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Matheny wants Tennessee Pro Sports Teams to Stand Up or No More State Help

Rep. Judd Matheny

State Rep. Judd Matheny of Tullahoma says he is proposing that there be no more help for the state’s pro sports teams unless they change.
Matheny, who is also running for Congress, posted on Facebook on Sunday that the bill he’ll present will be to prevent future deals with state help like the Tennessee Titans received more than 20 years ago.
Matheny told WKRN-TV “Until all (Tennessee) sports teams stand up and respect the national anthem, we are going to pass this bill.”
Matheny says things like bonds, tax breaks, or land go away if teams want new stadiums or arenas. They will have to build it and buy the land with their own money and pay taxes like everyone else.
When the Titans came to Nashville in the late 1990s, part of the nearly $300 million stadium deal was $55 million in state bonds.
Tennessee Titan players chose to stay in the locker room while the National Anthem played before their home game in Nashville on Sunday. The Titans received many boos from their fans for this action. Most NFL players say they are united to bring awareness to the injustice that has plagued people of color in this country.

CHS Lady Raiders Sweep Tullahoma on Senior Night

CHS senior volleyball players and coaches. Pictured are(left to right) head coach Andrew Taylor, assistant coach Sarah Beth Elam, Alliyah Williams, Tyana Fenton, Odalis Garcia, Alexis Baker , assistant coach Bailey Morgan and assistant coach Jon Spears.

The Coffee County Lady Raider volleyball team dispatched Tullahoma in straight sets on Monday night for Senior Night.  In a night set to honor outgoing seniors Alliyah Williams, Tyana Fenton, Alexis Baker and Odalis Garcia; the Lady Raiders battled back from deficits in the 1st and 3rd sets to record the sweep.  Coffee County won by set scores of : 25 to 14, 25 to 9 and 25 to 23.

After falling behind 4 to 1 in the 1st set, Coffee County rallied back to tie the match but could not get the upper hand on the Lady Cats.  Senior Alliyah Williams hit a monstrous spike for a kill to give the Lady Raiders a 12 to 10 lead and that seemed to spark the Red and Black.  Coffee County closed out the first set on a run of 15 to 4.  After cruising through the 2nd set, the Lady Raiders saw Tullahoma fend off a 7 point lead by the Lady Raiders to take an 18 to 17 lead and eventually a 23 to 22 lead.  But Coffee County scored the last 3 points of the set to capture the match.

The Lady Raiders were led in kills by senior Odalis Garcia who had 8.  Lexi Bryan added 6 and Keelie Hillis scored 5.  Abigail Layne led the Raiders in aces with 4.  Amanda Mukai led in assists with 21 and Tyana Fenton led in digs with 16.

The Lady Raiders will travel to Winchester on Tuesday to take on Franklin County in their final district contest of the year.  A win over Franklin County would give the Lady Raiders the regular season district championship and the number 1 seed in next week’s District 8AAA tournament which will be held at Lincoln County High School.

Unemployment Rate Drops in All 95 Counties

County unemployment numbers in Tennessee show that unemployment rates decreased in August in all 95 counties and significantly dropped in many rural counties.
Coffee County had a huge drop in the unemployment rate for August, dropping from 4.1 percent in July to 3.5 percent in August. Bedford County fell to 4 percent from 4.7. Franklin County dipped from 4.4 percent in July to 3.7 percent in August. Moore County has one of the state’s lowest rates at 3.2 percent down from 3.8. Warren County’s unemployment rate for August was 3.8 percent, down from 4.6 percent in July. Grundy County went from 6.2 to 4.7 percent. Cannon County went from 4.2 to 3.6 percent.
Davidson and Williamson Counties tied for the state’s lowest unemployment at 2.7 percent, while Rhea County had the highest at 6.0 percent.

Tennessee Promise Program Fosters Community Engagement

Tennessee Promise students are required to perform at least eight hours of community service each semester. (Jorge Quinteros/Flickr)

The free community college scholarships available through the state’s Tennessee Promise program are helping more than just the students.
As part of the scholarship, students are required to perform eight hours of community service for every semester they’re in the program.
Mike Krause, executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, says the result is tens of thousands of hours of free help for the state’s nonprofit groups, with the possibility of more.
“We’re able to help a lot of organizations across the state accomplish their mission with these hours of volunteer work,” he states. “But second, we hope that we’re really creating that culture of being an involved citizen with the students – and that ultimately doesn’t just make them a better student, it makes them a better Tennessean.”
This month, data released by the state shows Tennessee Promise students are more likely to succeed in college and less likely to drop out.
In 2015, 56 percent of Tennessee Promise students who entered college remained in school through graduation or continued on for more education. Only 39 percent of high school graduates outside the program had done the same.
In addition to benefiting communities and fostering a spirit of community engagement, Krause says students are often able to volunteer at nonprofits that relate to their career goals and interests.
“One of our goals for Tennessee Promise students is that they’re able to pair their community service opportunities within some of their interest areas,” he explains. “And there’s certain types of job shadowing even that absolutely qualify for community service.”
As part of the program, students also work with mentors who are already working in their field of study.

CHS Soccer Falls to Lincoln County

Sam Ellison of CHS Soccer

The Coffee County CHS soccer team was back at home on Monday night for a showdown with defending district champion, and state tournament qualifying, Lincoln County.   Despite outshooting the Lady Falcons and controlling possession in the game, Coffee County dropped their first district match of the year 3 to 1.

Lincoln County scored 3 goals in the first half as they found the back of the net in the 6th, 16th and 31st minutes to lead 3 nil at the half.  Coffee County got their lone goal in the 66th minute as Sam Ellison converted an assist from Jenna Garretson.  Coffee County outshot the Lady Falcons 16 to 5 but saw their record fall to 4-1-1 in the district.  Overall, the Lady Raiders are 7-2-2 on the season.

The Lady Raiders are back at home on Tuesday as they play host to Franklin County.  That match will also be Senior Night.  The varsity match will get underway at 7 PM, Senior Night festivities will be held following the match.  Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you all the action as part of the First National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  We begin our broadcast at 6:50.

CCMS Soccer Season Comes to End in Conference Tournament

The Coffee County Middle School soccer season came to a close on Monday night.  The Lady Raiders fell in the preliminary round of the CTC soccer tournament at Harris.  The shorthanded Lady Raiders were not able to counter the Eaglettes’ defensive pressure as they fell 4 to 1.

After a scoreless first half, Harris got on the board in the 34th minute with their first goal and added another one 2 minutes later.  Coffee County got their goal in the 43rd minute as Alyssa Gipson knocked home a crossing pass from Katie Cotton to make the score 2 to 1.  Harris added goals in the 50th and 52nd minutes to end the Lady Raiders’ upset hopes.

The Lady Raiders end the season with a pair of losses to Harris as they finish at 3 and 7 on the year.  After a 2 and 1 start, injuries and inexperience combined to hamper the Lady Raiders all season.  Coach Travis O’Kelley will be a guest on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show to review the season.  The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast live each Saturday from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln beginning at 10 AM.  The Coffee Coaches Show is heard exclusively here on Thunder Radio.

9/25/17 — Birthdays

Birthdays:
Roxana Bryan — Pizza Winner!

Clyde Jones, 81

Leanne McCullough

Leo Finney

Art Hatstad, 56

Casey Keiff

9/24/17 — Birthdays

Birthdays:
Penny Draine, 53 — Pizza Winner!

John McCullough, 53

Andy Crookshank

Christine Statum

9/23/17 — Birthdays

Birthdays:
Lisa James — Pizza Winner!

Dot Rogalle, 87

Bob Rich

Sammie Mears, 24

Lady Bucks Head to Mississippi for Rematch with Itawamba

Motlow State freshman Lena Alakabi has only allowed six goals in five games in her role as the starting goalkeeper for the Lady Bucks this season. Alakabi, who played her prep soccer at Stewarts Creek High School, has an .838 save percentage and has made 31 saves on the season, including nine last Friday in Motlow’s 1-0 loss to Meridian (MS) Community College [Motlow College photo]

The Motlow State Lady Bucks will go in search of their first win over a community college team from Mississippi this weekend after suffering a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Meridian Friday afternoon at Lincoln County High School in Fayetteville.

The Lady Bucks (2-3-1) will travel to Senatobia on Friday for a 3 p.m. match against Northwest Mississippi, then turn around and go to Tupelo on Saturday for a rematch with Itawamba Community College. Motlow fell to Itawamba 3-1 in Winchester on Sept. 9.

Motlow was unable to generate any offensive consistency against Meridian on Friday. The two teams had earlier played to a 1-1 tie back on Aug. 25, on Meridian’s home field. Despite another outstanding effort by Motlow’s defense, the Lady Bucks saw their modest two-game winning streak come to an end.

The Lady Bucks recorded only four shots on the day, with three coming in the second half. Tyler Feaster generated the only shot on goal for Motlow. Lena Alakabi had another outstanding performance at goalkeeper, saving nine of the 10 Meridian shots.

Following the weekend trip to Mississippi, the Lady Bucks will stay on the road when they travel to Lookout Mountain, Georgia, for a 5 p.m. match on Oct. 4 against the Covenant College JV. The game is a make-up date that was originally scheduled for Sept. 5, but was postponed due to inclement weather.

Motlow will play a pair of home games after that, hosting Gordon State Community College on Saturday, Oct. 7, at 2 p.m. at Shelbyville Central High School, then hosting Southwest Tennessee on Tuesday, Oct. 10, in Tullahoma.

Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at MotlowSports.com for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics on social media at MotlowSports.