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Kenneth Oscar Edwards
Kenneth Oscar Edwards, born August 31, 1953 in Winchester, TN, passed away at his residence on January 23, 2017. A private burial will be held for the family. Manchester Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Kenneth Edwards was born in Winchester, Tennessee, the son of the late Jack Weldon Edwards and Adith Eleanor Lightfoot. He served his country in the Army in The Vietnam War. Kenneth worked as a carpenter for Lewis Construction.
He was proceeded in death by his father, Jack Weldon Edwards; mother, Adith Eleanor Lightfoot Edwards Dew; step-father, John Carlos Dew; brother, William Ray Edwards. He is survived by his daughter Janis Eleanor Edwards Muele; grandchildren, Garrett Baxter and Ashlyn Baxter; two brothers, Jack Richard (Mary) Edwards, and Anthony Troy Edwards; three sisters, Wanda Mae Keel, Joy (Hulin) Brown, Jennie Sue (Mitch) Dunlap; numerous nieces and nephews.
Elementary Basketball League Championship is Saturday
Four teams are still in contention for Coffee County Youth Basketball League season titles. The league’s final weekend is coming up on Saturday at the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym as girls’ and boys’ champions will be crowned on Saturday. The girls’ and boys’ consolation game will take place first and there will be a cheerleading exhibition by each school’s cheerleading squads.
The day will get underway at 9 AM in the girls consolation game as North Coffee will take on Hillsboro for 3rd place. The boys’ consolation is scheduled for 10 AM as Hickerson will tangle with Hillsboro for 3rd place in the boys’ division. The cheerleading competition will begin at 11 and the girl’s championship game is set for noon with the boys to follow.
Both champions from 2016 will attempt to defend their titles as the Lady Rebels of New Union will take on the regular season champion Westwood Lady Eagles at noon. The boys’ championship will get underway around 1 PM as defending champion, and regular season champion College Street will take on Westwood.
Thunder Radio will be on hand to record the play by play of each championship game and downloads will be made be available at our website. Additionally, Thunder Radio will rebroadcast the games sometime next week, so stay tuned to Thunder Radio for a date and time.
2nd Annual Mayor’s Cup Scheduled for February 2nd
WMS Principal Chad Fletcher shows off the 2016 Mayor’s Cup that goes to the winning team
Can you think of a better way to have fun and raise money for a worthy cause than a series of basketball games? The 2nd annual Mayor’s Cup is scheduled Thursday, February 2nd at 6:30 PM at Westwood Middle School. Teams from the Manchester City School System, the Manchester Police Department and the Manchester Fire Department will compete in the round robin basketball triple header to crown a champion.
Admission is free but donations are requested at the door and all proceeds will go to benefit the Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center. The Advocacy Center provides help and counseling to severely abused children in Coffee County. The winner of the tournament will be presented the prestigious Mayor’s Cup trophy.
Last season, the Manchester Police department was crowned the champion as they swept the fire department and school system teams. The evening’s fun and festivities, along with a LOT of good-natured self-promotion, will get underway at 6:30 PM. Thunder Radio will be on hand to broadcast all the action as Lucky Knott and Rob Clutter will bring you the call here on Thunder Radio.
1/26/17 — Birthdays
Birthdays:
Sarah Pearson, 16 — Pizza Winner!
Flint Frame, 58
Blair Sellars, 33
Kathy Harrel, 52
Patricia Finney
Manchester Man Killed after Multiple Thursday Crashes on I-24
There were three motor vehicle accidents on Interstate 24 Thursday morning in Coffee County. The original crash was at 2:57 am with minor injuries at the 101 mile-marker. A secondary crash with injuries occurred at 4:09 am, then a fatal crash at the 104 mm westbound at 5:01am with a car and tractor trailer.
23-year-old Justin Jones of Manchester was killed in the accident on I-24 near the 104 mile-marker.
The THP reported Jones’ was traveling westbound when he came upon traffic at a complete stop and struck a tractor-trailer from behind, becoming lodged underneath the semi.
The driver of the 18 wheeler was not injured.
Local Fugitives Located–One Dies
Photo provided by a citizen
Personnel with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department and sheriff’s office personnel from Cherokee County, Alabama were attempting to apprehend a fugitive from justice when a short pursuit began on Wednesday afternoon. After a short standoff ended on U.S. Hwy 411 in Leesburg, AL, Jeremiah James Vandagriff of Manchester was found deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gun shot wound.
Vandagriff age 33 of West Toliver Lake Road, Manchester was wanted in connection for burglaries.
Hours before the shooting, police arrested another fugitive, Ricky C. Thomison, without incident after the detectives from Coffee County, Tennessee alerted them that two suspects wanted in burglaries and thefts might be in the Cherokee County area. He was brought back to Coffee County.
Investigators recovered a “large amount” of stolen property, including weapons and jewelry, according to a news release from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s office.
The Alabama State Bureau of Investigations, Cherokee County Major Crimes Unit, Cherokee County Coroner’s Office, and Sheriff’s Office investigators are in charge of investigating the incident.
Tullahoma Fire Department to help Stroke Victims Coffee County EMS
The Tullahoma Fire Department’s first responders will likely soon begin partnering with the Coffee County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in cases of stroke.
On Jan. 19, the Coffee County Ambulance Authority voted to revise the agreement with the Tullahoma Fire Department to add an additional category of medical emergencies for which the fire department’s first responders would be dispatched along with the ambulance. 
That decision has to be approved by the 911 Communications Center Board, and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between EMS and the Tullahoma Fire Department has to be amended before it takes effect. (Tullahoma News)
Smith Scores Twice, Preds Top Blue Jackets
Craig Smith found the back of the net twice in the third period, and the Nashville Predators defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday night. The final game before the All-Star break, the result gives Nashville points in five straight and 56 points overall with a 7-1-1 mark in their last nine outings.
“I think we’ve turned a corner here a little bit,” goaltender Pekka Rinne said. “I feel like throughout the season we’ve been finding consistency and, as of late, with the way we’ve been playing, even with our losses, I feel like we’ve been pretty happy with our games. That’s a big thing for us, finding the right time in the season and that has put us in a good spot in the standings, too. We have to respect and protect that position now.
Columbus entered the second period with a 1-0 lead, but goals from Calle Jarnkrok and Harry Zolnierczyk gave Nashville their first lead of the night, and then Smith tallied twice in the third before Nashville staved off a final push to seal their 24th win of the season.
“It shows our determination just to stick with it there,” Zolnierczyk said. “That’s one of the best teams in the NHL right there, and we knew they weren’t going to go away regardless of if it was one goal, two or three they were going to keep coming and they did. At the end of the day we did our job and made sure we stayed on track and we got those two points.”
After going eight games without scoring a goal, Smith responded on Thursday night, tallying not once but twice in the third period, including the game winner, to lead the Preds to a win over the Blue Jackets.
“It felt good,” Smith said of the win. “We played desperate. I thought special teams was awesome tonight, and we really popped one in there. It’s been tough lately, but I thought the boys shot the puck really well and we really executed.
“It’s good to see him get going,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said of Smith. “It gets frustrating when there is a lot expected of you and you expect a lot of yourself too, as Craig does. When you are able to have a game like that and chip in some offense, it’s a good thing.”
Of his 12 games as a member of the Predators, Thursday night was arguably his best performance yet.
Harry Zolnierczyk did everything he usually does – using his tenacity to shut down the opponent and draw a penalty from time to time – but when he managed to just barely get a shot to trickle past Sergei Bobrovsky and over the line for his first of the season and first with the Preds, Zolnierczyk’s excitement came full force.
“It felt good, it’s been a while since I’ve had another goal in the NHL,” Zolnierczyk said. “It’s been over a couple years for sure. It always feels good to contribute.”
It was Zolnierczyk’s first goal since February of 2014, a long time coming, but one that was complimented by what he provides to his team, along with his linemates on the fourth unit, including Cody McLeod and Colton Sissons tonight.
“I think some of the things that I was able to do tonight are things that are a staple in my game,” Zolnierczyk said. “Being on the net fast and on the forecheck just comes with the linemates I’m playing with. Putting the puck in the right position that we were able to forecheck and ultimately keep it down there and create chances and play as little as we can in our zone. I thought we did that tonight.”
The last thing any of the Preds wanted to do was go into the All-Star break with a loss on their minds for the next four days. No problem there.
A 4-3 win over one of the NHL’s top teams isn’t a bad way to close out a nine-game stretch before the weekend that has seen the Preds go 7-1-1 and collect points in five straight games overall.
“It’s huge; it’s a big difference instead of losing this game and going to break,” goaltender Pekka Rinne said. “It’s a nice feeling, you can really relax and not think about hockey; get a few days off and recharge your batteries a little bit. Come back and be refreshed for the last stretch.”
On Thursday against Columbus, Ryan Johansen appeared in his 400th career NHL game.
The Predators are 55-19-7 all-time against the Blue Jackets, including 33-5-4 at home.
Preds defenseman P.K. Subban will head to Los Angeles for the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend to captain the Central Division squad, but the rest of his teammates will enjoy the break, getting back together in Pittsburgh on Jan. 31 to face the Penguins.
Coffee County Middle School Receives Gift
Pictured (L to R) Taylor Rayfield, Coffee County Schools Family Resource Coordinator; Stan Teal, Banking Officer, Traders Bank; Kim Aaron, Coffee County Middle School Principal; Sherry Teal, Traders Bank.
“We are humbled by the support from our community partners who continue to help us address the needs of our students and families,” said Taylor Rayfield, Coffee County Schools Family Resource Coordinator.
If you or your organization would like to know more about this effort or donate, please contact Taylor Rayfield at rayfieldt@k12coffee.net or (931) 222-1066.
Tullahoma Tree Board Encourages Residents to Participate in 100,000 Tree Day
The Tullahoma Tree Board is pleased to inform Tullahoma residents of a great opportunity to grow the tree canopy. The Tennessee Environmental Council (TEC) is challenging Tennesseans to plant 100,000 trees on February 25, 2017. This is the largest community tree-planting in Tennessee history.
“One of the best resources we can use to balance harmful environmental impacts is trees,” said Chairman of the Tullahoma Tree Board, Ralph Graham. “We encourage Tullahoma citizens to participate in the 100,000 Tree Day.”
The Tennessee Tree Project is a free event. Learn more, register or become a sponsor by visiting http://tectn.org/programs/tree/. Once you order your trees, Coffee County residents can pick them up at the UT Extension Office.