Outside Coffee County High School... By Barry West

Most counties scored well on TCAP testing by either improving or maintaining its grades in each subject. The graduation rate has gone up in Coffee County from 86.2 to 93%. The biggest turnaround is with African American students going from only a 66.7% graduation rate in 2011 to 90.9% in 2012. Also in the report Coffee County Grades 3-8 saw their social studies grade go from a C to a B. Science stayed the same at a B, Reading/Language and Math remained at C level. Writing for 5th and 11th grades continued to do well scoring A’s.

Daylight savings time will end on Sunday. That means everyone needs to set their clocks BACK an hour before going to bed Saturday night. Area fire departments want to remind you to make a change that could save your life and the lives of your loved ones: change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Every year, preventable fires kill people nationwide, and Tennessee has one of the highest fire death rates in the nation. Non-working smoke alarms offer a false sense of protection to residents and place them at risk for death or serious injury from unwanted fires in the home. The most commonly cited cause of non-working smoke alarms is dead or missing batteries. Changing smoke alarm batteries at least twice per year is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries. A working smoke alarm reduces the risk of dying in a home fire by almost half. Additionally, the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association recommends replacing your smoke alarms every ten years.

In addition to the 60 to 80 permanent jobs that Chick-fil-A promises to bring to Tullahoma next year, construction of the new facility is also generating new revenues for many local businesses. According to project superintendent Glenn Milburn of W.H.Bass, Inc., the Georgia-based general contractor in charge of the restaurant’s construction, several Tennessee subcontractors are already involved. The grading is being performed by Bartlett Construction out of Manchester, the surveying is being done by Thomas Ore Land Surveying in Winchester, and we’re getting all of our concrete from Sequatchie Concrete in Shelbyville.

It’s the time of year to gather with family and friends for festive celebrations, and no one wants to see a loved one sidelined by a serious illness. Influenza and other viruses are easily spread in places where people are gathered in close contact and sharing food, drinks and gifts. The Tennessee Department of Health is reminding Tennesseans to take action to help prevent the spread of flu this holiday season.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Tennessee Department of Health recommend annual flu vaccination for everyone over the age of six months. This year’s vaccine can protect against three strains of flu, including the H1N1 flu virus and two new seasonal strains also expected to circulate this flu season. Flu vaccine is widely available throughout Tennessee from sources including primary health care providers, pharmacies and county health departments.

Because influenza can be fatal, the flu vaccine is especially important for people at high risk for serious illness from flu such as the elderly, pregnant women and young children, as well as healthcare workers and family and friends of anyone at high risk. Mothers who are vaccinated against influenza while they are pregnant protect themselves and pass that protection on to their newborn babies.

After your flu vaccination, it’s still important to practice good health habits to protect yourself from the flu and other winter viruses, and to prevent spreading them to others if you do get sick. Good health habits include frequent hand washing with soapy water, keeping hands away from your face, and covering coughs and sneezes with a sleeve or tissue. People who are sick should stay home to recover if at all possible to prevent spreading illness to coworkers, friends and others.

For healthy adults, the flu vaccine can cut down the chances of getting the flu to well below half the chances of unvaccinated individuals. There’s no good reason to wait to get vaccinated. People who got vaccinated with the first doses available in August should have protection for the whole flu season, which can last into May.