Ben Lomand Connect has received a $1.5 million federal grant, which would allow the company to extend broadband service into the rural Pocahontas area in Northern Coffee County, according to CEO of Ben Lomand Lisa Cope. Ben Lomand, which is a McMinnville-based company, providing broadband, digital TV, phone and home security, applied for the grant in March. The USDA announced that Ben Lomand was chosen as a $1.5 million winner for the grant under the Community-Oriented Connectivity Broadband Grant Program administered by the Rural Utilities Service. Ben Lomand will construct state-of-the-art fiber to the premise facilities that will serve...

A Grundy County school board member was arrested Monday for prompting a lockdown of the entire school system. Sheriff Clint Shrum says school board member Kasey Anderson was arrested over a text message that led to a soft lockdown Monday morning. The details of the text message have not been released. Anderson is charged with false reports as a result of the incident. The Grundy County school board workshop session scheduled for Tuesday evening was...

Tennessee revenues for October exceeded revenues from the same month a year ago, but were marginally less than the budgeted estimate. Finance and Administration Commissioner Larry Martin reported that October revenues were $1.0 billion, which is $31.1 million more than October of last year and $1.3 million less than the budgeted estimate. The growth rate for October was 3.16%. Gasoline and motor fuel revenues increased the most by 36.82% and they were $7.9 million more than the budgeted estimate of $90.3...

Plans to rebuild guest lodging at Tennessee’s largest and most-visited state park have been approved. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports the State Building Commission approved the plans for Fall Creek Falls State Park. Work at the 26,000-acre park is expected to take one and a half to two years. Two existing facilities are to be torn down, and a single inn built with roughly 85 rooms along with a new restaurant and conference center. The state Department of Environment and Conservation would continue to operate the inn and restaurant. State Sen. Janice Bowling from Tullahoma says she favored...

On Thanksgiving night Coffee County Deputy Lee Marcom made contact with a vehicle on Shelly Road in Manchester that had a brake light out. The deputy states in the warrant that the driver identified as Nathan Lamont Butler age 38 of Geneva Boynton Rd, Manchester ran a stop sign and continued at a high rate of speed. Marcom turned on his blue lights in an attempt to stop the driver. Butler then allegedly continued at a high rate of speed placing the passenger in the vehicle at risk of bodily harm. Marcom states that the subject wrecked his vehicle...

On Saturday (November 25th 2017) Manchester officers responded to 228 West Moore Street in reference to a disturbance with a possible weapon involved. Upon arrival the victims told Officer Alberto Garza that Atreyu J Duke age 30 of Hickerson Rd Manchester had allegedly been abusive towards them all day, carrying a loaded Glock .45 caliber pistol. Duke allegedly pushed his wife and allegedly slapped his mother in law in the face. According to the arrest warrant, Duke went outside and fired three rounds from the gun. After being booked at the Coffee County Jail, Duke was placed in a...