Josh Peterson

The annual Manchester Veterans Day Parade and Ceremony will be held on
Saturday, November 6th, 2021, with the parade commencing at 10 AM. Lineup
for the parade, at Raider Academy on McMinnville Highway, will begin at 9 AM.

Those with a family member who is, or was, in the military are encouraged to
decorate, if possible, and drive their vehicle in the parade in their honor.
Those with military vehicles or equipment may also participate. Participants
can either walk the 1.5 mile route, drive a vehicle, or pull a float.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the top 3 parade entries.

There are no vendor fees for merchants and food vendors who would like to
set up a booth or trailer.

The Veterans Day Ceremony will be held immediately following the parade at
11 AM on Manchester Square. U.S. Navy retiree and VFW Post 10904 Surgeon
Fred Kasper will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

There will be food and merchandise vendors. Up & coming Nashville country
performer Chris Turner will headline this year’s live music after the
ceremony. Safe distancing is encouraged, and attendees should wear
appropriate personal protection as they deem necessary.

The public is urged to attend this event as we pay respect to our veterans,
who have sacrificed so much to defend the freedoms we all enjoy.

The parade registration form can be found on the Coffee County Veterans
Association Facebook page and the VFW website, www.vfwpost10904.com
<http://www.vfwpost10904.com> or by calling CCVA President Kimberly King at
(251) 554-8836.

Coffee Co election commission exploring idea of fewer election-day precincts

Coffee County Election commission is exploring the idea of having fewer voting precincts for next year’s election.

During a November meeting, the commission gave direction to administrator of elections Andy Farrar to look at fewer precincts based on new districts that have been drawn by the Coffee County Commission. Currently, there are 23 precincts. The commission wants to explore having 18 precincts.

“With the way the county approved the new 9 districts, they want me to look at what we can do better and we will finalize a plan at the next meeting in December.”

Farrar cited Tullahoma as an example. Tullahoma currently has 9 precincts on elections day. Now that there are 3 districts – which are fewer districts but larger ones than before – the election commission is exploring the possibility of closing low-turnout precincts and combining them with others.

“Some of these precincts in the cities with low voter turnout, we could combine them or add a machine or two to another precincts with some added staff.”

Farrar explains that they are studying election-day turnout for the past 6 elections. By looking at total number of voters and the number of voters that can be handled per hour, per machine, the commission thinks that 18 precincts will be ideal. Currently, there are 23 precincts in Coffee County – 9 in Tullahoma, 4 in Manchester and 10 in the rural county.

Farrar adds that as more studying is done, the commission may settle on 19 or 20 precincts, or 16 or 17. Final plans should be in place by December before candidates begin picking up petitions for next year’s elections.

Old Coffee County Commission district map

Franklin County officer wins prestigious TBI director award

Two dozen Tennessee law enforcement officers have become the newest graduates of the TBI State Academy, built as a professional and specialized training ground for public safety professionals who want to expand their education and training in the criminal justice field.

Modeled after the FBI’s National Academy, the TBI State Academy includes specialized coursework in the areas of leadership, constitutional law, communications intelligence, and crime scene and undercover investigations. Throughout the four-week course, attended learned advanced investigative techniques, science, and strategy; skills they can take back with them and immediately put into practice at their home agencies. Candidates were nominated by their department heads and were required to have five years of experience as a full-time commissioned officer of a Tennessee law enforcement agency.

Each year, one student is honored with the prestigious Director’s Award. The officer selected for that award is the individual with the highest cumulative scores in academic tests, physical fitness, shooting competition, leadership presentation, and case presentation. This year’s recipient is Investigator Sam Davidson, from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

The Academy runs four days a week for four weeks and is held at Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy in Bell Buckle. This was the tenth class to graduate from the TBI State Academy.

How to talk with your children about online safety

By Joyce Prusak, executive director of Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center

Child safety online is crucial in today’s world where children spend significant amounts of time online (95% of teens have access to smartphones and 45% report being online almost constantly, according to the National Criminal Justice Training Center). We covered the importance of implementing tech rules in your household, including parental approvals, tech free times and zones and focusing on the behavior instead of the app in a previous article. The most essential aspect of keeping children safe (online and offline) is establishing a strong relationship and maintaining honest conversations built on transparency and trust.

Here are some tips to help you talk with your children about being safe online. You can adapt the focus of the topic depending on your children’s age and maturity level.

Elementary school aged children

If your children are in elementary school or younger, talk about online dangers, using concrete examples. Repetition is the key. Review and repeat concepts several times. Explain that an online predator is someone who may seek information and search for victims. Predators might want to obtain explicit photos, for example. Be concrete when you’re providing explanations and develop a common language with your child. Talk about online rules and manners. Explain what personal information is, providing examples. Explain to your children what information can be shared and what information should not be shared. Information topics your children should never share include address and phone number, town they live in, school they attend, school mascot (easily identifiable school information) and names of their teachers.

Middle school aged children

Earn the trust of your children who are middle school aged by speaking with them (not speaking at them). Have ongoing conversations, providing guidance. Offer real examples and don’t use scare tactics. Scare tactics don’t work and might lead to skepticism, with the child thinking, “This is not going to happen to me.” Cyberbullying and digital drama risks may now enter your child’s online world, and it’s important to define these terms and help your children develop a positive self-image.

High school students

While in this age group, some children may begin to look like adults, they are still children and their brains will not be developed until their mid-twenties. “Talk with them as adults, but be aware of their adolescent minds,” according to Christine Feller, who provides training for the National Criminal Justice Training Center (NCJTC).

Use concrete examples. Continue to build on conversations from past years. Encourage your children to consider consequences their posts and behavior online might have (positive and negative), when it comes to college applications, scholarships, job opportunities or military enlistment. Introduce your children to adult consequences of online issues. Talk with them about risks of online harassment and revenge porn.

This information was compiled with the help of NTJTC sources.

To learn more about child abuse prevention, visit coffeecountycac.org and follow Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center on social media. The Coffee County CAC offers free child abuse prevention training, thanks to a grant awarded to the center.

Birthdays- November 3

Kaylyn Brinkley- 16- Pizza Winner!

Ruby Baker- 62

Blayne Myers- 16

Sam Dejani

FOOTBALL: Raiders and Warriors face off Friday; ticket and broadcast info here

Coffee County’s Red Raider football team has been able to cross a few goals off its list this year. The Raiders had a winning record at home. CHS finished .500 with 5 wins – the best win total for the program since 2007. And now the Raiders are back in the playoffs — all goals set during the offseason.

Now, how about a playoff win?

The Red Raider football team is 0-10 all time in the TSSAA football playoffs and have their eyes set on Riverdale. The Raiders and Warriors (9-1) kickoff at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5 in Murfreesboro. Tickets are available by clicking here.

Of course Thunder Radio – your Manchester Sports Authority – will have all of the coverage. The Friday Night Thunder pregame show begins at 6 p.m. with pregame breakdown, highlights and interviews. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the postgame will carry you until about 10:30 with call-ins, highlights and an area scoreboard. Listen to Thunder Radio coverage at 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, and worldwide via the Manchester Go smartphone app and thunder1320.com.

Road construction on Interstate Drive slowing down traffic to Unity hospital

Currently, TDOT is in the process of a construction project which has brought Interstate Dr. down to one lane at times. According to Unity Medical Center officials, this has caused some issues with patients getting access to the Unity Medical Center facility at 481 Interstate Drive..

“If you are making your way to the facility and are experiencing an emergency please exit your vehicle and let the construction crew know the situation,” Unity officials said in a statement. “They will clear the way for you so that you may get to the facility. We are working with the construction crew to find a way around the situation. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

You can check https://smartway.tn.gov/traffic for further information on road closures and traffic reports.

Mobile Food Pantry set for Nov. 12 in Manchester

Families who have a student enrolled in the Manchester City School System or the Coffee County School System can take advantage of a food pantry Nov. 12.

Coming up at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 12, there will be a mobile food pantry conducted at First Baptist Church of Manchester – 1006 Hillsboro Blvd. in Manchester

This event is for families with children enrolled in these school districts. Items are first come, first served.

Tennessee Department of Health offering Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to all eligible Tennesseans

Wednesday, the Tennessee Department of Health shared that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 years. While young children often have milder illness than adults, outbreaks in this age group are common, can disrupt home and family life, and can lead to spread in the general community, including those at high risk of severe disease.

“The approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for pediatric patients further bolsters our efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 and continue to put an end to this pandemic,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “As a pediatrician and parent, I trust the science. This is an exciting opportunity to vaccinate our younger population and protect not only our children but also our loved ones and those with whom they have contact.”

It is anticipated this vaccine will be widely available across the state in the coming days as vaccine distribution ramps up throughout the country. Many local health departments in Tennessee will be able to vaccinate children ages 5-11 years beginning Thursday, November 4. Parents seeking the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for their child should visit vaccines.gov for availability. When making an appointment, parents of individuals under the age of 18 should select a Pfizer vaccine appointment time. Parents can also call their local health department to check availability and schedule an appointment.

Individuals may also schedule an appointment with a local vaccine provider, including pharmacies, medical clinics, and other sites, by visiting vaccines.gov. For more information regarding vaccine recommendations for children and guidelines from the CDC, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/children-teens.html.

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Health is to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee. Learn more about TDH services and programs at www.tn.gov/health.

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Kiara Lee Parker

REMINDER: Manchester Veterans Day parade is Saturday