A joint investigation including Special Agents with the Drug Investigation Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tactical Diversion Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, and detectives with the Murfreesboro Police Department, has resulted in the arrest of three Murfreesboro residents on drug-related charges. In November, law enforcement officers began investigating a series of overdoses that took place in Murfreesboro involving fentanyl-laced heroin. During the course of the investigation, Agents and officers developed information that identified the source of the supply of heroin and methamphetamine for a distribution organization in Middle Tennessee. The investigation revealed that the heroin had...

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital says a $50 million donation from a research-based pharmaceutical company is the largest one-time gift in its history. The Memphis, Tennessee-based hospital said Monday that the donation from the AbbVie company will support construction of a treatment-free floor where families can “relax, recover and connect in a centralized location.” Named the Family Commons, the floor will include a preschool program, a play area including an outdoor patio, living room area and resting nooks, and a private area offering snacks and a general store for patient families. St. Jude is considered a leading researcher of...

Congratulations to Manchester resident Rob Moreland, he is the recipient of South Cumberland State Park Manager George Shinn’s 2018 “Golden Shell” Award, given annually to the State Parks Friends volunteer who exhibits exceptional dedication to the environmental, interpretive and recreational mission of South Cumberland State Park. Rob is currently heading up the Friends’ effort to rehab and interpret the site of a 1930s-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) work camp in the Grundy Forest area of the...

Please join your local VFW post 10904 members in singing Christmas songs and/or carols with codename “Operation Joy” at various locations. One of our events will be at Autumn Oaks in Manchester. This event will be held Monday, 10 December at 1 pm. Autumn Oaks is an assisted living center right next to All God’s Creatures vet clinic in Manchester. All are welcome to join the VFW. It is extremely...

The Public Building Authority (PBA) oversees the financially troubled Manchester-Coffee County Conference Center (MCCCC). You might remember that the PBA voted at its Sept. 14 meeting to amend the bylaws of the authority. Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service Writes Opinion Against Public Building Authority By-Law Change The change allows for three members from Manchester and the other four can be from anywhere in the county. Before the change the City of Manchester had two, two representatives from Tullahoma, two represented rural Coffee County, and one member was designated at-large. PBA Board Member Greg Sandlin, who represents Tullahoma, believes that...

Smyrna Police are investigating a murder-suicide. They were called to Wisdom Way Monday morning at 5am for a domestic assault with shots fired. NewsChannel 5 reports when authorities arrived on the scene, they found 32-year old Tiffany Barnes, who had been shot and killed by her husband, 43-year old James Barnes. They believe after he shot her, he turned the gun on himself. There were four children at the home at the time the shooting took place, but police say none of them were...

Children’s advocates say while the need for Medicaid expansion has been overlooked by the Tennessee legislature, its impact on the growing number of uninsured children shouldn’t be ignored. A new report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families shows Tennessee topping states where the numbers are backsliding, partly due to lack of Medicaid expansion. “Studies show that children are more likely to be insured when their parents have coverage,” explains Kinika Young, director of children’s health for the Tennessee Justice Center. “So it’s really important to close the coverage gap and make sure that everyone has insurance,...

A man that served as band director for 30 years at Westwood Junior High, now Westwood Middle School, in Manchester has been arrested and charged with one count of aggravated sexual battery against a 12-year-old. That is a Class B felony in the state of Tennessee. Evans Baird, who was also the chorus director at the school and was the director of various events in Manchester before his retirement, was indicted in Coffee County Court on Wednesday, Nov. 28. District Attorney Craig Northcott says that Baird posted the $10,000 bond and was released from the Coffee County Jail. Northcott...