Two of Tennessee’s largest insurers say they’ve made significant reductions in the number of opioid drugs prescribed. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee in February reported a 6 percent decrease in the number of opioid prescriptions per plan member, per month. Cigna announced recently that it has reduced opioid prescriptions overall by 25 percent – a year earlier than originally planned. Cigna set the goal of reducing opioid prescriptions by 25 percent by 2019 because that would return consumers’ usage rates to pre-epidemic levels. BlueCross BlueShield reported the 6 percent reduction for 2017 over 2016 in...

The Coffee County Election Commission will meet on Monday, April 9, 2018 at 4:00 PM in the Election Commission office in the Administrative Plaza at 1329 McArthur Street, Suite 6 in Manchester. The purpose of the meeting will be to certify the early voting machines for the May 1, 2018 primaries and to approve candidate petitions for the August 2, 2018 elections. Remember early voting for the May 1 primaries runs April...

Tennessee communities of all sizes can now apply for grants to build or improve dog parks in their areas. The Boyd Foundation says it is taking applications for a Dog Park Dash Grant of up to $25,000 to build or improve community dog parks. One community will win $100,000 for being the most actively engaged in making Tennessee the most pet-friendly state. available Over the next three years, the foundation will award $3 million in total grants for the building and enhancement of dog parks. The deadline for this year’s application is June 20. Communities can apply at...

The trial of former Coffee County Central High School Red Raider baseball coach Brad Weir was set to begin March 19, 2018 at the Coffee County Courthouse in downtown Manchester. According to District Attorney Craig Northcott, the trial was delayed until April 4 through Thursday, April 5, but now the trial has been delayed again until sometime in June. The 47-year-old Weir is facing a 16-count indictment after being charged with having sex with a 15-year-old Coffee County student in 2015. The trial never started on Monday because Weir’s attorney reported to District Attorney General Craig Northcott that Weir...

Sentencing for former co-band director at Tullahoma High School was set for last Monday in Federal Court in Chattanooga. However, the attorney for Martin McFarlane was granted a delay until May 24 before United States District Judge Harry Mattice Jr. McFarlane was indicted on Aug. 22, 2017 by a federal grand jury on charges of transportation of child pornography. The indictments came about after a search by the FBI and Tullahoma Police at his residence on Castle Walk in Tullahoma for the pornography. In last week’s court action, McFarlane’s attorney filed a motion asking that he be allowed to...

Early Saturday morning on Interstate 24 westbound at mile-marker 118 a motor home caught fire and shut down the interstate for several hours. Traffic was backed up to mile-marker 123 and Tennessee Highway Patrol Troopers diverted traffic off the interstate at the Pelham exit and onto Hillsboro Hwy. The motor-home was driven by a man from Illinois and was complete loss. No injuries were reported. The THP, Coffee County Deputies and Hillsboro Fire Department...

Two Warren County EMS employees were injured Saturday when the ambulance in which they were traveling crashed into another vehicle on Interstate 24 in Nashville. Police say 57 year-old Henry DeKort of McMinnville was driving the ambulance eastbound on I-24 when the ambulance crashed into a Nissan Altima that was stopped on the shoulder due to an accident that had occurred just moments earlier. DeKort and his passenger, 23 year-old Savannah Cleek of Palmer, TN were transported to Southern Hills Medical Center, where they were treated and released for non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the Nissan, 29 year-old...