After an investigation into a burglary that occurred in February at Gallagher Guitar Company in Wartrace, an arrest has been made and the two custom guitars that were stolen have been recovered. Due to some good breaks and work by Bedford County Sheriff’s Office Detectives Ramon Castillo and John Sweeney information was developed that led to Balaam Youngman, age 22 of Wartrace, as the sole suspect in the burglary. Stephen Gallagher – whose grandfather opened Gallagher Guitar Co. in 1965 – said one of the guitars, a 71 Special Customer with walnut back and sides and maple binding, belonged...

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has formed a panel to review school safety in Tennessee and recommend improvements. On Monday, Haslam’s office said the group includes executive branch, General Assembly, safety, education and mental health leaders. Haslam’s office says the group will convene this week to review school safety policies and work with law enforcement, educators and mental health professionals, among other study areas. Haslam’s office mentioned school entry and exit, school resource officer training and availability, and in-school student mental health resources. Haslam expects the group’s first recommendations before the legislative session’s conclusion, which is likely in April. Haslam...

The Coffee County Election Commission will meet on Thursday, March 8, 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 lock and seal ballot boxes, tentatively approve poll workers and to set early voting times for the May 1, 2018 Republican and Democratic primaries. Registration forms for this quarter will also be audited. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Vernita Davis, Administrator Coffee County Election...

One of the storage buildings at Woodall Grain Company located near Decherd caught fire early Saturday morning (just after midnight). All of the Franklin County fire departments responded to blaze. Hillsboro Volunteer Fire Department was placed on standby in case they were needed at the Woodall fire or another location. About two hours later the Hillsboro Fire Department was called to the scene, because their tanker truck was needed. Firemen fought the blaze for a long period of time before it could be extinguished. No injuries were...

More than a million Tennesseans don’t have access to a retirement savings program through their employer – and AARP’s Public Policy Institute estimates that people are 15 times more likely to save for retirement through a payroll deduction program. Those two facts are what’s driving a bill in the state Legislature that would create a voluntary retirement savings program available to employers and their employees. Small business owner Tom Piech owns ValuePetSupplies.com and said it wasn’t easy to set up a 401(k) program for his employees. “As a small business person, I know how difficult it is to set...

Bonnaroo Works Fund (BWF), the charitable arm of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, is now accepting online applications for the 2018 grant cycle. Committed to advancing art, education and environmental causes, the BWF focuses its grant awards on Tennessee organizations while also allocating financial support to several national nonprofits. The deadline for applications is May 18, and grants will be announced in July. The application process and distribution of funds is coordinated by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and applications can be found at https://www.cfmt.org/giving-and-investing/become-a-donor/give-to-a-fund/bonnaroo-works-fund/. Established in 2009, BWF grants reflect the charitable commitment of festival founders,...

Rain, rain and more rain. Heavy rains continued over Coffee County on Thursday bringing on flooding. Many areas throughout the county had water flowing over the top of roadways on Thursday morning. The Coffee County Rescue Squad was called out for a water rescue just after 7am Thursday morning. The incident took place on Lumley Stand Road when van with adults and children were stranded. Thankfully when Rescue Squad members arrived, the occupants were already out safely. Thursday morning, Normandy Lake was at 10.46 feet (875.46) above full pool of 865.00 feet, Duck River was 2 feet above flood...