Category: News

State has $976M in unclaimed property

The Tennessee Department of Treasury’s Unclaimed Property Division returned $65.4 million of cash property to the rightful owners or their heirs, local governments, and reciprocal states during fiscal year 2019. This amount is the most money the Department has ever returned in a single fiscal year. The Unclaimed Property Division also returned more claims than ever before. From July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019, the Division returned 62,549 claims, breaking last year’s record high of 48,425 by nearly 30%. 

Unclaimed property is money that has been turned over to the state by businesses and organizations who cannot locate the owners. This includes intangible assets such as bank accounts, stock certificates, checks, unclaimed wages, refunds, and gift certificates. The Tennessee Treasury’s Unclaimed Property Division serves as a consumer protection program working to reunite this money with its rightful owner.

The Treasury Department works hard to return missing money to its rightful owners through various proactive measures. The Unclaimed Property Division sends letters to all last known addresses reported when unclaimed property is turned over, as well as running a Social Security match with the Department of Labor and Workforce, who can help reach owners through their employers. Additionally, the Department does outreach at events across Tennessee throughout the year to help raise awareness of the program and be on-hand to answer questions, help constituents search for unclaimed property, and assist with filing claims. 

As of June 30, 2019, there is $976.8 million waiting to be claimed!

Anyone can see if they are owed any missing money by searching their name online at www.ClaimItTN.gov, and may file a claim online if they find unclaimed property belonging to them. The online database contains all unclaimed property in Tennessee dating to the beginning of the program. Treasury recommends searching for common misspellings of your name and addresses as well, as that may be why the business was unable to return the money to you initially.

Tullahoma city seeks input for ADA transition

The City of Tullahoma is developing an Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Transition Plan and is seeking input from the public. The plan intends to identify any barriers to citizen’s access to public facilities, services, activities, parks and pedestrian areas within the public right-of-way. Individuals with disabilities, organizations representing individuals with disabilities or interested persons are invited to attend and provide comments on the Tullahoma ADA Transition Plan.

Input can also be provided by contacting Casta Brice,ADA Coordinator at 931-455-2648 or at cbrice@tullahomatn.gov.

H&R Block Student of the Week – Ellie Graham

  • Pictured from left are, Coffee County Central principal Paul Parsley, student of the week Ellie Graham, and Rosalyn Partin with H&R Block.

Join us at Thunder Radio and the Manchester H&R Block and say congratulations to our student of the week – Ellie Graham! 

Ellie is a senior at Coffee County Central High School and is Mrs. Nutt’s homeroom. She is the daughter of Nick and Melody Graham. She was nominated by her teachers because of her outstanding character, manners and work ethic. 

Ellie is a member of the Central High School basketball and track teams, and she enjoys spending time with her friends and family. 

She plans to attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and study business.

Rosalyn Partin, owner of the Manchester H&R Block, has been inspired to recognize great kids in our community all through hockey season. What does hockey season have to do with our local students? Well, H&R Block gives each Student of the Week a set of Nashville Predators Hockey tickets, a commemorative plaque, as well as a special letter of recognition.

Tennessee distributes $3M to disressed, at risk counties

The state of Tennessee will use millions of dollars in grant money to help 38 distressed and at-risk counties across Tennessee bolster workforce development efforts. The funding was approved by the Tennessee Workforce Development Board and aligns with Governor Bill Lee’s rural initiatives.

The Rural Initiative Funding Opportunity Announcement (RIFOA) has made $3 million in funding available to local workforce development boards to support workforce expansion efforts in the targeted counties.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) accepted grant applications from the counties and determined the amount of funding each recipient would receive. The state’s 15 distressed counties will split $2.1 million of the $3 million in grant money, with the remaining $900,000 divided among 23 counties deemed at-risk by the state.

“In alignment with the Governor Lee’s priorities for Tennessee, we are excited to be able to make these funds available,” said TDLWD Commissioner Jeff McCord. “These grant dollars will foster the opportunity to develop and maintain a qualified workforce in the places where it is needed most.”

Each county will receive funding for specific programs local leaders feel can help address crucial workforce development needs in their areas. In our area, Grundy County is identified as a distressed county and will receive $163,658, which is actually the second highest amount awarded of the 15 distressed counties. Warren County is identified as at risk, and received $38,911 for a rural graduation initiative.

Uninsured Tenn. children increases by 43%, study says

Story by Nadia Ramligan, Tenn. public news service 

The number of uninsured children in Tennessee increased by 43% in just a two-year period, according to a report released today by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families that found that 25,000 children lost health coverage between 2016 and 2018.

Kinika Young, director of children’s health at the Tennessee Justice Center, said advocates are addressing the problem on several fronts.

“One is trying to make families aware of their redetermination process, that we think has been tripping up a lot of people,” she said. “There’s some red-tape barriers that families in Tennessee may not be aware of, and may be having a difficult time navigating through.”

Fourteen other states, many located in the Southeast, also are experiencing a widespread loss of children’s health coverage, according to the report.

Young said the state now is using a new computer system for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). During the years-long process of switching to the new system, she said, thousands of children lost their health insurance.

“The troubles that we’ve seen that led to so many children in Tennessee losing coverage are not necessarily behind us,” she said.

Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown Center, said lack of coverage for children can potentially set families up for financial setbacks.

“Cycling in and out of health coverage is a problem at any time of life, but it’s really harmful for children,” she said. “Any short period of uninsurance exposes that parent to medical debt – if a kid falls down on the playground and breaks an arm, happens all the time. So, we really need these kids to have continuous health coverage.”

Alker said President Donald Trump’s hostile rhetoric against immigrants likely is deterring many immigrant families from enrolling their eligible children in Medicaid or CHIP.
The Georgetown report is online at ccf.georgetown.edu, and a state-specific data hub is at kidshealthcarereport.ccf.georgetown.edu.

SBCO charity event is Saturday

Time is running out to purchase tickets to the annual Sportsmen & Businessmen’s Charitable Organization event. 

The 36th annual Sportsmen & Businessmen’s Charitable Organization event is set for Nov. 2 in Manchester at the conference center with dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m.

There will be live and silent auctions, a reverse raffle, live music featuring Michael Stacey Band, who covers 80s country, and of course there will be dinner. You can purchase dinner tickets at 931-212-6045. The organization donates thousands of dollars back into the community every year to those in need.

TBI issues most-wanted alert

The TBI has issued a most-wanted alert for Douglas Cody Gass. 

He was added to the TBI’s Most Wanted list Tuesday and is wanted by the Chattanooga Police Department for vehicular homicide, reckless aggravated assault, felony evading, leaving the scene of an accident involving death, and reckless endangerment.

Daniel Cody Gass

Gass is 23 years old, has brown hair and brown eyes, is 5’7″, and weighs 140 lbs.

If you know where Douglas Cody Gass might be, call 1-800-TBI-FIND, or (423) 698-2525.

A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information leading to his arrest.

Happy Halloween – reminder of local events, closings

Today is Halloween! Just a reminder that everyone should watch out for kids out and about and, if you are driving, do not always assume that children will stop before crossing a street or crosswalk. Today (Thursday, Oct. 31) is also Safe on the Square in downtown Manchester from 2:30-5 p.m. – the event is rain or shine. The Manchester Recreation Center will be closing at 5 p.m. today, and the drive-up window at City Hall will be closing early today – shutting down at 1:30 p.m. City hall will remain open until 4 p.m. Safe trick-or-treating, everyone.

Pennington donates original Manchester fire truck back to city

Manchester’s first gas-powered fire truck, a 1929 American La France, is loaded up to be delivered back to the city after it was donated by David Pennington. Gullett’s towing offered to tow the truck for free and donated $500 toward restoration of the truck.

David Pennington, who is an avid collector of antiques, purchased the city of Manchester’s first ever gas-powered firetruck back in 2000 when the city sold it as surplus. Monday (Oct. 28), Pennington signed papers with Manchester Mayor Lonnie Norman to donate the 1929 American La France fire truck back to the city. The truck was delivered to the fire hall on Tuesday. Pennington said he donated the truck back to the city because it belongs there, and not to him. 

“That fire truck, ‘granny,’ she don’t belong to me and she don’t belong to the mayor and aldermen. She belongs to the people,” Pennington told Thunder Radio.

The conditions of the donation are that the city keeps the truck in a climate controlled area at all times and it cannot be sold. 

Added Pennington: “I want that truck to be protected. I want it to be in Manchester for another 100 years so 100 years from now kids can see what a nearly 200-year old fire truck looked like. That is Manchester history”

TPD called to investigate man on roof at Tullahoma High School

There was a little bit of a scare at Tullahoma High School Tuesday, but everything turned out to be OK. 

The Tullahoma Police Department responded to the high school Tuesday morning to a complaint of a man on the roof of the school. After speaking with school personnel and conducting a search of the roof and other facilities, it was determined that the person seen was a school maintenance employee.