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12/19/18 — Birthdays

Birthdays:
Jeanette Varner — Pizza Winner!

Coffee County Wrestlers Earn Split in Tri-Match at Riverdale

Jesse Smith(top) of Coffee County CHS wrestling

The Coffee County wrestling team traveled to Murfreesboro on Tuesday night for a region tri-match with Riverdale and Siegel.  In the duals competition, the Raiders earned a split with the Murfreesboro schools.  Coffee County defeated Riverdale 42 to 33 and fell to Siegel 44 to 33.

Taking on Siegel, Coffee County got pinfall wins from Jesse Smith(at 145 pounds) and Dakota Chalker(160).  Jonathan Cable earned a decision win at 138 pounds.  The Raiders also earned forfeit wins from Gabriel Westbrook(106), Brett Francis(120), and Nick Martinez(220)

Against Riverdale, the Raider grapplers scored pinfall wins from Nick Martinez(220), Cardin Stump(285), Brett Francis(120)and Jesse Smith(145).  Dakota Chalker(160), Devin Judge(152), and Gabriel Westbrook(106) all earned forfeit wins.

Coffee County will host its first home match on Thursday night.  The Raider grapplers will welcome Cookeville and Tullahoma to their home mat at the Coffee County Raider Academy.  The first match will get underway at 6 PM.

Westwood Basketball Hands Out Postseason Awards

2018 Westwood Lady Rocket basketball award winners. Left to right– Adriana Basurto – Joel Vinson Award; Maddie Sullivan – Coaches Award; Anna Johnson – Most Valuable Player & All-Conference; Bryleigh Gray – Defensive Award; Leonor Moreno – Offensive Award[Photo provided]

With the close of their season last week, the Westwood basketball teams have honored several of their players for their season.  The Lady Rockets honored 5 members of the 2018 team with team awards.  Named as the Joel Vinson Award winner was senior Adriana Basurto.  Senior Maddie Sullivan received the Coaches Award.  Bryleigh Gray was named the defensive player of the year and Leonor Moreno was named the offensive player of the year.  Anna Johnson was named the team’s Most valuable Player and was also named to the Duck River Valley Conference All-Conference team.

For the Rockets, Konor Heaton was named to the Duck River Valley Conference All-Conference team for the Rockets.  Coach Will Pannell had this to say about Konor “He was selected by the coaches in the conference.  He has played for Westwood for all 3 years and was a wonderful leader for the team and did a great job and deserved this great recognition.”   Rockets coach Will Pannell will be a guest on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show to talk about the season.  The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast LIVE each Saturday from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln.  The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast from 10 to 11 exclusively here on Thunder Radio.

5th Annual Coffee County Christmas Basketball Tournament Starts TODAY!

The Coffee County Central High School basketball teams will be hosting their annual Christmas Tournament beginning on Thursday at CHS.  In an added feature this year, five girls’ teams have been added to make the tournament a 10 team field.

The Red Raiders open tournament play on Thursday when they take on Wilson Central in a 5 PM game at the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym.  On Friday morning, Coffee County will take on Riverside Christian at 9:30 AM.  On Saturday, the Red Raiders will play Oakland beginning at 12:30 PM.  Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you the broadcast of the Red Raiders’ Thursday game.

The Lady Raiders open up play on Friday afternoon at 2 PM when they take on Nashville Central Christian.  The Lady Raiders will finish up tournament play on Saturday at 2 PM when they play Oakland.  Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you the broadcast of the Lady Raiders’ Saturday game.

Manchester Man Facing Serious Charges in West Virginia

Jeffery Meadows.. Photo provided by (WCHS/WVAH)

The Cabell County Sheriff’s Office in Huntington, W.Va. says a Manchester, TN man is facing charges following a stabbing earlier this week.
Jeffrey Meadows, 56, of Manchester, TN was charged with malicious assault and domestic battery, according to jail records.
Sheriff Chuck Zerkle said the stabbing happened about 2 a.m. Tuesday at a home on Hughes Branch Road in Huntington. Zerkle said Meadows was staying with the victim, Lowell Ward, 53, of Huntington, when the two got into an argument. Zerkle said Ward was stabbed multiple times and was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center.
His injuries are considered non-life threatening.
Meadows was taken to the Western Regional Jail. Story courtesy of (WCHS/WVAH)

Christmas Theives Hit Tennessee Hard

Tennessee has made a new top 10 list, but this isn’t one we necessarily want to be on.
According to the study, the Volunteer State is ranked No. 8 in the country for most holiday thefts.
The study tallied the number of thefts committed in each state between Nov. 1 and Jan. 30 over the past five years. The numbers were obtained from the National Incident-Based Reporting System, which is maintained by the FBI.
Researchers then divided the tallies by each state’s estimated 2012 population to find the holiday theft rate per capita.
According to the study, Tennessee had an average of 67.7 thefts per 10,000 residents during the holiday season over the past five years.

Top Doc Taking Aim at Electronic Cigarettes

The government’s top doctor is taking aim at the best-selling electronic cigarette brands in the U.S., urging swift action to prevent them from addicting millions of teenagers.
In an advisory Tuesday, Surgeon General Jerome Adams said parents, teachers, health professionals, and government officials must take “aggressive steps” to keep children from using e-cigarettes. Federal law bars the sale of e-cigarettes to those under 18.
Federal officials are scrambling to reverse a recent explosion in teen vaping that public health officials fear could undermine decades of declines in tobacco use. An estimated 3.6 million U.S. teens are now using e-cigarettes, representing 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 20 middle schoolers, according to the latest federal figures.
Separate survey results released Monday showed twice as many high school students used e-cigarettes this year compared to last year.

Economic growth in Tennessee Predicted to Slow

Economic growth in Tennessee will continue yet begin to lose momentum in 2019, according to a new report by the University of Tennessee’s Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research.
The report is signaling a potential slow-down in the near future, pointing to changes in labor markets and rising interest rates.
The Tennessee economy grew by 2.7 percent in 2018 but is expected to slow to 1.9 percent growth in the next two years. Economist Matthew Murray, associate director and project director for the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research, said this shift should have little impact on the wallet.
Unemployment is also expected to stay relatively low according to data analysis yet will gradually rise above 4 percent by 2020. Murray said less skilled workers will be most affected by this.
Murray predicts next year’s economic gains in Tennessee to look much like this year’s, pending any unforeseen shock in the economy or dramatic policy shifts in the incoming Gov. Bill Lee administration.
Economists predict around 43,000 new jobs will come to Tennessee in 2019 and the state’s gross domestic product to increase 2.6 percent over the next year.

Generosity during the Holiday Season

Middle TN Realtors and school leaders.. Photo provided.

Middle Tennessee Association of Realtors, in partnership with local real estate agencies across Coffee County, partnered together to host a coat drive for Coffee County, Manchester City, and Tullahoma City Schools.
Taylor Rayfield, Coordinator of Family Resource for Coffee County Schools said, “We appreciate the Middle Tennessee Association of Realtors, local real estate agencies, and members of the Coffee County community for rallying together to ensure every child in need has a warm coat this winter.”
To learn more on how to help students in need or donate warm coats to schools, contact Taylor Rayfield – Coffee County Schools – rayfieldt@k12coffee.net; Leslie Brasfield – Manchester City Schools – lbrasfield@k12mcs.net; or Gina Bumbalough – Tullahoma City Schools – gina.bumbalough@tcsedu.net.

Fischer USA Group with Rayfield.

Employees of the second shift at Fischer USA Group in Manchester donated to Coffee County Schools Family Resource Center to assist students and families in need during the holiday season. “We are grateful for the support and generosity from Fischer USA Group employees. A true testament of our community going above and beyond to take care of our students and families in need right here at home,” said Taylor Rayfield, Coordinator of Family Resource for Coffee County Schools.
Coffee County Schools Family Resource Center exists to address the problems with the home and community environments which impede or create barriers to a child’s ability to learn and grow successfully. Coffee County Schools Family Resource Center provides educational support, resources, and programs that strive to engage and empower families.
For more information on how you can get involved or contribute to the program that is aiding students and families in need, contact Taylor Rayfield at (931) 222-1066 or rayfieldt@k12coffee.net.

Temple Baptist Basketball Sweeps Doubleheader in Cleveland

The Temple Baptist Christian School Eagle basketball team hit the road on Tuesday night.  Traveling to Cleveland, the Eagles got a varsity/JV sweep at Shenandoah Baptist Academy.  The JV team won 34 to 26 and the varsity captured a 46 to 42 win.

In the varsity game, the Eagles built a 28 to 19 halftime lead only to see the Lions roar back to lead by 4 entering the 4th quarter.  The Eagles rallied for an 18 point 4th quarter to claim the come from behind win.  The win is the Eagles 5th in a row and their 6th in their last 7 games.  Cody Swayze led Temple in scoring with 31 points including 12 points in the 4th quarter.  Mich Gloden added 10 points including a pair of 3 point baskets in the 4th quarter.  The win improves the Eagles record to 7 and 3.

In the JV game, the Eagles held off a late Lions rally in the win.  Seven different Temple players scored in the win led by Alex Gloden who had 8 points.  David Tran and Nathan Baker each added 6 points.

The Eagles will now take off until January 15 when they travel to Jamestown to take on Faith Christian.