Category: News

The Thunder Radio political debate will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 16.

Unlike past forums hosted by Thunder Radio where attendance in person was possible, due to COVID-19 concerns and limitations for crowds, this year Thunder Radio has decided it would be best to host the forum on the radio.
You can hear the debate at 107.9 FM and 1320 AM, as well as stream on www.thunder1320.com and on your smartphone with the Manchester Go smartphone app. Those with Facebook can watch via Facebook live.

Candidates for Manchester Mayor will be on the air taking questions from 6 -6:35 p.m. on July 16. Meanwhile, candidates for Manchester aldermen will follow. The phone lines will be open during the debate for the public to ask questions by calling 931-728-1320 or 931-728-3526.

A female convenience store clerk was wounded and the alleged assailant is dead after an altercation at a convenience store in Monteagle Saturday.

The store clerk at a Marathon service station was shot in the abdomen. She was transported to a Chattanooga hospital and reports have her listed in stable condition.

According to the Grundy County Herald, the assailant was located by law enforcement a few hundred yards away. He was deceased from what authorities believe is a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Identification is not yet available.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been asked to conduct an investigation into the incident.

The Manchester, Tennessee Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10904 has again been awarded both AllState and the coveted All-American Post titles. They were awarded All-American Post for the second year in a row; and All-State Post for the third year in a row.

The VFW All-American Award goes to top posts globally and recognizes posts achieving the most for veterans, their families and the communities they serve. They are considered the best of the best.

Competing against 646 posts of similar size, a post must be in the top 25. Only 5 of the 91 VFW posts in Tennessee received the title. Scoring is based on a variety of criteria: including new membership enrollments, community involvement and service to local veterans. VFW Manchester finished in 12th place, putting them in the top half of award recipients.

VFW Post Commander, retired Navy Chief Kim King, said, “I’m proud and honored to work with veterans, and their families, who continue to serve our country and our community in a variety of ways. I feel truly blessed to be a part of an organization that provides so much, is 100% voluntary and achieves so much.”

For more information and to stay current on the latest local VFW news, click here. 

Tennessee is nearing 700,000 new unemployment claims since the COVID-19 pandemic brought the state’s economy to a halt in mid-March.

According to data released by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce on Friday, there have been 691,898 new claims for unemployment benefits since March 15. This includes 25,843 new claims for the week ending July 4.

This is the third straight week of increases in new claims. However, continued claims week to week continue to fall – down to 256,645. This is the 8th straight week of declines. In Coffee County, there were 170 initial claims filed for the week ending July 4 with 2,190 continued claims.

Brandon Imhoff, owner with Premier Lawn Care, had the urge to show his appreciation to local law enforcement. The owner of the property maintenance company saw an opportunity to do just that and enhance the aesthetics around Manchester City Hall with the simple painting of a blue line on N. Irwin St.

Premier Lawn Care workers painted a blue line along N. Irwin St. in the middle of the street between the two center yellow traffic lines. This was done in the area where the Manchester Police Department is located.

“I actually saw this done somewhere else and thought, ‘man, that would look awesome here,'” explained Imhoff. “I reached out to the street department and they took it to Mayor Norman and he loved the idea.”

Imhoff received permission from Manchester Mayor Lonnie Norman before proceeding. Labor and materials were donated. 

“We appreciate people and business owners in our community recognizing the hard work put in every day by our local police officers,” said Norman. “We have a department that is committed to our community and safety. These gestures are refreshing and needed.”

The Thunder Radio political debate will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 16.

Unlike past forums hosted by Thunder Radio where attendance in person was possible, due to COVID-19 concerns and limitations for crowds, this year Thunder Radio has decided it would be best to host the forum on the radio.

You can hear the debate at 107.9 FM and 1320 AM, as well as stream on www.thunder1320.com and on your smartphone with the Manchester Go smartphone app. Those with Facebook can watch via Facebook live.
Candidates for Manchester Mayor will be on the air taking questions from 6 -6:35 p.m. on July 16. Meanwhile, candidates for Manchester aldermen will follow. The phone lines will be open during the debate for the public to ask questions by calling 931-728-1320 or 931-728-3526.

Manchester Police Department officials are warning the public of phone scams, in particular a recurring scam involving someone appearing to be a law enforcement officer. 

In this scam recently reported to MPD, the suspect tells the intended victim that they are a DEA agent  and attempts to get that potential victim to send money to avoid arrest or other legal actions. 

“There are no law enforcement agencies that will contact you and request money to be sent to them,” said MPD in a release. “We encourage you to not communicate during these phone calls – simply hang up the phone.”

Early voting for the Aug. 6 election begins one week from Friday. Early voting for the Aug. 6 election will be July 17 through Aug. 1

Registered voters in Coffee County can appear and cast their ballot for the candidates of their choice at the following locations:

Coffee County Election Commission at 1329 McArthur St. from 8 until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or 8:30 a.m. until noon on Saturdays. Residents in Tullahoma can vote at CD Stamps Center at 810 South Jackson St. in Tullahoma from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays.

All voters shall show a federal or state Photo ID when voting. This is true during early voting and at election day. If you choose to wait to vote on Aug. 6, you will need to vote at your registered precinct.

Election day precincts will be open from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.
For additional information, call 931-723-5103.

Reminder – Thunder Radio will host an election forum for the city of Manchester municipal elections on the air at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 16.

 Coffee County Schools, Manchester City Schools and Tullahoma City School systems have all released a joint statement and plan to return to school in the upcoming fall semester – plans that include different tiers based on percentage of county population with COVID-19.

The “pathway to re-entry” plan calls for typical classroom schedule with the Coffee County active case count less than 0.5 percent of the county total population, which is 56,520. This means there would need to be over 282 active cases of the virus to alter school schedules.  As of Wednesday, there were 34 active cases of COVID-19  – well below the 282 cutoff for 0.5%.

If there is moderate spread, defined as active cases between 0.5 and 1.0 percent of total population(between 283 and 565 active cases), there will be a hybrid model in which case there will be modified scheduling with a combination of onsite and distance learning for students. There will be district specific distance learning programs.

If there is substantial spread, with an active case rate greater than 1 percent of the county population  (greater than 565 active cases in Coffee County), there will be no students in school buildings and district specific distance learning program in place.

Each school system will reach out to their students with more specifics. 

In the case of minimal spread (less than 0.5%) and there is a typical classroom schedule, there will continue to be safety and health considerations – such as clean and thorough disinfecting of surfaces, teachers will review and reinforce handwashing, temperature checks will be done daily upon arrival, social distancing will be practiced when feasible, strategic movement of students will take place and masks will be recommended for faculty, staff and students.

If cases reach a moderate spread (0.5-1.0 percent), deep cleaning and disinfecting spaces and surfaces will continue, student movement will be limited, there will be fewer after school activities and masks will be highly recommended for all times.

Manchester City Schools director Dr. Joey Vaughn said that MCS will follow the approved school calendar for 2020. The first student attendance day is August 3, 2020 with an abbreviated schedule from 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. The first full student day will be August 5, 2020. All three school systems are following their previously approved calendars. 

For Manchester City Schools, families will have an opportunity to choose between in-person classes and an online learning option. More information, including a family survey for in-person or online learning, will be available from Manchester City Schools on July 14 after the Manchester City Schools BOE meeting on July 13.

Coffee County Schools say families will have an opportunity to choose between in-person classes and an online learning option. More information, including a family survey for in-person or online learning, will be available soon.

Tullahoma City Schools are offering students the option of choosing in-person or distance learning for the first quarter of the school year. 

While this is the plan set forth by the school systems, it is subject to change if different guidance is provided at the state level.