Josh Peterson

Manchester Police are searching for a suspect who broke into the Manchester Food Lion during the early morning hours of Thursday, July 11th. 

According to Manchester Police Department Chief Investigator Jackie Matheny, someone made entry into the Food Lion between 12:30 and 3 a.m. Thursday and attempted to gain entry  to the ATM machine located near the front of the store. Anyone with information should call 931-728-2099l

Here are comments and a suspect description from Matheny:

The Manchester City School system is gearing up for the start of school as the first abbreviated day for students will be Thursday Aug. 1, with the first full day of school being Friday, Aug. 2. Manchester City Schools includes College Street Elementary, Westwood Elementary and Westwood Middle School. If you aren’t sure what supplies your child will need, we have complete supply lists for each school here:

College Street 1st grade

College Street 2nd grade

College Street 3rd grade

College Street 4th grade

College Street 5th grade

College Street Kindergarten

Westwood 1st grade

Westwood 2nd grade

Westwood 3rd grade

Westwood 4th grade

Westwood 5th grade

Westwood kindergarten

Westwood Middle School Supply List 2019-2020_{SISC434B177889F}

Franklin County Sheriff’s Office investigators are seeking information regarding a burglary and vandalism that occurred at 1325 Floyd Lane, at Greenhaw Baptist.

A report filed by Sgt. Chuck Stines states that between 9:30 p.m. Monday July 8th and 1:00 p.m. Tuesday July 9th, unknown person(s) forced their way into the church by breaking a window. In the dining area several miscellaneous snacks were opened and spilled onto the floor and some were apparently consumed. A door was forced open and the suspects entered the sanctuary and removed candy from a bowl located there. Vandalism to the building is estimated to be approximately $1,000.00.

Anyone having any information regarding this matter is asked to contact Investigator George Dyer at the Franklin County Sheriff’s at 931-308-9420. 

Former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam announced yesterday that he will not run for US Senate to replace US Senator Lamar Alexander, who announced in December that he would not seek reelection in 2020. 

In a letter to the USA Today Network Tennessee, Haslam said, “While I think serving in the United States Senate would be a great privilege and responsibility, I have come to the conclusion that it is not my calling for the next period of my life.” 

Pundits now expect a number of Republican candidates to jump into the race. 

Gov. Bill Haslam

New Manchester Director of Schools Dr. Joey Vaughn is asking the city of Manchester to fund a $4.1 million expansion project at College Street Elementary School. 

Dr. Joey Vaughn

The expansion would build a new kitchen at the school and add four classrooms. . The project is estimated to cost $4.1 million. Vaughn presented Manchester’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen with a proposal for the city government to fund $2.5 million of the project while the city schools would foot $1,6 million of the bill. 

No decisions have been made and more details will be discussed at future board meetings. The Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen meet at Manchester City Hall. We post meeting notices on our website at thunder1320.com

On average, College Street has 450 students enrolled. It is one of three schools in the Manchester City School system – the other two being Westwood Elementary and Westwood Middle School.

The Coffee County School System is gearing up for the start of school, which will be here before you know it. The first abbreviated day for students will be Thursday, August 1st and the first full day is Monday, August. 5th. If you aren’t sure about what supplies your child will need, we have the back to school supply list below:

East Coffee Supply List

East Coffee Supply list continued

Hickerson supply list

Hickerson supply list continued

North Coffee supply list

North Coffee supply list continued

Deerfield supply list

Hillsboro supply list

New Union supply list

Thomas Henry North Jr., who operates Watson-North Funeral Home, cremation center and memorial park and whispering winds crematory in Winchester., was accused in June of 2017 of displaying inappropriate conduct and being disrespectful to deceased persons in three different instances. However, the Tennessee Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers has dismissed that complaint citing inconclusive evidence. 

The Tennessee Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers issued a press release saying that the investigation found a lack of cooperation by witnesses and a lack of corroborating evidence to support the allegations. 

North’s licenses have now been reinstated. His licenses had been suspended, but the funeral home license was not suspended and operations continued. 

Millions of job seekers attend career fairs to learn about opportunities each year. Now many will have a similar experience at home from a computer or smartphone. 

State Farm is hosting its first ever virtual career fair for applicants to learn about jobs the company hopes to fill this year.

The nation’s largest insurer needs thousands of employees in claims, underwriting, technology and customer care.

“This virtual fair allows candidates to visit virtual booths and chat with recruiters to discuss specific jobs, locations, and benefits, similar to attending in person,” said Alana O’Neal, Talent Acquisition Specialist at State Farm. “It allows State Farm to inform job seekers about our thousands of job opportunities annually and attract more talent to the organization to serve customers.”

Salaries are competitive based on position and location. All jobs, full or part time, come with benefits including health insurance, tuition reimbursement, 401k and pension.

The positions are primarily located in: Murfreesboro, TN and Atlanta, GA;  with more jobs in Illinois, Arizona, Texas, Washington, Virginia, Ohio and Colorado.

The virtual career fair is Thursday July 11th, 2019 from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. Interested applications are encouraged to register  at https://statefarm.easyvirtualfair.com/prefair/

Photo from exit111festival.com

The Coffee County School System is adjusting its calendar for the upcoming school year due to the new Exit 111 music festival that is scheduled to take place Oct. 11 through Oct 13 at Great Stage Park in Manchester. 

The county Board of Education voted during Monday’s meeting to move an already scheduled in-service day from November 1st to October 11th, meaning children will not have school Oct. 11. November 1st will now be a regularly scheduled day of school for students and teachers. 

Speaking of school, the county schools will have their first abbreviated day of school on Thursday, August 1 with the first full day for students set for Monday, August 5. 

The city school system has not made a decision about classes surrounding the new music festival. According to Director of City Schools Dr. Joey Vaughn, the board has discussed options but is waiting on more information from Exit 111 and law enforcement officials before making decisions. Vaughn said all options are open, including early dismissal Thursday and Friday, or completely cancelling classes for one or both of the days. He said a decision will be made as soon as the board gets a better idea of traffic and attendance expectations from organizers. Vaughn added that the city system does not have an in-service day to move like the county schools did. 

The city school system will have its first abbreviated day of school on Thursday, Aug. 1 and the first full day for students will be Friday, Aug. 2. 

This year is the inaugural Exit 111 festival and is the first major music event at Great Stage Park other than Bonnaroo since the first Bonnaroo in 2002. Headliners for the three-day event include Lynyrd Skynyrd, Def Leppard and Guns N Roses. Organizers have said they expect attendance to be less than half of what Bonnaroo is.