Category: News

State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) says he is running for Congress, saying he is 100 percent in the race for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District.
Matheny said in an interview that he is not making a formal announcement until current Congresswoman Diane Black announces for governor.
Rep. Diane Black (R-TN), who currently represents the 6th Congressional District, is considered likely to enter the race for the Republican nomination for governor in 2018. Matheny said, “If Diane Black does not run for governor, I will not run for the 6th Congressional district seat, and will instead run for re-election to the Tennessee House of Representatives.
Matheny was first elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2002 when he defeated longtime representative Butch Lewis of Manchester.

Tennessee is doing something right when it comes to its children.
The state is seeing improvements for children in education, health and economic well-being according to the Annie E. Casey 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book released Tuesday.
The state ranks 35th in the country when it comes to overall well-being, up from 38th last year.
Linda O’Neal, executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, says the results are promising.
“We have had improvements in all indicators,” she says. “A slight reduction in children in poverty. We have more children whose parents have secure employment and fewer children living in a household with a high housing cost burden.”
Specifically, Tennessee ranked 26th in health, 33rd in education, and 35th in economic well-being. O’Neal attributes improvements over years past to programs like Tennessee Promise, which provides tuition-free community college to qualifying individuals.
In addition, the TennCare program instituted in the 1990’s is seen as one of the major factors in the state’s high children’s health ranking.
While there is positive growth for Tennessee in supporting its children, the Casey Foundation’s Laura Speer, associate director for policy reform and advocacy, points out that a growing and stable economy will help sustain and advance the state further.
“Economic stability for families is really important for kids’ well-being,” Speer says. “In looking at their long-term development, it’s about having access to the basics for families so that kids can focus on what they need to focus on, which is healthy development and going to school.”
Despite such progress in recent years, O’Neal says the state could take steps backward if federal funding is reduced as a result of the Trump administration’s budget proposal and American Health Care Act.
“So as a state, Tennessee is incredibly reliant on federal funds so we’re very concerned about the impact of many of the proposed changes at the federal level in the budget,” O’Neal adds.
There are still 62,000 children in Tennessee without health coverage.

South Jackson Civic Center’s Theatre Series will present “Sister Act” scored by award-winning composer Alan Menken. Show director Erik Petersen invites singing actors to try out on Saturday, July 15, at 10:00 a.m. and Sunday July 16, at 2:00 p.m. in the Center’s annex rehearsal hall in Tullahoma. The cast consists of nine women of all ages and seven men of all ages. Those auditioning are asked to bring a head shot and have a two-minute song prepared. A piano, CD player, and an auxiliary cord for phones and MP3 will be available.
The show dates are November 9, 10, 11, and 12. For further information, contact the Civic Center at 931.455.5321 or office@southjackson.org.

The Franklin County School Board decided in a split vote Monday to avoid a school director candidate search and give the position to current employee, Stanley Bean.
Bean, the school system’s director of student support services and facilities who also serves as county wide athletic director, will replace Dr. Amie Lonas who has accepted a position as dean of academic affairs at the Joint Forces Staff College at Norfolk, Virginia.

A new economic report shows housing prices are increasing across the state and rising higher than the rest of the U.S.
A report released by the Middle Tennessee State University Business and Economic Research Center shows the cost of buying a home went up in the last year in every area of the state tracked, with Nashville seeing the most dramatic increase.
The report says housing prices rose more than 10 percent in the Nashville area in the last year. But it also showed that the cost of buying a home in the Clarksville and Knoxville areas rose more than 5 percent during that same time period.
The report also found home price increases in areas in and around Chattanooga, Cleveland, Jackson, Johnson City, Kingsport-Bristol, Memphis and Morristown.

Three Tennessee county prosecutors and the guardian of a baby born dependent on drugs have filed a lawsuit against the makers of several opioid drugs, accusing the companies of unleashing an epidemic by deceptive marketing practices that downplayed the addiction risks with their painkillers.
The suit was filed Tuesday by three conservative district attorneys who represent areas in the mountainous region of upper east Tennessee in Appalachia, which has been the epicenter of the prescription drug epidemic that has ravaged the country. The lawsuit sites research showing that Tennessee has the second highest statewide opioid prescription rate in the country outside West Virginia.
The suit is among a growing number of lawsuits filed against pharmaceutical companies that make opioids that have been filed across the country.

To help keep contraband from being smuggled into state correction facilities, the Tennessee Department of Correction asked the Federal Communications Commission to lift its ban on cell phone-jamming technologies in jails and prisons.
They also partnered with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, saying they’d be cracking down on offenders.
TDOC officials said smuggling is out of control in state facilities during a joint press conference on Monday at the Riverbend Maximum Security Prison.
Law enforcement typically finds drugs, weapons or cell phones in these cases.
Recently, law enforcement searched 300 cars across Tennessee and found a number of items to be smuggled to inmates. In the past year, they’ve intercepted or found 2,500 cell phones in state facilities.

Motlow State Community College is offering the ACCUPLACER assessment test at all Motlow campuses multiple times through the 2017 calendar year. The ACCUPLACER assessment test replaced the COMPASS test. Students planning to enroll at Motlow for the fall semester who need to take the ACCUPLACER, which is used to assess a student’s readiness for college-level work, should do so as soon as possible.
Before taking the test, students must have the following on file in Motlow’s admissions office: a completed admission application, official high school and/or college transcripts, and if related, official test scores. Special test accommodations are available for students who require other than standard conditions for taking the test.
The ACCUPLACER test is a computer testing system that helps determine students’ academic readiness in reading, sentence skills and mathematics for college level work. Test results determine which courses are best suited to the student’s level of readiness.
The first initial test is provided free of charge. Students who take the ACCUPLACER test and feel their test results have placed them incorrectly, may challenge their initial placement score and retake the test or portions of the test. The college charges a $10 challenge fee for each portion of the test or $20 to challenge the entire test.
Students who are 21 years of age or older must take all three portions (reading, sentence skills and math) unless they have valid ACT scores on file or collegiate credit from an accredited college or university.
For the next available test dates and registration, please visit the Motlow State testing website (www.mscc.edu/testing) or call 931-393-1763 or 1-800-654-4877 ext. 1763.

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
COFFEE COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE PLAZA
June 13, 2017 @ 6:00 p.m.
A G E N D A

1. Sheriff Proclaims Commission Open for Business

2. Invocation

3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag

4. Roll Call

5. Approve agenda.

6. Review and approval of the minutes of previous meeting.

7. Resolution of Memorial, Sympathy and Commendation

8. Elections, Appointments and Confirmations
a. Notaries
b. Sanitation Board
c. Coffee County Library Board
d. Other

9. Unfinished Business

10. New Business
a. Resolution 2017-21 – Resolution to adopt a Public Records Policy for Coffee County, Tennessee
b. Budget Amendments
c. Preliminary Budget of Coffee County, Tennessee for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2018
d. General Purpose School Fund Budget
e. Central Cafeteria School Fund Budget
f. Other

*Report of standing committee and action thereon by the commission.
*Report of special committees and action thereon by the commission.

11. Statements & Announcements

12. Public Comments

13. Adjournment

Tennessee gas prices are falling after oil prices suffered big losses last week. The state average declined for the 13th consecutive day on Sunday, for a total discount of 3 cents since May 29.
The average price for a gallon of gasoline in Tennessee was $2.08 on Monday, according to AAA, the auto club group whose data is collected from credit card swipes. Last week the average price was $2.10 per gallon and one year ago the average was $2.18.
The low price in Coffee County this week can be found in both Manchester and Tullahoma at a $1.98 per gallon.