Sheriff’s office investigating baby’s death
ROSSVILLE – The death of an 8-month-old in Rossville is under investigation, Walker County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Richie Dye said. The baby died around 10 p.m. Saturday in Park Trace Apartments, located at 730 W. James St.
The baby was at home alone with the father at the time of death, Dye said. The department is awaiting autopsy results from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab.
Walker County Coroner Dewayne Wilson said the baby’s mother came home from work Saturday night and found her child unresponsive.
Police investigate early Wednesday morning shooting
CHATTANOOGA – Chattanooga police are investigating a shooting that occurred about 12 a.m. Wednesday along the 1200 block of Grove Street.
Jerrian Besley, 22, was approached by a man with a gun. Besley was shot while running away from the unknown suspect.
Officers located Besley at the intersection of M.L. King Boulevard and Pine Street.
He was transported to a local hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Troubled college seeks to re-enroll students
KNOXVILLE – A historically black college in Tennessee that lost accreditation and was forced to evacuate has filed paperwork to begin re-enrolling and teaching students.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reported Wednesday that Knoxville College applied for the authorization with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. The school lost state accreditation in 2015 after enrollment decreased to 11. In February, officials were forced to leave the last occupied campus buildings after the city of Knoxville found they weren’t meeting codes.
College president Keith Lindsey said the school was granted a conditional authorization to operate in 2018, but awaits the ability to recruit and instruct.
Julie Woodruff, commission assistant executive director and lead attorney, said the application was filed in March and is under review, but there’s no deadline for when or if it’s approved.
Deputy killed in off-duty crash
NASHVILLE – A Davidson County deputy was killed in an off-duty car crash, according to Davidson Sheriff Daron Hall. Deputy Joseph Gilmore was killed on Interstate 24 while returning from St. Louis on Tuesday morning, he said.
A Tennessee Highway Patrol report said Gilmore’s car struck a tractor-trailer on Interstate 24 and became lodged beneath the trailer. Troopers don’t suspect either driver was impaired with drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.
The truck driver will not be charged. Hall said Gilmore may have fallen asleep since he had mentioned being tired to another officer shortly before the crash.
Hall praised Gilmore as a “very good officer and good person,” and said he had been with the department since February.
Metropolitan Council to increase transparency
NASHVILLE – Companies will have to disclose more information to secure future incentives from one Tennessee city, as part of the local government’s bid to strengthen the transparency of economic development deals.
The Tennessean reports Nashville’s Metropolitan Council passed an ordinance to that end on Tuesday by voice vote. Companies applying for incentives in Nashville will have to disclose how many Davidson County residents they plan to hire, anticipated wages, health and safety violations and wage-related lawsuits against the company or contractors on the relevant project, among other details.
The ordinance was backed by area unions, represented by the Central Labor Council of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. It was opposed by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and other business groups, who expressed concerns about having to disclose practices and contractor information.
Obed River national park adds 161 acres
WARTBURG, Tenn. – The Obed Wild and Scenic River has added 161 acres within the national park’s boundaries through a donation.
According to a park news release, the land donated by former East Tennessee resident Mary Ann Gibbons contains 2 miles of river frontage along the heart of the Obed River, which includes some of the park’s most notable rapids.
It also contains some of highest cliffs in the park, riverside cascades, major waterfalls, sandstone arches and chimneys, mature hardwood and hemlock forests, and diverse plant and animal species.
Park Superintendent Niki Stephanie Nicholas said it’s the largest addition to the park in 30 years.
Park officials said Gibbons acquired the land more than 50 years ago and the family worked to protect it.
School system offers bonuses for bus drivers
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – One of Alabama’s school systems is so short of bus drivers it’s trying to lure new drivers with financial incentives.
WBRC-TV reported Tuscaloosa City Schools is offering a $1,000 signing bonus; increased pay for substitute and field trip driving; and bonuses for attendance, safe driving records and recruitment of other drivers.
School system transportation director Ron Schappacher also touted the benefits offered to bus drivers. He said while driving a school bus is part-time work, the drivers are eligible for the benefits given to full-time workers, such as health insurance and a pension plan.
Schappacher said Tuscaloosa’s need for more school bus drivers follows a national trend. He cited declining unemployment as one of the reasons.
Troopers investigate 23 deaths
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama state troopers investigated nearly two dozen fatal traffic crashes during the holiday period, fewer deaths than reported a year earlier.
AL.com reported Alabama Law Enforcement Agency officials on Wednesday said they investigated 23 traffic accident-related deaths during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday travel period. During the same period in 2016, the number was 31 fatalities.
The fatal traffic crashes happened in Autauga, Baldwin, Calhoun, Choctaw, Colbert, Coosa, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dallas, DeKalb, Escambia, Geneva, Limestone, Mobile, Russell, St. Clair, Shelby and Washington counties.
Numbers released by troopers do not include deadly crashes worked by other law enforcement agencies. For the entire year, troopers investigated 598 traffic deaths, 73 fewer than the 671 they reviewed in 2016.