Category: News

Parents of students who will attend the Coffee County School System for the 2020-2021 school year who are new to the system are encouraged to setup bus service as soon as possible.

Students who will need bus service should contact the school’s transportation department at 931-723-5157 to set up their bus service as fast as they can.

The first abbreviated day for students in Coffee County Schools will be Aug. 3. The first full day will be Aug 5.
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The enumerators for the United States Census (otherwise known as door knockers) will finally start hitting the streets after a delay due to COVID-19.

According to Census officials, door knockers will hit the streets beginning on Tuesday, Aug. 11 here in Coffee County. If you have yet to self-respond to the 2020 Census, you can expect workers to visit your home in an attempt to get the most accurate count possible. All door-knockers will have proper badge identification with a phone number to call for verification.

You can still complete your Census online by clicking here and avoid a visit form a Census worker. You can also call in at 1-844-330-2020.

Currently, Coffee County is actually tied for fifth in Tennessee among the state’s 95 counties for best self-response rate. Currently, 68% of the county has self-responded to the Census, which is just 2% shy of the 2010 self-response rate of 70%.
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One person is in custody and another has died as the result of an alleged shooting that took place in Tullahoma Saturday evening.

According to Tullahoma Police, officers responded to Ada Ferrell Apartment complex at 8:12 p.m. Saturday after 911 received multiple calls regarding people shooting guns at the apartment complex.

Officers arrived to find a male victim with apparent gunshot wounds in the parking lot.

Officers were able to identify a nearby white male who was armed. Officers detained the male, later identified as Norman Paul Adams, Jr., age 62.

According to statements from those at the scene, Tullahoma Police Department determined that Adams Jr. was responsible for the shooting. The gunshot victim later died from his wounds. He has been identified as Alex North, age 28, of Tullahoma.

Adams Jr. is charged with first degree murder.

TPD said in a statement that officers are “also investigating an additional altercation that occurred at the apartment complex in which a female was injured.” (Pictured below is Normal Paul Adams Jr.)

Coffee County ranks 25th among Tennessee’s 95 counties in terms of household median income, according to a recent analysis by New York Financial tech company SmartAsset.

The study reveals that the average median income is $46,614 in Coffee County, with an average cost of living around $29,926.

Surrounding Coffee County, Grundy County ranked 91st in the state with an average median income of $31,919 against an average cost of living at $30,090.

Other nearby counties include Franklin County, which ranks 23rd, Warren County ranks 71st, Cannon County 19th, Bedford County 22nd, Moore County 14th and Rutherford County 3rd. Not surprisingly, Williamson County ranked fist in Tennessee with an average median income of $103,543  Wilson County ranked second.

See the complete list here 

Active COVID-19 cases in Coffee County continue a steady increase, now at 79 according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

Since testing began in March, there have been 205 total cases with 126 recoveries, leaving 79 total active cases. To date, there have been zero deaths in Coffee County.

Statewide, there are approximately 32,180 active cases. There have been a total of 78,970 confirmed cases since testing began. There have been 45,974 recoveries and 816 confirmed deaths. To date, there have been 3,712 hospitalizations.

Several national retailers with locations in Manchester or near Manchester are now requiring face coverings to shop in their stores. Many of these mandates take place this week, while a few took effect late last week. Here is a list:

Publix: With a nearby location in Tullahoma. Beginning Tuesday, July 21, all shoppers will need face coverings.
Walgreens: With a location in Manchester, Tullahoma and most surrounding cities, Walgrens will require face coverings beginning Monday, July 20.

Walmart: With a location in Manchester, Tullahoma and most surrounding cities, Walmart will require face coverings beginning Monday, July 20.

Target: The closest Target is in Murfreesboro and they will require masks beginning August 1.

CVS: There are CVS locations nearby in Tullahoma, Decherd and Shelbyville. All customers will need a mask to enter the store beginning Monday, July 20.

Kroger: With nearby locations in Tullahoma, McMinnville and Winchester, Kroger customers will need a mask beginning July 22.

Verizon: Anyone entering a Verizon store will need a face covering. This is already in effect.

Home Depot: Beginning Wednesday, July 22, all customers must wear a mask. Store associates will provide masks to shoppers who do not have one. Home Depot has nearby locations in Manchester and Winchester.

Lowe’s: Beginning Monday, July 22, anyone entering Lowe’s needs a face covering. The store will provide face coverings while supplies last.

Starbucks: The restaurant mandated face masks on July 15 for company owned stores.

Tennessee’s unemployment rate decreased in June for the second consecutive month after reaching an all-time high in April, according to preliminary data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The June 2020 seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 9.7%, down 1.3 percentage points from May’s revised rate of 11%.

One year ago, the rate was 3.4%, very near the state’s all-time low unemployment rate of 3.3%.

Tennessee experienced record-high unemployment in April when the jobless number spiked to 15.5% at the height of business closures due to the COVID-19 health emergency. Before the pandemic, the state’s previous record-setting unemployment rate was 12.9% in January 1983.

Between May and June, the state’s employers added 108,500 nonfarm jobs. The top three sectors for job creation across Tennessee were leisure/hospitality, government, and education and health services.
As the state slowly reopens, employers are creating new job opportunities, but there is still a deficit when comparing year-to-year data. From June 2019 through June 2020, Tennessee lost 154,000 positions. The largest decrease came in the leisure/hospitality sector, followed by the manufacturing sector, and then the professional/business services sector.

Nationally, seasonally adjusted unemployment dropped by 2.2 percentage points in June, going from 13.3% to 11.1%.

You can access a complete analysis of Tennessee’s June unemployment data by clicking here. 

Tennessee employers are hiring. Job seekers can find more than 190,000 current job openings on the state’s workforce development website, www.Jobs4TN.gov. Tennesseans can also find free assistance with improving job search skills, updating resumes, and job training opportunities on the site.

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One person is in custody and another has died as the result of an alleged shooting that took place in Tullahoma Saturday evening.

According to Tullahoma Police, officers responded to Ada Ferrell Apartment complex at 8:12 p.m. Saturday after 911 received multiple calls regarding people shooting guns at the apartment complex.

Officers arrived to find a male victim with apparent gunshot wounds in the parking lot.

Officers were able to identify a nearby white male who was armed. Officers detained the male, later identified as Norman Paul Adams, Jr., age 62.

According to statements from those at the scene, Tullahoma Police Department determined that Adams Jr. was responsible for the shooting. The gunshot victim later died from his wounds.

Adams Jr. is charged with first degree murder.

TPD said in a statement that officers are “also investigating an additional altercation that occurred at the apartment complex in which a female was injured.”

Early voting for the Aug. 6 State Primary, Manchester Municipal and Tullahoma Municipal elections continue this week and will continue through Aug. 1. In Coffee County, you can early vote at the Coffee County Election Commission office on McArthur St. or the CD Stamps building in Tullahoma.

On Thursday, July 16, Thunder Radio hosted a political debate for Manchester Mayor and Aldermen candidates. If you missed that, you can listen to the podcast by clicking here.

There are now 64 active cases of COVID-19 in Coffee County as of 2 p.m. Saturday – this according to data provided by the Tennessee Department of Health.

Since testing began in March, there have been a total of 182 cases in Coffee County. Of these, 118 have recovered, which leaves 64 cases that are active.

Meanwhile, across the state there are approximately 31,053 active cases. There have been a total of 75,597 cases since testing began in March. There have been 807 confirmed deaths and 43,706 recoveries. To date, 3,649 people have been hospitalized in Tennessee.