It looks like a case where a former employee of Coffee County government took the county to court over her losing her job, might soon have a financial settlement. On May 27, 2010, Melinda Keeling was fired from the Coffee County codes department. At that time, Glenn Darden was the department director and David Pennington served as a county mayor. According to County Attorney Bob Huskey, Keeling was laid off because there was not enough work to justify keeping her position. After a trial and an appeal by the county, an opinion was issued by the Tennessee Court of...

The Tennessee Department of Commerce warns buyers that if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Tennessee’s high ranking for fraud and financial abuse complaints to the Federal Trade Commission has motivated local groups to come together to help prevent scams. Kevin Walters, communications director at the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, said it’s a real challenge. “Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated. They are cunning and they’re ruthless and, a lot of times, they’re anonymous,” Walters said. “And they can use technology to cloak phone numbers to hide their location.” He said this year,...

Claire Mason, a Motlow State Community College sophomore from Tullahoma, has been nominated for the 2019 Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) Statewide Outstanding Achievement & Recognition (SOAR) Student Excellence Award for community colleges in Tennessee. Mason attended the Tennessee Leadership Training Institute (TLTI) at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin this week. She will participate in the Middle Regional Competition at TCAT Nashville in February, where three regional finalists will be selected to attend the state competition in March. Nominees must meet an extensive list of requirements, including recognizing TBR’s critical impact on Tennessee’s overall workforce readiness and economic...

What would the holiday season be without a parade? The City of Manchester’s Christmas Parade with the theme of “The Joy of Giving” will be held Saturday, November 24, 2018 beginning at 6:30 pm. To go along with the theme, the Manchester Recreation Center has partnered with the local Good Samaritan to have a city-wide food drive. The Manchester Rec Center will have drop off locations set up along the parade route to accept donations. There is a new route this year for the parade and you can see the map at www.wmsrradio.com just click on this story. The...

As families prepare to gather for Thanksgiving Day feasts this Thursday, November 22, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office reminds Tennesseans the recipe for holiday fire safety always includes add good cooking safety habits. Thanksgiving is the No. 1 day of the year for home fires involving cooking equipment, with three times the average number of fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association. An estimated 2,000 Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings are reported to U.S. fire departments each year according to the U.S. Fire Administration. In Tennessee, 26 percent of reported home structure fires in 2017 involved...

Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum reports two people have been charged in at least two local thefts. Drake Hamby (30), of Coalmont, has been charged in a case of theft and vandalism at the Bethel Cemetery in Pelham. Kristina Patrick (34) has been charged with filing a false report regarding the same incident. The grave is for Hunter Northcutt who passed away last year at the age of 15 from cancer. Both have also been served with criminal summons in a Coalmont theft that occurred last month. Hamby is currently being held in the Marion County Jail on other...

Good news for everyone traveling this week for Thanksgiving. Oil prices hit a new low last week, further fueling the plunge at the gas pump. Gas prices in Tennessee dropped another 8 cents last week. At $2.42 per gallon, the state average is the lowest since March, and only 16 cents higher than this year’s lowest daily average price of $2.26 per gallon. Thanksgiving gas prices in Tennessee will be slightly higher than last year. AAA is forecasting more than 1.2 million Tennesseans will travel for Thanksgiving. Of those, 95 percent will drive. By Thanksgiving Day, the state average...

Officials at Motlow State Community College recently announced the commencement ceremony for the 2018-19 academic year will be at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center in Murfreesboro in May. Motlow is one of the fastest growing colleges in Tennessee. There are just under 7,000 students currently enrolled at the College, attending campuses in Moore County, Smyrna, Fayetteville, and McMinnville, and teaching locations in Sparta and Shelbyville. Increased enrollment has led to an increase in graduates. In recent years, Motlow has held multiple commencements on its Moore County campus, including last year when three separate ceremonies were held. “This facility...