As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disease continues to impact communities across the country, Tennessee banks are working around the clock to assist borrowers, including through the new Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This evening, the U.S. Treasury Department and Small Business Administration issued further guidance for the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which will provide up to $350 billion in fully forgivable loans to help small businesses maintain payrolls during the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the revised guidance for the program that is set to launch Friday, April 3, many banks still await final approval to...

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed an order Thursday requiring all Tennesseans to stay home unless carrying out essential activities. This mirrors similar moves made in surrounding states, including Florida and Mississippi. This comes just days after Lee requested all Tennesseans stay home unless carrying out essential activities. This order will remain in effect until midnight, April 14. There are now 2,845 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee as of 2 p.m. Thursday, this according to the Tennessee Department of Health. This now includes three cases in Coffee County, 32 deaths and 263 hospitalizations, as well as 220 recovered. One...

The number of Tennesseans who filed for unemployment claims for the week ending March 28 was 94,492, that’s nearly triple the 39,000 claims from the prior week and severely dwarfs the 2,702 claims from the week ending March 14, before the COVID-19 pandemic reached severe levels. In Southern Middle Tennessee, which is a geographic area that encompasses Coffee, Franklin, Bedford, Moore, Lincoln and other counties west of Manchester, there were 8,147 claims. Not surprisingly, northern Middle Tennessee, which includes Davidson County, had 32,246 claims. There were 20,025 claims in East Tennessee and 12,548 in the greater Memphis area. Across...

Manchester will have a two-man race for Mayor this August. Sitting mayor Lonnie Norman filed papers to seek a third consecutive term before Thursday’s filing deadline. Also filing for Manchester Mayor was Steven Jones, a former county commissioner who ran an unsuccessful bid for city mayor in 2016. Meanwhile, three Manchester aldermen are up for re-election and all three have filed for the August race – they are Bob Bellamy, Chris Elam and Ryan French. Three others have filed to run in the alderman race – Tammie Fuller, Donny Parsley and James Threet. Out of the six candidates, the...

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee will sign an order Thursday requiring all Tennesseans to stay home unless carrying out essential activities. This mirrors similar moves made in surrounding states, including Florida and Mississippi. This comes just days after Lee requested all Tennesseans stay home unless carrying out essential activities. This order will remain in effect until midnight, April 14. Lee is supposed to address the matter at 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon. Thunder Radio news will post more details as they become...

There are now three confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Coffee County, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. “We have received a notification from the State of Tennessee Health that we now have 3 confirmed Covid-19 cases within Coffee County,” Coffee County EMA said in a press release late Wednesday afternoon. “We do not have any information beyond this. Due to HIPPA regulations it is only the responsibility of health [department] to notify us that a resident in our county has tested positive. All other information is kept confidential by TN Dept. of Health. You will not see these...

Thunder Radio News has learned through our news sources that administrators at Unity Medical Center have sent a letter to Coffee County Mayor Gary Cordell, Manchester Mayor Lonnie Norman and Tullahoma Mayor Lane Curlee, requesting that local governments go further to restrict movement and public access to business than the governor’s “Safer at Home” restrictions that were implemented Tuesday. Thunder Radio News obtained a copy of the letter, which is signed by Unity Board of Directors Chairman Bappa Mukherji. It is below: “While both hospitals in Coffee County are closely watching guidance from the CDC and preparing to care...