Author's posts
Active COVID-19 cases at 300 in Coffee Co.
There are 300 active cases of COVID-19 virus in Coffee County as of Thursday, this according to data provided by the Tennessee Department of Health.
This is two fewer cases than the previous day and remains down 21 for the week.
Since testing began in March, there have been 584 total cases in Coffee County. Of these, 281 are classified as recovered and three people have passed away, leaving 300 active cases. Coffee County’s total population is estimated at 57,000.
Statewide, active cases went up by 233 on Thursday but remain down for the week by about 2,300.
Coffee County near passing Census response rate from 2010
Coffee County is nearing the mark to surpassing the self-response rate of the last US Census.
Currently, Coffee County has a 68.9 percent self-response rate to the 2020 Census. For the previous Census, in 2010, Coffee County’s self-response rate was 70.
Currently, Coffee County has the sixth best response in the entire state of Tennessee out of 95 counties. Local officials encourage everyone to complete Census data. One study shows that for every person that goes uncounted, Coffee County will miss out on about $11,000 in federal funding.
You can complete your Census in just about 5-10 minutes on our website at www.thunder1320.com by clicking here or by calling this number: 1-844-330-2020. If you do not self-respond, a census taker will visit you soon. Census takers began hitting the street in Coffee County this week.
FEATURE FRIDAY: Friends help protect, preserve Old Stone Fort State Park in Manchester
By Susan Campbell, Thunder Radio
In 1993, the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation that would allow private, nonprofit groups to organize for the purpose of “maintaining, and enhancing” the state park system. These groups are more commonly known as “Friends.”
According to the state, Friends are concerned citizens who have banded together to assist in protecting, preserving and promoting the beauty and the splendor of their favorite state park. They give selflessly of their time, talents and energy to help ensure the park’s integrity is intact for future generations to enjoy.
Currently, 50 state parks have active Friends organizations, including Tims Ford State Park, South Cumberland State Park, and one of the newest — Manchester’s Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park.
Chartered on March 5, 2019, Friends of Old Stone Fort began organizing in November of 2018, when Park Manager Keith Wimberley and Ranger Leigh Gardner attended the annual Friends of Tennessee State Parks meeting to gather information for forming a local branch. Interested individuals began working toward organizing in January of 2019, with the official charter happening two months later.
According to Joan Hartvigsen, board secretary, the Friends of Tennessee State Parks supplied a start-up grant to help pay for the costs of organizing into a nonprofit, and Nancy Schelin, state volunteer coordinator, attends all of the meetings to help with organization.
“Our mission is to support park staff in their drive to protect, preserve, promote and enhance Old Stone Fort as a center of cultural heritage and natural beauty,” Hartvigsen said.
To that end, the Friends have identified two projects to pursue: a certified arboretum on the Nature Trail and the Garrison Road Trail, and a boat shed to house the park’s canoes and kayaks. The group recently received funds from the Tennessee Trails Association (TTA) Evan Means Small Grants Program for the creation of the arboretum. This project is slated to be completed by the end of 2020.
According to the TTA, Evan Means was a journalist, author, conservationist, hiker, trail builder, originator of The Cumberland Trail, and co-founder of the Tennessee Trails Association. Means won countless awards for his work through the years to protect Tennessee’s natural resources and beauty, and was dedicated to projects that allowed hikers to enjoy this natural beauty.
“We need to raise funds for the boat shed, which is difficult to do during the pandemic,” Hartvigsen said.
The Friends of Old Stone Fort currently has 17 members, including Brian Wofford, president; Shawn Wolfe, vice president; Megan Chaput, treasurer; Hartvigsen, secretary; and Peggy Delaney, Kara Carden and Mariah O’Toole, members at large. Folks can join the Friends by stopping by the museum’s visitor center/museum, or by visiting Facebook at Friends of Old Stone Fort.
The next meeting of the Friends of Old Stone Fort is set for 6 p.m. Aug. 19 on the visitor center/museum’s roof. The public is invited.
FRIENDS/PARK EVENTS
In June, the Friends partnered with the park and Manchester Parks and Rec to hold a bicycle rodeo for children.
“We helped with the bike rodeo with over $1,000 worth of prizes, plus our Friends group helped with set up, refreshments and assistance,” said Wofford. The Friends received a $1,000 grant from the Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation for the bike rodeo.
Currently, the group is raising money for materials and help with construction of a canoe storage building at the park.
A program on honey bees has been set for Saturday, Aug. 15, National Honey Bee Day, at the park.
The state park is located on the site of the Old Stone Fort, which was actually dirt mounds, not stone. The fort was built during the Middle Woodland Period, 1,500-2,000 years ago. Native Americans used this area continuously for about 500 years, eventually leaving it abandoned. In 1966, the state of Tennessee purchased 400 acres of the Chumbley estate as the core of what is now Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park.
CMS volleyball uses strong service game, picks up 2-1 win over Tullahoma
Coffee County Middle School Lady Raider volleyball team used a dominant service game to get a thrilling two sets to one victory over visiting Tullahoma on Wednesday – a match you heard live on Thunder Radio as part of the First National Bank Hometown Sports Series.
After dominating at the service line in a 25-8 win in set one, the Lady Raiders dropped the second set and were trailing 14-12 in the deciding set, just one point from losing, but Addison McCullough stepped up at the service line and a good rally by the Lady Raiders gave them a 16-14 win and the 2-1 match win.
With the win, CMS improves to 2-0 on the year. The Lady Raiders return to action Monday, Aug. 17, when they travel to Harris.
CMS head coach Tori Taylor will be a guest Saturday on the Coffee Coaches Show, which airs from 10-11 a.m. on Thunder Radio and is broadcast live from Al White Ford-Lincoln.
CHS to host first home golf match of 2020 Thursday
The Central High School Red Raider golfers hit the course today for their first home match of the 2020 season. Coffee County is set to host Shelbyville in a district match at WillowBrook Golf Course. Tee time is set for 1 p.m.
Both the Red Raider and Lady Raider golf teams are coming off wins over Franklin County earlier this week.
3 areas of concerns as Braves his 1/3 mark of short season
You can hear the Atlanta Braves games exclusively in Coffee County on Thunder Radio – 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM, 1320 AM
By Mark Bowman, MLB.com
Less than three full weeks removed from Opening Day, the Braves have already completed one-third of their 60-game schedule. The journey has thus far been much bumpier than desired. But given all that has occurred, they can’t complain about where they stand.
Even with the 6-3 loss suffered against the Yankees on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, the Braves still own more wins (11) than any other division opponent. But to win a third consecutive National League East title, they will need to fix the rotation concerns that grew during the current three-game losing streak.
“With the injuries and everything like that, we’re doing pretty good to be 11-9, really,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “At some point in time, we’re going to get healthy again and get on a run.”
With the Braves’ rotation currently consisting of just three members, Huascar Ynoa served as an opener for the second time in four days. He surrendered back-to-back homers to Gary Sánchez and Clint Frazier before exiting in the second inning. Tyler Matzek and Josh Tomlin, who have been two of the key pieces in a strong bullpen, both allowed a pair of runs before the end of the fifth.
This was yet another night of survival for the Braves, who have seen their starting pitchers complete less than five innings in 12 of their first 20 games. This is a product of losing five projected starters — Mike Soroka, Cole Hamels, Mike Foltynewicz, Félix Hernández and Sean Newcomb — to either injury, decline or choice over the past five weeks.
Fortunately the Braves will have their first off-day of the season on Thursday. This will provide a much-needed rest to a bullpen that has logged the NL’s second-most relief innings (86 2/3) thus far.
Here are the three biggest areas of concern with just two-thirds of the season remaining:
Rotation health
Even before Soroka tore his right Achilles, Max Fried was looking like a frontline starter. Two starts later, the lefty is an early NL Cy Young Award candidate. He ranks third in the NL with a 1.59 ERA and opponents have hit just .169 against him over 22 2/3 innings.
Unfortunately, Fried accounts for 43 of the 59 starts the Braves’ three current starters have combined to make. The other two rotation members — Touki Toussaint and Kyle Wright — have shown tremendous potential with their stuff, but inexperience has led to inconsistency for these two hurlers.
At some point, the Braves might need to call upon top pitching prospect Ian Anderson or No. 9 prospect Tucker Davidson to join the rotation. But they too would likely experience growing pains.
So it’s worth keeping an eye on Foltynewicz, who has regained some weight and arm strength since being outrighted to the team’s alternate training site. There’s no guarantee he can get back to where he was. But he still seems to be a better bet than Hamels (left triceps tendinitis), who still has not started throwing off a mound.
Ronny and Ozzie
The Braves are hopeful Ronald Acuña Jr.‘s left wrist will be better after he rests it through this weekend’s series in Miami. They aren’t sure when Ozzie Albies‘ right wrist will be healthy enough to return from the 10-day injured list.
Acuña had a tremendous performance Sunday, homering three times during a seven-inning doubleheader sweep of the Phillies. But he slumped through the season’s first week. As for Albies, he was hitting .159 with a .468 OPS over 11 games before being placed on the injured list.
And it’s not like Freddie Freeman has been himself. The All-Star first baseman went 6-for-10 with two doubles, a triple and homer during Sunday’s twin bill, but he has totaled just five extra-base hits in his other 57 at-bats this year.
The Braves have been fortunate to get solid production from Marcell Ozuna and Travis d’Arnaud. But to truly compensate for what is lacking in the rotation, they will need Freeman, Acuña and Albies to get back to their usual ways.
Bullpen fatigue
Though Snitker has been lifting his starter before the end of the fifth on a regular basis, none of Atlanta’s relievers have seemingly been overtaxed. Now that Will Smith is back in the mix, this could be one of the game’s best relief corps, especially when Chris Martin is activated from the injured list.
One key bullpen figure has been Matzek, who is back at the big league level for the first time since developing the yips in 2015. Before Wednesday, he hadn’t allowed a run in six appearances.
Another has been Tomlin, who also deserves a lot of credit for the strides A.J. Minter has made toward once again being a reliable high-leverage relief option. Tomlin had worked seven scoreless appearances before giving up his first runs on Wednesday.
“It’s going to happen every now and then,” Snitker said. “Those guys have been phenomenal for the first third of the season. That’s why we’re sitting here 11-9.”
COVID-19 numbers drop again across Tennessee on Wednesday; up slightly in Coffee Co.
Active cases of COVID-19 dropped across the state again on Wednesday and rose only slightly in Coffee County.
Across the state, active cases dropped by 517 on Wednesday. This brings active cases across the state down by over 2,500 for the week.
Meanwhile, in Coffee County active cases are back up to 302. This is up just four from the previous day and remains down for the week. Since testing began in March, there have been 573 cases in Coffee County. Of these, 268 have recovered and three have passed away, leaving 302 active cases.
Suspect in custody, accused of murder in Rutherford Co.
A suspect accused of killing a Rutherford County resident turned himself in about 4:45 Wednesday afternoon at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center. Suspect Christopher Hawk Robinson of Cerulean, Ky., has been booked on charges of first-degree murder.
Hawk is accused of killing 45-year old of Erick Bixler of Asbury Lane in Murfreesboro, said Detective Ty Downing.
The 37-year old Kentucky resident is also charged with especially aggravated robbery, especially aggravated kidnaping, murder in the perpetration of a crime and possession of a firearm.
Rutherford County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the Asbury Lane home on July 26, 2020 where they found his body.
Detectives developed leads and identified Robinson as a suspect. They served a search warrant at his Kentucky home Sunday (8/15/2020).
Hawk’s bond is set at $750,000 bond at Rutherford County Adult Detention Center. A bond hearing is set for Aug. 25, 2020 in General Sessions Court.
Amazon expansion to bring hundreds of jobs to Middle Tennessee
Amazon Logistics has signed a lease in an effort to open a new delivery station near Nashville in 2020. The new delivery station will be located in La Vergne and will power Amazon’s last-mile delivery capabilities to speed up deliveries for customers in Rutherford Counties. The station will create hundreds of full-time and part-time jobs, paying a minimum of $15 per hour and offering a variety of benefits packages from day one.
“We are excited to continue to invest in the state of Tennessee with new delivery stations that will provide efficient delivery for customers, and create hundreds of job opportunities for the talented workforce,” said Amazon spokesperson Ashley Lansdale. “These new delivery stations represent Amazon’s unwavering commitment to safety, technological innovations and skilled teams who are obsessed with delivering for our customers.”
Delivery stations power the last mile of Amazon’s order fulfillment process. Packages are transported to delivery stations from Amazon fulfillment and sortation centers and then loaded into vehicles for delivery to customers. Amazon currently has more than 150 delivery stations in the United States.
“Amazon’s delivery station opening here in La Vergne continues to show that our business-friendly environment and access to an incredible workforce are draws for new businesses throughout Middle Tennessee,” said La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole. “Amazon brings its global influence and industry-leading business here to our community.”
Since 2010, Amazon has created more than 12,000 jobs in Tennessee and invested more than $8.9 billion across the state, including infrastructure (from fulfillment centers to delivery stations, to Whole Foods Markets) and compensation. These investments have helped create 12,700 indirect jobs on top of Amazon’s direct hires—from jobs in construction and logistics to professional services. In addition, more than 28,000 independent authors and small and medium businesses in Tennessee are selling to customers in Amazon’s store, creating thousands of additional jobs across the state.
“Rutherford County has been very fortunate over the years to attract well-known businesses like Amazon, a company that not only enhances our economic footprint but is also committed to making a positive impact in the community,” said Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron. “We are proud that Amazon will continue its partnership with the County and investment in our community.”
“The past few months have spotlighted the importance of logistics and the role it plays in the global economy,” said Bill Jones, chairman of Destination Rutherford. “That’s why I’m grateful for Amazon’s continued partnership. Today’s announcement solidifies that Rutherford County remains a top choice for international companies.”
TN Senate, House passes COVID-19 recover act
The Tennessee State House and Senate both passed the Tennessee COVID-19 Recovery Act (SB 8002/HB 8001) which protects businesses from unfounded legal claims. The effort has been a primary focus of the statewide Chamber and Tennessee’s business and manufacturing community since the pandemic created the threat of unsupported COVID-19 liability claims. Legislative leaders in both the Senate and House have noted since the start of the special session on Aug. 10 that liability protections are a major priority to ensure Tennessee’s economic recovery.
“This is a tremendous win for Tennessee’s economy as businesses strive to put people back to work and save families from greater economic hardship,” said Bradley Jackson, President & CEO of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry. “Governor Lee, Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, House Speaker Cameron Sexton and members of the General Assembly showed tremendous leadership and sound commitment to the business community to restore our state’s economy and businesses confidence.”
Since June, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry has worked with a broad coalition of business and industry, trade associations, education, nonprofits, and the healthcare sector, that collectively employ approximately 2 million Tennesseans in support of this legislation. These entities have been crucial in providing essential services and goods for Tennesseans throughout the pandemic. As Governor Bill Lee has gradually led Tennessee’s businesses through a phased reopening, businesses have been encouraged to sign on to the Tennessee Pledge, a plan created in consultation with business leaders throughout the state to help businesses reopen in a safe environment, restore their livelihoods and reboot the state’s economy.
According to a report, 771,274 Tennesseans have filed for first-time unemployment benefits since March 15. Of those, 224,093 have filed weekly certifications to continue their claims as of Aug. 1. According to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the statewide unemployment rate for June 2020 was 9.7 percent.
“So many businesses have been devastated by this pandemic. Research shows that two-thirds (67%) of small businesses are worried about coronavirus-related lawsuits. Liability protections are one of the most crucial things that can be done for businesses right now,” according to Jackson. “Swift economic recovery cannot occur unless unfair legal exposure is mitigated and businesses have certainty that their efforts to safeguard their employees and customers is acknowledged by the General Assembly and the courts. The Tennessee COVID-19 Recovery Act provides these assurances, while maintaining fair recourse when there is gross negligence or willful misconduct. The broad-based legislation also provides protections for schools, churches, nonprofits and manufacturers who have donated or shifted operations to make PPE when asked to do so by elected leaders. The Tennessee business community is proud to see leadership from the General Assembly and Governor Bill Lee that demonstrates that our state is serious about keeping business and industry strong.”
On Wednesday, Aug. 12, the Tennessee COVID-19 Recovery Act passed both the House and Senate. Under this act, a covered entity will not be liable for any damages, injury, or death that results from a health emergency claim if the covered entity did not act with gross negligence or willful misconduct and substantially complied with applicable public health guidance.
In May 2020, the Tennessee Chamber led a group of industry and trade groups in sending a letter to Governor Bill Lee expressing concerns over rising numbers of COVID-19-related lawsuits throughout the country. The Chamber and its co-signers indicated that a number of businesses across every industry were concerned with the possibility of being the subject of such a lawsuit, despite taking action to adhere to the Tennessee Pledge and follow public health guidelines for safe reopenings.