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Titans Close Out Preseason TONIGHT on Thunder
The Tennessee Titans (0-3) conclude their preseason schedule this week against the reigning NFC North Champion Minnesota Vikings (2-1). Kickoff at Nissan Stadium (capacity 69,143) is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT on Thursday, Aug. 30.
THE BROADCAST
The game will be broadcast on the radio on the Titans Radio Network, including Thunder Radio here in Manchester. Play-by-play announcer “Voice of the Titans” Mike Keith, analyst Dave McGinnis, gameday host Jonathan Hutton and sideline reporter Amie Wells.
This year, for the first time ever, fans in the Nashville viewing area are able to stream Titans preseason games at the team’s website, TitansOnline.com. Fans outside the Nashville viewing area can stream live preseason games and replays of every game by subscribing to NFL Game Pass.
FINAL TUNEUP BEFORE MIAMI
The contest with the Vikings is the Titans’ fourth and final preseason contest before kicking off the regular season. They open in South Florida on Sept. 9 against the Miami Dolphins.
Less than 48 hours after their matchup with the Vikings, the Titans must make significant roster reductions. Per NFL rules, the current 90-man roster must be trimmed to 53 players by 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 1. Players on reserve lists such as injured reserve and reserve/physically unable to perform do not count towards the 53-player limit. Teams are permitted to form a 10-man practice squad beginning Sunday, Sept. 2.
Last week the Titans traveled to Pittsburgh for their third preseason game and fell to the Steelers by a final score of 16-6. With Titans starters on both sides of the ball playing into the second quarter, the Steelers took the lead with a touchdown on their second series. The score remained 7-0 until late in the first half, when the hosts added a field goal.
The Titans’ lone score at Pittsburgh came at the end of an 11-play, 82-yard drive. Quarterback Blaine Gabbert found first-year tight end Anthony Firkser for a three-yard touchdown after the pair connected earlier in the drive on a 33-yard completion.
THE VIKINGS
The Vikings won a division title last season for the second time under head coach Mike Zimmer, who was hired in 2014 and led the team to the NFC North crown a year later.
Zimmer’s defense ranked first in the NFL in 2017, allowing opponents an average of only 275.9 yards per game. The Vikings ranked second in the league in both rushing defense (83.6) and passing defense (192.4).
During the 2018 offseason, the Vikings signed one of the NFL’s prized free agents, reaching a deal with quarterback Kirk Cousins. The seventh-year veteran spent his first six seasons in Washington, where he became the Redskins’ all-time career leader in completion percentage (65.5%) and passer rating (93.7).
8/29/18 — Birthdays
Birthdays:
Amanda Fletcher, 36 — Pizza Winner!
Phylicia Cargile, 6
Barbara Gail Gunter
Coffee County Investigators Looking for Suspicious Vehicle
Coffee County Sheriff’s Department investigators are seeking information on a 1997 to 2003 white SUV.
This is a change in the type of vehicle that we first reported as being in the area.
The vehicle is believed to be involved in a burglary of Riley Creek Storage on Saturday August 8. If anyone has information regarding this burglary, please contact Investigator James Sherrill at 931-570-4404 or 931-728-3591.
Tourism Up Tennessee and Coffee County
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett announced this week that Tennessee tourism’s direct domestic and international travel expenditures reached a new all-time record high of $20.7 billion in 2017, up 6.3 percent over the previous year, as reported by the U.S. Travel Association. The announcement was made at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.
Tourism brought in $95 million to Coffee County in 2017. Of course, a large portion of that money came from people visiting the county for Bonnaroo in June.
For the 12th consecutive year, tourism topped $1 billion in state and local sales tax revenue, reaching $1.8 billion. That marks a 7.6 percent increase over 2016, higher than the national growth of travel related
state tax revenues of 4.6 percent. Tourism also generated 184,300 jobs for Tennesseans, a 3.1 percent growth year over year.
All 95 counties enjoyed an increase in tourism expenditures. Each county saw more than $1 million in direct travel expenditures in the economic impact of tourism. Five counties exceeded one billion in travel expenditures, including Davidson ($6.505 billion), Shelby ($3.503 billion), Sevier ($2.276 billion), Hamilton ($1.112 billion), and Knox ($1.097 billion).
Grundy Deputies Searching Alleged Burglary Suspect
On Friday, August 24th, deputies recovered gardening items that had been taken in a recent burglary at Palmer Elementary School in Grundy County. 
Warrants have been issued for Nicholas Callahan from Gifford Lane in Palmer. Callahan is 27 years old, 6’1″, 170 lbs. If you know of his whereabouts, please contact investigators with the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office at 931-692-3466 ext. 5 or send them a message on Facebook.
New TVA System Pperations Center to be Built
The Tennessee Valley Authority says it’ll build a $300 million system operations center in the state as part of upgrades to its power grid but some residents have complained the federal utility hasn’t been transparent.
Aaron Melda is TVA vice president of transmission operations and power supply. He tells the Chattanooga Times Free Press the facility near Georgetown will be operational in 2023 and replace TVA’s power control center in Chattanooga.
TVA hadn’t disclosed the relocation before Tuesday. But Melda says it’s become preferable to move operations from urban areas to remote, secured sites to help prevent cyberattacks on the grid. TVA officials declined to detail all their facilities’ security measures.
Georgetown landowner and preservationist Greg Vital says TVA should’ve tried to get residents’ support before building in the area.
American Legion Riders make Donation to Schools
Pictured left to right: Taylor Rayfield, Coordinator of Family Resource Center, Coffee County Schools; John Fielder, American Legion; Paul Gish, American Legion; Rick Jernigan, American Legion; Steve Sember, American Legion; Carol Sember, American Legion; and Dr. LaDonna McFall, Director of Coffee County Schools.
The American Legion Riders mission is to support veterans and children.
Shelbyville Store Employees Accused of Theft
Two store employees accused of selling stolen items on NetTwo. They were employees of a Shelbyville business and are suspected of taking merchandise and selling it on the Internet
Neither has yet been charged.
Seventy cases of Mason jars, trays with soap pumps and fairy lights are missing from All That’s Rustic, Madison Street, Shelbyville police were told Monday.
The employees are also suspected of taking clothing from the owner’s home in June, according to the report. (Shelbyville Times-Gazette)
Healthcare System Suing TennCare
A large Tennessee hospital system is suing the state’s Medicaid program, TennCare, claiming it’s purposefully siphoning money from hospitals that treat the neediest patients in order to favor insurance companies that often employ former TennCare employees.
In a Davidson County Chancery Court lawsuit filed last week, Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga claims the state is ignoring a state law that requires for-profit managed care organizations contracted by TennCare to pay out-of-network hospitals that provide emergency services to Medicaid enrollees the average in-network contract rate, instead of the lowest in-network rates.
The lawsuit says those rates created a windfall for managed care organizations on the backs of out-of-network hospitals like Erlanger that must provide emergency care to Tennessee’s neediest citizens.
TennCare spokeswoman Sarah Tanksley said TennCare can’t comment on ongoing litigation.
CHS Volleyball Rallies to Stop Columbia
Keri Munn of CHS volleyball
The Lady Raider volleyball team welcomed district rival Columbia to the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym on Tuesday. Coffee County scuffled through a set and a half before the chair official became ill and had to be attended to by CHS trainer Jason Sanders. After a 45 minute delay, in which the official was transported to the hospital, the match resumed. Coffee County seemed to awake from their malaise to reel off 3 sets in a row and capture the district match. Coffee County won by set scores of 21-25, 25-22, 25-15 and 25-18.
After a back and forth battle in the 2nd set, Coffee County got a kill on set point from Keelie Hillis to close out the set. That seemed to give the Lady Raiders the momentum to spring them to fast starts in the next 2 sets to get the win. Coffee County finished with an astonishing 39 kills and 18 service aces. Abigail Layne served 6 aces while Keri Munn and Kiya Ferrell each had 3. Munn led the team in kills with 15 while Ferrell had 8 and Lexi Bryan finished with 5. Munn and Bryan each had 3 blocks while Hillis added 2. Amanda Mukai led the team in assists with 18 while Sarah West had 13 digs followed by Shannah Frame who added 12.
Coffee County returns to district play on Thursday when they travel to Winchester to take on Franklin County. That district contest will get underway at 6:30 PM.