Officials with the Tennessee Department of Health say 85 percent of all maternity deaths in 2017 could have been prevented, with substance abuse being determined as the leading contribution in those deaths. The agency issued the report on Tuesday after the Tennessee General Assembly in 2016 passed the Maternal Mortality Review and Prevention Act. The law created a review panel to look over maternal deaths and offer prevention recommendations. According to the 59-page report, the panel verified 78 deaths in 2017 were pregnancy-associated despite 98 deaths flagged as such. Tennessee’s pregnancy-associated mortality ratio would have been 26 percent higher...

Extended Schools Program (ESP) at Westwood Middle School (WMS) will begin on Monday, March 4. Info will be sent home with students this week, including registration information. The registration form will also be available on the Westwood Middle School webpage. Families can return the registration form along with the $10 registration fee at WMS next Tuesday-Friday from 7:00-7:45 am. Additionally, the school system will accept registrations at the Manchester City Schools Central Office (215 E. Fort Street). The program will have a daily rate of $6. Families can pay in advance but will only be charged for the days...

Daniel Chandler has received a new trial date for the slaying of his 26-year-old wife Samantha Chandler on May 1, 2016. Chandler’s body was found by off-road riders near Ross Creek in Gruetli-Laager in Grundy County. Daniel Chandler was charged with the murder in 2017, and at the time he was 29. He was located in Walker County, Alabama at the time of his arrest. He will face a jury on charges of first-degree murder on August 12, in Grundy County Circuit Court before Judge Thomas W....

The Tennessee Department of Human Services is advising SNAP recipients that they may receive their March benefits early. Those who normally get their benefits on the first through sixth day of the month will receive benefits on their normal date. However, if you normally receive benefits on the seventh through 20th day of the month, you will receive them on March 6. Officials say the amount deposited will be the same as your usual deposit, but is not a bonus payment. It is intended to cover household food needs through March 2019. Officials also say February benefits will not...

A pair of lawmakers have proposed a bill that would ban gay marriage in Tennessee. WTVF in Nashville reports the bill states it would “defend natural marriage between one man and one woman, regardless of any court decision to the contrary.” The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in 2015. The sponsors are Representative Jerry Sexton (R-Bean Station) and Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon). They have introduced similar bills in 2016 and 2018 that didn’t get...

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee says he will repeal the state’s “gym tax” in his upcoming budget proposal. The state imposes a nearly 10 percent amusement tax on memberships to gyms, fitness centers and health clubs. It’s been on the books since the mid-1980s and represents about $10 million in state revenue. However, Lee says the tax discourages Tennesseans from developing healthy habits. The Tennessee Department of Health says the state ranks 40th in the nation for physical activity and 35th for adult obesity. TDH estimates show illnesses related to diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease cost the state more than...

FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING… The Flash Flood Watch continues for a portion of Middle Tennessee, including the following areas, Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Moore, Rutherford, Warren and several others. * From Tuesday evening through Thursday morning. * 2 to 4 inches of rainfall are expected across the watch area. * Street flooding will be a hazard for travelers. Low-lying and poor drainage areas will be at risk for flash flooding, as well as small streams. A Flash Flood Watch means that conditions may develop that lead to flash flooding. Flash flooding is a...