Tennesseans continued returning to the workforce in counties across the state in April. According to newly released data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, nearly all counties experienced a decrease in unemployment during the month. In year-to-year comparisons, each county showed a remarkable recovery from pandemic-era unemployment rates one year ago. The department reported 87 counties saw lower unemployment rates in April when compared to the previous month. The rates remained the same in two counties, while six counties did experience higher unemployment. Seventy of the state’s 95 counties now have rates less than 5%. Unemployment is 5%...

Saturday morning, a 1982 Cessna 501 departed Smyrna Airport heading toward Palm Beach International Airport in Florida. Shortly after take-off, the small jet crashed into Percy Priest Lake. Seven persons were on board and all family members have been notified. William J. Lara, Gwen S. Lara, Jennifer J. Martin, David L. Martin, Jessica Walters, Jonathan Walters, and Brandon Hannah all of Brentwood. They were all leaders in the Remnant Fellowship Church, 1230 Franklin Road in Brentwood. Rutherford County Fire-Rescue Captain and Incident Commander John Ingle said, “The debris field is approximately a half of a mile wide.”  Drone operations continue...

Two Juveniles were found safe Friday after Coffee County Sheriff’s Department advised people to be on the lookout. Trinity Storm Barber, age 11, and Candace Sun Barber, age 8, were located and taken home. The Sheriff’s Department put out a statement online to ask people in the Roberts Ridge Road area to check anywhere they could be. They were last seen at 12 on Thursday before located and safely returned...

Coffee County Central High School announced Thursday morning that they are “carefully watching the weather forecast.” The administration will make a final decision by Friday at 2:00 p.m. It was stated that it would be possible for the parade to be moved to later in the evening if weather looks more ideal. If the decision were to me made to move the ceremony inside, it would be held in the gymnasium at the high school, and each graduate would receive 6 tickets. Just a reminder that you can listen to the ceremony on Thunder Radio. You can also watch...

Join us at Thunder Radio and Rosalyn Partin of the Manchester H&R Block and congratulate our student of the week – Avery Payne.   Avery is a 5th grader at East Coffee Elementary School.  She is the daughter of Tara Wooten and Shawn Payne. Her favorite subject is math. During her free time, Avery enjoys playing basketball.  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...

The Friends of South Cumberland State Park has been recognized by the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC) for its work in building an interpretive trail on the site of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 1475 in the South Cumberland State Park. THC awarded 2021 Certificate of Merit Awards to organizations that completed preservation projects at historic locations across the state. These awards are presented each May during National Preservation Month. Since 1975, THC’s Certificate of Merit Program has recognized exemplary work by individuals, groups, organizations, corporations, or governmental entities to further promote historic preservation or the study of history in...