degree premeditated murder, first degree felony murder, especially aggravated robbery, attempt to commit first degree murder, aggravated assault, and assault. Currently he is not eligible for parole until 2063, at the age of 80, effectively making this a life sentence. Attorneys for Braseel have filed a new petition that states evidence used in...

Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee say the General Assembly should ban shackling pregnant women in detention, especially during childbirth. The bill would not only prohibit the state’s inconsistent use of shackling, but also provide prenatal and postpartum medical care. The bill would also ban solitary confinement for pregnant women before and after giving birth. The legislation is backed by Democratic legislative leaders and civil rights activists. Republican Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday said he hasn’t reviewed the bill but is interested in learning more. In 2013, Tennessee made national headlines when a federal judge ruled that jail officers showed “deliberate...