Category: News

Thunder Radio is excited to announce changes to its high school football coverage team for the upcoming 2019 season.

Dennis Weaver, longtime host of the Friday Night Thunder pre-and-post-game show, will be moving from the studio to the broadcast booth to serve as the new voice of the Red Raiders. Weaver is a familiar voice on the Thunder airwaves.

In addition to hosting Friday Night Thunder, Weaver is the voice of Coffee County Central High School Red Raider and Lady Raider basketball, as well as the host of the daily sports blast on Thunder Radio and the popular Coffee Coaches Show every Saturday at Al White Motors. Weaver takes over play-by-play duties this year after Lucky Knott announced he would not return to the booth this season.

Assisting Weaver in the booth each Friday night will be Dustin Murray, who will continue to serve as color analyst for the broadcasts as he has for the past 6 years years. Jonathan Oliver, a familiar voice from the hometown sports series broadcasts from last school year will handle sideline

Dustin Murray

reports and coach interviews from the field.

Josh Peterson will take over the pregame and postgame responsibilities from the Thunder Radio studios. This year’s pregame show will focus on extended live coverage from the field up to 30 minutes prior to kickoff. Peterson previously served as color analyst for Coffee County game broadcasts from 2006 through 2012, then as co-host of Friday Night Thunder with Weaver from 2013 through 2015.

Thunder Radio is your exclusive home for Coffee County Red Raider football, broadcasting every home game, every away game, and playoff games when the Raiders qualify. Thunder Radio is also the home for the fall hometown sports series, where we focus on other high school sports such as volleyball and girl’s soccer, as well as middle school sports from Coffee Middle and Westwood Middle.

If you are a business and would like to sponsor these highly coveted games, contact Rob Clutter at 931-728-1320. But you better hurry, as sponsorships historically fill up fast!

Authorities say a 62-year old male drowned on Normandy Lake Thursday.

Authorities identified the victim late Thursday as Thomas R. Spelce of Hazel Green, Alabama. He went missing at approximately noon Thursday when he went beneath the water. His body was discovered at approximately 10 p.m. Thursday.

According to Billy Butler with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department,  Spelce  was on the lake with a group that consisted of three different boats. Members of the group with Spelce allegedly told authorities that the victim had Parkinson’s disease. Authorities are unsure at this time whether or not that contributed to his drowning. 

According to sheriff’s department officials, Spelce went under where the water is approximately 30-feet deep at about noon on Thursday and did not resurface. The Coffee County Rescue Squad and TWRA officials were on the scene through the afternoon Thursday and into the night before recovering his body at about 10 p.m.

More details will be reported as they are released from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department.

The Coffee County Commission is short one commissioner after the recent resignation of Emily Howes on July 1st. 

Howes, who was the District 8 Commissioner, recently moved out of her district and submitted her resignation to the county, effective July 1. 

In addition to the full commission, Howes served on the Budget and Finance Committee, as well as the water and wastewater treatment committee. 

She was elected in August of 2018. 

The full commission will need to appoint her replacement. Anyone interested in filling the position must live in district 8, and should contact Roxanne Patton with the county office at 931-723-5100. 

With the Independence Day holiday over, it might be hard to believe but it’s time to start thinking about going back to school at the first of August.

The Coffee County School System is ramping up for its third annual Stuff the Bus Tour, which will be held on July 17th. Area businesses participate by collecting necessities and school supplies for students in need. The supplies will be distributed at the fifth annual student expo from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 27th at Coffee County Central High School. There will be backpacks, school supplies, groceries, vouchers for new shoes, haircuts, community resources and much more. You can help by dropping items at various stuff the bus drop locations around town at area businesses, or by calling Taylor Rayfield at 931-222-1066.

Tragic news to report out of Nashville, as Metro Nashville Police Department officer John Anderson was killed in an on-duty vehicle accident in the early morning hours of July the 4th.

Anderson’s police car was hit by a vehicle operated by a 17-year-old driver. He was a four-year veteran and a very familiar face around Bridgestone Arena, working many Nashville predators games and other events. He leaves behind a girlfriend and an 18-month old son, according to department.

The Manchester Parks and Recreation Department’s Independence Day

Spectacular event is set for this Thursday, July 4 – make plans to attend an

evening of music, fun and, of course, fireworks!

The fireworks will be visible from multiple locations near the recreation

center, but the prime viewing experience will be at Rotary Park adjacent to

the rec center, located at 557 N. Woodland Street. Parking will be limited,

parking is also available at Fred Deadman Park and patrons can walk the

Little Duck River Greenway to the Rotary Park area.

Music begins at 7 p.m. with cover band Burning Las Vegas set to take the

stage at Rotary Amphitheater.Burning Las Vegas is an audio-visual dance

party that spans all genres, decades and ages. Fireworks will begin at

approximately 9 p.m. The event is free to the public, but there will be food

and beer vendors on hand selling concessions.

Also, before the fireworks, there will be an ice cream social

There will be some new events of note this year to check out. A bicycle

parade will start at 5:30 p.m. and will go around the square and down to the

amphitheater. Participants are encouraged to decorate their bikes for a

chance to win prizes. There will also be an ice cream social at 4:30 p.m. on

the courthouse lawn at the center of downtown Manchester..

Video of Burning Las Vegas (takes stage at Rotary Park 7 p.m. Thursday, July 4)

Photos of some of the fireworks shot at a Manchester July 4th celebration in 2015.

School may be out for the summer, but Coffee County Central High School has been well represented this week at the Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas. 

Elizabeth Brown placed second in the nation in Introduction to Public Speaking at the national conference. Meanwhile, the team of Morgan Henley, Jack Beachboard and Bryson Hullett placed 10th in the nation for their business financial plan. Placing 8th in the nation for his Local Chapter Annual Business Report was Weston Hargrove. 

Coffee County FBLA has had national award recipients every consecutive year since 2011!!

Elizabeth Brown

From left, Bryson Hullett, Morgan Henley and Jack Beachboard.

Weston Hargrove

Coffee County’s fiscal budget for the new year is approved with no tax increases. The county pulled approximately $600,000 from its reserve fund to balance the budget and keep property taxes at the same levels. Part of the budget will include raises for corrections officers at the Coffee County Jail – moving wages for jailers from $12.22 to $14.28 per hour. Money to cover these raises comes from closing the jail workhouse. WMSR news will speak to sheriff Chad Partin about this next week.

The fiscal budget runs from July 1 through June 30.

Coffee County Sheriff Chad Partin