The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) is issuing a warning about the growing problem of financial exploitation of vulnerable adults. The department’s Adult Protective Services (APS) division received more than 4,000 complaints of financial exploitation in fiscal year 2017-2018. That’s more than the year prior and an increase of 33% from the state fiscal year 2015-2016. APS is charged with investigating reports of abuse, neglect (including self-neglect), and/or financial exploitation of vulnerable adults, all across the state. TDHS is encouraging families and friends to know how to spot financial exploitation. Common signs include: · Sudden changes in the...

Automobile accidents can leave victims upset, disoriented, and unsettled. While consumers’ priorities after an accident should include recovering from any injuries and contacting the appropriate insurance providers, the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance’s (TDCI) Division of Consumer Affairs and the Tennessee Attorney General advises consumers to be aware of individuals who may prey upon victims in order to lure them into the “accident clinic” trap. Accident clinics target automobile accident victims in order to make money by creating the false impression that the clinics either work for a government agency or are part of an insurance company. The...

Your Coffee County Veterans Association will be hosting the annual Veterans Day Ceremony on the historic Manchester Square on Saturday November 10th at 11 AM. This is an occasion set aside to honor the service and sacrifice of the brave men and women who have devoted themselves to the defense of our nation and the liberty we hold so dearly. Please join the Veterans Association for this special event. Veterans Day is Sunday November 11 but is being observed in 2018 on Monday November...

A Coffee County man is charged with using another person’s identity in order to obtain controlled prescription drugs. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) with the assistance Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Terry Wayne Holliday, Jr., 39, of Manchester. A Coffee County indictment accuses him of nine counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, 11 counts of identity theft and 11 counts of TennCare fraud. Authorities say Holliday passed nine forged prescriptions which he created and used the identity of a TennCare enrollee without their consent. He was arrested in Rutherford County and transported to...

Education Department Commissioner Candice McQueen has announced that Tennessee public school students have once again broken the previous year’s record by earning an average composite score of 20.2 on the ACT in 2018. Tennessee public high school graduates improved from the 2017 average of 20.1, with more than 2,000 additional students taking the exam this year, bringing the state’s participation rate up to 97 percent – also a new record high. The results also show that 1,463 more Tennessee public school graduates became eligible for the HOPE scholarship by earning composite scores of 21 or higher. Additionally, the 63,104...

For the second time, the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office has sponsored the Student Mock Election. Students from all three grand divisions of the state have cast their votes in the statewide races for Governor and U.S. Senate. These votes reflect who students would have elected as the next Governor and United States Senator of Tennessee if they were old enough to vote in the real election. Over 56,000 students from across the state participated in the 2018 Student Mock Election. Secretary of State Tre Hargett, along with Senator Brian Kelsey, and Representative Mark White participated in announcing the...