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Hometown Sports Series Begins Thursday Night
1st National Bank and Thunder Radio will once again combine forces this fall to continue to highlight more and more local athletes. The highly acclaimed 1st National Bank Hometown Sports Series begins its 4th season as we highlight middle school football action from Westwood and Coffee County Middle, along with girls’ soccer and volleyball at the middle schools and at Coffee County Central High.
Beginning on Thursday, and running through the end of September, Thunder Radio will bring you a series of 13 contests as we strive to spotlight Manchester’s incredible school and community spirit. The Hometown Sports Series will continue into the postseason for the high school volleyball and soccer teams as well as any middle school football championship games. Just another example of why Thunder Radio is Coffee County’s number 1 station.
The schedule is as follows:
2017 FNB Hometown Sports Schedule
CHS Lady Raider Basketball to Host Golf Tournament
The Coffee County Lady Raider basketball team will be hosting a fund raising golf scramble. The tournament is set to be held on Saturday, August 12th. The tournament will be a 4 man scramble format and everyone is invited to participate. The tournament will be held at Willowbrook and will tee off at 1 PM.
Cost for the tournament is $85 per person which includes 18 holes and lunch. Lunch will be served at noon. The tournament entry fee will also buy you a red tee and a mulligan. There will be cash prizes for 1st and 2nd place plus a chance to win a car for a hole-in-one. Al White Ford/Lincoln will be giving away a new car to the first person in the tournament who records an ace on the 17th hole.
If you need for information, contact Joe Pat Cope at: copej@k12coffee.net or call his office at: 931-723-5174
Birthdays for 8/8/2017
John Jouett – Pizza Winner!
CCMS Soccer to Host Benefit PlayDay on Saturday
2017 CCMS Soccer PlayDay
The Coffee County Middle School soccer team will be hosting their annual “Kickin’ Cancer Soccer PlayDay Scrimmage on Saturday at CCMS. The Lady Raiders will welcome varsity and JV teams from 6 different middle Tennessee counties for the daylong event. Games are set to get underway at 9 AM and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to a local cancer charity. Additionally, the Lady Raiders will don pink jerseys for the day and will play with a pink ball.
Coffee County will play varsity games at 9:30 and 3:20. The JV Lady Raiders will play at 11:20 and 2:50. Everyone is encouraged to bring your lawn chair and come out to the Coffee County Middle School to enjoy some good soccer and donate to a worthy cause.
Braves Can’t Get Over the Hump vs. Phillies
The Braves accounted for each of the three losses the mighty Dodgers experienced during a recent 24-game span. But they have also encountered nothing but frustration against the last-place Phillies, who extended their success against their National League East rivals with a 3-2 win on Wednesday night at SunTrust Park.
Odubel Herrera once again was a thorn in the Braves’ side, as he helped produce a 2-0 lead with his second triple of the night in the third inning.
“Odubel is playing like his hair is one fire,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.
But it was the back-to-back doubles by Cesar Hernandez and Freddy Galvis off Atlanta starter Sean Newcomb to begin the fifth inning that proved decisive for the Phillies, who have won 11 of 13 against the Braves and gone 31-67 against all other opponents this season.
The Braves have averaged 3.6 runs per game against the Phillies and 4.7 runs against all other opponents this season. They have gone 6-16 and 0-6 against Philadelphia since evening their record through 90 games on July 16.
“It’s just kind of the way we’ve been against [the Phillies],” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Everybody pitches like they’re Bob Gibson against us, regardless of their history. It’s just one of those things. You can’t explain it. You can’t point to any one thing.”
Phillies starting pitcher Jerad Eickhoff had some good fortune when Nick Markakis’ second double of the night did not lead to a run in the sixth inning, after the Phillies caught Freddie Freeman in a rundown after rounding third. The right-hander pitched past the sixth for the first time since April 10, but encountered some poor luck when right fielder Nick Williams misplayed Ozzie Albies’ routine fly ball into a double that set the stage for Danny Santana’s two-out, pinch-hit single in the seventh.
“To go back in after that sixth inning felt pretty good and I was just happy to go back out and have a chance to do it,” Eickhoff said.
After being left stranded after a two-out triple in the first, Herrera reached across the plate to drill a liner to left-center that scored Galvis from first base and resulted in his second triple. The Phillies’ center fielder also scored on the play when Newcomb was not in position to field Albies’ throw which sailed into the Phillies’ dugout.
“I feel good,” Herrera said. “I just have to keep working and good things will happen.”
After Santana increased the Braves’ MLB-best pinch-hit RBI total to 35 with his key single in the seventh, third-base coach Ron Washington’s indecisive blunder in the sixth inning proved to be costly. When Markakis drilled a double into the right-center-field gap, Freeman took off sprinting from first base. Washington initially waved Freeman before suddenly putting up a stop sign too late. Freeman was then retired in a rundown.
Mike Foltynewicz will be on the mound when the Braves open a three-game set in St. Louis on Friday at 7:15 p.m. CT. Foltynewicz allowed seven earned runs in just four innings against the Cardinals in early May.
Manchester City Leaders to use $1.2 million in Reserves to Balance Budget
The Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen have voted to pass an amendment to the city’s 2017-18 budget. The next vote is set for Tuesday, Sept. 5.
The amendment will see the city using nearly $1.2 million in reserves to balance this year’s budget, which includes raises for all city department heads, department head assistants, general employees and city school staff members.
$300,000 in reserves will be used to pay for a street sweeper and truck for the street department. The city will borrow nearly $500,000 for a fire truck and $175,000 for the Manchester Parks and Recreation Department.
Some savings on the budget include the Coffee County Conference Center’s operating losses at $140,000 from the $200,000 originally allocated. A decrease of $100,000 in workman’s compensation and general liability payouts. An unfilled, currently unneeded position and other costs within the finance department were also cut by $32,750.
The 2017-18 budget as amended would leave the city with about $3.4 million in reserves, still within the recommended surplus. (Manchester Times)
Hands-On Science Center Receives Grant and New Director
The Hands-On Science Center in Tullahoma has been awarded a $48,886 grant from the USAF STEM Program. Grants like this are key to furthering the Air Force mission to foster a new generation of scientists, mathematicians, engineers and technologists who will one day discover and problem solve in the nation’s defense laboratories and other supporting U.S. companies.
The Hands-On Science Center has provided science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs for 25 years. Collaborating with the Arnold AFB STEM Outreach program office, the Center is focused on providing an educational environment for youth conducive to the growth of technology and ideas throughout Middle Tennessee.
Earlier this summer, the Hands-On Science Center announced the selection of Deb Wimberley as its new executive director. The selection was made after a national search and selection process, led by John Claybrook, president of the HOSC Board of Directors.
“Ms. Wimberley has a wealth of science and teaching experience and is extremely enthusiastic with a deep sense of commitment to the mission of this organization,” reported Claybrook.
Wimberley’s experience includes over eight years as science teacher at Westwood Middle School in Manchester, TN. She also has extensive knowledge of a variety of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs and an extensive network with businesses in the region.
The Hands-On Science Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire excitement for science through over 100 interactive exhibits and programs that engage, educate and empower. Hosting over 18,000 visitors each year, the Center is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m.– 5:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. as well as Monday and Tuesday for scheduled school field trips. The Hands-On Science Center is located at 101 Mitchell Blvd in Tullahoma, TN.
Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit will include Coffee County
Photo credit:(frankieleon/flickr.com)
Recently Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the formation of the Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit, a new Department of Justice pilot program to utilize data to help combat the devastating opioid crisis that is ravaging families and communities across America. This new unit will focus specifically on opioid-related health care fraud using data to identify and prosecute individuals that are contributing to this prescription opioid epidemic.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, which includes Coffee County, was one of 12, out of 94 districts across the country, chosen to participate in this program. The district will receive funding for an Assistant U.S Attorney, for a three-year term, to focus solely on investigating and prosecuting healthcare fraud related to prescription opioids, including pill mill schemes and pharmacies that unlawfully divert or dispense prescription opioids for illegitimate purposes. Sadly, statistics show that Tennessee is one of the most highly opioid-addicted states in the country.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Lewen, Jr., has been selected to fill this position in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee. He will be working with the FBI, DEA and HHS, as well as our state and local law enforcement partners.
Police for Searching man that tried to Pass Fraudulent Check
Just before 10 am on Wednesday, a black male in a white T-shirt, dark blue jeans and a large gold belt buckle attempted to pass a fraudulent check at US Bank in Decherd.
The male was rushed and got scared and fled the bank on foot. Police are unaware if he had a vehicle waiting for him in the area.
The Decherd Police Department is asking for your help if you see someone matching this description. They don’t believe the male is from this area but he has a book of checks belonging to a victim and may try to cash another one in the area.
If you have any information, please call Franklin County Consolidated Communications at 967-2331 or the Decherd Police Department at 962-1675.
Sounds Trail from Start to Finish in Loss
The Tacoma Rainiers scored a pair of runs in the opening inning and never looked back in a 9-2 win over the Nashville Sounds Wednesday night at Cheney Stadium.
Tacoma first baseman Dan Vogelbach drilled an opposite field two-run homer off Nashville starter Frankie Montas in the first inning to start the scoring for the Rainiers.
Nashville managed hits in each of the first three innings but came away with only one run. Franklin Barreto’s first inning double, and Yairo Munoz’s second inning single went for naught as Tacoma starter Sam Gaviglio worked around both in his first two frames.
Gaviglio issued a leadoff walk to Melvin Mercedes in the third and it came back to hurt the right-hander. Mercedes moved to second on Boog Powell’s single to center, and went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Franklin Barreto. Jaff Decker followed with a sacrifice fly to score Mercedes and trim the deficit to 2-1.
Another long ball hurt Montas in the fourth as Mike Marjama followed Vogelbach’s inning-opening free pass with a towering two-run shot to left to make it a 4-1 game. Montas was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs in four innings.
It got worse in the fifth when Tacoma plated five runs off Chris Jensen to bust the game open. All five runs came with two outs as Vogelbach’s big night continued with a run-scoring single to extend Tacoma’s lead to 5-1.
After a single and walk, Kyle Waldrop drilled a high fly ball to deep right field that Decker couldn’t corral as he slammed into the outfield wall. Three runs scored and the Rainiers took a commanding 8-1 lead. Dario Pizzano tacked on an RBI triple when his fly ball was lost in the lights by Munoz in center field.
The Sounds didn’t get much going the rest of the night. Ryan Lavarnway had a two-out single in the seventh but nothing came from it.
Base hits by Joey Wendle and Munoz sparked a little rally in the ninth as the Sounds scored their second run of the night. Munoz was the lone Nashville play with a multi-hit game.
The series finale is set for Thursday night at Cheney Stadium. Right-hander Ben Bracewell (1-2, 6.89) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Max Povse (1-0, 8.74) for the Rainiers. First pitch is scheduled for 9:05 p.m. CST.