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12/20/14 — Albertine Jarrell Jenkins
Funeral services for Mrs. Albertine Jarrell Jenkins, age 95, were conducted Saturday, December 20, 2014 at 11:00 AM at Coffee County Funeral Chapel with Reverend Louis Johnson officiating. Interment followed at Shady Grove Cemetery in Coffee County, TN. Visitation was held Friday, December 19, 2014 from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM at the funeral home.
She was born September 11, 1919 in Coffee County, TN the daughter of the late Frank and Stella Rogers Jarrell. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by six brothers, Lawson, Winford, Gordon “Red”, Billy, Sanford and John Jarrell; and two sisters, Irene Freeze and Ruth Rainey.
Albertine was the second of eleven children and her job was to watch over her younger siblings. This made her a natural for her career as a dedicated teacher for 34 years. For most of those years she taught second grade in Chesterfield County, Virginia, always referring toher students as “her children”. During her career she served as the president of the Chesterfield Teachers Association and the Virginia Delegate for the National Education Association. After retirement she moved back to Coffee County where she became active in several community organizations including the Soroptimist, Chautauqua, Conservation and garden clubs, bird watchers and women’s auxiliary. She was a proud member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Albertine was a long time member of Skinquarter Baptist Church. She touched the lives of so many and will never be forgotten.
She is survived by two daughters, Alice Waggoner and husband, Bill; and Penny Hicks; five grandsons, Bart (Ann) and Brett (Kim) Hicks; Jeff, Chris and Rick (Karen) Waggoner; six great-grandchildren, Riley, Mason, Rachel and Erica Hicks and Bamboo and Indigo Waggoner; two sisters, Elizabeth Aaron and Carolyn Williams and a host of nieces and nephews, cousins and loving friends.
Online condolences may be made to www.coffeecountyfuneralchapel.com
Coffee County Funeral Chapel is honored to serve the family of Mrs. Albertine Jarrell Jenkins.
Public Meeting Set To Discuss Consolidating Manchester and County School Systems
Manchester Mayor Lonnie Norman has called a special meeting of the board of mayor and aldermen to meet at Westwood Middle School at 5:30pm on Jan. 12.
This will be a public meeting to discuss a possible Manchester City School system consolidation with the Coffee County school system. All interested parties are invited to attend. One possibility city leaders may look at and will be talked about at the public meeting is a voter referendum on the subject.
Many people for years have voiced opinions about combining the three Coffee County school systems into one. Here are the numbers; it runs taxpayers around $79 (M) annually to run the schools. The Manchester schools’ budget is roughly $14 million for the current year. Coffee County’s budget is just under $35 million and the Tullahoma City Schools’ current operating budget is just under $30 million.
Middle Tennessee Mayors Want More Funding For Roads
A group representing 40 mayors in Middle Tennessee is urging Republican Gov. Bill Haslam and state lawmakers to find new sources of revenue to pay for transportation needs.
The Tennessean reports that the Middle Tennessee Mayor Caucus listed transportation revenue as its top state priority for the upcoming legislative session.
The mayors’ group did not lay out a preferred path for a road funding system that keeps pace with inflation.
Haslam, Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey and others have acknowledged that Tennessee’s antiquated road funding system needs to be updated, but none has taken the reins on making a specific proposal.
The state’s gas tax that funds most of the Tennessee’s road program has not been increased in 25 years.
Tennessee currently taxes 21.4 cents per gallon of fuel, providing the state with $657.8 million in yearly revenue. Local governments collect 7.9 cents of the per-gallon share, the Tennessee Department of Transportation collects 12.8 cents and the remaining portion goes to the state’s general fund.
Don’t Crumble Under the Weight of Family Stress During the Holidays
What’s on your to-do list this Christmas? While the movies portray fun and meaningful family holiday gatherings, the reality for many is often hectic and stressful. Photo credit: Jason Meredith/Flickr.
Unemployment Rate Down In Tennessee
Tennessee Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips announced Thursday the Tennessee preliminary unemployment rate for November was 6.8 percent, three tenths of one percentage point lower than the October revised rate of 7.1 percent. The U.S. preliminary rate for November was 5.8 percent, unchanged from the prior month.
Economic Summary
• Over the past year, Tennessee’s unemployment rate decreased from 7.9 percent to 6.8 percent while the national rate declined from 7.0 percent to 5.8 percent.
• Total nonfarm employment decreased 1,900 jobs from October to November. The largest decreases occurred in accommodation/food services, retail trade, and administrative/support/waste services.
• Over the year, nonfarm employment increased 53,900 jobs. The largest increases occurred in professional/business services, trade/transportation/utilities, and durable goods manufacturing.
Holiday Benefit Concert At Motlow
Motlow College will host a holiday benefit concert tonight (Friday, Dec. 19) at 7 p.m. inside Eoff Hall’s Powers Auditorium on the Moore County campus. Prior to the performance, there will be a reception inside Eoff Hall at 6 p.m.
Admission to the event is free to the public, but reservations are required as seating will be limited. To make reservations, please call Bobbie Underwood at 931-393-1627 or email bunderwood@mscc.edu. Donations will be accepted and proceeds will support the music program at Motlow.
12/17/14
Birthdays:
Kira Mae Wilson – 4 – Pizza Winner!
Jennifer Simmons – 36
12/14/14 —- Martha Anne Dougherty
Martha Anne Dougherty, born and raised in Harlan, Kentucky, September 16, 1914, died Sunday December 14, 2014, at the Willows of Winchester Nursing Home.
She was preceded in death by her late husband Nathan Sam Dougherty of Knoxville, Tennessee, father John V. Blanton and mother Susanna Middleton Blanton, and brothers Howard and Edward Blanton of Harlan, KY.
She is survived by her stepson, Sam Dougherty, Jr (Carol) of Tullahoma, TN, and stepdaughter, Carol Anne Dougherty of New Albany, IN, sister-in-law Helen Blanton of Harlan, two nieces Judy (Robert) Rhea of Harlan and Phyllis Russell of Avon Park, FL. She is also survived by nine step-grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren, three great nephews and their children.
There will be a Graveside Service with Dr. William Pender of First Presbyterian Church attending at the Old Gray Cemetery in Knoxville, where she will be interred. As yet arrangements are incomplete.
The Mayor of Tullahoma, where she resided the past year, declared Tuesday, September 16, 2014, as Martha Dougherty Day in Tullahoma, in recognition of her 100th Birthday.
She resided most of her life in Knoxville, where she worked for many years as Financial Director at Tennessee School for the Deaf.
The family gives a special thanks to Brenda Whaley, Martha’s caregiver the past year.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Martha’s name be made to Hospice Compassus of Tullahoma and First Presbyterian Church of Knoxville.
Kilgore Funeral Home in charge of arrangements. 
Meth Lab Busts Down In Tennessee, But Fight Not Over
The number of meth labs seized in the state of Tennessee is down 40.8% from last year, according to new numbers from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The TBI reports the number of meth lab seizures have been decreasing for almost two years.
But that doesn’t mean meth use is necessarily on the decline.
Tommy Farmer, the director for Tennessee’s Methamphetamine and Pharmaceutical Task Force, links the decrease to three things in the past year:
- Pseudoephedrine sales decline
- Increased enforcement
- Surge in Mexican meth
A new state law put in place this summer limits how much pseudoephedrine one can purchase. Pseudoephedrine sales are down 20%.
Farmer said there’s also been a surge in Mexican meth that’s being funneled through the Tennessee Valley, from two major hubs: Atlanta and Dalton.
More and more people, he said, are relying on Mexican meth instead of cooking their own.
Thousands of children have been removed from meth homes and put in state foster care over the years. The average child will stay in the state’s care for 19 months, costing $106 a day with an annual price tag of $14 million to taxpayers.
Jones Named Officer of the Year
Derek Jones after receiving his award.
Manchester Police Officer Derek Jones has been chosen as the Governors Highway Safety Office, 2014 Cumberland Region Officer of the Year. He was given the award last Thursday at the GHSO end of the year event at Fall Creek Falls. Officer Jones was nominated based on his involvement in traffic safety. This year Officer Jones became Coffee County’s first ever Drug Recognition Expert. This certification involved a very demanding two week training course along with traveling to Arizona for field evaluations and passing several written exams.
This is the second consecutive year that a Manchester PD officer has received this award. Officer Dale Robertson was chosen last year.