Josh Peterson

Active cases of COVID-19 virus in Coffee County are at 318 as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Tennessee Department of Health. This is nearing the high mark of 321 from nearly two weeks ago.

There has also been a fifth COVID-19 related death in Coffee County, according to Tennessee Department of Health.
Since testing began in March, there have been 650 total cases in Coffee County. Of these, 327 have recovered and five people have passed away, leaving 318 active cases, There have been 11,111 negative tests performed in Coffee County.

Active cases across the state decreased by about 193 on Wednesday. This after active cases fell by about 1,142 the previous day.

There have been 1,412 confirmed deaths related to COVID-19 since Mrach in the state of Tennessee, with 6,069 hospitalizations. Tennessee is also nearing the 2 million mark when it comes to tests performed, as 1,926,357 tests have been performed in the state for the virus.
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Tennessee residents are allowed to hunt without a license on Saturday, Aug. 22 which coincides with the opening day of squirrel season.

Free Hunting Day is an event the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency annually provides in hopes of increasing interest in hunting. Squirrel hunting is one of Tennessee’s oldest and favorite traditions. The day serves as an excellent opportunity for persons to experience the enjoyment of the sport.

The TWRA encourages regular hunters to introduce friends and family members (young and old) to the outdoor sport. It is also an excellent opportunity for persons who have not tried hunting in a while to be reintroduced to the sport.
On Free Hunting Day, state resident hunters are exempt from hunting licenses and WMA permit requirements. Many of the WMAs are open to hunters seeking public access on Aug. 22. Hunters are asked to check the information for particular WMAs in the 2020-21 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide. Sportsmen are reminded to ask for permission to hunt on private lands.

The TWRA offers a reminder that hunter education requirements are not waived for Free Hunting Day. Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1969 is required to have successfully completed a hunter education course. An apprentice license is required for those born on or after Jan. 1, 1969 if the hunter education course has not been completed. This license exempts the hunter from the mandatory hunter education law for one year from the date of purchase, but may only be purchased for up to three consecutive years during the lifetime of the hunter.

Hunters can harvest up to 10 squirrels a day from the opening day of squirrel season through Feb. 28, 2021. Each hunting day begins a half-hour before sunrise and ending a half-hour after sunset.

In addition to squirrels, those species that have a year-round season will be open as well. The year-round species include armadillos, beavers, coyotes, groundhogs, and striped skunks.

For more information about hunting in Tennessee, visit TWRA’s website at www.tnwildlife.org or contact your nearest TWRA regional office.

The state of Tennessee will submit its application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to receive grant funding to pay an additional weekly unemployment benefit to claimants who meet the eligibility requirements of the Lost Wages Supplemental Payment Assistance program (LWA).

If approved, the grant will fund a $300 weekly payment. This new LWA payment is in addition to the Tennessee Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or Extended Benefits payments currently available to unemployed Tennessee workers.

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 $300 option allows Tennessee to maintain its Coronavirus Relief Fund initiatives while still more than doubling the state’s maximum benefit amount.

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 LWA payments will be retroactive to August 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 a grant with a finite amount of funding. 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.

In anticipation of FEMA approval, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development has already begun working with its vendor to build a new program within the unemployment computer system to implement and pay LWA benefits. In conjunction with guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor concerning program administration, the state will work diligently to complete this process as quickly as possible.

Active COVID-19 virus numbers in Coffee County edged up on Tuesday, but just slightly. There are now 305 active cases in Coffee County, up from 302 the prior day.

Since testing began in March, there have been 630 total cases in Coffee County. Of these, 321 have recovered and four people have passed away. Coffee County’s total population is about 57,000.

Meanwhile, active cases across the state fell by about 1,089. This comes a day after active cases across the state fell by 1,142 the previous day.

Since testing began in March, there have been 1,386 confirmed COVID-19 related deaths. There have been 5,981 total hospitalizations.