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 one deputy or police officer will be honored as a Hometown Hero. We are looking for the public’s help. Go to the Thunder Radio or Al White Ford Lincoln Mercury Facebook page to nominate a law enforcement official. Tell us why you think a Coffee County deputy, Tennessee Highway Patrolman, Manchester Police officer or Tullahoma Police department officer deserves to be honored. The man or woman that is selected each month will be recognized...

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department received a call on Friday (August 19, 2016) that Benjamin Cox was missing from his residence in the Summitville, TN area. Apparently he went missing on Wednesday (August, 17) around 2 pm. On Tuesday morning Cox was found deceased at a location in Summitville. No foul play is suspected at this time and an autopsy will be performed. Over the past few days, deputies and Coffee Rescue Squad members have searched the area, but were unable to find Cox until he was located by a person on Tuesday. Mr Cox was 35 years...

A loaded Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum revolver reported stolen in Coffee County was found in the possession of a man being arrested on drug charges Sunday night in Bedford County. Matthew Tyler Cook, 25, of Pinkston Road was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia by the 17th Judicial District Drug Task Force and possession of stolen property by the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office. Cook told officers of the presence of the gun and several syringes during a traffic stop. Cook posted $5,000 bond. (Shelbyville...

Tennessee’s economy is outpacing pre-recession strength, based on the flow of new business filings and a slower pace of closings, according to Secretary of State Tre Hargett. Tennessee recorded 8,919 new businesses from April to June, up 7.2% from the same time last year. The increase is the state’s 19th consecutive year-over-year, according to a report prepared by Tennessee Secretary of State’s office and University of Tennessee at Knoxville. The state experienced a 53 percent drop in business closures, with close to 2,000 businesses shutting down in the second quarter. Nearly all of the new business filings were Tennessee...

An association representing state employees in Tennessee wants the state to stop using private prisons. The Tennessean reports that Tennessee State Employee Association President Bryan Merritt is calling on the Tennessee Department of Correction to end the use of private prisons because he says state employees already do a great job managing prisons. He says private prisons provide an inferior product, lower levels of safety, security and debatable savings. The move from the association comes after the U.S. Department of Justice announced last week that it would end its contracts with private prison operators. Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner...

As it stands, getting caught with marijuana in Tennessee could leave you with a criminal record or even jail time. But a measure to decriminalize the drug has made it through one vote at Nashville’s Metro Council. While legalizing pot is a hard sell to some, the push to decriminalize the substance has picked up steam in cities and states across the country, according to Kate Bell, legislative counsel with the Marijuana Policy Project. “The greatest harm associated with the consumption of marijuana is getting a criminal record for it,” Bell said. “Decriminalization is essentially the removal of criminal...

Gas prices are on the rise, as crude oil got more expensive last week. Oil prices hit their highest level in more than a month. Since last Sunday, the state average for a gallon of gas rose 4 cents in Tennessee. The average price of gasoline is $1.95 in Tennessee. On Sunday, the state average rose for the sixth consecutive day in Tennessee. Although gas prices rose slightly this week, they are still well below year-ago levels by 32 cents in Tennessee. “Gas prices are likely to get more expensive through the rest of the week as retail prices adjust to the oil...

Tennessee’s unemployment rate for July was 4.3 percent, up two-tenths of a percentage point from the June rate of 4.1 percent. That’s according to Tennessee Labor Commissioner Burns Phillips. Even with the slight increase this month, the unemployment rate in Tennessee has declined 1.3 percent since July of 2015. The U.S. rate for July was 4.9 percent, unchanged from the previous month. Over the past year, Tennessee’s unemployment rate decreased from 5.6 percent to 4.3 percent, while the national rate declined from 5.3 percent to 4.9...