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Motlow State testing center to offer on-site ACT assessment test
Motlow State Community College Testing Center will administer the On-Campus ACT exam on August 3 from 8:30 a.m. – Noon and on August 17 from 12:30 – 4 p.m. The test will be administered in room 1043 of the Crouch Center on the Moore County campus.
The On-Campus ACT Test is for individuals under 21 years of age planning to attend Motlow State and could not take the ACT on a national test day. A Motlow admission application must be on file prior to taking the On-Campus ACT Assessment Test.
To be eligible to take the test, applicants must complete the On-Campus ACT Test registration form at https://www.motlow.edu/academics/testing and pay the $68.50 registration fee. Applicants must present a valid picture identification on the day of the test.
Any student who plans on attending another college must take the National ACT or take the ACT on the campus of the prospective college, as scores for the On-Campus ACT test cannot be transferred to another college or university or used to apply for scholarships.
For more information or for test registration, visit the Motlow Testing Center website at www.motlow.edu, or call 931-393-1763 or 800-654-4877, ext. 1763.
Early voting turnout through two days near same pace as spring primary
It is still early – but turnout at the polls in Coffee County for the August 4 election is down slightly when compared to the first two days of early voting from the May 3 primary.
Early voting for the August 4 election began on Friday, July 15. Through two days of early voting, a total of 609 votes have been cast. Of those, 240 are county voters, 236 reside in Tullahoma and 133 reside in Manchester.
By comparison, 686 votes were cast through the first two days of early voting back in April for the May 3 primary. Both of those days were weekdays. The first two days of early voting in the current election included a Friday and Saturday.
Those interested in voting early will have multiple opportunities to do so.
Early voting in Manchester is at the Coffee County Election Commission, located at 1329 McArthur St. Suite 6. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 to noon on Saturdays July 15-30.
Meanwhile, in Tullahoma early voting is at the CD Stamps Center at 810 South Jackson St. Hours are 9a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays July 15-30.
CLICK HERE to see a full sample ballot for the Aug. 4 election.
Birthdays – July 16
Birthdays:
Cayde Waggoner – 14
Ricky Vandagriff – 64
Ricky Stacey – 57
Mark Moore
Doug Reed
Teresa Taylor – Pizza Winner!
Weekly Winners:
Cake – Emma Mullins
Flowers – Brad & Carrol McKelvey
Carolyn M. Davis
Carolyn M. Davis, passed this life on July 14, 2022, at Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia, at the age of 76. A graveside service is scheduled for July 18, 2022 at 10 AM at Prospect Cemetery in Fayetteville, TN.
Carolyn was the daughter of the late Johnny Dollar and Catherine Ables Dollar.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband, Bobby Davis; sisters, Martha Bogle, Mary Scott and Dean Bell; grandson, Chase Lee Davis and great-grandson, Nicholas Mason.
She is survived by her son, Tony Lee Davis; brother, Jerry (Pam) Dollar; granddaughter, Starr Mason and great-grandson Justic Jackson.
Lynchburg Funeral Home is honored to serve the McCoy family. If you would like to leave online condolences, please visit our website at www.lynchburgfuneralhome.com.
Manchester City Schools score above state average in ELA, Math
At the end of each school year, students across the state of Tennessee take part in the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program(TCAP). Students in grades 3 through 5 are tested in English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, and science. Students in middle school are also tested in the same subjects with the addition of social studies.
The 2021-22 school year presented many obstacles and challenges for everyone. Manchester City Schools worked diligently to identify possible gaps in student learning caused by the loss of instructional time during the pandemic. The district focused on literacy in all grades, common formative assessments, and using high quality instructional materials. “Our teachers and staff worked incredibly hard to take care of our students during a time when many challenges were present,” said Superintendent, Dr. Joey Vaughn. As a result of their work, Manchester City Schools was named a “Reading 360 District” and a “Best for All District” for the 2021-22 school year.
The Tennessee Department of Education released preliminary data this past week. With this data, Manchester City Schools was able to see a significant increase in proficiency rates across ELA and Math as compared to scores from 2021. Specifically, the district scored at or above the state averages in most of the grade levels in ELA and math. “We are incredibly proud of the work our teachers, staff, and students have put forth,” stated Instructional Supervisor, Dr. Mick Shuran. “Teachers have high expectations for their students, are strategically focusing on standards, and regularly looking at data for strengths and needs.”
Vaughn concluded by restating the importance of teachers and staff members in children’s lives. “We are thankful for all of those who work with Manchester City Schools and to our community for always being supportive. While assessment plays an important role in education, our focus is still on our students and our priority is in keeping them healthy, happy, and safe.”
POLITICAL FORUM REPLAYS
If you missed the Thunder Radio political forum Thursday night in Manchester there are a few ways to go back and get information.
Birthdays – July 14
Melody Kesling – Pizza Winner!
Dwight Vandagriff
Derwin Vandagriff
Nita
Emma Mullins
Early voting begins Friday, July 15
Local elections and state primaries will culminate on election day on August 4. Early voting begins Friday, July 15 and will end on July 30th.
The August 4th election will include County General Election, Manchester municipal along with the state and federal primary elections.
Races of note
Here in Coffee County, a few winners from the May 3 primaries will square off against Independent candidates in August who were not on the May 3 ballot; while others will be Republican and Democratic winners from May 3 facing each other. Some winners from May 3 are unopposed and a lock for winning in August.
Republican candidate for Coffee County Mayor Judd Matheny, who ran unopposed in the primary, will face off against Independent candidate Margaret Cunningham in August for the county’s top seat.
Coffee County Sheriff Chad Partin, who defeated challenger Alethia Rawn in the May 3 primary will face two challengers. Independent candidates Brandon Tomberlin and Danny Ferrell will each be seeking the highest law enforcement spot in the county – you will see all three on the ballot with the option to select one.
Longtime County Clerk Teresa McFadden (Independent) will be challenged by Republican Melissa Anderson (Republican) in August.
Road Superintendent Benton Bartlett beat Republican challenger Scott Hansert in the May 3 primary and will now face Democratic primary winner Ronnie Watts, who ran unopposed in May.
There are a couple of Coffee County Commission seats that will see challenges in August. In District 2, Republican primary winners Joey Hobbs and Claude Morse will face Democratic primary winner Mike Stein. The top two vote-getters will serve as commissioners.
In District 5, Republican primary winners Missy Deford and Tim Morris will face off against Democratic primary winner Bonnie Gamble. The top two vote-getters will serve as commissioners.
And in District 7, Republican primary winner Tina Reed will face Democratic candidates Rosemary Crabtree and Jackie Duncan. The top two vote-getters will serve as commissioners.
Also coming up in August will be City of Manchester Mayor and Aldermen elections. City Mayor Marilyn Howard will be running unopposed.
Three Manchester alderman seats will expire in August. Aldermen Bill Nickels, Mark Messick and Roxanne Patton will all see their terms expire in August. Only Messick is seeking re-election.
Eight candidates have filed petitions to run for Manchester alderman – they include Messick, Julie Anderson, David Bradley, Helen Debellis, Joey Hobbs, Claude Morse, Donny Parsley and James Threet.
Also, alderman Chris Elam resigned his spot with two years remaining on his term. Therefore, the aldermanic candidate receiving the fourth most votes will take Elam’s spot and serve the remainder of his term.
CLICK HERE to see a full sample ballot for the Aug. 4 election.
How, where to vote early
Those interested in voting early will have multiple opportunities to do so.
Early voting in Manchester is at the Coffee County Election Commission, located at 1329 McArthur St. Suite 6. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 to noon on Saturdays July 15-30.
Meanwhile, in Tullahoma early voting is at the CD Stamps Center at 810 South Jackson St. Hours are 9a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays July 15-30.
Men three times more likely than women to be involved in fatal distracted driving crashes in Tennessee, study shows
A recent study conducted by Zutobi shows that men in Tennessee are nearly three times more likely than women to be involved in a fatal crash that involves distracted driving. That is higher than the national average that shows men are two times more likely than women to be involved in a distracted driver fatal crash.
Distracted driving is defined as driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving. Being less focused on driving will drastically increase the chance of being involved in a motor vehicle crash.
Since 2015, the total number of distracted driving crashes resulting in an injury have bounced between 265,000 to 295,000 crashes each year. In 2020 this number has dropped significantly, down to 215,000.
What is the major cause of distraction?
About 8% of crashes with injuries can be attributed to cell phones. Cell phones can be attributed to about 13% of fatal distracted driving accidents. This is not surprising, since cell phone use will directly impact your ability to react to hazards. Speaking on a cell phone while driving increases crash risk by 2 times, while texting increases the crash risk by up to 6 times.
Men are more than twice as likely to be involved in a fatal distracted driving accident compared to women. What does this mean exactly? Well, male drivers were distracted in 2125 fatal crashes in 2020, whereas women drivers were only distracted in 781 fatal crashes during the same period.
In Tennessee, reports indicate that 51 male drivers were involved in fatal distracted crashes in 2020, compared to 18 women for a total of 69. See all state numbers provided by Zutobi below:
| State | Male Drivers Involved in Fatal Distracted Crashes | Female Drivers Involved in Fatal Distracted Crashes | Total |
| Alabama | 37 | 15 | 52 |
| Alaska | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Arizona | 38 | 12 | 50 |
| Arkansas | 13 | 6 | 19 |
| California | 71 | 25 | 96 |
| Colorado | 34 | 20 | 54 |
| Connecticut | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| Delaware | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| District of Columbia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Florida | 190 | 90 | 280 |
| Georgia | 39 | 16 | 55 |
| Hawaii | 7 | 6 | 13 |
| Idaho | 11 | 8 | 19 |
| Illinois | 150 | 45 | 195 |
| Indiana | 28 | 11 | 39 |
| Iowa | 10 | 3 | 13 |
| Kansas | 62 | 28 | 90 |
| Kentucky | 65 | 26 | 91 |
| Louisiana | 116 | 37 | 153 |
| Maine | 11 | 3 | 14 |
| Maryland | 30 | 11 | 41 |
| Massachusetts | 24 | 7 | 31 |
| Michigan | 32 | 17 | 49 |
| Minnesota | 19 | 6 | 25 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Missouri | 54 | 23 | 77 |
| Montana | 10 | 1 | 11 |
| Nebraska | 12 | 1 | 13 |
| Nevada | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| New Hampshire | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| New Jersey | 81 | 13 | 94 |
| New Mexico | 101 | 33 | 134 |
| New York | 86 | 28 | 114 |
| North Carolina | 90 | 38 | 128 |
| North Dakota | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Ohio | 38 | 16 | 54 |
| Oklahoma | 33 | 17 | 50 |
| Oregon | 27 | 9 | 36 |
| Pennsylvania | 42 | 12 | 54 |
| Rhode Island | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| South Carolina | 33 | 5 | 38 |
| South Dakota | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Tennessee | 51 | 18 | 69 |
| Texas | 246 | 78 | 324 |
| Utah | 16 | 3 | 19 |
| Vermont | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Virginia | 79 | 27 | 106 |
| Washington | 56 | 21 | 77 |
| West Virginia | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| Wisconsin | 18 | 12 | 30 |
| Wyoming | 13 | 8 | 21 |
| Total | 2,125 | 781 | 2,906 |
Portions of Coffee County rated ‘abnormally dry’ despite recent rainfall
Despite recent rainfall, the United States Drought Monitor still shows many portions of Western Middle Tennessee under a moderate drought.
Meanwhile, the southern half of Coffee County is showing to be in an “abnormally dry” condition for now. The northern half of Coffee County shows no drought intensity.
Most all of Western Tennessee has a is shown to be under a moderate drought.
