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Hundreds pay respect to Mayor Norman at Sunday Funeral service
Hundreds gathered at Manchester’s Rotary Amphitheater Sunday afternoon to pay their respects to Manchester Mayor Lonnie Norman, with hundreds more listening on Thunder Radio and watching on Facebook.
Norman passed away in the early morning hours of Monday, Oct. 12, just a little more a month after beginning his third consecutive term (fourth overall) as Manchester Mayor. He was 79-years old.
There were many speakers on hand, including senator Janice Bowling and former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry. Manchester Attorney Shawn Trail delivered a powerful message:
“I see older generations, I see younger generations. Different races, politicians, working class, republicans, democrats and independents. And they are all here together today because of one man – Lonnie Norman. And when you stop and think about that, it’s pretty powerful,” said Trail.
Manchester vice mayor Marilyn Howard is currently performing mayoral duties. There will be a meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Manchester City Hall to appoint an acting mayor to serve until the next regular election, which will be 2022.
Thunder Radio was on hand to broadcast the services live Sunday. You can listen to the recording here.
(Top photo: Mayor Lonnie Norman’s body is taken from Rotary Amphitheater to the cemetery.)
Above photos: At left, Jimmy Church sings at Mayor Norman’s funeral service. At right, former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry reads Mayor Norman’s obituary. (Thunder Radio Photos by Holly Peterson)
Pictured above: At left, attorney Shawn Trail delivers a speech during Mayor Lonnie Norman’s Funeral on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. At right, Christina Norman Young performs a reading. (Thunder Radio photos by Holly Peterson)
Manchester Police Department officers served as pall bearers at Mayor Lonnie Norman’s funeral on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (Thunder Radio photo by Holly Peterson)
Tennessee jobless rate closing in on pre-pandemic numbers
Newly released data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) showed the state’s economic recovery continued in September. The jobless rate for the month dropped significantly when compared to the previous month.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September 2020 is 6.3%, a decrease of 2.3 percentage points from the revised August rate of 8.6%.
The latest rate is 9.2 percentage points lower than the April 2020 rate of 15.5%. That is Tennessee’s all-time highest unemployment rate and was recorded during the peak of COVID-19 business closures.
Tennessee’s unemployment rate is moving closer to pre-pandemic levels. One year ago, the unemployment rate for September was 3.3%.
Employers across the state created 11,100 new nonfarm jobs between August and September. The leisure/hospitality sector was responsible for the largest number of new hires for the month. The manufacturing sector created the second-largest increase, followed by the education/health services sector.
Between September 2019 and September 2020, Tennessee recorded a deficit of 131,500 jobs. The hardest-hit sectors are leisure/hospitality, manufacturing and professional/business services.
TDLWD has compiled a complete analysis of the September 2020 unemployment data, as well as jobs data for the state. You can find that report here (https://www.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=166478db53c066a7d114ea462&id=d1d09152ea&e=29851e7b63) .
Unemployment also decreased nationally in September. The seasonally adjusted rate for the United States is 7.9%, down 0.5 of a percentage points from August’s revised rate of 8.4%. Tennessee’s unemployment rate is now 1.6 percentage points lower than the national rate.
Businesses across the state are ready to reemploy Tennesseans. Jobs4TN.gov, Tennessee’s workforce development website, currently has more than 210,000 open positions for job seekers of any skill level.
Besides current job openings, Jobs4TN.gov also provides online assistance with writing a resume that will catch the attention of employers, advice on how to engage and impress during job interviews, and details about potential job training opportunities.
The more than 80 American Job Centers across Tennessee are open for business and offering job seekers one-on-one personalized assistance. Career specialists are ready to work with individuals to devise a reemployment plan that will help them rejoin the state’s workforce.
All the assistance is free to anyone who needs help finding a new job or career path.
Early voting numbers strong for Coffee County
Early voting numbers have been strong across the state of Tennessee, and that includes right here in Coffee County.
According to administrator of elections Andy Farrar, there were a total of 2,060 early votes cast on the first day of early voting, Wednesday, Oct. 14. Of these, 1,371 were cast in person and 689 were absentee votes.
Early voting continues Monday through Saturday until Oct. 29.
Manchester Police Department captain found dead
Manchester Police Department Captain Chris Patterson was found dead Friday afternoon.
Patterson was found near his truck, dead of a single gunshot wound.
Patterson was a longtime veteran of the Manchester Police Department.
Coffee County District Attorney General Craig Northcott said the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department and Coffee County District Attorney’s office are investigating.
“The body was sent for an autopsy. I’m told that may take place Monday, so we may have a preliminary report by Monday,” said Northcott.
(Pictured, MPD Captain Chris Patterson with the late Manchester Mayor Lonnie Norman)
Raiders fight big, fall to Pioneers on homecoming
Coffee County fought with everything it had Friday night against unbeaten Warren County.
Even though the Raiders scraped together big plays on defense and special teams, uncontrollable factors seemed to be in favor of the Pioneers of Warren County Friday and the Pioneers left Carden-Jarrell Field with a 35-19 victory.
The loss all but eliminates the Raiders from playoff contention and was the first at home for the Raiders this season.
“Our guys played hard, they played physical,” said CHS head coach Doug Greene. “I’m really proud to be their coach.”
Big plays for the Raiders came on defense and special teams.
Trailing 21-0 with five minutes to play in the first half, Red Raider CJ Anthony picked up a kickoff bouncing at the 20 yard line and weaved through Pioneers for an 80-yard touchdown.
Then on the first possession of the second half, pressure on Warren County quarterback CJ Taylor forced an errant pass that landed in the hands of Raider linebacker Tristan Galy, who rumbled 45 yards for a touchdown to close the gap to 21-13.
Warren County answered on a CJ Taylor touchdown run to put the Pioneers up 27-13. Taylor, a major college recruit with SEC offers, was mainly kept under wraps by the Raider defense. Unofficially, Taylor finished with just 68 yards on 19 carries – his lowest totals of the season. He had touchdown runs of 15 and 5. He did throw for two touchdowns – one for 55 yards on a busted coverage and another 18-yard strike to Kasen Holder in the final minutes.
The Raiders got a second defensive score with 9:07 to play, as the defense stuffed Taylor on fourth and short, ripped the ball out and Matthew Pittman picked it up and rumbled 45 yards for a score. The Raiders missed the extra point, leaving the game at two possessions at 28-19.
Coffee County was unable to get its offense going in the second half.
Despite the great effort and the big plays, it was a big, questionable play in the first half that left its mark on this game.
Coffee County took the opening kickoff and drove 65 yards on 11 plays to the Warren County goal line. On the 12th play, Tristan Galy appeared to score. After seconds laying on top of the pile, Warren County’s Clay Thompson ripped the ball away from Galy and sprinted 100 yards the other way for what the officials ruled a Pioneer touchdown, putting Warren County up 7-0.
Coffee County falls to 4-4 with the loss, Warren County improves to 8-0.
The Raiders travel to Oakland Friday, Oct. 23. You can hear that game live on Thunder Radio. (Listen to the replay of the Warren County game by clicking here. )
Volleyball Lady Raiders fall one win short of state tournament
The Lady Raider volleyball team at Coffee County Central High School saw its season come to a close Thursday night in Cookeville.
Coffee County reached the state sectional round for the first time in program history and was one win away from a trip to the state tournament, but Cookeville’s serve and serve-receive game proved hard to handle as the Lady Cavaliers won 3-0 on their home floor.
In a match you heard live on Thunder Radio, Coffee County struggled to get any momentum going at the service line. Cookeville only allowed one ace, coming from Kiya Ferrell in the third set.
Lexi Bryan picked up six kills at the net to lead CHS. Lauren Brandt led CHS in digs with 12 and Madison Pruitt in assists with five.
Lady Raider soccer falls in District 8-AAA semi-finals
The Lady Raider soccer team’s season came to a close in the District 8-AAA soccer semi-finals Thursday night.
Coffee County trailed Shelbyville 1-0 at half, but picked up goal from Ellie Fann with 23 minutes left to play to knot the score at 1-1.
Shelbyville responded with a goal less than a minute later to take a lead the Eaglettes would not relinquish. Shelbyville added another goal with 7:36 to play to ice the game at 3-1.
Raiders host Warren County for homecoming Friday
Friday night is homecoming at Carden-Jarrell Field.
Coffee County’s Red Raider football team (4-3 overall) welcomes unbeaten Warren County (7-0). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Tickets will not be available at the gate. Those wishing to purchase tickets will need to do so digitally by visiting www.gofan.co.
You can hear all of the action, including homecoming festivities, on Thunder Radio. Our coverage begins at 6 p.m. with the Friday Night Thunder Pregame show (delivered by Riddle Trucking).
We take you from the pregame, through every snap and into the postgame with postgame highlight clips, area scoreboard and we welcome your calls. We are your home for more than complete coverage of Red Raider football.
Listen at 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM, 1320 AM, stream worldwide with the Manchester Go app or online at www.thunder1320.com
Braves one win from NL Championship
To fully appreciate the stellar start righty Bryse Wilson gave the Braves in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, it must be remembered that he may not have made any big league starts this year had Cole Hamels not been shut down during the regular season’s final week.
Wilson might have become a somewhat forgotten figure as he spent most of this season at the team’s alternate training site. But his name will be remembered for a long time by those who saw him help the Braves move a win away from the World Series with a 10-2 victory over the Dodgers on Thursday night at Globe Life Field.
“Wow, that’s about all I can say,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Are you kidding me? That kid stepped up. How he would handle the situation, I guess he answered that.”
Marcell Ozuna hit a pair of homers and drove in four runs, including an RBI double that chased Clayton Kershaw during the decisive six-run sixth. But the story of the night was Wilson, who cruised through what was just his eighth start as a big leaguer and helped the Braves take a 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven series. Continue reading this story here.
Rec Center to close Sunday for Mayor Norman funeral services
The Manchester Recreation Complex has announced that it will be closed on Sunday, Oct. 28, for Mayor Lonnie Norman’s funeral service.
Services will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. at Rotary Amphitheater, which is located next to the rec center at 557 N. Woodland St.
If you cannot attend Mayor Norman’s funeral services, Thunder Radio will be broadcasting the service live on the radio at AM 1320 and 107.9 FM. You can also listen on the Manchester Go app and at www.thunder1320.com. For those wishing to watch, Thunder Radio will video stream the service on our Facebook page.
Mayor Norman passed away in the early morning hours of Monday, Oct. 12. He was 79 years old. Governor Bill Lee ordered state flags lowered to half staff on Wednesday in honor of Norman.