Author's posts
6/15/19 — Birthdays
No birthdays to report
UPDATE: Boy Identified in Tragic Motorcycle Crash
As we reported earlier, a dirt bike adventure turned into a tragic event for a Hillsboro family over the weekend.
According to Coffee County authorities, a dad and his son were riding a dirt bike in a yard on Saturday afternoon when tragedy struck.
Allegedly the bike they were riding on ran into a barbed wire that was between two trees and the wire wrapped around 7 year-old’s throat. Authorities have identified the boy as Desal Reek.
According to reports the father called 911 and performed CPR on his son. Coffee County Emergency Services arrived at the scene and rushed the boy to Unity Medical Center in Manchester where he apparently died a short time later.
Sheriff’s Department Arrests and Citations Report for Bonnaroo
The 18th annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival ended late Sunday night and the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department is reporting that they wrote 230 citations during the event. According to WMSR News stories from past years, in 2017 there were 181 written and in 2016 the sheriff’s department wrote 295 citations.
Deputies made 15 arrests during Bonnaroo 2019.
Most of the arrests and citations were drug and alcohol-related.
We plan to report the numbers from the Manchester Police Department on tomorrow’s news.
The 18th annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival was sellout meaning at least 80,000 people attended, up around 15,000 from last year.
TN Promise Scholars Can Log Community Service Hours Saturday at Old Stone Fort State Park in Manchester
Tennessee State Parks and State Natural Areas are offering a variety of volunteer events across the state on June 22, 2019, to help TN Promise Scholars log community service hours required to meet their scholarship commitments. It’s a great opportunity for TN Promise Scholars to improve a state park or natural area and bank volunteer service hours while having a little bit of fun at the same time.
They ask all TN Promise participants to complete the online registration form that is available on the details page of each event. These RSVPs will help park staff be better prepared for their volunteer crews and also make it easier to provide information on volunteer hours on behalf of participants.
At Old Stone Fort State Park in Manchester, TN Promise Scholars will be working to remove invasive and overgrown plants from the Garrison Road Trail. Please come prepared by wearing shoes and clothing that you don’t mind getting wet or dirty. The clean-up is from 9am-Noon. They also recommend bringing a reusable water bottle and wearing bug protection and sunblock.
If you have any questions or need assistance making your reservation for a TN Promise volunteer event, please contact Nancy at 615-532-5249.
Report: Tennessee’s Child Population has Ballooned in Last 3 Decades
Tennessee’s child population has grown by 24 percent since 1990, according to a report by The Annie E. Casey Foundation. (Adobe Stock)
The state now has more than 1.5 million children, many of whom are part of immigrant families. The percentage of Tennessee children living in those families has quadrupled in the last three decades, according to the report.
Leslie Boissiere, the Casey Foundation’s vice president for external affairs, says that mirrors a nationwide trend.
“A lot of the growth in child population is just the result of natural migration from surrounding states,” she states. “And in some cases, because birth rates are exceeding death rates. We’re seeing growth in particular areas – in the South, in the West. We’re seeing a tremendous increase in diversity in this country.”
Poverty continues to be a problem for the state, with one in five children living in poverty, according to the report.
Nationwide, the number of children has increased from 64 million in 1990 to 74 million since the Casey Foundation first began tracking child demographics in the U.S.
Child and teen deaths in the state also are on the rise. In 2017, more than 500 children and teens in Tennessee died, according to the report.
Richard Kennedy, executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, says most of these deaths involved guns.
“We know that more than 60% of those involved a firearm,” he states. “So, we certainly have an opportunity in Tennessee to continue to look at strategies, continue to raise awareness and educate about safe gun storage and looking at other avenues to be able to prevent that from happening.”
State legislators have increased funding this year for expanding mental and behavioral health resources for children, youths and families, as well as funding for a partnership with the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network.
Probation and Parole Officers Graduate Correction Academy in Tullahoma
Tennessee Correction Academy in Tullahoma
The keynote speaker for the event was Correctional Administrator David Lane. Lane spoke to the class about the importance of being an agent of change for someone else. “Be intentional with what you’re doing and have a positive influence on others, so that you become the type of leader TDOC will look to in the future.”
During their weeks of training, the class learned skills that will assist them in being effective Probation and Parole Officers. Classes on leadership, effective listening and interviewing techniques, teamwork and defense skills were taught during the six-week academy.
6/19/19–Elizabeth Dianne Bradford
Funeral services for Elizabeth Dianne Bradford, age 59, of Manchester, TN, will be conducted at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 at Manchester Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Rose Hill Memorial Gardens. Visitation with the family will be from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM on Tuesday, June 18 at the funeral Home. Ms. Bradford passed away on Saturday, June 15, 2019 at St. Thomas West Hospital in Nashville, TN, surrounded by her loving family.
Elizabeth was born in Coffee County, TN, the daughter of the late Charles Qualls and Frances Ferrell Qualls. She was a homemaker and enjoyed hanging out with family and friends.
In addition to her parents, Elizabeth was also preceded in death by two brothers, Charles Edward Qualls, Jr. and Gary Wayne Qualls. Elizabeth is survived by her significant other, Roger Wilber; one son, Jason Wilber; one daughter, Tiffany (Ray) Bush; one brother, Steve (Michelle) Qualls; two sisters, Patricia (Jeff) Henley and Kathy (Billy) Hennessee; four grandchildren, DeLayna Wilber, Kaylynn Waterman, Jaese Wilber, and Christopher Waterman; nieces, Sabrina Freeze, Christy Holt, and Stephanie Moffit; nephews, Johnathan Hennessee and Steve Qualls, Jr.; several great nieces and nephews; and a host of friends.
Manchester Funeral Home is honored to serve the Bradford family.
www.manchesterfuneralhome.com
Coffee County Claybusters Capture State Team Title and Individual Championships
The Coffee County Claybusters continued to grab titles last week in the Amateur Trapshooting Association AIM State Championship at Nashville Gun Club. The Claybusters Team #1 captured the state title in the Junior Division. The Claybusters Team #2 finished in 2nd place in the Sub-Junior category.
Team #1 outdistanced 2nd place Cannon County in the Junior Division(doubles) by 11 targets. The Claybusters were led by Hayden Jacobs and Colter Smith who hit each 194 out of 200 possible targets. Tucker Carlton and Victoria Majors each shattered 191 clays. Cheyenne Martin dropped 174 to give the Claybusters a team score of 944.
Team #2 finished 10 targets behind Tennessee Smoke in the Sub-Junior Division(doubles) by 10 clays. The Sub-Junior team was led by Logan Meadows who scored 191 out of a possible 200. Emma Mathews dropped 189 clays while Landon Meadows shattered 187. Jonah Wyatt finished with a final score of 173 just ahead of teammate Aubrey Payne who scored 172.
Individually, Hayden Jacobs 194 score was good enough for the individual class championship in the Junior AA Class. Victoria Majors captured the Junior Lady’s championship. Landon Meadows won the Subjunior Doubles Championship and Jacob Anderson won the Pre-Sub Class A championship. A pair of Claybusters captured 5th place finishes as well. Colter Smith, in the Junior singles(200 shot) class and Emma Mathews in the Subjunior Handicap class.
The Claybusters return to the Nashville on Tuesday for the Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program(SCTP) Championships. The SCTP Championships run through Saturday. The SCTP Championships will be contested at the Nashville Gun Club.
Lady Raider Basketball Opens Team Camp on Monday
The Coffee County Lady Raider basketball team will open the final 3 days of their summer schedule on Monday in Murfreesboro. Competing in the MTSU Team Camp, the varsity and JV Lady Raider teams will both be in action. Each team will play a pair of games each day.
On Monday, the varsity team opens up play at noon in the Alumni Memorial Gym taking on Lebanon. They close out the day at the Recreation Center at 3 PM taking on Stewarts Creek. The JV will play both of their games in the Murphy Center Auxiliary Gyms. They open up at 10 AM taking on Cascade in Gym #1. They close out the day at 1 PM in Gym #2 against Gibson County.
Coffee County CHS Volleyball Team to Host Skills Camp
The Coffee County CHS volleyball team will be hosting the 2019 Little Lady Raiders Skills Camp. The skills camp will be held on Monday, June 17th thru Wednesday, June 19th from 1 PM to 3 PM. The camp is open to girls who will be in 3rd thru 8th grades and will be held at the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym. Cost of the camp is $30 and there is a sibling discount. If you have questions, contact head coach Andrew Taylor at 931-273-2863 or coach Jon Spears at 931-212-4264. Coach Andrew Taylor will be a guest on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show to talk about the camp. The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast live each Saturday at 10 AM from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln. The Coffee Coaches Show is heard exclusively on Thunder Radio.