With the midterm primaries about to go into full swing, the Department of Homeland Security is playing catch-up in helping to ensure that state election systems are secure against cybertampering by the Russians or others bent on mischief. The department says it has completed on-site risk assessments of election systems in just nine of 17 states that have formally requested them so far. It has pledged to do so by November for every state that asks. The security reviews are designed to identify any weaknesses that could be exploited by hackers. Homeland Security officials attribute the backlog to increased...

Tennessee gas prices averaged $2.59 on Sunday. The state average is the same as last week, and 22 cents less than the national average. However, Tennessee motorists are paying 47 cents more per gallon than this time last year. About half the price of what you pay at the pump is determined by the price of oil. Last week, crude oil rose more than a dollar, which usually equates to a 2.5 cent increase at the pump. AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said preliminary projections had gasoline averaging around $2.75 this summer. The national average was $2.81 on Sunday. The...

Earlier this year we reported that Robert Hulan allegedly cut a realtor lock off a home in Manchester without permission to enter the residence. According to the arrest warrant, Hulan then entered the house and began living in the home and parking his vehicle in the driveway. The value of the home is approximately $90,000. Hulan, now 65, of Clayton Lane, Morrison, was arrested on Jan. 9. He was released on a $40,000 bond and was set to appear in court on May 12. All of the charges that incident have been dismissed. The decision was signed by Timothy...

Boosted by a record number of participating area nonprofits, The Big Payback’s fifth-annual 24-hour online giving event on Wednesday, May 2, 2018 helped raise a record amount of funds for the organizations. In the Fifth Third Bank’s Big Reveal, the preliminary final amount totaling $3 million came from 22,071 total gifts. Tullahoma’s South Jackson Civic Center received the most donations in Coffee County, totaling over $16,000. In its five-year history, The Big Payback has helped hundreds and hundreds of area nonprofits raise more than $12.5 million in cumulative...

The Warren County Sheriff’s Department is looking for a man who they say stole two vehicles and led officers on a high-speed chase Friday afternoon. The Sheriff’s Department has taken out warrants against Howard Eugene Brown on numerous charges, including driving on revoked, evading arrest, reckless endangerment, aggravated assault, and two counts of theft. Authorities say Brown is accused of stealing a Dodge Durango out of Maury County. That vehicle was located in Warren County by deputies. Brown then allegedly stole a Honda Accord and led officers on a pursuit on back roads in the northwestern past of the...