Category: News

In a brief statement issued Tuesday afternoon, Coffee County Schools Director Dr. Charles Lawson announced that the school system will continue with a “4-1” schedule after students return from fall break.

This means students will continue to attend school in-person for four days and learn virtually on Fridays.

“This is the same schedule that was utilized between Labor Day and fall break in which students were in the buildings Monday through Thursday and had a distance-learning day on Friday. Parent-choice virtual students who receive approval for the second quarter will engage in virtual studies all five days,” Lawson said.

“The number of virtual learners combined with the ever-changing numbers of quarantined/isolated students will be monitored continually,” added Lawson. “When these numbers reach a level at which students can be brought back into the buildings five days per week, the district will provide that information through local media and social media outlets.”

Coffee County Schools fall break runs Oct. 5-9.

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival announced Tuesday that the dates for the 2021 festival have been pushed back.

Originally scheduled for June like normal, Bonnaroo announced that the 2021 festival will now take place Sept. 2-5.
The only information provided by the festival for the change was that they are “navigating the best options to ensure we can be together on the farm in 2021.”

The 2020 festival was cancelled altogether due to COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 festival will be the 19th festival. The festival started in 2002 and was held annually until this year.

First Missionary Baptist Church in Manchester will be providing a Food Box giveaway on the first four Saturdays in October – Oct. 3, 10, 17 and 24.

The giveaway will be located at their church building – 216 Wiley St – from noon until 3 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 3.
Organizers anticipate giving away 200 to 250 boxes each Saturday.

Tennessee Governor Bill lee on Tuesday announced he is extending the state of emergency in Tennessee due to COVID-19 – saying he will maintain the order as long as President Donald Trump maintains a state of emergency.

Lee added that despite the extension of the state of emergency, he is repealing all COVID-19 related restrictions on businesses and gatherings in Tennessee. However, county health departments in Tennessee’s six largest cities can set their own regulations.

The emergency extension allows for county mayors to impose mask mandates if they wish – however, most counties either did not impose such mandates or have allowed them to expire.

The Storehouse Food Pantry will be having Appreciation Day October 16th from 11-2 p.m.. The pantry is located at 607 Hickerson St. in Manchester. 

Organizers are asking the community to bring a non-perishable item or a monetary donation for support of the pantry. There will be free hot dogs served up on that day.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Storehosue Food Pantry has served hundreds of people with free food boxes on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon and throughout the week for people that have been referred to us by agencies.

Everyone is welcome to stop by, say hello and learn more about the program.

The Coffee County 4-H will be hosting a free drive-in trivia night scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5 in the administrative plaza parking lot (1329 McArthur St.) in Manchester.

Topics will vary, but the featured category for the evening will be Disney. This is a free community event. However, donations for the Coffee County 4-H program are welcome and accepted.

One smartphone per team will be needed to play.

If you’ve ever had a desire to help the Coffee County Humane Society – now is the time to move.

Tito’s Handmade Vodka has agreed to match all donations made to the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival Bonnaroo Works Fund through October 3, and donate those matched funds directly to the Coffee County Humane Society.

If you would like to help – donating to both the Bonnaroo Works Fund (which often benefits many great local causes and organizations) will also mean a matched donation to the humane society. To ensure your donation is matched, you must make it through this link by clicking here. 

The Tullahoma Director of Public Works, Butch Taylor, has been notified by CSX that
construction of the road crossings over the railroad tracks will be closed
according to the following schedule:

October 19 and 20: Warren Street, Lauderdale Street and Wiseman Road

October 21 and 22: Brown Street and Hogan Street

CSX indicated that these dates are estimates and could vary by a few days.
During this construction, expect delays and seek alternative routes.

Motorists should be aware of the closure and watch for workers in the
construction zone and drive with caution.

Motorists should always expect a train when crossing railroad tracks.

The Tennessee Department of Health today announced receipt of a $750,000 funding award for suicide prevention efforts over the next five years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program includes a focus on vulnerable populations at increased risk for suicide. This funding will provide a comprehensive public health approach based on data and science to address risk factors that contribute to suicide. TDH is one of only nine organizations in the U.S. chosen to receive this funding.

“Suicide can impact anyone and any family, regardless of status, position or location, and the impact of these tragic deaths is magnified because they are preventable,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “We are grateful for this opportunity to expand our work to prevent suicide and empower others to serve as a resource for someone in crisis and help save lives in Tennessee.”

Suicide is a growing public health crisis that took more than 48,000 lives in the United States in 2018, according to the CDC. In Tennessee, TDH data show 1,220 people died by suicide in 2019, including 32 children aged 17 and under. Within the past six years, Tennessee’s overall suicide rate increased by 24 percent, from 14.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2014 to 17.9 in 2019.

“Suicide takes a toll on too many Tennessee families, and we are excited about this opportunity to make a positive intervention and potentially save lives,” said Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Marie Williams, LCSW. “This grant pairs perfectly with recent investments in suicide prevention budgeted by Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly to expand the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network and serve youth and young adults with suicide prevention and mental health promotion activities.”

In this comprehensive suicide prevention approach, TDH will expand existing efforts and implement new activities. Plans include increasing engagement of partners through a multi-disciplinary stakeholder group with representatives of vulnerable populations; expanding the number of people trained to identify and support those at risk of suicide; increasing students’ coping and problem solving skills by training teachers to implement the Good Behavior Game in the classroom; increasing surveillance efforts to identify those at risk of suicide and strengthening access to care by providing tele-health training to mental health care providers.

Building on several years of data collection and cross-sector collaboration, TDH officially launched its Suicide Prevention Program in 2019 as authorized by the Suicide Prevention Act of 2018 (TCA 68-3-703). Program work has included forming a Suicide Prevention Stakeholder Task Force Team; developing a statewide survey to identify gaps in mental health programs and determine what support is needed for those at risk of suicide; studying suicide-related emergency visits and developing a rapid prevention response model to prevent youth suicide; and providing suicide prevention training to groups across the state.

Learn more about suicide prevention work in Tennessee in the 2020 TDH Suicide Prevention Report available online at www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/program-areas/vipp/TDH-2020-Suicide-Annual-Report.pdf.

If you need help or know someone who does, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) or use the online Lifeline Crisis Chat. Both are free and confidential. You’ll be connected to a skilled, trained counselor in your area.

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Health is to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee. Learn more about TDH services and programs at www.tn.gov/health.

An inmate in the Coffee County Jail passed away late Saturday, Thunder Radio has learned.

According to authorities, the inmate was booked into the Coffee County Jail on Friday for a “domestic-related situation.”

“He was not going to make bond so he was still in the jail with us on Saturday,” Coffee County Sheriff Chad Partin said.

“We had two of our nurses at the jail when this happened,” explained Partin. “They did everything they could, they even gave him NARCAN thinking maybe it was an accidental overdose. We rushed him to [Unity Medical Center] and they performed CPR and worked on him for a long time but unfortunately they couldn’t get him back.”

The deceased has been identified as Gunnar Roepke, age 27, of Tullahoma. 

“We would like to express our sincere condolences to the family.”

Partin said he has contacted Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott, who plans to contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation as an outside agency to investigate.

The body will be sent to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. No foul play is suspected, authorities say.