Tennessee State Senator Jim Tracy of Shelbyville resigned his seat in November to take a job with the Trump administration’s Department of Agriculture. There will be a special election for voters in Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall, Moore and Rutherford counties to fill the Tennessee Senate District 14 vacancy. Candidates are former State Representative Joe Carr and area businessman Shane Reeves. The republican primary election will be Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018 with early voting going on now through Saturday. The general election will be Tuesday, March 13, 2018. The winner of the Republican primary between Reeves and Carr will face Democrat...

Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell has filed legislation to pursue TennCare work requirements for able-bodied adults without young children. The bill directs the state to file a federal waiver to impose “reasonable” work requirements for able-bodied, working age adults without dependent children younger than 6. On Thursday, House Democratic Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh said that if Medicaid were expanded under the Affordable Care Act, he would support work requirements and copays. Lawmakers killed a Medicaid expansion proposal by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2015. The administration doesn’t plan to revive it this...

Beginning February 1, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) will launch its fifth annual Seatbelts Are For Everyone (SAFE) campaign. This statewide initiative is designed to increase Tennessee’s average seatbelt usage rate through community outreach, occupant-protection education, and targeted seatbelt enforcement. Country music artist Mickey Gilley is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) to promote seatbelt usage after surviving a rollover crash in Texas on January 3, 2018. At the time of the crash, Gilley’s vehicle was struck by another vehicle whose driver failed to halt at a stop sign. Gilley is currently recovering from several injuries,...

The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) is accepting applications for the 2018 Spring Citizens Trooper Academy. Classes in Nashville start March 6, at the Tennessee Highway Patrol Training Center. Sessions will run from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. weekly. The 10-week academy consists of approximately 30 hours of training, which is designed to give citizens a better understanding and awareness of THP and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Citizens receive hands-on instruction and training from state troopers and other department personnel. Topics covered include investigations, special operations, homeland security, and many other areas of the patrol, as...

A Tullahoma man is being held in jail after a stolen vehicle was reported to Tullahoma Police in June. Thomas Edward Noel, 28, of East Moore Street was arrested by authorities in Kentucky in connection with the theft of a vehicle in Tullahoma. Noel allegedly took a 2010 Ford Fusion on June 2 from a residence on Ovoca Road in Tullahoma. The owner told Tullahoma Police Officer Willie Young on June 2 that the car was stolen from her driveway. She told the officer that the keys had been left in the car. Also in the car at the...

A growing number of Tennessee young people are finding community-service opportunities online. DoSomething.org is one portal that offers projects focusing on everything from hunger and violence to discrimination. Historically, the organization found its home in traditional school clubs that held in-person meetings, but talent relations manager Dezmon Gilmore says it is finding better ways to reach the technology-focused generation. “What we realized is that this generation is involved, and they have more access, because of the amount of time they spend on the internet,” says Gilmore. “We saw this unique opportunity to take it from this closed group of...

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Driver Services division is offering Tennesseans more ways to reinstate their driver license. Citizens have the ability to reinstate online, in-person, or via mail. Once fees have been paid, court clearance documents and receipts have been received and posted to your driving record by the Financial Responsibility Division, you may go online at www.tn.gov/safety to get your license reissued. If you are not eligible to be reissued online, you may visit one of the Driver License Reinstatement Centers across the state. Compliance documents can be faxed to the Tennessee Department of...