Category: News

While an effort to enact an abortion heartbeat bill failed last week, anti-abortion lawmakers have refocused their efforts to enact a “trigger” bill that would ban abortions in Tennessee should the Supreme Court alter or overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
The trigger bill, formally known as the “Human Life Protection Act,” had taken a back seat in the General Assembly to the heartbeat bill, which would have banned abortions after a fetal heartbeat could be detected-typically about six weeks into a pregnancy.
But even as the heartbeat bill gained traction, including the support of Gov. Bill Lee, some lawmakers grew cautious about the certain legal challenges-and the high cost- that would follow. The heartbeat measure has been deferred to a summer study session, effectively killing the bill this year.
On Tuesday, a majority of the House health committee voted in favor of the trigger bill, sending it to the House Finance, Ways and Means committee.

A bill banning most cell phone use while driving could soon be one of Tennessee’s new rules of the road.
The measure passed the State House in a close vote. The bipartisan bill, which is up for a vote in the Senate next week, will likely face similar circumstances there as well.
Tennessee ranks No. 1 in deaths due to distracted driving according analysis of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration.
The new bill would allow for hands-free devices to be used while driving. Violators would have to pay a $50-dollar fine if cited, but not right away. First-time offenders would be sent to driving school.

Motlow State Community College is the top performing institution among all colleges and universities in The College System of Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC).
The numbers affirming this recognition are a product of a review of the state’s higher education performance funding formula that was published this spring. Based on Motlow’s stellar performance, THEC recommended the college receive an increase of 16.6 percent for the 2019-2020 academic year in order to further its service to a growing number of students.
Tennessee’s higher education funding model was launched as part of a comprehensive reform agenda in 2010 called the Complete College Tennessee Act. The state’s formula accounts for 100 percent of taxpayer dollars spent to operate public colleges and universities. T

COFFEE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
1343 McArthur Street
Manchester, Tennessee 37355
Telephone: 931-723-5150 Facsimile: 931-723-8285
TO: All Board Members
FROM: Brett Henley, Chairman
SUBJECT: Special Called Meeting
DATE: April 22, 2019
TIME: 4:30 p.m.
PLACE: Coffee County Board of Education
AGENDA
I. Call to Order
II. Agenda Items
1. Appoint Interim Director of Schools
2. Request to video record the May 13, 2019 board meeting
3. 2019-2020 Budget
***This portion of the meeting is closed to the public***
I. Executive Session

The number of confirmed E. coli infections in Tennessee has grown from 21 to 26, according to the latest counts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
People typically become sick from E. coli two to five days after being infected. Symptoms include diarrhea, severe stomach cramps and vomiting, and anyone experiencing these should see a doctor.
Deputy State Epidemiologist Dr. John Dunn anticipates there will be more cases. While a common strain of E. coli – called 0157 – is a known culprit for making people sick, Dunn points out that the particular strain causing illness in this outbreak – known as 0103 – is rare.
“They’re similar organisms, and we think about the same types of exposures, typically,” says Dunn. “We’re thinking about things like ground beef and leafy greens, and other things that have caused outbreaks in the past.”
Young children, and people who are elderly or have weakened immune systems, are most at risk for developing complications from E. coli infection. The best ways to prevent it are regular hand washing, being vigilant about dining out, and choosing restaurants that have a good record for food safety.
Avoiding unpasteurized milk or juices can also reduce the risk of ingesting E. coli bacteria. The CDC is working with state public health officials to track down a specific food product, grocery store or restaurant that could potentially be the source of infections.
Dunn says for public health experts, figuring it out is time-consuming, because every infected person has to be tracked down and interviewed.
“So, E.coli is one of the reportable conditions in Tennessee, so when a laboratory or a provider gets a report of this particular type of E. coli, it gets reported to the state health department,” says Dunn. “And we investigate and follow up with the person that was ill, to talk to them about the things they did, the things they ate.”
Nearly one hundred people across five states – including Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia – have been infected with the 0103 strain of E. coli. Eleven people have been hospitalized.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation will suspend all interstate construction work this Easter weekend in anticipation of increased holiday travel.
TDOT crews and contractors will stop all road construction work that requires lane closures beginning Thursday at 6pm through Monday, April 22nd at 6am. This will provide maximum roadway capacity to motorists expected to travel across the state this holiday weekend.
Motorists will still encounter some long-term lane closures on construction projects that will remain in place.

Tennessee’s overall fire death rate continues to decline following the national downward trend in the reduction of fire deaths according to statistics compiled in the recently completed annual report for the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO).
The report, which includes details of Tennessee’s overall declining fire death rate along with statewide fire prevention and education efforts, compiles data provided by fire departments from across the Volunteer State along with information, statistics, and advancements made by the SFMO’s eight sections.
Tennessee, which has historically ranked among the highest states with civilian fire deaths, is now ranked No. 11 in the nation for fire deaths by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) with 14.6 deaths per million from 2011 – 2015. This compares to its ranking as No. 6 in the nation from 2006 – 2010.
While Tennessee fire departments reported 100 fire deaths in Tennessee in 2018 (an 18% increase over 85 deaths in 2017) the overall trend for fire deaths in Tennessee is declining. The rate of unintentional fire deaths in 2018 was 14.8 deaths per million in Tennessee.
Over 21,350 smoke alarms were installed in Tennessee homes through the “Get Alarmed, Tennessee” program. Additionally, 53 Tennesseans escaped residential structure fires in 2018 thanks to alarms installed through “Get Alarmed, Tennessee!” The program, which started in 2012, received renewed federal grant funding in 2018 continuing the life-saving initiative through at least 2019.

Micro Craft, Inc. has created an Apprentice Machinist Award Program. This program has been designed to support the local community surrounding its manufacturing facility in Tullahoma.
The award program is for area high school students in Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Lincoln and Moore counties who plan to pursue a technical career in machining. The program promotes Micro Craft’s commitment in developing a highly skilled manufacturing workforce to address the current skills gap in the manufacturing industry.
Each year, Micro Craft, Inc. will select one candidate from the surrounding counties for its Apprentice Machinist Award Program.
The program works in conjunction with the Tennessee Promise Scholarship for a student who will be enrolled in the Machine Tool Technology program at the Tennessee Center for Applied Technology (TCAT) and the Micro Craft Apprenticeship Program.
The winner will be notified in May of their senior year of high school. The recipient is required to attend TCAT Shelbyville and will enroll in the Machine Tool Technology program to learn the theoretical aspects of the job. The recipient will work at Micro Craft, Inc. as a part-time employee applying the skills acquired at TCAT Shelbyville.
Students interested in this award should contact their school’s Guidance Counselor, apply via the Micro Craft website at www.microcraft.aero

A 2016 federal case involving the burglaries of numerous pharmacies throughout the southeast is continuing.
Kenneth Britton, 40, of Whitwell, Tennessee, and Christopher Land, 57, of Monteagle, Tennessee, were sentenced to prison last week.
Britton had pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute Oxycodone.
According to the plea agreement, Britton participated in multiple burglaries and then worked with other defendants to sell the pills that contained controlled substances, including Oxycodone, that were obtained in the burglaries. Britton was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
Land had pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to distribute Oxycodone, and two counts of burglary of a pharmacy. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
According to the plea agreement, Land, worked with co-defendants Robert Nunley, Jamie Sweeton, Randy Stiefel, Kenneth Britton, Anthony Bosio, James Ronald Jones and Tony Britton to obtain and sell the pills containing controlled substances, including Oxycodone, by burglarizing multiple pharmacies.
Further investigation found that nearly 70 pharmacies across 11 states were targeted over a five-year period between 2010 and 2015.