Latest Headlines
Tennessee has Highest Average Sales Tax Rate in the Nation
Louisiana no longer has the highest average sales tax rate in the nation, but only barely. Tennessee has narrowly edged out Louisiana for the top spot with an average state and local combined sales tax rate of 9.46 percent. That’s according to the latest data available from the nonpartisan, conservative Tax Foundation, which shows Louisiana falls a hair behind at 9.45 percent. Louisiana previously had the top average combined rate, but the state sales tax slightly declined July 1. Louisiana’s state sales tax had been slated to decrease from 5 percent to 4 percent. But state lawmakers in their...
Lighting Deaths Up in Tennessee
Lightning deaths are at a 10-year high in Tennessee and make up for 25 percent of deadly lightning strikes nationwide. The latest victim is Darrell Hoskins. The Memphis man was mowing the lawn and his family said he didn’t see any bad weather brewing. The 40-year-old was doing yard work when a lightning bolt hit a nearby tree and struck him in the back of the head. So far this year, three people have died from lightning strikes in Tennessee. That’s more than all lightning deaths in the past decade combined. In addition to Hoskins, two other Tennesseans died...
TN Consumers Have New Levels of Protection
It’s Christmas in July for Tennessee consumers. The Tennessee General Assembly passed several consumer laws earlier this year that provide greater protection from military impersonators, improve assistance when recovering from identity theft and prevent credit-reporting companies from charging consumers when putting security freezes in place. Baylie Scott, with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, said state lawmakers prioritized consumer rights this session. “Gov. Haslam’s administration and the General Assembly has done a really great job of enforcing the importance of consumer protection and their emphasis on that,” Scott said; “and I think that this is the last round...
Normandy Man facing Drug Charges and more after Arrest in Manchester
On Monday night, (July 16, 2018) just after 8:30pm Coffee County Sheriff’s Deputy Kevin Smith conducted a traffic stop on McArthur St for a light law violation. According to deputy’s report, upon making contact with the driver, Caleb Amara Lane age 28 of Cortner Mill Road, Normandy, Smith said could smell the odor of marijuana. After searching the vehicle, approximately 1.5 grams of methenamine was seized along with 2 grams of marijuana, scales and a glass meth pipe. Lane was taken to jail where warrants were served for driving on revoked/suspended license, schedule VI and II drug violations, and...
Summer Break is nearly over for Area Schools
The summer break from school is almost up as students return to class in two weeks. Coffee County Schools will have an abbreviated day on August 1 as students will be released at 10am. Teachers will have an administration day on August 2 and the first full day of classes will be August 3. Manchester City Schools will have an abbreviated day on August 2, until 9 a.m., with regular classes beginning on August 3. The first day of classes for Tullahoma City School students is August 1 with students being released at 1pm and the first full day...
Gas Prices Remain Almost Steady
Gas prices are trending lower after a small jump in prices at the pump last week. Gas prices in Tennessee are 2 cents higher than a week ago. The state average of $2.63 is 10 cents less than this year’s high, yet it remains 61 cents more than this time last year. Pump prices rose last week after reports surfaced of seven gulf coast refineries dealing with various operational issues. Some of the issues have already been resolved, while others could take weeks. The national average price of a gallon of regular unleaded is $2.87, which is one cent...
New Scam is Called “Shimming”
A new technique called “shimming” is another way scammers can steal your bank account information – even if your card has a chip. The Council on Aging says it can swipe your bank account number and PIN off a credit or debit card. According to the Better Business Bureau, the thieves place a paper-thin device – called a shim – in the slot where you enter the chip side of your debit or credit card. When you insert your card, it copies and saves your information on the card-sized device. To keep yourself safe, check your bank account often...
Lip Sync Battle Hits Manchester
The lip sync battle sweeping police departments across the nation has arrived in Manchester. The city police department took on the challenge with their performance of “Time of My Life” by Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes. The hit song from the movie Dirty Dancing. According to the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, they are working on their version of the lip sync challenge. To see the Manchester City Police Department’s own, lip-sync challenge click on this...
