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THP Reports Fewer Deaths on roadways than this time in 2017

Fewer people have died on Tennessee roadways this year than last year, Tennessee Highway Patrol reports.
From January to August, 34 fewer people have died in car crashes in 2018 than 2017.
Fatal crashes were down across the board except in crashes involving large trucks, buses, motorcycles, and ATVs.
Tennessee Highway Patrol says the reduction in fatal crashes can be contributed to increased traffic enforcement campaigns, such as “Booze it or Lose it” and “Click it or ticket.”
About one in three traffic deaths in the US involves a drunk driver. THP frequently conducts sobriety checkpoints to catch impaired drivers.
Research proves that seat-belts save lives. To drive home the point early, THP troopers traveled county to county showing children the importance of wearing seat-belts properly.
THP says their mission is to get drivers to think BEFORE they get behind the wheel.

Tennessee Reconnect receives 31,000 Applications

Officials say a new program allowing adults to attend community college or technical schools tuition-free in Tennessee has received thousands more applications than anticipated.
The Tennessean reported Monday that Tennessee Reconnect is in its first year and roughly 31,000 adults have applied. State Higher Education Commission Executive Director Mike Krause says the program has surpassed officials’ expectations as they had hoped for 8,000 to 10,000 applications.
Gov. Bill Haslam had promoted the program that provides grants for students 25 and older to earn an associate degree or technical certificate free of tuition or fees. It was approved by the Legislature last year and the application period opened in February.
Education commission data says around 22,000 women applied for Tennessee Reconnect along with nearly 9,000 men.

Motlow Adds another Grant

Pictured above in the mechatronics lab at Warren County High School, from left, are Sally Pack, Motlow administrator of high school initiatives; Jimmy Walker, Warren County High School principal, Fred Rascoe, Motlow dean of career and technical programs; Charlie King, Motlow mechatronics instructor; Melissa Paz, Motlow mechatronics instructor; and John Marshall, Oakland High School principal.

Motlow State Community College will receive a $250,000 state grant to help high school students earn two-year degrees in the high-demand field of mechatronics. The two-year grant will support Motlow’s Middle College Mechatronics (MCM) program at Warren County High School (WCHS) in McMinnville and Oakland High School in Murfreesboro.
The funding provided by the MCM grant will go a long way in enabling more students to enroll in this cutting-edge program.”
Because high school students don’t qualify for college scholarship assistance like Tennessee Promise and Hope Scholarships until they earn their high school diplomas, most of the grant will go toward the cost of tuition, fees, textbooks and materials for students who enroll in Motlow’s Middle College Mechatronics program.
The program will help advance Tennessee’s Drive to 55 initiative to equip at least 55 percent of working-age Tennesseans with a college degree or credential by 2025. For Tennessee to remain competitive in recruiting jobs, the state must continue to produce a trained workforce.
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development estimates a deficit of nearly 2,000 mechatronics-qualified workers each year.

8/28/18–Ronald Dale Sanders

Sanders, Ronald Dale,of Lynchburg, passed this life on Sunday,
August 26th, 2018 at Saint Thomas Rutherford in Murfreesboro at the age
of 66. Mr. Sanders was born in Tullahoma, the son of the late Brown and
Willovyne Limbaugh. He proudly served his county in the United States
Army during the Vietnam Era and went on to work in purchasing at UTSI.
After working at UTSI, he worked at Cubic Precision as a Facilities
Manager and had been a faithful employee there for 37 years. Mr. Sanders
enjoyed many different types of hunting, but especially deer and turkey.
He is survived by his wife, Melissa Sanders of Lynchburg; one sister,
Lisa Baker of Lynchburg; one brother, David Limbaugh and his wife Angie
of Winchester; three daughters, Regina McGriff and her husband Johnny,
Denise Gravely and her husband David, and Destinee Sanders; and seven
grandchildren, Macey and Kylie McGriff, Kaitlin, Megan, Courtney and Ryan
Gravely and soon to be arriving, Trinity Faith. Visitation for Mr.
Sanders will be held on Tuesday, August 28th, 2018 at Kilgore Funeral
Home from 4:00-7:00pm with the funeral to follow immediately at 7:00pm
with his son-in-law, Bro. Johnny McGriff officiating.
Kilgore Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

9/1/18–Emily Bobo Weddington

Services for Emily Bobo Weddington of Tullahoma, 94, will be 12 noon
Saturday, September 1, 2018 at Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home in Tullahoma,
with visitation with the family starting at 11 AM. Burial will be at
Oakwood Cemetery. Survivors include her brother, Frank Bobo; sister-in-law
Joyce Bobo; daughter, Carol Ann Patterson; son, James “Jimmy” Bobo
Weddington; five grandchildren: Jennifer Patterson (Jay), Laura Crooke
(Austen), Audrey Weddington (Eric), Brian Patterson, and James Michael
Weddington. She was preceded in death by her parents Roy and Marie Bobo;
husband, James Carney Weddington; brother, Robert Holt Bobo, and
sisters-in-law Ruby Mae Copeland and Avalee Bobo.

Online condolences may be made at www.davesculbertsonfuneralhome.com

Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

CHS Golfers Sweep Cookeville and Cannon County

Samuel Prater of CHS golf[file photo]

The Coffee County CHS golf team welcomed their biggest rival of 2018 to Willowbrook on Monday.  Entering the match with a record of 37 and 2 on the season, the Red Raiders squared off in an 18 hole match against a Cookeville team that has given them their only 2 losses of the year.   Cannon County joined to make it a 3 way match.

The Red Raiders avenged their only losses of the year as they outshot Cookeville by 10 strokes.  Coffee County shot a score of 314 to eclipse the Cavaliers 324.  Cannon County finished at 403.  The win improves the Raiders record to 39 and 2 on the season.

Coffee County was led by Samuel Prater who shot a 75.  Josh Perry was next as he fired a 76.  Austin Farris and Matthew Hale carded an 80 and 83 respectively.

The Raider golfers will host their annual invitational tournament on Wednesday as they welcome 16 teams from across the state to Willowbrook.  The 18 hole Golden Classic Tournament is set to tee off at 9 AM.

CHS Volleyball Falls to White County

Coming off a painful district loss to Lincoln County on Thursday, the Lady Raider volleyball team welcomed non-district foe White County to the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym on Monday.  The Lady Raiders had hoped to get on the winning track to start a busy week, but White County prevailed in 4 sets.  The Lady Raiders fell by set scores of 17-25, 23-25, 25-22 and 25-27.

Lexi Bryan led Coffee County at the net as the sophomore had 12 kills and added 2 blocks.  Keri Munn finished with 4 blocks for the Lady Raiders.  Abigail Parker had the team lead in digs with 9 and Abigail Layne finished with a team high 5 aces.  Amanda Mukai led the team in assists with 14.

Coffee County returns to district play on Tuesday when they play host to Columbia.  That pivotal district tilt will take place at the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym and first serve is set for 6:30 PM.

CCMS Soccer Falls to Tullahoma

Caleigh Pratt of CCMS soccer

The young and inexperienced Lady Raider soccer team of Coffee County Middle School hosted Tullahoma on Monday afternoon.  A pair of 2nd half goals powered Tullahoma to a 3 to 1 conference win.

In a match you heard here on Thunder Radio as part of the 1st National Bank Hometown Sports Series, a pretty even first half sent the two teams to intermission with Tullahoma up top 1 to 0.  The Cats scored in the 6th minute but the teams were even in shots on goal at 4 at the half.  In the second half, Tullahoma began to wear down the Lady Raiders in the midfield as they outshot Coffee County 7 to 2.  The Cats added goals in the 34th and 57th minutes to take a 3 nil lead.  With under 2 minutes to play, 8th grader Katie Cotton dribbled from her defensive position in the defensive 3rd all the way to the top of the box and scored an unassisted goal to stave off the shutout. Caleigh Pratt had 9 saves in goal for Coffee Middle.

The Lady Raiders return home on Thursday night as they play host to South Franklin.  The evening will also be 8th Grade Night.  The match is set to get underway at 5 PM.

Download the broadcast at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

CCMS Volleyball Falls at White County

The Coffee County Middle School volleyball team traveled to Sparta on Monday to tangle with conference foe White County.  The Lady Raiders showed improvement in their overall game before falling in straight sets.  White County got the win by set scores of 25-11 and 25-16.

Coffee Middle is back in action on Tuesday in Tullahoma as they take on the Lady Cats in a double header.  The first match will get underway at 4:30 PM at East Middle School.

Sounds Blanked by Redbirds in Series Finale

The Nashville Sounds managed only four hits in a 2-0 loss to the Memphis Redbirds Monday night at AutoZone Park. With the win in the series finale, the Redbirds took three of four from the Sounds.

Dustin Fowler doubled in the first inning off Memphis starter Adam Wainwright, but that was the last extra-base hit of the night for Nashville. Jorge Mateo and Boog Powell collected singles in the third inning, and Franklin Barreto singled in the ninth.

Making a Major League rehab start, Wainwright allowed three hits in four shutout innings. He walked a pair and struck out four. After Mateo and Powell singled to put two runners on for Nashville in the third, Wainwright retired Fowler on a fly out to end the threat.

Memphis plated the only two runs of the game in the home half of the third. Nashville starter Raul Alcantara gave up a leadoff single to Randy Arozarena who promptly swiped second base. A base hit by Rangel Ravelo scored Arozarena for the first run of the game. Two batters later, Alex Mejia followed with a base hit to right-center to give the Redbirds a 2-0 lead.

Nashville’s offense never materialized against Wainwright or reliever Tyler Lyons who followed the starter with five scoreless innings in relief. The Sounds only had two at-bats with runners in scoring position, and none after the third inning.

Sounds relievers Chris Hatcher, Jeremy Bleich and J.B. Wendelken kept the game close with five scoreless innings. The trio allowed three hits while collecting three strikeouts.

Lyons earned the win and Alcantara was tagged with the loss, his sixth of the season.

The Sounds travel to New Orleans to begin a three-game series with the Baby Cakes set to begin Tuesday night. Left-hander Eric Jokisch (5-10, 4.25) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Tyler Cloyd (5-5, 5.57) for the Baby Cakes. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Post-Game Notes

  • With tonight’s 2-0 loss, the Sounds dropped to 69-64 on the season.
  • Nashville was shut out for the 10th time this season. The Sounds are 9-10 in shutout games in 2018.
  • Relievers Chris Hatcher, Jeremy Bleich and J.B. Wendelken combined to throw five scoreless innings out of the bullpen (5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K).

The 2018 season is the Sounds’ 41st in franchise history and fourth as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.