All students in Coffee County Schools will receive free breakfast and lunch based on a nationwide directive for the 2021-2022 school year. A la carte items are not included in the free meal program. Parents are strongly encouraged to continue filling out the Free and Reduced application...

Summer brings fresh produce and Tennessee is highlighting peak season during National Farmers Market Week Aug. 1-7, 2021. “Farmers markets offer a variety of fresh, healthy, and delicious products,” Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, D.V.M. said. “Supporting local growers benefits the local economy, the grower and producer, as well as the consumer since produce travels a shorter distance to reach the buyer.” The Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Pick Tennessee Products program will mark National Farmers Market Week by lighting the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Cumberland River in Nashville. The night of Aug. 2 the bridge was lit green...

Mothers are sharing their stories about how federal unemployment benefits and a guaranteed-income initiative have helped them build safety nets – as 26 states, including Tennessee, cut enhanced unemployment benefits, months before they were set to expire. The American Rescue Plan included federal support for people who are unemployed. And the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, in its third year, provides one-thousand dollars a month for 12 months to at least 100 low-income Black mothers. Tia, of Jackson, Mississippi, explains that cash relief has helped her maintain a safety net for her kids. But she adds she’ll always want to be...

Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee Department of Education released the 2020-21 Spring Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) state-level results. These results include exams in English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, science and social studies.   State-level test results from the 2020-21 Spring TCAP assessments show that pandemic-related disruptions to education led to declines in student academic proficiency in the state, across all subjects and grade bands, as expected. These declines were mitigated as a direct result of the hard work of our educators.   During the January 2021 Special Legislative Session, Public Chapter 2 removed negative consequences associated with accountability for districts and schools whose district-wide TCAP participation rate was...

Parents should catch their kids up on missed doctor visits – and in some cases, vaccinations – to protect themselves and their communities before they return to school. That’s the message in a new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute. Earlier this year, the C-D-C reported that orders for all non-influenza childhood vaccines had decreased by around 11-million doses, a direct result of fewer pediatric visits. Kinika Young of the Tennessee Justice Center says the consequences for communities could be dire. The report says visits to providers’ offices fell by 58-percent...

Assistant District Attorney Jason Ponder says adults are responsible for protecting children and it’s essential for community members to be aware, recognize signs of child physical and sexual abuse and to know what to do if they suspect child abuse. Child abuse has “terrible repercussions” for children, schools, families, churches, according to Ponders.  “I’ve been a child abuse prosecutor in Coffee County for 21 years, and in that time I’ve seen a lot of negative impacts child abuse – physical abuse and sexual abuse – produces for our county, district, schools, families, churches, neighborhoods. There are terrible repercussions for...

The Tennessee gas price average rose three cents over last week. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $2.89 which is nearly two cents more than one month ago and 97 cents more than one year ago. The Coffee County Average is $2.86 which makes the county 3 cents below the state average and 31 cents below the national average.“On average, motorists are paying 15 cents more to fill up across the country since the beginning of May,” said Megan Cooper, spokesperson, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “August could prove to be even more expensive if crude oil prices increase, driven by market concerns of rising COVID...

Tax season is always a popular time for dishonest people to attempt to steal taxpayers’ identities and money. This year scammers are working overtime due to the pandemic and additional money being distributed to taxpayers from IRS for stimulus payments and monthly advance child tax credit payments. All taxpayers should be on guard, not only for themselves, but also for other people in their lives. Many scams are made to appear that the IRS needs more information to process returns or to issue payments. Scammers use many forms of contact including phone, text, and email. Emails can be made...