A street closure on the Manchester downtown square of Fort Street at the intersection of Irwin St. has made navigating the square slightly more cumbersome. Don’t worry, the closure, which is for street repairs, is set to end by Thursday, November...

Coffee County government could spend $370,000 to implement an ADA plan that will be in place to meet minimum requirements.  The County is required to have an ADA transition plan in place by no later than the end of 2019. The plan is to look at every building in the county to ensure all buildings comply with ADA requirements. While the plan needs to be submitted by the end of this year, the state will allow 10 years for repairs to be...

Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn announced a total of 63,829 students from Tennessee’s 2019 graduating class took the ACT, earning an average composite score of 20. This represents a 98 percent participation rate, which is an all-time high in the state. Of those students, 41.7 percent earned a score of 21 or higher, making them eligible for the HOPE scholarship. The average ACT score for the public school graduating class of 2019 in each subject area was: • 19.6 in English, 0.1 point decrease from 2018, • 19.4 in math, 0.1 point decrease, • 20.5 in reading, 0.2 point decrease;...

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s Consumer Sentinel Network reports Tennesseans lost nearly $1 million – over $943,000 – through prepaid gift card scams in 2018, which is a 44 % increase compared to 2017 when scammers stole $653,709 from consumers. Tennessee actually ranks 10th in the country in fraud.  While family, friends, and co-workers may use gift (or ‘reload’) cards to express holiday appreciation, scammers want the cards’ PIN numbers for fast cash, and they’re willing to do and say anything to get those numbers from consumers and victims are especially susceptible during the holiday season. Tennessee officials are...

The city of Manchester has announced that longtime educator and public servant Dr. Prater Powell will be the grand marshal for the Manchester Christmas Parade on Nov. 30.  Powell is a retired longtime educator who worked for both the county and city school systems. He served as the director of Manchester City Schools before retiring. He currently serves on the Manchester Board of Education, is a member of Manchester Kiwanis, the Manchester Recreation Commission, among other causes.  The annual parade will be held at 6:30 p.m. on November 30. You can register your entry now by going to the...

The Tennessee Department of Health is celebrating the lowest infant mortality rate in the state in three years. TDH data show there were 38 fewer infant deaths in the state in 2018 than in 2017. Infant mortality is defined as the death of a child before his or her first birthday, and is a critical indicator of the overall health of the state.  “We’re encouraged by this progress in reducing infant mortality in Tennessee and recognize the important work across sectors that is addressing root causes of infant deaths,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “Thirty-eight...

November is National Family Caregivers Month. And across Tennessee, thousands of grandparents are raising young children – a task many didn’t imagine they’d be undertaking at a later stage in life. But high rates of opioid addiction and overdose deaths have left a generation of children without parents.  One such grandfather, Mitch, lives in Knox County. He retired five years ago and is now raising two grandchildren. He said grandparents in his situation need more resources.  “There has to be some assistance with how do you do this,” Mitch said. “There’s a growing body of information on what they...

Gas prices here in Manchester saw a 10 cent jump on average Monday as prices across the nation creep up.  As of Monday, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Tennessee was $2.30 – the same as last week and five cents cheaper than a month ago. In Manchester prices are hovering between $2.33 and $2.39 as of Monday afternoon.  The National average is now $2.60- which is about six cents lower than the same time last month. According to the latest report from the Energy Information Administration, gasoline demand numbers more closely mimic summer...