Category: News

As of 2 p.m. Thursday, there are 36 active cases of COVID-19 in Coffee County, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. Since testing began in March, there have been a total of 134 positive tests in Coffee county. Of these, 98 have recovered, leaving 36 active cases.

Meanwhile, across the state there are approximately 22,860 active cases. There have been 684 confirmed deaths and 3,088 hospitalizations. There have been 972,276 tests administered, which means of everyone testing – about 5.88% are testing positive.

According to the Tennessee Department of Health, there are now 34 active cases of COVID-19 in Coffee County.

Since testing began in mid-march, there have been 132 total cases in Coffee County. With 98 cases recovered, that leaves approximately 34 active cases.

Meanwhile, there are approximately 22,171 active cases in the state of Tennessee. There have been 660 confirmed deaths since mid March, and 3,023 hospitalizations since the middle of March.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many things this year. One of those disruptions came in the form of taxes – don’t forget that the deadline to file and pay your 2019 federal income taxes is Wednesday, July 15.

Earlier this year, the Internal Revenue Service postponed the tax filing deadline from April 15 to July 15 due to the pandemic.

The deadline will not be extended further, meaning the deadline to pay without penalties and interest is July 15.
If you need an extension to prepare returns, you will need to file a Form 4868 by July 15 to receive a three-month automatic extension to file in October. However, filing an extension does not exempt you from payment, which will accrue interest and steep penalties after July 15.

On Monday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released two publications, detailing the volume and nature of hate crime in Tennessee, along with one detailing violence directed toward the state’s law enforcement officers.
Among the findings of ‘Tennessee Hate Crime 2019’:

 Overall, the number of incidents indicated as bias-motivated decreased by 36% from 2018 to 2019.
 Property crime offenses accounted for 21.5%, with the remainder of bias-motivated crimes being those designated as being ‘Crimes Against Persons.’
 Assault offenses were the most frequently reported bias-motivated offenses in 2019.
 Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry bias was the most frequently reported known bias in 2019 at 72.1%, with Anti-Black/African American comprising 48.8% of the total reported number of hate crime.

Among the findings of ‘Law Enforcement Officers Killed or Assaulted (LEOKA) 2019’:
 In 2019, there were a total of 2,416 LEOKA victims reported across Tennessee.
 The number of reported LEOKA offenses increased by 29.3% from 2016 to 2019.
 The most frequently reported offense was Simple Assault, at 57.6%.
“I am very proud of the efforts of all participating law enforcement agencies, to provide the data necessary to produce these reports,” said TBI Director David Rausch. “Our combined efforts have resulted in a successful program that continues to give our state helpful insight on the volume and nature of crime.”
Both reports are available for review and download by clicking here.

The Thunder Radio political debate is one week away – it will be held Thursday, July 16. This is one day prior to the start of early voting in Coffee County.

However, unlike past forums held by Thunder Radio, due to COVID-19 concerns and limittions for crowds, this year Thunder Radio has decided it would be best to host the forum on radio only.

Candidates for Manchester Mayor will be on the air taking questions form 6—6:35 p.m. on July 16. Meanwhile, candidates for Manchester alderman have been invited to follow. The phone lines will be open for public questions the night of the debate (931-728-1320). The forum can be heard live on Thunder Radio – 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM and 1320 AM) and streaming on the Manchester GO app and www.thunder1320.com. The debate will also be streamed on the Thunder Radio Facebook page.

The annual Warren County Fair has been cancelled for 2020. The fair board decided Monday that the fair will not be held this year.

According to the Southern Standard, the fair board said, “Having carefully considered all options available to us, as well as the uncertain realities that we currently face, we have reached the painful decision to cancel this year’s fair.”

This is just the latest in fair cancellations. Other fairs that have cancelled include the Tennessee State Fair and the Wilson County Fair.

The Coffee County Fair plans to continue forward with the 2020 fair, which will be Sept. 19-26 in Manchester.

There are currently 27 active cases of COVID-19 in Coffee County, according to data provided by the Tennessee Department of Health.

Since testing began in March, there have been a total of 125 cases. Of these, 98 have recovered, which leaves about 27 active cases.

Statewide, there are approximately 20,649 active cases. There have been 640 confirmed deaths since March and 2,950 hospitalizations.

There have been 920,801 tests administered across the state, which means of everyone tested, about 5.77% are testing positive.

The annual One Day of Hope of Coffee County will continue this year and is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, because of the pandemic, the process will change considerably, according to organizers.

In order to protect guests and volunteers, this year’s One Day of Hope will be a drive-through process. A coordinated group of volunteers will load vehicles as they pass through the Coffee County Fairgrounds.

“While some services we traditionally provide will not be practical, we still plan on a high level of assistance and a planned effort for follow-up and contact points for additional services after the event,” said Ray Marcrom.

A few changes to the event include the following:

*Collection items will be simplified – hygiene items, children’s coats and new socks. No other clothing will be collected this year.
*Requests for work clothing, adult coats and work shoes will be taken from guests and fulfilled after the event as funds allow.
*All volunteers will wear masks and follow best practices.
*There will be more information available as the event draws more near.

The One Day of Hope annually provides meals, clothing, health screening, job placement and other services to those in need of assistance.

Last year, approximately 2,750 guests were served, 451 medical services were provided, 132 dental patients were seen, 3,200 meals were distributed, 2,250 bags of groceries plus fresh produce, 295 Bibles were distributed, 4,000 children’s books were distributed, 85 people received job counseling, 126 people received hair cuts and 131 family photos were taken.