Manchester mayor Lonnie Norman released a statement to citizens of Manchester Thursday afternoon. The statement is as follows; “As Mayor, I want to assure you that we are monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) as it remains everchanging on a daily and hourly basis, and the safety, security, and health of our citizens is my top priority. We have been working closely with other community leaders and state officials to monitor this situation. Over the past week, we have been involved in regular conference calls with these individuals as well as local first responders, hospitals, department of health, and the governor’s...

, Coffee County Mayor Gary Cordell signed a declaration of a State of Emergency in Coffee County Thursday in relation to COVID-19 measures being taken in the county. This local declaration of emergency authorizes the county to waive certain procedures and formalities otherwise required by law, and also entitles the county to cost reimbursement. “It is further ordered, that, due to the existence of this situation, the Coffee County Emergency Operations Plan and all appendixes be placed into effect to coordinate and facilitate an effective response to and recovery from this emergency disaster,” the declaration reads. With this declaration, the...

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival organizers announced Wednesday that they are postponing the festival from its scheduled dates in June to September 24-27 due to concerns with COVID-19. Thunder Radio News first reported this story on its website Wednesday. This is set to be the 19th annual Bonnaroo festival, which has been held in June since its inception in 2002. Bonnaroo released a statement saying that the change is “out of an abundance of caution and for the health and safety of all Bonnaroovians, artists, staff and our community.” According to Bonnaroo officials, all current tickets and onsite accommodations...

The Tennessee Department of Education is working closely with Governor Bill Lee’s office and legislative leadership to ensure schools and students are not adversely affected due to these school closures. TDOE put forward a proposal, which is House Bill 2818 and Senate Bill 2672, that states due to the March 3 tornadoes in Middle Tennessee and COVID-19 closures, the commissioner of education should do the following: *waive the spring administration of TNReady and end-of-course assessments. Schools may still voluntarily administer these assessments. *waive teacher evaluation growth scores based on 2019-20 assessments, including alternative growth scores. *Waive student final grades...

Unity Medical Center in Manchester implemented a no visitor policy that takes effect at 6 a.m. Thursday, March 19. The hospital said the move is to reduce spread of respiratory illness and protect staff, patients and our community. “We apologize if it seems inconvenient, but we thank you for your patience and diligence to keep our community safe.” There are a few visitor allowances that include: *Pediatric patients can have 1 designated parent or caregiver *Outpatient surgery or outpatient testing can have 1 designated caregiver *Hospice or end of life may have 1 visitor *Additional exceptions will be made...

  The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department continue to patrol and protect as usual through this COVID-19 pandemic. However, at the recommendation from the CDC and the Tennessee Department of Health, the department is implementing a few safeguard policies. *Onsite visitation that usually occurs in the lobby of the jail will no longer be offered due to proximity in the visitation room *Due to social distancing guidelines and cleaning requirements of devices, the sheriff’s department has switched to off-site visitation to allow family and friends to visit their loved ones who are incarcerated in the Coffee County Jail through smart...

As students in all area school systems remain out of school amid concerns of COVID-19, Manchester City Schools and Coffee County Schools continue to take extraordinary steps to ensure children are fed meals on these days. Every weekday during this closure, both systems are offering free meals for students up to age 18. Manchester City Schools are offering breakfast and lunch bags from 9 to 11 a.m. at College Street Elementary, Westwood Elementary, and both Manchester City Fire Halls. Some teachers with the school system have even been actively delivering meals to homes of children who do not have...

According to Thunder Radio News sources, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival organizers have reached out to Coffee County officials to inform them that the festival will be postponed from June until September 24-27 due to concerns with COVID-19. This year is set to be the 19th annual Bonnaroo festival, which has been held in June since its inception in 2002. Bonnaroo released a statement shortly after this news posting saying that the change is “out of an abundance of caution and for the health and safety of all Bonnaroovians, artists, staff and our community.”  According to Bonnaroo officials, all...