Josh Peterson

Active COVID-19 cases in Coffee County continue to fluctuate, dropping by 20 to 301 as of Monday afternoon according to data provided by Tennessee Department of Health.

There has been an additional COVID-19 related death in Coffee County, however, bringing that total to six.
Since testing began in March, there have been 695 confirmed cases of the virus in Coffee County. Of these, 388 have recovered and six deaths have occurred, leaving 301 active cases.

Across the state of Tennessee, active cases decreases by about 1,341 Monday compared to Sunday.

With a forecast that projects tropical storm Laura could eventually track into the Ohio and Tennessee River valleys later this week, Tennessee Valley Authority has announced that it will be increasing water releases from mainstem Tennessee river dams ahead of the forecasted tropical rainfall.

Currently, Laura is projected to intensify into a hurricane on Tuesday before making landfall.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved the state of Tennessee’s grant application to receive funding to pay the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) unemployment benefit, in addition to current benefits.

In conjunction with guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor concerning program administration, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD), and its unemployment computer system vendor, are currently building the new program that will pay the LWA benefit.

Work on the latest federal unemployment program started during the application process and that proactive move will speed up the implementation of LWA in Tennessee. At this time, there is no definitive start date as to when the state will begin dispersing the additional weekly benefit. The department will provide updates on LWA payments as new information becomes available.

TDLWD will add the $300 to current Tennessee Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or Extended Benefits payments.

The state’s maximum unemployment benefit is $275. When combined with the new program, the maximum possible benefit in Tennessee will be $575 per week, before federal withholding taxes.

The grant requires claimants to receive at least $100 in state or federal unemployment benefits each week to be eligible for the new LWA payment.

The LWA payments will be retroactive to Aug. 1, 2020. Eligible claimants currently receiving benefits do not need to take any action because the state will automatically add LWA to their weekly benefit payment.

Unlike the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program (FPUC) that ended in July, LWA is paid for through a grant with a specific amount of funding. It is important to note when the federal program exhausts its grant funding, it will no longer have the resources to provide LWA payments and the program will end at that time. If the federal program does not exhaust the LWA grant funding, payments will end in Tennessee on Saturday, December 26, 2020.

By Nadia Ramligan, Tennessee Public News Service

One-in-five Tennessee businesses operates in an industry most likely to be affected by the coronavirus recession, according to a new report.

Based on data from 2019, that’s about 34,000 businesses across the state.

Jobs that have disappeared tend to be concentrated in the industries most affected by social distancing, including restaurants and bars, retail and manufacturing, travel and transportation, and entertainment.

Brian Straessle, external affairs director at The Sycamore Institute, said without extra assistance for unemployed Tennesseans, the state will begin to see multiple crises of hunger, eviction and mental health.

“The folks who maybe were going to have a tougher time regardless are also the more likely to be losing their job or having their hours cut,” Straessle said.

Not surprisingly, the report says counties with more workers employed in at-risk industries now have some of the highest unemployment rates. In May, the official unemployment rate reached 18.5% in Sevier County, 17.6% in Warren County, and 17.5% in Marshall County. Unemployment insurance claims across the state remain at an all-time high.

Straessle said there is growing evidence certain segments of the population will be more affected by the pandemic recession than others.

“Surveys that have been done this year show that Black Tennesseans and the youngest folks in our state who are working have been hit the hardest by job losses. And so to have a big setback like a deep recession that we’re facing now could have really long-term effects,” he said.

Straessle said state lawmakers should start looking at policies to help residents keep utilities on, pay their rent or mortgage and prevent household debt.

“These bills can pile up and make it harder to get back on track and get folks into a better place over the long-term,” he said. “So, it’s definitely something to pay attention to, if we see unemployment dragging on for a long time and household debt going up as people have trouble paying their bills.”

State officials recently announced that through a FEMA grant, some residents may be eligible to receive an extra $300 in unemployment insurance, in addition to their state-based assistance. It’s unclear when the additional funds would go into effect.

There is little sign that long-term federal help is on the way. U.S. Senate lawmakers recessed last week without passing a new coronavirus relief package.

There are now 321 active cases of COVID-19 virus in Coffee County as of Sunday afternoon, according to data provided by the Tennessee Department of Health.

Since testing began in March, there have been 691 total cases of the virus in Coffee County. Of these, 365 have recovered and five people have passed away. This leaves 321 active cases.

Across the state of Tennessee, there are approximately 35,419 active cases of the virus in the state. There have been 1,527 COVID-19 related deaths in Tennessee since March, and 6,378 hospitalizations. The total of people tested has crossed the two million mark.

In regards to hospital capacity, 79% of floor beds remain available in Tennessee, 31% of ventilators remain available, and 81 percent of ICU beds are currently available.

Census takers officially began working their way through the Coffee County community on Aug. 11.

Since then, law enforcement in surrounding communities are reporting that people are posing as census takers and approaching citizens when, in fact, they are not.

Legitimate Census workers will have federal identification and a bag that says Census worker on it. The badge will have a phone number to call and verify that person’s identity, if you wish.

If someone approaches your residence and identifies as a Census worker and does not have these items readily presentable, you are encouraged to contact your local law enforcement immediately.

Coffee County’s 2020 self-response rate continues to be among tops in the state.

In fact, Coffee County’s 2020 response rate is just .6 percent shy of surpassing the 2010 self-response rate of 70%.
Currently, Coffee County is sixth in the entire state for highest self-response rate. If you have yet to respond, you can still do so. By responding, you help to ensure an accurate count for Coffee County, which will ensure more federal money will be allocated to this area for transportation, school funding and other areas. One study shows that for every person who is not counted, Coffee County will miss out on about $11,000 in federal funding.

Respond by telephone at 1-844-330-2020 or online by clicking here. If you do not self-respond, you will soon be visited by a census taker.