Josh Peterson

Tennessee lawmakers passed legislation protecting victims of aggravated statutory rape and statutory rape by an authority figure in the House last week.

House Bill 326 adds aggravated statutory rape and statutory rape by an authority figure to the list of offenses for which an offender will be prohibited from having custody or inheritance rights with regard to a child born as a result of the offense and for which any visitation will be conditioned on the other parent’s request. Tennessee General Assembly adds protection for rape victims

Present law removes parental rights from a rapist who is convicted of a crime. This legislation removes parental rights from a rapist who is convicted of or pleads guilty or no contest to a lesser offense.

House Bill 326 protects a child from a questionable outcome in a civil custody battle by giving power to the victim of a rape and child of a rape to decide if and when a child will be around the father. House Bill 326 heads to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his signature.

After declining for the first time this year, the Tennessee gas price average rose two cents, on average, over last week. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $2.69 which is nearly 14 cents more than one month ago and 99 cents more than one year ago.

The National average is $2.87. Meanwhile, the average price is Coffee County is $2.68, which is just a penny below the state average and 19 cents below the national average.

“We anticipate demand will continue to increase throughout the month as vaccinations become more widely available and weather turns warmer,” said Megan Cooper, spokesperson, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Drivers can expect fluctuation at the pump throughout the spring driving season.”

Quick Facts

· 79% of Tennessee gas stations have prices below $2.75
· The lowest 10% of pump prices are $2.51 for regular unleaded
· The highest 10% of pump prices are $2.96 for regular unleaded

National Gas Prices

Gasoline demand measured 8.9 million b/d in the Energy Administration’s (EIA) latest weekly report, up nearly 4% from the week prior. Because of the jump in demand, gasoline supplies tightened to 230.5 million bbl, the lowest level this year, and state gas prices averages saw major fluctuations. On the week, states saw pump price changes ranging from an increase of 15 cents to a decrease of 3 cents.

Today’s national average is $2.87, which is more expensive on the week (+1 cent), month (+12 cents) and year (+94 cents).

One factor that may help to keep the national gas price average below $3/gallon is the price of crude, which accounts for nearly 60% of the price at the pump. After hitting a 12-month high of $66/bbl last month, crude has been priced mostly at the $60/bbl mark recently. If it stays low, even with demand increasing, it will contribute to less frequent pump price jumps. However, at the end of last week, crude started to see higher movement following a production announcement by Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Plus (OPEC+).

National Oil Market Dynamics

At the close of last week’s formal trading session, WTI increased $2.29 to settle at $61.45. Crude oil prices saw gains at the end of the week following the OPEC+ announcement that they will modestly increase production by 350,000 bbl starting in May. The production increase is less than the market expected, but enough to send crude oil prices higher. This week prices are likely to fluctuate, but not spike.

By Elena Cawley

The confidential nature of child abuse cases presents a problem: people forget child abuse exists. False. Child abuse plagues Coffee County. But the community can help by raising awareness

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Joyce Prusak, executive director of the Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center, works to provide abuse-free future for children. According Prusak, the advocacy center received 348 referrals for child abuse last year, with the numbers increasing compared with 2019.

As taxing as the job is, she finds satisfaction in helping children find healing.

“Dealing with witnessing the trauma builds up and it’s hard,” Prusak said. “Last year we saw some of the worst cases. When you think you’ve heard the worst of the worst, and then something worse happens, it’s hard.”

The advocacy center becomes involved with the cases through referrals from the Department of Children’s Services.

“The process depends on the severity of the case,” Prusak said. “If it’s a sexual abuse case, we get an interview scheduled here at the advocacy center. We do it at the center so the child will tell the story one time. DCS and law enforcement can watch the interview and have their questions answered. The most important thing is that we are talking to the children in a way that’s comfortable to them and in a way that doesn’t lead them. They should tell their story in their own words.”

The advocacy center provides a neutral environment. Children feel more relaxed at the center.
Having the advocacy center as a place for the interview is much more comfortable for the child than school offices or police departments. The center provides a homey atmosphere, where Forensic Interviewer Rachel Fuller can spend time with the child and build a rapport, said Prusak.

“It’s important to have someone who is trained in talking about experiencing trauma, especially sexual trauma,” Prusak said.

The advocacy center also offers a safe space for medical professionals to conduct examinations.
If it’s a sexual abuse case, the children are examined at the center by experts, said Prusak said.
“We have specialists that come here for the medical exam,” she said.

Often, the victims are very young.

“Last year, 0 to 6 was the most common age,” she said.

Most often the advocacy center sees children younger than 6. And that’s one of the challenges because it’s hard for young children to explain what happened and describe the mistreatment. Often, they don’t realize they’ve been abused.

Sometimes, the parents of the victims have been trapped in a vicious cycle themselves.

“We see a lot of moms that were abused themselves as children,” Prusak said. “They are not necessarily abusing their children but are making choices that are putting their children at risk. They may let children stay with people they don’t know very well, for example. And those situations sometimes open up more opportunities for abuse.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a spike in child abuse cases, with parents having to look for childcare.

“We have seen more cases,” Prusak said, adding the reason for the increased number may be due to more people reporting child abuse.

Earning the trust of the child is essential. Overcoming the mistrust of the child is one of the biggest challenges.

“About 90% of the children are abused by someone they love and trust, and that’s really hard,” she said.

Children often think they will betray the person they love if they reveal the truth. Additionally, they face fear of punishment, as well as stigma and embarrassment.

Raising awareness

While child abuse is rampant in Coffee County, people don’t know about it because of the confidential nature of the cases. Even though child abuse cases represent a significant part of the cases law enforcement deals with, those cases are not reported to the public. Furthermore, people prefer to avoid the topic because of stigma. However, raising awareness is exactly what’s needed to curb child abuse.

“The biggest challenge is lack of awareness,” Prusak said. “Raising awareness would help. It’s hard because these cases are confidential, and we can’t even talk with family members about them.”

The community can also help the advocacy center by providing financial support.
“We need funding to help kids,” she said.

As a nonprofit organization, the advocacy center relies solely on donations, as well as private and state grants. Most of the funds come from private donations. The pandemic has limited the opportunities for fundraising.

“We do a lot of fundraising, and with COVID it was scary,” Prusak said.