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TDOT will Suspend All Construction-Related Lane Closures on Interstates and State Routes
Motorists will not be delayed by road construction as they travel Tennessee’s highways this Memorial Day weekend. The Tennessee Department of Transportation will suspend all construction-related lane closures on interstates and state routes beginning at 12 noon on Friday through 6am on Tuesday, May 28th. This will provide maximum roadway capacity for motorists expected to travel in the state this Memorial Day weekend.
AAA estimates nearly 43 million Americans will travel this holiday weekend, a 3.6 percent increase over last year. Over 863,000 Tennesseans plan to travel, with more than 752,000 driving to their Memorial Day destinations.
Bonnaroo Burns Archway
Photo from social media
Many people saw fire and smoke coming from the Bonnaroo grounds on Monday evening.
The festival tweeted a photo collage of the arch with the message, “Goodbye, old friend!
Festival organizers say the new archway will be unveiled at the 18th annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival June 13-16 in Manchester at Great Stage Park.
Coffee County Football Closes Spring Practice in Front of Big Crowd
A big crowd turned out on Friday to see the CHS football team wrap up spring practice at the Raiders football practice field. Coach Doug Greene was pleased with the crowd and the improvement through the spring session. “I was pleased, I thought it went well and we were pleased with the crowd” said Greene. “In fact, some of the people said they enjoyed being able to be that close and I know the kids enjoyed the atmosphere.”
With 50+ kids dressed out, but his quarterbacks limited due to injury, Greene was able to implement many team situations. The full contact session had “no contact” rules in place for each quarterback, nonetheless, the scrimmage featured “improved tackling and opportunities for decision making for my QB’s” added Greene. When asked about his impressions, Greene remarked that the players have improved a lot during spring drills. “Our goals were to have the kids learn how to practice and begin to get a feel for who belonged in what position(during spring practice) and we accomplished those things” said Greene. He went on to say “there were times where we executed well and times where we didn’t but effort is not a problem with these kids.”
The Raiders will now take off until Tuesday, May 28th when they return to work with the incoming freshmen as part of the team. “June will be critical for us. We will be concentrating on installing our (offensive and defensive) systems and getting stronger” said Greene. Workouts will begin at 8 AM on Tuesday and conclude each day around noon. The football team will work out Monday thru Thursday until the dead period. Greene will be a guest on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show to talk about spring and summer workouts. The Coffee Coaches Show is hear live each Saturday beginning at 10 AM from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln.
Claybusters Shoot Well on Saturday
Jacob Anderson of Coffee County Claybusters
The Coffee County Claybusters traveled to Nashville on Saturday to take part in a 200 shot singles event at the Nashville Gun Club. Seventeen different shooters took part in the events and once again, the Claybusters brought home an impressive array of titles.
Logan Meadows won the overall event championship as he shot 197 out of 200. Landon Meadows won the subjunior championship shooting 194 out of 200. Colter Smith won the class A championship shooting 193 out of 200. Additionally, Jacob Anderson shot his very first 25 straight.
The Claybusters will return to the Nashville Gun Club on Saturday, June 1st for the Scholastic Clay Target Program(SCTP) regional championship.
Coffee County Softball Teams Up with Al White for Fund Raising Event
Members of the CHS softball team get the proceeds frm their recent test drive event hosted by Al White Ford-Lincoln. Pictured from left are CHS softball players Lexi Holder, Alexcia Barnes & Haley Richardson, CHS coach Brandon McWhorter, Baxter White of Al White Ford-Lincoln and softball players Haidyn Campbell, Brianna Shelton and Haley Miller. [Photo provided]
Coach Brandon McWhorter was appreciative of Al White’s help. “We would like to thank Al White for their continued support of our community and sports programs. This is a great event that will help fund some needs in our program.”
Al White Ford/Lincoln raised over $65,000 this school year for schools and teams through test drive events like this one with both Ford and Lincoln. Over the past 4 years, Al White has helped raise well over a quarter of a million dollars for the community through these events. Al White’s test drive program concluded for this school year on Saturday in an event at Westwood to benefit the boys’ soccer team and girls’ volleyball.
5/23/19 — Jeffery “Jeff” Clark Jernigan
A celebration of life for Mr. Jeffery “Jeff” Clark Jernigan, age 55, of Manchester, TN will be conducted at 2:00 PM on Thursday, May 23, 2019, at Coffee County Funeral Chapel. The family will receive friends from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, at the funeral home. Mr. Jernigan passed from this life at his residence on Sunday, May 19, 2019, surrounded by his loving family.
Jeff was born in Manchester, TN to Clark and Willadean Jernigan. He was a computer operator at AEDC, and was involved with Manchester Little League, the Coffee County Quarterback Club, and Manchester JC’s. Jeff loved fishing, hunting, and going to concerts. He loved watching football and baseball, but most of all he loved spending time with his family and friends. Jeff was a loving husband, father, grandfather, son, and brother.
Jeff is preceded in death by his mother, Willadean Jernigan. He is survived by his father, Clark Jernigan; loving wife of 36 years, Lisa Jernigan; two sons, Chad Jernigan (Amanda Payne) and Kyle Jernigan (Hayley); one sister, LaDonna Barnes (Wayne); six grandchildren, Briley Jernigan, Braylon Jernigan, Kam Kennedy, Kate Kennedy, Brayden Payne, and Cooper Payne; many nieces, nephews, and “brothers and sisters from other mothers” as Jeff always said.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made in Jeff’s name to the Tennessee Kidney Foundation, 37 Peabody Street Suite 206, Nashville, TN 37210.
Coffee County Funeral Chapel is honored to serve the Jernigan family.
5/20/19 — Birthdays
Birthdays:
Tammy Kelly, 63 — Pizza Winner!
5/19/19 — Birthdays
No birthdays to report
5/18/19 — Birthdays
Birthdays:
Helen Clutter
How to Qualify for TennCare’s CHOICES Program
Written By: Eamon Smith and Allison Jones, Legal Aid Society
The CHOICES program offered through TennCare is designed both for people in need of nursing home care and people who can’t afford the cost of an assisted living facility or nursing home but need help remaining in their own homes. Most of the people served by CHOICES are seniors.
Few people know how to navigate TennCare procedures well enough to pursue these options independently. But there’s help available through the Tennessee Senior Law Alliance (TSLA), a program launched in 2018 by Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands with a location in Tullahoma and four partner legal services organizations across the state.
The CHOICES program offers three levels of care – from basic nursing home care to in-home care costing no more than $15,000 per year – and eligibility is determined by strict financial and medical criteria.
If an individual’s monthly income is more than $2,313 and their resources are more than $2,000 (excluding a home and one car), they do not qualify for any CHOICES services, despite his or her medical condition. With nursing home costs reaching upwards of $6,000 per month, many people are left ineligible for CHOICES and incapable of paying for needed care.
In addition to these financial requirements, CHOICES also has very strict medical criteria. For certain groups, an applicant must score a nine on TennCare’s “acuity scale,” which quantifies difficulties of daily living, such as transferring from a bed to a wheelchair or being able to eat or take medications without more than limited assistance.
Seniors may understandably be frightened if they receive a notice from TennCare that they will no longer be eligible for assistance paying for nursing home services that they cannot afford alone. However, Legal Aid Society’s Tennessee Senior Law Alliance program can help seniors navigate the CHOICES application and appeals process by proving to TennCare that their services are needed.
Tennessee Senior Law Alliance’s staff might request that TennCare perform a safety determination to see if a person should continue to be eligible for CHOICES, even without scoring a nine on the scale. If, for instance, a person can prove that they need more than seven hours per day of caregiver assistance to remain safe, they might still be eligible for CHOICES nursing home services.
Tennessee Senior Law Alliance helps seniors not only with CHOICES but also other core legal issues like housing, abuse and exploitation, consumer finance and more. They help bridge the gap between the needs of seniors and the state agencies responsible for meeting those needs.
If you feel you have unfairly lost your TennCare or CHOICES coverage, or if you are a senior struggling with another legal issue, please contact them at 800-238-1443 to learn more. Legal Aid Society in Tullahoma can be reached at 931-455-7000.