Author's posts
Melissa Faye Meeks
Mrs. Melissa Faye Meeks, 79, passed away Sunday July 11, 2021 at her home. She was born in Palmer, Tennessee on November 28, 1941 to Earl Brewer and Ila Lee Layne Brewer who preceded her in death along with her husband, Kenneth Marshal Meeks; brother, Bernice Lee “Bones” Brewer; sister, Judy Humphreys.
She was a member of the New Union Church of Christ and a home maker.
She is survived by her son, Greg (Suzi) Meeks; daughters, Kimma Ackerman
and Vanessa Stiefel; brothers, Charlie and Carl Brewer; sister, Beverly
(Clayton) Jones; grandchildren, Derek (Katie) Kasie (David), Brandon
(Mitzi), Jessica (Michael), Ashley (Chris) and Morgan (Logan); great
granchildren, Ty, Zoey, Waylon, Trey, Landyn, Kole and Kutler; several
loving nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be 1:00 PM Thursday in the Central Funeral Home
chapel with Minister Charles Williams officiating with burial to follow in
the Rose Hill Memorial Gardens.
Visitation 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM Wednesday at Central Funeral Home, Manchester,
Tennessee. www.centralfuneralhome.com
Calvin Eugene Harwell
Calvin Eugene Harwell of Fayetteville, TN went to be with his heavenly father on July 11, 2021 at the age of 85. The family will welcome friends for Visitation on Thursday, July 15 from 12pm until 2 pm, when Funeral Services begin. Burial will follow in Ardmore, TN at Gatlin Cemetery. Pastor Don Pierson of Stewarts Chapel Baptist Church will be officiating the service.
Mr. Harwell was born in Lewisburg and was the son of the late Calvin Cecil Harwell and Nellie Plumber Harwell. Because of his love of meeting new people, he became a door greeter at the Walmart in Fayetteville where he gained many new friendships and “family members.” He was an avid golfer and enjoyed fishing, camping, deer hunting, and whistling.
In addition to his parents, Mr. Harwell was preceded in death by his son, Michael Harwell.
He is survived by his loving wife, Joy Harwell; sons, Kenneth Harwell and Jeff Harwell; daughters, Shanda Harwell, Jennifer (Doug) Price, Amanda (Jeff) Simmons; brother, Larry Harwell; 14 grandchildren; numerous great grandchildren; a host of nieces and nephews; and his beloved dog, Chi-Chi.
For online guest registry please visit, www.lynchburgfuneralhome.com
LYNCHBURG FUNERAL HOME IS IN CHARGE OF ARRANGEMENTS.
Tommy J. Jeffery Jr.
Tommy J. Jeffery Jr. of Tullahoma passed this life on Saturday, July 10,
2021 at the age of 48. Funeral Services are scheduled at 2 PM, Friday,
July 16 at Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home with burial to follow at Rose Hill
Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends on Thursday, July 15,
2021 at Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home from 5 – 8 PM.
A native of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Mr. Jeffery was the son of the late Tommy
J. and Alice Broadrick Jeffery. He attended New Haven Baptist Church and
enjoyed fishing, riding his motorcycle and telling stories. He was a big
jokester and enjoyed kidding everyone. When he was younger, he played
baseball. His favorite times were spent with his family and friends.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brother, Donald
David Jeffery.
He is survived by his wife, Misty Jeffery of Tullahoma; sons, Morgan
Jeffery and Kyle Nunley (Tori), both of Tullahoma; daughter Kendra Glascoe
(Christian) of Tullahoma; brother, Ronald Jeffery (Jeanette) of Bowling
Green; sisters, Teresa Taylor (Greg) of Sewanee and Glenda VanNorman (Ted)
of California; grandson, River Nunley; good friend, Shannon Jones (Karen)
of Panama City, FL; nieces and nephews, Keith Thompson of Tullahoma, Tyler
Mason of New York, Blake Dotson of Sparta, TN, Spencer and Kierston
Jeffery, both of Tullahoma and Victoria Jeffery Perkins (Carl) of
Tullahoma; four great nieces and nephews and many friends. He is also
survived by his loving pet, Lucy the Poodle.
Online condolences may be made at www.davesculbertsonfuneralhome.com.
Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Katherine Bell Johnson Goodwin
Katherine Bell Johnson Goodwin of Normandy went to her heavenly home on July 9, 2021 at the age of 97. Mrs. Goodwin was born to the late William Dewey and Frances Hill Johnson and lived her entire life in Bedford County, TN- the past 69 years in her home in Normandy. She was the oldest living resident in the town of Normandy, a fact she was very proud of, and liked to tell you about. Her last four months were spent at Brookdale Senior Living with the wonderful, caring staff and group of new friends that she made. Katherine was a long-time employee of Tennessee Apparel, and retired from there in 1988. She was also a member of Normandy United Methodist Church. Katherine loved preparing Sunday dinners for her family every week, and did so for many years. Her pinto beans, cornbread, and fresh coconut cake were favorites and loved by all. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Goodwin is preceded in death by her husband, Fred Goodwin; daughter, Mary Floyd; grandson, Robby Latremore; and three brothers and sisters. She is survived by three children, Barbara Murray of Tullahoma, Thomas (Jodie) Goodwin of Winchester, and Don Goodwin of Tullahoma; Grandchildren, David (Lori) Floyd of Tullahoma, Lisa Floyd, Mark (Tish) Perry of Tullahoma, Jennifer (Jason) Fritz of Chattanooga, Christopher (Heather) Goodwin of Tullahoma, and Clint (Laurie) Goodwin of Moore County; 12 great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; a special sister-in-law Jane Goodwin of Murfreesboro; and numerous nieces and nephews. Funeral services for Mrs. Goodwin took place on Monday, July 12, with Rev. Laurie Raulston officiating, followed by burial at Blanton Chapel Cemetery in Coffee County. For those who wish, the family asks that donations in Katherine’s memory be made to either St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital- 501 St. Jude Pl. Memphis, TN 38105-9959; Normandy United Methodist Church P.O. Box 168, Normandy, TN 37360; or the National League of POW/MIA Families 5673 Columbia Pike- Suite 100, Falls Church, VA 22041. Kilgore Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Joyce Lorraine Harris
Joyce Lorraine Harris, 65 peacefully passed away in the early morning hours
of July 8th, 2021 at her home in Manchester, Tennessee. Born and raised in
Miami, and later moved to N.C. where she met her best friend and future
husband, James Harris. They married and lived in Gastonia and were
together for 40 years until he passed October 2018. It was at that time
that she moved to Manchester, to live with her twin sister Janice Leach and
sister Debbie Arnold.
As a young girl she enjoyed caring for and riding her horses. Her love of
animals continued throughout her entire life. She also enjoyed
photography, and as a young women she worked with her twin sister at a
photography studio in North Miami.
Joyce is survived by her stepdaughter Michelle Sullivan and grand-kids,
Trey and Haley. She also will be greatly missed, loved and remembered by
her siblings, Bruce Leach, Debra Arnold, Janice Leach and Linda Fernandez
along with their spouses Dianne Leach and Lester Fernandez. She showered
her nieces and nephews with love and will be missed by Christina, Eric,
Lisa, Lori, Mark, Kelly, Andrew and Jonathan. Joyce has been preceded in
death by her brother, John Leach and loving parents John and Helen Leach
and nephew Christopher Leach. It brings us much comfort to think of them
together again in Heaven.
A remembrance will be held at a later date, yet to be determined in Florida.
Online condolences may be made at www.davesculbertsonfuneralhome.com.
Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
David Allen Myers
Mr. David Allen Myers, age 76, of Pelham, TN, passed from this life on Friday, July 9, 2021, in Nashville, TN.
Mr. Myers was born in Grundy County, TN, to his late parents Edgar Myers
and Nell Ruth Oliver Myers. He worked at the Grundy County Convenience
Center for part of his life. Mr. Myers is survived by several loving family
members.
Visitation with the family will be on Saturday, July 17, 2021, from 12 noon
until 2:00pm at Paynes Cove Methodist Church, 3514 Paynes Cove Rd., Pelham,
TN 37366. Funeral services will be conducted immediately following
visitation at 2:00pm. Burial will follow in Paynes Cove Cemetery in Pelham,
TN.
Central Funeral Home is serving the family, 931-723-7774,
centralfuneralhome.com
BOLO issued from Coffee County Sheriff’s Department
The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department issued a “be on the lookout” after two items were stolen from a home on Woodbury Highway near the Goose Pond Road area.
If you have any information, you are asked to contact Investigator Brandon Gullet at 931-728-3591. View the images of the stolen items below:
Tennessee gas price average stays steady; Coffee County even with state average and below national average
The Tennessee gas price average held steady over last week with today’s average the same as one week ago. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $2.88 which is the same as one month ago and 94 cents more than one year ago. The Coffee County average is $2.88 which makes the County even with the state average for the second week in a row, and 26 cents below the national average.
“Peak summer driving season is in full-swing as Americans hit the road to explore and gas prices are not backing down,” said Megan Cooper, spokeswoman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Motorists are paying, on average, nearly a dollar more a gallon than last summer to fill up and close to 40 cents more than in 2019.”
Quick Facts
· 92% of Tennessee gas stations have prices below $3.00
· The lowest 10% of pump prices are $2.69 for regular unleaded
· The highest 10% of pump prices are $3.14 for regular unleaded
· Tennessee remains the 10th least expensive market in the nation
National Gas Prices
At 10 million b/d, gasoline demand reached a new Energy Information Administration (EIA) record last week, and that number only partially reflects Independence Day holiday weekend travel. The nearly 1 million b/d jump in demand drove down gasoline supplies by 6.1 million bbl to 235,000 million bbl and consequently pushed the national average pump price up to $3.14.
The price of crude oil, which fluctuated last week following OPEC’s failure to reach an agreement on production increases, continues to be a dominant factor in determining how high prices will go this summer. Last week ended with higher crude prices than the start, though still under $75/bbl. AAA believes those prices have the potential to increase this week, which will only lead to more expensive pump prices, especially amid robust demand.
On the week, about 25 state averages increased by at least two cents with a few seeing a jump of nine cents or more. State averages range from as low as $2.76 in Mississippi to as expensive as $4.31 in California.
As pump prices continue to increase, AAA members can save at the pump by joining the Fuel Rewards at Shell program via AAA.com . Members save 30 cents per gallon on their first fill-up when they join between now and August 31, 2021. As part of the Fuel Rewards program, AAA Members earn Gold Status ongoing and save five cents per gallon every day on each individual gas purchase of up to 20 gallons from participating Shell stations with no minimum fill ups.
National Oil Market Dynamics
At the close of Friday’s formal trading session, WTI increased by $1.62 cents to settle at $74.56. Crude prices declined early last week due to a stronger dollar and market concerns about excess crude supply. However, prices increased following the release of EIA’s report that showed total domestic crude inventories decreased by 6.9 million bbl to 445.5 million bbl. If EIA’s next weekly report shows another decline in total domestic crude inventories, prices could climb further this week.
Tax Tip Tuesday; how long to keep your tax records
If you’re like many Americans, paper piles up at home. You may have stacks upon stacks of old mail, bank statements, credit card statements, random printouts, and even copies of your personal tax records. So what can stay and what should go?
In most cases you should plan on keeping personal tax returns and any supporting documents for a period of at least 3 years following the date you filed or the due date of your return, whichever is later. So currently, if you filed by the due date, the tax periods of 2018, 2019, and 2020 should be retained. Supporting documents for those returns such as W2s, 1099s, documents supporting deductions, business records of income and expenses, and any other documents used to prepare your return should also be kept.
Keeping personal tax returns and their associated records for a three-year time period is tied to the IRS statute of limitations. Under the statute, you generally have the later of three years from the date the original return was due or two years from the date you paid the tax, to file a claim for refund. Likewise, the IRS generally has only three years from the filing date or due date of the return (whichever is later) to audit the return and assess additional tax.
There are some cases in which you may need to hang on to your personal records longer than three years. For instance, you should plan on keeping records related to property you own for three years after you dispose of the property. This includes real estate as well as stocks, equipment, and other assets.
Before getting too excited and throwing your old returns away, check to make sure you do not need to keep them for other purposes. Certain creditors and even some insurance companies may require you to keep records longer than the IRS.
If you do decide to get rid of tax documents, make sure you dispose of them securely, such as shredding them. Tax returns contain sensitive information that identity thieves love.
If you have questions and would like help from the Tax Professionals at H&R Block, please call your local H&R Block office. In Manchester TN call 931-728-9462. H&R Block Has Your Back!
District Attorney Craig Northcott releases statement
As many will recall, about two years ago, I was attacked for holding to and endeavoring to live every aspect of my life by the Truth of God’s Word as found in the Bible. This was done in an apparent attempt to discredit me following my appointment as special prosecutor to handle a couple of politically charged matters in Davidson County. A summary of the attack is that it was alleged that I am unfit to serve as District Attorney and to remain an attorney in Tennessee because I taught the Word of God regarding homosexuality from the pulpit of a church in Houston, Texas at a Bible conference primarily for pastors sponsored by a seminary as well as my expressing my theological belief regarding Islam while commenting on another individual’s Facebook post in my personal capacity. Amazingly, this simple exercising of my God-given, constitutionally protected rights so upset certain groups of people that I made local, national, and international news and I had to fight their efforts to have me disbarred for the last two years. Throughout that time, I promised many to keep them informed as the battle progressed and to notify them of the outcome. I could never remember all the people to whom I made that promise and this is my attempt to keep those promises.
I was required by the Disciplinary Counsel for the Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) to respond to disciplinary complaints filed against me by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in New York City, a random individual who claimed he lived in Louisiana, the Freedom from Religion Foundation in Wisconsin and an attorney in Nashville that claimed to speak for over 300 other attorneys and law students. To my knowledge, none of the complainants have ever set foot in a criminal court in Coffee County since I have been District Attorney and none of these complainants alleged that I had mishandled a specific case or mistreated any defendant, victim, or witness because of their theological beliefs or sexual orientation. They simply alleged that my holding to, expressing, living my life by, and performing my job duties consistently with the Word of God made me unfit to be District Attorney and practice law. They each sought for me to be immediately stripped of my right to practice law and removed from office.
After several months of my fully and truthfully responding in writing to these allegations as well as being deposed, the BPR asked me to agree to be publicly censured for violating the rules of ethics in exchange for them not pursuing more harsh discipline up to disbarment. I refused to accept that punishment because I had done nothing wrong. In response, the BPR through the Office of Disciplinary Counsel filed a formal complaint against me initiating legal proceedings to obtain such discipline. After much legal wrangling, they attempted to rework their initial complaint because of the obvious lack of factual and legal support for their position and, more importantly, because their attempts were barred by constitutional protections of this State and Country. The revised allegations were equally lacking in legal and factual support. Remarkably, the BPR through the Office of Disciplinary Counsel never alleged the mishandling of a specific case and admitted under oath that, after more than a year of investigation, they could not find a single case that I or my office had mishandled.
After the investigation and discovery process was completed, my attorney filed a Motion for Summary Judgment in which I asserted that, even if the hearing panel takes the facts and law in the light most favorable to the BPR, there is no legal and/or factual basis to find that I violated a single Rule of Professional Conduct. A hearing was held on this motion in December 2020 and a ruling was issued in April 2021. In that ruling, the hearing panel granted my motion and dismissed the complaint against me. The time for the BPR to appeal that decision recently passed and they did not appeal. Accordingly, this matter is now over.
I thank my wife, kids, extended family, staff, friends, and everyone else who stood behind me throughout this. I appreciate your prayers and am humbled by your support more than you know and more than words can express. I had attorneys representing me through portions of this process: Brian Faughnan at the initial stages and Darrell Townsend for the concluding stages. I want to thank them as well for their excellent services and efforts on my behalf.
Over the last 2 years, I have been attacked personally for and pressured to disavow my closely held Christian beliefs under the threat of losing my law license. I knew what was at risk but also understood that my first duty is always to God. Thus, relying on His promises and knowing that Scripture tells us that we will be attacked for standing for His Truth, I was determined to not abandon my faith because a vocal and militant minority was upset because I express and endeavor to live by God’s mandates. God saw me through the battle and provided the resources needed to continue to resist these efforts. Accordingly, the glory is His.
Tencourage all my Christian brethren to stand firm against these attacks. (See 1 Corinthians 1:13-14). We must equip ourselves with the intake and consistent application of true Bible doctrine so that the schemes of the world will not overcome us. (See Ephesians 6:11-12). Be courageous and bold in the face of the growing assault against us in this country. (See James 1:12). God is good and faithful.
I look forward to continuing to serve this community as your District Attorney.
Sincerely,
Craig Northcott District Attorney