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Robert “Rob” Theodore Petersen II
A memorial visitation for Mr. Robert “Rob” Theodore Petersen, II, age 52 of Manchester, will be conducted from 5:00PM until 7:00PM, on Thursday, August 4, 2022, at Manchester Funeral Home. Mr. Petersen passed from this life on Monday, July 18, 2022, at his residence in Manchester, TN.
Rob was born in Manchester, TN, on April 27, 1970, the son of the late Robert and Andrea Petersen. He was a United States Air Force veteran, who enjoyed cycling, riding motorcycles, and rock climbing. In his free time you could find Rob hiking with his dogs at Old Stone Fort.
Rob was preceded in death by his parents, Robert, Sr. and Andrea Petersen. He is survived by his daughter, Amaryl Petersen; brother, Erik Petersen, Sr. (Kelley); sisters, Kristel Gainor (Rich), Amaryl Morie (Scott), and Andrea Ritchie (Dennis); multiple nieces and nephews.
Manchester Funeral Home is honored to serve the Petersen family.
Ada Fern Stanley
Ada Fern Stanley, age 102, died Saturday, July 30, 2022, in Manchester. Ada was born on June 8, 1920, the daughter of Danish immigrants, Albert and Ferna Thomason Scheuer.
Ada grew up in Utah and was retired from the phone company in North Carolina. After moving to Manchester, she worked until after age 90 at Walmart.
In addition to her parents, Ada is preceded in death by her husband, Craig Stanley; her only child, Michael Kelley; brother, Ellis Scheuer; sister, Esther Burgess; and sister, Karen Massey of Manchester. She is also preceded in death by a favorite niece, Eva Thomas of Manchester. Ada is survived by a number of nieces and nephews spanning several generations, including Kamilla Wright of Manchester, and her family. She is also survived by a number of extended Stanley family members and by food friends, Phyllis Durr and Wanda Harmon.
Graveside services are scheduled for a later date.
Online condolences and memories can be shared at www.manchesterfuneralhome.com
Manchester Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements and is honored to serve the Stanley family.
Doris Beatrice “Bea” Bland
Doris Beatrice “Bea” Bland passed away on Friday, July 29, 2022 at her home in Decherd at the age of 91. Services will be held Thursday, Aug 4, 2022 at 1 PM at Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home with burial to follow at Watson-North Cemetery in Winchester. The family will receive friends from 12 Noon until service time.
Mrs. Bland was the daughter of the late William Clarence and Ellen Sandridge McDonald. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her loving husband of 53 years, Elmer “Bob” Bland; sons, infant, Terry Lee and Roger Dale, Ricky Joe and William L. Bland; grandchildren, Dusty Williams and Roger Bland; son-in-law, Tommy F. Crossland; sister, Myram Stewart and brothers, Junior, Kenneth and Bobby McDonald
She is survived by daughters, Sue Crossland of Winchester and Diane “Peanut” Hall of Sevierville; son, Wayne Bland (Melissa) of Sevierville; fourteen grandchildren; 21 great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren.
Bea was a loving wife, mother and granny. She was always putting others first in her life even when she sick, she was worrying about others. She was a devoted Christian and attended Perry Plains Baptist Church. She worked at the hat factory in Winchester, Tennessee Apparel in Tullahoma and Shaw Industries in Cowan.
Mrs. Bland’s family would like to thank the staff at Hospice Compassus, with special attention to Rita and Sherri who treated her like their own.
Mrs. Bland will be escorted to her resting place, next to her husband, by their grandsons.
Online condolences may be made at www.davesculbertsonfuneralhome.com.
Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Braves acquire Adrianza from Nationals, DFA Cano
Ehire Adrianza is returning to Atlanta with the hope of once again helping the Braves win a World Series title.
The Braves acquired Adrianza from the Nationals in exchange for Trey Harris on Monday afternoon. Atlanta created a roster spot by designating Robinson Canó for assignment.
Adrianza has hit just .179 with a .458 OPS in 94 plate appearances for the Nationals this year. But a change of scenery may help him get back to where he was last year, when he hit .247 with a .728 OPS for the Braves.
Adrianza is a switch-hitter who can help fill the void left by second baseman Ozzie Albies for the next few weeks, and he can also play left field if necessary. Albies could return from a fractured foot by the start of September; left field became a concern when Adam Duvall suffered a season-ending wrist injury on July 23.
Canó went 4-for-26 and showed limited range at second base over nine games for the Braves. The 39-year-old veteran has played for the Mets, Padres and Braves this year.
Harris was named the Braves’ Minor League Player of the Year in 2019, but the 26-year-old outfielder has stalled at the Double-A level the past two years. He ranked as Atlanta’s No. 29 prospect per MLB Pipeline.
THE ATLANTA BRAVES PLAY ON THUNDER RADIO!
HIGH SCHOOL GOLF – Rain drowns opener for Coffee County Monday
Monday, Aug. 1 was set to be the opening day of fall sports for Coffee County Central, as the Raider golf teams traveled to Lakewood Country Club for the Tullahoma Invitational.
Coffee County got off the tee at about 9 a.m., but only sloshed through about five holes before mother nature decided to send everyone home.
The Raider golf teams are scheduled to be back in action on Monday, Aug. 8 at 1 p.m. when they host Shelbyville and Lincoln County at WillowBrook Golf Course.
Manchester Police Chief Yother announces retirement; search underway for replacement
Manchester Police Department Chief of Police Mark Yother will be retiring on August 30th.
Yother turned in a notice to Manchester Mayor Marilyn Howard last week announcing his retirement. He has served as chief of police since September of 2012, when Ross Simmons retired. Prior to that he served as chief investigator, investigator and patrolman.
“I would like to thank God first and foremost, and of course my family and the citizens of Manchester,” said Yother, who began as a patrolman Aug. 25 of 1982. “Want to thank all the good policemen for their hard work. I’m happy and excited about retirement. I may rest up but I’m kind of hyper so it’s hard to sit still.
“I would like to volunteer or find something part time where I can be involved in helping people,” added Yother. “I’ve coached ball all my life and special Olympics has been a big part of what we have done. So maybe I can find a way to get involved but I don’t have any big plans at this time.”
Mayor Howard told Thunder Radio News that Yother has “served our city well.” She said that Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) will guide the hiring process of a new chief of police, saying that the advisory board will help conduct interviews and narrow the applicants down to two people to recommend to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. But ultimately, the Manchester BOMA has final say.
“The board will look at those applicants and decide who we want as our next chief of police,” explained Howard. “There is always the possibility that the board will look at it and say they want someone other [than who MTAS sends].”
Howard said the hiring of a new chief is expected to be a quick process. However, she added that the new board of mayor and alderman will make that decision. There will be at least three new aldermen after the Aug. 4 election, possibly four. The new board will be sworn in at the first meeting of September.
Howard said that no interim chief will be named, leaving assistant chief of police Adam Floied in charge of the department as of Sept. 1 until a replacement is named.
Gas prices drop another 15 cents in Tennessee
Gas prices fell, on average, 68 cents in the month of July. As Tennessee heads into its seventh straight week of declining gas prices, the state gas price average is now less than a dollar more expensive than last year. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $3.78 which is 68 cents less expensive than one month ago and 88 cents more than one year ago.
Gas prices in Coffee County have fallen below the state average for the first time since prices began declining in June. The average price in Coffee County is now $3.76, 2 cents below the state average. Still, gas is much less expensive in neighboring Bedford County at $3.56.
“After the state average fell below $4 per gallon last week, this week brings the good news that all major metro areas in the state now also have averages below $4 per gallon,” said Megan Cooper, spokeswoman for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Oil and gasoline futures made notable gains last week, which could potentially cause falling gas prices to stall and level out, but it’s too early to tell. For now, Tennesseans can breathe a sigh of relief as they head into the seventh straight week of falling gas prices.”
Quick Facts
- 90% of Tennessee gas stations have prices below $4.00 per gallon
- All major metro areas in the state have metro averages below $4.00 per gallon
- The lowest 10% of pump prices are $3.40 for regular unleaded
- The highest 10% of pump prices are $4.19 for regular unleaded
- Tennessee is the 7th least expensive market in the nation
National Gas Prices
The national average for a gallon of gas fell to $4.21, down 14 cents since last week. But a slight uptick in gas demand as more people fuel up could end the steady drop in daily pump prices.
According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand increased from 8.52 million b/d to 9.25 million b/d last week. The estimated rate is 80,000 b/d lower than last year, but it could slow pump price decreases if the trend holds. Additionally, total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 3.3 million bbl to 225.1 million bbl, signaling that higher demand reduced inventory last week.
New survey data from AAA finds that drivers are making significant changes to cope with high pump prices. Almost two-thirds (64%) of U.S. adults changed their driving habits or lifestyle since March, with 23% making “major changes.” Drivers’ top three changes to offset high gas prices are driving less, combining errands, and reducing shopping or dining out.
Today’s national average of $4.21 is 63 cents less than a month ago and $1.04 more than a year ago.
CHS OPENS SCHOOL YEAR WITH 2ND ANNUAL SENIOR SUNRISE (photo gallery)
Well, it was raining on the first day of school Monday. So there wasn’t much of a sunrise to see at Coffee County Central High School’s Senior Sunrise event. But there was still plenty of fun to be had.
For the second year in a row, a new tradition at CHS kicked off the school year – senior sunrise. Senior students began gathering inside Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gymnasium at 5:30 a.m. Monday to play games and socialize before the 2022-23 school year officially began. Weather forced the event indoors.
Thunder Radio morning show was on hand to broadcast the show live from the event, interviewing students and getting in on the fun. Check out photo gallery below. All photos by Holly Peterson, Thunder Radio | Thunder The Magazine.
Jason Creek & Tim Knox 
Maddie Sullivan 
Ian Weldon 
Jalyn Case (right) 
Tristin Galy 
Rylee McInnis 
Carter McKenzie, Abby Clark, Charlie Pierce (from left) 
Nate Luttrell 
Gia Perez 
Jalie Ruehling and Thunder Radio Morning Show host Josh Peterson 
Anna Johnson 
Abby Clark, Katie Cotten, Camry Moss (from left) 
Chloe Gannon & Thunder Radio Morning Show Host Holly Peterson 
Darryn Strickland 
Tristin Galy 
Ashton Ferrell (2023 class president) and Thunder Radio Morning Show Host Josh Peterson 
CHS band drum major Marianna Stein and Thunder Radio Morning Show Host Josh Peterson 
Seniors of the CHS Class of 2023.
MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Westwood Rockets hit big plays at Saturday Jamboree
Westwood Rocket football had its first preseason tuneup Saturday under new head coach Justin Kanjanabout.
The Rocket offense was able to hit some big plays, but ended up dropping both Jamboree style games.
Warren County 14, Westwood 12
Rocket Matthew White scored both touchdowns for Westwood on big plays. He caught a 40-yard pass from quarterback Kaysen Lowery and then scored on a 40+ yard run.
Grundy County 24, Westwood 15
Once again, Westwood scored on some big plays. Matthew White scored on a 40-yard pitch and catch from Lowery and then hit the PAT. Then Lowery broke loose for a 40-yard running score and made good on the 2-point try.
Westwood will host its annual Blue-White game on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Raiders handle La Vergne in first fall scrimmage
It was only a scrimmage. But there is certainly reason to be optimistic after the Coffee County Red Raider’s outing Friday night in La Vergne.
After taking a few plays to settle in, the Raiders were able to run an efficient offense and a defense that stymied the Wolverines for most of the afternoon.
RED RAIDER NOTEBOOK
-This wasn’t a true format for a football game. Quarterbacks wore green jerseys, special teams worked at the beginning and then each team kept the ball for 10 plays, regardless of outcome.
-Junior kicker Elijah McCoy was a perfect 2-for-2 on his extra point attempts at the opening of the scrimmage.
-Sophomore quarterback Cole Pippenger had his moments. He connected with senior tight end Jahlin Osbourne multiple times, including a 35-yarder over the middle and a 50-yard touchdown strike.
-Pippenger found Ian Weldon on play 10 of their second possession for a touchdown. Pippenger rolled out after the play broke down.
-Brendon Sheppard scored on defense with a scoop and score and later picked up an interception. The Raider defense forced two more turnovers, fumbles recovered by Kendall James and Nate Luttrell.
WHAT IS BEING SAID
Coach Doug Greene was pleased with his team’s outing.
“Obviously, we have some things that need cleaned up just like anybody this time of the year. But I was happy with what we saw. Kids played hard, we ran the ball really well with Konor [Heaton] and that may be the best that [Tristin} Galy has ran it for us. And Kendall James ran the ball well. We need depth and I think we are headed in the right direction.”
The Raiders open the season Aug. 19 when they host Franklin County. This marks the 100th year of Red Raider football. Listen to the Raiders all season long on Thunder Radio. Friday Night Thunder pregame at 6 p.m. every Friday, kickoff at 7 p.m. on 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com.
