According to the American Farm Bureau, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner is down from last year, but not by very much. A family of 10 will spend roughly $50 total for the entire meal. That’s $5 per person, and 24 cents less than last year. A big reason why your Thanksgiving meal will cost you less is because of the turkey. A 16 pound Turkey will cost 30 cents less than it did last year. The U.S. has an oversupply of turkey, which is helping to keep turkey prices from going higher. You’ll also save money on...

The Motlow State Community College music department is excited to present the 2016 Holiday Concert in early December in Powers Auditorium on the Moore County campus. The concert will feature The Motlow Vocal Ensemble and The Motlow Community Band. The students and the community members will be performing a wide variety of musical styles and holiday standards. The vocal ensemble will be singing holiday pieces from the recent past as well as pieces from long ago. The opening concert will be Thursday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m., with refreshments being served at 6 p.m. The matinee performance will be...

Daniel Austin Freeze of Manchester was arrested recently on indictments for rape. Freeze, 36, of Petty Road, Manchester was indicted on six counts by the November term of the Coffee County Grand Jury for statutory rape by an authority figure, incest, two counts of sexual battery by an authority figure and aggravated statutory rape. Freeze is accused of having sexual relations with a child between the age of 13 and 18 years old. The alleged sexual encounters allegedly occurred between May 2014 and December 2014. Freeze was released from the Coffee County Jail after posting bond that was set...

Tullahoma Fire & Rescue and Manchester Fire & Rescue have teamed up to assist with the ongoing firefighting effort in Hamilton County, Soddy Daisy area. Friday morning both teams came together and deployed up to the fire area to assist local area departments and other departments deployed to the area (Knoxville, Brentwood, Chattanooga, and Hardin County Fire Depts). At the request of the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association mutual aid group from the State Forestry Service another team of area firefighters has deployed to Hamilton County, Soddy Daisy area to continue the firefighting efforts. These teams will be combating the...

Local youth tobacco use data indicates that most youth in Coffee County are making great choices when it comes to tobacco use. The 2012-13 PIRE Student Survey conducted by the Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition (CCADC) shows that 53% of 10th graders reported not smoking cigarettes, even once, in their lifetime, while 72% of 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders reported not smoking cigarettes, even once, in the past 30 days. Data points to the average age to start using tobacco as 11 years old and many youth are addicted to nicotine by the age of 14. This is a...

Motlow State Community College has been approved to receive a $5.5 million Governor’s Capacity Grant to fund construction of a new Advanced Robotics Training Center on the McMinnville campus. The facility will house robots and training equipment by the top three national robot manufacturers to instruct students in design, operation and maintenance of industrial robots. The center will serve both traditional and nontraditional students through a new Associate Degree program in Mechatronics. Warren County Industrial Development Board Director Don Alexander said this initiative could enhance the area for employment. Land for the facility has already been donated by the...

A special investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office in conjunction with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has found that Stephanie Cunningham, a teacher for Coffee County Schools and former treasurer of the Coffee County Education Association, stole at least $29,096. Cunningham used the association’s debit card and cash for her personal benefit from May 2013 through November 2015. Cunningham admitted to Comptroller investigators that she used association money to pay for personal items. Investigators determined that Cunningham charged meals at restaurants, jewelry, cosmetics, clothing and gift cards on the association’s debit card. She also made unauthorized cash withdrawals by...

A Manchester man was arrested Nov. 14 for taking an Oldsmobile Bravado from a residence on the Old Manchester Highway. Chad Austin Heaton, 24, of Harvest Drive, Manchester allegedly was spotted by the owner of the vehicle driving on South Jackson Street in Tullahoma. Donald Duke notified Tullahoma Police that he had spotted his vehicle and its location. In a police report, Officer Tim Brandon states that he followed the vehicle turn onto C.B.Watkins Drive, then south bound on Southwest Atlantic Street. The driver finally turned onto Monroe Street and turned into driveway on South Jefferson Street and fled...