On Monday morning, (October 1st, 2018) at approximately 7:45 am Franklin County Sheriff’s Office personnel were in the process of responding to a stolen vehicle, via OnStar around the 6000 block of Buncombe Rd when the vehicle in question was identified by Franklin County Sheriff Tim Fuller at Speedway Market in Winchester. Sheriff Fuller and a Winchester Police Motor Unit attempted to block the vehicle in by the gas pumps of Speedway Market, but the driver of the stolen vehicle avoided law enforcement and fled the area traveling toward the square. A pursuit ensued, with the vehicle coming to...

Coffee County Election Commission 1329 Mc Arthur Street, Suite 6 Manchester, Tn 37355 931-723-5103 October 1, 2018 PRESS RELEASE: The Coffee County Election Commission will meet on Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 4:00 PM in the Election Commission office, Administrative Plaza, 1329 McArthur Street, Suite 6 in Manchester. The purpose of the meeting will be to certify early voting machines for the November 6, 2018 election, audit registration forms and recruit a new employee to serve as the Administrator of Elections upon the retirement of the current Administrator. Last day to register to vote is October 9, 2018. Early...

The hemp industry is booming in Tennessee. Right now, Tennessee is seeing dozens of applications to start industrial hemp farms. The plant is used to create CBD oils and other products, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. CBD oil has been touted for its health benefits. Proponents say CBD is different from marijuana, in that it doesn’t have THC in it. THC gives marijuana its psychoactive property. In other words, you can’t “get high” from taking CBD. At least 35 states have passed legislation regarding industrial hemp. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture regulates the industry and anyone...

In a victory for opponents of abortion, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal in a case that has made it easier to restrict abortion in Tennessee. Abortion-rights supporters had hoped to overturn a 2014 change to the state constitution, which added language saying nothing in the document “secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion.” The change was approved by 53 percent of voters, but the plaintiffs argued the state’s method of counting votes was unfair and allowed voters to game the system. A federal judge agreed in 2016,...

STORY UPDATE: On Thursday (Sept. 13, 2018) almost 7 years after being arrested Shannon Eugene Amos, now 46, was convicted for having sex with the teenager who worked in his Tullahoma business. Amos was found guilty after a 7-day trial. That’s when this case began to change. According to Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott, Amos was convicted by a jury for Aggravated Statutory Rape, Statutory Rape by Authority Figure, and Sexual Battery by Authority Figure. Judge Venessa Jackson denied the prosecution’s request to revoke bond pending sentencing, but the D.A.’s office filed a written motion for her to...

Education Commissioner Candice McQueen has announced that the 2017-18 high school graduation rate held steady at 89.1 percent, which is the highest graduation rate on record for Tennessee. This year, more than 56 percent of districts with high schools saw their graduation rates improve when compared to last year’s rates. Under Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration, Tennessee has set high expectations for both students and educators, and students have made significant gains as a result. As part of this work, the state transitioned to a more rigorous calculation for graduation rates in 2011, and even under the new criteria, rates...

Tennessee’s attorney general says the state will receive a $1.7 million share from a $148 million nationwide settlement with Uber over its data breach. Attorney General Herbert Slatery’s office says the money will be put in the state’s general fund. Slatery’s office says the settlement comes after Uber learned in November 2016 that hackers accessed Uber’s personal information on drivers, including driver’s licenses for 600,000 drivers nationwide. Uber paid the hackers $100,000 and the company was assured the hackers deleted the info but did not report the breach in a timely manner under state law, having waited until November...