A group called backgroundchecks.org has released its rankings for safest cities to live in Tennessee.  The group says it uses FBI crime statistics to create state rankings, filtering out cities with populations of less than 1,000, and also calculated in violent crime rates and property crime rates by diving the crime numbers by the population. The group also calculated the ratio of law enforcement workers per 1,000.  In Tennessee, the group scored Germantown Tennessee as the safest city for 2019. Collierville ranked second, Brentwood third.  In the more immediate area, McMinnville ranked 27th, Murfreesboro 30th, Tullahoma 33rd, Shelbyville 39th...

The Tennessee Department of Transportation will halt all lane closure activity on interstates and state highways for the Labor Day holiday travel period.  Construction crews will stop all lane closure activity beginning at noon on Friday, August 30 through 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 3.  This will provide maximum roadway capacity for motorists traveling during the busy Labor Day holiday. “The labor day holiday is a busy travel time,” said TDOT Commissioner Clay Bright. “We want to ensure that the thousands of travelers using Tennessee’s roadways during this period arrive at their destinations quickly and safely without being impeded...

If you are interested in becoming a substitute teacher in the Coffee County School System, there will be orientation from 8:30 until 11:30 a.m. this Friday, August 30th. Pay is $75 per day for certified teachers and $60 per day for non-certified. Orientation is at the Coffee County Board of Education at 1343 McArthur St. Fill out an application online at...

The Tennessee Department of Commerce is alerting consumers about a national insurance scam targeting consumers shopping for privately funded loans, likely for real estate. Consumers in multiple states (including Tennessee) have been victimized by this scam. The perpetrators allegedly contact consumers who have inquired online about securing a loan, using the name Val Taylor/Val Taylor Investments (this person is also a victim). The perpetrators then tell the consumer they can arrange the loan, but the borrower must first purchase a “Loan Payment Protection Insurance” policy that will pay the loan, in the event the borrower is unable to make...

Gas prices continue to fall across the state and average prices in Coffee County also continue to fall.  The average price across Tennessee for a gallon of regular unleaded gas is $2.29, 30 cents below the national average of $2.59. More importantly to local consumers, that average in Tennessee is 19 cents lower than it was this time just last month, and 30 cents cheaper than a year ago. As of midday Monday, the lowest price reported in Coffee County was 2.17 per gallon, which is 12 cents better than the state average, and 42 cents lower than the...

Unemployment numbers in Coffee County remain low, but are up slightly from the prior month.  The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development released county by county unemployment numbers last week. Those statistics show that unemployment in Coffee County is 4.1 for July of 2019. Those numbers are slightly higher than the 3.8 in June of this year. Out of Tennessee’s 95 counties, 44 counties have unemployment rates below 5 percent. The lowest rates across the state for July were in Williamson and Davidson County, each at 3.2 percent. Sevier County, Cheatham County and Rutherford County rounded out the...

The Manchester Parks and Recreation Department held a ceremony Thursday afternoon to bring awareness to human trafficking. It is estimated that 36 million people are victims of human trafficking across the globe. After a brief speech from parks director Bonnie Gamble and Coffee County Sheriff Chad Partin, those in attendance spread cups of red sand through cracks in the sidewalk outside of the complex, symbolizing to not let victims of human trafficking fall through the cracks. According to the TBI, in the United States, a child is bought or sold for sex every two minutes. The average age of...

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department is asking the public to please be on the lookout for a CK 35-10 Kioti tractor with front hay spear and bush hog stolen from 3900 block of Shady Grove rd on August 21, 2019. Anyone with information contact Investigator James Sherrill at 931-570-4404....