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Patriot Day Ceremony held in Manchester
Patriots of the Year for 2017… Photos by Rob Clutter
Patriots of the Year in Coffee County:
Aaron Brown-Hillsboro Volunteer Fire Dept.
Chris Kepley- Summitville Volunteer Fire Dept.
Benjamin Sneed- Deputy Coffee Co. Sheriff’s Dept.
Nick Sloan- New Union Volunteer Fire Dept.
Jaimie Newman- Officer Manchester Police Dept.
Johnny Fults- Manchester Fire Dept.
Randal Williams- THP
Leonard Pike- Coffee Co. Rescue Squad
Brook Earhart- Officer Tullahoma Police Dept.
Devon DeFord- Hickerson Station Volunteer Fire Dept.
Ricky Prince- Tullahoma Fire Dept.
Denise Summers- Coffee Co. 911
Several citizens attended the ceremony to honor Coffee County First Responders.
Two Men Jailed in Coffee Co. after Search Warrant is Served
Jerry Ralph McLean… Photos provided by the CCSD.
On Friday September 8th, 2017 Manchester Police officers executed a search warrant at 1351 Rock Road in Morrison. Upon arrival, Jerry Ralph McLean age 50 of Summitville Rd Manchester and Randall Cowan Baker age 57 of Rock Rd Morrison were allegedly found to be in possession of approximately 3.5 grams of a white crystal substance believed to be methamphetamine. According to the arrest warrant, police also found a black pouch containing 4 separate plastic bags that contained approximately 37 grams of the same crystal substance, set of digital scales and several other pieces of drug paraphernalia. Also, allegedly found on McLean’s person, which was inside Baker’s home was a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana weighing 1.5 grams.
Randall Cowan Baker
Bothe Mclean and Baker were charged by Manchester Police with a schedule VI drug violation, manufacturing/delivering/selling/possession of a controlled substance and unlawful drug paraphernalia uses and activities.
Both bonds were set at $153,000 each and they’ll appear in court on Sept. 19, 2017.
Another Man Sent to Jail for E-Cig Scandal in Rutherford County
John Vanderveer was sentenced for his part in selling e-cigarettes to inmates, including the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center in Murfreesboro. The uncle of former Sheriff Robert Arnold was sentenced by a federal judge Monday to serve 12 months and one day in a federal prison and pay more than 52-thousand in restitution for obstruction of justice.
Vanderveer, who handled sales in the company, admitted during his plea that he formed the Georgia company, JailCigs, LLC, in October 2013 with Arnold and former sheriff’s office Chief Administrative Deputy Joe Russell to sell e-cigarettes to Rutherford County jail inmates and market the products to other jails nationwide.
Arnold is currently serving a 50-month prison term after pleading guilty to wire fraud, honest services fraud and extortion under color of official right. Russell is set to be sentenced in October on those same charges after his plea.
Old Stone Fort State Park Rangers looking to Remove Privet
Privet
“As the Volunteer State, we hope all Tennesseans will consider joining us in caring for the beautiful lands we get to call home,” said TDEC Deputy Commissioner for Parks and Conservation Brock Hill.
National Public Lands Day (NPLD) began in 1994 with just three federal agencies and 700 volunteers. Now in its 24th year, NPLD is the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands, which make up over 30 percent of America’s landscape.
For more information, including a list of hikes and events statewide go to www.tnstateparks.com
The event on Sept. 30, 2017 at Old Stone Fort State Park in Manchester will be to help halt the invasion of the plant, Privet. This is an invasive plant species with the tendency to outcompete native species in the area. This pesky pest has infiltrated the Garrison Road trail, stealing nutrients and sunlight from the native trees and underbrush. Privet is notoriously difficult to remove. State parks staff have been hard at work all summer in an attempt to combat this menace but they need your help! Meet with park rangers for this special volunteer event to help stop the invasion in its tracks. Please come prepared in comfortable, closed-toe shoes and clothes you do not mind getting dirty. Gloves are suggested. Tools will be provided by Old Stone Fort. They will have a water cooler, please bring your own refillable water bottle. They will meet at the check-in station in the campground at 10 AM and will hike a half-mile to the removal site.
Coffee County Fair reschedules Little Miss practice
Due to inclement weather, The Coffee County Fair is postponing tonight’s practice for the Little Miss Pageant. The new day and time will be Thursday, September 14th at 5PM
Coffee County Central High School Cxl afternoon activites
Due to the incoming weather that will reach us between 2:00-3:00 p.m. ALL after school activities have been cancelled for today (practices and contests). Winds are estimated to reach 40-50 mph by 4:00 through 7:00 a.m. and the safety of our kids is first and foremost. Please contact me with any questions.
Ryan Sulkowski
Coffee County Central High School
Director of Athletics/Head Football Coach
9/11/17–Glenn Douglas Norfleet
Glenn Douglas Norfleet born January 8, 1936 in Woodlawn, Tennessee died September 8, 2017 at home in Manchester, Tennessee of cancer. He was the son of Byron Douglas Norfleet and Cynthia Ann Tomlinson Norfleet.
A celebration of Glenn’s life will be held at the First United Methodist Church, 104 Church St., Manchester on Monday, September 11, 2017. Visitation 11am – 2pm and services beginning at 2pm.
Glenn started his education in a one-room school in Woodlawn. His quick and curious mind led him to an Engineering degree from Vanderbilt and Master’s in Aeronautical Engineering from Princeton.
He had a more than three-decade career working for Sverdrup Technology. During his career, he received numerous recognitions including the HH Arnold Award and later became an AEDC Fellow.
In 1958, Glenn married his first and forever love Carolyn Belle Combs. They raised three children – Byron (Donna), Robert (Louise), and Laurie (Johnny). Glenn was an enthusiastic grandfather to their six grandchildren – Phillip, Douglas, Olivia, Georgia, Ethan, and Connor.
As a thoughtful and skillful debater, Glenn was always up for a challenge. He was a compassionate leader and a valued member of the community. He was elected as Alderman in Manchester, served on the Duck River Electric Board of Directors and the Coffee County Industrial Board.
Glenn was a life-long active member of the Methodist church and his passion for his faith led him to serve in many capacities.
Memorial gifts to the Manchester First United Methodist Church.
CENTRAL FUNERAL HOME IS IN CHARGE OF THE ARRANGEMENTS
Prep Cross Country Runners Come Out on Top at Sewanee on Thursday
Emily St.John of CHS cross country
In a rare, but delightful, scheduling convergence, the Coffee County and Westwood cross country teams all took part in the St. Andrews-Sewanee Meet on Thursday. With races for high school and middle school boys and girls, the day featured an opportunity for the local harriers to compete against one another and other area rivals. Each team facing a course that was both challenging and diverse in its terrain.
Middle School Meet
After competing at less than full strength in years past, the Coffee County Middle School Raiders fielded a complete roster of runners on Thursday to compete for their first ever boys team title. Not only did the Raider harriers compete, they won! Eighth graders Jacob Rutledge and Ethan Welch blistered the 1.55 mile course to finish first and second respectively. Rutledge posted a time of 8:41 while Welch clocked in at 9:06. Westwood posted the 3rd and 4th place finishers as Louie Frazier and Bodey Todd were the top runners for the Rockets respectively. Coffee County’s Ethan Beaty was 6th and the Westwood duo of Brady Nugent(8th place) and Luke Beachboard(10th) gave the Manchester runners a lion’s share of Top 10 finishes.
Ethan Welch(left) and Jacob Rutledge(right) of CCMS cross country
In team scoring, Coffee County came in first place overall a mere 8 points ahead of Westwood. South Middle came in 3rd place. Also capturing strong finishers for the locals were Connor Cravens(17th), John Dobson(21st), Keiton Sherrill(30th and Jon Askins(31st) for Westwood. For Coffee Middle, Bradley Escue finished in 12th, Breyton Anderson was 123th and Clayton Bryant was 24th.
In the girls’ race, the Lady Rockets continued their team dominance as captured the team title easily outdistancing South Franklin who finished in 2nd place. Rylea McNamara was the top finisher for Westwood as she broke the tape in 3rd place. Kailee Rossman finished 5th, Lizabeth Martinez was 7th, Mattalyn Goney came in 8th, Marisol Moreno was 12th, Lenor Moreno Rivera was 13th and Brookelyn George came in 14th. The Lady Raiders of Coffee Middle fielded only 1 runner, Haley Koren (HK) Sherrill, who finished in 11th place.
In the high school races, the Red Raiders and Lady Raiders each captured Top 3 finishes. With the absence of senior runners Byanka Woods and Sarah Pearson, the Lady Raiders were paced by senior Emily St. John who finished in 2nd place which helped lift Coffee County to a 3rd place finish. Lady Raider freshmen runners Zoe Mills, Jasie Willis, Shelby Watkins and Kara Mueller rounded out the top 5 finishers for Coffee County in the girls’ race.
The Red Raiders were once again paced by senior Bradley Kishpaugh who captured 2nd place in the boys’ race. Fellow senior, Neil Slone, was the second runner across the line for the Raiders. Andres Cavalie, Renato Garcia and Rueben Chaput rounded out the top five for the team. Larson Meltzer and Jacob Melton finished off the varsity team. Christian Alvarez and Eric French both ran strong races for the JV team. As a team, the Raiders finished 2nd, only five points behind Franklin County.
All three programs, and all 6 teams, will be in action on Tuesday as they will run in Manchester at the newly reopened Old Stove Fort Golf Course. The meet, hosted by Coffee County, will feature races for middle school and high school teams and the first race will get underway at 4 PM. A huge contingent of runners and spectators is expected and fans are encouraged to carpool and get their early. Special thanks to Tink and Judy Driver and the Old Stone Fort Golf Club for hosting the meet.
Coffee County BASS Club Starts Season Strong on Saturday
The Coffee County Youth Bass Club opened the 2017 season on Saturday at Nickajack Lake. With the growth of high school bass clubs in the State, the Tennessee BASS Nation divided up prep teams into regions for 2017. The Raider angler squad fielded 9 boats and 17 anglers in the inaugural South Central Tennessee Region BASS Nation High School tournament.
Competing against a field of 77 boats, Coffee County fared extremely well as they placed 4 boats in the top 22 spots for the day. The Raider anglers were led by the boat of Garrett Davis and Isaiah Owens who finished in 3rd place. David & Owens caught 5 fish weighing in at 8.03 pounds. Hunter Sanders and Blake Mangrum finished in 15th place as they caught 2 fish weighing in at 3.62 pounds. The team of Shannah Frame and Ceygan Thomas finished 21st with a 2 fish stringer weighing in at 2.93 and Colby and Braeden Thurmond were 22nd with 2 fish weighing in at 2.85 pounds. The team of Hunter Haley and Garrett Fellars came in 27th with a 1.97 pound fish while Issac Turner and Cameron Rutledge finished in 32nd place with a 1.66 pound fish.
The Coffee County anglers will be back at Nickajack on September 23rd for a Tennessee Bass Nation Trail Event. Boats will put in at the Shellmound boat ramp and fishing will commence around 6 AM.
CCMS Volleyball Gets Huge Conference Win at White County on Friday
Lauren Brandt of CCMS volleyball
The Coffee County Middle School volleyball team traveled to Sparta on Friday for a conference match with White County. Facing the Warriorettes for the second time in the last 2 weeks, Coffee County was looking to capture the upset on the road. After dropping the first set, the Lady Raiders roared back to capture the 3 set win. Coffee County won by set scores of 22-25, 25-22, 15-11.
Coffee County got 13 service aces in the match to go a long way to scoring the revenge win. Lauren Brandt led the way as she served 8. Kiya Ferrell and Hannah Richardson each added 2 aces. Ferrell led the team in kills with 6 while Richardson added a block. Maddy Sussen led in assists with 4 and finished with an ace. Brandt added 3 assists.
The Lady Raiders are back at home on Monday when they play host to Harris. Thunder Radio will bring you that match as part of the First National Bank Hometown Sports Series. That match will also begin at 5 PM. Thunder Radio’s live coverage begins at 4:50.