Sharing resources that will help farmers and ranchers keep safety top-of-mind through the Agricultural Safety Awareness Program is a priority of county and state Farm Bureau leaders across the nation.
As part of this year’s ASAP commemoration, March 7-11 has been designated as Agricultural Safety Awareness Week. U.S. Agricultural Safety and Health Centers will join Farm Bureau in promoting the week with its theme “Prepare. Prevent. Protect.”
A different safety focus will be highlighted by Coffee County Farm Bureau and U.S. Ag Centers each day
of the week:
Monday, March 7 – Livestock
Tuesday, March 8 – Cost of Safety-Finances
Wednesday, March 9 – Disaster Preparedness
Thursday, March 10 – Youth Safety
Friday, March 11 – Equipment Safety
During this week and throughout the year, Farm Bureau encourages farmers to make safety a priority on
the farm.
“Safe practices on America’s farms and ranches should be a priority, not an afterthought,” said Coffee County Farm Bureau President A J. Teal. “Investing in safety and health in agricultural communities can help save lives and resources by preventing injuries and lost time on the job.”
The Agricultural Safety Awareness Program is a part of the Farm Bureau Health and Safety Network of
professionals who share an interest in identifying and decreasing safety and health risks. For more
information and resources, visit the ASAP Facebook page. Visit the Centers’ YouTube channel
(www.youtube.com/user/USagCenters) for new content and fresh ideas about how to stay safe while
working in agriculture, forestry, and fishing. Join the movement to keep farms safe and share your own
safety messages on social media using the hashtags #KeepFarmsSafe, #ASAP22 and #USAgCenters.
The 11 U.S. Agricultural Safety and Health Centers (www.cdc.gov/niosh/oep/agctrhom.html) are funded
by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
BASKETBALL: Tickets on sale now for Monday night State Sectional game in Manchester
If you want your tickets to the state sectional basketball game Monday – you may want to go ahead and purchase them now to make sure you have a seat.
Coffee County’s Red Raider boys will host Stewarts Creek High School at 7 p.m. Monday, March 7 at Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gymnasium. The Raiders are looking to go to the state basketball tournament for the first time since the 1960s. The winner on Monday will move on to the state tournament. The loser’s season comes to an end.
Tickets will be available at the gate on a first come, first served basis for $10 apiece (prices set by TSSAA). You can purchase tickets in advance to ensure your ticket and avoid long purchase lines by going through gofan.co for $8 (plus convenience charge).
Click here for the direct link to purchase tickets through gofan.co.
HOW YOU CAN LISTEN
Can’t make the game? Tune into Thunder Radio beginning with pregame at 6:30 p.m. — 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com.
WATCH FROM HOME
The game will be video streamed by Raider TV (CHS audio visual class) in partnership with Thunder Radio and sponsors Al White Ford Lincoln and Premier Service Contracting LLC. You can watch on the Thunder Radio Facebook page (starting at about 6:50 p.m.) by clicking here. Or the Raider TV Youtube page by clicking here.
REGION CHAMPIONS!!!!!
MANCHESTER — There are instant classics. Then there is what happened at The Patch Thursday night.
The Coffee County Central Red Raiders erased a 10-point fourth quarter deficit and came out on top of Walker Valley 51-46 in double overtime of the Region 3-4A Championship game. The first region title for the program since the 1970s.
The Mustangs of Walker Valley had beaten the Raiders by double digits twice earlier this season.
“I’m just so proud of this team, so proud of these guys and what they have accomplished for our school,” said and emotional Coffee County Head Coach Andrew Taylor after the win.
“This community loves basketball and … I’ve been around it a lot and this scene tonight,” added Taylor, talking about the crowd and the atmosphere, “It really reminds me a lot of the girls in 1993.”
The win means the Raiders will host Stewarts Creek in the state sectional at 7 p.m. Monday night. The winner of that game will go to the TSSAA State Tournament.
Thursday night in Manchester, the Raiders got off the mat in the fourth quarter when things looked bleak – erasing a 10 point deficit in just 5 minutes of game play. Red Raider junior Dayne Crosslin nailed a 3 with 5:40 to play to eat into the Mustangs lead, then Crosslin buried another one with 4:49 to play to cut the deficit to 2.
Senior Aidan Abellana found some room in the paint and knocked down an inside shot to complete the comeback at 44-44 with 2:57 to play.
“We talked in the locker room about how we were a fourth quarter team,” explained Taylor. “And when we went into the fourth quarter down 10 there was no panic on our bench, no concern with our guys. That was an excellent finish.”
The Mustangs actually held the ball for the final 2:57 of regulation and put up a final shot at the buzzer that was no good.
The Raiders took a 46-44 lead in the first overtime on a pair of free throws from Phineas Rollman with 33 seconds to play. But Walker Valley’s Hobert Brabson was fouled on his way to the bucket with just 3.7 seconds on the clock and the guard was able to knock down both free throws under immense pressure to tie the game.
The Raiders actually got a long inbound pass ahead and Abellana had a legitimate look at a 3 to win the game but it hit back iron – forcing double overtime.
The Raiders took the lead in the second overtime and never gave it up.
Rollman hit a free throw with 3:43 to play and Brady Nugent got to the basket with 1:14 to play to put CHS up 49-46. With 15 seconds to play, the Raiders got an outlet ahead to Crosslin who dropped it in the bucket in the final seconds to set the final.
Counting both overtimes, the Raider defense held Walker Valley to to 2 points over the final 11 minutes of game time. The Mustangs only scored 8 points in the final 16 minutes (including both overtimes).
Crosslin finished with 20 points for the Raiders – following up his 25 point night Tuesday night against Franklin County. Shemwell had 16 points and Nugent 6.
The Raiders will now host Stewarts Creek at 7 p.m. Monday at The Patch. The winner advances to the state tournament, the loser’s season will end. That game will be broadcast on Thunder Radio.
Region Champions! 
Andrew Taylor 
Jackson Shemwell, Phineas Rollman, Connor Shemwell and John Dobson 
Aidan Abellana 
All Region Tournament MVP Dayne Crosslin, and all-region Raiders Brady Nugent, Phineas Rollman and Connor Shemwell.
Pete Rose returning to Manchester March 16
Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader is making a return visit to Manchester.
Pete Rose will be at Al White Ford Lincoln from 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, March 16. Everyone is welcome to stop by and visit with Rose – there is no charge. There will be hotdogs, chips and drinks available. Thunder Radio will be on site, as well.
There will be no autographs signed during this time.
Al White Ford Lincoln is located at 2002 Hillsboro Blvd. in Manchester.
Rose came to Manchester back in the fall for a fundraiser dinner for the CHS baseball team.
Local VFW to host fundraiser dinner for relief efforts in Ukraine
Veterans of Foreign Wars All-American Post 10904 will be hosting a
fundraiser dinner to benefit relief efforts in Ukraine. It will be held
Friday, March 11th at 6 PM at the Coffee County Veterans Building, located
at 130 Shelton Road in Manchester.
This dinner is open to the public and all are welcome to attend. The cost of
the dinner will be $6.50 per person, with 100% of fundraiser proceeds
directly benefitting relief efforts through Samaritan’s Purse, which is on
the ground in Ukraine right now.
Dinner will be followed by a discussion of current events, facilitated by
area veterans with a wide range of military experience in combat areas. They
want to help our community understand the global situation from their unique
perspectives.
A short prayer service will follow in support of the citizens of Ukraine.
For more information, contact Commander Kimberly King at 251-554-8836, or by
email: flygal46@yahoo.com
H&R BLOCK STUDENT OF THE WEEK – Brady Clem
Join us at Thunder Radio and Rosalyn Partin of the Manchester H&R Block and congratulate our student of the week – Brady Clem.
Brady is a 5th grader at College Street Elementary School. He was nominated by his teachers and administrators. Brady is the son of Andrea Cutshaw and Eric Clem.
His favorite subject is math. In his free time, Brady enjoys fishing and playing baseball.
He is undecided on what he wants to do when he grows up.
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, Brady!
One month remains to register to vote in May primary
The deadline to register to vote in the upcoming May 3 Coffee County Primary is fast approaching.
Anyone wishing to vote in the May 3 primary must be registered by Monday, April 4. You can register by visiting the Coffee County Election Commission on McArthur St. You can also register to vote from your computer – just click here. Early voting will be April 13 through April 28.
TN legislators introduce ‘Noah’s Law’ that could help missing children be found faster
Republican legislation that could allow for an Amber Alert to be issued sooner in certain cases advanced out of the Tennessee House Children & Family Affairs Subcommittee last week.
House Bill 2354, also known as Noah’s Law, would allow a custodial parent to seek a court order declaring their child to be in imminent danger if the child’s noncustodial parent fails to return them in accordance with a current visitation order or parenting plan. The legislation, which could allow for an Amber Alert to be issued sooner, would apply to cases involving pending custody, parentage, child support or dependency and neglect proceedings in court.
“Noah’s Law (will) assist law enforcement in making sure we use every tool in the tool box, including the criteria under the Amber Alert, to make sure we find every child that is missing,” House Majority Whip Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, told members of the subcommittee Wednesday.
The bill is named after Sumner County resident Noah Clare, 3, who went missing after his noncustodial father failed to return the child to his mother following a scheduled visitation last year. The child was later found safe in California after a more than week-long multi-state manhunt in November. His family has pushed for changes to the Amber Alert process after it took more than a week for an alert to be issued in his case.
The legislation now heads to the House Children & Family Affairs Committee for consideration. More information about House Bill 2354 can be found here.
Unity Medical Center hosting naming contest for new clinic
Unity Medical Center in Manchester has announced that its Rural Health Clinic and Manchester Family Medicine will be joining together in a brand new clinic space located at 482 Interstate Drive – which is directly across from the Unity Hospital campus.
The facility has not yet been assigned a name and Unity administrators have announced that they would like for the Coffee County Community to help decide.
To enter your name idea for the clinic, click here. The contest is open through March 14th.
A prize will be offered to the winning entry.
Lady Raider point guard Jalie Ruehling suffers broken leg in Tuesday vehicle crash
Coffee County Central High School junior Jalie Ruehling was involved in an automobile accident Tuesday afternoon that has left her with a broken leg.
According to Grundy County Sheriff’s Department officials, Ruehling (who lives in Grundy County) was driving on Highway 50 at approximately 2:30 p.m. Tuesday (March 1, 2022) going up the mountain when it appears another vehicle veered into her lane and struck her head on.
“This investigation is preliminary at this time,” Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum told Thunder Radio news. “It looks like the other vehicle crossed the center line and struck Jalie’s car.
“At this time we are investigating whether or not there was impairment involved. We did get blood toxicology of the other driver sent to the crime lab,” added Shrum. “If there are any charges forthcoming it would come from those toxicology results.”
Ruehling was flown to Erlanger Hospital. Her injuries are not life-threatening but she suffered a compound fracture, breaking her tibia and fibula in her right leg. At the time of this story she was also having her left ankle examined for injuries.
According to Shrum, two occupants in the other vehicle were taken to Southern TN Regional Health Systems. Their names have not yet been released.
Ruehling averaged 6.7 points per game for the CHS Lady Raider basketball team this past season, which came to an end in the region semi-finals Monday night, Feb. 28. Ruehling missed the first handful of games before slowly working back into the starting lineup after tearing the ACL in her right knee in late June during a summer game.
