A bill advancing through Tennessee House committees aims to make it easier for citizens to report road hazards and settle claims with the state when vehicles are damaged on state-maintained highways.
House Bill 2706 requires the state treasurer to work with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to develop and implement a centralized information system for the reporting of dangerous road conditions. It expands the authority of the state treasurer to settle citizens’ claims when personal property is damaged by road hazards such as potholes.
The state’s current procedure for filing such claims is a difficult process, said House Transportation Committee Chairman Dan Howell. The state received 1,800 claims for pothole and road hazard damage in 2021 and of those, only 12 were settled.
“We believe we can do better and I know we can do better,” Howell said. “This simply allows TDOT and our treasurer’s office to cooperate in creating a streamlined reporting system so our citizens may be better served.”
House Bill 2706 will be up for consideration in the House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee on March 15. For more about House Bill 2706 visit here.
Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, elementary schools team up to collect items for assisted living centers
Last week, Coffee County Sheriff’s Department teamed up with a pair of elementary schools for service projects.
The safety patrols at Hickerson Elementary and North Coffee Elementary each collected items to donate to McArthur Manor and Autumn Oaks assisted living facilities.
Items collected included non-slip socks, toothbrushes, toothpaste, blankets, brushes, shampoo and other similar items.
The students and members of the sheriff’s department delivered the items to excited residents last week.
North Coffee safety patrol presents items to Autumn Oaks residents. 
Hickerson safety patrol presents items to McArthur Manor.
Tullahoma City Schools to host job fair March 26
Tullahoma City Schools will be hosting a job fair and inviting individuals interested in working in the educational field to attend on Saturday, March 26, at East Middle School.
“This will be such an exciting event, and we hope to have a large turnout for our job fair as Tullahoma City Schools is one of the premier school districts in the state of Tennessee,” said Director of Schools, Dr. Catherine Stephens. “While we would like to fill the positions that we currently have available, we are interested in future candidates as well. During the job fair, we will have an interview area set up to speak with candidates we believe to be the right fit for Tullahoma City Schools.”
TCS is hiring at all campuses and in other departments, including the daycare, maintenance, food service, and transportation. Additionally, Tullahoma City Schools is excited to welcome new teachers and educational assistants to our team to serve students.
The district offers excellent benefits for its employees, including medical insurance, paid holidays and personal and sick leave. Tullahoma City Schools is a 1:1 system that provides daycare options for all staff members and waives tuition for TCS staff members.
“Our school system is a fabulous place to work,” said TCS Deputy Director of Schools, Dr. April Norris. “I am really looking forward to meeting everyone interested in joining our TCS family.”
TCS also needs substitute teachers who can work half or whole days at all campuses and the Little Cats Learning Academy. There is flexibility in days worked, as well as location. Those interested in being a substitute must be 21 years of age or older, have a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent and lastly, must complete and receive a passing score on training materials.
The TCS Job Fair will take place from 9-11 a.m. on March 26 inside the East Middle School gymnasium, located at 908 Country Club Drive.
Seasonal work causes slight jump in county unemployment rates, state says
The end of seasonal work at the start of the new year was one of the contributing factors that led to higher county unemployment rates across Tennessee in January. While statewide unemployment numbers are adjusted to consider the impacts of seasonal labor, county unemployment rates are not adjusted.
Each of Tennessee’s 95 counties experienced an increase in unemployment during January, according to new data released by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). Eighty-five counties reported rates less than 5%, while the remaining ten counties had rates of 5% or greater, but less than 10%.
The unemployment rate in Coffee County for January shows 3.3%, which was up 0.2 of a percentage point from 3.1 in December, but remains significantly lower than one year ago when unemployment was 4.9 percent.
Williamson and Moore counties had the state’s lowest unemployment for the month. Both counties recorded rates of 2.2% in January. That represented a 0.3 of a percentage point increase for Williamson County and a 0.2 of a percentage point increase for Moore County, when compared to their revised December 2021 rates.
At 9.2%, Perry County had the highest unemployment rate in the state. Its January number increased by 2 percentage points when compared to the revised December rate. Cocke County had Tennessee’s second-highest rate for the month. The new figure of 7.1% marked a 2.3 percentage point increase from December.
Statewide, January’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.5% was the lowest it has been since November 2019. It was down 0.1 of a percentage point from December’s revised rate of 3.6%.
Across the nation, seasonally adjusted unemployment for January increased slightly from 3.9% to 4%.
A complete analysis of the January 2022 county unemployment data is available here (https://www.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=166478db53c066a7d114ea462&id=375f0688ac&e=29851e7b63) .
Tennessee has more than 100 American Job Centers across the state where job seekers can walk in and receive one-on-one help finding a job. From resume writing to skills training programs, career specialists can help individuals take advantage of all the services available to them.
Job seekers can also find a variety of services online. From a virtual American Job Center to information on adult education programs, it is all available at TNWorkReady.com.
REMINDER: Clocks ‘spring forward’ this weekend
The time has come once again to adjust your clocks.
Saturday night (March 12) before you go to bed, set your clocks forward one hour to account for the return of Daylight Savings Time.
This means there will be less daylight early in the day, but there will be more light at the end of the day. Sunrise on Sunday morning, March 13 will be 6:57 a.m., while sunset will be approximately 6:50 p.m.
H&R BLOCK STUDENT OF THE WEEK – Kailee Merriman
Join us at Thunder Radio and Rosalyn Partin of the Manchester H&R Block and congratulate our student of the week – Kailee Merriman.
Kailee is a freshman attending Coffee County Raider Academy. She was nominated by her teachers and administrators. Kailee is the daughter of Amy and Michael Merriman.
Her favorite subject is geometry. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and dancing. She is a member of student government and BETA club.
After school, Kailee would like to pursue a career in psychology.
All students of the week are selected for their work ethic and excellent attitudes in and out of the classroom.
Rosalyn Partin, owner of the Manchester H&R Block, has been inspired to recognize great kids in our community all year long. H&R Block gives each Student of the Week a commemorative plaque, a special letter of recognition and two tickets to Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park.
Job well done, Kailee!
One in custody, two found deceased after Wednesday crash on Interstate 24
One person is in custody and two people were found to be deceased after a speeding car crashed on Interstate 24 in Coffee County Wednesday afternoon.
According to Coffee County 14th Judicial District Attorney General Craig Northcott, Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers observed a vehicle traveling in excess of 90 miles per hour passing the truck weigh station between exits 114 and 117.
Northcott said troopers pulled out to initiate a traffic stop, activating emergency lights and sirens.
“Before they could even catch up, the vehicle wrecked around the 120 mile marker (eastbound),” explained Northcott.
According to Northcott, the vehicle burst into flames and the driver exited in an attempt to flee but was quickly apprehended by troopers.
Firefighters arrived and extinguished the flames at which point they discovered two “badly burnt bodies. “
Northcott told Thunder Radio News that one body was found in the passenger seat and one was found in the backseat of the vehicle.
Both bodies have been sent to the state medical examiner’s office.
“The autopsy will be able to determine if they were deceased before impact, killed on impact or by fire,” explained Northcott. “At this point we just don’t know and we will continue to investigate.”
The driver, identified as Dane Angelo Fearron, 19, of New York, was taken to Unity Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries. He has since been released and booked into the Coffee County Jail. He is facing charges that include two counts of vehicular homicide. Northcott said charges could be amended or added based on the investigation.
Local VFW to host fundraiser dinner on Friday for relief efforts in Ukraine
Veterans of Foreign Wars All-American Post 10904 will be hosting a
fundraiser dinner to benefit relief efforts in Ukraine. It will be held
Friday, March 11th at 6 PM at the Coffee County Veterans Building, located
at 130 Shelton Road in Manchester.
This dinner is open to the public and all are welcome to attend. The cost of
the dinner will be $6.50 per person, with 100% of fundraiser proceeds
directly benefitting relief efforts through Samaritan’s Purse, which is on
the ground in Ukraine right now.
Dinner will be followed by a discussion of current events, facilitated by
area veterans with a wide range of military experience in combat areas. They
want to help our community understand the global situation from their unique
perspectives.
A short prayer service will follow in support of the citizens of Ukraine.
For more information, contact Commander Kimberly King at 251-554-8836, or by
email: flygal46@yahoo.com
Pete Rose returning to Manchester March 16 (time change)
Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader Pete Rose is making a return visit to Manchester.
Thunder Radio News announced the visit last week — there has been a change in the schedule since then.
Pete Rose will be at Al White Ford Lincoln (2002 Hillsboro Blvd) from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, March 16. Organizers moved the time to comply with the CHS Boys Basketball team playing in the state tournament at 1:15 p.m. the same day.
Everyone is welcome to stop by and visit with Rose – there is no charge. There will be hotdogs, chips and drinks available. Thunder Radio will be on site, as well.
There will be no autographs signed during this time.
Rose came to Manchester back in the fall for a fundraiser dinner for the CHS baseball team.
TN lawmakers file bill to strengthen state’s anti-stalking laws
Tennessee Republicans have introduced legislation intended to strengthen Tennessee’s anti-stalking laws and further protect residents from being unknowingly tracked.
According to House Bill 2802, a person would be guilty of stalking if they used an electronic tracking or Global Positioning System (GPS) device to secretly monitor the location of an individual and/or their property without their consent. State law currently requires at least two separate “noncontinuous acts” to occur before someone could be charged with the offense.
“With recent advancements in technology, devices like GPS trackers have become significantly smaller in size and are much more affordable than ever before,” State Rep. Rusty Grills, R-Newbern, said. “While these devices can have beneficial uses like helping someone find their missing keys, they can also unfortunately be exploited by criminals in terrifying ways.”
Police departments across the country have warned residents in recent months about tracking devices being secretly used by would-be criminals to follow vehicles they intended to steal or worse.
“The goal of this bill is to provide another way to help protect people, their property and their privacy,” Grills added.
There were nearly 1,600 reported cases of stalking in Tennessee during 2020, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s most recent annual report.
House Bill 2802 would not prevent law enforcement from using an electronic tracking device during an ongoing criminal investigation. More information about the legislation can be found here.
