Both Coffee County School system and Manchester City School system students and staff are out this week for fall break.
Students will return to school on Oct. 11.
Dyer stepping down after 18 years as Westwood football coach
After 18 seasons and three conference championships, Westwood Rockets head football coach Chad Dyer is stepping away from the football program.
Dyer met with his players and informed them of his decision Friday morning.
” Next season will mark the 60th year Westwood Middle School / Junior High has competed in the sport of football,” said Dyer in a statement. “I have proudly served as head coach of the Westwood Rockets for 18 of those years. “
The Rockets completed three perfect seasons and won three conference championships under Dyer’s guidance.
Dyer will remain at the school as a physical education teacher and will be taking up new roles – coaching cross country and archery.
Read Dyer’s statement in its entirety below:
“Next season will mark the 60th year Westwood Middle School / Junior High has competed in the sport of football. I have proudly served as head coach of the Westwood Rockets for 18 of those years. Along the way I have had the opportunity to work with some of the greatest professionals the Manchester City School System has known. From the moment I was born until this very day Westwood Football has been an influential component in my life. As a kid watching from the other side of the fence in the 70s and early 80s, to having the opportunity to play for the Rockets in the late 80s, to the moment I was hired as a teacher and head coach in 2004 I have been one of the biggest fans of the Boys in Blue and Rocket Pride. I have proudly upheld the traditions implemented from the past into the players and teams of the future. Rocket Pride will never cease to exist. The support I have received from my wife and children has been unwavering. The relationships I have made with my players has been unforgettable, and the Pride each of us have towards this program will forever be undeniable. I am forever grateful for my past and present administrations, school board members, and the parents who reinforced Rocket Pride at home and throughout this community. It is time for someone else to have this experience, and it is time for me to continue rooting for the Boys in Blue from the other side of the fence. With the utmost respect for Westwood Junior High, Westwood Middle, and the Manchester City School System I hear by resign as Head Football Coach of the Westwood Rockets. I look forward to continuing my ongoing position as Physical Education teacher along with my new after school duties as Cross-Country Coach and Archery Instructor. Rocket Pride. We Are City.“
Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program Protects Victims of Domestic Violence
At the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Secretary of State Tre Hargett reminds Tennesseans about Safe at Home, the free statewide address confidentiality program for anyone who has experienced domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking or any sexual offense.
“Hundreds of individuals and families have protected themselves from becoming victims again by protecting their address through our office’s Safe at Home address confidentiality program,” said Secretary Hargett. “I encourage Tennesseans of any age or gender who’ve been a victim of domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking, or any sexual offense to take advantage of this free program.”
Safe at Home prevents abusers from locating their victims through public records by providing approved applicants a substitute address that may be used for legal purposes, including voter registration and government services such as a driver’s license and access to assistance programs.
Under current Tennessee law, most state and local government records are available for public review. These public records, which include identifying information, make it easy for abusers to track and find their victims.
The first step to participate in Safe at Home is to complete an application with one of our partner agencies. Safe at Home has partner agencies serving all 95 counties in Tennessee. Safe at Home partner agencies include state and local agencies and nonprofit organizations that provide counseling and shelter services to victims of domestic abuse and other crimes. There is no cost to participate.
Each partner agency has certified application assistants to guide participants through enrollment. A list of partnering agencies is available on our website SafeAtHomeTN.com (https://t.e2ma.net/click/qtteuob/yvgckg/612zcbo).
For more information about the Safe at Home program, participant eligibility or becoming a partner agency, visit SafeAtHomeTN.com
SNAP Food Benefits to increase starting Friday
By Tennessee Public News Service
Almost 848,000 people in Tennessee will see their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits go up by about 21% starting tomorrow.
Recipients of the program that formerly known as food stamps will receive, on average, an extra $36 a month on their EBT cards going forward.
Peter Martino, chief development officer at the Martha O’Bryan Center, an anti-poverty agency which runs the largest food bank in Nashville, said food insecurity remains high.
“The demand at our food bank remains elevated,” Martino reported. “It’s not gone down to pre-pandemic level, by any means.”
The increase is automatic; no new paperwork is required. The increase was triggered by a Biden administration revision of a program known as the Thrifty Food Plan, which listed the types and amounts of food necessary for a healthy diet and had not been changed since 1975.
Many things have changed since then, from dietary recommendations to food costs. Martino contended SNAP benefits should have been raised long ago.
“The funding level for SNAP in 2019 was not adequate for feeding families,” Martino asserted. “And so, anything that can maintain or increase that level is definitely going to help.”
A report from the Government Accountability Office showed almost more than 94,000 working adults in Tennessee receive SNAP benefits. As recipients spend the extra SNAP money, the program is expected to inject $612 million into the state’s economy.
Old Timers Day set for Friday, Saturday
Two days full of fun are ahead in Manchester as the annual Manchester Old Timers Day is set for Friday and Saturday.
Events begin with free Bingo from 7-9 p.m. Friday night. On Saturday, events run all day beginning with opening ceremonies at 9 a.m. and a ceremony to celebrate 150 years of the Coffee County Courthouse on the downtown square.
The parade will begin at 10 a.m. and make its way from the intersection of Highways 41/55 to the downtown square. Following the parade will be entertainment all day, including music from Macy Tabor, the Dixie Dancer Cloggers, Travis Clower, a show from Duck River Dance, East of Nowhere and Beech Grove Bob. There will be a petting zoo and a digital scavenger hunt. Vendor spots are full.
Old Timers Day set for Friday, Saturday
Two days full of fun are ahead in Manchester as the annual Manchester Old Timers Day is set for Friday and Saturday.
Events begin with free Bingo from 7-9 p.m. Friday night. On Saturday, events run all day beginning with opening ceremonies at 9 a.m. and a ceremony to celebrate 150 years of the Coffee County Courthouse on the downtown square.
The parade will begin at 10 a.m. and make its way from the intersection of Highways 41/55 to the downtown square. Following the parade will be entertainment all day, including music from Macy Tabor, the Dixie Dancer Cloggers, Travis Clower, a show from Duck River Dance, East of Nowhere and Beech Grove Bob. There will be a petting zoo and a digital scavenger hunt. Vendor spots are full.
TN to increase childcare assistance rates
The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) is announcing additional steps to help parents navigate the balance of raising a family and holding down a job. Beginning October 1, 2021, the Department of Human Services will increase child care payment assistance rates by 10% across all categories of care in the Child Care Certificate Program.
Under this program, the state pays a reimbursement rate directly to child care providers on behalf of families who are enrolled and meet the income and work or education requirements of the program. This overall rate increase will save many participating families money by reducing the portion they have to pay to cover tuition expenses.
Additionally, this rate increase will provide financial support to child care providers who may be recovering from financial losses during the pandemic. This additional income for child care providers and will help providers stay open and remain available to serve families in their communities that need quality care for their children.
“Many child care providers have continuously and consistently served families throughout the pandemic, enabling parents to work and children to continue their critical early learning,” said TDHS Commissioner Clarence H. Carter. “This rate increase will create incentives to grow the child care industry and remove some of the barriers that make it challenging for parents to enter the workforce and support their families.”
Beginning October 1, 2021, TDHS will also begin providing additional assistance to child care agencies who care for children identified with disabilities or special needs. A 15% rate bonus will be applied to each qualifying child that participates in the Child Care Certificate Program. In addition to the 15% bonus, the Department is partnering with the Child Care Resource and Referral Network to establish a team of Inclusion Quality Coaches to promote inclusive early childhood environments.
These investments are the latest in a series of moves to support and expand child care in Tennessee. In recent years TDHS has offered Enhancement and COVID Relief grants, established a WAGE$ program to raise salaries, and created a bonus for providers operating in communities that don’t have an adequate supply of child care providers.
Winchester police looking for suspects who vandalized park bathrooms
Police officials in the City of Winchester are asking for information about the individual or individuals who vandalized the city park restrooms.
Photos posted by the police department show sinks and toilets completely destroyed.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Winchester Police Department at 931-967-3840 or Crimestoppers at 931-962-INFO. Crimestoppers is offering a reward up to $500 for inforamtion leading to the arrest of those responsible.
Get credit for what you know at Motlow
Students at Motlow State Community College are getting credit for what they already know and graduating faster. Prior-learning assessments (PLAs) award college credit, certification, or advanced standing for non-academic experiences and training. Motlow State students who participate in PLA testing can use these credits as a fast track to graduation.
PLAs evaluate the knowledge a student has gained in high school, careers, training programs, military service, independent study, or even community service.
“Motlow wants you to graduate, and we do whatever we can to get you there. There is no reason to sit through a class if you can demonstrate existing competency with the material,” said Walter McCord, head of PLA and a Cyber Defense instructor at Motlow. “Since January of this year, approximately 10-15 students have taken advantage of PLA credit. It is an excellent money-saving tool that could benefit many more Motlow students.”
ONE PILL CAN KILL: TBI & DEA warn of fake pills containing fentanyl, meth
Today, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a Public Safety Alert warning Americans of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. DEA’s Public Safety Alert, the first in six years, seeks to raise public awareness of a significant nationwide surge in counterfeit pills that are mass-produced by criminal drug networks in labs, deceptively marketed as legitimate prescription pills, and are killing unsuspecting Americans at an unprecedented rate.
These counterfeit pills have been seized by DEA in every U.S. state in unprecedented quantities. More than 9.5 million counterfeit pills were seized so far this year, which is more than the last two years combined. DEA laboratory testing reveals a dramatic rise in the number of counterfeit pills containing at least two milligrams of fentanyl, which is considered a lethal dose. A deadly dose of fentanyl is small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil.
Counterfeit pills are illegally manufactured by criminal drug networks and are made to look like real prescription opioid medications such as oxycodone (Oxycontin®, Percocet®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and alprazolam (Xanax®); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall®). Fake prescription pills are widely accessible and often sold on social media and e-commerce platforms – making them available to anyone with a smartphone, including minors.
“The United States is facing an unprecedented crisis of overdose deaths fueled by illegally manufactured fentanyl and methamphetamine,” said Anne Milgram, Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “Counterfeit pills that contain these dangerous and extremely addictive drugs are more lethal and more accessible than ever before. In fact, DEA lab analyses reveal that two out of every five fake pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose. DEA is focusing resources on taking down the violent drug traffickers causing the greatest harm and posing the greatest threat to the safety and health of Americans. Today, we are alerting the public to this danger so that people have the information they need to protect themselves and their children.”
The vast majority of counterfeit pills brought into the United States are produced in Mexico, and China is supplying chemicals for the manufacturing of fentanyl in Mexico.
The drug overdose crisis in the United States is a serious public safety threat with rates currently reaching the highest level in history. Drug traffickers are using fake pills to exploit the opioid crisis and prescription drug misuse in the United States, bringing overdose deaths and violence to American communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 93,000 people died of a drug overdose in the United States last year. Fentanyl, the synthetic opioid most commonly found in counterfeit pills, is the primary driver of this alarming increase in overdose deaths. Drug poisonings involving methamphetamine, increasingly found to be pressed into counterfeit pills, also continue to rise as illegal pills containing methamphetamine become more widespread.
Drug trafficking is also inextricably linked to violence. This year alone, DEA seized more than 2700 firearms in connection with drug trafficking investigations – a 30 percent increase since 2019. DEA remains steadfast in its mission to protect our communities, enforce U.S. drug laws, and bring to justice the foreign and domestic criminals sourcing, producing, and distributing illicit drugs, including counterfeit pills.
This alert does not apply to legitimate pharmaceutical medications prescribed by medical professionals and dispensed by licensed pharmacists. The legitimate prescription supply chain is not impacted. Anyone filling a prescription at a licensed pharmacy can be confident that the medications they receive are safe when taken as directed by a medical professional.
The issuance of today’s Public Safety Alert coincides with the launch of DEA’s One Pill Can Kill Public Awareness Campaign to educate the public of the dangers of counterfeit pills. DEA urges all Americans to be vigilant and aware of the dangers of counterfeit pills, and to take only medications prescribed by a medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist. DEA warns that pills purchased outside of a licensed pharmacy are illegal, dangerous, and potentially lethal.
