Candidates who wish to file for the upcoming May 3 primary have must have their petitions turned in by noon Thursday, Feb. 17. Candidates for the upcoming May 3, 2022 State and Coffee County Primary Elections began picking up petition papers on Dec. 20 at the Coffee County Election Commission. The deadline to have petitions returned is Thursday, Feb. 17 at noon with a withdrawal deadline of Feb. 24. Once all petitions are filed, Thunder Radio will publish the names of all qualifying candidates in each race. Anyone wishing to vote in the May 3 primary must be registered...

Aiming to support children in Coffee County, Quik Mart Convenience Stores donated more than $6,000 to the Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center this year. Every December, Quik Mart locations hold a fundraising event, known as Cupcakes for Child Advocacy. Customers have a chance to join the battle against child abuse by purchasing cupcake cutouts. The company then matches the funds dollar for dollar. The company operates 40 Quik Mart Convenience Stores, including two stores in Tullahoma and one in Manchester. East Regional Supervisor Ralph Harwell said that the company is proud to continue to match donations dollar for dollar...

PRESS RELEASE, TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH The Tennessee Department of Health continues to receive increased bi-weekly allocations of oral antivirals to treat mild to moderate COVID-19. There are currently two oral antiviral medications available for COVID-19 treatment. Paxlovid® by Pfizer and molnupiravir by Merck are available to treat mild to moderate disease in individuals at high risk of progression to severe illness, including hospitalization and death. When these treatments were first authorized under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), allocations to states were limited. However, in recent weeks, allocations have increased, allowing additional...

Coffee County School System on Monday (Feb. 14) presented district level teacher of the year awards. This year’s recipients were: In the PreK-4th grade category: Cindy Gilliam at North Coffee Elementary School In the grades 5-8 category: Kelly Sheppard at Hillsboro Elementary In the grades 9-12 category: Kandace Perry at Coffee County Central. CC Schools 9-12 Teacher of the Year Kandace Perry (second from left)CC Schools 5-8 Teacher of the Year Kelly Sheppard (second from right)CC Schools PreK-4th grade Teacher of the Year Cindy Gilliam (second from...

A proposal to expand the definition and punishment of unlawful photography in Tennessee will soon begin making its way through House committees. House Bill 2459 clarifies that unlawful photography includes taking photos or recordings of unclothed intimate areas of a person’s body for the purpose of offending, intimidating, embarrassing or harassing them or for personal sexual arousal or gratification.  “The deliberate invasion of privacy can be humiliating for victims,” said bill sponsor State Rep. Iris Rudder, R-Winchester.  “Strengthening this law will serve as a deterrent, but will also allow our justice system to fully punish those who intentionally stalk...

Gas prices have reached a seven-year high as tensions between Russia and Ukraine make the oil market even tighter. Since last Monday, gas prices across Tennessee have risen 11 cents, on average. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $3.26 which is 24 cents more expensive  than one month ago and 98 cents more than one year ago.   The gas price in Coffee County is actually above the state average – coming in at $3.28 per gallon of regular unleaded. That is up 18 cents from last week’s price of $3.10. Surrounding counties aren’t faring much better, with averages in Bedford, Franklin, Moore and Rutherford counties at $3.29. The National Average is...

By Rosalyn Partin, H&R Block Not everyone gets a refund on their tax return. Some taxpayers owe due to not having enough tax paid in throughout the year. This may be by choice or the taxpayer may be surprised or even shocked to learn about the balance due. Causes of a balance due on your tax return are varied. Some taxpayers just don’t have enough tax withheld from their paycheck throughout the year. Others may have taken distributions from their retirement accounts, have large investment income, or be self-employed. Whatever the reason for the balance due, here are some...

On Friday, Bedford County SRO Cam Farrell received a tip of a threat at Community Middle School. Farrell investigated and located two loaded 9mm handguns in the backpack of a 13-year old student. That student was taken into custody and has been charged with two counts of carrying a weapon on school property. “Bedford County Sheriff’s Office would like to commend SRO Farrell for his quick response in resolving this threat,” the department stated. “We also want to thank the ones that came forward with the tip. If you have information regarding the threat, please contact BCSO...