Category: News

We all want our dollars to go as far as they can, but economic conditions in some places of the country mean our paychecks go further than others. With that in mind, SmartAsset conducted a study to find the most paycheck friendly counties in the country.
In Tennessee, Coffee County ranked highly, coming in 10th out of our 95 counties.
Another local county ranked 6th, that is Moore County. Williamson County finished 1st.
SmartAsset analyzed factors such as the average semi-monthly paycheck amount, purchasing power, unemployment rate and income growth.

A car chase on Monday evening that began in Sequatchie County ended with the suspect crashing his vehicle in the Grundy County town of Palmer.
The Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Department pursued the vehicle into Palmer over Daus Mountain. During the chase, the driver caused the crash of a Sequatchie County deputy’s car and hit a Dunlap Police Department car. The chase ended when the suspect crashed near Baker’s Cove Church in Palmer.
During the chase, the suspect allegedly brandished weapons at the pursuing officers.
Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum says the driver’s five-year-old son was in the car during the chase and two guns were found in the vehicle.
No name was given of the suspect.

For you folks in Coffee County that do not have broadband service here is some information you need to know.
Tennessee will be among eight states in a new project to expand and update a national broadband map.
A news release from U.S. Sen Marsha Blackburn’s office says the project by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will help Tennessee get a clear and complete picture of broadband availability.
The other states involved include California, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Utah and West Virginia.
Recent federal budget legislation includes $7.5 million for the project.

After a few days of sunshine, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency is warning Tennesseans that with rain possible over the next few days flooding remains an ongoing concern.
As Tennessee remains in a State of Emergency, TEMA says that if Tennessee receives the projected 1/2 to 3/4 inch of rain that is expected Thursday night into Friday, there will likely be no issues with additional flooding. However, if concentrated rainfall of an inch or more should fall, there is the possibility that lake levels could rise, and re-flooding could occur in certain communities.

A bill banning most abortions once a heartbeat is detected has cleared a key hurdle in the Tennessee Legislature.
The House Health Committee on Tuesday voted 15-4 to send the legislation to the House floor for a full vote, with only Democratic members voting in opposition.
Supporters of the bill broke out in applause once the committee approved it.
Tennessee is among several states with pending bills to ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, about six weeks into pregnancy. Conservative legislatures are pushing increasingly strict anti-abortion laws in an effort to trigger a legal challenge to the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established a nationwide right to abortion.
Critics of the bill predict enactment of the fetal heartbeat measure would result in a certain legal challenge.

Several Tennessee lawmakers are pushing to increase the minimum age to buy tobacco or vaping products from 18 to 21.
During a news conference Monday, Republicans Sen. Shane Reeves and Rep. Bob Ramsey said the bill would help address Tennessee’s poor health rankings. More than a dozen health-related groups have backed it.
A legislative fiscal note estimates the bill would annually cost the state about $7 million and local governments $1 million through lost sales tax revenues. Reeves said it will save the state on health care costs for tobacco users in the long term.
Tennessee also ranks toward the bottom with its low cigarette taxes.

Seats are filling fast for Duck River Electric’s FREE Do-It-Yourself Energy Efficiency Workshops! The Free event includes; free supper, free energy-saving advice from DREMC’s trusted energy advisor. Don’t miss out!
Join DREMC and get helpful energy-saving advice to help reduce your electric bill before summer arrives! Plus, you’ll receive a free DIY energy-savings starter kit; limit one per household. And that’s not
all! You’ll also receive a limited-time, $500 rebate on attic insulation!
The Manchester area DIY Workshop will be held at DREMC Manchester district office located at 209 East Fort Street on Monday, March 18th, beginning at 6:00 PM.
The workshop is free, but reservations are required. Call DREMC today at 931-680-5883. That’s 931-680-5883.

An after school Extended Schools Program (ESP) at Westwood Middle School (WMS) in Manchester will begin on Monday, March 4. After the rain last week, information has begun to be sent home with students this week, including registration information.
The registration form will also be available on the Westwood Middle School webpage. Families can return the registration form along with the $10 registration fee to WMS this week. Additionally, the school system will accept registrations at the Manchester City Schools Central Office (215 E. Fort Street). The program will have a daily rate of $6. Families can pay in advance but will only be charged for the days when they use the program. Each day from 3:00-4:00, students will participate in Homework Helper classes sponsored by WMS’s 21st Century Learning Center Grant. Beginning at 4:00, ESP will focus on building critical thinking, team-building, and skill development through games, the arts, and a focus on literacy.
Only registered students may attend ESP.
Parents will need to sign their child out of ESP and signs will be placed at WMS to direct parents to the pick-up location, which will be located in a classroom in the 6th-grade hall.
If anyone has questions regarding the program, please feel free to contact Chad Fletcher at (931) 728-2316 ext 2006.

With 14 prior Georgia incarcerations and a local first-degree murder conviction, 29-year-old Jeremy Lee Fleming learned Thursday he’ll be elderly before becoming eligible to be released from prison for the 2016 murder of Robert Timothy Perkins in Bedford County.
Fleming wants a private meeting with the judge but that won’t happen, according to the judge. His attorney has filed a post-trial motion on Fleming’s behalf which is scheduled for March 18.
In Tennessee, this does not mean Fleming has appealed his murder conviction. It simply means that he will be allowed to plead his case, post-sentencing, before the judge. (Shelbyville Times-Gazette)

Gas prices in Tennessee have increased the past 15 consecutive days for an average total of 15 cents per gallon.
Tennessee drivers are now paying an average price of $2.20 per gallon for regular unleaded. It’s the highest daily average price so far this year. Sunday’s state average was 10 cents more than a week ago, and 13 cents more than this time last month. Regardless of the recent increase, Tennessee drivers are still paying less per gallon than this time last year.
AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said the increase in prices was due to crude price gains and oil refineries conducting seasonal maintenance.
The national average price of gasoline is $2.34 per gallon.
The low price per gallon in Coffee County can be found in Tullahoma at $2.16 and in Manchester the low price jumped to $2.27 per gallon on Tuesday afternoon.