Category: News

Tennessee’s unemployment dropped slightly in April, marking the ninth straight month of decreases in the state’s unemployment rate.
The 7.8% unemployment rate is down from 7.9% in March and the lowest it’s been since November 2008.
Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Karla Davis said in a release that the decrease in the jobless rate is largely caused by fewer people seeking work.
The national unemployment rate was 8.1% in April, also 0.1% age point lower than the previous month.
State manufacturing saw the biggest increase compared with last month, at a growth rate of 1.8%. Next were jobs in trade, transportation and utilities at 1.6% and positions in the leisure and hospitality sector at 1.5%.
Many Tennesseans have reported problems with their unemployment benefits and not receiving their checks, but the culprit might actually be something they aren’t doing.
Due to new rules taking effect, thousands of people who receive unemployment benefits must visit community career centers. The problem is, however, many people aren’t doing it.

Thousands of people on federal unemployment are supposed to show up to a career center to regularly meet with caseworkers, but many people aren’t doing that. So their benefits are getting cut off.

Starting in September, those on state benefits will have to follow more new rules as well by documenting at least three job searches.

The state is working to make that easier for people through the new Jobs4TN website (https://www.jobs4tn.gov).

Students participating in spring sports next year such as baseball, softball, track, and soccer may have to find their own transportation to “away” events, due to cost cutting measures by the county school system. Coffee County School and Transportation Department officials told the Budget and Finance Committee this week that they were requesting an additional $390,000 for the upcoming school year, primarily to purchase three new school buses and increased fuel cost despite the fact that the department is losing a total of eight buses now considered “too old” by state standards. The county finance director says the cost increase would cause an increase of approximately 9 cents on the county property tax.

A recent drought report shows Tennessee as abnormally dry just ahead of a long stretch of dry weather expected this summer. According to the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers, many lakes in the Cumberland River Basin are at levels below normal and Percy Priest Lake is at its lowest level since 1986. Similar conditions brought severe drought to Tennessee in 2007 and 2008. In late 2007, Normandy Lake was 15 feet below normal. The lake is currently two feet below where it was in the spring of 2007. According to National Weather Service forecasters, June, July and August are expected to be hotter than normal. How much rain will fall remains an open-ended question. With levels nearing drought, area crops could be greatly impacted. A warmer, drier spring dried out much of the soil and when the weather is warm and dry too early for too long fewer people reap the benefits of homegrown goods.

 

Coffee County held a public meeting on Tuesday at the Coffee County Administrative Building Meeting in Manchester. The purpose of discussing the HOME Program. The County has been awarded a grant through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) for the purpose of rehabilitating owner-occupied homes of low-income residents. Applications are available at Mayor Pennington’s office until June 15. Applications for the program are due no later than close of business on June 15, 2012. This project is funded under an agreement with Tennessee Housing Development Agency through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Things you should know before applying (other than the information requested in the packet): • Must be low income property owner. • Must have proof of ownership to include a deed in your name or a 99 year lease • Property taxes current and paid • If you have a mortgage approval from a company All of the items must accompany your application when it is turned in to the Mayor’s office.

A recent report by the ABC News program Nightline prompted Pepsi to pull its sponsorship of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in Shelbyville, Tennessee. The report focused on a practice known as “horse soring” where trainers use chemical or mechanical items such as kerosene and metal bolts to exaggerate the natural walking horse gait. The exaggerated gait, known as the “Big LIck” is prized in competitions. The U.S. Humane Society released video footage and held a press conference in Nashville showing undercover recordings of noted horse trainer Jackie McConnell soring a horse.

 

Tennessee is one of six states that will share in more than $181 million in federal health care grants. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the grants Wednesday, saying Tennessee will receive $4.3 million to use in establishing Affordable Health Care Insurance Exchanges. The funds are part of the Affordable Care Act. The exchanges are designed as “one stop shops” to find and compare affordable, quality private health insurance options. Health and Human Services Secretary said in announcing the grants that in 2014, consumers in every state will have a marketplace where they can buy affordable insurance coverage.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is stressing life jacket use as the boating season revs up. Ready, Set, Wear It Day is Saturday with a series of events statewide to encourage safe boating, including wearing personal floatation devices. The events come during national Safe Boating Week.

The City of Manchester’s rehabilitated and expanded wastewater treatment plant held an open house Wednesday.
The project cost $14,303,000 and received funding from all different sources – including $5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment (stimulus) money.
The city received a state-revolving loan for $7.5 million and $5 million in forgiveness money from the state to fund the bulk of the project. The city also received $1.34 million from USDA and a $455,000 grant. Of the $12.5 million received from the state, the city will only repay $7.5 million. The $5 million forgiveness is money that does not have to be repaid.
The renovation increases the capacity of the plant from 3.4 million gallons to 4.3 million gallons to meet the growth rate of the last decade – meaning Manchester should be set until at least 2031.
The project brought the old wastewater treatment facility up to date with safer, more effective wastewater treatment.

United Regional Medical Center in Manchester is facing a $20-million dollar lawsuit. The suit was filed last year in Coffee County Circuit Court. This after a nurse was accused of injecting the wrong patient with a powerful painkiller on 2010.
Priscilla Wilder died ten days after her husband said she was mistakenly given the wrong medicine.
Wilder was sharing a room with a cancer patient at the United Regional Medical Center in Manchester for treatment of shortness of breath and chest pains. Her husband says a nurse gave his wife a painkilling shot that was meant for her roommate.
Tom Wilder says the patient in the next bed next to his wife spoke up and said she wanted the pain shot and not Priscilla. The man said he told the nurse that she had given his wife the wrong shot.
The lawsuit alleges that shortly “after receiving the medication, Sherry Wilder developed difficulty breathing which progressed quickly to acute respiratory failure.”
An autopsy was not done on the body.
While it’s not the hospital’s policy to comment on pending litigation especially in matters such as this one which has been pending for 14 months URMC responded to Thunder Radio’s request with this exclusive statement: First URMC would like to extend its sympathy to the Wilder family for their loss. It is important to note, however, that Ms. Wilder did not pass away at URMC. It is URMC’s understanding that Ms. Wilder passed away at a Nashville hospital approximately 10 days after being discharged from URMC. According to the death certificate, the cause of death was coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus.
URMC in the statement says they look forward to their day in court to present the actual facts in this case and set the record straight.