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Wanda M Albright
Wanda M Albright passed this life on Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at the Life
Care Center of Tullahoma at the age of 75. Memorial Services are scheduled
for Saturday, July 31, 2021 at 1 PM at Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home. The
family will receive friends from 12 PM – 1 PM.
A native of Holden, WV, she was the daughter of the late Walter Lee
Stapleton Sr. and the late Lillie Wellman Stapleton. Mrs. Albright was a
hairdresser and loved her work. She also enjoyed caring for her pet dogs,
spending time with her family and friends and doing crafts. She was a
“Social Butterfly” and was very involved in the activities offered by the
Life Care Center.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, David
Albright and brother, Walter Lee Stapleton Jr.
Mrs. Albright is survived by her son, Matt Peace of Bloomington, IN;
daughter, Valerie Ann Peace of Belvidere; sister, Sue Ann-Stapleton Jordan
of Brentwood and grandchildren, Samuel Thomas of Bloomington, IN, Savannah
Marie Hunter of Cookeville and Chandler James David Hunter of Tullahoma.
In lieu of flowers the family has requested donations be made in her honor
to The National Alliance of Mental Illness, donate.nami.org.
Online condolences may be made at www.davesculbertsonfuneralhome.com.
Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Harold Thomas Bush
Harold Thomas Bush, of Dover, Florida, formerly of Tullahoma, passed this life on Thursday, July 8 th , 2021 at Kindred Hospital in Tampa at the age of 82. Mr. Bush was born in Manchester to the late John and Druesilla West Bush. During his life he worked as a club maker with Wilson Sports and was a member of Cannon Baptist Church where he served as a deacon. Mr. Bush also served in the National Guard. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two daughters, Amy and Laurie Bush; one sister, Eva Corrine Norberg; and one brother, Kelly D. Bush. Mr. Bush is survived by his wife of 60 years, Jennie Bush; one son, Thomas (Penny) Bush; two grandchildren, Faith (Josh) Bates and Craig Wayne Bush; four great-grandchildren, Allisiah, Keagin, Emma, and Madelynn; and several nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held on Sunday, July 18 th , 2021 at Kilgore Funeral Home from 1:00-3:00pm with the funeral service to immediately follow at 3:00pm with Dennis Thompson officiating. Burial will follow at Old Reddens Cemetery in Manchester. For those who wish, in lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Kilgore Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office suspending all work crew activity because of COVID-19 cases
The Franklin County Sheriff’s office is suspending all work crew activity due to positive cases of COVID at their office. The Sheriff’s office asks that anyone that may have business at the sherrifs office to try to conduct their business ocer the phone or electronically. You can go to our website for more information.
Due to detection of positive cases of the COVID 19 virus at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, they are notifying everyone that all work crew activity has been suspended until further notice.
The Sheriff’s Office asks that any citizen having any business at the Sheriff’s Office please try to conduct that business by phone or electronic transmission.
If you have a need to go to the Sheriff’s Office please contact Franklin County Communications with your compliant and a deputy can meet you in the parking lot to help you. If you need law enforcement at your residence or business, you may still call and a deputy will respond. The Sheriff’s Office will be using this procedure until further notice and it is deemed safe to conduct business as usual. At such time, they will notify the public through a press release and on social media.
Manchester Rec Center to host Sensory Sensitive Friday
The Manchester Recreation Complex will host their second Sensory Sensitive Friday this Friday night from 5:15 to 7:15. This will take place in their outdoor pool. Admission is free for those with special needs, courtesy of a friend of the Rec Center.
The Rec Center will turn off the noise-making water features, and the lifeguards will not use whistles to communicate with the guests.
If you can’t make it this Friday, they will hold another Sensory Sensitive Friday on August the 27th from 5:15 to 7:15.
Coffee County CAC holds child abuse prevention training
Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center held a child abuse prevention training session for the Hispanic community on July 12 at the Coffee County Administrative Plaza. This was the first child abuse prevention training in Coffee County for the Hispanic community.
The two-hour training session was in Spanish, including video, presentation, discussion and printed materials. Attending the training and materials were free, thanks to a grant awarded to the Coffee County CAC.
“I’d like to thank all participants for joining the center in our mission to end child abuse,” said Joyce Prusak, executive director of Coffee County CAC. “I am proud of the Hispanic community for being so responsible and taking this necessary step to ensure every child in Coffee County has a safe and happy childhood. It will take the entire community to end child abuse, which has been a growing problem in Coffee County. I’d like to thank Stacy Morales Garcia for translating and continuously supporting the Coffee County CAC. Without Stacy’s help, we wouldn’t be able to provide this essential training about child abuse prevention to members of the Hispanic community.”
Prusak encouraged community leaders and businesses to take the training and to offer it to their employees.
“The training is free, and by completing it, you’re taking responsibility and action to prevent child abuse,” Prusak said. “Children can’t protect themselves – children rely on adults to protect them. As adults, we need to be equipped with knowledge so we can help the most vulnerable members of our society. Child abuse is a real issue, but we can end it. We need to learn to recognize signs of child abuse, to know how to react if we spot red flags, and to know what to do if we suspect child abuse.”
The Coffee County CAC trained facilitators use Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children training. The training empowers adults with knowledge, teaching them to recognize red flags and to prevent child abuse. After completing the training session, every participant receives a Certificate of Completion for the two-hour training. The program aims to eliminate child abuse through training adults to recognize and prevent child abuse. Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children programs are “the only evidence-informed, adult-focused child sexual abuse prevention trainings proven to increase knowledge and change behavior,” according to www.d2l.org.
For more information about the training or to schedule a training session, visit coffeecountycac.org, call Elena Cawley at 931-723-8888 or email elena@coffeecountycac.org.
Judge Greg Perry says he has seen damaging effects of child abuse in Coffee County
Coffee County General Sessions Court Judge Greg Perry has seen the damaging effects of child abuse in Coffee County, and he urges the community to learn the facts about child abuse. Before being elected to serve as judge, Perry focused on family law, mediation, juvenile law and criminal law.
“The effects of child abuse are very prevalent in our county, as well as in other counties,” Perry said. “The effects of child abuse occur in every type of family, race, religion, creed. (Child abuse) doesn’t pick and choose. Many people think it doesn’t happen to them but it does. We have a very busy docket of child abuse, and (the numbers) are steadily increasing with each docket.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of child cases, as well, according to Perry.
“It’s extremely important to raise awareness because without awareness children can go without receiving the help they need,” Perry said. “It’s vitally important that they receive help, especially at young age, because this is something that can affect (them) for the rest of their lives. It also exposes them to multiple court proceedings and can victimize them more than once.”
Perry urged community members to learn about child abuse and to focus on prevention.
It’s important to be an advocate and a voice for children “to make sure their interest is protected and hopefully to allow them to be able to have a life they’re living as a child instead of a victim.”
One of the toughest challenges when it comes to child abuse is lack of awareness.
“The biggest factor of child abuse awareness is knowing that it happens in our community and other communities, as well,” Perry said.
Often, people don’t notice child abuse signs and avoid the topic.
“With us being a smaller community, we don’t realize what’s going on in our community,” Perry said. “We need to be aware of the signs. We need to be able to try to assist those children in the community and to be able to give them the opportunity to succeed and thrive in the future.”
Child abuse becomes a vicious cycle.
“It becomes a very cyclical process,” Perry said. “I’ve done this for long enough and I am now seeing parents that I once represented as children (victims) of child abuse, and the cycle is repeated. Our goal is to try to break that cycle, get them the help and the services they need to hopefully be contributing members of society in the future.”
Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center fights child abuse in Coffee County. To learn the facts about child abuse and how you can prevent it, visit www.coffeecountycac.org. Coffee County CAC offers free child abuse prevention training for adults and children. See the video here: http://www.coffeecountycac.org/post/judge-perry-the-effects-of-child-abuse-are-very-prevalent-in-our-county
United Way of Hwy 55 to host Grant Writing Workshop
This is a reminder about the Grant Writing Workshop on July 27th, hosted by the United Way of Hwy 55. Bonnie Gamble will be presenting her extensive knowledge and background in Grant Writing. For their partner nonprofits the event is free, and for other community members it is only $15. Lunch will be provided. To register you can use the QR codes or go to https://highway55unitedway.org/non-profit-assistance-clinic/ and scroll down to the bottom.
Presenter-Bonnie Gamble:
Education
B.A. degree in History from Purdue University
M.A. degree in Public History from Middle Tennessee State University
Graduate of Indiana Executive Development Program
Employment
1994-1996 Recreation Programmer, Manchester Parks and Recreation Department
1996-2005 Director of Parks and Recreation, Manchester Parks and Recreation Department
2005-2009 Assistant Director of Recreation Educational Services, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
2009 to 2021 Director of Parks and Recreation, Manchester Parks and Recreation Department
Experience
2012 to present Chair of the Coffee County Health Council
Facilitator of the Move Manchester Healthy Tennessee team
President of Tennessee Recreation Parks Association 2011-2012
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children)
Board Member of Still Waters Ministry for support of Single Parent families.
“During time serving as Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Manchester, I have developed the Little Duck River Greenway system, expanded softball fields, developed a new soccer park, lead a $7.5 million dollar project for an Indoor Recreation Complex and implemented programs and staffing. I have written and administered grant funded projects that have brought close to $4,000,000 of improvements to the Parks and Recreation Department. 90% of cost of the Little Duck River Greenway came from grants and donations. I managed a $11,000,000 grant funds for the State of Tennessee from 2005-2009. Types of successful grant applications are, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, National Recreation and Parks Association, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee Department of Health, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Department of Economic and Community Development, and Appalachian Regional Counsel.”
Lil Lady Raider volleyball camp set for next week
Students entering grades 4-8 have an opportunity to learn from one of the best volleyball programs in the region next week at the Coffee County Central Lady Raiders’ “Lil Lady Raider Volleyball Camp.”
The camp is set for July 19-20 at the CHS gym. Hours are 9 a.m. to noon both days. Cost is $40 and all participants can register and pay at the door.
The CHS Lady Raider volleyball program is fresh off its best season in program history, finishing Region 4-AAA runner-up and reaching the state sectional match. The team fell one win short of the state tournament.
Former Raider Alontae Taylor to represent UT at SEC Media Days
The Southeastern Conference office announced Wednesday that redshirt senior wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. and senior defensive back Alontae Taylor will join head coach Josh Heupel to represent the Vols at the 2021 SEC Football Media Days next week in Birmingham, Alabama.
Tennessee’s trio will make the media rounds Tuesday, July 20 at The Wynfrey Hotel. ESPN and SEC Network will provide live coverage of the event, with Coach Heupel set to make his Media Days debut on the main podium at 11:30 a.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. CT.
Jones and Taylor will also be making their first appearances at SEC Media Days, as all three Tennessee representatives are scheduled to visit with local, regional and national members of the media to preview the upcoming season.
Taylor is a graduate and former standout for the Coffee County Central Red Raiders.
Gannon named new head coach of Westwood Rockets basketball
Westwood didn’t have to look long, or far, for its next head basketball coach.
Thunder Radio Sports has learned that Anita Gannon has been named the next head coach of the Westwood Rocket basketball program.
Gannon replaces Jerry Brown, who resigned last week to take a high school assistant girls position in Davidson County.
Gannon comes to the Westwood program with a 20-year coaching history that includes multiple levels of AAU, Shelbyville middle-school age boys and girls and elementary-level in Manchester. She has spent the past two years as an assistant on Joe Pat Cope’s Lady Raider staff at Coffee County Central. She will remain on staff as a CHS assistant while coaching at Westwood.
“Right now, there are a few games on the schedule that could interfere with the high school schedule and of course Westwood takes priority, even though my daughters play at CHS,” explained Gannon.
After a decorated high school career at Shelbyville Central from 1988-91, Gannon played collegiate basketball at UT Chattanooga rom 91-95. While in High School, Gannon’s Shelbyville teams won state championships in 1989, 1990 and 1991.
Gannon joins the Westwood Middle School teaching staff as a social studies and ELA teacher.
“I’m excited to be a part of the Westwood family and to help with our school and our athletic department.”
Gannon will be a guest on the Coffee Coaches Show Saturday, July 17 live from Al White Ford Lincoln. Show time is 10-11 a.m. at 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM.
