State Route 840 will soon be designated as an interstate following a Federal Highway Administration ruling. Interstates allow drivers to travel faster and avoid congestion, according to a release from the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The FHA approved a request to change the road’s designation. TDOT has not said whether the speed limit will be raised following the change. The change should be complete by the end of 2016 and will cost TDOT $230,000 to change signs. TDOT reports the change was requested to encourage more economic growth along the corridor and more traffic diversion around Middle Tennessee’s urban...

Dreams Really Do Come True! Where can you go to meet Cinderella, Rapunzel, the Mermaid Princess, the Little First Princess, the all new Latina Princess, and the SNOW SISTERS, at the Cinderella’s Royal Masquerade Ball at Rutledge Falls Baptist Church on September 17, 2016. The event will take place from 6 – 8 pm. This event will benefit the Children’s Ministry at Rutledge Falls Church. Rutledge Falls Baptist Church has an amazing Children’s Ministry whose mission is to change hearts and minds. They are involved in many outreach programs including Crossings Church Camp as well as their own Backpack...

Bradley Newton Weir, the former head baseball coach at Coffee County High School will return to the county for a court appearance next month. His case was continued last week until Sept. 28. The 45 year-old Weir is accused of having sex with a student. He was indicted by the Coffee County grand jury on one count of statutory rape by an authority figure, one count of aggravated rape, one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, seven counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. After being arrested...

Coffee County judicial officials’ first ever Bonnaroo docket day has resulted in 277 criminal cases stemming from the four-day music and arts festival. The Tennessean reports two judges spent the day Friday working through a 43 page docket made up of defendants from across the country cited for drug-related charges during June’s festival. The newspaper says judges have usually spread Bonnaroo-related cases throughout the summer. But this year, they decided to hear them all on the same day. Judges issued arrest warrants for defendants who did not attend. Court officials said about 60 percent of the cases were...

A fatal motorcycle accident occurred around 9:45 Saturday night in Murfreesboro. Murfreesboro Police were dispatched to the area of Veterans Parkway, near the New Salem Highway where the crash occurred and quickly learned it was a single vehicle accident. 38 Year old Heath M. Emslie of Shelbyville was traveling South on Veterans Parkway from Franklin Road (Hwy 96) and wrecked after negotiating a curve. Police say it appears as if Emslie lost control of his motorcycle and ran off the roadway. Emslie was taken to St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital and then to Vanderbilt Hospital where he was later pronounced...

A 46 year-old man from Tullahoma drowned last week in Tims Ford Lake. He was apparently near the Elk River Dam when the drowning took place. The victim was identified by authorities as Michael W. Rolling of Tullahoma. A 9-1-1 call reporting the incident was placed shortly after 2 a.m. last Wednesday. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, EMS and Rescue Squad all responded to the scene. Services were held for the man on...

Area high school students planning to take the ACT can prepare for the test by enrolling in an ACT preparation class at Motlow State Community College’s Moore County campus. Classes will meet each Monday on Sept. 12, 19, 26, Oct. 3, and 10, from 6-8:30 p.m. in Simon Hall, room 132. The registration deadline is Sept. 7, and the course is limited to 35 students. Registration forms can be obtained on Motlow’s web site (mscc.edu/wdes). Completed forms can be mailed or faxed to the address indicated on the form. However, registration is not complete until payment is received. The...