Local News

A Gallatin elementary school principal has resigned after being demoted from a job and school she loved. Kathy Vinson had been principal at Benny Bills Elementary for six years. Sumner County Director of Schools Dr. Scott Langford demoted Vinson to an assistant principal job at a different school. Vinson decided to resign and leave Sumner County schools entirely. She recently started blogging and writing on Facebook about the challenges of working in education today. The page is called TOO Consumed. Vinson said that’s what Langford’s criticism of her was when he demoted her – she was “too consumed” with student behavior. Langford respond by saying you can give all the help you want to someone, but they have to access it and take advantage of it to make it work. And he said Vinson didn’t do that.

More than 14,000 letters have been sent to some Tennesseans to make sure they are United States citizens before they can vote in the next election. State officials said this is about election integrity, but some don’t see it that way. In a statement on behalf of Tennessee Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins and the Secretary of State’s Communications Director Doug Kufner, it read in part, “Accurate voter rolls are a vital component to ensuring election integrity, and Tennessee law makes it clear that only eligible voters are allowed to participate in Tennessee elections.”.

Police are working to locate a missing Indiana woman who was last seen in Middle Tennessee. Clarksville Police are searching for 44-year-old Tara Acuff from Terra Haute. She was last seen just before 9 a.m. at the Country Inn and Suites on Wilma Rudolph Blvd. on Sunday. Police report that Acuff was wearing an orange dress with a wide-brim hat. She was seen on video camera exiting the hotel and getting into what appears to be a smaller, dark color, two-door pickup truck.

The Portland Senior Center will celebrate its 50th anniversary between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. today at its new location at 108 Main Street. The center was presented a City of Portland Proclamation by Mayor Mike Callis at the June 17 Board of Mayor and Alderman meeting praising it for its caring treatment of the area’s Senior Citizens.

Tennessee gas prices moved slightly less expensive over last week, falling three cents on average. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $3.00 which is 20 cents less expensive than one month ago and 12 cents less than one year ago. The national average for a gallon of gasoline has held steady for the last two weeks at $3.44. Today’s national average of $3.44 is 16 cents less than a month ago and 13 cents less than a year ago.