Category: News

Duck River Electric Membership Corporation (DREMC) is sending eight linemen, one operations supervisor and seven trucks to Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation (Lumbee River EMC) located in Red Springs, North Carolina, to assist with Hurricane Florence recovery efforts.
The massive hurricane is expected to leave widespread damage across much of the Atlantic seaboard, and DREMC crews will be in place to assist as soon as it is safe to work.
“This is a powerful storm, and the people of North Carolina have some tough days ahead,” says Michael Watson, DREMC president, and CEO. “We are proud of our linemen for volunteering to assist. They will be working long days in difficult conditions, but they were quick to respond to the call for help. We ask that the public keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers while they are away.”
Crews plan to leave early Saturday morning and are expected to arrive in Red Springs on Saturday, ready to assist with restoration efforts early Sunday morning. It is unclear how long they will be in North Carolina. Lumbee River EMC is in the southeastern part of the state between Charlotte and Wilmington. They serve nearly 53,000 members in four counties and maintain over 5,600 miles of line.
Crews from DREMC are joining some 120 other lineworkers from 14 electric co-ops across Tennessee who will be assisting with hurricane recovery efforts. The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association in Nashville is coordinating requests for mutual aid and makes travel and lodging arrangements for crews who respond.

People in Tennessee with arthritis and other rheumatic conditions confront pain in their body, and in their lifestyle, according to a report card released this month from the American College of Rheumatology.
The college gives Tennessee a C grade in terms of quality of life and access to certified doctors in rheumatic disease, which is the grade most states received.
But Dr. Christopher Mecoli, a rheumatologist at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, says the state gets a D grade in affordability because most insurers require patients to pay for a percentage of their prescription cost, versus a flat rate.
“There are some issues as it pertains to affordability in Tennessee,” he states. “Drugs used to treat rheumatic diseases can be extremely expensive. They can cost tens of thousands of dollars a year.”
Rheumatic diseases include arthritis, gout and lupus, and 100 other conditions. The conditions impact 1 in 4 Americans, and the most recent numbers estimate 91 million people, including individuals who may be undiagnosed.
Treatment for the illnesses cost $140 billion annually, which exceeds the annual cost of cancer care.
Mecoli says that around 300,000 children have rheumatoid arthritis and adds there’s a shortage of people in Tennessee trained to treat children.
“Rheumatic diseases are not just diseases effecting the elderly,” he points out. “There are actually hundreds of thousands of children who live with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. There are actually not nearly enough board-certified pediatric rheumatologists.”
Nationwide, there is one rheumatologist for every 40,000 people, but in Tennessee there is one for every 55,000 people – making treatment particularly hard for the state’s rural communities.

The Coffee County Fair begins Saturday (September 15, 2018) and runs through Saturday, September 22, 2018. The Coffee County Fair has been carrying on family traditions for over 160 years.
There are so many events to enjoy at the Coffee County Fair for all ages. There will be carnival rides, beauty pageants, great food, music and more! Come out this year and join in the fun at the fair in Manchester.
On Saturday night the Coffee County Fair will feature the Miss Teen competition at 5:30 pm and the Fairest of the Fair starts at 8 pm. The baby and toddler shows will be held on Sunday. The carnival rides begin on Monday.

The City of Tullahoma and the Coffee County Board of Education continue to battle over the liquor-by-the-drink-tax.
Both government entities have won court cases in the past. The Coffee County Board of Education has calculated that Tullahoma owes $387,488 from 1980 to 2014. The county board of education claims half of the collected liquor-by-the-drink tax money should have been distributed among all three school systems in Coffee County, according to each system’s “average daily attendance.” If the county wins Coffee County Schools would get half of that figure, Tullahoma would get the next amount followed by Manchester City Schools.
County school system attorney Eric Burch had asked the City of Tullahoma to accept an out of court settlement, but the city said no.
In Coffee County Chancery Court, Tullahoma won, but the Tennessee Courts of Appeal overruled. Now the case will be heard by the Supreme Court at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4.

It’s a little hard to tell, but Tennessee may be turning a corner on prescription pill abuse.
Although fatal opioid overdoses continue to rise throughout the state, deaths attributed specifically to prescription painkillers dropped for the first time in five years. The 12 percent decrease in 2017 is a rare sign of progress in a state ravaged by addiction.
The shrinking painkiller death toll likely is the result of opioid prescriptions gradually becoming weaker and less common throughout Tennessee over the past five years.
Decreasing prescription overdoses but growing fentanyl deaths illustrates the evolution of Tennessee opioid crisis, as doctors and lawmakers crack down on prescriptions and addicts transition to more dangerous illegal drugs.
Opioid overdoses killed 1,268 people in Tennessee in 2017, according to new state overdose statistics. Fentanyl deaths rose 74 percent in 2016, killing 294, then another 70 percent in 2017, killing 500.

Back on June 9 of this year a very popular well-known Manchester man, Jerry Bartlett died in a tragic motorcycle accident near Dalton, GA.
Bartlett is the former pharmacy director at Unity Medical Center (formally Medical Center of Manchester).
Members of the Hillsboro Masonic Lodge #382 and others will be conducting the first Jerry Bartlett Memorial Ride this Saturday at 10am beginning at the Hillsboro Lodge next to the post office. The cost is a donation of $20 per bike and $10 extra for co-riders. Registration starts at 8:30 at the lodge. This is open to the public.
Coffee and doughnuts will be served before the ride and lunch after the ride is complete.
Kenny Barrett tells us more about where the donation goes to:

54-year-old James Richard McCoy, Jr., the man accused of murdering his wife in their Manchester home over the weekend appeared in court for his arraignment hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 11. He is represented by Manchester Attorney Doug Aaron.
45-year-old Lisa McCoy’s body was located inside their home on Duck River Road early Sunday morning. McCoy had been shot several times.

This is the first murder case in Coffee County since a Tullahoma teenager was charged with a murder that occurred Aug. 15, 2016 in Tullahoma. Ariel Chambers Jr., 16, was arrested on charges of second degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault resulting in a death. Tullahoma Police charged the teen in the stabbing death of Carlos Joseph Harris Jr., 21, of Tullahoma.
In the McCoy case, no bond was sought during the court appearance on Tuesday, a preliminary hearing was set for October 16, 2018 at 1pm.

On Tuesday night (September 11, 2018) The American Legion Gold Star Post 78 in Manchester hosted their annual Patriot Day ceremony. This year the event was held for the first time at Coffee County High School. The event is held to honor the victims killed in the attacks in New York on 9-11-01.
The American Legion also honors our own local first responders who day in and day out work to keep our cities and communities safe. Honored last night;
Hillsboro Volunteer FD Tony Ocheltree, Summitville Volunteer FD- Eric Reed, Coffee County Sheriff’s Department- Lt. Bradley Roberts, New Union Volunteer FD- Dale Bandon, Manchester PD- Dale Robertson,
Manchester FD- Lt. Stephen Wooten, Tennessee Hwy Patrol- Corey Stuart, Rescue Squad- Lynn Taylor, Hickerson Station Volunteer FD- J.C. Fisher, Tullahoma FD- Rodney Bell, Tullahoma PD- Rocky Ruehling and 911 Dispatch Center- Andy Vaughn.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s (TDEC) mobile household hazardous waste collection service will be in Coffee County on Saturday, Sept. 22. Since the program’s inception in 1993, more than 346,000 Tennessee households have properly disposed of more than 22 million pounds of material.
Any Tennessee resident is encouraged to bring their household hazardous waste – including cleaning fluids, pesticides, batteries, and more – to the designated drop-off location. You do not need to live in Coffee County to participate in the event. (Note that hours listed indicate the local time.)
Collection will take place at Tullahoma Public Works, 942 Maplewood Ave., from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. The local contact for this collection event is Butch Taylor at (931) 454-1768.
Household hazardous waste materials are considered flammable, toxic, reactive and/or corrosive and should not be placed with regular garbage. Typical items to dispose of include cleaning fluids, pesticides, mercury thermometers and thermostats, fluorescent lamps, lithium and button batteries, aerosols, adhesives, medications, brake fluid, swimming pool chemicals, paint thinner and used needles in sturdy containers. Items not accepted include ammunition, explosives, alkaline batteries, paint (contact your local county solid waste department for latex and oil based paint guidance), electronics and any empty containers that should be disposed in normal trash.
In addition to these annual events, Tennesseans can also dispose of expired or unwanted medications year-round through the Unwanted Household Pharmaceutical Take Back Program. Permanent collection boxes are provided in every county and prevent prescription and over-the-counter medications from getting into the hands of vulnerable residents or into waterways. Boxes can be found at either Manchester or Tullahoma police departments and the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department.