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12/5/16 — Sheila Lynn Bumbalough

bumbaloughShelia Lynn Bumbalough, 50, of Manchester, passed away on Friday, December
2, 2016 at Tennova Healthcare – Harton. Funeral Services are scheduled
for
Monday, December 5, 2016 at 1 PM at Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home with
burial to follow at Asbury Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be
from 11 AM until the service time.

A native of Elkhart, IN, she was the daughter of the late Okie Bowe and
Carolyn Grosch of Killeen, TX. Her family was her focus and she loved
spending time with them. She enjoyed gardening and going shopping for
bargains at flea markets and garage sales. She also enjoyed bidding on
online auctions. She loved Christmas time and going to see the Christmas
light displays. She also enjoyed studying her family history and genealogy.

In addition to her mother, she is survived by her life partner, Michael
Yanofsky of Manchester; ex-husband, Tommy Bumbalough of Manchester; sons,
Fred J. Newcomm IV of Manchester, Dylan Thomas Bumbalough of Manchester,
Blake Allon Bumbalough of Franklin, Dustin Yanofsky of Tullahoma and Aaron
Yanofsky of Manchester; daughters, Marysue Chrystal Newcomm of McMinnville,
Tiffany Ann Newcomm of Manchester, Athena Nicole Newcomm of Manchester,
Kayla Leann Bumbalough and her fiancé, Josh Clyhull of Lebanon; sisters,
Sabrina Ogar of IL and Holly Lee of Cullman, AL; several half-brothers and
half-sisters, niece Abigail Ackley of Cullman, AL; nephew, Jason Ackley of
Cullman, AL and nine grandchildren.

Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Monteagle Man Charged with setting Wildfires

Dakota Ashton Tucker

Dakota Ashton Tucker

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Crime Unit, along with authorities in Sequatchie County, have charged 24-year-old Dakota Ashton Tucker of Monteagle for deliberately setting a fire that burned 65 acres.
Tucker is now charged with setting fire to personal property or land for the fire that occurred November 14 near Sunshine Road in Sequatchie County. He is currently being held in the Grundy County jail. Additional charges against Tucker are pending.
Setting fire to personal property or land is a Class E felony. Conviction carries a sentence of 1 to 6 years incarceration and up to $3,000 in fines.
This year, more than 1,400 wildfires have burned across the state. Almost half of those are suspected arson.
Anyone who believes they’ve seen woods arson activity should call Tennessee’s Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017. A cash reward of up to $2,500 is offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction. You can also report woods arson activity to the Ag Crime Unit at 1-844-AGCRIME (1-844-242-7463). Callers may remain anonymous.
Due to the ongoing drought and destructive wildfires, a Governor’s regional burn ban remains in effect for East Tennessee.

Man Dies while Hunting in Grundy County

Hunting accidentMichael “Moty” Nunley, was found in the Clouse Hill area of Grundy County Saturday afternoon, according to Sheriff Clint Shrum. The area is between Monteagle and Tracy City.
Sheriff Shrum says that Nunley is believed to have fallen out of his tree stand and succumbed to his injuries from the fall.
The man’s body was found around 12:55pm on Saturday afternoon.
Nunley’s family says he was in the tree stand hunting deer.

Tennessee Chamber of Commerce Encouraging Workers to gain a GED

tennessee flagThe Tennessee Chamber of Commerce is launching a program to encourage more workers to gain a high school equivalent diploma. The chamber says more than 300,000 people currently working in Tennessee have not completed their high school education. The trade association is partnering with GEDWorks to provide access to advisers, online study materials, practice tests and connections to local adult education programs. Chamber President and CEO Bradley Jackson says the program provides employers a “turnkey” option to help their workers finish their high school education. He says employees are more likely to earn their GEDs if they can work toward them during working hours. Bradley says earning a GED is a key step toward workers obtaining technical degrees and other postsecondary education opportunities.

Preventing Another Disaster Like Gatlinburg’s

The night sky was bright orange last Monday night as wildfires engulfed parts of Gatlinburg, Tenn., displacing thousands and destroying dozens of homes and businesses. (National Park Service)

The night sky was bright orange last Monday night as wildfires engulfed parts of Gatlinburg, Tenn., displacing thousands and destroying dozens of homes and businesses. (National Park Service)

Thousands of residents and business owners are returning to their properties, or what’s left of them, after historic wildfires swept through Gatlinburg. While they confront the losses and cleanup ahead, there’s talk about what advanced the fires so quickly and what could be done to prevent them. Josh Kelly, a public lands biologist with the conservation group Mountain True, said the number of homes built into the mountainsides around the tourist town and lack of prescribed fires added to the scope of the disaster. “The development pattern around Gatlinburg set the stage for this disaster, and a lot of people that lost their homes probably had no idea that the homes they owned were in dangerous locations, but they truly were,” he stated. Paying attention to where development is allowed and reducing the amount of combustible materials are among the strategies to adapt to climate change. As temperatures rise and rainfall amounts decrease, Kelly and others say more steps must be taken to work with the changing environment. Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy said these disasters are reminders that Tennessee’s geography doesn’t offer much protection from the effects of climate change. “We sort of think that, ‘Well OK, we’re not on the coast, we’re not going to deal with sea-level rise; we’re not out West and see the forest fires,’ and you know, we think we’re relatively safe in relationship,” he said. “But I know over the past few months, my child has not been able to go out and play because of air quality alerts.” Kelly blames record-breaking dry conditions that created the perfect storm. “So, along with that lack of rain, we’ve had a lot of sun and heat to dry out all the leaf litter and wood and fuels on the ground,” Kelly added. “It’s led to conditions where any sort of spark or ember can lead to a big wildfire.” In addition to short-term adaptation, he said reducing fossil fuel use, which adds to global warming, is a long-term way to mitigate climate change.

12/4/16 — Antoinette Bertha Ledbetter

ledbetterAntoinette Bertha Ledbetter age 77 of Manchester, passed away Friday
December 2, 2016 at Horizon Health Care. Visitation will be 11:00am until
1:00pm Sunday at Manchester Funeral Home. Funeral service will be 1:00pm
Sunday at Manchester Funeral Home with John Summers officiating. Burial
will follow at Blanton Chapel Cemetery with family and friends serving as
pallbearers.

Mrs. Ledbetter was preceded by her husband; Billy Ledbetter, and by her
mother Martha Scott. She is survived by her children; son; Michael
Ledbetter of Manchester, Tammy Barrow (Jon) of Hodges, Alabama, Melinda
Summers (Ricky) of Manchester, 5 grandchildren; Joshua Whitehead, Jeremy
Whitehead, Justin Polly, Taylor Summers, Briar Summers and 2
great-grandchildren Kayleigh Whitehead and Sadie Whitehead. She is also
survived by her brother; Ben Kobus of Illinois.

Mrs. Ledbetter worked at Crestwood Nursing Home until her retirement in
2001. She loved to do crossword puzzles, watching old movies and
knitting.

MANCHESTER FUNERAL HOME IS HONORED TO SERVE THE LEDBETTER FAMILY

12/6/16 — Roxanne Denise Akers

akersRoxanne Denise Akers, age 55 of Manchester, passed away on Monday, November
28, 2016 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Funeral
Services are scheduled for Tuesday, December 6, at 12 PM at
Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home with burial to follow at Ragsdale
Cemetery. Visitation
with the family will be Tuesday from 10 AM until the service time.

A native of Manchester, she was the daughter of the late Johnny Dewitt and
Shirley Phipps Akers. She enjoyed spending time with family and friends
and especially spending time with her grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, she was preceded in death by her husband,
Robert Lee Barber and one brother, Randy Akers.

She is survived by one son, Austin Allen Mayton of Manchester; one
daughter, Leticia Akers of Manchester; one brother, Tony Akers of
Tullahoma; Life Long BFF, Bridgette Wiser of Beechgrove; special friends,
Nedra Freeze of Hillsboro and Penny Stephens of Manchester, and two
grandchildren with one on the way.

DAVES-CULBERSTON FUNERAL HOME IS IN CHARGE OF ARRANGEMENTS

12/2/16 — Birthdays

birthdays and anniversityBirthdays:
Josh Jones — Pizza Winner!

Food Lion Birthday Cake Winner:
Jordan Williams, 15

Westwood Basketball Hosts Cascade in Annual Teddy Bear Toss Games

A look at SOME of the Teddy Bears collected on Thursday night at Westwood.

A look at SOME of the Teddy Bears collected on Thursday night at Westwood.

The Westwood Rockets and Lady Rockets may not have collected a victory on the court on Thursday night but they more than made up for that in terms of the Christmas spirit. Cascade visited the Joel Vinson Gym for the annual Teddy Bear toss game where more than 200 stuffed animals were donated.
In years past, the stuffed toys collected have been donated to local first responders to use as “comfort toys” for local children involved in a tragic event. This year, the decision was made to donate the 214 toys donated to the East Tennessee Toys for Tots to help support the devastated families in the Gatlinburg/Sevier County areas who have been impacted by the wildfires in the Smokies.

Haidyn Campbell of Westwood basketball

Haidyn Campbell of Westwood basketball

In the girls’ game, Westwood dropped a 35 to 26 decision as the visiting Lady Champions of Cascade held Westwod to 8 first half points. A 14 point by Cascade put Westwood in a 13 point hole at the break. The Lady Rockets outscored Cascade in the 2nd half but could not overcome the first half deficit. Haidyn Campbell led Westwood in scoring with 6 points. Allie Roberts and Valarie Barger each added 5 points.
The Rockets went to the half tied at 19 with Cascade, but were held to 5 points in the second half in a 41 to 24 loss. Westwood was led in scoring by Trent Thompson who had 10 points. Cruz Pitsinos and Eliot Sain each finished with 5 points.
Westwood will be back at home on Monday night when they take on Fayetteville. The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM.
Download the broadcast at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

Coffee Middle Sweeps West Tullahoma on Thursday Night

Bella Vinson of CCMS basketball

Bella Vinson of CCMS basketball

The Coffee County Middle School welcomed West Tullahoma to the CCMS gymnasium on Thursday night for a CTC basketball doubleheader.  The Lady Raiders avenged an early season loss beating the Lady Bobcats 40 to 30.  The Red Raiders completed the doubleheader sweep AND season sweep of West with a 33 to 20 win.

Unlike the first meeting which saw the Lady Raiders struggle to score early, Coffee County jumped out to a 16 to 4 lead in the first quarter and never looked back in the win.  The Lady Raiders turned their full court press defense into points as they racked up 27 first half points.  Bella Vinson led Coffee County in scoring with 20 points.  Marley Perry finished with 7 points while Kiya Ferrell added 5.

Trenton Scrivnor of CCMS basketball

Trenton Scrivnor of CCMS basketball

The Red Raiders used a stifling defense to hold West to 7 points in the first half and a single free throw in the 4th quarter in the big win.  Trenton Scrivnor led the Raiders in scoring with 13 points.  Jaxon Vaughn added 8 points and Marshall Haney chipped in 4 points.

The Raiders are on the road for a pair of games next week.  Coffee County travels to South Franklin on Monday night and then will head to Woodbury for a game with Cannon County on Thursday night.  The girls’ games will tip off at 6 PM each night.