Funeral arrangements have been released for Manchester Mayor Lonnie Norman, who passed away in the early morning hours of Monday, Oct. 12. The family will receive friends on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Rotary Park Amphitheater (next to the Manchester Recreation Complex) from 1-4 p.m. Funeral Services will be conducted at the Rotary Park on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. For those who wish to attend the funeral services, social distancing is strongly encouraged and face coverings will be required. Thunder Radio will broadcast the services live on the air – 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM, 1320 AM, Manchester...

(Pictured, Tennessee first lady Maria Lee gives a high-five to Westwood Elementary student Naveyah McCord during a visit with students Wednesday morning. –Thunder Radio photo by Josh Peterson).  On Wednesday, October 14, Tennessee first lady Maria Lee and Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn stopped to visit Westwood Elementary to assist the Manchester City Schools Family Resource Center in processing and packaging student needs fulfilled through the Tennessee Serves Purposity campaign. “We launched Tennessee Serves with the goal of mobilizing Tennesseans to serve their neighbors and volunteer in their communities, and through this partnership, Tennesseans can know exactly what a student...

Beginning on Nov 1, 2020, Elk River Public Utility District (ERPUD) will be offering a voluntary program known as the Project Help-Round Up program. This program is designed to help Franklin and Coffee counties. Customers who choose to participate in this program will have their monthly natural gas bills automatically rounded up to the next highest whole dollar amount. Monies collected from Project Help – Round Up will be disbursed using the following guidelines: • Relief to ERPUD District Customers to Pay Natural Gas Bills • Promotion of Social Welfare • Assistance for Economic Development • Advancement of Education...

Wednesday was the first day for early voting across Tennessee for the November elections and large crowds were visible at polling locations. Many voters reported wait times of 30-minutes or more and lines were visibly backed out of the door at the Coffee County Election Commission office. Historically, the first and last days of early voting are the busiest, according to the Tennessee Secretary of State. Early voting runs Monday through Saturday and ends on Oct....

The City of Manchester leaf vacuum service begins again on Oct. 19. The City of Manchester Street Department provides leaf vacuum service to all city residents from Fall to Spring of each year. All leaves and grass must be recycled under State and Federal regulations. All leaves placed out to be vacuumed must be free of any sticks, rocks, limbs, etc. or any other debris that would obstruct or harm the equipment. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Manchester Street Department office at 728-6903 Monday- Friday, from 6 a.m. to 4...

Early voting for the Nov. 3 State and Federal Primary and County General election starts tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 14. Early voting runs Monday to Saturday until Thursday, Oct. 29. Early voting offers Tennesseans the flexibility of evening and Saturday hours, along with multiple polling locations in many counties. The first and last days of early voting are normally peak days. Voters looking to avoid the busiest days of early voting should plan to vote on days other than the first and last day of early voting. Tennessee voters can find their early voting and Election Day hours, polling locations,...

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry is reminding citizens to follow simple safety practices to prevent wildfires and obtain a debris burn permit for leaf and brush piles. The official start of wildfire season in Tennessee is Oct. 15 – meaning a burn permit is required to burn starting on that date. Debris Burn Permits for leaf and brush piles are available online at no charge. For larger, broadcast burning, such as forestry, agricultural, and land clearing, call your local Division of Forestry burn permit phone number Mon. through Fri., 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The online...

Manchester Mayor Lonnie Norman passed away during the early morning hours of Monday, Oct. 12, after a battle with COVID-19 virus.  The family of Mayor Lonnie J. Norman has issued the following statement: “It is with a deep sense of sadness and a profound sense of loss that the Norman family announces the passing of Mayor Lonnie J. Norman. He passed away early on the morning of October 12th from COVID-19. “It is said that when your work speaks for itself—let it. Mayor Lonnie Norman’s eight decades on this planet were filled with work that testifies to both his...