Author's posts
Red Raider Basketball In Camp Action on Thursday
CHS Basketball coach Micah WIlliams talks to his team during a timeout on Thursday at Oakland
The Red Raider basketball team hit the road on Thursday with a triple-header in Murfreesboro. The Red Raiders got solid play from Steven Sullivan at the point guard position and good defense and rebounding from Boone Riddle, but could not get a win on the day. In the opening game against Oakland, the Raiders got 12 points and 4 rebounds from Grant Sadler but fell by a final score of 54 to 36. In the afternoon games, the Raiders dropped a 54 to 40 decision to Overton before losing to Middle Tennessee Christian 41 to 26. Wyatt Day led Coffee County in scoring in both afternoon games. The Raiders return to Murfreesboro on Friday as they have another triple-header scheduled. The Raiders will take on Franklin at 10 AM at Oakland then travel to Riverdale to take on Riverdale at noon and Ravenwood at 3:00 PM.
J.T. Burton Named Men’s Head Basketball Coach at Motlow College
Motlow men’s basketball coach J.T. Burton
Former St. Catharine College head coach and University of Tennessee assistant coach James Tyler “J.T.” Burton has been named the new men’s basketball head coach at Motlow College, according to Athletic Director Tori Raby-Gentry. Burton will begin his duties immediately.
Burton spent the past season as the Director of Player Development at Tennessee under former Volunteer head coach Donnie Tyndall. His season in Knoxville followed a highly successful six-year stint as head coach at St. Catharine in his hometown of Springfield, Ky., where he compiled a 95-80 record. During his coaching tenure the school transitioned from a two-year to a four-year institution, playing on the NAIA level and joining the Mid-South Conference.
“We are delighted to have J.T. as our new head coach,” said Raby-Gentry. “I’m confident in the experience he brings in coaching, recruiting and helping student athletes to grow and succeed. He is a demanding coach with high expectations for his players both on and off the court. We are excited for the upcoming season.”
He takes over a Motlow program that finished 23-6 last season and 37-20 in two seasons under former head coach Matt Sligh, who resigned in March to become an assistant at Missouri State University, ironically located in Springfield, Mo.
Burton boasts more than 15 years of college coaching experience after playing college basketball at St. Catharine from 1995-97, when the Patriots were a two-year school and a member of the Tennessee Junior/Community College Athletic Association, now known as the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA).
Tyndall, who was relieved of his duties at Tennessee in March, coached one season at St. Catharine, and with Burton as a guard led the 1996-97 Patriots to a 30-5 record and the school’s first trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament.
Burton received his bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Wesleyan College in 1999 and his master’s degree from Campbellsville University in 2005. He and his wife, Carla, have two daughters, Alexis and Jada.
Following his graduation from Tennessee Wesleyan, he returned to St. Catharine as an assistant coach for one season, followed by one season as an assistant at Marshalltown (Iowa) Community College.
Burton was the head coach of the Washington County High School girls team in Springfield from 2003-07, where his teams averaged 17 wins per season and made a quarterfinal appearance in the 2005 Kentucky girls basketball state tournament.
After spending the 2007-08 season as an assistant men’s coach at St. Catharine, he was promoted to head coach the following year. He was named the Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year in 2011 after the Patriots compiled a 24-10 record and advanced to the NAIA national tournament. The Patriots had three 20-win seasons under Burton and made another national tournament appearance in 2014, when they advanced to the quarterfinals.
Burton inherits a Motlow program that has won over 20 games in five of the previous eight seasons under four different head coaches, three of which have gone on to become assistant coaches at Division I universities. In addition to Sligh at Missouri State, former coach Mike Brown is the associate head coach at Eastern Michigan and Bobby Steinburg is an assistant at Kent State University.
Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at <www.motlowsports.com> for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics at <Facebook/MotlowSports> and <Twitter@MotlowSports>.
Inmate On The Run From Grundy County
Kenneth Jason Franklin
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office in Altamont is searching for an inmate who escaped while attending a worship service, according to their Facebook page.
Kenneth Jason Franklin asked to go to the restroom, and the person supervising him allowed Franklin to leave the building unattended.
Franklin had been in jail since April 9 on several charges, including violation of community correction charge, felony evading, reckless endangerment and assault with a motor vehicle.
He was also being held on possible charges out of Warren County stemming from a pursuit.
Franklin is described as:
- 43 years old
- White Male
- 5 feet 9 inches tall
- Weight of 150 lbs.
- Brown hair
- Brown eyes
Although Franklin has not had a history of violence, do not try to apprehend him.
Anyone having contact with Franklin please call 911 or the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office at 931-692-3466.
Smokers To Pay More For Cigarettes
Under a new state law, Tennessee retailers will have to charge smokers at least 15 percent more than the wholesale cost. The surcharge is theirs to keep.
That increase follows last year’s law requiring wine to be sold at least 20 percent above cost and another longstanding law requiring a 10 percent markup on milk.
Justin Owen, the head of the conservative Beacon Center, calls those markups a “hidden tax increase” – except that the proceeds are funneled to retailers.
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam signed the cigarette and wine mark-up bills, though his administration didn’t take an active role in their passage.
Haslam said in a recent interview that he hasn’t put “a whole lot of philosophical thought” into whether the state should set minimum prices on retail goods.
What Will EPA Clean Power Plan Mean for Tennessee?
The EPA says its final Clean Power Plant is coming in August, which could affect energy generation at TVA facilities like the Tellico Dam. Photo credit: Tennessee Valley Authority, Wikimedia Commons.
The EPA is expected to issue its final rules on greenhouse gas limits for power plants in August. According to published reports, the government is targeting a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030. Dian Grueneich, a research scholar in energy efficiency at Stanford University, says based upon her research it isn’t just the environment that wins with cleaner energy. “Addressing and reducing carbon emissions is critical,” she says. “It will help states get on a solid economic and job growth path if the transition from fossil fuels to a cleaner system is done thoughtfully.” Opponents of the Clean Power Plan say consumers and businesses will pay higher electric bills as a result. Some states have indicated they will attempt to “opt out” of the EPA plan. At this point, Tennessee is not among them – but some lawmakers are calling on the state to do so. Ken Colburn is a senior associate with the Regulatory Assistance Project, an international organization that advises public officials on utility policies. He says Tennessee’s policymakers should keep an open mind. “What I would advise they do is to look at the broad sweep of opportunities and options available to them,” he says, “as opposed to just having a narrow horizon about the way the Clean Air Act has always been done and about how ‘bad’ this is going to be for existing facilities.” The American Council for an Energy Efficient Environment ranks Tennessee 38th in the country for its energy-efficiency efforts, and the state also gets low marks from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Grueneich says it’s important to remember energy-efficiency savings can add up over time for residents, businesses and the state overall. “Even though we think of energy-efficiency as an individual thing, maybe going into one building, millions of people are doing it across the United States,” says Colburn. “That’s why you have these enormous savings.” According to a report from Syracuse University, there are also health benefits to cleaner energy generation. Researchers estimate 1,200 lives could be saved in the Volunteer State between 2020 and 2030, provided a tougher power plant carbon standard is implemented to reduce soot and smog.
Free Fishing Day and Week Begins Saturday
Tennessee’s annual Free Fishing Day is Saturday, June 6 when anyone may fish free without a license in the state’s public waters.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency provides the free day in hopes of increasing interest in fishing. The day allows anyone the opportunity to try this great outdoor sport, especially children. In addition, children ages 15 and younger may fish without a license beginning on Free Fishing Day through the following Friday (June 12).
Free Fishing Day and Week apply to Tennessee’s public waters, TWRA owned and operated lakes, and state park facilities. Some privately owned pay lakes continue to charge during this special day and week. Anglers may consult with lake operators if there are any questions about a particular facility.
5/6/15 —– JESSICA JEAN WALKER
JESSICA JEAN WALKER, age 26, of Cowan, Tenn., departed this life, suddenly on Thursday, June 4, 2015, at Southern Tennessee Regional Health Systems Winchester.
Ms. Walker was a graduate of Franklin County High School. She was a member of Oaklawn Baptist Church and a U.S. Navy veteran. Ms. Walker was a loving daughter, granddaughter, sister and niece.
Ms. Walker was preceded in death by paternal grandfather, Robert Walker and maternal grandmother, Hazel Smith.
She is survived by her father, Brent Walker and his wife, Michelle of Cowan, mother, JoAnn Walker of Cowan, paternal grandmother, Betty Jean Walker of Cowan, maternal grandfather, James Smith of Cowan, brothers; Brent Walker, Jr., Joe Walker and Brandon Walker all of Cowan, special uncles; Clint Walker and Kent Walker both of Cowan, step-grandmother, Mamie Clark of Winchester and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
Visitation will be Friday, June 5, 2015, from 4:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. at Grant Funeral Services.
Services will be held on Saturday, June 6, 2015, at 2:00 P.M. from the chapel of Grant Funeral Services with Bro. Ray Gardner, officiating.
Interment will follow at Cowan Montgomery Cemetery in Cowan.
Grant Funeral Services in charge of arrangements.
06/03/15
Birthdays:
Noah Helwig – 12 – Pizza Winner!
Allison Vaughn Hester
Melissa Duke
6/5/15 — Ollie James Sawyer
Mr. Ollie James Sawyer, age 78 of Lynchburg, passed away Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at Williamson Medical Center of Franklin.
Graveside Services will be held Friday, June 5 at 2 PM at Lynchburg Cemetery with Bro. Matt Collins officiating.
Visitation with the family will be Thursday, June 4 from 5 – 8 PM at Lynchburg Funeral Home.
A native of Moore County, he was the son of the late J D and Frances Pierce Sawyer.
Mr. Sawyer retired from Jack Daniels where he worked as a Distiller. He loved being outside and enjoyed gardening, barbequing, and playing softball.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his loving wife, Johnnie M. Sawyer and one brother, Bobby J. Sawyer.
He is survived by one son, James Alan Sawyer and his wife, Lana of Murfreesboro; one daughter, Rhonda Sawyer of Lynchburg; grandson, Chad Locke and his wife, Tayloe of Hoover, AL and his special “napping” pal, Buddy, the dog.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to a charity of your choice.
Lynchburg Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Bassitt Makes Masterful Start In Sounds 5-1 Win; Sounds to Play on National TV Game
Nashville received a magnificent start from Chris Bassitt and the offense came alive late to help the Sounds scratch out a 5-1 victory over the Salt Lake Bees on Wednesday night at First Tennessee Park.
The Nashville pitching staff was marvelous yet again, fanning a season-best 15 hitters. Bassitt tossed the club’s 17th quality start and the bullpen failed to allow a run to extend their streak to the last 19.2 innings. The Sounds improved to a league-best 9-1 in their last 10 games.
It was the Bassitt show during Wednesday night’s contest. The right-hander fanned a season-high 11 batters while matching his career-high set on August 9, 2014. The 26-year old collected at least one strikeout in all six of his innings and set the mark for most strikeouts by a Nashville pitcher this season. He allowed one unearned run with five hits and no walks on a season-high 96 pitches. Bassitt’s ERA at First Tennessee Park dropped to 0.44 (1er/20.2ip) in the no-decision.
As good as Bassitt was, Salt Lake hurler Andrew Heaney seemed to be just as sharp. The left-hander held the Sounds to just four hits in 6.2 innings, tying a season-high with nine strikeouts. Heaney got into some trouble by walking four batters, but held Nashville hitless in six at-bats with runners in scoring position. He took his exit in the seventh and saw two runs charged to him when the bullpen failed to strand his runners.
Heaney got the first two batters out to begin the seventh, but then issued a walk to Luke Carlin and a single to Craig Gentry. Second baseman Joey Wendle then faced Trevor Gott and drew another free pass to load the bases. With the bags packed, Ryan Roberts stepped in and roped a single to right that plated a pair. Roberts had been 0-for-4 this season with the bases loaded, but came up big by driving in the game-winning run.
The Sounds plated three runs of insurance in the eighth inning. Kent Matthes scored when Matt Carson hit a double into the left field corner. Carson and Aliotti both scored later in the frame on RBIs from Carlin and Wendle.
Overall, pitching was what notched Nashville their 25th win. The Sounds have now allowed two runs or less in nine of their last 10 games and have a 1.71 ERA (22er/115.2ip) over the last 13 games. Joe Paterson earned his first win as a Sound, working around a hit and a walk for a scoreless frame. Brock Huntzinger followed it up by pushing his consecutive hitless streak to seven innings by striking out the side in the eighth. R.J. Alvarez rounded out the band of relievers with a scoreless ninth.
The third game of the series gets underway on Thursday at First Tennessee Park as Nashville and Salt Lake will compete in the MiLB Game of the Week on CBS Sports Network(Charter Cable Channel 303 in Manchester). Left-hander Sean Nolin (0-0, 1.08) will take the spotlight for the Sounds and is slated to be opposed by Zach Stewart. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM