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Shannon D White
Shannon D White of Manchester passed this life on Saturday, January 22,
2022 at Unity Medical Center at the age of 53. Memorial Services will be
scheduled at a later time.
A native of Tullahoma, Shannon was the daughter of Jimmy White and Kathy
White, both of Manchester. She was an avid reader, loved listening to music
and playing with her grandson, Slayde and grand dog, Charlie. In addition,
she was an avid AL football fan.
In addition to her parents, she is survived by daughter, Taylor Anderson of
Manchester; sister, Kim Sullivan (Paul) of Manchester and grandson, Slayde
Watts. She also has another grandson, River Nester who is expected in the
next week.
Online condolences may be made at www.davesculbertsonfuneralhome.com.
Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mattie Lou Dean Cyree Sorrell
Mattie Lou Dean Cyree Sorrell of Tullahoma passed this life on Saturday,
January 22, 2022 at her residence at the age of 95. Memorial Services will
be held on Sunday, January 30, 2022 at 2:00 PM at the Tullahoma Seventh-day
Adventist Church, 908 Cedar Lane, Tullahoma, TN.
A native of Tullahoma, Mattie Lou was born on August 17, 1926. She was the
daughter of the late Jable Dean Sr. and Jesse Mullins Dean. She was the
last surviving charter member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in
Tullahoma. Later in life she got her nursing degree and enjoyed working in
geriatrics.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by husband, Norman
Sorrell; daughter, Krista Gettys; son, Dale Cyree; sisters, Alice Dean
Trubey and Wilse Mae Dean Shahan; brother, Jable Dean Jr.; granddaughter,
Kari Biggs and grandson Joey Knowles.
Mrs. Sorrell is survived by her daughter, Diane Cyree Bridges (Dusty) of
Ringgold, GA; sister, Frances Ferrell (Bratten); eight grandchildren;
fourteen great grandchildren and eleven nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers the family has requested memorial donations be made in
her honor to the SDA Church School.
Online condolences may be made at www.davesculbertsonfuneralhome.com.
Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Tennessee gas prices continue to creep up
The Tennessee gas price average is slowly increasing as the price of crude rises to multi-year highs. Since last Monday, gas prices across Tennessee have risen a penny on average. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $3.04 which is 5 cents more expensive than one month ago and 84 cents more than one year ago.
Gas price average in Coffee County is currently $2.95 per gallon of regular unleaded, which is 9 cents below the state average and mostly inline with surrounding counties. The National average is $3.31. The most expensive gas in the nation comes out west in California, at an average of $4.64 per gallon.
“Since dipping under $3.00 in the first week of January, the state average for a gallon of gas has slowly started to rise again,” said Stephanie Milani, Tennessee Public Affairs Director, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “And as long as the price for oil remains elevated, consumers will be feeling it at the pump.”
Quick Facts
- 55% of Tennessee gas stations have prices below $3.00
- The lowest 10% of pump prices are $3.37 for regular unleaded
- The highest 10% of pump prices are $2.82 for regular unleaded
National Gas Prices
Despite typical low seasonal demand for gasoline, pump prices are clawing their way higher. The national average for a gallon of gas is $3.33, two cents more than a week ago. The culprit is the rising price for oil, which is now bobbing around $85 per barrel, nearly $20 more than in November. Last week, both OPEC and U.S. energy officials said the COVID-19 omicron variant is no longer expected to slow the continued recovery of petroleum demand in 2022. Despite this, OPEC and its allies are maintaining their planned modest production increases and will not dramatically ramp up output. The result will be a continued tight supply of oil.
According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gasoline stocks rose by 5.9 million bbl to 246.6 million bbl last week. Meanwhile, gasoline demand rose slightly from 7.91 million b/d to 8.22 million b/d. The slight increase still puts gas demand in the average range for the winter driving season. Typically, pump prices drop due to low gas demand and a rise in supply, but a steady increase in the price of crude oil has prevented this from happening. As oil prices continue to climb, pump prices will likely follow suit.
Tennessee first-time community college enrollment down 19% since beginning of pandemic
By Nadia Ramligan, TN Public News Service
A new study adds to evidence that higher-education credentials can increase a person’s earning power over a lifetime.
The research from economists at Kansas State University says completing a bachelor’s degree increases a person’s income by around $4,000 right after graduation, with additional jumps of more than $1,000 in following years.
Emily House, executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, said the state is concerned about economic mobility and workforce development as fewer people return to college.
“We’ve really seen a sharp decrease in enrollment of adult learners,” said House, “so, adults coming back to higher education, or engaging in higher education for the first time as adults.”
She added the colleges are reaching out to community organizations and faith groups, and partnering with employers to help people find about retraining opportunities. And the state’s Reconnect Navigators can help guide a person through the process of going back to college or enrolling for the first time.
More information about navigators is online at ‘tnreconnect.gov.’
House said adult learners have options through the state’s Reconnect Program, and notes that those who meet certain criteria may even be able to attend a local community college without paying tuition or fees.
“A lot of financial aid opportunity for those choosing to go back to school as an adult,” said House. “We have a call center here at the Higher Ed Commission; we have a lot of outreach specialists. Anybody who needs additional information can find us on the web, as well as just via phone.”
State data show enrollment has declined at every Tennessee community college, with the number of first-time, full-time college students falling by 19% compared to before the pandemic.
TAX TIPS: How to avoid refund delays
By Rosalyn Partin, Manchester H&R Block
IRS has opened for business and is processing returns! IRS expects that most taxpayers will receive their refund within 21 days of IRS acceptance. However, there are some situations where tax returns are delayed in processing, and refunds are not received for many weeks or even months. In this week’s Tax Tip, we give you helpful tips to help you avoid a delay in receiving your income tax refund.
- –File your return electronically to minimize delays. Electronically filed returns are primarily processed by a computer and therefore do not require human intervention. With the IRS still seeing a reduction in staff, human intervention can mean a significant processing delay.
- –Elect to receive your refund by Direct Deposit. You can request direct deposit of your refund to an account in your name at any financial institution. To request direct deposit you will need your financial institution’s routing number and your account number. Always double check the information used on your tax return so that the account used isn’t incorrect or closed. At H&R Block we can input your account information or you can receive an H&R Block Emerald Card when filing your return. The Emerald Card is a reloadable prepaid debit card for direct deposit of your tax refund that can be used year-round with easy access to your funds. The Emerald Card can be used anywhere Debit Mastercard is accepted.
- –Make sure the address on your return is accurate and you can receive mail at this address. If IRS needs to send you any correspondence about your return, they will use the address shown on your most recent tax return.
- –All names and social security numbers on the return must match what is on the person’s Social Security Card. Any name/SSN mismatches will cause the return to be rejected from processing.
- –File a complete and accurate return. Be sure you have included information from all your W2s, 1099s, and other required tax forms reporting your income. Filing an incomplete or inaccurate return can result in lengthy delays when IRS matches the information you have reported on your return to the information they have for you.
- –Make sure you include the correct amount of EIP3 (3rd Stimulus) and Advance Child Tax Credit you received in 2021 by using IRS Letters 6475 and 6419. If you haven’t received the letters, set up an IRS account on irs.gov to verify the amount IRS sent you. Incorrect amounts may result in your return being sent to error processing which will significantly delay processing.
- –If you had health insurance through the Marketplace you must include accurate information from your Form 1095a. If you haven’t received the 1095a through the mail, access your form through your account on healthcare.gov.
- –If IRS has assigned you an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) due to identity theft, you must use it when filing your return electronically. A new IP PIN is issued each year. Taxpayers with an IP PIN should receive their IRS letter with their new PIN by the end of January. Without your new IP PIN, you will have to file the tax return on paper, by mail, as the IRS will reject any electronic version submitted without the proper IP PIN.
While most refunds are received within 21 days of acceptance of the return, you may need money now. With the H&R Block Refund Advance tax refund loan you can borrow against your tax refund with no interest, no loan fees, and no impact to your credit score. You borrow part of your future refund upfront, and the loan is paid back using proceeds from your tax refund.
Call now to schedule your appointment at H&R Block. As always, we also accept walk-in clients at your convenience. Open Monday through Friday 9am-7pm and Saturday 9am-5pm.
If you have questions or want to schedule an appointment, please call H&R Block in Manchester TN at 931-728-9462. H&R Block Has Your Back!
Elroy Poff
Graveside services for Mr. Elroy Poff, age 69 of Manchester, will be conducted at 1:15PM on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, at Ragsdale Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 11:00AM until 1:00PM on Tuesday at Coffee County Funeral Chapel. Mr. Poff passed unexpectedly from this life on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, at Unity Medical Center in Manchester, TN.
Elroy was born in Michigan City, Indiana on July 7, 1952, the son of the late Roy and Katherine Poff. Elroy was a hard worker who loved playing music, walking on the beach, and spending time with his family. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
In addition to his parents, Elroy is also preceded in death by three sisters, Helen Hussey, Wanda Cargile, and Florence Foster. He is survived by his beloved wife of 36 years, Deborah Poff; daughters, Brittany Poff, Lisa Brown, and Linda Reynolds; sister, Patricia Todd; grandchildren, Ladonna Reynolds, Charles Brown, and Jacob Melton; multiple great-grandchildren.
Coffee County Funeral Chapel is honored to serve the Poff family.
You may sign the online guestbook at www.coffeecountyfuneralchapel.com.
CMS LADY RAIDERS TAKE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Coffee Middle School’s Lady Raider basketball team completed a conference championship sweep with a win over South Middle School early Saturday afternoon, a game you heard live on Thunder Radio.
CMS beat South Middle 43-28 to win the CTC tournament championship, after winning the regular season title as well. They finished 13-1 in conference play.
Five Lady Raiders were named CTC All-Conference: Kaysen Morgan, Jaydee Nogodula, Adalyn Clark, Ella Arnold and Natalie Barnes.
The Lady Raiders will move on to the TMSAA Area Tournament, which will be held in Manchester. They will play Warren County at 5 p.m. Monday. A win there puts the Lady Raiders in the Area Championship on Friday at 5 p.m. All games at CMS.
The CMS boys will also participate in the area tournament. They play Harris at 6 p.m. Monday in Manchester.
5 Lady Raiders were named all-conference. They are, from left, Kaysen Morgan, Natalie Barnes, Adalyn Clark, Ella Arnold and Jaydee Nogodula.
Three JV wrestlers medal over the weekend
The Central High School junior varsity wrestlers sent 7 competitors to the MTWOA grand championships and they were able to get three placements.
Lyra Leftwich took 2nd place in girls 145 pounds, Ian Walker 2nd in freshman 195 and Josh Bowland 3rd in freshman 152.
Lyra Leftwich 
Josh Bowland 
Ian Walker
Three swimmers make state cuts on senior night
Coffee County swimmers celebrated seniors and 8th graders on January 14.
It was supposed to be a dual meet against St. Andrews Sewanee. Unfortunately, St Andrews didn’t make it down the mountain for the meet due to Covid. The meet ran as normal as an Intra-Squad meet and against homeschool team, Grace Academy.
The majority of both teams swim side by side during the week as Manchester Makos. Despite that, there were several great swims, with 3 State cuts made by Junior Emily Williams in the 100 butterfly clocking at a 106.44. Freshman teammates, Abby Gilday and Elsie Lazalier posted State cuts in the 500 Freestyle.
On the Middle school sides, Westwood swimmer Karsyn Riddle qualified for MS Regionals in the 50 freestyle with a time of 35.04. Jacob Bolin from CCMS, clocked in at 33.61 qualifying for MS Regionals.
House bill would add regulation to cannabinoid products such as Delta 8
A bill was introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly last week that would regulate federally legal hemp-derived THC products such as Delta 8 in Tennessee
House Bill 1690 would restrict the sale, purchase or possession of products containing intoxicating cannabinoids derived from hemp to anyone who is 21 years of age or older. It would also add a 6.6 percent tax to products containing hemp-derived cannabinoids. Additionally, retailers and wholesalers would also be required to obtain a $200 license annually. Revenue collected would be used by the Department of Agriculture to support product safety regulations and industry development.
The Tennessee Growers Coalition estimates that there are approximately 8,000 retail stores that sell Delta 8 and other hemp-derived THC in Tennessee.
The bill passed the senate on first consideration and is currently assigned to Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee in the house.