Josh Peterson

Tennessee businesses will be eligible to receive more pandemic assistance through a bill that will exempt relief funds from state taxes.

Tennessee lawmakers  last Monday night successfully guided unanimous passage of House Bill 776 which exempts Covid-19 relief payments received between March 1, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2021 from the state’s excise taxes.

This legislation provides an excise tax deduction for Tennessee business and entities that have received or will receive such relief payments in 2020 and 2021.

Businesses that received funds from the following programs are eligible for the deduction: Tennessee Business Relief Program; Tennessee Supplemental Employer Recovery Grant Program; Coronavirus Agricultural and Forestry Business Fund; Hospital Staffing Assistance Program; Emergency Medical Services Ambulance Assistance Program; Tennessee Small and Rural Hospital Readiness Grants Program; and payments issued by Tennessee from the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant.

Covid relief payments must be deducted from the tax year in which they were awarded. Once House Bill 776 becomes law, taxpayers who have already filed a franchise and excise tax return for the 2020 tax year will be able to amend the return to take the deduction for eligible relief payments received in 2020. The companion bill awaits passage in the Senate Chamber.

For the second time this year, the Tennessee Gas Price average saw a week over week decrease – down a penny compared to last week. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $2.68 which is 4 cents more than one month ago and $1.05 more than one year ago.

The average price in Coffee County is $2.65 per gallon of regular unleaded, which is 3 cents below the state average. The national average is $2.86.

“After a wild March, Americans are seeing a little stability at the pump. On the week, 40 states’ averages either increased or decreased by only a penny,” said Megan Cooper, spokesperson, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Cheaper crude oil prices will likely help to keep price fluctuation low this week.”

Quick Facts

· 77% of Tennessee gas stations have prices below $2.75
· The lowest 10% of pump prices are $2.48 for regular unleaded
· The highest 10% of pump prices are $2.96 for regular unleaded

National Gas Prices

Refinery utilization is at its highest measurement this year: 84%. This strong utilization rate, as measured by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), helped contribute to the addition of 4 million bbl of gasoline, pushing overall supply levels to 234.5 million bbl for the week ending April 2. The refinery and production increases amid a small decrease in demand and cheaper crude oil prices resulted in the national gas price average decreasing by a penny to $2.86 on the week.

For the first time in nearly two months, crude oil prices last week held below $60/bbl for five straight days. The cheaper price is a positive indicator for more stability at the pump.

With a 1.25% decrease, demand dropped slightly to 8.7 million b/d. That measurement is well above the 5.5 million b/d recorded one year ago, but still significantly lower than the 9.8 million b/d seen in early April 2019. AAA expects April demand to remain below levels from 2019, but see healthy increases from a year ago, when many Americans were quarantining.

Today’s national average is $2.86, which is cheaper on the week (−1 cent), but more expensive on the month (+3 cents) and year (+$1.00).

Saturday, April 24 from 8:00 am until 11:00am volunteers are asked to help spring clean Tullahoma in the Community Beautification Day. Volunteers can report to Public Works for tools, safety vests and assignments between 8:00 and 9:00 am. Citizens are also encouraged to do their own cleaning without Public Works if they do not need to report service hours.

“Getting litter picked-up is critical to the vibrancy of our City,” said Director of Public Works, Butch Taylor. “We ask residents to not litter. With your help, we can go a long way in keeping Tullahoma clean and beautiful. It is simple to keep the garbage with you and throw it away and recycle it at home or at a gas station.”

“We want Tullahomans to care enough to help us keep our roads free of litter,” said Director of Community Development, Winston Brooks. “

Concerned citizens can take action by reporting litter when you witness littering from vehicles on the roadways to 1-877-8-LITTER. If you get the license plate, they’ll hear from the state. The letter will include information about how to contain their litter and inform them that litterers can be fined up to $1,500. Residents can also report hot spots to Public Works at 454-1768.

To report an area needing to be cleaned, call Public Works prior to the event. This is also about awareness. If you Organize your church group, business, or even family and join in making a difference by helping to clean up Tullahoma, any day works to keep our community clean.

If you want to be officially counted for service hours, Volunteers should call Public Works at 931-454-1768 to sign up and then meet between 8:00-9:00 a.m. at the Tullahoma Public Works Department, 942 Maplewood Avenue for supplies and assignments the day of the event.

Coffee County Central High School Class of 2021 will have a graduation parade in lieu of a traditional commencement ceremony.

The announcement was made in a statement by Coffee County Director of Schools Dr. Charles Lawson on Friday. The ceremony will be much like what was held for the Class of 2020. Lawson cited crowd limitations due to COVID-19 as the reason.

“Coffee County Central High School will be conducting a Parade of Graduates as a graduation ceremony on May 28, 2021,” Lawson said in a statement. “School and district officials spent a significant amount of time evaluating options and decided that this plan represents the best opportunity for community involvement and ensures that all interested persons have the ability to view the graduates. If a traditional graduation had been held at the football stadium, the graduates would have had a limited number of tickets issued for family and friends.

“Instructions and information can be obtained through social media outlets for the high school and the school district. We will update these instructions as further information becomes available.”

Much like 2020, Thunder Radio intends to broadcast the Parade of Graduates on the radio and through Thunder Radio social media channels for all to hear. More information and details will be posted when it is available.

A McMinnville man accidentally shot himself in the leg Friday afternoon when his gun discharged while attempting to try on clothes.

According to Jeff Barnes with WOWC News, 28-year old Robert Harris was inside the McMinnville Walmart and entered the fitting room to try on pants when his 9mm pistol fell out of his pocket, hit the floor and discharged. The bullet struck Harris in the leg.

Harris was transported by Warren County EMS to River Park Hospital and later flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

There were no other injuries reported.