Author's posts
Much of southern Middle Tennessee, including Coffee County, under moderate risk for severe weather Thursday
All of Middle Tennessee is under an elevated risk for severe weather Thursday afternoon, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center.
Coffee county and most of southern Middle Tennessee is under a “moderate” risk for severe weather potential.
The main threats including damaging winds of 60+ miles per hour, flash flooding and tornadoes. Currently, forecasters anticipate the most serious threats will be between 2-10 p.m. Thursday. However, that window could vary.
According to Storm Prediction Center: “potential for an outbreak of severe storms including several long-track strong tornadoes, scattered large to very large hail and severe/destructive winds will exist Thursday into Thursday evening.”
This is the time to review severe weather plans with your family. Have an interior room in the lower level of your home to shelter in place. Have that room prepared with a battery-powered AM/FM radio to receive weather alerts and warnings.
You can also download the Manchester Go app on your smartphone to receive severe storm alerts (allow push notifications). Thunder Radio can be heard live at 107.9 FM, 1320 AM and 106.7 FM.
One child killed in head-on collision
One child from Tullahoma has been killed in a head on collision that took place in Bedford County.
The crash took place on Highway 64 in Bedford County Tuesday night, March 23, according to a report released by the Tennessee Highway Patrol and reported by WKRN.
According to the report, a 19-year old man from Madison was driving an SUV westbound before 8 p.m. and attempted to pass another vehicle. At this point he slammed head-on into a sedan traveling eastbound.
Passengers in the sedan were a 5 and 6-year old, reportedly from Tullahoma. One of those children was pronounced dead at the scene, according to local authorities, and the other was injured. An earlier report by WKRN saying that both children had died was incorrect.
The driver of the sedan, a 26-year old, and the driver of the SUV were injured but the report did not indicate severity of those injuries.
THP continues to investigate the crash, WKRN reports.
(An earlier version of this article cited a WKRN story that two children were killed. Authorities in Bedford County have confirmed now that one child was killed. The story has been corrected to reflect that information.)
Steven Leonard
Steven Leonard, age 44, passed away unexpectedly on March the 10th 2021. Steven was born in North Carolina, grew up in Naples Florida, and resided in Manchester TN, but always remained an avid Florida Gators fan. Steven served his country and the State of Tennessee with pride by enlisting in the Tennessee Army National Guard in 2008. Steven deployed to Iraq 2010-2011 for Operation New Dawn. Steven successfully obtained the rank of Staff Sergeant and achieved many major accolades in his service to include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Tennessee Distinguished Service Medal and numerous other federal and state decorations. Steven was proceeded in death by his father Ernest Burton and his mother in law Tambra Stubelt. Steven is survived by his parents Drena Justice, Rusty Bell, step-mother Debra Burton; wife Stephanie Leonard; 4 children Kaila (Thomas), Carter, Chase, Kaleb; 2 grandchildren Thomas and Keagan; brothers William (Tina), Daniel, Fred (Polly); sisters Lori (Mark), Bobbie (Tim), Rosie (Roger); numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews; as well as countless children that he coached and mentored in both baseball and softball. Visitation and chapel services for the family and military personnel will begin at 10:00 am for family and 10:30 am for military personnel on Wednesday March the 24th2021 at the Coffee County Funeral Chapel in Manchester, TN. The burial will follow at the Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery 7931 McCrory Lane Nashville, TN. 37221 (615) 532-2238. A Memorial Service will be held the following day on Thursday March the 25th at 1:00pm on the T-Ball Field at Fred Deadman Ball Park for the Community. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the family at the 1st Vision Bank in Manchester, Tennessee under the Benefit of the Leonard Family.
BASEBALL: Raiders drop district series opener to Tullahoma
Missed opportunities and defensive miscues haunted the Central High School Red Raiders in their series opener against Tullahoma Tuesday night at Powers Field in Manchester.
The Raiders committed 4 errors and had some defensive miscues, the Wildcats scored 3 in the first and that turned out to be enough as CHS fell 6-1. It is the Raiders’ first loss of the season after starting 3-0.
Tullahoma pushed 3 runs across in the first inning and loaded the bases in the third to chase Raider starter Jacob Holder after just 2 official innings of work. Holder was hit with the loss, allowing 5 runs (4 earned) and striking out two. He also walked two and hit one.
Braden Brown entered in relief and settled things down for the Raiders. He did not allow a run over two innings. He struck out 4 and gave way to Wyatt Nugent, who allowed one run on two hits over his three innings of relief work (Nugent was named Thunder Radio’s Mid Tenn Turf Player of the Game).
But by the time the Raiders settled down on the mound and defensively, it was too late. CHS left 7 runners on base and struggled to get much going against Tullahoma starter Brody Melton, who needed just 80 pitches to get through 6 innings of work.
CHS got runners on in the seventh inning to try a rally, the the Wildcats induced a game-ending double play ball.
Griffin Meeker and Braden Brown each doubled for the Raiders. Wyatt Nugent had the lone RBI, a sacrifice fly to deep left field to plate Carter McKenzie.
Lane Spry, Wyatt Nugent and McKenzie each added singles. Meanwhile, Brown added a pair of singles and was 3-for-3 at the plate.
The series moves to Tullahoma for the finale on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Grider Stadium.
CHS track shows out in first meet
Coffee County Central High School’s track team had several competitors to finish in the top 5 and top 10 in their respective events Saturday at a 13-team track and field meet at Stewarts Creek.
As a team, Coffee County Lady Raiders took 8th out of 13 teams.
The Raider boys took 4th out of 12.
Below are those who placed in the top 10 of their respective events:
Landon Kenney, 8th in men’s 800 meter: 2:18.67
Jacob Rutledge, 3rd in men’s 1600 meter: 4:36.41
Jacob Rutledge, 2nd in men’s 3200 meter: 9:55.75
Garrett Masters, 10th in men’s 3200 meter: 11:39.61
Ethan Welch, 7th in men’s 110 hurdles: 18.30
Travis Martin: 2nd in men’s high jump: 5-08
Ethan Welch: 5th in men’s high jump: 5-06
Kelby Walker, 10th in men’s triple jump: 34-02
Ethan Welch, 1st in men’s pole vault: 11-00
Travis Martin, 3rd in men’s pole vault: 9-06
Ethan Welch, 4th in men’s discus: 114-11
Ashton Ferrell, 9th in men’s discus: 87-11
Ashton Ferrell, 6th in men’s shotput: 34-00
Elijah Clemmons, 10th in men’s shotput: 31-10
GIRLS
Madison Rooker, 6th in women’s 400 meter: 1:07.90
Elli Chumley, 8th in women’s 800 meter: 2:50.77
Patricia Barrera, 7th in women’s 1600 meter: 5:57.24
Patricia Barrera, 5th in women’s 3200 meter: 13:22.78
Madison Rooker, 6th in women’s 100 hurdles: 17.92
Jalyn Case, 8th in women’s 100 hurdles: 19.10
Macy Tabor, 4th in women’s high jump: 4-08
Elizabeth Brown, 6th in women’s high jump: 4-04
Jalyn Case, 7th in women’s high jump: 4-04
Kenzie Givens, 8th in women’s high jump: 4-02
Jalyn Case, 8th in women’s long jump: 13-10.50
Madison Rooker, 10th in women’s long jump: 13-07
Claire Bryant, 6th in women’s triple jump: 29-08.50
Madison Rooker, 2nd in women’s pole vault: 7-00
Elli Chumley, 8th in women’s discus: 66-00
Holli Hancock, 9th in women’s discus: 63-07
Holli Hancock, 4th in women’s shotput: 27-02
Elli Chumley, 5th in women’s shotput: 26-06
Nikki Graham, 10th in women’s shotput: 22-08
SOFTBALL: Lady Raiders complete sweep over North Middle
Kaitlyn Anderson worked 5 innings in the circle and struck out 7 North batters as Coffee Middle School held on for an 8-6 win Tuesday in Manchester.
It was a big third inning that made the difference for CMS as the Lady Raiders scored 7 runs – powered by a flurry of walks. Four Lady Raiders drew walks, two were hit by pitch and CMS was able to sprinkle in a single from Kellie Tucker, a triple from Ella Arnold and a single from Channah Gannon – accounting for three of the Lady Raiders’ 4 total hits on the night. All of that damage was done after there were two outs and no runners on.
BASEBALL: Pippenger tosses no-hitter as CMS Raiders cruise past North
Cole Pippenger tossed a no-hitter in a run-rule shortened game Tuesday as the CMS Raiders thumped North Franklin 16-0 in Manchester.
It was the second time in as many games that the Raiders put up double-digit runs on the Gators, winning 17-1 on Monday in Winchester.
The Raiders piled up 10 runs in the second inning to put the game out of reach early – Brady Wright, Tatsuki Aso, Pippenger, Evan Kirby, Grant McCullough and Caleb Crouch each had RBIs in the inning.
Pippenger got the win on the mound – he worked five innings and struck out 13 of 15 possible outs.
The win improves the Raiders to 6-1 on the season and a perfect 6-0 in conference play. They are set to host Rock Springs in a non-district contest on Saturday.
SOCCER: Coffee Middle varsity, JV sweeps South
Coffee County Middle School’s soccer team took care of business Tuesday, easily rolling past South with a score of 8-1. Emanuel Rodriguez picked up a haul for the Raiders – banging 4 goals into the net.
Manny Gonzalez
2 Goals (2′, 17′), 3 Assists
Emanuel Rodriguez
4 Goals (10′, 19′, 21′, 37′) 1 Assist
Ethan Sloan
1 Assist
Samuel Medina
1 Goal (29′)
Tony Rodriguez
1 Goal (PK 44′)
Liam Brown
2 Saves (25′, 43′)
Junior Varsity – CCMS 3-South 0
Kameron Pobanz
1 Assist
Patrick Brown
1 Goal
Trey Caron
1 Goal
The first CMS goal of the game was an own goal by South.
The SAFE Act passes in Tennessee House
The Tennessee House last week unanimously approved legislation designed to improve the quality of care for Tennesseans battling addiction.
House Bill 215 continues ongoing efforts by House Republicans to fight Tennessee’s opioid and drug crisis by creating additional safeguards for patients of sober-living homes.
The bill expands on the Stopping Addiction & Fostering Excellence (SAFE) Act of 2018 by promoting best practices and making sure patients who utilize recovery homes receive the highest quality of care to succeed in their sobriety.
House Bill 215 encourages sober-living homes to be nationally accredited to ensure the home’s management abides by a strict code of ethics and provides a safe and healthy living environment for patients in recovery. Recovery facilities not adhering to national accreditation standards would risk losing licensure and could face penalties. This legislation balances creating the best possible environment for recovery while making sure our communities are safe from the dangers of poorly managed facilities with no accountability. The Senate companion bill will be considered in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on March 24.
REPORT: Drug overdoses on the rise in Tennessee
Deaths related to drug overdose in Tennessee worsened, according to a report released by Tennessee Department of Health.
In summary – 2,089 Tennesseans died of drug overdose in 2019, which is 15% more deaths than 2018. The report cites the trend as being driven by illicit fentanyl and stimulants.
The age-adjusted rate of all drug overdose deaths increased from 22.1 per 100,000 residents in 2015 to 31.2 per 100,000 residents in 2019 – that’s a 41.2 percent jump.
Overdose deaths involving prescription opioids did decrease for the third consecutive year – down from a high of 739 in 2016 to 515 in 2019.
However, the rate of fentanyl overdoses jumped 44.8 percent from 2018 to 2019. Also, deaths involving stimulants other than cocaine (primarily methamphetamine) increased over the past 5 years from 112 deaths in 2015 to 651 in 2019.
According to the report, for every drug overdose death in 2019, nearly 12 nonfatal overdose discharges were identified in Tennessee’s statewide hospital discharge system.
Data for 2020 is still preliminary. However, study authors state “the trend of increasing overdoses through 2019 combined with eh exacerbating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have created what current data suggest will be the state’s deadliest year for overdose.”
Read the report in its entirety here.