Category: News

Coffee County new American Job Center to open Oct. 1

Job seekers in the Coffee County area will soon have access to the newest American Job Center (AJC) in Tennessee. Starting Oct. 1, Tullahoma’s AJC begins operating at its new location at 315 NW Atlantic St.

The comprehensive job center offers a wide range of services for job seekers including job search assistance, job training information, a computer resource room, as well as help writing resumes and other services geared toward finding Tennesseans new employment.

“Our new location will allow us to better serve our customers in the Coffee County area with a larger, more modern building with a large parking area,” said Jennifer Henry, program manager for Southern Middle Tennessee.  “The new AJC will also allow us to better serve employers with a private conference room for job fairs and a private computer lab for workshops and classes.” 

The AJC has a business services team that works with local employers to help provide them the qualified workforce they need to be successful in their industries. A team of veteran representatives also works out of the AJC to assist former military as they transition into the civilian workforce. 

The current AJC at 111 E. Lincoln St. will close Thursday, Sept. 26, as staff transitions into the new location. The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s (TDLWD) mobile American Job Center will operate at that location through Monday, Sept. 30. The mobile AJC can provide nearly all of the services a customer will find inside a traditional job center.

 “Job services in Tullahoma will continue, uninterrupted during the move, thanks to the mobile AJC,” said Deniece Thomas, TDLWD Deputy Commissioner for Workforce Development and Learning. “When this new job center opens, job seekers in the Coffee County area will have the very best resources available to them.”

 The new American Job Center located at 315 NW Atlantic St. will operate Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. CT.

In partnership with the state of Tennessee, the Southern Middle Tennessee Workforce Development Board operates the Tullahoma AJC, along with job centers across the 13-county Southern Middle Tennessee Local Workforce Development Area.

Job seekers with questions about the new job center can call 931-454-1905 for additional information.

Tennessee boosts suicide prevention efforts, aims to curb stigma

September is Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, and advocates say Tennessee has boosted efforts to improve access to mental health services in all of its 95 counties.

Earlier in 2019, Gov. Lee authorized a funding increase for the state’s Suicide Prevention Network to expand staff, as suicide deaths continue to rise among Tennesseans. The executive director of the Network, Scott Ridgeway, said in nearly all cases, suicide can be traced to undiagnosed or untreated depression, among other factors.

“Suicide is a very complex issue,” Ridgeway said. “No one dies for one reason. It’s usually a combination of a lot of different reasons. And that, we sometimes just do not know what that person is going through.”

On average, three Tennesseans choose to end their lives each day, and suicide now surpasses car accidents as a leading cause of death in the state.

Ridgeway pointed out that depression and suicide affect people regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status. He said he believes the state’s efforts are helping save lives.

“We do believe that people are reaching out for help,” he said. “The most recent preliminary data that came in from 2018 is that over 125 Tennesseans reached out to to crisis services to get some help.”

In 2018, advocates launched the Tennessee Farmers Suicide Prevention Task Force, which partners with the state Department of Agriculture to address suicide among farmers, who are at particularly high risk. Ridgeway said reducing stigma around seeking help for mental health issues among farmers is a first step.

“And so, being able to change the language, and being able to change how people respond to others, I think we can make a major difference,” he said.

According to the latest Status of Suicide report, the largest increase in suicides has occurred among Tennessee’s teenagers.

Gas prices continue to creep up in Tennessee

Gas prices here in Tennessee continue to go up, rising 10 cents in the past month after instability in Saudi Arabia.

As of Tuesday, Sept. 24, the average for a gallon of regular unleaded in Tennessee was a $2.39. That’s 8 cents higher than a week ago and 10 cents more than last month at this same time. Despite the increase, Tennessee remains well below the national average, which stands at $2.66

Manchester to pursue $1M grant for sidewalks; public meeting Friday

The codes department with the city of Manchester is applying for a $1,000,000 multimodal access grant that, if approved, would mean expanded sidewalks for Manchester. 

The city is looking to possibly use the grant funding to install new sidewalks; crosswalks and curb ramps on both sides of U.S. Hwy 41 from where the sidewalk ends near the post office to Burger St.; install a missing segment of sidewalk just south of Old Stone Fort Park entrance; install bike lanes along both sides of the highway for the entire length of Hwy 41 in the city limits and repair existing sidewalks, crosswalks and curb ramps along Hwy 41 to be ADA compliant.

There will be a public workshop for you to express your opinion on this project at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27 at Manchester City Hall. That is located at 200 W. Fort St. If you have questions, contact Jamie Sain at 931-723-1464.

Tennesseans warned of ID spoofing

We have a new scam alert from the Tennessee Department of Commerce to warn you about.

ID Spoofing is a trick perpetrated by criminals using Caller ID cloaking technology to mask their real phone numbers. After disguising their real numbers, scammers can cause a consumer’s own phone number (or the phone number of a loved one) to appear on your phone’s Caller ID. When an unsuspecting consumer answers the phone, the scammers will then attempt to defraud consumers with a host of schemes (card services scams, medical alert device scams, among others) all designed to cheat consumers.

If you are suspicious of a phone call, even with a familiar number, hang up immediately.

Sportsmen & Businessmen’s Charitable Organization Receives $5,000 Grant from QuantiTech Employees

QuantiTech’s charitable arm, QuantiTech In Action, is to assist non-profit organizations with their endeavors in the communities in which QuantiTech has a presence. QuantiTech in Action is funded by employees of QuantiTech and administered by the employees of QuantiTech through a volunteer Board of Directors. SBCO is the proud recipient of a $5,000 grant from the employees of QuantiTech located in Tullahoma, Tennessee. 

“We are honored to be this year’s non-profit recipient and are grateful to the generous hearts of QuantiTech’s employees,” said Carter Sain, SBCO President. 

The Sportsmen & Businessmen Charitable Organization (SBCO) has been serving the Coffee County community for 36 years through various philanthropic efforts. Those efforts include financial assistance to those in need with health, medical, dental, vision, food, education, transportation, shelter, and other expenses. For more information regarding SBCO or how to support, contact Taylor at (931) 728-5048 or sbco1986@gmail.com. 

Pictured left to right: Gerald Burnett; Taylor Rayfield, SBCO; Jeff Maupin; Carter Sain, SBCO; Clay Dye; Susan Davis; Bill Nickels, SBCO; and Britni Ettel.

Burn permits now required due to dry conditions

Beginning Monday, September 23, 2019, a burn permit will be required to start an open air fire within five hundred feet of any forest, grassland or woodland.

This starts the burn permit season a few weeks early this year due to dry conditions across the state. In most years, burn permits are not required outside of city limits until October 15. However, dry conditions have led to moving that date up this year.

To inquire about a burn permit, you can do so online by clicking here, or by calling  (877) 731-2221 if you live in Coffee County. Residents in Manchester and Tullahoma will need to contact their respective fire departments.

To report illegal burning, you can call toll-free 1-888-891-TDEC

 

Unemployment holds steady at 3.5 percent in Tennessee

Statewide unemployment for Tennessee held steady in August. The latest statistics released by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) show the new seasonally adjusted rate of 3.5 percent mirrors the state’s revised rate from July 2019.

Tennessee also recorded an unemployment rate of 3.5 percent during this same time in 2018.

 “For more than two years Tennessee’s unemployment has been at, or very close to, historic low levels,” said TDLWD Commissioner Jeff McCord. “We have seen little fluctuation since June of 2017, and that’s one sign the business community has continued confidence in the state’s economy.”

Tennessee reached an all-time low for unemployment earlier this year. For three consecutive months starting in February, the state had a seasonally adjusted rate of 3.2 percent.

Employers across Tennessee added 900 new nonfarm jobs to their payrolls between July and August. The most significant increases occurred in the health care/social assistance sector, followed by administrative/support/waste services, and local government.

Over the last year, nonfarm employment increased by 45,900 jobs across the state. The sectors that experienced the largest gains were leisure/hospitality, professional/business services, and manufacturing.

Across the nation, unemployment dropped in August. The new national unemployment rate of 3.7 percent is 0.2 of a percentage point lower than the previous month’s rate.

The state of Tennessee has compiled a complete analysis of the August 2019 unemployment data and it is available through this link.

Tennesseans can look for work and receive job search assistance through the state’s workforce development website, www.Jobs4TN.gov or in person at more than 80 local American Job Centers across the state.

The state of Tennessee will release August 2019 unemployment data for all 95 counties Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. CT.

 

Honor Flight takes WWII, Korean, Vietnam Veterans to Washington D.C.

Lt. Gen. Leslie C. Smith, the Inspector General of the Army speaks with 100-year old World War II Navy Veteran David Lowhorn from Tullahoma at Reagan National Airport on Sept. 17th. (Photo Provided)

The Honor Flight of Middle Tennessee made its fall 2019 flight to  Washington D.C. on Tuesday Sept. 17th

World War II, Korean War and Vietnam veterans were on this trip.

David Lowhorn, a 100 year young, World War II Navy veteran from Tullahoma was also on this flight, along with a female Navy Korean War veteran Betty Jo Cyr.  Veterans on this flight had served in the Army, Army Air Corps, Navy, Marine Corps and the Air Force.

Veterans arrived at the Nashville airport around 5 a.m. and left on a Southwest Airlines flight at  7:15 a.m. The veterans and their guardians returned to Nashville on a Southwest flight around 8:55 p.m. on Sept. 17th.

While in Washington the veterans visited the World War II Memorial.  While at the World War II Memorial the five World war II veterans on this flight participated and were honored during a ceremony commemorating Operation Market Garden that occurred 75 years before.

The veterans also visited the  Korean and Vietnam Memorials. They saw the Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial, the Air Force Memorial and the Pentagon. 

They also watched the changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  

After a full day of visiting War Memorials  the Post Commander at Ft. Myer and her staff hosted them for dinner.  

At Fort Myer members of the Army’s Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps in Revolutionary War uniforms greeted the veterans and performed for them.

The Honor Flight of Middle Tennessee is part of a national network of Honor Flights that takes World War II, Korean War and other veterans to Washington D.C. at no cost to the veterans to see their war memorials.  

The Honor flight of Middle Tennessee, established in 2008 has flown almost 700 veterans to date.  The organization is a 501c3 Tennessee non-profit corporation.

For more information contact Claude Morse at (931) 247-5151 (iPhone) or at tnhonorflight@gmail.com

Honor Flight of Middle Tennessee Military veterans observe the changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 17th. (Photo by Claude Morse)

Former Cannon Co Sheriff’s employee arrested for official misconduct

An investigation by Special Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the arrest of a former employee at the Cannon County Sheriff’s Department.

Tony Barrett

At the request of 16th District Attorney General Jennings Jones, on June 11th, TBI Agents began investigating a report of theft from the evidence room at the Cannon County Sheriff’s Department. During the course of the investigation, Agents developed information that identified Tony Barrett, a civilian employee of the Sheriff’s Department at that time, as the individual responsible for the theft. Barrett is no longer employed by the Sheriff’s Department.

On September 20th, the Cannon County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Tony Barrett (DOB 02/20/1966) with one count of Theft under $1,000 and two counts of Official Misconduct. Barrett was arrested today and booked into the Cannon County Jail. His bond was set at $10,000.