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Large fundraiser for businesses devastated by March fire is Saturday, April 9. Everyone can help.
Multiple area businesses were destroyed by fire at the Woodland Plaza on Monday morning, March 21.
Businesses that were completely destroyed or incurred significant damage or losses include Most Awesome Cleaning Company, Reese’s Genes Boutique, Greg Green Photography and Toliver’s Warehouse space. Other businesses suffered water and smoke damage.
Area businesses have immediately jumped into action and are offering multiple ways for the Manchester community to help those businesses affected get back onto their feet.
There will be a 5K run/walk at 1 p.m. Saturday April 9 with all sponsorship and registration proceeds going to the affected businesses. The 5K will start and end at the Coffee County Fairgrounds. Registration for runners remains open through April 9. Click here to register.
There will also be a silent auction and a food trucks set up at the registration area for the 5K at the fairgrounds (99 Lakeview Dr.) Anyone wishing to donate to the silent auction should contact Katy Bess at 931-952-8256.
Also on Saturday, April 9, a long (and growing) list of businesses are volunteering to donate a portion of their business proceeds for that day to businesses affected by fire.
So far, businesses that have agreed to participate include:
High Cotton
Sprout Children’s Shop
Southern Diva Boutique
Owen’s Provisions and Apparel
Imhoff Landscape and Supply Yard
Suds & Bubbles
Sun Studio
Naturally Tranquil Spa
Middle TN Thermography
Higgins Lawn Care
Southern Sass Salon
Artsy Edibles by Kimberly
Jefferson’s
Common John Brewing Company
Nails by R
EZ Appliance Repair
Life Long Chiropractic & Wellness
All proceeds will be given directly to businesses destroyed by fire to help offset their disaster costs and loss of payroll. Remember to shop local and shop these businesses on April 9.
H&R BLOCK STUDENT OF THE WEEK – Naomi Abiose
Join us at Thunder Radio and Rosalyn Partin of the Manchester H&R Block and congratulate our student of the week – Naomi Abiose.
Naomi is a 6th grader at Coffee Middle School. She was nominated by her teachers and administrators. Naomi is the daughter of Nichole Hershman.
Her favorite subject is Math. In her free time she enjoys art and playing soccer.
All students of the week are selected for their work ethic and excellent attitudes in and out of the classroom.
Rosalyn Partin, owner of the Manchester H&R Block, has been inspired to recognize great kids in our community all year long. H&R Block gives each Student of the Week a commemorative plaque, a special letter of recognition and two tickets to Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park.
Job well done, Naomi.
Birthdays- April 6
Birthdays:
Mac Ayer- 6
Cara Newlin- Pizza Winner!
Amanda Newman- 37
Anniversaries:
Jane & Thomas Watkins- 50 Years
Raiders soccer drops district match to Warren County
Coffee County’s High School Red Raider soccer team took a tough loss in its district opener Tuesday night (April 5), falling 2-1 to Warren County.
Josue Salinas scored for the Raiders on a penalty kick, but CHS couldn’t muster any other offense.
The Raiders play again Thursday at Franklin County – another District 6-4A match.
Dot Foods to invest $50M, create 171 new jobs in Coffee County
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Dot Foods, Inc. officials announced Tuesday (April 5, 2022) the company will expand its Tennessee operations by establishing a new distribution facility at the Manchester Industrial Park, a Select Tennessee Certified Site.
Dot Foods will invest $50.5 million and create 171 new jobs as the company constructs a 177,000-square-foot plant in Coffee County, which will be Dot Foods’ second distribution center in Tennessee.
“Tennessee’s strong business climate and highly skilled workforce continue to attract businesses to our state. I thank Dot Foods for investing in Coffee County and providing opportunities for Tennesseans to thrive,” said Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee.
The Manchester site will function similarly to Dot Foods’ operations in Dyersburg, Tennessee, and will include dry, refrigerated and frozen warehouse space. In addition, the facility will have the capacity to expand its square footage in order to meet Dot Foods’ growing customer demand among the southeastern U.S.
Dot Foods anticipates breaking ground on its new distribution center late this summer, with operations expected to begin in late 2023.
“We are excited that Dot Foods selected the City of Manchester to serve as the home of their new facility,” said Manchester Mayor Marilyn Howard. “We believe they will be an excellent addition to our business community and cannot wait to see the impact they will have. The vision Dot Foods shared for contributing to workforce development in our area is a big part of what makes this announcement so special. We thank Dot Foods and their entire leadership team for their investment in Manchester and wish them tremendous success.”
Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Mt. Sterling, Illinois, Dot Foods is North America’s largest food industry redistributor, serving all 50 states and more than 55 countries with a product offering of more than 125,000 items. Today, the family-owned and -operated business employs more than 6,300 across North America.
“Tennessee has a lot to offer businesses like ours. Dot Foods first called Tennessee home in the 1980s and early 1990s, and we’ve loved being back in the state since the 2015 opening of our Dyersburg facility,” said Joe Tracy, CEO of Dot Foods, Inc. “We are very excited to establish a second Tennessee location in Manchester. The most critical factor in continuing our business’ history of growth is talent. We know Coffee County and the surrounding region have a lot of it to offer. We look forward to joining this community and growing our Dot Foods and Dot Transportation family.” – Joe Tracy, CEO, Dot Foods, Inc.
In the last five years, TNECD has supported more than 60 economic development projects in the Southern Middle Tennessee region, resulting in roughly 8,000 job commitments and $5.2 billion in capital investment.
Thunder Radio political forum is Thursday. Here is how you can attend, listen or watch.
In an effort to better inform our listeners and the electorate at large, Thunder Radio WMSR will host a political forum on April 7 – just before early voting begins for the May 3 Coffee County primary.
This continues an election-year tradition for Thunder Radio WMSR that dates back to 2012.
The forum will run from 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7. The public is welcome to attend the event, which will be held at The Church at 117 (117 E. Fort St.) just off the square in downtown Manchester.
For those who are unable to attend, the forum will be broadcast live on Thunder Radio: 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, Manchester Go app, thunder1320.com. You can also watch on Facebook live. Click here to find Thunder Radio on Facebook. Be sure to like /follow the page and watch for the video to go live about 5:50 p.m. There is no charge to attend.
Questions have been submitted by the public for consideration.
The schedule for April 7 is as follows (times are approximate and subject to change).
6:00-6:22 p.m.: Circuit Court Judge Part 2
Eric Burch
Bobby Carter
6:27 – 6:49: General Sessions Judge Part 2
Gerald Ewell
Garth Segroves
6:54 – 7:16: District Attorney General
Craig Northcott
Felicia Walkup
7:21-7:43: Circuit Court Clerk
Jenny Anthony
Josh Morris
7:48-8:05: Road Superintendent
Benton Bartlett
Scott Hansert
8:10-8:32 – Sheriff
Chad Partin
Alethia Rawn
Candidates will be provided up to 2 minutes for opening statements and 2 minutes to answer questions. Closing statement of 1 minute will be given if time allows.
Early voting is April 13-28. Election day May 3.
Peoples Bank donates to completely revamp CHS auditorium sound system
The Coffee County Central High School auditorium will soon have a new look. And a new sound.
Peoples Bank & Trust Company of Manchester made a $15,000 donation to CHS on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, to fund a complete overhaul of the auditorium’s sound system.
The investment will not only cover new speakers, but state of the art audio technology that will allow for sound operations to be moved backstage and the ability to adjust volumes from anywhere in the auditorium through an iPad. There will be new wireless microphones and headsets, drop microphones for large ensembles and other technology that will bring the CHS auditorium sound to be comparable to the best around.
“Coffee County High School is blessed to have a community partner like Peoples Bank and Trust,” said CHS principal Paul Parsley.
The new sound system will be paired with a complete facelift inside the auditorium. The seats have already been removed. There will be new paint on the walls, on the floors and new seating installed to make the 45-year old auditorium new again.
Funds for other repairs and changes will be coming from federal ESSER funds – which comes from a pool of more than $3.8 billion that has been allocated to assist schools in Tennessee manage challenges of COVID-19 pandemic. District level funds will also be allocated, said Parsley.
Parsley said he hopes that renovations will be complete by the start of next school year in August.
Lady Raiders push two across in the 7th to top Warren County
A two out double in the top of the 7th by Kaitlyn Davis and a passed ball gave the Coffee County Central Lady Raiders a 4-2 road district win at Warren County Tuesday night.
With the score tied 2-2 going into the 7th and final inning, sophomore Chesnie Cox led off with a single for the Lady Raiders. The Lady Pioneers recorded two quick strikeouts before Davis doubled on a line drive to left field to score Cox and put CHS in front. A passed ball allowed Kara Wheeler (running for Davis) to motor around and give CHS an insurance run.
Warren County got the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh but Emily Schuster snagged a pop up and doubled the runner off first to end the threat.
The game was tied at 2-2 after both teams pushed across a pair in the third inning. Coffee County senior Kiya Ferrell doubled home Olivia Evans to put CHS in front. Ferrell later scored on an error.
Cox and Evans each finished with a pair of hits for the Lady Raiders. Evans also recorded a stolen base, along with Cox and Haidyn Campbell. Davis, Cox and Ferrell all doubled.
Davis picked up the win in the circle. She allowed 10 hits and struck out 3. Neither Warren County run was earned. Davis did not issue a walk.
The Lady Raiders improve to 7-6 overall with the win and 2-0 in District 6-4A play. They are set to host Franklin County at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 6 weather permitting. That game will be broadcast live on Thunder Radio:107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com.
Raider infielder McKenzie done for the season with torn ACL
Coffee County Central’s baseball team received tough, but expected news on Tuesday. Starting infielder Carter McKenzie is done for the season with a torn ACL.
McKenzie, a junior, started mainly at third base for the Raiders last year. He was expected to fill in at first base this year and would have been used on the mound. McKenzie was hurt within the season’s first week and finally received an official diagnosis on Tuesday.
“Carter is a pillar of our program and our team has missed him this year in several facets,” said CHS head coach Kyle Douglas. “However, he’s going to be a force coming out for next year.”
The Raiders (5-8) have had a few injuries early in the season. Starting first baseman Nolan Jernigan has been sidelined with shoulder and hamstring injuries and pitcher Charlie Pierce is out for the year with an elbow. Jernigan is expected to return to the lineup soon.
CHS will host Shelbyville at 6 p.m. Thursday at Powers Field. It is First Responders Night at the ball park.
Westwood announces football tryouts for next fall’s team
The Westwood Middle School Rockets football team will have tryouts from May 11th through May 24th.
Tryouts will be at the practice football field next to Westwood Middle from 3-5 p.m. each day.
Equipment needed will be mouthpieces, cleats (no metal) and a football girdle. Everything else will be provided.
An updated sports physical is required to tryout. If you played a sport this school year, no new physical is required for tryouts. Click here for the sports physical form.