Josh Peterson

Heavy rains that trained over the area Wednesday, Feb. 5, officially dropped 3.64 inches of rain through midnight Wednesday, according to TVA rain gauges. 

The heavy rains caused flooding in multiple areas and closed multiple roads in Coffee County and forced Coffee County and Manchester City Schools to close Thursday. Both systems chose to remain closed Friday due to widespread illness.

Multiple roads were closed, including Sherrill Rd., Keasling Rd., and Skinner Flat Rd., just to name a few. The Manchester Parks and Recreation Department closed Fred Deadman, Dave King and Manchester Sports Park due to dangerous high waters from the Little Duck River.

The Tennessee Department of Health has confirmed that 10 children in the state have now died due to the flu.

Six children have died in east Tennessee due to the flu, three in middle Tennessee and one in west Tennessee.

Across the nation, CDC reports that there have been 68 pediatric deaths associated with the flu. Symptoms of the flu include a 100-degree or higher temperature or feeling feverish, cough or sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches and body aches, chills, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea, are among a few symptoms of the flu. 

The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) is currently accepting applications for cadet class 1220 which starts in July.  If you are looking for a career that affords you opportunities to achieve your goals, then the THP is where you belong.  We are a multi-faceted, full-service, statewide law enforcement agency that has numerous divisions that are guaranteed to interest you. THP is a national leader in law enforcement and is internationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

During the 19-week academy our training division will challenge and prepare you for the real life scenarios that you will experience as a trooper. Our training is Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) approved.  Additionally, the training that you receive from our training curriculum is transferable as college credit hours.  We also provide you the opportunity to attend numerous law enforcement training classes to obtain specialty skills such as crash reconstruction, drug recognition expert (DRE), instructor development and more.

Daily services performed by a Tennessee state trooper include:  Assisting the public, enforcement of criminal and traffic laws, traffic enforcement, motorcycle traffic patrol, crash investigation, crash reconstruction, criminal interdiction, criminal investigations, identity crimes investigations, special operations and tactical duties, K-9 handling, diving, aviation, executive protective services, bomb squad, and much more. 

Men and women interested in a career as a Tennessee state trooper must apply online, Tuesday, February 5, through 11:59 p.m. CST, Tuesday, February 18.   Individuals interested in applying for the position of state trooper must be at least 21-years-old, a U.S. Citizen and have a high school diploma or equivalent. No applicants with felony convictions will be considered. 

You may apply online at https://www.tn.gov/Careers.   Once approved by the Department of Human Resources, applicants will be notified of their qualification status via email and required to complete a survey within five days of the date of application. THP anticipates the agility test and interview appointments to begin March 16 through 19, at the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Training Center. 

“I am extremely excited about the opportunity our troopers have to succeed in the career of law enforcement,” said Colonel Dereck Stewart.”  The role of a trooper is critical to the safety and security of our state.  This is the second trooper class under my leadership as Colonel, and I want the best men and women to join our ranks and promote the brand of a Tennessee state trooper.”

Legislation implemented in October 2012, called the Tennessee Excellence, Accountability and Management Act (TEAM Act) revised the hiring method to incorporate an interview process that tests an applicant’s knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies.   As a result, selected applicants will be required to successfully pass the physical agility test prior to being selected for an interview.  There is no longer an examination portion to qualify for the state trooper position. 

If hired, individuals must obtain a valid Tennessee driver license prior to the class graduation in December 2020.  Candidates are required to successfully complete a level II background investigation which includes a credit check and polygraph test.  Recruits must pass a psychological and medical examination including a drug screening.

Please be aware the majority of the vacant positions at this time are within the middle and west Tennessee areas.  Upon graduation, trooper cadets will be assigned to vacant positions across the state.  The starting salary for a trooper cadet while in school is currently $3,153 per month, with an increase to $3,488 per month after graduation.  This equates to $41,856 annually with an annual 4.5% statutory step raise for the first 10 years.  With regular pay increases, a state trooper can earn $62,208 per year after 10 years of service under the current pay structure.  Pay may also increase if you are promoted within the THP.  

The position also includes a retirement plan, 401k, 457, health insurance, overtime pay and paid holidays. Troopers are also provided with winter and summer uniforms, equipment, weapons, as well as a patrol vehicle.

For additional information on becoming a state trooper, visit our website at http://www.tn.gov/safety/article/trpqualifications.  We encourage you to also complete our contact survey to be included in notifications at www.JoinTHP.org. 

For more information about applications, interested individuals are encouraged to contact the Tennessee Department of Human Resources Applicant Services Division at (615) 741-4841.     

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s (www.TN.Gov/safety) mission is to serve, secure, and protect the people of Tennessee.

 The Tennessee Highway Patrol will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint in Coffee County at the area of Woodbury Highway (State Route 53) and State Route 280 at 11 p.m. on April 17. This scheduled checkpoint is contingent upon manpower and weather conditions.

Manchester Vice Mayor Bill Nickels urged members of the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen to consider hiring a city manager to conduct the day-to-day business of the city of Manchester.

During a work session Tuesday night before the board’s regular meeting, Nickels contended that without a city manager, the city cannot operate in a “professional” manner, but is operating in a “political” manner.

Nickels added that, in his view, hiring a city manager was not a choice the board should make, but the responsibility of the board.

“We are one of the few cities in the state, if not the only one, that thinks we cannot have a city manager for some reason,” said Nickels.  “Every other city has decided it is beneficial to have a professional form of government rather than a political form of government. I maintain that back in the day we had too many crooked people in government. They didn’t want people seeing what was going on, so it didn’t work.”

The “back in the day” era that Nickels was referring to was the very early 2000s, the last time Manchester had a city manager. Nickels also contended that having one person in charge of the city instead of a mayor and multiple aldermen, would make responsibilities more clear and life easier on department heads.

Currently, the mayor of Manchester is serving as a default City Manager.

“Could you imagine the street department without a director, or the school system without a director,” added Nickels. “Yet, we think the whole city is doing fine without [a director].”

Alderman Bob Bellamy presented concerns about a return to having a city manager after having one did not work well in years past. Alderman Ryan French mentioned that this person would need to have significant Economic and Community Development background and the ability to perform the job of a city manager and an ECD director. No aldermen expressly spoke out firmly against the idea.

Most city’s in the area have city managers, including McMinnville, Tullahoma and Shelbyville.

Mayor Lonnie Norman encouraged the board return to the table to hammer out more details, such as a job description, compensation and other specifics before a vote was held that could lead to a search.

There is currently a position for city manager in the city charter.  

Tullahoma Mayor Lane Curlee’s term is up this year and he announced that he will not be seeking re-election.

Curlee has served 18 years as mayor in two separate terms, the most recent term beginning in 2011. But Curlee said he would not run again.

“I want to take this opportunity to let the community know about a month ago I made the hard decision to not seek re-election as Mayor in the August election after serving and leading Tullahoma for 18 years.”

Curlee was also Mayor for a previous 9 year term, served as an alderman and was the Tennessee Representative in the State House for the 47^th district from 1984 through 1993.

Anyone wishing to run for mayor of Tullahoma must file petitions before April 2 to quality. Petitions can be picked up at the Coffee County Election Commission office at 1329 McArthur St. Suite 6 in Manchester.

Tennessee Senator Sara Kyle (D- Memphis), has introduced a bill in the state legislature that would allow family members, household members, intimate partners or law enforcement to petition to temporarily confiscate guns from an individual who shows an immediate risk of harming themselves or others.

Similar laws have been introduced in other states in response to gun violence and are typically called “red flag” laws or extreme risk protection orders.

This proposed bill, which is Senate Bill 1807, anyone signing a petition would have to sign a sworn affidavit for the order. If the order is granted by a judge, the person would be prohibited from purchasing or processing a firearm during the period of the order.

Other areas of this proposed law to note – the petitioner would face criminal charges for lying or making a misrepresentation, and the petition is not a criminal issue. If an order is issued, all firearms would be required to be surrendered within 48 hours to a third party. Any violation would be a misdemeanor.

See the complete bill here.

From now through April 15, Tennessee residents who need help getting their income taxes done can turn to the AARP Foundation’s free Tax-Aide program at more than 60 community sites statewide.

While anyone can use the free tax-preparation service, Tax-Aide coordinator Emily Paul said it’s geared for people who are lower-income and 50 or older, a demographic less likely to have access to a computer and online tax-prep tools. She said the Tax-Aide volunteers will need to see a person’s tax documents, which can be brought to the nearest Tax-Aide location, often a library or senior center.

“All of your tax documents need to come in with you,” she said. “We’ll work to make sure that they all get put on the correct line. All of our counselors are IRS-certified and trained.”

She noted that people don’t have to be AARP members to use the program. For more information, look online at aarpfoundation.org/taxhelp or call 1-888-AARPNOW.

Paul said tax season is prime time for fraud. She said scammers recently have made phone calls pretending to be associated with the Tax-Aide program, but stressed that the AARP Foundation will never call a taxpayer unless they’re returning a call to schedule an appointment.

“But you’ll never get a call just out of the blue,” she said. “And on that phone call, when you make the appointment, they will never ask you for any personally identifying information. No Social Security numbers, nothing like that.”

Last year, the Tax-Aide program relied on more than 450 volunteers across Tennessee. Paul said volunteers still are needed for this season. It’s good to have tax-preparation experience, but there are other volunteer positions available that don’t require it.

“But just help people fill out all of the paperwork, get their paperwork organized and things like that, that doesn’t require any hands-on computer work,” she said.

According to the AARP Foundation, taxpayers who used the program last year nationwide received $1.6 billion in income tax refunds and more than $200 million in Earned Income Tax Credits.

More information is online at aarp.org.

Disclosure: AARP Tennessee contributes to our fund for reporting on Consumer Issues, Hunger/Food/Nutrition, Senior Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.

Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service – TN