Thursday will be the second and final day of pop-up COVID-19 vaccine location in Manchester this week.
There is a pop-up vaccine site at the old Southern Family Markets building at 2050 Hillsboro Blvd. in Manchester. Anyone wishing to receive a vaccine can do so Thursday, April 22 between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. This is for anyone ages 16 and up and there are no appointments required.
Big Payback event is set for May 5-6
Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center Executive Director Joyce Prusak invites locals to participate in The Big Payback online event, set for 6 p.m. May 5 through 6 p.m. May 6.
The Big Payback is online at 6 p.m. May 5 through 6 p.m. May 6, and several local nonprofits are asking for the community’s support. The event, presented by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, encourages community members to come together and shower nonprofits with generosity.
The foundation is asking: “Give to the organizations that help make Middle Tennessee a place we’re proud to call home. Because giving always matters.”
One of the local nonprofits participating is Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center.
“When the most vulnerable members of our community are harmed, they find a safe place and support at the Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center,” said Executive Director Joyce Prusak.
CCCAC fights child abuse and believes every child deserves a happy childhood. The organization focuses on abuse prevention and helps ensure abusers receive punishment for their acts of violence. Founded in 2005, the advocacy center strives to offer top-level services while running a small operation, according to Prusak.
“Join our journey and help us fight child physical and sexual abuse by donating today,” Prusak said.
Among the organizations participating in the event are: Coffee County Humane Society, One Day of Hope of Coffee County, Imagination Library of Coffee County, Partners for Healing, Tullahoma Day Care Center, Haven of Hope, Tullahoma Fine Arts Center, Millennium Repertory Company. For the full list of nonprofits, visit https://www.thebigpayback.org/nonprofits.
VFW invites community to breakfast this weekend
Veterans of Foreign Wars All-American Post 10904
invites everyone to the VFW Breakfast, this Saturday, April 24, from 7 AM –
9:30 AM at the Coffee County Veterans Building, 130 Shelton Road in
Manchester.
The public is welcome – your Manchester VFW is pleased to serve our
community a hearty all-you-can-eat breakfast for only $6.50 per person,
although donations are always welcome. The VFW Breakfast is held the last
Saturday of each month: mark your calendar so you don’t miss out.
Thanks to Humana Health Care for paying all food costs – so 100% of proceeds
will be available to help area veterans.
For more information and to stay current on the latest local VFW news, visit
our website at www.vfwpost10904.com <http://www.vfwpost10904.com .
Manchester Police need help identifying subjects in two incidents
Manchester Police Department is asking for the public’s help to identify individuals in two separate incidents.
There is a photo of a small, white extended-cab pickup truck that was allegedly involved in a hit and run accident at Murphy Oil on April 10.
Police also need help identifying three individuals – a white female and two white males – who were involved in a shoplifting incident at Walmart.
If anyone has information regarding either incident, contact MPD investigator Ben Sneed at 931-728-2099.
Dream for Weave Foundation offering two scholarships to CHS athletes
The Dream for Weave Foundation – founded after the passing of Dennis Weaver – has announced that it will be awarding two scholarships to deserving Coffee County Central athletes next month.
There will be one scholarship each awarded to a graduating male and female athlete at CHS.
These scholarship recipients will be selected by the Dream for Weave Foundation and will be awarded to graduating athletes pursuing a college degree or trade certificate in any field. Interested athletes are encouraged to fill out an application, which is available at the CHS Student Counseling Center.
The Dream for Weave Foundation mission is to support CHS athletes beyond high school as they complete post-secondary education. This goal carries on the life-long mission that was lived by Weaver, longtime sports director at Thunder Radio and play-by-play voice of Raider athletics. The foundation also has a mission to help local youth athletes with required ball equipment and apparel. Anyone who knows a family in need of these items can contact 931-409-2215.
Those wishing to donate can send checks made payable to “Dream for Weave Foundation” to 1030 Oakdale St. Manchester, TN. 37355.
Pop-up vaccine location in Coffee County begins Wednesday; no appointments required
Coffee County Health Department has announced that there will be a pop-up vaccine site at the old Southern Family Markets parking lot this week.
The location at 2050 Hillsboro Blvd. will have COVID-19 vaccines in the parking lot at 2050 Hillsboro Blvd. on Wednesday, April 21 from 3-6 p.m. and Thursday, April 22 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
There is no appointment needed and the vaccines are available for anyone age 16 and older to simply walk up and receive a vaccination.
TN House passes legislation strengthening TANF program
The Tennessee House chamber last Thursday unanimously passed legislation strengthening and improving the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
House Bill 142 was recommended by a group appointed to study possible changes to the program, which currently has $710 million in reserves. The funds, which come from a federal block grant, provides support to working families such as child care assistance, temporary cash assistance, transportation, job training, employment activities and other support services offered through the state’s Families First Program.
This legislation creates a two-year pilot program which provides enhanced cash assistance to individuals who are actively pursuing educational opportunities. The bill also distributes $180 million through a new Tennessee Opportunity Pilot Program, which will create large-scale programs benefiting TANF recipients. The legislation also increases the TANF allotment. For example, it increases the monthly amount a family of three receive from $277 to $387.
House Bill 142 will create the Families First Community Grants to infuse $50 million in TANF reserves funds into the community through grants to organizations providing services to low-income families. It includes the Two-Generation program, which focuses on intergenerational poverty through a “whole family” approach by combining parent and child interventions to break the cycle of poverty and create a pathway to economic security.
The bill requires that $191 million will be reserved to ensure the program’s stability during an economic downturn. However, once those reserves are in place, it provides that funding not spent from the department’s previous year will be used for community grants that will be spread statewide to build stronger families and a thriving Tennessee.
Finally, the bill creates The TANF Advisory Board consisting of up to 21 people to approve grantees and provide important input regarding the effectiveness of existing Families First and Two-Generation Program policies and grant programs. The board will also be responsible for selecting recipients for Tennessee Opportunity Pilot Program grants, community grants and selecting research partners to evaluate the successes of grant programs awarded through TANF.
Pop-up vaccine location in Coffee County this week; no appointments required
Coffee County Health Department has announced that there will be a pop-up vaccine site at the old Southern Family Markets parking lot this week.
The location at 2050 Hillsboro Blvd. will have COVID-19 vaccines in the parking lot at 2050 Hillsboro Blvd. on Wednesday, April 21 from 3-6 p.m. and Thursday, April 22 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
There is no appointment needed and the vaccines are available for anyone age 16 and older to simply walk up and receive a vaccination.
House passes legislation to ban roadway sales
The Tennessee House chamber last week passed legislation aimed at increasing public safety by making it a Class C misdemeanor offense for a person to solicit from the roadway, shoulder, berm, or the right-of-way of a controlled-access highway as well as entrances or exits of a highway.
House Bill 978 makes camping on the shoulder of a state highway or under a bridge or overpass punishable by warning citation on the first offence and $50 fine and 20-40 hours of community service on subsequent offenses. The Equal Access to Public Property Act of 2012 generally makes it a Class E felony offense for a person to camp on property owned by the state knowing that the area on which the camping occurs is not specifically designated for use as a camping area. House Bill 978 makes the Equal Access to Public Property Act of 2012 applicable to all public property rather than only state-owned property. This bill also extends to local governments and their employees the provisions of the Act concerning impoundment and disposal of camping equipment that is used in violation of the act.
House Bill 978 awaits passage by the Tennessee Senate.
Gas prices bump up 2 cents in Tennessee
Tennessee gas prices saw upward momentum at the pump over last week, mainly due to rising crude oil prices. On average, pump prices across the state rose by two cents over last week. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $2.70 which is the same price as one month ago and $1.10 more than one year ago.
The average price for a gallon of gas in Coffee County is $2.68, which is 2 cents below the state average and 19 cents below the national average at $2.87.
“Refinery utilization is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, and with gasoline stocks seeing builds in the last month amid lower crude oil prices, motorists have benefited from mostly flat gas prices,” said Megan Cooper, spokeswoman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “However, crude started to see some upward movement this week, which could translate to small increases at the pump by the end of April.”
Quick Facts
· 75% of Tennessee gas stations have prices below $2.75
· The lowest 10% of pump prices are $2.53 for regular unleaded
· The highest 10% of pump prices are $2.97 for regular unleaded
National Gas Prices
Despite gasoline demand mostly increasing this month, the national gas price average has seen little movement, fluctuating up or down by only a penny to $2.86 or $2.87. In fact, 10 of the past 12 days saw a steady hold at $2.86 despite demand reaching its highest measurement—8.9 million b/d for the week ending April 9—in more than a year.
At 85%, refinery operations are at their fullest capacity since the week of March 23, 2020, according to Energy Information Administration (EIA) data. Should this positive utilization trend continue, it could help to offset increases in demand and help the national average stay under $3/gallon.
On the week, the majority of states saw little fluctuation at the pump: 27 state averages held steady while another 16 saw pump prices increase or decrease by only one or two cents.
Today’s national average is $2.87. Compared to a year ago, gas prices are very expensive as mid-April 2020 was prime quarantine time across the country. While the national gas price average is $1.05 more than last year at this time, it is on par with averages from April 2019.
National Oil Market Dynamics
At the close of Friday’s formal trading session, WTI decreased by 30 cents to settle at $63.13. Although prices ended the day down, due to the market consolidating pricing contracts, the price of crude gained over $3.80 per barrel last week. Continuing market optimism that crude demand may increase more than expected due to increasing vaccine rollouts helped to lift prices. Additionally, EIA’s weekly report revealed that total domestic crude inventory decreased by 5.9 million bbl to 492.4 million bbl, contributing to price increases. If crude prices continue to rise and remain high, pump prices will likely follow suit.
