Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen has announced that more than 29,000 students took Advanced Placement (AP) exams in 2017 – a record high for Tennessee. In addition, the number of students who scored a 3 or higher, which makes students eligible for college credit at many institutions, increased from 15,065 last year to 16,240 this year. Across Tennessee, students earned as many as 79,833 college credits from the AP results – which is a 54 percent increase since the 2011-12 school year. AP classes offer students the ability to take college-level course work and earn college credit based on...

Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration is dropping efforts to outsource management of Tennessee’s state parks and will let his successor decide whether to renew the privatization attempt. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau told lawmakers Thursday he will focus on using more than $100 million previously approved over the last few years to address capital needs at state parks. This spring, no one bid on the proposal to outsource hospitality services at Fall Creek Falls State Park and tear down its inn and build a new one. Martineau said he...

The Coffee County Communication board met on Wednesday to vote again on a director for the Coffee Communication Center. Diane Argraves has been serving as interim director since the retirement of former director Steve DeFord. A required four votes out of possible six were needed to be named to the position. Argraves and Administrative Captain for the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, Frank Watkins were the final two in the running. Neither had received the required votes on two previous occasions. On Wednesday, Tullahoma Police Chief Paul Blackwell, Manchester Police Chief Mary Yother, Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves and Manchester...

Coffee County experienced a 2.5 percent growth in tourism in 2016 compared to the previous year. The numbers from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development indicate visitors spent $90.4 million in Coffee County, an increase of 2.5 percent from the previous year, generating $5.51 million in state tax revenues and $2.43 million in local tax revenue, an increase in both. A total of 790 Coffee County residents are employed in tourism-related fields. Tennessee tourism’s direct domestic and international travel expenditures reached an all-time record high of $19.3 billion in 2016, up 4.7 percent over the previous...

TVA says it has included a 1.5 percent rate increase in its budget that takes effect in October. The Tennessee Valley Authority says its board approved a $10.4 billion budget and the rate increase Wednesday. The budget keeps operating and maintenance spending flat. TVA says the rate increase is modest and falls below the rate of inflation, amounting to about $1.50 more monthly for the average resident using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month. The board also approved $500 million in one-time money for TVA’s retirement system, which is in addition to the $300 million annual...

Al White Motors and WMSR (Thunder Radio) are teaming up to honor those who serve that thin blue line, our local law enforcement. Each month someone in law enforcement will be honored as a Hometown Hero. Our hometown hero this month is Chief Investigator Jackie Matheny Jr. with the Manchester Police Department. Chief Investigator Matheny was born and raised in McMinnville, Tn. He graduated from Warren County High School in 1996 and obtained an Associate of Science degree from Motlow State along with a Bachelor of Science from Liberty University. He graduated from Tn. Law Enforcement Training Academy Basic...

A $2 million grant program aims to improve security at courthouses across Tennessee. The Administrative Office of the Courts has started the initiative with one-time money set aside by state lawmakers and Gov. Bill Haslam. A committee of statewide judges will determine the criteria and qualifications for awards. Preference will be given to counties with courtrooms that don’t meet minimum security standards, and counties that had a courtroom security breach between July 2016 the end of this June. In June, an inmate shot and injured two deputies at the Coffee County Courthouse before shooting and killing himself nearby. Grant...

An Alabama man was arrested Aug. 19 on drug charges. According to a report by Tullahoma Police Officer Rocky Ruehling, David Campuzano, 21, of Athens, Alabama was arrested following a traffic stop. According to a report by the officer, Campuzano turned from North Jackson Street to Wilson Avenue without an arrow present. When the officer checked the driver’s licenses he learned that they were suspended and an active warrant from Franklin County, Tennessee. Officer Ruehling then transported Campuzano to the Coffee/Franklin County line to meet a Franklin County deputy. After getting the man out of his patrol car, the...