Josh Peterson

Coffee County Central High School released its plans and guidelines to begin the 2020-2021 school year on time, August 3 with orientation.

First and foremost, students should register online before orientation on Aug. 3. You can register online here: 

If you do not have internet access, call 931-723-5159. Those choosing virtual learning must do so by July 24.

Here are some of the guidelines that will be followed at CHS this year.
1 – students temperatures will be checked daily. Students with temperatures 100.4 or higher will be taken to an isolated room and evaluated further.
2 – desks, technology equipment and other shared items will be disinfected daily
3 – restrooms will be cleaned multiple times each day
4 – students will spread out in the cafeteria and gym when arriving to avoid congestion
5 – students will take new routes during class changes to avoid congestion
6 – students can eat lunch outside in order to lessen people in cafeteria
7 – students will have lessons on proper hygiene
8 – masks are recommended, but not required
9 – water bottles are recommended.

Members of the Manchester, Tennessee Veterans of Foreign Wars All-American
Post 10904 Auxiliary demonstrated the Post’s support for local law enforcement
professionals Friday, July 17. VFW Auxiliary members pooled their money
together to buy and deliver five dozen donuts to the Manchester Police
Department.

The VFW Auxiliary gave the Department a sign and included a memo to Chief of
Police Mark Yother. The memo read: “Your Mission Statement, in part. ‘is to
make our city a place where all people can live, work, and visit safely
without fear.’ Our proclamation is simple: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!”

Pictured are, L-R: Auxiliary members Betty Hamry, Mary Marshall and Amy Carter

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Coffee County now has 93 active cases of COVID-19 virus, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. This is up 14 from the prior day.

Since testing began in March, there have been 220 total cases of the virus in Coffee County. Of these, 127 have recovered, leaving 93 total active cases. There have been no deaths reported from Coffee County, according to TDH.

Across the state, there are approximately 32,430 active cases. There have been 81,122 confirmed cases since testing began, with 47,852 recoveries. There have been 840 confirmed deaths and 3,798 hospitalizations.
To date, 1,237,411 people in Tennessee have been tested.

Thunder Radio News has learned that testing for COVID-19 virus in Coffee County will soon be centralized at the now-abandoned Southern Family Markets building located at 2050 Hillsboro Blvd in Manchester.

Currently, testing is available at the Department of Health locations in Manchester and Tullahoma. Once set up, all testing will move to the Southern Family Markets building. Officials were on site Tuesday to prepare the location. 

“All of the testing for the county will be done at the one location here,” said Allen Lendley with Coffee County EMA. “Basically they will be testing all day (during business hours). We were running into a traffic problem at the health departments in Manchester and Tullahoma due to an influx of testing here lately.”

Officials are cleaning a portion of the interior of the building (on Tuesday) and will set up a tent inside the building to conduct testing.

“There is a lot more parking here (at this building) than the health department locations,” said Lendley.

Lendley is unsure when the location would be open for testing. But he said plans are to begin by the end of this week (July 25) or the start of next week (July 27) at the latest. 

The health department received permission to use the building from the property owner through the building’s property management company, Premier Lawn Care. 

After months of planning, the first few days of early voting for the Aug. 6. State and Federal Primary, Coffee County General, and Cities of Manchester and Tullahoma election is off to a safe and secure start in Coffee County.

“Our staff has been working diligently to prepare for this election. We have ensured our polling locations have room for social distancing and have taken other measures to protect voters and poll officials.” said Andy Farrar the Coffee County Administrator of Elections. “It is great to see all of our plans in action and I encourage voters to take advantage of early voting to skip Election Day lines.”

Early voting started Friday, July 17, and runs Monday to Saturday until Saturday, Aug. 1. Election Day is Thursday, Aug. 6.

As of Monday, July 20, 267 early votes have been cast in Manchester, 675 in Tullahoma and 415 from rural Coffee County residents.

Early voting allows Coffee County voters to avoid Election Day crowds and the flexibility of Saturday hours and multiple polling locations.

Voters are encouraged to do their part during early voting and on Election Day. This includes wearing a face covering and maintaining a six-foot distance from poll officials and other voters. Voters should expect to see signs with further safety instructions at their polling locations. All poll officials will be wearing face coverings and will be trained to take appropriate protective measures.

“I commend all of the election commissions across the state who have been preparing for months for this election,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “It’s encouraging to see voters safely taking advantage of Tennessee’s generous early voting period.”

The easiest way for voters to find early voting and Election Day voting locations, view and mark sample ballots and much more is by downloading the GoVoteTN app or by visiting GoVoteTN.com. Download the GoVoteTN app for free in the App Store or Google Play.

Tennesseans voting early or on Election Day should remember to bring valid photo identification to the polls. A driver’s license or photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, by Tennessee state government or by the federal government are acceptable even if they are expired. College student IDs are not acceptable.
For more information about early voting in Coffee County visit www.coffeecountyelectioncommission.com.

During these challenging times, many Tennesseans can use some extra money. The Tennessee Department of Treasury Unclaimed Property Division returned over 59,000 claims, totaling $62.5 million, to the rightful owners during fiscal year 2020.

The Unclaimed Property Division is a consumer protection program of the Tennessee Department of Treasury that works to reunite the millions of missing dollars turned over every year with its rightful owners. As of June 30, 2020, there is $1.08 billion waiting to be claimed.

From July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020, about $62.5 million was returned by the Unclaimed Property Division to the owners or their heirs, local governments, and reciprocal states. While the ongoing pandemic has created one of our nation’s most financially difficult times, the Division has put money back into Tennesseans’ bank accounts, with nearly $20 million returned to 18,800 claimants during the months of March through June 2020.

“During these challenging times, as our employees have worked remotely, they have diligently continued our responsibility of getting money back into the hands of Tennesseans who have been living with the difficulties of this crisis,” State Treasurer David H. Lillard, Jr. said. “It has been rewarding to see millions of dollars put back into Tennesseans’ bank accounts during such a critical time.”

Unclaimed property is money that has been turned over to the State by businesses and organizations unable to locate the owners. This includes intangible assets such as utility or business refunds, unclaimed wages, credit balances for overpayments, gift certificates, securities, bank accounts, etc.

(See if you have unclaimed property under your name by clicking here!)

The Treasury Department utilizes various methods to locate owners of unclaimed property, including mailing letters to the address provided when the property was turned over from the business (holder), and sending letters to employers of potential claimants whose Social Security Number has been matched with records from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. On average, the Unclaimed Property Division sends hundreds of thousands of letters each year to potential claimants. If you have received a letter, you can verify the information by visiting ClaimItTN.gov (https://t.e2ma.net/click/xhtggf/5n7lps/t22yb2).

Some third-party companies may send letters alerting individuals to unclaimed property. Beware of any service asking you to pay them to help you get your money back. If you are ever contacted about unclaimed property in Tennessee and would like to check the validity, go to ClaimItTN.gov (https://t.e2ma.net/click/xhtggf/5n7lps/9u3yb2). To be sure your letter is legitimate, be aware:

There is never a fee to claim unclaimed property in Tennessee.

There is never a time limit on when you can claim your property.

Anyone can see if they are owed any missing money by searching their name at ClaimItTN.gov (https://t.e2ma.net/click/xhtggf/5n7lps/pn4yb2), and may file a claim online if they find unclaimed property belonging to them. The online database contains all unclaimed property in Tennessee dating to the beginning of the program. Treasury recommends searching for common misspellings of your name and addresses as well, as that may be why the business was unable to return the money to you initially. Our website also includes a link to help you search for missing money in other states.

Parents of students who will attend the Coffee County School System for the 2020-2021 school year who are new to the system are encouraged to setup bus service as soon as possible.

Students who will need bus service should contact the school’s transportation department at 931-723-5157 to set up their bus service as fast as they can.

The first abbreviated day for students in Coffee County Schools will be Aug. 3. The first full day will be Aug 5.
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The enumerators for the United States Census (otherwise known as door knockers) will finally start hitting the streets after a delay due to COVID-19.

According to Census officials, door knockers will hit the streets beginning on Tuesday, Aug. 11 here in Coffee County. If you have yet to self-respond to the 2020 Census, you can expect workers to visit your home in an attempt to get the most accurate count possible. All door-knockers will have proper badge identification with a phone number to call for verification.

You can still complete your Census online by clicking here and avoid a visit form a Census worker. You can also call in at 1-844-330-2020.

Currently, Coffee County is actually tied for fifth in Tennessee among the state’s 95 counties for best self-response rate. Currently, 68% of the county has self-responded to the Census, which is just 2% shy of the 2010 self-response rate of 70%.
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One person is in custody and another has died as the result of an alleged shooting that took place in Tullahoma Saturday evening.

According to Tullahoma Police, officers responded to Ada Ferrell Apartment complex at 8:12 p.m. Saturday after 911 received multiple calls regarding people shooting guns at the apartment complex.

Officers arrived to find a male victim with apparent gunshot wounds in the parking lot.

Officers were able to identify a nearby white male who was armed. Officers detained the male, later identified as Norman Paul Adams, Jr., age 62.

According to statements from those at the scene, Tullahoma Police Department determined that Adams Jr. was responsible for the shooting. The gunshot victim later died from his wounds. He has been identified as Alex North, age 28, of Tullahoma.

Adams Jr. is charged with first degree murder.

TPD said in a statement that officers are “also investigating an additional altercation that occurred at the apartment complex in which a female was injured.” (Pictured below is Normal Paul Adams Jr.)

Coffee County ranks 25th among Tennessee’s 95 counties in terms of household median income, according to a recent analysis by New York Financial tech company SmartAsset.

The study reveals that the average median income is $46,614 in Coffee County, with an average cost of living around $29,926.

Surrounding Coffee County, Grundy County ranked 91st in the state with an average median income of $31,919 against an average cost of living at $30,090.

Other nearby counties include Franklin County, which ranks 23rd, Warren County ranks 71st, Cannon County 19th, Bedford County 22nd, Moore County 14th and Rutherford County 3rd. Not surprisingly, Williamson County ranked fist in Tennessee with an average median income of $103,543  Wilson County ranked second.

See the complete list here