Coffee County Schools will welcome students back into the classroom on August 2nd with their 2 hour day and August 4th with their first official full day of school. With a new school year comes more recommendations to keep your child safe from Covid-19.  To reduce the spread, Coffee County Schools will practice the following precautions: – Masks are recommended but not required. – Every attempt will be made to social distance if space allows. – Visitors will be allowed for educational purposes only, but some restrictions will be in place. – Handwashing and sanitizing will still be strongly encouraged. –...

With forecasts predicting temperatures in the 90’s for portions of the state, AAA is urging motorists to keep their children, pets and vehicles safe during what is expected to be some of the hottest weather so far this summer. “In just 10 minutes, a car can heat up by 20 degrees and become deadly,” said Megan Cooper, spokesperson, AAA – The Auto Club Group.”We are urging parents and caregivers to not underestimate the risks that excessive heat can pose and to understand that hot car deaths are preventable.”In 2018 and 2019 the nation saw a record number of hot car deaths – 53...

The Tennessee Department of Health and community partners across the state join together for the third consecutive year to participate in the Red Sand Project during Human Trafficking Awareness Week, recognized July 26-31, 2021. The Red Sand Project is a participatory art installment designed to shed light on human trafficking. The red sand is used to draw attention to the human trafficking victims that fall through the cracks of our society every day. Although Tennessee has been nationally acknowledged for our continuous efforts and improvements, human trafficking continues to remain a major public health concern in our communities. In 2019, the National Human Trafficking Hotline identified...

According to WSMV in Nashville, a small plane crashed in Bedford County near Unionville on Tuesday evening according to the county’s 911 director. Director Phillip Noel told News4 that an ultralight aircraft had two people on board when it went down in a field on Hopkins Bridge Road in Unionville. One is reported with minor injuries while the other passenger had to be flown to an undisclosed hospital. Noel added that no one on the ground was injured in the crash and that the plane landed in a field near a tree...

Tennessee’s annual tax-free holiday is coming up this weekend, and some new items will be going tax-free this year. The Tennessee General Assembly has approved for gun safes and safety equipment to be included in this holiday, as well as food, ingredients, and prepared food, to be included in the tax-free holiday. Tennessee’s traditional sales tax holiday on clothing, school supplies, and computers will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 30th and will end at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, August 1st. The sales tax holiday on food, food ingredients, and prepared food will begin at 12:01 a.m. on...

Tennessee’s 95 counties are expected to undergo redistricting once they’ve received 2020 Census county-level population data this fall, and civic groups across the state say public interest in the redistricting process is increasing. Redistricting Counsel at the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program Yurij Rudensky says state lawmakers call the shots on how to divvy up the districts. Rudensky recently spoke at a virtual meeting on fair representation hosted by the Tennessee League of Women Voters. The League and other civic groups argue that counties have no clear criteria for map drawing or fair representation, and say that despite steps to...

Most area schools return to class next week, with abbreviated days scheduled for Aug. 2 and full days of school on Aug. 4. Manchester City Schools Director Dr. Joey Vaughn issued a statement Tuesday morning to address COVID-19 protocols for the city school system as schools open. His statement highlights that the district is open for in-person learning and that face masks are optional for students. The full statement is below. Manchester City School system is comprised of College Street Elementary, Westwood Elementary and Westwood Middle School. Want to keep up with school updates all year long? Download the...

Tennessee motorists saw a little relief at the pump over last week as gas prices fell two cents, on average, across the state. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $2.86 which is two cents more expensive than one month ago and 94 cents more expensive than one year ago. The Coffee County gas price average is $2.84 which makes it 2 cents below the state average and 31 cents below the national average.“For pump prices to push less expensive, OPEC will need to follow through with their production increases, crude will need to sell consistently at lower prices and the market will need...