Local police are searching for a Moore County man after he allegedly shot someone in Tullahoma on Thursday.
Tullahoma Police say Benny Reese, age 51, allegedly shot a male victim at approximately 1:30 a.m. Thursday. The victim was flown by helicopter to an area hospital.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Tullahoma Police Department Johnny Gore at 931-455-0530 or by email at jgore@tullahomatn.gov.
Good news and bad news when it comes to Tennessee unemployment claims for last week.
According to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce, new claims for statewide unemployment continued an upward trend for the second straight week, with 22,256 new claims for the week ending June 27. That makes 666,055 new claims filed since COVID-19 pandemic began affecting unemployment in mid-march.
However, continued claims went down for the seventh consecutive week and is now at 262,224 – which is still abnormally high. In Coffee County, there were 2,227 continued claims. Nationally, unemployment fell to 11.1 percent in June as the economy actually added 4.8 million jobs. This is better than the 13.3 percent rate in May.
You don’t have to drive an hour to get quality apparel! Owen’s Provisions & Apparel right here in Manchester has you covered! 104 W. Fort St. Manchester, TN.
Tennessee’s rural county health departments continue providing traditional services and are taking every precaution to keep patients, clients and staff members safe from COVID-19. In addition to routine services, TDH county health departments offer COVID-19 testing at no charge for anyone who wishes to be tested.
“We’re ready and eager to provide crucial services such as immunizations, WIC, family planning and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and to remind everyone of the importance of maintaining routine health care,” said Assistant Commissioner for Community Health Services Karen Hyman, MHA. “We will work with you to provide the care you need in the safest manner possible. We don’t want anyone putting off needed health care for fear of COVID-19, so call your local clinic to ask about available services.”
Tennessee’s local health departments are diligent in infection control efforts and provide a safe environment in which to receive health care and other services. Our rural health departments now offer some services by telephone and will soon have services available via telemedicine. Many health department clinics offer curbside immunizations and prescription pick-up. Clinics are managing appointment times and patient flow to provide for social distancing. TDH county health department clinics offer face masks to patients and clients who do not bring their own to wear, and all staff members wear masks and follow strict Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for health care facilities and providers.
Services available to everyone at Tennessee county health departments include:
• Immunizations
• Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program
• Family Planning
• STI Screening and Management
• Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening
• TB and HIV Testing and Treatment
• Baby & Me Tobacco Free™ Smoking cessation program for pregnant women and their partners
• Primary Care (select locations)
TDH operates local health department clinics in 89 of Tennessee’s 95 counties. Find location and contact information for your local county health department at www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/localdepartments.html. Local health department clinics will be closed Friday, July 3 in observance of Independence Day.
TDH health department clinics offer COVID-19 testing Monday-Friday. Some clinics require an appointment for testing. Find information on clinic testing hours online at www.tn.gov/content/tn/health/cedep/ncov/remote-assessment-sites.html.
Area high school rising juniors, a fantastic opportunity is knocking at your door. Motlow State is offering free dual enrollment courses to high school juniors interested in pursuing a degree in Mechatronics. The Motlow Middle College program will pay for all books, tuition, and even travel for juniors willing to pursue a dual enrollment mechatronics degree.
“High school juniors are now able to earn an associate degree, at no extra cost to them or their families, while they earn their high school diploma,” said Sally Pack, Motlow administrator of high school initiatives. “The high demand for qualified employees in mechatronics, along with this free opportunity, is a win-win for families, area industries, our students, and the College.”
Partnerships with secondary schools are at the forefront of Motlow’s mission to serve the community, and as a result, Motlow leads the state in dual enrollment headcount. Dual enrollment partnerships allow high school students to take college courses in their junior and senior year to get a jumpstart on their college education.
In May 2020, 11 high school seniors became the first graduates from the Middle College Mechatronics program, funded by a grant awarded to Motlow in 2018. Michael Walton of Murfreesboro earned his associate degree in Mechatronics from Motlow and his high school diploma from Oakland in the spring of 2020.
“Earning my Associate Degree in Mechatronics through the Dual Enrollment program at Motlow, with no debt, and graduating from Oakland at the same time gives me a head start on my career,” said Walton. “The program is challenging, the last three months even more so, but I completed it. I’m starting MTSU this fall to earn my bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics.”
Motlow’s Mechatronics career program provides the academic knowledge and practical experience necessary to prepare students for high-wage employment as highly skilled technicians. Many Motlow graduates have gone on to successful careers at Nissan, Bridgestone, and many others.
“We are very proud of our dual enrollment program in mechatronics,” said Fred Rascoe, Motlow dean of career and technical programs. “High school students are taking advantage of this offering and obtaining their certificate or AAS degree in mechatronics. They are well on their way toward a gratifying career.”
Motlow Mechatronics is nationally recognized and certified by the Association for Technology Management and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) as a premier educational program with a high job placement rate of graduates. Motlow Mechatronics instructors have been awarded two National Science Foundation grants totaling more than $1 million in the last three years.
Additional to partnerships with high schools, Motlow engages in 2 + 2 partnerships with universities and colleges. An example is the Mechatronics 2 + 2 partnership with Tennessee State University, allowing Motlow graduates to pursue their bachelor’s degree in mechatronics and remain on a Motlow campus.
Mechatronics is a synergy of mechanical, electrical, and computerized technologies that together form a complex system used in product engineering, manufacturing, and packaging operations. Opportunities for employment with a mechatronics degree are wide-ranging across the business landscape.
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association(TSSAA) Board of Control met in a special-called meeting Wednesday to discuss classification and changes to fall sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, TSSAA executive director Bernard Childress advised member schools that the fall contact sports, or girls’ soccer and football, would not begin on time.
On Wednesday, three options were discussed with no final decision reached. Governor Lee’s Extension of the Emergency Order currently has restricted season preparations for football and girls’ soccer until August 30th. On Wednesday, the TSSAA intoned that the earliest contest for high school football and girls’ soccer would be September 18th with middle schools opening the season on September 17th or September 24th. The discussion on classification was tabled.
Options for length of the regular season and playoff possibilities will be studied prior to the next board meeting.
One option includes beginning football season on Sept. 18 with seven regular season games and five rounds of playoffs. This is three fewer regular season games than normal. However, teams that do not qualify for the playoffs would have the option of adding up to two games to play a more complete schedule. The second option is similar, and would begin football around Sept. 18. This would reduce the playoffs by one week, and would allow teams that do not make the playoffs to add two games. The third option calls for nine regular season games beginning on Sept. 18 and only region champions to make the playoffs – a three week playoff. Teams that do not qualify for playoffs could add one game to complete their season.
The TSSAA Board of Control is set to meet again on July 7th with the hope of finalizing plans for the season and postseason on that date. TSSAA officials are in discussions with the governor’s office to better define restrictions on prep athletics. Director Childress reiterated on Wednesday that the sports of cross country, volleyball and golf are not restricted at this time and that they will follow the regular TSSAA calendar regarding practice dates and the beginning of their season. As Manchester’s only hometown station, Thunder Radio will once again bring you live broadcasts of Coffee County CHS, Coffee County Middle School and Westwood Middle School volleyball this fall. When soccer and football return, we will bring you those broadcasts continuing our unparalleled sports broadcast tradition.
The Hillsboro Homecoming Association announced Wednesday that the annual Rumble on the Hill truck and tractor pull has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But not all is lost – the association will host a free, drive-thru lunch on Saturday, Aug. 8 at the Hillsboro park. More details will follow soon on this upcoming event.
The HHA issued a statement regarding the cancellation, it is below:
“It is with a heavy heart that we type this post. After careful consideration by our directors and our local elected officials, HHA has elected to cancel our annual tractor pull, Rumble on the Hill, for 2020. Due to the ongoing COVID 19 situation, all Directors in attendance agreed that it is in the best interest of our community and our supporters to cancel the event this year. This is the first cancellation in our long history, and this was a tough decision for us. If you are able to get out and about safely, please remember all of the wonderful sponsors that you hear at our pull. These folks never let us down and they need your support now more than ever! As a token of our appreciation to our wonderful supporters, we will be hosting a free drive thru lunch on Saturday August 8th at the park. We want to take the opportunity to give back a little to our wonderful community during these trying times! More details will follow on this page soon, but please make plans to drop by and grab lunch on us Saturday August 8th. We appreciate your understanding and hope you join us for a healthy pull in August of 2021!”
There remain 23 active cases of COVID-19 virus in Coffee County, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.
Since testing began in March, there have been 109 positive tests in Coffee County. Of these, 86 have recovered – leaving the 23 active cases.
Meanwhile, there are approximately 16,085 active cases of the virus across the entire state of Tennessee. There have been 583 confirmed deaths from the virus and 2,715 hospitalizations since mid-March.
There have been 817,522 total tests administered in Tennessee, which means about 5.5% of people testing are testing positive. Since testing began in March, there have been 44,951 positive tests confirmed in Tennessee.
We are two weeks away from the Thunder Radio political debate, which will be held Thursday, July 16 – which is one day prior to the early vote opening in Coffee County.
However, unlike past forums held by Thunder Radio, due to COVID-19 concerns and limitations for crowds, this year organizers say they have decided that it would be best to host the forum on the radio only.
Candidates for Manchester Mayor will be on the air taking questions from 6 to 635 p.m. on July 16. Meanwhile, three candidates for alderman will be on the air from 6:35 to 7:05, with the other three candidates on from 7:10 to 7:40 p.m.
The phone lines will be open for public questions the night of the event (931-728-1320). The forum can be heard live on Thunder Radio – 107.9 FM, 1320 AM and 106.7 FM and streaming on the Manchester Go app and www.thunder1320.com
Southern Diva Boutique in Manchester is set to host a grand opening from 10-2 on Saturday, July 11. Mark your calendars to attend and check out their online inventory below
Unity Medical Center continues with extensive renovations to the hospital campus at 481 Interstate Dr.
On Friday, July 3, patients, workers, vendors and visitors should be aware that the hospital plans to begin pouring new concrete outside the emergency room entrance – which will close this entrance temporarily.
Patients who need emergency treatment will need to go to the glass door in the back – signage will be posted in order to direct you in the right direction. The emergency department entrance will re-open on Saturday.
“This is just another step in ongoing renovations to improve and enhance our building at Unity Medical Center,” said Martha McCormick, CEO of UMC. “We are focused on reinvesting in patient experience, as well as enhancing the building to a point where our community can be proud of its hospital.”
In recent weeks, Unity Medical Center has added new patient beds, bedside tables, completed emergency department renovations, repainted interior rooms, painted the Helipad and completely reworked the front of the hospital with new paint and stone features. New signage for the interior and exterior of the building will also be added soon.
Most Awesome Cleaning Company has a machine to kill 99.9% of bacteria in your home, office, warehouse or other location in 2 minutes – this includes COVID-19! This is safe for electronics and no need to shut down your business or leave your home for hours. Call 931-954-1515 for more info.
We are two days away from the City of Manchester’s annual Independence Day celebration. Although COVID-19 pandemic has altered this year’s celebration to look a little different with no live music or entertainment at Rotary Park, the city will still be shooting fireworks on Saturday, July 4, beginning at 9 p.m. Fireworks will be launched from the Manchester Recreation Center grounds at 557 N. Woodland St.
With other cities in the area cancelling or postponing their shows, Manchester’s show will go on and citizens and visitors from other areas are encouraged to find suitable viewing area and remain socially distanced. Wherever you choose to watch from, whether it be in the park, in your car or a random parking lot, you will be able to hear synchronized, patriotic music to the fireworks on Thunder Radio – 107.9 FM and 1320 AM (the thunder radio stream at www.thunder1320.com and the Manchester GO app has a 15-second delay. Best to listen on the actual radio for this event). Radio programming will begin at 8:53 p.m. with the fireworks to begin at 9 p.m
There are businesses in downtown Manchester holding special events and sales Saturday afternoon, including Harvest Local Foods and Mercantile Café.
Get your daily local news to your email inbox every morning for FREE! Sign up now (it only takes seconds)
