Josh Peterson

Active COVID-19 cases in Coffee County continue a steady increase, now at 79 according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

Since testing began in March, there have been 205 total cases with 126 recoveries, leaving 79 total active cases. To date, there have been zero deaths in Coffee County.

Statewide, there are approximately 32,180 active cases. There have been a total of 78,970 confirmed cases since testing began. There have been 45,974 recoveries and 816 confirmed deaths. To date, there have been 3,712 hospitalizations.

Several national retailers with locations in Manchester or near Manchester are now requiring face coverings to shop in their stores. Many of these mandates take place this week, while a few took effect late last week. Here is a list:

Publix: With a nearby location in Tullahoma. Beginning Tuesday, July 21, all shoppers will need face coverings.
Walgreens: With a location in Manchester, Tullahoma and most surrounding cities, Walgrens will require face coverings beginning Monday, July 20.

Walmart: With a location in Manchester, Tullahoma and most surrounding cities, Walmart will require face coverings beginning Monday, July 20.

Target: The closest Target is in Murfreesboro and they will require masks beginning August 1.

CVS: There are CVS locations nearby in Tullahoma, Decherd and Shelbyville. All customers will need a mask to enter the store beginning Monday, July 20.

Kroger: With nearby locations in Tullahoma, McMinnville and Winchester, Kroger customers will need a mask beginning July 22.

Verizon: Anyone entering a Verizon store will need a face covering. This is already in effect.

Home Depot: Beginning Wednesday, July 22, all customers must wear a mask. Store associates will provide masks to shoppers who do not have one. Home Depot has nearby locations in Manchester and Winchester.

Lowe’s: Beginning Monday, July 22, anyone entering Lowe’s needs a face covering. The store will provide face coverings while supplies last.

Starbucks: The restaurant mandated face masks on July 15 for company owned stores.

Tennessee’s unemployment rate decreased in June for the second consecutive month after reaching an all-time high in April, according to preliminary data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The June 2020 seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 9.7%, down 1.3 percentage points from May’s revised rate of 11%.

One year ago, the rate was 3.4%, very near the state’s all-time low unemployment rate of 3.3%.

Tennessee experienced record-high unemployment in April when the jobless number spiked to 15.5% at the height of business closures due to the COVID-19 health emergency. Before the pandemic, the state’s previous record-setting unemployment rate was 12.9% in January 1983.

Between May and June, the state’s employers added 108,500 nonfarm jobs. The top three sectors for job creation across Tennessee were leisure/hospitality, government, and education and health services.
As the state slowly reopens, employers are creating new job opportunities, but there is still a deficit when comparing year-to-year data. From June 2019 through June 2020, Tennessee lost 154,000 positions. The largest decrease came in the leisure/hospitality sector, followed by the manufacturing sector, and then the professional/business services sector.

Nationally, seasonally adjusted unemployment dropped by 2.2 percentage points in June, going from 13.3% to 11.1%.

You can access a complete analysis of Tennessee’s June unemployment data by clicking here. 

Tennessee employers are hiring. Job seekers can find more than 190,000 current job openings on the state’s workforce development website, www.Jobs4TN.gov. Tennesseans can also find free assistance with improving job search skills, updating resumes, and job training opportunities on the site.

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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.

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.”

Early voting for the Aug. 6 State Primary, Manchester Municipal and Tullahoma Municipal elections continue this week and will continue through Aug. 1. In Coffee County, you can early vote at the Coffee County Election Commission office on McArthur St. or the CD Stamps building in Tullahoma.

On Thursday, July 16, Thunder Radio hosted a political debate for Manchester Mayor and Aldermen candidates. If you missed that, you can listen to the podcast by clicking here.

There are now 64 active cases of COVID-19 in Coffee County as of 2 p.m. Saturday – this according to data provided by the Tennessee Department of Health.

Since testing began in March, there have been a total of 182 cases in Coffee County. Of these, 118 have recovered, which leaves 64 cases that are active.

Meanwhile, across the state there are approximately 31,053 active cases. There have been a total of 75,597 cases since testing began in March. There have been 807 confirmed deaths and 43,706 recoveries. To date, 3,649 people have been hospitalized in Tennessee.

Students attending Coffee County Schools have until 4 p.m. July 24 to complete an application online if they plan to access virtual learning to start the school year amid COVID-19 pandemic. 

Students have the option of virtual learning or in-classroom learning. Students who choose virtual learning will be logging in and viewing classes at the same time they are taught at the school. The link to the application can be found by clicking here. 

Below is a letter from Director of Schools Dr. Charles Lawson:

“Coffee County Schools has a link to an application on the district’s website for parents to enroll
their students in the district’s new virtual path. The application has many details that need to be
read by the parent/guardian who is filling it out. This communication is simply to summarize the
requirements that are presented on the application. The application is due no later than Friday,
July 24 at 4:00 p.m.

“It currently appears that the program will have a synchronous delivery. This means that the
virtual student will have to log into the class at the same time that it is being delivered live in the
classroom. For grades 3-12, the work must be performed on a district-issued device and
monitoring software will allow the district to monitor the student’s actions and work for the
purpose of reporting attendance. Other monitoring software will accomplish this task for grades
K-2. The state of Tennessee requires confirmation that the virtual student is “present.”

“Coffee County Schools wants parents to be aware that students on the virtual option will face
the same time requirements as students in the schools. According to state law, those
requirements are 6 1/2 hours per day and 180 days per year. These hours must match the
same time that students are in classes in the schools. If a student is not present and active
within the virtual classroom during the scheduled class time, it will be considered an absence.
The district will be enforcing all attendance requirements on students in our buildings and
students enrolled in the virtual option. If a student utilizing the virtual option is excessively
absent, attendance within the building will be required.

“More detailed information will be provided on safety protocols that will be taking place on buses
and within the schools in the coming days. We will make every attempt to provide this
information in a timely manner to allow you to make an informed decision on what you feel is
best for your child.”

Claims for unemployment in Tennessee dipped last week, both in new claims and continued claims.

For the week ending July 11, there were 22,431 new claims of unemployment. This is down from the near 26,000 of new claims the prior week. Meanwhile, continuous claims fell by nearly 5,500, with 251,924 continued claims certified. The previous week saw 256,645 claims.

In Coffee County, there were 139 new claims last week, with 2,128 continued claims.

Early voting for the State and Federal Primary and County General election begins Friday, July 17, running Monday to Saturday until Saturday, Aug. 1. Election Day is Thursday, Aug. 6.

The voter registration deadline to participate in the August election was Tuesday, July 7.

“I encourage voters to take advantage of Tennessee’s generous early voting period. Early voting offers voters the flexibility to choose their location and time to cast a ballot,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “Across Tennessee, county election commissions have been preparing to run a safe and secure election. You can help them reduce Election Day crowds by voting early.”

Tennesseans 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 are trained in social distancing protocols.

Voters can find early voting and Election Day voting locations, view and mark sample ballots and much more with the GoVoteTN app or online at GoVoteTN.com. Download the GoVoteTN app for free in the App Store or Google Play.

State law requires polling locations and the area within a 100-foot boundary surrounding each entrance to remain campaign-free zones. This includes the display or distribution of campaign materials and the solicitation of votes for or against any person, party or question on the ballot in these areas.

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.

More information about what types of ID are acceptable can be found here: What ID is required when voting? or by calling the Division of Elections toll-free number, 1-877-850-4959.

Locally in Coffee County, there will be  a Tullahoma municipal election for mayor and aldermen. There will also be a Manchester municipal election for Manchester mayor and three aldermen.  Voters here will also be selection a Tennessee State House rep in the 47th district. 

For the second time in a week the Manchester Police Department is warning the public of phone scams that have picked up in the area as of late, in particular a recurring scam involving someone appearing to be a law enforcement officer.

In this scam recently reported to MPD, the suspect tells the intended victim that they are a DEA agent and attempts to get that potential victim to send money to avoid arrest or other legal actions.

“There are no law enforcement agencies that will contact you and request money to be sent to them,” said MPD in a release. “We encourage you to not communicate during these phone calls – simply hang up the phone.”