Category: News

A Coffee County man was killed in a crash Thursday on Interstate 24 near the exit 111 eastbound after his vehicle went underneath a stationary tractor trailer. 

Authorities were not yet prepared to released the name of the deceased. The crash happened around 1 p.m. Thunder Radio News is waiting on a preliminary crash report from THP.

Multiple agencies responded to the scene. – including Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, Manchester Police, Coffee County EMS, Manchester Fire & Rescue Department and Tennessee Highway Patrol, which will reconstruct the accident. 

A home at 207 Thoma Lane was completely destroyed by fire Tuesday night. A page was sent to all volunteer fire departments at approximately 6:20 Tuesday to the fully-engulfed structure, which burned to the ground. 

Emergency crews worked for hours to extinguish the blaze. Thoma Lane is near Normandy Reservoir. The cause of the fire is unclear at this time. 

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has added 17-year old Brandon Caruthers to its most wanted list. 

Caruthers is a black male, standing 5’10” and weighing 180 pounds. 

Caruthers is wanted by TBI and the Metro Nashville Police Department regarding a Davidson County General Sessions Criminal Warrant charging him with escape. Caruthers is one of four individuals who escaped from downtown Nashville juvenile detention facility back on November 30. He should be considered dangerous. 

A reward of $2,500 is offered for information leading to his arrest. If you have information regarding Caruthers’ whereabouts, call 1-800-TBI-FIND.

Fred Deadman Park in Manchester is one step closer to installation of an inclusive playground.

In a 6-0 vote Tuesday night (Dec. 3), the board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a contract with Playcare Wisconsin, Inc. for $42,000 to install the new equipment. The board voted at its November meeting to approve $105,778 to purchase the equipment.

The funding for the project will not come from local tax dollars, but instead from a Local Parks and Recreation Fund Grant, as well as matching funds from Park Partners, which is a local non-profit that raises money for various parks and recreation projects and improvements.

The new playground will go next to the current playground at Fred Deadman Park. No date is set to begin the project.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) is accepting applications for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) benefits for Goodman Company, L.P. The TAA encompasses workers in the Sheet Metal Stamped Parts Division at the Fayetteville facility.

Affected workers include those who were identified by the Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance (OTAA) as having been affected by foreign competition. Workers may be entitled to benefits, retraining and reemployment services.

The U.S. Department of Labor has approved TAA petition TAW#95054, for benefits with an impact date of 08/07/2018, a certification date of 10/28/2019, and an expiration date of 10/28/2021.

Former employees or those threatened with future layoff from the company can contact their local American Job Center (AJC).

·         Lawrenceburg    931-766-1405

·         Tullahoma           931-454-1905 

·         Columbia             931-490-3800

Affected workers can contact the AJC between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to set up an appointment to discuss their benefits under this petition. The worker is responsible for filing for the benefits in a timely manner.

TDLWD is an equal opportunity employer/program and equal access auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

Tuesday, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett certified the names of three Republican and 16 Democrat presidential candidates for the March 3 Super Tuesday presidential preference primary. On Super Tuesday, Tennessee will join 13 states to help decide who will be the next president of the United States.The following candidates will be on the March 3 ballot:

Republican Primary Ballot

• Donald J. Trump
• Joe Walsh
• Bill Weld

Democratic Primary Ballot

• Michael Bennet
• Joseph R. Biden
• Michael R. Bloomberg
• Cory Booker
• Pete Buttigieg
• Julián Castro
• John K. Delaney
• Tulsi Gabbard
• Kamala Harris
• Amy Klobuchar
• Deval Patrick
• Bernie Sanders
• Tom Steyer
• Elizabeth Warren
• Marianne Williamson
• Andrew Yang

As certified candidates for the presidential preference primary, these candidates are unable to appear on the November 3 general election ballot as the nominee of a different political party.

“This primary will determine which candidates will represent these two political parties on the November ballot for our country’s highest elected office,” said Secretary Hargett. “I hope every eligible Tennessean will register to vote or make sure their voter registration is updated by the February 3rd voter registration deadline. It is easy to register to vote or update existing voter records by visiting our online voter registration system at GoVoteTN.com. (or click here).

The deadline for 2020 presidential delegate candidates to file a petition to be elected is noon December 12. Delegate candidates are not considered qualified unless the Division of Elections receives a letter from a presidential campaign authorizing the delegate candidate to run.Both the Tennessee Republican Party and the Tennessee Democratic Party have their own rules about selecting presidential delegates. Republican presidential delegates are decided by an election, coordinated through the division of elections. Party rules determine Democratic presidential delegates. For more information, visit the Tennessee Secretary of State website by clicking here.

The Motlow State Music Department is excited to present a pair of holiday concerts featuring The Motlow Vocal Ensemble and Community Band. Performances will be in Powers Auditorium inside Eoff Hall on the Moore County campus Thursday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m., with a matinee performance on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 2 p.m. There will be a reception with refreshments an hour before each concert.

The theme for this year’s concert is “Holiday Road,” with the audience taken on a musical journey filled with songs that will appeal to every age. Over 40 students and 20 community band members will perform a wide array of holiday songs from the past through to the current day.

“Each year, we try to put on a show to remember, and this show is no exception,’ said Dr. David Bethea, Motlow associate professor of music. “The Ensemble and the Band have worked hard and are ready to entertain.”

Special guests will include the Grinch, Winter Fairies, Heat Miser and Snow Miser, Rudolph, the Little Drummer Boy, Hermey the Elf, and, of course, Santa.

Santa and other characters will be available during intermission for pictures and autographs. The concert is free to attend; however, reservations are required, and seats are filling up fast; call 931-393-1696 for reservations. Donations are appreciated and will benefit the Motlow Music Department.

Coffee County could soon have an interim judge to fill in for the late Tim Brock, who passed away Nov. 11 while at a conference in Nevada. 

According to Coffee County Mayor Gary Cordell and District Attorney General Craig Northcott, the Tennessee Supreme Court has appointed Judge John P. Damron, a retired sessions judge from the 22nd District of Tennessee, to temporarily fill the void left by Brock’s passing until a full-time replacement can be elected.

Cordell said he is unsure at this time if the county commission will need to approve that measure. 

“It is my understanding that [Damron] will fill in a day a week here to help out,” said Cordell. “I’m still unsure if this needs a full county commission approval. I’ve asked District Attorney Northcott to check into that, but I don’t think that it does [need approval] because the judicial system can make a lot of their own decisions without talking to the county. But we want to make sure everything is done correctly and by the book.”

As of Monday, five attorneys have picked up papers to file to run in the March primary for Brock’s empty seat. All five are registered Republicans, meaning that the winner of that primary would automatically win the general election in August, assuming no Democratic candidates file to run before the deadline for the March primary.

“If no Democrats pick up papers then we will know in March who that new person will be,” added Cordell.

Whoever does win that judge seat would only fill that position until the term is up, which is August of 2022.

The appointed interim judge – John Damron – did not seek re-election when his term ended in 2014. He previously served District 22, which encompasses Maury, Giles, Lawrence and Wayne counties. He graduated with his law degree in 1992. He also spent two years as an assistant public defender and time with a private law firm before becoming a judge. 

Tennessee ranks 11th in the nation when it comes to holiday-related crime, according to alarms.org. 

In an effort to better inform homeowners about their security during the holiday season, alarms.org conducted a deep dive of crime statistics across the country and computed a holiday crime score that takes into account holiday arrests, state population, gun ownership and poverty. 

Florida had the highest rate of holiday crime, nearly double that of New Mexico, which was second, followed by Louisiana, Texas and Utah. Maine had the lowest crime score, followed by New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota and New Jersey.