The 164th annual Coffee County Fair continues Thursday with the first really good day of weather of the week.
Thursday will be 2 for 1 rides from 6 p.m. until closing. The Junior Dairy Cattle Show will be at 6 p.m.
For entertainment, the American Superstars will perform at 6:30 p.m. with the Monster Truck Show at 7 p.m.
The Coffee County Fair is located at 99 Lakeview Dr. and runs through Saturday. Click here for the complete fair book.
BREAKING: two Coffee County residents charged with murder
Two Coffee County residents were taken into custody early Wednesday morning and charged with murder.
Coffee County Sheriff’s Department investigators have taken into custody Ronald A. Archey, age 54, and Cullen B. Hickerson, 26, both of Hillsboro, and charged them with premediated first degree and felony murder.
Both are suspected by authorities to have been involved in the deaths of Chasity Kay Hill, 27, and Logan Tindale, 22, who were found dead at 93 Clyde Vickers Rd. over the weekend.
Coffee County District Attorney General Craig Northcott released a statement on the arrest of Archey and Hickerson.
“On Sept. 19, 2021, police were called to the scene at which the bodies of Chasity Hill, age 27, and Logan Tindale, age 22, were located. Upon investigation, it was immediately apparent that they had suffered fatal gunshot wounds,” Northcott said.
“Over the course of the next several days, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department worked tirelessly to determine who was involved in this incident. Dozens of interviews, hours of crime scene investigation and the resolve to achieve justice for these victims resulted in developing evidence to make the arrest of two individuals involved in the murders.
“Ronald Andrew Archey, age 54, of Coffee County, and Cullen Blake Hickerson, age 25, of Coffee County, have each been charged with two counts of premeditated murder and felony murder for the killings.”
Both suspects are scheduled to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court on Sept. 23.
“I want to thank all the investigators and officers of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department for their relentless and professional efforts in this investigation,” added Northcott. “I want to thank sheriff Chad Partin for making available all the resources of his department and his many hours leading the investigation. The work will continue in this case to leave no lead unpursued to ensure that justice will be served. please pray for the victims’ families and respect their privacy in this difficult time.”
Tennesseans invited to ‘rate the plates’ and choose new license plate design
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee invited Tennesseans to “Rate the Plates” and help choose the state’s next standard license plate by selecting their favorite design at tn.gov/ratetheplates. Under state law, the license plate is redesigned every eight years if funds are approved in the General Assembly’s annual budget.
“As Tennessee celebrates 225 years of statehood, it’s a perfect time to redesign our license plate and feature the Tri-Star that represents each of our state’s unique grand divisions,” said Gov. Lee. “We welcome all Tennesseans to cast their vote and play a role in choosing this piece of our state’s history.”
Voting<https://www.tn.gov/governor/rate-the-plates> begins today and will conclude at 11:59 p.m. CT on Monday, September 27. The winning design will be announced later this fall and available to the public January 2022.
Tennessee statute<https://app.box.com/s/4vtektx49ew6xnhu3waws3viy4ua2k4r> requires the display of “Tennessee,” “Volunteer State” and “TNvacation.com” on the plate, as well as county name and expiration year decal locations. Statute provides that Tennesseans may select an “In God We Trust” plate option.
The new license plate design will replace the current plate that launched in 2006 with modifications in 2011, 2016 and 2017.
Coffee County Fair continues on Wednesday
The 164th annual Coffee County Fair will continue on Wednesday, with plenty of fun and entertainment planned.
When it comes to midway rides, it is $2 per ride day. Ride all rides for $2 apiece. You can also get $1 off your gate admission by bringing a canned food item.
In the livestock barn, the open dairy cattle show begins at 6 p.m. Senior day will begin at 9 a.m. and Rubiks Groove will be entertaining at the grand stand area beginning at 7 p.m.
The Coffee County Fair is located at 99 Lakeview Dr. and runs through Saturday. Click here for the complete fair book.
Early dismissal for students Thursday, Fair Day Friday
Both Coffee County and Manchester City School systems want to remind parents that schools will dismiss early on Thursday and be closed altogether on Friday.
Manchester City Schools will dismiss at 12:30 p.m. Thursday and parent-teacher conferences will be held in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Coffee County School system will dismiss at 2 p.m. Thursday for parent-teacher conferences. Both school systems will be closed for Fair Day on Friday.
Local United Way distributed $10k to area nonprofits in September
The United Way of Highway 55 believes that all our neighbors deserve a chance to succeed and
live a vibrant life here at home. For everyone to have a fair chance to succeed, we support
these areas that build a good quality of life and a strong community – education, income,
health, and essentials.
United Way prides itself on being a safe, effective outlet for donors to make a difference in
their community. We raise funds from a variety of individuals and businesses, pooling donated
resources, and organize fundraisers so we can make significant grants to nonprofit agencies in
Coffee, Moore, and Warren Counties. We distribute funds strategically to our partner local
nonprofits. Nonprofits submit applications and required documents, which our allocation
committee reviews every year. Through this process, we identify how organizations in our
community can work together to provide the most effective and efficient services. We allocate
funds to incentivize collaboration and support effective services. By giving to UWHWY55, you
are contributing to a strategic effort to make our communities stronger, while supporting many
needed missions. This process is repeated yearly, to invite new nonprofits and previous
applicants. United Way strives to protect donated dollars and strategically distributes to many
missions in our community.
United Way of Hwy 55 Director Ashley Abraham and Board Members will present checks to 19
local nonprofits in 3 counties: Coffee, Moore, and Warren. Abraham states, “UWHWY55
partner nonprofits will receive 4 checks this year. We appreciate the continued impact our local nonprofits make in our community. From helping injured animals, providing healthcare for the working uninsured, providing financial support, distributing food to those in need, servicing court Appointed Special Advocates for abused children, and many more initiatives that impact our community. We would like to thank our local nonprofits.”
To learn more about United Way of Hwy 55 and local nonprofits go to
www.highway55unitedway.org, email Ashley Abraham at Director@highway55unitedway.org.
or call (931)-455-5678. #LIVEUNITED
TAX TIPS TUESDAY: Using your vehicle for business
H&R Block Presents – USING YOUR VEHICLE FOR BUSINESS
If you use your vehicle for business purposes, you may qualify for a deduction on your income tax return. The deduction is for self-employed taxpayers only. Most employees (taxpayers who are paid on a W-2) are not allowed to claim employment related expenses.
To claim an expense deduction for vehicles used in business, recordkeeping is crucial. You must keep detailed records of the business trips. For each business-related trip your log should contain the date, destination, business purpose, and number of miles. To keep your mileage log, you can use a manual paper log such as a notebook or daily planner calendar, computer spreadsheet, or one of many apps that are available. You must also record your odometer reading at the beginning and end of the tax year. If you use more than one vehicle for your business, you should keep a log for each vehicle.
Your vehicle expense can be deducted in one of two ways. Both ways require the mileage log and total miles driven for the year. The STANDARD MILEAGE RATE allows you to deduct a federal rate per mile for each eligible business mile driven in the year. The federal rate varies but for 2021 the rate is 56 cents per mile.
If you choose not to use the standard mileage rate, you can use your ACTUAL vehicle expenses such as fuel, insurance, repairs, license, parking, tolls, lease payments, etc. Usually, you can also take a deduction for the cost of your vehicle. You must keep receipts for actual expenses for the entire year to prove your deduction. Your tax deduction will be the total expenses for the vehicle for the year multiplied by the percentage of business use (determined from your mileage log).
Trips that begin at your home are considered commuting expenses and are not deductible unless you have a qualified office in home expense. However, miles driven from your first business related stop to your other stops during the day are deductible miles.
Vehicle expense deductions are frequently overlooked, but they can be a very helpful tax deduction. It is important that you maintain proper records to benefit from the deduction.
Stay tuned for next week’s tax tip for more information on qualified office in home expenses and how an office in home relates to your vehicle expenses.
If you need information about vehicle deductions for your business, please call your local H&R Block office. In Manchester TN call 931-728-9462. H&R Block Has Your Back!
Gas prices fall two cents
Tennessee gas prices have fallen 1.4 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.84/g today, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 3,821 stations in Tennessee. Gas prices in Tennessee are 2.3 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 93.2 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.
According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Tennessee is priced at $2.09/g today while the most expensive is $3.59/g, a difference of $1.50/g.
The national average price of gasoline has risen 1.3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.18/g today. The national average is up 1.8 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands $1.01/g higher than a year ago.
Meanwhile, the average price per gallon in Coffee County stands at $2.88 per gallon.
Coffee County Fair continues into Tuesday
The Coffee County Fair continues on Tuesday!
The 164th annual Coffee County Fair moves along on Tuesday with big promotions on tap.
When it comes to rides, Tuesday is $20 hand stamp for rides, the Nick’s Kids Show is at 5 p.m. and the Wool & Woolies Show also at 5. Junior Miss Coffee County contests are set to begin at 6 p.m.
The Coffee County Fair is located at 99 Lakeview Drive and runs through Saturday.
Watts announces bid for Coffee Co Road Superintendent
Ronnie Watts, who has over 40-years of experience in the “road building” business has announced his plans to run for office for Coffee County Road Superintendent.
Currently, he owns and operates Watts Asphalt Maintenance company.
Ronnie Watts served as assistant road superintendent from 2010-2014.
“I Look forward to the opportunity to serve the good people of Coffee County and to put my expertise to work maintaining our many hundred miles of county roads,” Watts said.
Watts will be running in the Democratic primary in May. If he were to win, he would face the Republican nominee in August, 2022.
