Nearly 43 million Americans will start their summers on a high note with a Memorial Day weekend getaway. This long holiday weekend, marking the unofficial start of summer vacation season will see the second-highest travel volume on record since AAA began tracking holiday travel volumes dating back to 2000. In Tennessee, more than 863,000 travelers are expected. 752,000 Tennesseans are expected to travel by automobile, which would be a 3 percent increase over last year. 80,000 are expected to travel by air, which is a 7 percent increase. While road trippers are paying more at the gas pump this...

The Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) – McMinnville is accepting enrollment applications for the Cosmetology program! Classes will be held at Coffee County Central High School at 100 Red Raider Dr. Manchester, TN 37355. Classes will begin June 3, 2019, and will meet M-Th 4-10pm. Tuition and fees are $1,153 per trimester plus books and supplies. The length of the program is 1500 hours to set for the State Board of Cosmetology Licensure Exam and includes a Shampoo Assistant Certificate at 432 hours. Financial aid is available for those who qualify. You may complete a FAFSA online at...

After a work session on Monday night, Coffee County Board of Education Chairman Brett Henley announced on Tuesday the five finalists for the director of schools’ position. You might remember that Dr LaDonna McFall resigned from the job and Joe Pedigo is currently serving as the interim director until the new director is hired. Henley gave WMSR News the names of the finalists in no certain order: http://www.thunder1320.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Henley-finalists.mp3 Dr. Charles Lawson Principal at Tullahoma East Middle Current Coffee County Middle School Principal Kim Arron Dr. Keith Cornelius Attendance Supervisor for Coffee County schools Scott Hargrove Principal at Tullahoma East...

Tennessee’s state average gas price is $2.56 per gallon for regular unleaded, which is four cents less than the average a week ago and 4 cents less than one month ago. The national gas price average is $2.86, which is three cents less than last week’s average. AAA spokesperson Stephanie Milani said that for the first time in three months, gas prices are declining slowly but steadily across the country. She said the move to cheaper gas may indicate that demand and supply are potentially leveling out. However, there are many factors that could quickly push prices up in...

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III has filed a lawsuit against Endo Pharmaceuticals and Endo Health Solutions, Inc. for making “unlawful and false claims about the safety and benefits of its opioid products.” The lawsuit, filed in Knoxville, alleges Endo violated the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act and contributed to a public health crisis in the state. The allegations in the State’s 180-page complaint detail how Endo deceptively marketed its opioid products as being less addictive and more effective than others on the market. It did this despite evidence to the contrary. The Complaint alleges that Endo also knew...

Thirty-one educators have been selected for the 2019-20 class of the Tennessee Educator Fellowship through a competitive admissions process, according to State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE). The Tennessee Educator Fellowship is a yearlong program that equips teachers, school counselors, interventionists, and librarians to learn about education policy and advocate for their students and their profession. The educators chosen this year work in a variety of settings: traditional public schools, public magnet schools, and public charter schools. One local educator was chosen, Deb Wimberley who teaches seventh-grade English language arts at Coffee County Middle School. Wimberley has been teaching...

If you’re heading out to a lake or river, such as Woods Revisor, Normandy, Tims Ford or another body of water, please think about safety. The National Safe Boating Council and its partners are kicking off the annual Safe Boating Campaign the weekend before Memorial Day with National Safe Boating Week held May 18-24, with important safety reminders for boaters as the busy boating season gears up. In 2017, the U.S. Coast Guard reported 658 deaths in the U.S. from boating incidents, with 75 percent of those deaths caused by drowning. Of those deaths, 85 percent are reported as...