A proposal to lower the minimum age requirement from 25 to 21 for school bus drivers in Tennessee has been rejected by the state’s General Assembly. Tennessee maintains some of the strictest age requirements for bus drivers in the country, with neighboring states like North Carolina and Georgia allowing individuals as young as 18 to …
Tag: Dunlap News
Arrest Made After Benches Stolen from Dunlap Businesses
On the night of March 9, an unidentified person stole the front benches at Cates Street Pharmacy in Dunlap. The Dunlap Police Department requested the public’s help in identifying a person of interest, and they responded with valuable tips. On Monday, the Dunlap Police and Sequatchie County Sheriff’s deputies took Billy Joe King into custody …
Dollar General to Close Nearly 100 Locations
Dollar General has announced plans to close several locations in 2025 due to decreasing consumer confidence. According to the company’s fourth-quarter and fiscal year 2024 report, 96 Dollar General store locations will be closed “in the first quarter” of the current fiscal year. The report also indicated that Dollar General’s fourth-quarter operating profit decreased by …
Strong Storms Power Through the Area
Intense storms pounded the area from late Friday night through Saturday evening. Heavy rainfall was felt throughout the region. Flash flooding occurred, and strong winds caused damage. The National Weather Service confirmed that straight-line winds were measured at 90mph in the Grundy County town of Palmer. The Palmer Fire Department thanked the fire departments that …
SVEC/TVA Power Outage Delayed Due to Predicted Weather
Due to predicted weather, on Saturday, March 15, TVA is postponing performing maintenance on its transmission line to the SVEC Brush Creek substation. The outage will now take place on Saturday, March 22, from approximately 12:30 AM to 4:30 AM, weather permitting. They anticipate this will cause an outage that will impact most of Sequatchie County and parts …
Former Director of 12th Judicial Drug Task Force Headed to Trial
Cody Smith, former director of the 12th Judicial Drug Task Force, which serves Franklin, Bledsoe, Grundy, Marion, Rhea, and Sequatchie Counties, had his bond revoked on March 10. He was fired in 2021 amid a TBI investigation into drug and money seizures in Sequatchie County. As the Times Free Press reported, the Rhea County Sheriff’s …
The Latest on Sequatchie County Homicide
As we reported, 41-year-old Jonathan Belk has been charged with criminal homicide after allegedly stabbing 18-year-old Billy J. Floyd of Jasper, TN, to death. Authorities report that Belk discovered Floyd with his wife, 31-year-old Jada Gholston, leading to a violent confrontation on Saturday morning in Sequatchie County. According to the sheriff’s office, the incident unfolded …
Scammers Posing as Law Enforcement Want Bitcoin as Payment
There have been reports of recent phone and internet scams involving Bitcoin machines. Scammers pose as law enforcement officers and tell victims that they have a warrant for their arrest. They then instruct the victims to go to a Bitcoin machine at a location of their choosing and deposit a predetermined amount of money or …
UPDATE on Sequatchie County Homicide; Victim is 18 Year-Old from Jasper
The Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a homicide that is believed to have occurred early Saturday morning (March 8, 2025). Deputies were dispatched to the Emergency Room at Erlanger-Sequatchie on the report of a female with stab wounds that were determined to be non-life-threatening. Deputies determined the victim received the wounds at a residence …
Homicide in Sequatchie County
The Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a homicide that is believed to have occurred early on March 8, 2025. Deputies were dispatched to the Emergency Room at Erlanger-Sequatchie on the report of a female with stab wounds that were determined to be non-life-threatening. Deputies determined the victim received the wounds at a residence in …


