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William D. Underwood Jr.
Mr. William D. Underwood Jr., age 53, of Beechgrove, TN, passed from this life on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, in
Manchester, TN.
Mr. Underwood was born in Murfreesboro, TN, to his late parents William
Underwood Sr. and Lynda Sue Reeves Underwood. He was a steel worker for
most of his life. Mr. Underwood enjoyed nature, fishing and caving. He was
also a handyman, loved fixing everything, and a resilient person. Mr.
Underwood was a great father and grandfather to his family. In addition to
his parents, he was preceded in death by wives, Shirley Stephens Underwood
and Starlet Burrow Underwood.
Mr. Underwood is survived by his daughter, Mandie Underwood; fiancé, Wendy
Estill; brother, Jason Edmond Underwood; sisters, Lennae Brown and Leanne
Pippin; grandchildren, Braidyn Cooper and Elijah Cooper; dog, Tank; niece,
nephew, and several extended family.
A memorial celebration will be held at a later date.
Central Funeral Home is honored to serve the Underwood family,
931-723-7774, centralfuneralhome.com
Saturday is deadline to register for youth Bball camp at CHS
Kids entering kindergarten through 8th grade who love basketball will have a chance to learn from the best this summer.
Coach Cope and Coach Taylor’s Basketball Camp 2022 will be June 8-10 from 8-10:30 a.m. each day at the Central High School gymnasium.
The camp is for boys and girls entering grades K-8 next school year.
Campers will be placed in groups by age and skill level and work on basketball fundamentals with Lady Raider head coach Joe Pat Cope and Red Raider boys basketball coach Andrew Taylor, as well as assistant coaches, current and former players.
The Lady Raider basketball program has won 5 consecutive district championships. Meanwhile, the Raider boys are fresh off a trip to the TSSAA State Tournament.
Campers will be working on dribbling, shooting, passing, offense and defense each day. Each camper will receive a t-shirt. Cost is $60 per player.
Due to overwhelming demand, an extra registration day has been added. Campers should pre-register from 8-9 a.m. Saturday, June 4 at the CHS gymnasium. Campers MUST pre register to receive a shirt. Anyone with questions should contact Cope at copej@k12coffee.net
Elam resigns as Manchester alderman after moving outside city limits
Manchester alderman Chris Elam has resigned his post with the city, Thunder Radio News has learned.
Elam was in the middle of his second term as an elected alderman. He was originally elected in 2016. He was elected to a second term in 2020 – a term that expires in 2024. However, Elam cut it short with a resignation on Thursday (June 2, 2022) after moving to a new home that is outside the city limits.
He sent a letter of resignation to the city attorney and a statement to Thunder Radio:
“It is with deep sadness I share with our community that I have submitted my resignation as Alderman for the City of Manchester effective immediately. A decision that was not made lightly; however, in the seasons of change, my family and I recently relocated right outside the city limits to build our dream home. It has been a great honor to serve as one of your Alderman for the past six years. Being born and raised in this community laid the foundation for me to understand its rich history and the importance of supporting and giving back. I am incredibly proud of the progress that has been made over the past six years without raising your property taxes — a lot more is still to come. The City of Manchester’s employees are top notch and provide impeccable service to our citizens and I commend them for their unwavering service. While I may no longer be in this official capacity, my family and I will continue to give back and serve the community we love and the people in it. Again, it is has been a high honor to serve and I appreciate your confidence and wish the very best for Manchester moving forward. Thank you, Manchester.”
Elam’s resignation leaves an immediate hole in the city government. Three other aldermen – Bill Nickels, Roxanne Patton and Mark Messick – will see their terms completed in August of this year. Only Messick is seeking re-election. There are 7 other candidates (8 if you include Messick) seeking those three open seats. The top three vote-getters in the August 4 election will receive the three open seats. However, because the August election is already set, whether Elam’s seat can be filled in the August election is unclear.
Thunder Radio News spoke with Coffee County Administrator of Elections Andy Farrar on Thursday. Farrar said he has not yet been officially informed by the city of Elam’s resignation.
“I can’t start working on that and see how that will work out until the city formerly notifies the election commission of the resignation,” explained Farrar. “Then we can go through the process of making a decision on how it will be handled.”
Tennessee ranks 17th in drunk driving
Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is a major reason for road accidents and road deaths in the United States each year. The year 2020, being the first year of the COVID pandemic, shows a clear trend shift when it comes to drunk driving fatalities – unfortunately, in the wrong direction.
With 11,654 deaths, drunk driving accounted for 30% of all road fatalities – the worst year since 2005. Furthermore, drunk driving fatalities are up a staggering 1512 deaths (14.9%) compared to 2019, dealing a heavy blow to safety advocates and regulators alike.
Tennessee ranks 17th in the nation when it comes to drunk driving. This according to a DUI severity score compiled for US DUI Report filed by Zutobi.
The report takes into consideration DUI arrests, DUI road fatalities and total DUI fatalities.
Tennessee came in with a DUI severity score of 51.8, tying with Roade Island. Tennessee reports 349 DUI arrests per 100,000 drivers. Montana is reported to be the worst state for DUI and Delaware the best, with only 35.4 arrests per 100,000. Information was not complete for Alabama or Washington DC.
Coffee County probation to host job / education fair June 24
Coffee County Probation office will be hosting a job / education fair on June 24.
Everyone in the community is welcome to attend – not just clients who are on probation.
The fair will be from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, June 24 at the justice center – located at 300 Hillsboro Blvd in the first floor courtroom.
Multiple agencies will be available, including:
Surge Staffing
Metro Industrial
Express Staffing
Randstad Staffing
Love Beauty School
Tennessee College of Applied Technolgoy
Local Veteran’s Representative
Adult Education.
Anyone with questions should contact Linda Baker at 931-723-3939 ext. 4.
Richard J. Ferlito
Richard J. Ferlito, formerly of Estill Springs, passed this life on Monday,
May 30, 2022 at his residence at Brookdale Assisted Living, at the age of
88. No services are scheduled.
Mr. Ferlito, a native of New York, was the son of the late Samuel and Mary
Drake Ferlito. He was a Veteran of the Korean Conflict (1953-1955),
serving in the U S Army Signal Corps. He was the Highway Superintendent
for the state of New York and was a member of the NYS-Pistol Club and the
VFW. He also raised Belgium Draft Horses.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Jean
Ferlito; brothers, William and John and sisters, Shirley, Sharon, Rose and
Jean.
He is survived by sister, Serena Sweet of Texas and several nieces and
nephews.
Online condolences may be made at www.davesculbertsonfuneralhome.com.
Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
CHS cheerleaders to welcome youngsters to cheer clinic June 11th
Coffee County Central Red Raider cheerleaders will host a youth cheerleading clinic from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 11.
Registration begins at 7:45 a.m. The clinic will be held at Raider Academy gym on McMinnville Highway.
Cost to attend is $25. Clinic hosted by CHS Red Raider cheerleaders. A clinic t-shirt is included in registration. Contact Christy Clouse at clousec@k12coffee.net for more information.
Coffee County baseball to host youth camp in June
Coffee County Central baseball team will host a youth camp June 20-22.
Cost is $50 per player. Kids entering grades 4-5 will have camp from 9-11 a.m. each day, while those entering 6th-8th grades will go from 1-3 p.m. each day.
Each camper should bring baseball pants, glove, bat, helmet and cleats. A camp shirt is included.
Please pre-register by clicking here.
Thunder Radio summer political forum set for July 14th
Thunder Radio political forum for the upcoming August General Election will be held on Thursday, July 14th.
In a format similar to past years, Thunder Radio will welcome candidates involved in contested races. Some races will include a debate-style format, while others will include candidate speeches. Specific details will be released soon.
The event will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, July 14 at The Church at 117 – an event facility located in downtown Manchester. Early voting for the August 4 election begins on July 15 and runs through July 30. The Thunder Radio political forum is open and free for anyone to attend. It will also be broadcast on Thunder Radio: 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, Manchester Go app, thunder1320.com and video provided on Thunder Radio Facebook.
Multiple races will be contested in the August election, including Coffee County Sheriff, Coffee County Mayor, Coffee County Clerk and Coffee County Road Superintendent. There will be other various commission seats for grabs, as well as 8 candidates for aldermen seeking 3 open seats.
Anyone with questions should direct them to Josh Peterson at josh.peterson.wmsr@gmail.com.
TWRA warns of fake boating policy circulating online
Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency is warning of a fake policy from a fake agency making the rounds on social media.
The post in question comes from the “Tennessee Waterway Commission.” This commission states that new policies are in effect beginning May 30th, 2022. One of these policies is that a strict ratio of three alcoholic beverages per passenger can be maintained on a boat at anytime. The policy also states that all boaters must maintain respectful attire.
The problem with this post is that it is completely fake. There is actually no such agency as the Tennessee Waterway Commission. It does not exist and the policy is fake.
TWRA says: “We do encourage Tennesseans operating a boat to leave the alcohol and drugs at home.”
