Franklin County Sheriff’s Office investigators, in conjunction with the Cowan Police Department, are investigating a series of vehicle burglaries that occurred Monday Jan. 2nd from approximately 8:00pm to 5:00am Jan. 3rd. The investigation, so far, has revealed that several vehicles in the Elliott Drive area of Cowan were burglarized and several weapons are missing from vehicles including an assault rifle. If anyone has any information regarding this incident please contact the Cowan Police Department at 931-962-0110, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office at 931-962-0123 or Crime Stoppers at...

On New Year’s Eve Manchester Police found a female passed out in the driver’s seat with her vehicle’s motor running at a local restaurant. Once the officers got the subject awake she allegedly tried to hide something between her legs. Once the officers got the subject out of the vehicle they allegedly found a black bag with approximately 21 grams of methamphetamine along with approximately 2 grams of marijuana in the same seat. There was also a key chain that contained allegedly 11 hydrocodone 10mg, 2 alprazolam 1mg. In the subject’s purse was also allegedly a torch, a set...

A Tennessee group of businesses is charging into the fiery debate over how to balance LGBT rights and religious conviction. About 300 companies, from health-care giant HCA to FedEx, have joined under the moniker Tennessee Thrives to oppose religious objection and bathroom bills, like the one in North Carolina that has stirred a months-long uproar. Companies in other GOP-led states have successfully voiced opposition under similar names: Georgia Prospers, Opportunity West Virginia, Missouri Competes. In North Carolina, lawmakers continue to feud over whether to repeal its transgender bathroom law nine months after they passed it. Businesses, conventions and sports...

With 2017 upon us, one organization has issued a set of New Year’s resolutions calling on mothers everywhere to preserve advances in human rights. Moms United to End the War on Drugs was founded seven years ago to fight policies the group says destroy families and promote mass incarceration. But its lead organizer Gretchen Burns Bergman, who is also the co-founder and executive director of A New PATH, said she feels the sharp and sometimes violent political tensions of the past year have threatened to undermine decades of progress – not only in drug-law reform, but in a whole...

At a time when donations are typically low, blood centers across the country recognize January as National Blood Donor Month. According to America’s Blood Centers, 4.5 million Americans will need a blood transfusion each year. Only 37 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, but less than 10% do annually. Unity Medical Center of Manchester is encouraging area residents to roll up their sleeves in January to ensure that local patients get the life-saving blood transfusions they need. Call Kristen Fox at Unity Medical Center, (931) 728-6354 to set up an...

County Commissioner Margaret Cunningham who is also a member of the Coffee County Wastewater Treatment Authority has made a request for the debt for paying off the loan on the Wayside Sewer System to be forgiven. The request to forgive the nearly $280,000 was made during the most recent budget and finance committee meeting. Cunningham made the request with the hope that if the financial situation of the sewer system looks better, an entity separate from the county would agree to start operating the system. The homeowners using the system have been penalized unnecessarily, said Cunningham. In November, members...

This past Thursday (Dec. 29) David Andrew Melton age 44 of Shelly Rd Manchester was driving a vehicle on Hwy 55 in Manchester. Manchester Officer Daniel Ray stopped the vehicle for reckless and erratic driving. A check of the man’s driving privileges revealed his status to be revoked, eighth offense and records further indicated Melton to be a habitual motor vehicle offender, second offense. Ray arrested Melton and booked him in the Coffee County Jail under a $32,000 bond and a court date was set for Feb 28,...