Josh Peterson

You can complete your 2020 Census online starting Thursday, March 12.

Simply click here to get started. You will be prompted to enter your unique Census code that will come to you in the mail. However, if you have not yet received your Census mail with your unique code, you can click the area that says “If you do not have an ID, click here.” At this point, you will be directed to fill out the Census by simply using your accurate street address as of April 1, 2020.

This is the first United States Census that is allowing for online self-response.

“You will receive a postcard invitation … a very basic general letter,” explained Tia Zanghi, relationship specialist with the US Census. “It has a unique code. You type that into the website and that’s how you can complete online. But you do not have to have that unique code. You can actually do it with just your address.

“We are hoping the more people self-respond online, the more accurate it will be.”

The website opens for response on March 12, and will close to responses on July 31. Census enumerators, commonly called “door knockers,” will begin going home to home on April 27th. Enumerators will not visit you at your home if you have already self responded online, over the phone or through the mail.

For anyone who does not respond online, they can call a phone number on their Census mail (which should be in mailboxes between March 12-20) to complete their Census, or send in the paper questionnaire, which will arrive later in March or early April for those who have not responded online or over the phone. The Census is nine questions.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about $675 billion in federal money will be distributed based on the census data compiled, meaning ensuring a complete count in Coffee County is a top priority for local officials. One separate study shows that for every person that goes uncounted in the Census, Coffee County will miss out on about $11,000 in federal money allocation over the next 10 years.

“This is a very important Census for Coffee County,” said Coffee County Mayor Gary Cordell. “It is of utmost important that everyone is accounted for. This data and these results will have a direct impact in our community for the next 10 years.”

Unity Medical Center is continuing to follow CDC guidelines to better protect our patients, staff and visitors. Over the past several weeks, hospital leaders have been taking proactive steps in preparation for the potential spread of COVID-19 including regular communications with local and state public health officials, monitoring and conserving the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and reinforcing effective environmental cleaning policies to support infection control.

In addition to preparedness processes already in place, Unity Medical Center will be implementing new screening protocols at all hospital entrances as a proactive measure to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses.

The safety of our patients, visitors and staff is top priority. This new protocol is in response to evidence-based CDC guidelines to help prevent further spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses. We feel these measures are appropriate to keep our patients, visitors and community safe.

Patients and visitors will be directed to use either the Emergency Room entrance or the main entrance of the hospital where they will be screened for signs of illness before being admitted to patient care areas. Screening personnel will ask questions about recent travel, fever, and any respiratory symptoms. If a patient has symptoms of illness, they will be asked to wear a “cover your cough” mask and then admitted to the patient care area for further assistance.

Unity Medical Center will also continue our visitation policy that is used during respiratory illness season. If a visitor has any respiratory symptoms or a fever, or is age 16 or under, we ask that they postpone their visit.

For more information, please contact Unity Medical Center at 931-728-6354. Updates will be posted to the Unity Medical Center Facebook page.

Highland Rim Habitat for Humanity is currently looking for applicants for its Aging in Place senior citizen grant.

According to Terrie Quick, president of the Highland Rim Habitat for Humanity, the grant is in place for older citizens with needs for home improvements like handicap ramps, shower renovations, window replacements and other home renovations to aid seniors in staying in their home longer without having to move to a nursing home or an assisted living facility.

A few requirements for the program are as follows:
*Applicants should be 60 years old or older
*Applicants should own their home
*Taxes and payments must be current
*Must provide proof of income

On Friday, March 13, the Habitat for Humanity office in Tullahoma – which is located at 201 W. Lincoln St. – will be open with applications on hand for the program. Anyone wishing to apply should show up then. If you can’t be there, you can text or call 931-247-5590 and have an application mailed to your residence.

There will be an informational meeting on the Fit & Strong program put on by the Manchester Recreation Center on Friday, March 13, at 1 p.m. at the Coffee County Senior Center – located at 603 Woodbury Highway.

Fit and Strong is an exercise & behavior change program for older adults with lower extremity osteoarthritis. Fit and Strong includes 60-minutes of exercise and 30-minutes of group health discussion. This program is designed to help you manage arthritis, exercise safely, decrease joint pain & stiffness, improve daily function, reduce anxiety and depression, develop and maintain an active lifestyle. This is a free program, held at the senior center and led by instructors of the Manchester Parks & Recreation Department.

Go ahead and mark your calendars for Saturday, May 16th. Thunder Radio will host the Coffee County Home and Garden Show from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Coffee County Fairgrounds. You can expect over 30 vendors related to your home, financing, home improvement, cleaning, renovating, furniture supply, landscaping, inflatables for the kids and so much more, as well as over $500 worth of door prizes to be given away. The event is free to the public. There are a few vendor slots that remain – interested parties should contact Thunder Radio at 931-728-1320. Click here to like Thunder Radio on Facebook and get event updates. 

With Census information set to be in your mailbox in the next few days (between March 12-20), Census officials want to remind everyone of the many uses of Census information.

Accurate Census information and statistics are paramount for industries and communities, because businesses rely on this information for economic development, business decisions and strategic planning.

“We want to make sure we have the most complete count possible for Manchester and Coffee County,” explained Manchester Mayor Lonnie Norman. “Manchester is growing. Census information is important when decision are made about where certain businesses are going to locate or where they aren’t going to locate. We want Manchester and Coffee County to be well represented and businesses to have all the information they need to consider us.”

Census data will offer a snapshot of Coffee County for businesses and industries with a brand new data set that includes population trends and projections moving forward, which is important considering the last Census data is now 10 years old. Census information can also impact current business and industry expansion – bringing more good paying jobs to the Coffee County community.

“It is very important that as many people self-respond as possible,” emphasized Gary Cordell, mayor of Coffee County. “We know that funding is dependent on that, and that is the message we are trying to get out to as many people as possible.”

Much has been publicized about Census count impacting federal funding that is sent to local communities – and it certainly does – but there are many other factors that your information directly impacts.

Commissions also use Census data to redraw congressional districts, which has a direct impact on Coffee County’s legislative representation in the state, and Tennessee’s representation in the United States Congress.
Some states could actually gain seats, while others lose congressional seats.

Privacy and security concerns at ease

Sometimes people express concern about security of information when it comes to filling out the Census. Census information is confidential. According to Tia Zanghi, partnership specialist with the Census, Census data is stripped down to statistical form when it’s submitted to the President.

The U.S. Census is completely confidential and bound by Title 13. Title 13 protects private information from being published and under the U.S. Code, Census workers take a lifetime oath of confidentiality as well.

By law, census responses cannot be used by any of the following agencies: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Those who violate Title 13 can face a federal prison sentence of up to five years, a fine of $250,000, or both.
“Your information is completely confidential,” reassured Zanghi. “It is protected by law. For 72 years your info is completely locked up. Whenever we submit this information to the president it will be in statistical form only”

Remember – you can fill out your Census multiple ways

Census invitations will arrive in the mail between March 12-20. These invitations will be addressed to the “resident of” your address, and will include information on how to respond online or over the phone. If you do not respond online or over the phone, you will receive a paper packet in the mail to respond through the United States Postal Service. Those who do not respond in one of those three ways will be visited by an enumerator (or a door knocker) to try and obtain the information.

The more that people respond online, the fewer man hours are spent tracking down responses from residents. To avoid scammers, these enumerators carry an ID badge with a phone number for you to call and certify their identity and purpose of their visit to your home.

Tennessee’s statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January 2020 is 3.3%, according to new data released by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

January is the third consecutive month Tennessee has recorded an unemployment rate of 3.3%. This also represents a 0.1% drop when comparing the latest data to the January 2019 rate.

Tennessee employers added 6,500 new jobs across the state between December and January. During that time, Tennessee saw the most significant increase in the education and health services sector with 2,900 new jobs. The administrative and support and waste management and remediation services sector grew by 2,800 jobs. The retail trade sector added 2,400 new jobs over the month.

When comparing January 2019 to January 2020, employment grew by 46,100 positions statewide.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate did increase between December and January by 0.1% to the current rate of 3.6%.

Tennesseans searching for new employment can find a variety of online resources by logging onto the state’s workforce development website, www.Jobs4TN.gov. They can also visit one of the more than 80 American Job Center locations conveniently located in cities across the state.