PRESS RELEASE As summer officially begins and people gather for holiday celebrations, the American Red Cross reminds communities that patients are counting now on the generosity of blood and platelet donors, especially around the Fourth of July. The Red Cross sees about a 21% decline in blood and platelet donations during holiday weeks, including Independence Day. When blood donations drop, so does the blood supply, making it extremely challenging to ensure blood is available when hospitals need it. By scheduling and keeping appointments in July, donors can help provide for those in immediate need of lifesaving care. To schedule...

Independence Day will be the busiest on record in Tennessee, as travel volumes continue to trend upwards with no sign of slowing down. AAA predicts over 1 million Tennesseans will travel 50 miles or more during the holiday weekend (June 30 – July 4). That’s 3% more than last year’s holiday, and is likely to set a new travel record in Tennessee for Independence Day. “The volume of travelers expected over Independence Day is a definite sign that summer travel is kicking into high gear,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Earlier this year,...

Manchester Parks and Recreation Department has announced its annual Independence Day celebration will be held on July 4th at Rotary Park. Provided for free will be live music and a spectacular fireworks show. Thunder Radio (107.9 FM, 1320 AM) will broadcast patriotic music to go along with fireworks at 9 p.m. The live music starts at 7 p.m. with The Spazmatics performing at Rotary Amphitheatre. There will be food trucks on site at Rotary Park to purchase meals, including Jefferson’s, Mercantile, El Oro Verde, Crazy Daisies, Common John Brewing Company, SnoBros, Ms. Pokey’s Lemonade and Bad Boys Bbq. The...

 Extreme heat continues to impact the state and the Tennessee Department of Health is urging Tennesseans to follow important safety tips to avoid heat-related illnesses. ‘’Summer is usually a great time to be outdoors, and it is important to be careful when you’re out in the sun, especially in recent high temperatures occurring across the state,’’ said Tennessee Health Commissioner Morgan McDonald, MD, FACP, FAAP.‘’ To avoid heat-related illness it’s important to drink plenty of water and avoid being outside during the hottest part of the day.’’ Heat-related Illness includes heat exhaustion which causes heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps,...

Thunder Radio News. 1:15 p.m., June 20, 2022 Thunder Radio News has learned that one person passed away at the 2022 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. A female was found unresponsive early Sunday morning (June 19th, 2022). According to Manchester Police Department Chief Investigator Brandon Tomberlin, CPR was performed, the woman was transported to the main medical area and then to Unity Medical Center in Manchester, where she was pronounced deceased. The body has been sent to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. According to Tomberlin, no foul play is suspected at this time but investigation is...

Thunder Radio News. 1:14 p.m., June 20, 2022 Gas prices across Tennessee are trending lower this week after a run of record-setting prices at the pump. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $4.59 which is 30 cents more expensive than one month ago and $1.74 more than one year ago.   The average price per gallon in Coffee County is $4.57, which is 2 cents below the state average and 41 cents below the national average of $4.98. “After weeks of increasing gas prices, Tennesseans are finally catching a small break at the pump. Tennessee also moved up one spot this week to the 7th least...

Coffee County Budget and Finance has voted in include large pay increases to Coffee County EMS staff in the next year’s proposed budget. The committee voted for a 25% increase in pay for medics, EMT’s and paramedics and a 10% increase in pay for drivers. A 5% increase was included for EMS director Michael Bonner. Hiring problems and staff shortages have plagued Coffee County EMS for some time now, leaving the county often underserviced when it comes to available ambulance to service emergencies and...

The 2022 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is the 19th time the festival has been held in Manchester since its inception in 2002. The festival was not held in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 and weather cancellation. Here are some photos of this year’s festival – headlined by J Cole, Tool and Stevie Nicks. More photos will be added later. Tove Lo performs on What Stage Friday, June 17, 2022. Photo by Douglas Mason. The Chicks perform on the Bonnaroo What Stage Friday, June 17, 2022. Photo by Charles ReaganAllison Krauss and Robert Plant perform on the Bonnaroo...