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WYSH/WGAP Local Information News
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All web content is property of Clinton Broadcasters Inc., unless otherwise cited, and may not be re-published, re-broadcast or otherwise distributed without express written consent. LAST UPDATED: February 3, 2012 LIVE SPORTS ON WYSH & WGAP KEN JO MARKETS COURTSIDE LIVE PRESENTS A BLOUNT COUNTY BATTLE FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3RD AT 6 PM WHEN MARYVILLE HOSTS HERITAGE ON WGAP! THE FOX & FARLEY FULL COURT PRESS PRESENTS CLINTON AT HARDIN VALLEY FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3RD AT 7 PM RIGHT AFTER TRADING TIME PRIMETIME ONLY ON WYSH!
Click above to help Kids in Clinton Get local information sent right to your phone. Text WYSH to 90210 Did you know you can WATCH Trading Time each day on Comcast Cable Ch 12 on BBB TV. If you are in Anderson or Roane County turn on your TV and watch Trading Time and Ask Your Neighbor. Plus call WYSH for advertising specials on TV
Ex-UT, NFL Standout To Address Students
(Submitted) Antone Davis –of UT and Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta
Falcons fame—will speak to four groups of
Anderson
County
middle school students on Monday, using the fun of Super Bowl
commercials as a platform to talk about healthy choices. Here's the
schedule:
Powell Football Coach Steps Down
(Submitted) Citing his need to spend more time with his family, Powell High School head football coach Matt Lowe has resigned his coaching position. Lowe shared the news with his team early this morning (2/3). If ever one was born to coach football at Powell, it was Lowe. As an all state quarterback/defensive back at Powell, graduating in 1995, he was one of the most productive players ever to take the field for the Panthers. In his 6 years at the helm of the Panther program, Lowe achieved an overall record of 49-23. His last two teams finished the regular seasons undefeated, earning back to back District 3AAA championships along the way. The 2010 team finished the season 11-1, before being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. Lowe’s most recent edition of the Panthers set a school record for wins and winning percentage as it advanced all the way to the Blue Cross Bowl Class 5A Championship game before coming up just short of a perfect season in a heartbreaking 17-14 loss to Henry County. Powell closed out the 2011 season with a 14-1 record, and a state runner up finish. Lowe plans to continue teaching Wellness at Powell. While the Panthers lose a total of 23 seniors – with 14 of those seniors starting for Powell in the Blue Cross Bowl game on December 2 - the Panthers will return a solid nucleus of players in 2012 – many of whom played significant roles over that 2011-2012 run that resulted in a combined 25-2 record and the two District 3AAA championships. As is Knox County School policy, the vacated position must be advertised for a specified period of time before interviews can begin to fill the opening. You can follow the coaching search on the web at www.powellpanthersfootball.com/
Text-A-Tip Expands To Blount Middle Schools
(Submitted) Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong, along with Blount County Schools Director Rob Britt, Maryville City Schools Director Stephanie Thomson, Alcoa City Schools Director Dr. Brian Bell, and Blount Memorial Foundation and Community Outreach, have announced the “Text-a-Tip” system is being extended into all Blount County’s middle schools today (2/3). “Text-a-Tip”, a system in which students can send anonymous tips regarding potential crimes or problems on school campuses, is celebrating its second anniversary as part of Blount County schools. “Text-a-Tip” will be available beginning today at all Blount County middle schools, including Carpenters Middle School, Eagleton Middle School, Heritage Middle School, Union Grove Middle School, as well as Maryville Junior High School and Alcoa Middle School. “Text-a-Tip” was launched into all Blount County high schools in February 2010. It is also available for use by the general public through the Sheriff’s Office website at www.bcso.com. As of February 2, 2012, Blount County 911 Communications Center has received 822 tips through the “Text-a-Tip” system. Sheriff James Lee Berrong said that 90 percent of the tips that the Communications Center has received are legitimate tips. “We view “Text-a-Tip” as a great prevention tool,” Sheriff Berrong said. “The students are very aware of it, and they are not afraid to use it. Across the board, we have seen a decrease in drug activity, as well as other criminal activity, on school campuses.” The “Text-a-Tip” system, which is $1,200 per year, plus $250 for each school’s access code, is funded in full with a grant through the Blount County Substance Abuse Prevention Action Team, which is under the direction of the Blount Memorial Foundation and Community Outreach. There is no cost to Blount County’s taxpayers.
State: Blount Man Pleads Guilty To Tax Fraud
(Tennessee Department of Revenue) The Tennessee Department of Revenue
's Special Investigations Section conducted an investigation that led to
the February 2nd best interest guilty plea of Mark Peter Sawyer, age 56,
of Louisville, Tennessee. Sawyer pled guilty to one count of tax
evasion. Judge Steve Dozier granted Sawyer's request for judicial
diversion and placed him on supervised probation for two years. Sawyer
was ordered to pay restitution to the Tennessee Department of Revenue in
the amount of $4,805.00. On September 16, 2011, Sawyer was indicted by
a Davidson County Grand Jury on one Class E felony count of Tax Evasion
in violation of Tenn. Code Ann. Section 67-1-1440. The indictment
charged that Sawyer attempted to evade tax due the State of Tennessee on
behalf of Santa Verde, Inc., by purchasing a 35' Sea Ray Cabin boat for
$67,500 and not paying $4,805.00 in tax due. Citizens who suspect
violations of Tennessee's revenue laws should call the toll-free tax
fraud hot line at (800) FRAUDTX (372-8389). Freeman, Co-Owner Of ‘Claxton Town Hall,’ Passes
The owner of the Claxton True Value Hardware Store on Edgemoor Road in Claxton, Johnnie Freeman, passed away on Monday (1/30) at the age of 68. Ms. Freeman and her husband Dillis owned the hardware store, which is known as Claxton’s unofficial town hall, a gathering place and the undisputed social center of the Claxton community. Ms. Freeman became such an important part of the community that she became known as the “Mayor of Claxton.” She was active in the community, fighting to maintain Claxton’s independence and organizing and supporting efforts to maintain and improve the community. Ms. Freeman’s family will receive friends on Saturday from 6 to 8 pm at Holley-Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton with the funeral service to follow and she will be laid to rest Sunday afternoon at Woodhaven Memorial Gardens in Claxton. On a related note, because the Anderson County Trustee’s Office Claxton mobile property tax collection site was scheduled to be at Ms. Freeman's store on February 8th, the office has cancelled that particular collection site for this year only. The mobile collection site will return to Claxton next year.
AC Tax Collection Sites
Anderson County Trustee Rodney Archer will be setting up mobile payment locations for taxes again this year. Anderson county property tax payments will be accepted at the following locations in February. Lake City – at Suntrust Bank on Tuesday, February, 7 from 9 to 2. Oliver Springs – at the Municipal Building on Thursday, February 9, from 9 to 2. County property tax as well as applications for tax relief and tax freeze will be accepted at all three locations on these dates. In addition, we will be open at all of our usual branch locations on Saturday, February 25, from 8am to 12pm. As a reminder, county property taxes are currently due and payable and become past due on March 1, when interest and penalty will begin to accrue. For more information call 865-463-6848.
OR School Nominated For Prestigious Award
Glenwood Elementary School in Oak Ridge has been nominated for the prestigious national Blue Ribbon Award, one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a public or private school in the US. There are only six nominees in the state for the award, which recognizes excellence in education. School officials will travel to Washington DC later this year to be recognized by the President and Secretary of Education, among other officials. Congratulations!
Winter Heritage Festival This Weekend
If you are looking for something to do this weekend, the Winter Heritage
Festival is taking place through Sunday (2/5) at locations in Townsend,
Cades Cover and elsewhere in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The 6th annual event celebrates the history and beauty of the
region as well as the cities and communities that surround the Park.
Events are taking place each day ranging from nature hikes to
basket-making to Civil War history to pottery. For a complete look at
all the events taking place during this weekend’s Winter Heritage
Festival, visit
http://www.smokymountains.org/
B&W Y-12 CRC Adds New Members
(Submitted) The B&W Y-12 Community Relations Council (CRC) recently added 14 members and elected a new chair and vice chair, bringing the total to 31 members. The new members were added as a means of reaching a broader area in East Tennessee. The CRC now is chaired by Ken Green, assistant superintendent of Oak Ridge Schools, and co-chaired by Steve Jones, Clinton business consultant. Green was chosen after long-time CRC chair Homer Fisher retired and stepped down from the position. In addition to Green, the new members are: · Frank Chmielewicz, retired U. S. Postmaster; · Rebecca Crowe, special procurement team lead, ORAU; · Melinda Hillman, vice president, Roane State Community College foundation; · Charles (Chuck) Hope, Jr., owner, Chuck’s Car Care and Oak Ridge City Council member; · Steve Jones, president, Atomic Trades and Labor Council; · Buzz Patrick, chief operating officer and general manager of Omega Technical Services, Inc. and Anderson County Commissioner; · Linda Ponce, Communications and Public Affairs Specialist, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U. S. Department of Energy; · Tennessee State Representative John Ragan; · Dean Rice, chief of staff for Knox County mayor; · Bert Robinson, manager of Valley Relations for the Tennessee Valley Authority; · Sharon Templeton, community outreach manager, EnergySolutions; · Adria Tutton, assistant, Congressman Chuck Fleischmann’s Office; · Mark Watson, city manager of Oak Ridge; and · Steve Whitson, president of H-S Whitson Construction Co., Inc. Other members include Mike Cuddy, Amy Fitzgerald, Glen Galen, Willie Golden, Tom Tuck, Tyler Johnson, Tim Waddell, Mike Belbeck, Katy Brown, Rick Chinn, Shirley Cox, Mike Farmer, Susana Navarro-Valenti, Greta Ownby and Anita Vines. B&W Y-12 established the Community Relations Council (CRC) in 2002 to enhance communication between Y-12 and the Oak Ridge community and the East Tennessee region. The CRC is comprised of members whose individual interests vary – scientists, business and community leaders, neighborhood residents, and retirees -- all who share a common vision for a vibrant future for the greater Oak Ridge region and a commitment to national security and Y-12.
RAM Clinic This Weekend In Knox
Remote Area Medical will hold a free health clinic this weekend in Knoxville. The clinic will be held this Saturday and Sunday, February 4th and 5th, at the Jacob Building in Chilhowee Park in Knoxville located at 3301 East Magnolia Avenue. Services that will be available include dental cleanings, fillings and extractions as well as free eye exams and free eyeglasses as time and supplies permit and general medical exams and women’s health services. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early as lines can be long and start early in the morning. Numbers will be given out both days at around 3:30 am and the clinic will open at 6 am. Patients are seen on a first come, first served basis and for the best chance of being seen, organizers suggest arriving by 3:30 am on the day you wish to receive treatment. Be prepared for cold weather and bring snacks. Once registered, you are advised to be prepared for long waits before being seen by a doctor.
Clinton FD To Hold Car seat Checkpoint
The Clinton Fire Department is having a child car seat safety checkpoint at Fire Station #1 at 100 Longmire Road on February 7th from 5 to 8 pm. Come by to make sure your car seat is installed correctly!
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Equipment Missing From College Athletic Center
Maryville Police are investigating the disappearance of several thousand dollars worth of football equipment from Maryville College's on-campus athletic center. The gear was discovered missing on Thursday night during a routine inventory check and reported to police. Missing are football jerseys, coaches’ headsets and a video camera as well as a mini-cannon and swords used by the team’s mascot. Altogether, the items are valued at around $16,000. At this time, investigators say there are no suspects but that they are following up on leads. If you have any information, call the Maryville Police Department’s crime hotline at 865-380-1388.
CPD Probing Storage Unit Break-Ins
Clinton Police are investigating break-ins at several units at Git N Go Storage on Longmire Road. The business manager called police at around 8:00 Wednesday night and told them that she had found the locks had been cut off of six units. At the time of the report, she had been unable to contact the renters of those units so it is unclear what, if anything was taken.
Two Cited For Changing Clothes On Camera
Clinton Police cited two Lake City men Wednesday after they were caught on camera changing clothes in the elevator corridor in the basement of the Robert Jolley Building. At around 9:00 Wednesday night, a dispatcher in the county communications center spotted two men entering the corridor on the surveillance cameras exposing themselves as they changed clothes. A CPD officer caught up to the two men, identified as 24-year-old Joshua Braden and 19-year-old Jacob Maiden, in the parking lot of the nearby CVS Pharmacy. They told the officer they had ducked into the building to change out of their wet clothes. Both were cited for malicious mischief and advised to stay out of the restricted areas of the Jolley Building.
OR Set To Tackle Parking Problem
The city of Oak Ridge is expected to take action this month to address a years-old problem with on-street parking and the storage of vehicles in several neighborhoods. The City Council will consider an ordinance that would make it illegal to park vehicles on the street or in front yards. Part of Oak Ridge’s “Not In Our Town” campaign, the measure is aimed at people who park cars, boats and trailers in the street, causing traffic problems and affecting property values. The ordinance will have its first reading by the City Council on February 13th and if it passes on second reading, it would go into effect on April 1st with a 30-day grace period. Violators could see their vehicles towed or face fines of up to $50.
Report: Man Faces Charges, Citations Following Wreck
According to the Daily Times, a Louisville man is facing several charges stemming from a Sunday afternoon traffic accident that involved a total of three vehicles. 31-year-old Hilario Sanchez has been charged with three counts of felony reckless endangerment and one county each of DUI and vehicular assault and was also cited by Alcoa Police for failing to provide due care on a roadway, an insurance violation and four counts of child restraint and seatbelts laws. The paper reports that Alcoa Police were called to Topside Road shortly after 4 pm Sunday on a report of a three-vehicle crash and when they arrived, learned that Sanchez had accompanied his four children to Blount Memorial Hospital in an ambulance. When officers found Sanchez at the hospital, he was in a room with one of his kids and officers reported that he appeared to be intoxicated. He refused sobriety tests but submitted to a blood test at the hospital before being taken into custody. Police say that Sanchez’s SUV struck a car trying to turn left on to Pellissippi Parkway, then spun and was hit by another vehicle. No serious injuries were reported but police say that no one inside Sanchez’s vehicle had been buckled up. Sanchez will appear in court later this week.
AC GOP To Host Reagan Day Dinner
(Submitted) The Anderson County Republican Party will host its annual Reagan Day Dinner on Friday, February 24, at the Flatwater Grill Conference Center. Tickets are now on sale. The guest speakers for this year’s event will be Senator Lamar Alexander and Congressman Chuck Fleischmann. Several congressional candidates and other elected officials are also expected to attend the event. A limited number of tickets are available for a VIP Private Reception with Sen. Alexander and Rep. Fleischmann from 6:30-7:00 in the bar of the Flatwater Restaurant. The dinner and program will be from 7:00-9:00 in the Private Dining Room at the Flatwater. Entertainment and a silent auction will also be included in the evening. Dinner tickets are $50 each and tickets to the reception are available for an additional $50. A small number of sponsorship packages are also available. For more information or to purchase tickets contact: Alex Moseley 865-898-4526 Rick Chinn 865-482-3602 Lisa Lounsbery 865-898-5472 Aaron Wells 865-280-7001 The Anderson County Republican Party meets the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 103 Jefferson Avenue, Oak Ridge, Tn. at 7:00 PM. All members and guests are encouraged to attend meetings and get involved in the party.
OR Offering Free Computer Class
(Submitted) The Recreation and Parks Department will offer a free, six week Beginner Computer class Tuesday, February 14, 2012 through March 20, 2012. The class will be held each Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at the Scarboro Community Center located at 148 Carver Avenue. Participation is limited to the first ten respondents. For more information or to reserve your space, please phone 425-3950. Please visit the website www.orrecparks.org for information on all the Recreation and Parks Department programs.
KARM Golf Tournament Coming
Save the date for the 21st Annual Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) Golf Classic which will be held on Thursday, May 3, 2012 at Avalon Landmark Golf Club in Lenoir City. The tournament will feature KARM course exclusivity and choice of flight times. Contact Danita McCartney for more info at dmccartney@karm.org or 865-633-7625.
State Issues Over 12,500 Voter IDs
(Submitted) The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security today announced that 12,571 photo IDs had been issued for voting purposes from July 1 through January 30, 2011. The vast majority (11,896) of those issued were non-photo driver licenses converted into photo driver licenses, while 675 were original photo identification cards. Effective January 1, 2012, a new state law requires citizens to present a federal or state-issued photo ID to vote at the polls. The law also requires the Department of Safety and Homeland Security to issue photo IDs for voting purposes at no charge. “We will only offer Saturday hours for the selected driver service centers twice more before the presidential primary in March,” Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons said. “Citizens who need a photo ID for voting purposes are encouraged to utilize this special service, as well as our participating county clerk partners during the week.” This Saturday, February 4, the state will open 19 driver service centers for citizens who need a photo ID for voting purposes, and will be open for the final Saturday on March 3 for the purpose of issuing voter photo IDs only, including both locations in Knox County and the Blount County location. The centers will be open normal business hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the new voter photo ID law, including acceptable forms of photo identification and documents needed to obtain a photo ID for voting purposes, please visit the Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s website at www.tn.gov/safety.
Baker Recommended For Alternatives To Incarceration Post
A special committee interviewed four people for the position of director of the Alternatives to Incarceration program in the Anderson County government on Tuesday. Five finalists had been selected for interviews out of 50 who applied for the position but one dropped out before Tuesday’s session. Following the interviews, the committee met and unanimously voted to offer the job to Michael Baker, who has 33 years experience in working in adult, community-based corrections. Baker accepted the offer, subject to confirmation by the County Commission on February 21st. He lives in Knoxville, but spent most of his career with the Iowa Department of Corrections before his retirement. County Mayor Myron Iwanski says that he has extensive management experience in alternative programs and says “I believe he is the kind of person we need to work collaboratively with everyone in the criminal justice system to put creative programs in place that will reduce the growth in jail population.” The Alternatives to Incarceration program is one of the key pieces to the county’s plan to reduce the population of the chronically overcrowded Anderson County Jail and funding for it is included in a bond taken out by the county last year to pay for jail expansion and school construction projects. In his new capacity, Baker will oversee the county’s pretrial release program and implement and monitor programs to keep low-risk, nonviolent offenders out of jail. He will earn $51,500 a year and will start immediately after receiving confirmation from the Commission. The committee is made up of District Attorney David Clark, Public Defender Tom Marshall, Iwanski, Chief Jailer Avery Johnson, commissioner Whitey Hitchcock, and Jan Cagle with Ridgeview in Oak Ridge.
Talley Freed On Bond, Placed Under House Arrest
Former Alcoa High School teacher and softball coach Paul Talley was released on bond Tuesday morning (1/31), placed under house arrest and fitted with a GPS monitoring device. Talley’s bond was raised to $250,000 during a Monday hearing. Talley was indicted in December on nine sex-related charges involving two juvenile girls and last week, pleaded guilty to violating an order of protection taken out against him by the mother of one of the girls on two occasions in January. Talley had been in jail since his arrest on the second violation on January 21st. Judge Tammy Harrington also ordered Monday that Talley undergo psychological counseling and be monitored by corrections employees. A status hearing on the case is set for March 9th.
AC Chamber To Hold Mayoral Forum
The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce’s Government Relations Council will host a forum for the candidates in the Anderson County Mayor’s race on Tuesday February 21st from 4 to 6 pm at the Ritz Theater in downtown Clinton. All three candidates—Republicans Terry Frank and Tim Isbel and Democrat Warren Gooch—have all indicated they will be in attendance. All three will have a chance to express their goals for Anderson County and their approach to county government. The forum will be in a non-debate format and each candidate will be given the chance to respond to questions submitted in advance. If you have a question for the mayoral candidates, mail them to the Chamber at 245 North Main Street, Clinton, TN 37716 or send an e-mail to accc@andersoncountychamber.org by February 15th.
Kingston Breaks Ground On Wastewater Treatment Plant
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday (1/30) for the expansion of the Kingston Wastewater Treatment Plant which will double plant capacity from one million gallons per day to two million. Construction cost is $4,712,000, which together with engineering and other costs, is being funded by a $5,000,000 grant from TVA. The project is part of a long-range plan by the Kingston City Council to increase water and sewer infrastructure to meet future growth needs of the city. The contractor is Haren Construction Company of Etowah, Tennessee, and the engineering Firm is Jacobs. It is estimated that the project will take about 18 months with construction beginning on February 13, 2012.
Norris Has A New Playground
The city of Norris has announced that its newest playground has opened at Ridgeway Park. The new playground was funded by a grant from the Tennessee Local Parks & Recreation Fund and with money donated to the city by Norris Academy. Later this spring, picnic tables will be added to the playground as part of an Eagle Scout project.
AARP, IRS Offer Tax Aid In Norris
We have told you about free income tax assistance in Oak Ridge and Lake City and today we can tell you that tax assistance is also available in Norris for people with low to middle incomes and especially those ages 60 and older. The assistance will be offered at the Norris Community Building on Thursdays from 9 am to noon beginning this Thursday February 2nd and all the way through April 17th. Tax assistance will also be available at the Community Building on the first and third Tuesdays beginning February 7th from 9 am to 12 noon. This is a public service provided by the tax aid program of the AARP and IRS. To schedule an appointment call 865-494-7225 but walk-ins will also be served if possible.
Clinton Library Offering Digital Options
Last month, the Oak Ridge Public Library began providing e-books and audiobooks from its website to its patrons and this month, the Clinton Public Library is unveiling a similar program. You can browse the collection at the library’s website, www.clintonpubliclibrary.org, check out with your library card and download to a variety of devices including Kindles, Nooks, iPads and a host of others. Audiobooks can be transferred to your mp3 player or iPod. Titles will automatically expire at the end of the lending period and there are no late fees. Thousands of fiction and non-fiction titles are available, including best sellers and classics. The service is free with your library card. To get started downloading audiobooks or eBooks, visit www.clintonpubliclibrary.org.
They Put What Where?
Two women were arrested early this morning (2/1) outside the Git N Go on North Charles Seivers Boulevard on drug possession and other charges. Clinton Police were dispatched to the store shortly before 1 am on a report of suspicious activity and Officer Chip Kain made contact with the occupants of a green Volvo parked in front of the store. Inside the vehicle were the male driver, 26-year-old Justin Steven Seith of Oak Ridge, and a woman who appeared to have been crying. The driver told officers that his girlfriend was inside the store. At that time, 26-year-old Alexandria Lynn Perkins of Oak Ridge exited the store and the officer reported that she had slow, slurred speech and her pupils did not dilate, leading him to believe that she was under the influence of drugs. Employees of the store told officers that Perkins had stolen a jug of milk before walking out and a witness said they had seen her drop something into a nearby storm drain, which turned out to be a black plastic tube and a syringe. Perkins said they were not hers but admitted to dropping them down the drain. She admitted stealing the milk and was placed into custody after officers discovered drug paraphernalia in her purse. Officers then searched Seith’s car and found a purse believed to have been stolen from another Git N Go location. The other female, 44-year-old Tina Leean Rauhuff of Oliver Springs, was interviewed and found to have warrants for her arrest out of Roane County. Both women told officers that they did not have nay illegal substances on them and were taken to the jail. During a search at the jail, corrections officers located metal tins inside each woman’s vagina containing several pills. Rauhuff was charged with public intoxication, drug possession and introduction of drugs into a penal facility and Perkins was charged with theft, drug possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, public intoxication and introduction of drugs into a penal institution. Seith was not charged.
Talley Bond Reset
Monday (1/30), a Blount County judge increased the bond of former Alcoa High School teacher and softball coach Paul Talley to $250,000 during a hearing. If he makes bond, which could happen as early as today according to his attorney, Talley would be subject to house arrest and outfitted with a GPS tracking device. Last month, Talley was indicted by a Blount County grand jury on nine sex-related charges involving minors, namely five counts of statutory rape by an authority figure and two counts each of sexual battery by an authority figure and solicitation of a minor for sexual battery by an authority figure. Earlier this month, he was arrested twice for violating an order of protection taken out against him by the mother of one of his former players, the most recent incident landing him in jail. In the first incident, he tried to contact the girl through a third party and on January 21st, he twice walked by the store in West Town Mall in Knoxville where the girl works. He has been in custody since the 21st and last week pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the order of protection and was sentenced to ten days in jail with credit given for the time served. Judge Tammy Harrington also ordered Talley to undergo psychological counseling. Harrington warned Talley that any further violations of orders of protection or any other violations of the terms of his release would result in his being held in custody until his trial. Talley is due back in court on March 9th.
Westcott Honored In OR
Monday night (1/30), dozens of people gathered to help renowned Oak Ridge photographer Ed Westcott celebrate his 90th birthday at the American Museum of Science and Energy. Westcott was the 29th person to be hired for the Manhattan Project in 1942 and was the only photographer hired to document those dramatic and historic days. Westcott’s photographs tell the story of the day-to-day lives of early Oak Ridgers and document historical moments in time and current historians say that telling the story of the Manhattan Project would be close to impossible without the images that he recorded. Westcott’s birthday was actually earlier this month but the party was held last night in his honor. Following the celebration, there was a special screening of the first episode of the East Tennessee PBS documentary series, “Y-12: A Nuclear Family” that premiered last week on local public television stations.
Haslam Unveils $31 Billion Budget Proposal
Monday night (1/30), Governor Bill Haslam unveiled his budget proposal during the annual “State of the State” address in Nashville. The $31.08 billion budget calls for raises for state employees, more spending on construction on college campuses and tax cuts on food and inheritance. The proposal does call for the elimination of almost 1200 state jobs, 617 of which are currently filled with the other 459 positions vacant. Haslam proposes 2.5% pay raises for remaining state workers as well as a $355 million increase in construction and building maintenance spending at the state’s colleges and universities and an additional $70 million in state funds to provide cash grants to businesses that expand in, or relocate to, Tennessee. The budget proposal unveiled Monday also provides full funding to the state’s Basic Education Plan—or BEP—including $55 million in new money to cover enrollment increases and other new expenses. Haslam also called for spending increases in TennCare and the restoration of permanent funding for programs including safe schools grants and alcohol and drug abuse programs. Haslam told reporters in Nashville Monday morning that the state has largely bounced back from the depths of the recent recession and that revenues are expected to increase this year.
East AC Relay Honored
The Relay for Life of East Anderson County has won the All American Award for 2011! The prize is awarded to communities that show growth, retention, Relay branding, diversity, and leadership in incorporating the 5 Ds within Relay events and throughout the year. The 5 Ds include development in the areas of fundraising, leadership, team, event, and survivorship. The 2011 Relay was under the leadership of co-chairs, Jason and Lou Lawrence. Our next Committee Meeting is February 7th at 6:30. The next Team Rally Date is February 16th. All meetings are held in the upper building at Clinton Physical Therapy Center. New teams are always welcome! For more information...visit www.relayforlife.org/eastanderson or contact 2012 chairs, Tre Rhyne and Dedra Miller at 865-202-4625
2012 Energy Camp Applications Available
Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Energy Division announced today that applications are now available online for the 2012 Energy Camps. The four-day educational sessions provide K-12 teachers with the information and resources needed to teach the science of energy and energy conservation in the classroom and to guide students in becoming leaders in their school and community. K-12 teachers are invited to apply for one of the following two camps: Pickwick Landing State Park Inn in Pickwick Dam, June 5-8; or Cove Lake State Park in Caryville, June 12-15. Teams of two teachers per school will work together at the camps to develop and conduct an energy education program. Teams selected to participate in Energy Camp will be provided with complementary lodging and meals and will receive a $500 reimbursable grant to help fund each school’s energy education program. Applications are available online at http://www.tn.gov/ecd/CD_energy_education.html and are due by April 13. The Energy Camps will address required curriculum standards and help teachers integrate energy activities into not only science, but math, language arts, social studies and visual and performing arts lessons. The Camps will focus on creating real-world situations in the classroom and collecting and analyzing data, in order to evaluate and improve the school’s energy usage. The 2012 Energy Camps will also include a full-day field trip to energy-related sites. The ECD Energy Division Energy Education Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy‘s State Energy Program. For more information, contact the Energy Hotline, 800-342-1340, or email Chyrall Dawson Chyrall.Dawson@tn.gov.
Official State Maps Now Available
The official 2012 Tennessee Transportation Map is now available to assist travelers in their planning efforts. This year’s map contains a Quick Response code (QR code) that will allow users to scan and link to TDOT’s mobile web application, TDOT SmartWay Mobile. “The state map is an important tool for travelers and this new feature will provide an added convenience by allowing motorists to quickly access real-time traffic information using their smartphones,” said TDOT Commissioner John Schroer. “The map is free and is also available at welcome centers and rest areas across the state.” The 2012 state map can also be downloaded from the TDOT web site at www.tn.gov/tdot/maps.htm. Pre-printed maps may be ordered from TDOT online at www.tn.gov/tdot/MapOrder/maporder.htm or by mailing a request to: Tennessee Department of Transportation, Map Sales Office, 505 Deaderick Street, James K. Polk Building, Suite 300, Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0345. Individuals may request up to five free maps. Organizations and schools may order up to one hundred maps for their use. The Official 2012 Tennessee Transportation Map is a joint effort between TDOT and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.
Official Announcement For OS City Manager Job
(Submitted) The Town of Oliver Springs is accepting applications for the position of City Manager. The City Manager is hired by Town Council and serves at the pleasure, and under the general supervision, of the Mayor, and is responsible to the Town Council for the administration of the following departments: Fire, Library, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, and Water, and for carrying out the policies adopted by the Town Council. The City Manager is also responsible for personnel management, purchasing, management of property and resources, the financial operations and budgeting for the departments under his authority, and other duties and responsibilities as outlined in the Town Charter, or as requested by Council or the Mayor . Minimum Qualifications: College Degree in municipal management, public administration, business administration, planning, or comparable experience required. Water / wastewater experience a plus. Must possess good written and verbal communications skills, computer proficiency, and management skills. Salary dependent upon qualifications. Deadline for applicants is February 10, 2012. Send letter of interest, salary requirements, and resume to: City Manager David Bolling, P.O. Box 303, Oliver Springs, TN 37840, by fax to (865) 435-4881, or by email to oscitymanager@comcast.net. The Town of Oliver Springs is an equal opportunity employer.
OS Man Killed In Friday Wreck, Samaritans Render Aid
An Oliver Springs man was killed Friday afternoon (1/27) in a one-vehicle accident on Highway 61 at Bill Key Lane. The accident occurred at around 3:30 pm Friday, according to the THP, when 62-year-old James W. Sisson was headed west on Highway 61. Troopers say that Sisson’s 1996 GMC pickup truck went off the left side of the road and went airborne, crossing over Bill Key Lane before landing on its front and overturning in a pond. Anderson County Rescue Squad Chief Terry Allen says several Good Samaritans who witnessed the accident jumped into the pond and turned the truck over, pulled Sisson from the cab of the truck and began CPR until first responders arrived. Troopers say that alcohol does not appear to have been a factor in the accident and that Sisson, a retired Oliver Springs police officer, was wearing his seatbelt.
OSHS Administrator Arrested In Morgan
Morgan County authorities arrested an Oliver Springs High School vice principal on domestic assault charges Thursday night (1/26). 43-year-old Donna Moore of Coalfield was held for about 12 hours following her arrest late Thursday night. Deputies were called to her home on Sheldon Road by her husband, Craig, who told deputies that his wife had come intoxicated and began yelling at him. She allegedly hit him in the back of the head and when he turned around, threw something that hit her husband in the face, leaving behind some small cuts on his head. Donna Moore admitted that she had thrown her keys at her husband during the argument.
Follis, Chapman Get Attorneys In Slaying Case
During a video arraignment Friday (1/27) in an Anderson County courtroom, the couple accused of killing an elderly man in Claxton last month and hiding his body under a staircase inside his apartment were assigned court-appointed attorneys. 48-year-old Norman Lee Follis Jr. is charged with first-degree murder and theft and will be represented by Leslie Hunt while his girlfriend, 43-year-old Tammy Sue Chapman is charged with accessory after the fact and theft and will be represented by Mart Cizek. Both face charges in the death of Follis’s uncle, 79-year-old Sammie Adams, who was strangled sometime in December and left under a staircase. His body was discovered late Tuesday after he was reported missing by a friend on January 22nd. Both will remain in custody at the Anderson County Jail without bond, pending a court appearance on Thursday, during which bond could be set.
AC Task Force Meets To Discuss Dispatch Consolidation
Friday (1/27), a special committee made up of representatives from Anderson County and its five cities met for the first time to begin discussing the possibility of consolidating the three active 911 districts in the county into one entity. The group elected EMS director Nathan Sweet as its chairperson. The county and the city councils in Clinton, Lake City, Norris, Oak Ridge and Oliver Springs have all passed resolutions in support of the task force, which will be charged with gathering information about centralized dispatching and making a recommendation about how to proceed. Proponents of bringing all three of the county’s 911 systems together say that it will be a long-term money-saving move and that it would streamline emergency operations across the county. The county, Clinton and Oak Ridge each operate their own 911 systems and centralizing those operations could improve efficiency and response times. Officials say that any move to centralize dispatching in the county will likely take years. Two Plead Guilty To Killing Bear Cubs Two Maryville men are facing probation, fines, and community service, after pleading guilty to killing two bear cubs last year. According to TWRA, 18-year-old Jesse Lee McClellan and 19-year-old Corey Martin Campbell were in the Top of the World Community of Blount County last November, when they shined a light into the eyes of two bear cubs, causing them to freeze and then shot them. They were charged with hunting within a closed season, hunting from a vehicle, and spotlighting wildlife, specifically bears. The two entered pleas in a Blount County courtroom on Friday (1/27). McClellan pleaded guilty to hunting within a closed season and spotlighting wildlife. The hunting from a vehicle charge was dismissed. He was sentenced to 6 months probation, 100 hours community service in a bear rescue or animal shelter, and must pay $200 in restitution to TWRA and all court costs and fines. Campbell pleaded guilty to hunting within a closed season and hunting from a vehicle. The spotlighting charge was dismissed. Campbell was sentenced to 6 months probation, 150 hours community service in a bear rescue or animal shelter, and must pay $400 in restitution to TWRA and all court costs and fines. His weapon was also confiscated. Both also lost their hunting, trapping and fishing licenses for five years and must have no contact with the Top of the World Community. Campbell also pleaded guilty to drug possession. He was sentenced to 11 months 29 days probation on that charge. OR Tax Assistance Info
The Oak Ridge Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Group (VITA) will provide free tax preparation and electronic filing services to local individuals and households at the former Trinity United Methodist Church, 320 Robertsville Road, Oak Ridge. Tax assistance will begin on January 30th and continue through April 17th. Hours will be 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Income taxes are prepared by volunteers who have been trained and certified by the IRS using the VITA program. Income taxes will be prepared and electronic transmittals will be available - all at no cost to the taxpayer. Taxpayers should bring in their last year's return, all Social Security cards, W-2's or 1099's, and photo identification. A cancelled check is needed for direct deposit of your tax return. Also, taxpayers who own their homes should bring all property taxes paid on the home in 2011. This is a free service. For more information on this free tax service, contact the United Way of Anderson County (UWAC) at 865-483-8431.
Thursday Storms Leave Behind Blount Damage
Thursday night’s (1/26) storms in East Tennessee caused some scattered damage in the Walland community of Blount County. A large tree was knocked on to the house of Bernice Bowles on Thursday night, injuring no one but causing extensive damage to the kitchen and destroying a shed in the back yard. Part of the roof of a nearby home was blown into a tree and another large tree snapped in half about half a mile away.
THP, CargoNet To Fight Cargo Thefts
(Submitted) The Tennessee Highway Patrol today (1/30) announced a new strategic alliance with CargoNet®, a leading source of information on cargo thefts, to combat stolen goods in transit in Tennessee and surrounding states. State troopers will use the CargoNet system to disrupt cargo crime networks, increase recovery rates, and apprehend criminals associated with cargo thefts. “This newly established relationship will strengthen our increased criminal interdiction efforts throughout Tennessee,” THP Colonel Tracy Trott said. “With the information-sharing capabilities of CargoNet, State Troopers can conduct timely investigations, link recovered goods to owners, and remove criminals from interstates.” State Troopers will now have access to investigative support through the 24-hour CargoNet operations center and will receive theft alerts to patrol units. The CargoNet database will also allow Highway Patrol personnel to analyze shifting crime patterns; retrieve real-time theft trends; and access theft reports based on day, time, location, commodity, and many other factors. Formed by Verisk Analytics and the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) in 2010, CargoNet focuses on the collection and analysis of U.S. cargo theft incident information. The data collection effort has resulted in a database with a constantly growing number of detailed cargo theft reports. Members of the THP and other law enforcement agencies will participate in a three-day training program to further enhance their cargo theft interdiction skills.
Five To Interview For Alternatives For Incarceration Director
After reviewing dozens of applications from people interested in serving as the director of Anderson County’s alternatives to incarceration program, five finalists have been selected for interviews on Tuesday (1/31). Whoever is chosen to serve in the new position will oversee the county’s pretrial release program and implement and monitor programs to keep low-risk, nonviolent offenders out of jail as part of the county’s effort to reduce the population of the chronically overcrowded jail. The five finalists are Michael Baker, who retired from the Iowa Department of Corrections; Judith Guthrie, who retired as a supervisory US probation officer from West Palm Beach, Florida; current director of the Knox County Drug Court Ron Hanaver; Anthony O.B. Peterson, who currently works with the Knox County Community Alternatives to Prison program and law enforcement officer David Whaley. The position will pay between $50,000 and $70,000 per year depending on qualifications.
Three Arrested In Check-Cashing Business Robbery
Three men have been arrested by the Clinton Police Department in connection to the January 12th armed robbery at Cash 2 You on Clinch Avenue in South Clinton. That day, two men walked into the business, pointed a gun at an employee and her two young daughters and demanded cash. They fled with $650. Following an investigation by CPD detectives, the trio was taken into custody last week and remains incarcerated at the Anderson County Jail. The suspects have been identified as Adrian Nathaniel Butler of Knoxville, Marshall Smith Crowe of Heiskell and Jessie Aaron Webb of Clinton, all of whom are charged with aggravated robbery and theft. Butler and Crowe are being held on $150,000 bonds each while Webb, who also faces charges of burglary, possession of drug paraphernalia and violating his probation is being held on $175,000 bond. According to the CPD, the men planned the robbery because they knew that the female employee would be alone in the business with her two daughters. No one was injured in the robbery.
Talley Pleads Guilty To Violating Protection Order
A former Alcoa High School softball coach and teacher pleaded guilty Thursday (1/26) in a Blount County courtroom to twice violating an order of protection taken out against him by the mother of one his former players. Paul Talley was sentenced to 20 days in jail with ten days suspended and given credit for the six days that he has been in jail. Talley was out on bond on charges that he had inappropriate contact with two juvenile girls when police say that he violated the order twice, once by trying to contact the girl through a third party on January 11th and last Saturday by trying to contact her at work. A hearing has been set for Monday to determine if his bond will be revoked. He is charged with five counts of statutory rape by an authority figure and two counts each of sexual battery by an authority figure and solicitation of a minor for sexual battery by an authority figure.
Report: ORNL Guard Caught Napping Resigns
The News-Sentinel reports that a security supervisor employed by WSI-Oak Ridge at ORNL has resigned after confessing to violating company rules by taking a nap on the job and using a personal cell phone while on duty. Officials told the paper that the officer came forward after photographs showing the alleged misdeeds were sent to the News-Sentinel, the DOE and WSI. Officials say the pictures were likely taken in 2010 but emphasized that they were not taken in a classified area of Building 3019, a high-security facility on the ORNL campus where a large stockpile of uranium is stored. WSI is continuing to investigate who took the incriminating photos. Officials say that the security officer’s cell phone use was a violation of company policy because of when and not where he used it since it was not in a classified area and that sleeping in the job is also a violation of policy.
Report: OR Mall Possibly On Market
According to the News-Sentinel, the beleaguered and nearly-vacant Oak Ridge Mall property could be offered for sale very soon with an asking price of $8 million. Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson reportedly told a meeting of the Anderson County Economic Development Association on Wednesday (1/25) that he had been told by Steve Arnsdorff, the developer who bought the property in 2003, that the property would be placed on the market soon. Officials with the development company working with Arnsdorff told the News-Sentinel that no decision has been made yet but that there have been discussions of selling the property and that a decision could be made as early as today. Only three tenants remain in the mall and one of them, Sears, is closing down its Oak Ridge location.
Blount Teen Wins National Talent Contest
A Blount County teenager has won the grand prize in the Texaco Country Showdown talent competition, a national contest described as the most prestigious country music talent search in the nation. 16-year-old Laurel Wright was crowned on Thursday night (1/26) following the national finals at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. In addition to being named “The Best New Act in Country Music,” Laurel also won $100,000. To make it to Nashville, she had to win local, state and regional Showdown competitions and was one of only five finalists out of 50,000 who started the competition, which was once known as the Colgate Country Showdown. WYSH and Merle FM formerly served as local sponsors for the competition.
OS Native Headed To Hollywood On ‘Idol’
Oliver Springs native Janelle Arthur has once again made it to Hollywood on Fox’s “American Idol.” This will be her second trip to Hollywood as part of the competition, having also advanced to this round last year.
SKYWARN Spotter Training To Be Offered
In conjunction with Severe Weather Awareness Week February 20th through the 24th, the Anderson County Emergency Management Agency will host free National Weather Service SKYWARN spotter training from 7 to 9 pm on Monday February 13th at the Emergency management office located at 111 South Charles Seivers Boulevard in Clinton. Presented by a National Weather Service meteorologist, SKYWARN spotter training prepares citizen volunteers to identify key severe weather features and provide timely, accurate reports of severe weather to the NWS. These reports of what’s happening on the ground underneath the storm result in better warnings which may, in turn, save lives. All course materials will be provided and a certificate of completion is available. Citizens in Anderson and surrounding counties are encouraged to attend this free training. To register, please contact Lin Chilcoat at 865-457-7846.
Two Escapees Recpatured
Agents from the Tennessee Department of Corrections have recaptured two inmates who escaped from a minimum security prison annex in Carter County on Thursday (1/26), one of whom has ties to Blount County. 38-year-old Robert Wayne Jennings, who is serving a 29-year sentence on robbery and burglary charges out of Blount County, and 40-year-old Troy Layne, who is serving a 40-year sentence for aggravated assault and evading arrest charges out of Sequatchie County, crawled under a fence at the Roan Mountain work camp near the North Carolina state line on Thursday and were picked up by a waiting car. The men were recaptured Thursday night in Newport. Jennings would have completed his sentence in December of this year while Layne would have been eligible for parole beginning in November. As it stands now, they each face escape charges that could carry with them an additional five years behind bars. They have been transferred to the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.
Report: 4 Arrested For Possible Rolling Meth Lab
Four people were arrested in Blount County this morning (1/27) after deputies received a tip that they were driving around town in a car once used to make meth buying ingredients to manufacture the drug. Blount County deputies received the tip early this morning and located the vehicle at the Food City on East Broadway in Maryville. The car and three occupants were able to get away but one woman tried to flee on foot and was taken into custody after being decontaminated. A short time later, deputies spotted the car at the Midland Shopping Center and pulled it over, this time arresting three people, all of whom were decontaminated as well before being taken in to custody. WVLT-TV reports that officers did not find any evidence of meth cooking or any ingredients but at least one suspect indicated that they had made some recently. The names of the suspects have not been released.
USEC Announces Layoffs
USEC announced Thursday (1/26) that over 20 workers in Oak Ridge will be laid off, effective immediately, as a result of what company officials call changing priorities in the troubled American centrifuge Project. Company officials said Thursday that all of the layoffs are associated with the American Centrifuge technology development program and not the manufacturing program. 20 employees will lose their jobs and another five will see their hours reduced in addition to a reduction in the work being done by ORNL on the project. The manufacturing unit established last year through a partnership with Babcock and Wilcox will not be affected. Workers in that operation are producing centrifuge machines for a uranium-enrichment plant in Ohio. The affected workers will receive severance packages, according to company officials, who add that they are continuing to work with the DOE and Congress to secure $44 million to fund the proposed research, development and demonstration program through March. Officials say that the focus now is on building the centrifuges and improving the infrastructure at the Ohio plant rather than development.
AC Fair Wins Awards
The Anderson County Fair won some prestigious awards last weekend at the Tennessee State Fair convention in Nashville. The Anderson County fair, billed as the Six Best Days of Summer, was named second runner-up in the AAA classification as Best Fair in the state. The AAA classification is the largest category in the state. The Anderson County Fair’s website was also named the best in the state as were the Fair’s full-color fliers.
UPDATE: More Details On Claxton Murder
Wednesday, (1/25) investigators with the Anderson County Sheriff’s department charged two people in connection to the murder of an elderly Claxton man, including the victim’s nephew. 79-year-old Sammie Adams was reported missing on Sunday (1/22) by a friend who said he had not seen Adams in approximately four weeks. His body was found hidden underneath a staircase in his Patt Lane apartment late Tuesday. According to the arrest warrants, Adams was strangled with a ligature. Adams’ nephew, 48-year-old Norman Lee Follis Jr. has been charged with first degree murder and felony theft in his uncle’s death. The theft charge stems from the theft of Adams’ car, which was sold to an individual in Knoxville and recovered Wednesday. His girlfriend 43-year-old Tammy Sue Chapman has been charged with accessory after the fact and felony theft. She and Follis told people who asked about Adams’ whereabouts in the weeks he was missing—including Sheriff’s Department investigators—that he was being treated at a local hospital, according to the warrant. Chapman also faces an unrelated burglary charge accusing her of breaking into the home of Follis’ father and stepmother, who live next door to Adams’ apartment on Patt lane in Claxton. Follis and Chapman also resided on the property. The arrest warrants state that both confessed to their involvement in the crime under questioning and that Chapman witnessed the murder. The Sheriff’s Office says that both may face additional charges as the investigation continues. Adams, who was known to keep cash in his home, was the victim of a robbery last February in which he was shocked with a stun gun. Jonathan Bowling of Heiskell was charged in that case. The TBI is aiding the Sheriff’s Department in the investigation and authorities say that no other details can be released at this time. Both Chapman and Follis remain in custody at the Anderson County Jail.
Secret City Applications Available Feb. 1st
(Submitted) Preparations for the 10th Annual Secret City Festival are well underway, and applications will soon be available online. Vendors and exhibitors are encouraged to visit www.SecretCityFestival.com and download an application on February 1 so they can become involved in this year’s event, which will take place June 15 – 16 at AK Bissell Park. Applications are available for all types of activities including Events, Arts & Crafts, Exhibitors, and Food Vendors. Applications for TN Creates, the juried arts show, will be available at a later date. The deadline for Food Vendors is March 15. Arts & Crafts and Exhibitors applications are due by May 25. Last year, rain dampened part of the annual festivities, but folks still enjoyed games, entertainment, music, food, and fun while the sun was out. According to Jane Gibson, festival coordinator, this year’s festival is set to be even more exciting, with some new events and activities, top-notch entertainment, and fun for the whole family. The festival is constantly evolving into a bigger and better event that draws in visitors from all over the country, Gibson explained. People come from all around to take part in the historic tours of Manhattan Project sites, the World War II re-enactment, the free children’s activities, the history exhibits, arts & crafts, the musical and entertainment lineup and more. The 10th Annual Secret City Festival is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge and B&W Y-12 and is presented by the City of Oak Ridge, the Oak Ridge Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Arts Council of Oak Ridge. For more information on how to become involved or to obtain an application, call 425-3610 or visit www.SecretCityFestival.com and click on Applications. Festival sponsorships are still available. Please call for more information and to find out how you can become involved.
OR Hosts Tourism Workshop
(Submitted) Last week, 25 industry professionals met at the Comfort Inn to learn the basics of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development¹s (TDOTD) partner page program. These pages allow communities, attractions, hotels, and events the opportunity to reach the millions of web visitors to the TDOTD's www.TNVacation.com website. According to Oak Ridge Convention & Visitors Bureau (ORCVB) President Katy Brown, the ORCVB is always excited to bring representatives from the state office to our community. “The department offers incredible resources to our local hospitality partners, specifically partner pages on their website, at no cost to us. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development has a stellar brand and advertising campaign, and any time that we can partner with them, it stretches our local tourism dollars even more.” Brown explained. TDOTD East Tennessee Regional Manager Dave Jones said, “We were overwhelmed at the response to our recent training seminar in Oak Ridge. This type of response is not only an example of the relationship between the Oak Ridge CVB and its partners, but the greatly needed regional participation between the CVB and tourism partners in Knox and surrounding counties.” According to Mike Uhles, Web site manager for the TDOTD, the state office has been helping to train their tourism partners on a variety of free online resources available through the state tourism office. The sessions focus on the state¹s tourism website, tnvacation.com, which has had more than four million unique visitors annually for five consecutive years.
Claxton Couple Charged In Elderly Man’s Murder
Wednesday, (1/25) investigators with the Anderson County Sheriff’s department charged two people in connection to the murder of an elderly Claxton man, including the victim’s nephew. 79-year-old Sammie Adams was reported missing on Sunday (1/22) by a friend who said he had not seen Adams in approximately four weeks. His body was found hidden underneath a staircase in his Patt Lane apartment late Tuesday. According to the arrest warrants, Adams was strangled with a ligature. Adams’ nephew, 48-year-old Norman Lee Follis Jr. has been charged with first degree murder and felony theft in his uncle’s death. The theft charge stems from the theft of Adams’ car, which was sold to an individual in Knoxville and recovered Wednesday. His girlfriend 43-year-old Tammy Sue Chapman has been charged with accessory after the fact and felony theft. She and Follis told people who asked about Adams’ whereabouts in the weeks he was missing that he was being treated at a local hospital, according to the warrant. Chapman also faces an unrelated burglary charge accusing her of breaking into the home of Follis’ father and stepmother, who live next door to Adams’ apartment on Patt lane in Claxton. Follis and Chapman also resided on the property. The arrest warrants state that both confessed to their involvement in the crime under questioning. The Sheriff’s Office says that both may face additional charges as the investigation continues. Adams, who was known to keep cash in his home, was the victim of a robbery last February in which he was shocked with a stun gun. Jonathan Bowling of Heiskell was charged in that case. The TBI is aiding the Sheriff’s Department in the investigation and authorities say that no other details can be released at this time. Both Chapman and Follis remain in custody at the Anderson County Jail.
Sierra Nevada Chooses North Carolina
California-based Sierra Nevada Brewing Company announced Wednesday that it will build its East Coast headquarters and brewery in North Carolina. Last year, the company was looking at constructing the new brewery in Alcoa but environmental factors dealing with the area’s humidity and fluctuating water temperatures caused them to abandon the Blount County site. The company announced Wednesday that the so-called Mills River brewery will be built along the French Broad River 12 miles south of Asheville, North Carolina. Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman said in making the announcement that the region’s beer culture, water quality and quality of life were the right match for his company. The General Assembly last year, as part of the effort to lure Sierra Nevada and other potential breweries to the state, changed laws to allow larger beer-makers to sell their product on site. The brewery will employ around 90 people with more to be employed at the restaurant and pub that will be part of the development.
Blount Man Named Director Of Baker Center
A Louisville man has been named the director of the Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee. Matt Murray is the associate director of UT’s Center for Business and Economic Research—or CBER—and will replace Carl Pierce, who served as director since 2009. Murray’s appointment is for three years and he will continue to work with the CBER during his tenure. Murray is also the Ball Corporation Professor of Business and a member of the Blount County Economic development Board of Directors. He will begin his new duties immediately.
Study Looks At Airport Economic Impact
According to an economic impact study released Wednesday by the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, McGhee Tyson and Downtown Island Airports in Knoxville contribute $616 million annually to the region’s economy. The study was conducted by the UT Center for Transportation research and examined the employment, business and tax impacts of both airports. Conducted as a look at the airport’s influence on East Tennessee, the study was a thorough examination of the regional contributions by airport tenants including airlines and car rental companies; food and novelty concessionaires; federal agencies like the TSA and FAA as well as businesses directly supporting the airport’s daily operations. The study, according to the MKAA, highlights the benefits of having McGhee Tyson Airport in the region. In particular the study showcases the direct impact the airport has on dollars spent at local hotels and restaurants. According to the study, expenditures made by visitors who arrived in East Tennessee by air accounted for over $150 million in revenue in 2010. McGhee Tyson and its tenants employ an estimated 4630 people as well, further contributing to the economy of the region. McGhee Tyson Airport turns 75 years old this year.
Tennessee Valley Fair Honored
(Submitted) Knoxville, Tenn. (January 25, 2012) - The Tennessee Valley Fair has been selected as one of Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 Events for the month of September 2012. Each year, thousands of events across the Southeast compete to receive the prestigious Top 20 Events designation. Southeast Tourism Society accepts nominations throughout the year and chooses the Top 20 events in the Southeast for each month of the year. The winners are published quarterly and the Tennessee Valley Fair has received this distinction seven of the last eight years. The Southeast Tourism Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and development of tourism throughout the Southeast. To learn more about the Southeast Tourism Society, visit http://www.southeasttourism.net. The 93rd annual Tennessee Valley Fair is scheduled for September 7-16, 2012.
Smokies Top List Of Visitor Spending
(Submitted) According to a recently-released National Park Service (NPS) study, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is not only the nation’s most visited national park, it also tops the 397 national park units in visitor spending. The study estimates that in 2010 the Park’s 9 million visitors spent over $818 million in the gateway communities surrounding the Park. The study also estimates that 11,367 local jobs were supported by Park visitor spending. The study, “Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National Park Visitation and Payroll, 2010”, was conducted by Dr. Daniel Stynes of the Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies at Michigan State University. According to Stynes’ study the National Park Service received 281 million recreational visits in 2010 and park visitors spent $12.13 billion in local gateway regions. The study provides a park-by-park and state-by-state breakdowns of each park unit’s visitation, visitor spending, and local jobs supported at NPS units from Alaska to the Virgin Islands. The top five NPS units in terms of spending generated were Great Smoky Mountains National Park (TN/NC) with $818 million, Grand Canyon (AZ) at $415 million, Yosemite (CA) with $354 million, Yellowstone (MT/WY/ID) at $334 million, and Blue Ridge Parkway (VA/NC) with $299 million. The spending estimates at each park were derived from a money generation model that begins with a park’s visitation, party size, length of stay, and proportion of local vs. non-local visitors. Those statistics are combined with locally-indexed cost estimates for restaurants, lodging, amusements, locally-purchased fuel and transportation, and retail spending.
Yager Honored
(Submitted) State Senator Ken Yager (R- Harriman) has received an award of appreciation from the Tennessee Telecommunications Association for his efforts to protect rural consumers. The certificate of appreciation was awarded to Yager in his office in Nashville as the Tennessee General Assembly began its third week of legislative action. The Tennessee Telecommunications Association is an industry trade organization formed for the purpose of promoting telecommunications service in Tennessee. Currently, the Association is comprised of eighteen Tier I members employing approximately 1,000 people and serving approximately 240,000 access lines. “I am very honored to receive this recognition,” said Senator Yager, who is Chairman of the Senate State and Local Government Committee. “We must support policies that recognize the need for building and maintaining communications infrastructure in rural communities in our state. I am glad to partner with our telephone coops and other rural service providers to help improve telecommunications in rural communities in Tennessee and protect access for consumers.”
Treasurer Lillard Proposes New Pension Options for Local Governments
(Submitted) To give local governments more choices for their employees’ retirement plans, Tennessee State Treasurer David H. Lillard Jr. recently proposed several new options to state legislators for their consideration. Lillard stressed that none of the suggested changes would affect K-12 teachers, state employees or higher education employees who are covered under the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS). The changes, which would require approval by the General Assembly, are optional for local governments and would only affect new hires. The proposed options do not affect any current retirees of TCRS. “Our city and county governments across Tennessee have to balance the need to be good stewards of taxpayer money with the need to offer fair retirement benefits to their employees,” Treasurer Lillard said. “The goal is to make sure pension benefits are affordable, sustainable and sufficient. That’s why I am recommending some choices that would give local governments greater flexibility to meet their specific needs.” The options presented were: Llocal governments may take no action and remain in the current TCRS defined benefit pension plan with retirement generally at 30 years of service or age 60; or local governments may adopt a TCRS defined benefit pension plan with an annual service accrual rate of 1.4%, with an increase in retirement age, limits on cost of living adjustments, a cap on maximum allowed benefits and a revised employee contribution structure; or local governments may adopt a TCRS defined benefit pension plan with an annual service accrual rate of 1% to offer reduced pension benefits, but with a supplemental deferred compensation program; or local governments may decide to offer only a deferred compensation program as a stand-alone option. The proposals were developed following open meetings held throughout Tennessee with more than 200 local government representatives last fall. “Over the last couple of years, we have had several local governments either withdraw or give notice that they planned to withdraw from TCRS due to changes in market conditions,” Treasurer Lillard said. “We are offering these options because we want local governments to remain part of TCRS, which is in the best interests of local governments, their employees and the citizens they serve. We believe local governments will be more inclined to do that if we’re offering more choices.” Treasurer Lillard presented his ideas during a meeting of the General Assembly’s Council on Pensions and Insurance. For a copy of the local government pension option proposals and other documents, go to http://treasury.tn.gov/tcrs and look at the tab titled “Proposed Plans for Local Gov’t.”
Off-Duty OR Officers Cleared In Knox Road Rage Incident
Knox County prosecutors have closed their investigation into an alleged road rage incident that involved two off-duty Oak Ridge police officers in December and will not file charges against the men. Knoxville resident Brock Estep reported on December 15th that as he passed the Waffle House at the intersection of Weisgarber and Papermill Roads in Knoxville, a car tried to pull out in front of him and he refused to let the other driver get in. The occupants of both vehicles exchanged displays of middle fingers and at a stoplight, Estep got out of his car and the officers—identified by the Oak Ridger as Roy Heinz and William Weaver—got out of their car as well. Estep says that one of the men pulled a gun and he yelled that he was going to call police, to which one of the men replied that they were police officers. Everyone drove away from the scene with no further incident. Knoxville Police investigated and turned their findings over to the DA’s office, which said Monday that the officers had “acted reasonably” and no charges will be filed. Oak Ridge Police Chief James Akagi says that his department will conduct its own internal investigation. One of the officers was placed on modified duty after the incident and his status has not changed.
Report: RSI Building Solar Farm Near ETTP
According to the News-Sentinel, an Oak Ridge environmental cleanup company is building a solar farm on a brownfield site located next to the East Tennessee Technology Park. Restoration Services Inc—or RSI—purchased land on Highway 58 from the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee—or CROET—which finds new uses for old or unused DOE properties in Oak Ridge. RSI is the lead subcontractor for UCOR, the DOE’s environmental cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge. The solar farm is being called “Brightfield” and is being built at a cost of $700,000. The company plans to sell the electricity generated at the farm to TVA. RSI also recently purchased nearly 12 acres of land in the nearby Horizon Center Business Park to build a new, 30,000 square foot headquarters, construction of which will begin later this year.
State Issues Violation Notice To Coal Company
Monday, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issued a water quality permit violation notice to Premium Coal Company in connection to a discharge of coal waste into the New River from its coal-washing facility in Anderson County’s Devonia community. State officials say that approximately 1.4 million gallons of water containing particles of coal, shale and other rocks created a pollution plume that was seen almost 29 miles downstream from the discharge site and deposited sediment on rocks and riverbanks for about eight miles. The violation at the Baldwin Coal Preparatory Plant occurred on January 3rd and lasted for about 12 hours. TDEC officials say that the company did not report the incident within 24 hours as required by law. State officials say that while the discharge does constitute a water quality issue, it did not affect drinking water supplies. The facility will remain closed until state and federal officials give their approval to resume operations.
CHS Basketball Coach Victimized By Thieves
Clinton Police are investigating the theft of several yard and garden tools from the back porch of Clinton High School boys’ basketball coach Chris Lockard. Police were called to the home on Timbercrest Drive Monday morning at around 9 am. There Lockard told them that one of his sons had been home sick that morning and heard a knock at the door. The boy did not answer the door but saw a white male in his 20s wearing a blue baseball cap carrying items from the back of the house to a white sedan parked at the side of the residence. The boy called police and his father but the suspect was able to leave the area before police arrived. As of this report, a complete list of the stolen items was not available but Lockard told WYSH that most of the items stolen were yard and garden tools.
Man Faces DUI Charge Following Wreck
A Clinton man was arrested Monday night on DUI charges following a traffic accident on Yarnell Road. Shortly after 9 pm, officers were called to the railroad tracks on Yarnell in response to an accident and made contact with 61-year-old Robert Henry. Henry’s car had left the road after crossing the tracks and become immobilized on a ledge. Henry told the officer that he had been headed to the store to buy cigarettes and admitted to having consumed a “few beers” a few hours before the accident. The officer detected an odor of beer and noticed Henry having some balance problems so he administered field sobriety tests, which he failed. After being taken to the Anderson County Jail, he agreed to a breathalyzer test, which showed his blood alcohol content to be .21, almost three times the legal limit. He was charged with DUI and released after posting bond. No injuries were reported in the accident and no other vehicles were involved.
Clinton Beer Board Extends License Suspension
Following up on a report from Tuesday, the Clinton City Council acting in its capacity as the city Beer Board extended the suspension of the beer license at the ICON Market on Clinch Avenue for an additional 30 days, on top of a 60-day suspension handed down last year after the business was cited for selling beer to an underage police officer. It was the business’s second offense. The suspension was extended because a few days after the Beer Board issued the initial suspension a Clinton Police officer conducted a follow-up visit and found the business was still selling beer. Attorneys for the store told Beer Board members that they were under the impression that the suspension would not go in to effect until they received a written notification. That proved to be erroneous and after some discussion of revoking the license altogether, the Beer Board opted to extend the suspension of the license. The store has hired a consultant to ensure they remain in compliance with all applicable state and local ordinances governing the sale of beer.
Hughes To Seek Nomination In New Senate District
Seymour resident and Republican activist Scott Hughes has announced that he will run for the GOP nomination for the recently renamed and redrawn 2nd District State Senate seat currently held by fellow Republican Doug Overbey of Maryville. The district used to be the 8th District and covers all of Blount County and a large portion of Sevier County. Hughes currently is the chief financial officer for the church he and his family attend, Fuse Church. In 2010, he ran for the 8th District state House. Hughes has more than 10 years of experience working in the anti-abortion movement. He'd served as the executive director for the Hope Resource Center, a crisis pregnancy center. Hughes has scheduled public meet-and-greet receptions from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 6, at the Sevierville Civic Center and from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, at the Everett Senior Center in Maryville. Tennessee Republican National Committeewoman Peggy Lambert is Hughes' campaign chairman, former state Rep. Clifford "Bo" Henry is the treasurer and former Blount County Young Republican Chairman Ted Boyatt is the campaign manager.
Local Counties Receive Oil Collection Grants
(TDEC) Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau today announced $189,550 in collection grants to establish, upgrade and expand used motor oil collection centers in 15 communities across Tennessee. “It’s important to educate citizens on the proper disposal of used motor oil, and the use of these convenient community collection centers can have a direct impact on the water quality of our lakes, streams and groundwater in Tennessee,” Haslam said. Tennesseans who change their own motor oil generate more than one million gallons of used oil each year, which can pollute soil and water and interfere with the operation of sewer systems when not properly disposed. The General Assembly authorized the Used Oil Collection Act of 1993 to assist local communities in collecting used oil and reducing its negative effects on the environment. Tennessee’s Solid Waste Management Act requires counties to have at least one place in the county where used oil can be properly disposed. Used oil collection grants are funded by a two cent deposit on every quart of oil purchased in the state. The first priority for grant funding is to establish collection sites in underserved areas. Other grants will fund improvement or replacement of equipment in existing public and private facilities. Equipment purchased through Oil Collection Grants can include containers, used oil burners, containment structures, shelter covers and other items. The used oil collection grants include one for Anderson County in the amount of $9700 for a storage tank and oil heater; Knox County in the amount of $22,600 for a storage tank, a canopy and materials to absorb oil; Roane County in the amount of $24,600 for a storage tank, absorbent and a pad; and Union County in the amount of $5700 for a crusher, a pump and absorbent materials. Visit www.tn.gov/environment/swm/oil or call toll-free at 1-800-287-9013 for more information concerning used oil collection centers, operating hours, requirements for collection locations that accept commercial used oil and other facts about used oil.
ETHS To Hold Quilt Luncheon
Join the East Tennessee Historical Society at Noon, Tuesday, February 16, 2012 for a luncheon and program with nationally recognized quilt historian Merikay Waldvogel as she shows and tells the stories of fifteen unique folk-art quilts from the collections of the East Tennessee Historical Society. These one-of-a-kind quilts from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries can best be described as “folk art,” meaning that the quilt makers have deviated from the traditional ways of making a quilt. The turning will feature a variety of quilt designs, including floral appliqué, pictorials, and written messages. Attendees will enjoy a rare opportunity to view and compare these important quilts in side-by-side display. One of the most intriguing quilts to be on shown is the “Knoxville Crazy Quilt,” made by Lilly Harvey in the early 1900s, embroidered with scenes of Market Square and of businesses and everyday activities in Knoxville in the early 1900s. Ms. Waldvogel will share from her research into the quilt maker’s life in Knoxville as it is reflected in her work. The luncheon is an opportunity for ETHS to share with the public a portion of its rarely seen collection of 114 quilts, while also raising funds to assist with textile preservation. The cost of the luncheon is $25 for the program and a boxed lunch. Reservations are required, as space is limited. For reservations please call Lisa Belleman at 865-215-8883 or email belleman@eastTNhistory.org. The East Tennessee Historical Society is located in the East Tennessee History Center at 601 South Gay Street in downtown Knoxville, across from the Tennessee Theatre. For more information about this event, please contact ETHS by calling 865-215-8824 or email eths@eastTNhistory.org.
Correction: AC Pawn Shop Investigation
Following up on a story we brought you Thursday (1/19), search warrants were executed last week at four businesses that buy and sell gold and other precious metals following a joint undercover operation that included the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department and the Clinton Police Department. Investigators went to several area businesses to see if they were complying with laws put into place to deter thieves from selling stolen items. The Anderson County Sheriff's Department reports that an undercover officer sold coins and jewelry at several businesses and then a Sheriff’s Department investigator visited those businesses a few days or weeks later to see if they had complied with the law by recording the transactions, alerting law enforcement of the purchases and keeping the property for 30 days. Four businesses were searched last week. At Clinch River Pawn on South Seivers Boulevard, investigators reported that transactions made there in December and January involving the undercover officer had not been reported to law enforcement and that there were no records of the transactions. The report indicates that several coins sold by the undercover officer in January were found on the premises but that jewelry sold by the same officer in December was not. Clinch River Pawn owner Louie Ivey vehemently disputes that allegation, saying that the items in question are in his safe and that he showed them to investigators and sent pictures of them via e-mail. (A previous version of this report indicated that none of the items were found on the premises. We regret the error.) Clinton Coins on North Main Street in Clinton did not have records of all scrap metal purchases and had 37 pieces of scrap jewelry on the premises with no records of their purchases. What records were kept were written on a calendar. The Fast Cash Pawn Shop on South Main Street in Lake City did not record the sale made by the undercover officer, report their purchase to law enforcement or keep the items on the premises for the required 30 days. Noble Metals on Belgrade Road did not record or report the transaction made by the officer nor did they keep the items he sold them on premises for 30 days. No arrests were made in any of these incidents but charges will be presented to the grand jury “at the earliest possible convenience,” according to the Sheriff’s department reports. Three businesses did comply with all components of the law, including the Ohio Valley Gold and Silver Refinery that held a gold-buying event at the Country Inn & Suites in Clinton and notified authorities daily of their purchases, rented a safe deposit box to safely store the items and copied the officer’s driver’s license, Packard’s in Oak Ridge—which told the officer they did not buy metals of any kind, and TK Wheeler’s Jewelers in Oak Ridge, which photographed and kept the items, notified law enforcement and recorded the transaction.
Seals’ Bid For New Trial Denied
Monday (1/23), an Anderson County judge denied convicted double murder Phillip Douglas Seals’ motion for a new trial. Seals was convicted in 2006 of shooting and killing his estranged wife and her boyfriend after breaking into her Clinton apartment and finding them in bed together in February of 2005. Seals was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and felony murder and given concurrent life sentences in the deaths of 29-year-old Misty Seals and 42-year-old Mark Newton. In his motion for a new trial, Seals argued that his attorney was ineffective and that the prosecutor did not conduct herself appropriately during his trial. Judge Don Elledge ruled Monday that his arguments did not meet the legal requirements for a new trial and called several of the issues raised “frivolous and irrelevant.”
Blount Man To Receive Competency Hearing
The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals has ordered Anthony Todd Ghormley back to Blount County Circuit Court for a competency hearing after ruling last week that the trial court had made a mistake by not holding a competency hearing before his 2009 trial. Ghormley was convicted of two counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated assault and one count each of especially aggravated kidnapping and especially aggravated burglary in connection to an incident in September of 2007. He was sentenced to 105 years behind bars. Ghormley was convicted of beating his newlywed wife, her cousin and her grandmother with a baseball bat and then holding the grandmother hostage for several hours. If the competency hearing determines that Ghormley was not competent at the time of the trial, he would then be entitled to a new trial. If the court finds that he was competent, then the convictions and sentencing would stand.
Report: Guard Caught Sleeping AT ORNL
WSI-Oak Ridge, the DOE’s security contractor in Oak Ridge, is investigating allegations that a security guard fell asleep on the job and used an unauthorized cell phone inside a high-security facility at ORNL. The probe began after someone sent photographs of the guard anonymously to several groups, including WSI, the DOE and the News-Sentinel, which reported on the incident this morning (1/24). The pictures were reportedly taken inside Building 3019, the highest-security building at ORNL, which contains a large stockpile of uranium-233. The investigation is focusing on the allegations against the security guard but the News-Sentinel reports that the photos themselves could be evidence of a security problem as the question remains of who took the photos inside a high-security nuclear facility.
Rockwood Hires Ruppe As Recorder
The Rockwood City Council voted 5-1 Monday night (1/23) to hire former Morgan County Mayor Becky Ruppe as the city’s new Recorder and Grants Writer. The issue was added to the agenda near the end of last night’s meeting, leading Peggy Evans to cast the lone dissenting vote as she said the matter should have been placed on the agenda so the Council could review the move. City Manager Jack Miller will serve as acting city recorder until Ruppe has completed the necessary training. She was one of the three finalists for the city manager’s job late last year. Ruppe will begin her duties immediately.
Report: Dogs In December Attack Labeled Vicious
According to the Daily Times, six dogs associated with a December attack that left a 3-year-old girl with serious injuries have been declared vicious under county regulations. The attack occurred on December 2nd in Seymour when Jasmine Lindenschmidt was mauled by two poodles and two pit bull mixes at the home of James Morris. The girl’s mother told authorities at the time that she had left her daughter in the back yard with the dogs while she went inside to get the girl a glass of water and when she came back out, had found the dogs attacking her. It is unclear how Jasmine’s recovery is progressing. Now, all six of Morris’ dogs, including two not involved in the December incident, will have to be chained, muzzled or in a secure location at all times or else face seizure of the dogs by Blount County Animal Control officers. In addition, Morris told county officials that he has installed a security camera inside his heavily fenced-in dog area to keep track of the animals.
Follow-Up: AC Gets School Sidewalk Grant
Following up on a story we brought you Monday, the state has awarded Anderson County a Safe Routes to School Program grant in the amount of $206,944 for improvements to existing sidewalks and construction of new sidewalks as well as the installation of flashing beacons and other traffic control devices around Lake City Elementary and Middle Schools. The grant is made possible through a federally funded program administered by TDOT, which is providing over $1.6 million in Safe Routes to School funding to 10 municipalities across the state. Anderson County Grants Coordinator Alan Beauchamp thanked State Senator Randy McNally and State Representative Kelly Keisling for their efforts in helping to secure the grant, which he pointed out is the third competitive grant awarded to the county in the last four months. Beauchamp also credited Kim Guinn with the county school system for being the catalyst behind the grant application, stating that “her writing and organization skills were essential to us making a quality application.” The Safe Routes to School Program is a statewide initiative designed to make bicycling and walking to school a safer, more appealing and healthier alternative for students in kindergarten through the eighth grade.
Man Pleads In Wartburg Police Captain’s Death
A Morgan County man pleaded guilty Monday (1/23) to felony reckless homicide in the death of a veteran Wartburg police captain. Eddie Dean Patterson entered the plea Monday and faces a sentence of four years behind bars in the death of Wartburg Police Captain Ralph Braden. He was originally charged with reckless homicide and aggravated assault. Patterson will find out where he will serve his time on March 2nd. Captain Braden died on May 2nd of last year, a little over a week after he had a physical altercation with Patterson while responding to a domestic disturbance at an apartment complex on April 23rd. Patterson was able to elude capture until the next day. Braden suffered a shoulder injury in that incident and was treated for it and released from a hospital that same night. When he returned home, however, family members found him unresponsive and he was rushed to Methodist Medical Center, where he later died. An autopsy determined that Braden died from a toxic reaction to painkillers that he received during treatment for his injury.
Clinton Council Gives SL Land For Parking
Meeting Monday (1/23), the Clinton City Council voted to give SL Tennessee additional land in the I-75 Industrial Park for a parking area to accommodate their ongoing plant expansion. The company recently completed a $30 million/300 employee expansion and has begun construction on its new $14 million, 150,000-square foot facility. The company currently employs 550 people in Clinton and plans to employ over 900 people by 2015. The company’s biggest issue with their continued growth has been parking and last year, the City Council voted to give the company 3.7 acres of land at the end of Ingenuity Drive for a parking area. With the announcement last year that Confluence Solar would not be building a manufacturing facility in the industrial park, the original piece of property eyed by SL was freed up and last night, the City Council voted to give the company 5.5 acres on Frank Diggs Drive that had originally been set aside for an electric substation for the Confluence facility instead of the 3.7 acre parcel on Ingenuity Drive. OR Man Charged With Manslaughter In Kentucky An Oak Ridge man is facing manslaughter charges in Whitley County, Kentucky in connection with the Friday night (1/20) shooting death of his former stepfather. 41-year-old Keith Mason is charged with second degree manslaughter in the death of 60-year-old Robert Wayne Vanover of Corbin, Kentucky. Authorities say Mason was in rural Whitley County near property he owns close to the Tennessee border when Vanover drove by, then returned and the men got into an altercation. Mason claimed that he shot Vanover in self-defense. Mason was charged with manslaughter on advice from a prosecutor, but the case will be taken to the grand jury. Mason could be indicted on a different charge. (Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.) Suspected Bank Robber Nabbed
Friday morning (1/20), a Knoxville man was arrested by authorities on charges that he robbed banks in Oak Ridge, Pigeon Forge and Jefferson City. 40-year-old William Steven Curtis was taken into custody without incident at his home on Beverly Drive in Knoxville by members of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the Knoxville Police Department and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. He is accused of being the so-called “Ball Cap Bandit,” responsible for robberies at the Home Federal Bank in Pigeon Forge on August 24th, 2011, the TN Bank in Oak Ridge on November 14th and the Tennessee State Bank in Jefferson City on January 4th. He is being held without bond on three counts of bank robbery at the Blount County Jail. Officials placed the image of the bank robbery suspect on electronic billboards earlier this month and quickly received information from four of Curtis’ business associates that he was in fact the man on the billboard. His estranged wife, who lives in Maryville, also identified Curtis as the man on the billboard. The case was investigated by the FBI and police departments in Oak Ridge, Pigeon Forge and Jefferson City.
Talley Arrested Again
Former Alcoa High school history teacher and softball coach Paul Talley was arrested Saturday (1/21) and charged for the second time in an as many weeks with violating an order of protection. As of this morning, he remained in custody at the Blount County Jail pending a court appearance on Thursday. On January 11th, he was arrested and charged with violating an order of protection taken out against him by one of his alleged victims by trying to contact her through a third party. He was released the following day after posting bond. Circumstances surrounding his latest arrest are said to be similar to his first charge of violating an order of protection. Talley was indicted last month by a Blount County grand jury on five counts of statutory rape by an authority figure and two counts each of solicitation of a minor and sexual battery by an authority figure. The allegations surfaced in October just before Talley resigned his positions as US history teacher and softball coach. Investigators determined that Talley had engaged in sexual conduct with one female student and that he had solicited inappropriate contact with another female student. The investigation determined that the contact spanned more than one school year. If convicted of all the sex-related charges Talley could face 21 to 106 years behind bars.
Domestic Dispute Leads To Bomb Squad Visit
An Andersonville man is facing charges of aggravated assault and possession of prohibited weapons following a domestic disturbance that began early Sunday morning at home on Byrams Fork Road. A woman called Sheriff’s deputies to the home and told them that she and her live-in boyfriend David Parton had gotten into an argument at around midnight. She left to let the situation cool down and returned about two hours later, at which point the argument resumed and allegedly turned physical. She told deputies that Parton had shoved and pushed her, then strangled her before grabbing her by the hood of her jacket, dragging her outside and telling her she had better start running. Deputies noted finding injuries on the woman that backed up her story and went to speak with Parton, who told them that the argument had simply gotten out of hand. He added that his girlfriend had hit him with the butt end of a rifle and injuries were found on his face consistent with that story. Parton was placed into custody and under questioning, told deputies that there was a home-made explosive device in his living room that he said had been there for some time. Parton told deputies that he constructs the devices for detonation around holidays like the 4th of July and had simply forgotten about the device in question. His girlfriend refuted that statement, telling deputies that the device had not been in the living room when she had left after the initial argument and that Parton keeps bomb-making materials on hand at all times. She told deputies that he makes them in times of extreme emotional distress and that he would detonate them in planters and garbage cans. She told investigators that Parton’s mother had recently passed away. Deputies called in the Knox County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad to search the residence and remove the explosive device, which was basically a pipe bomb. Parton was arrested and taken to the Anderson County Jail, where he remained in custody as of early Monday afternoon. His girlfriend refused medical treatment for her injuries.
PBS To Premier Series About Y-12
(PBS) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Located in the Bear Creek Valley of East Tennessee, the Y-12 National Security Complex dates to the earliest days of the Manhattan Project, when the Army Corps of Engineers turned fields and forests into facilities that would help win World War II. Like the city of Oak Ridge that grew up around it, Y-12 would emerge from secrecy to be known worldwide for its role in creating the world’s first atomic bomb used in warfare. In the East Tennessee PBS series A Nuclear Family: Y-12 National Security Complex, you’ll get first-hand perspective on the reasons Y-12ers want to do their jobs well and how they view their work to support the nation’s continued freedom. The first 30-minute episode will be shown Thursday, January 26, at 9 p.m. It will detail the communities that were to become Oak Ridge, shown through the eyes of those who moved out to make room for the Manhattan Project. The Y-12 story is both one of technological challenges being met and people serving their nation by working on nuclear weapons to help win World War II, the Cold War and now fighting the War on Terror. Y-12 is more than just a place where people come to work; they are an integral part of national security. The series will give viewers never-before-seen glimpses into the world-changing work done in Oak Ridge by East Tennesseans, some natives, some transplants, but all proud to work at Y-12. The remaining three episodes will be shown monthly (February, March and April). The series also will be available after being shown on East Tennessee PBS at the Y-12 History Center public Web site http://www.y12.doe.gov/about/history/video.php “East Tennessee PBS is proud to showcase Y-12 as this gives us an opportunity to highlight a great entity in our viewing area,” stated Vickie Lawson, President and General Manager.
Alcoa Parkway Project Moving Forward
Design work for the proposed Alcoa Parkway is continuing after state officials completed the environmental assessment necessary to allow TDOT to continue engineering work on the project and begin acquiring right-of-ways. The proposed Parkway would serve as a bypass around Alcoa Highway, specifically the oft-congested area around the airport and the Motor Mile. Right-of-way acquisition cannot begin until TDOT completes final engineering work on phase one of the Parkway that would run from the Hunt Road interchange halfway to the Pellissippi Parkway. Funds for acquiring land for the right-of-way are included in TDOT’s current budget. Acquiring that land is expected to take another two years to complete. TDOT and the Federal Highway Administration completed and approved that environmental assessment. OS City Manager To Step Down The town of Oliver Springs will be in the market for a new city manager in the next month or so as it was announced during Thursday’s(1/19) Council meeting that David Bolling will be leaving that post for another job. Details of Bolling’s destination were not divulged last night but he promised a full statement about his departure within the next couple of weeks. Bolling, who has been city manager for 6 years, is also the town’s water and sewer director. Mayor Chris Hepler made the announcement, which shocked those in attendance. Small Fire On Menu At Applebee’s Oak Ridge firefighters battled a small fire at the Applebee’s on the Turnpike Thursday morning (1/19). Contractors working outside the restaurant and using a blowtorch reportedly sparked the fire on an interior wall. Firefighters had to cut a hole in the wall to determine that the blaze was not smoldering inside but the restaurant was able to reopen later in the day. No one was injured. Report: Burglary Suspects Nabbed In Maryville
Maryville Police have arrested two people in connection to several break-ins at convenience stores and electronics stores. The Daily Times reports that 27-year-old Jedd Michael Mayes of Maryville was arrested Tuesday (1/17) and charged with four counts of burglary and 26-year-old Lindsey Faith Marks of Maryville was arrested Saturday (1/14) on one count of burglary. Mayes was charged in connection with break-ins earlier this month at Ledbetter Electronics and the Superstop Shell Market, both on Highway 321, and the US Cellular and Verizon stores in the Foothills Mall. Marks’ charge stems from her alleged involvement in the burglary at Ledbetter Electronics. Morgan Wreck Traps, Injures One One man was hospitalized after being trapped in an overturned truck for about two hours. The accident happened just before 7 am Thursday (1/19) on Highway 27 near Pettit Lane and Highway 328. Driver Jason Casada was hauling crushed aluminum when the load shifted and the truck overturned. Casada was able to get out quickly but his passenger, Matthew Grant was trapped for two hours. Grant was flown to UT Medical Center by Lifestar for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Roane Fire Destroys Home Several Roane County fire departments battled a blaze at a mobile home on Riggs Chapel Road Thursday evening (1/19). The home was owned by Randy and Anne Wells of Harriman and was described as a total loss. A steep driveway hindered efforts to fight the fire so crews dumped water from their tankers into a holding pond in the road to pump up to the fire. The Wells’ may be familiar to viewers of BBB-TV 12’s Gospel USA program, which they hosted for several years. No injuries were reported but the family lost all their possessions in the fire. Report: Tax Increase Likely Needed For New Alcoa HS The upcoming construction of a new Alcoa High School could mean that residents of Alcoa will see either a property or sales tax increase to provide funding for the project. The Daily Times reports that Alcoa City Manager Mark Johnson made that announcement to members of the city’s Public Building Authority during an informal meeting Thursday (1/19). Johnson says that raising the city’s local option sales tax from 9.25 to 9.75% would likely be the preferred option, adding that in order to raise the sales tax it would have to be passed on a referendum. Johnson also told the PBA that the School Board has recommended former Director of Schools Tom Shamblin to serve as the executive director of the project to build the high school. He retired last year and is working in a part-time capacity as the school system’s director of finance. Requests for proposals on the project have been sent to contractors and officials hope to begin construction in August with a targeted completion date of July 2014. OR Eatery Closes Down Ryan’s Steakhouse in Oak Ridge abruptly closed its doors Thursday (1/19). Employees at the restaurant on South Tulane Avenue were told of the closure Thursday morning. The Oak Ridge location is one of 81 Ryan’s locations around the country that is being closed as parent company Buffets Restaurants Holdings, Inc. tries to shed itself of underperforming restaurants as it deals with debt issues. The company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection according to the Associated Press. ACT, SAT Prep Available Through State The winter test dates for the ACT and SAT are fast approaching. While some students may be nervous about how the upcoming exams could affect their college options, the Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL) has the tools they need to succeed. TEL is an online library funded by the Tennessee General Assembly and the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. TEL is administered by the Tennessee State Library and Archives, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State. "Success in education and in life begins with proper preparation, which is key for young students to understand," Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. "The free resources available through TEL show students what to expect and how to prepare for the academic challenges ahead." The next SAT test will be offered Jan. 29, while the next ACT test will be Feb. 11. The test prep resources in TEL are from the Learning Express Library, an online collection of study guides, practice tests and math and reading improvement courses. The courses are timed and structured to simulate actual test-taking experiences with instant grading results. Test takers receive personalized recommendations for free e-books and online courses to aid in their future study needs. Learning Express Library has more than 1,000 online interactive practice exams and course series, plus more than 200 e-books. "The chance to practice such an important exam is very helpful," TEL Coordinator Wendy Cornelisen said. "It gives students an idea of what their test day will be like, and hopefully lessen any test anxiety they might have." TEL is free for everyone in Tennessee and provides the tools needed to prepare for a variety of exams and take studying to the next level. To use the test prep resources in TEL, go to www.tntel.info and click on Test Prep to create a free personal account with the user name and password of your choice. TEL is available from any Internet connection in Tennessee, including smart phones and computers at public libraries throughout the state. Legislators Aim To Disqualify Officials From Diversion
State Senator Ken Yager (R-Harriman) and Representative Ryan Haynes (R-Knoxville) today announced they have filed legislation to disqualify elected or appointed officials from receiving judicial diversion for crimes committed during their term of office. Judicial diversion is the process in criminal law when a person pleads guilty to a crime and can later have the charge removed (or expunged) from their record following a period of probation. It is granted by the judge, hence its name “judicial.” “The public office is a public trust,” said Senator Yager, who is Chairman of the Senate State and Local Government Committee. “Public officials ought to be held to a higher standard.” A person is eligible for judicial diversion in Tennessee if they do not have a previous class A misdemeanor, felony conviction, or never received diversion or had their record expunged before. Those charged with a class A felony, a class B felony, a sexual offense, or a DUI are not eligible for judicial diversion under state law. Senate Bill 2566 would simply add a criminal offense committed by an official in the executive, legislative or judicial branch to the list of those which are ineligible for judicial diversion, if the crime was committed in their official capacity or involve the duties of their office. “Accountability is a term that is thrown around a lot in public service these days. Unfortunately, not many take it seriously and that has to change,” said Haynes. “A law like this would go a long way towards restoring the faith Tennesseans once had in their elected officials. We must hold ourselves to a higher standard and I think this is a strong first step towards raising the bar in Tennessee.” “Criminal acts conducted by public officials during the course of duty should not be eligible for judicial diversion. We must hold our public officials accountable for the trust they have been given. This legislation helps ensure that,” Yager concluded.
Man Leads Deputies On Early-Morning Chase
A Heiskell man is facing charges stemming from an early-morning chase in Anderson County. At around 1:30 am Wednesday (1/18), Deputy Denver Waddell was sent to the Bread Box on Edgemoor Road on a report of a suspicious vehicle that had been parked there with a man inside for about three hours. While en route, Waddell was notified that the vehicle had left and headed toward Clinton on Clinton Highway. Waddell encountered the Jeep and followed it toward town and was informed that the registered owner of the vehicle, 24-year-old Adam Winchester, had outstanding warrants for his arrest out of Knox County. Waddell noticed that the driver was not wearing his seatbelt and pulled the Jeep over in the parking lot of the Git N Go on Clinch Avenue. As he approached the Jeep, Waddell noticed Winchester—whom he knew from previous encounters—“ingesting what was believed to be illegal drugs by mouth and making furtive movements toward the console with the other hand.” Waddell ordered Winchester out of the Jeep, but Winchester put it in reverse then sped off headed south. The pursuit reached speeds in excess of 110 miles an hour on Clinton Highway and speeds of 90 miles an hour on Raccoon Valley Road. The chase wound its way into Knox County and on to Ocia Lane, where Winchester lives. Winchester fled on foot into the woods and eluded capture. His vehicle was towed from the scene. Winchester faces charges of reckless driving and felony evading in addition to felony theft charges out of Knox County.
Federal Indictee Arrested In OR
A man was arrested Friday (1/13) at the Days Inn in Oak Ridge on a federal indictment charging him with bringing in over 260,000 oxycodone pills into East Tennessee as part of a multi-state drug distribution operation. Eric Christopher Hefner was arrested by a host of federal and local agents last week on the indictment and Tuesday, was ordered held in jail pending his March 14th trial date by a federal Magistrate. Hefner is accused of bringing pills into Tennessee from South Florida and having shipments mailed from the Sunshine State to safe houses in West Knoxville and in Oak Ridge. DEA agents conservatively estimate that the operation brought in $6.5 million since January of last year.
ORNL Benefit Changes Announced
Wednesday (1/18), officials at ORNL announced changes to the employee benefits program as part of ongoing efforts to reduce costs and prepare for what lab director Thom Mason calls a “sustained period of budget pressure.” A four-page memo was sent by Mason to lab staff Wednesday detailing changes to the pension plan as well as the health insurance plans. The changes will affect only salaried employees at first and those workers will share more of the costs for their plans. Officials say the changes are being made to try and cut costs while still remaining competitive with other research institutions in luring and keeping talented scientists. The memo states that the lab will keep its traditional pension plan with a few changes to the way benefits are calculated. All salaried employees will be required to make mandatory contributions to make the costs of the pension plan affordable, according to Mason. ORNL will also reinstate matching contributions to the 401(k) savings plan, which had been suspended previously, although officials say the maximum match will be lower than before. The lab will also change the medical plans it offers to employees beginning in 2013 and the prescription drug plan will see changes placing more emphasis on using generics and mail-in drug orders. Employee contributions to the prescription drug plan will also increase. The changes are necessary, according to Mason, because ORNL’s operating costs have been higher than other similar institutions and combined with personnel reductions and some organizational changes made earlier, should bring the lab’s costs in line with those other facilities. Union workers are not affected by these changes and any changes to hourly workers’ benefit packages will have to be part of the next round of contract negotiations.
Report: Maryville Couple Arrested After Fight
A Maryville couple was arrested after a fight at an Alcoa restaurant Tuesday afternoon (1/17). The Daily Times reports that Alcoa police were called to the Fusion Buffet on Airport Highway shortly after 4 pm Tuesday. When they arrived, they were told that 32-year-old Amanda Captain and 29-year-old Dustin Hampton came in and ordered beers. Neither had ID with them, so server Ching Lau refused them service. The couple went to the parking lot and retrieved Captain’s ID but not Hampton’s. They re-entered the restaurant, went to another table and ordered beers as part of a two-for-one deal. Seeing both drinking beers, Lau confirmed that Hampton still did not have his ID and she removed the glasses from the table. Reports indicate that Captain became very angry and physically assaulted Lau, knocking her to the ground. Several employees and patrons broke up the fight and the couple tried to flee, striking a woman in the parking lot with their SUV as they drove off. Alcoa Police located their vehicle and took them into custody a short time later. Captain was charged with aggravated assault while Hampton was charged with reckless endangerment. Both are also being held on outstanding warrants. Lau was treated for minor injuries at Blount Memorial Hospital and released. The woman who was struck by the fleeing SUV, Leslie Dyer of Louisville, was treated for minor injuries at the scene by an ambulance crew and refused transport to the hospital.
Fund Established For Injured Roane Firefighter
A special fund has been established at area branches of Enrichment Federal Credit Union to help offset the costs of medical treatment and eventually physical therapy for an 18-year-old volunteer firefighter in Roane County who remains in a medically-induced coma following a traffic accident last week involving a horse. Caleb Wilson, who is a volunteer firefighter with the East Roane County Fire Department and a senior at Kingston High School, was injured last Tuesday when his car collided with a full-grown adult horse on Highway 58 in Kingston. Wilson suffered a broken jaw and ribs in the crash, which killed the horse. He has been taken off a ventilator but is now said to be responding to voices and has some movement in his extremities. Donations can be made to the “Caleb Wilson Fund” at any branch of Enrichment Federal Credit Union.
AC Commission Salutes Veterans Officer
The Anderson County Commission gave Veterans Service Officer Leon Jaquet a rousing ovation Tuesday (1/17) after he reported that he was able to get a local veteran almost $390,000 in retroactive Department of Veterans Affairs benefits connected to his exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The unidentified 66-year-old Oak Ridge veteran had been trying to get his benefits since 1998 but his request for those benefits was shelved because his heart condition was not identified as an “approved presumptive condition” to receive benefits. In 2010, the VA said that heart disease and two other illnesses were now presumed to have been caused by Agent Orange, which meant that 86,000 additional Vietnam veterans were eligible for benefits. Last summer, the man went to Jaquet for assistance and Saturday, he received a check for $389,475. County Commissioners lauded Jaquet for his service to area veterans since his hire in 2007. In that time, the county’s veteran population has declined slightly but benefits for eligible veterans have more than doubled, going from $3.2 million in fiscal year 2006-2007 to $7.1 million last fiscal year.
Report: State Finds No Evidence Of OR Violations
According to the News-Sentinel, the state department of Environment and Conservation has found “no validity” to claims that an Oak Ridge waste processor had illegally dumped radioactive waste in the Chestnut Ridge landfill. Complaints alleging that IMPACT Services had illegally disposed of radioactive materials at the landfill were called into the National Response Center and the anonymous callers also indicated that the company was shielding the materials to prevent from being detected at the landfill’s gates. TDEC officials say that routine inspections of IMPACT Services include sampling, surveys, employee interviews and record checks and that those efforts found no evidence to support the allegations. IMPACT does have a license to send some waste with extremely low levels of radioactivity to the landfill but the state found no evidence that the company had violated terms of that license. IMPACT Services did have to respond to the allegations by providing a detailed response to TDEC and other regulatory agencies.
OR Contractor Excavates Contaminated Tank
The DOE’s environmental cleanup contractor at the Oak Ridge reservation has announced that it has successfully excavated an underground waste tank that officials say is responsible for contaminating the groundwater on the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s central campus. Tank W-1A, a 4000 gallon stainless steel tank was used from the early 1950s through the 1980s to collect and store liquid radioactive wastes from the lab’s nuclear operations. The tank and its associated hardware were long thought to be on one of the most pressing environmental issues at the lab. The tank itself is being sent to a local subcontractor, which will prepare it for its final disposition while the contaminated dirt around the tank site is being excavated for transport to Nevada for disposal. The radioactive materials recovered from the site are also being sent to Nevada. Crews with UCOR will fill in the excavation site with fresh, uncontaminated dirt. The project is expected to be completed by this summer.
Houston Appeal Dismissed
Leon Houston, who beat murder charges in connection to the deaths of a Roane County Sheriff’s deputy and his ride-along partner in 2010, has lost a court battle. The Tennessee Court of Appeals issued a ruling Tuesday (1/17) in Houston’s civil action against Judge James Buddy Scott, Judge David Hayes, Roane County Circuit Court Clerk Angela Randolph, two deputy clerks and Roane County alleging that they had conspired to violate his civil rights during his criminal trials. The lawsuit alleges that court officials did not issue subpoenas for several people Houston wanted called as witnesses including then-Governor Phil Bredesen, US Attorney General Eric Holder, the US Postmaster and several others. Court records indicate that the subpoenas were served and Houston, in one of his legal responses, indicated what bearing any of those individuals might have had on his criminal case. Leon and Rocky Houston were charged with murder in the deaths of Mike Brown and Bill Jones in a shootout on the Houston brothers’ property in May of 2006. Both beat the charges, claiming self-defense and alleging that the lawmen had pulled up to the farmhouse and opened fire. Prosecutors allege that the brothers had ambushed Brown and Jones. The Appellate Court upheld the ruling of a lower court dismissing the lawsuit and ordered Leon Houston to pay all associated court costs.
Museum Of Appalachia Featured In Magazine
The Museum of Appalachia is featured in the December 2011/January 2012 edition of Garden and Guns Magazine. Garden and Gun magazine offers articles on the Southern way of life as it relates to gardens, architecture, adventurous travel, sports, food and drink, literature, music, arts and traditions. You can see the article online at www.gardenandgun.com.
AC Commission Accepts City Offer On Glen Alpine
The Anderson County Commission met in its quarterly day session today (1/17). The Commission accepted an offer from the city of Clinton to solve the ongoing dispute over the Glen Alpine Convenience Center. The city and county have been at odds over what to do about the site for some time now and a Chancellor’s partial ruling last month all but cleared the way for the county to expand and make renovations to the site if no agreement between the two sides could be reached to transfer ownership of the county-owned site. Here are the highlights of the offer made by the city. The city and county will average the two appraisals of the property to a “Fair Market Value” of $184,000. The city would then forgive the current $106,000 balance of overpaid sales tax revenue currently due to the city from the county and apply that toward the Fair Market Value price, leaving a net balance of some $78,000 on the property. The county would retain ownership of the site and offer it for sale at a public auction. The first $78,000 of the property sale will then be credited toward the remaining balance to equal the Fair Market Price with any money over and above that $78,000 to be used by the county to relocate the center. In the event that the auction does not bring in $78,000, the city would pay the county the difference over a two-year period. The Commission voted 15-1with very little discussion to accept the offer and County Mayor Myron Iwanski says that it will now be up to lawyers from the city and the county to work out the details of the arrangement. Commissioner Jerry Creasey was the lone dissenting vote. Iwanski said that he hopes to have a final proposal to present to the Commission within the next 30 to 60 days.
OR IDB Re-Elects Officers
The Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board held its regular meeting last week and re-elected its top officer. Bill Biloski was re-elected chairman, while David Wilson will serve another term as vice chairman and Harold Trapp was re-elected to another term as secretary & treasurer.
State Officials Update Nursing Home Violations
State health officials met with families who will be affected by the temporary closure of Colonial Hills Nursing Center in Maryville on Friday (1/13). Officials announced last week that they would be closing the facility and renovating it before reopening later this year. Admissions to the nursing home were suspended twice by the state last year and lifted only after the company submitted a plan to correct the deficiencies uncovered by inspectors. The federal centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services terminated Colonial Hills’ status as a Medicare service provider on January 7th, meaning that Medicare would not pay for care of any residents admitted after that date and only pay through February 6th for residents admitted before the 7th. Friday, state officials explained the violations in more detail. Officials say that a nurse distributed blood thinner with antibiotics to some residents which could have increased bleeding, a cook prepared 12 pounds of pureed beets with 25 pounds of salt instead of thickener and a nurse took an unauthorized cell phone picture of a resident. In addition, records indicate that two female residents were sexually assaulted by a male visitor. Colonial Hills will close down and remodel its facility in order to better serve its residents and can reapply for its Medicare certification in 180 days.
Ex-Alcoa Coach, Teacher Arrested Again
A former Alcoa High School teacher and softball coach accused of sexual misconduct with two students was arrested last week after he violated a temporary order or protection filed against him on behalf of one of the students he is accused of assaulting. The order of protection was filed Tuesday on behalf of the student and claims that 40-year-old Paul Talley used his position to manipulate and take advantage of the student and also states that Talley is still trying to contact her. Records show that Talley violated the order within six hours of being served by trying to contact the student through a third party. Talley was arrested Wednesday (1/11) after authorities were called and released after posting a $1000 bond. Talley was indicted last month by a Blount County grand jury on five counts of statutory rape by an authority figure and two counts each of solicitation of a minor and sexual battery by an authority figure. The allegations surfaced in October just before Talley resigned his positions as US history teacher and softball coach. Investigators determined that Talley had engaged in sexual conduct with one female student and that he had solicited inappropriate contact with another female student. The investigation determined that the contact spanned more than one school year.
OR Man Pleads Guilty To Abuse
An Oak Ridge man pleaded guilty Friday (1/13) in an Anderson County courtroom to charges that he molested a young girl in September of 2009. 47-year-old Scott Frank Bubash was originally charged with rape of a child but pled guilty Friday to a reduced charge of attempted child rape and received a 10-year prison sentence that was suspended to time already served. Bubash was also placed on the state sex offender registry and will remain on supervised probation for the remainder of his life.
USEC: Company, DOE Moving Forward
(USEC) USEC Inc. (NYSE: USU) announced Friday (1/13) that it continues to work on the American Centrifuge project and that USEC and the Department of Energy (DOE) have identified a path to provide interim funding for the initial phase of a research, development and demonstration (RD&D) program for the project. This path would provide the basis for funding of the RD&D program activities through the end of March. In the meantime, USEC will continue to work with DOE and Congress to se-cure funding to complete the RD&D program. The $300 million RD&D program proposed by DOE will enhance the technical and financial readiness of the centrifuge technology for commercialization. The RD&D program is expected to involve manufacturing and operating additional production-design machines so that key systems can be tested as they would actually operate at the scale necessary for full commercialization. USEC Inc., a global energy company, is a leading supplier of enriched uranium fuel and nuclear industry related services for commercial nuclear power plants.
AC Mayor Candidate Forum
Thursday (1/12) was the first candidate forum for those seeking the office of Anderson County Mayor. The forum was sponsored by the Anderson County Tea Party and featured Republican candidates Tim Isbel and Terry Frank. The lone Democrat, Warren Gooch, was unable to attend Thursday’s event. Frank said that she would not have supported last year’s 16.2 cent property tax increase that was approved by the County Commission. Isbel, who currently serves on the Commission, said that the increase was necessary in order to avoid jail decertification. Frank and Isbel—both small business owners—are squaring off for the Republican nomination to run for the final two years on former mayor Rex Lynch’s term. Lynch resigned in January 2011 after being indicted on sales tax fraud charges and Myron Iwanski is serving as interim mayor until the August election. Gooch is unopposed in the March 6th Democratic primary and will face the GOP winner in August.
Maryville Store Clerk Accused Of Staging Heist
Maryville Police say that a convenience store clerk who reported a robbery last week made up the story. 20-year-old Cory Graves of Maryville reported that he had walked out of the restroom while working at the EZ Stop Smoky View Market on West Lamar Alexander Parkway last Monday night (1/9) and encountered a man wearing a dark mask and carrying a large knife standing at the register. Graves said the man removed cash from the store safe then ordered him to open the register before fleeing with cash. Graves told police the man had ordered him to step outside with him as he left. Surveillance camera footage shows a man dressed as Graves had described but police believe that person is an accomplice. Graves was arrested on charges of theft and filing a false police report and investigators say that other people may soon face charges.
AP: TVA To Lower Bills
(Associated Press) The Tennessee Valley Authority's monthly fuel cost will drop between $2 and $4.50 in February billings for average residential customers due to mild weather. The utility said Friday (1/13) that for billing periods beginning Feb. 1, the total monthly fuel cost will decrease from the current 2.251 cents per kilowatt-hour to 1.996 cents per kilowatt-hour. That represents a 3.5 percent decrease in the average wholesale price. The amount of decrease depends on usage levels. TVA said the fuel cost is the lowest in almost two years and is due mostly to milder temperatures in December that allowed higher than expected, low-cost hydroelectric generation.
Roane Man Indicted In Sevier Homicide
Last week, a Sevier County grand jury indicted a Harriman man in the fatal stabbing of a Gatlinburg man that occurred in May of 2011. 27-year-old Anthony Travis Richards is accused of first-degree murder in the death of 27-year-old Derek Ogle, who was stabbed to death inside a condominium in Gatlinburg on May 10th, 2011. Richards was taken into custody at the scene by police officers responding to the late-night stabbing at the Gatlinburg Town Square Resort.
Silt Illegally Dumped In Blount
Silt removed from a pond at a Blount County golf course was erroneously dumped on land owned by the county. Contractors with Titan Excavation removed the silt from a pond at Laurel Valley Golf Course in Townsend earlier this month and dumped it across Laurel Valley Road. County and state officials received complaints about the mess, which includes three to four feet of mud containing shale rocks and golf balls and what was described as a river of mud flowing down the street, last week. Crews apparently had dug up the silt, put it on a front-end loader and driven it across Laurel Valley, leaving a trail of mud and debris on the road. The state department of Environment and Conservation stopped the work and is currently reviewing the situation. Work crews believed that they permission to dump the silt on county property but that was not the case. TDEC officials say that the work would have required a permit, but that no permit was obtained for the work. It is not clear if the golf course will be fined but it will be required to stabilize the site with vegetation moving forward.
Report: DOE Budget Cuts To Affect TDEC
Budget cuts within the federal Department of Energy will be felt in Nashville as well. The News-Sentinel reports that as part of a new five-year Tennessee Oversight Agreement with the DOE, the state Department of Environment and Conservation accepted a 10% reduction in grant funding its receives from the federal agency. The funding is provided by the federal government to help offset the costs of monitoring environmental cleanup activities at the DOE’s Oak Ridge reservation. TDEC’s funding from the DOE will drop this year from just under $5.2 million to just over $4.7 million. Officials have not yet revealed exactly how the Oak Ridge cleanup budget will look for this year but is expected to remain at current levels or even drop from this year’s funding level of $400 million. TDEC officials say that the agency will continue to perform basic oversight and regulatory activities in Oak Ridge but add that some activities will have to be changed or discontinued due to the funding issues.
Food Lion Closures To Hit Local Stores, Clinton Distribution Center
Delhaize America announced Wednesday that it will close 113 Food Lion grocery stores across the country described as underperforming, including 25 in Tennessee, and its distribution center in Clinton that employs over 250 people. The closures will take place within the next 30 days, according to company officials. Affected stores locally include the Clinton location on Seivers Boulevard, the Maryville location on West Broadway, the Centerline Drive location in Knoxville and 14 other retail locations in East Tennessee. The Oak Ridge store is not among those identified by the company as slated for closure. Anderson County Economic Development Association president Tim Thompson said this morning that the company’s announcement took local officials by surprise but added that he has already been in touch with state and other officials who work with industrial prospects to let them know that Food Lion’s distribution center building will soon be available for a new tenant. Here is a portion of the statement released Wednesday by Salisbury, North Carolina-based Delhaize America: “SALISBURY, N.C. – Delhaize America has announced key strategic actions to strengthen its U.S. portfolio. The company plans to take the following actions with respect to its stores:
"Today's actions will continue to solidify our U.S. operations and enable our company to focus on our successful brand strategy repositioning at Food Lion and the expansion of Bottom Dollar Food in new markets," said Ron Hodge, CEO of Delhaize America. "While these were difficult decisions given the impact on our associates, customers and communities, we believe these actions will enable us to better serve our customers in our markets with high density, while positioning the company for future growth." All affected stores will close within 30 days, and store conversions will begin immediately. As a result of these actions, approximately 4,900 associates will be displaced. The company will provide severance to eligible associates, and will work with government officials to assist with transition support. Associates are also encouraged to apply for open positions within the company. Most associates working at converted stores will continue to work at these locations.
Food Lion Distribution
Center
While the massive Food Lion distribution center in Clinton’s Eagle Ben Industrial Park will be closed, officials said Wednesday that the company will maintain a transportation facility in Clinton, saving approximately 25 jobs. Over 200 employees of the distribution center will be laid off, however. No details about that transportation facility were included in the company’s announcement but as soon as we learn more, we will pass it along to you. The Food Lion distribution center includes four buildings, one measuring over 720,000 square feet and three smaller buildings. The main building is the largest industrial building in Anderson County. As soon as we learn more about the closures we will pass it along to you. Report: All Colonial Hills Residents To Relocate
A Maryville nursing home whose federal Medicare certification was stripped earlier this month will relocate all of its residents and not just those covered by Medicare and/or Medicaid as had been previously announced. Officials with Life Care Centers told the News-Sentinel that instead of remaining open for only private-pay patients and reapplying for Medicare and Medicaid status, Colonial Hills Nursing Center on Cochran Drive will close down and reopen after making improvements they say will be better for the facility’s residents. Admissions to the nursing home were suspended twice by the state last year and lifted only after the company submitted a plan to correct the deficiencies uncovered by inspectors. The federal centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services terminated Colonial Hills’ status as a Medicare service provider on January 7th, meaning that Medicare would not pay for care of any residents admitted after that date and only pay through February 6th for residents admitted after the 7th. State officials uncovered incidents last year they say put residents in either immediate or potential danger, including an incident in which a resident’s relative was caught with his hand up two residents’ shirts that was not properly reported or addressed by facility staff and another incident in which a large amount of salt was added to food in the nursing home’s kitchen, causing some serious medical problems and may have contributed to the eventual death of a resident. Those incidents came on the heels of an incident in which two former staff members took unauthorized cell phone pictures of one resident and another where blood thinners were mistakenly given to some residents. As of Wednesday, 89 people had been relocated from Colonial Hills, some choosing other nursing homes and others taking advantage of other options.
Blount Officials Seek Tourism Consolidation
The Blount Partnership is proposing the creation of the so-called Smoky Mountain Tourism Authority by combining the Partnership’s efforts to lure people to Blount County with those of the cities of Alcoa and Maryville. The new venture would be aimed at attracting not only vacationers but also business travelers. In order for the effort to proceed though, it will have to gain support from both cities and the state legislature as the new venture would be able to fund new projects, which they are unable to do right now under state statute. Officials say that the move would also lessen Blount County’s debt load by approximately $1 million.
Elderly Rockwood Man Sentenced For Child Porn
A 79-year-old Rockwood man was sentenced to 81 months in federal prison almost a year after pleading guilty to charges of possessing child pornography. Aubrey Dean Cole will also be placed on supervised release for the remainder of his life once his jail sentence is complete. Cole pleaded guilty to the charges last January in a federal courtroom in Knoxville but was only recently sentenced. He was charged following an online investigation conducted by the Knoxville and Harriman Police departments’ Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force as well as the FBI, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the department of Homeland Security. Investigators reportedly found 72 images of child pornography and hundreds of videos on his computer during their probe.
Food Lion Follow-Up
While the massive Food Lion distribution center in Clinton’s Eagle Bend Industrial Park will be closed, officials said Wednesday that the company will maintain a transportation facility in Clinton, saving approximately 25 jobs. Over 200 employees of the distribution center will be laid off, however. No details about that transportation facility were included in the company’s announcement but as soon as we learn more, we will pass it along to you. The Food Lion distribution center includes four buildings, one measuring over 720,000 square feet and three smaller buildings. The main building is the largest industrial building in Anderson County.
Excerpt from press release: The company is closing its distribution center located in Clinton, Tenn., as a result of the reduced number of Delhaize America stores. However, the company will continue to maintain a transportation facility at this location to support its transportation network. The distribution center operations will discontinue during the first quarter of this year as the company works to scale back operations at this location and transition distribution to other locations, primarily to the company's Elloree, S.C., Salisbury, N.C., and Dunn, N.C., facilities. With the closing of this distribution center, Delhaize America will have 11 distribution centers across its network, while still maintaining additional capacity for future growth.
Blount Inmate Dies, Autopsy Ordered
Authorities in Blount County have ordered an autopsy for a 61-year-old jail inmate who died Monday after being taken to an area hospital. 61-year-old Larry Asbury Sr. had been in custody on drug possession and probation violation charges when Blount Jail medical staffers became concerned about his medical condition on Monday and called an ambulance. Asbury was taken to Blount Memorial Hospital and later died.
Big Pot Bust In Blount
Three people were arrested and eight pounds of high-grade marijuana seized following a traffic stop in Blount County on Thursday. A Blount County Sheriff’s deputy pulled over a vehicle on US Highway 321 East for a traffic violation and a K-9 officer alerted on the vehicle for the presence of drugs. Inside, deputies found a pound and a half of marijuana and charged 33-year-old Dustin Churchill of Walland with possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Investigators then served a search warrant at his house on Old Walland Highway and found six and half more ponds of what officials have described as high-grade, hydroponic marijuana valued at between $3000 and $4000 per pound on the street. At the home, deputies arrested 33-year-old Michael Bradley Francesco of Maryville on a charge of marijuana possession with intent to sell and 26-year-old Logan Nicole Bock of Walland on outstanding warrants for violation of probation.
CPD Probing Robbery
The Clinton Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying and locating the suspects in an armed robbery at the Cash2You check cashing business on Clinch Avenue Thursday afternoon. Police were called to the store at around 5 pm and told by an employee that two men had entered the store, one of them armed with a pistol. One of the men pointed the gun at her and demanded money and the clerk complied with their demands, pleading with the robbers not to hurt her children, who were at the business with her. The culprits also took the woman’s cell phone and those of her daughters before fleeing the scene, telling them to count to ten and promising to leave the phones behind the business, which they did. No one was injured in the robbery. The suspects are described as white males. The first suspect stands about five feet eight inches tall and was wearing a camo jacket and a white bandana over the lower half of his face. He was carrying the pistol. The other man was described as being five ten inches tall and skinny and was wearing a black jacket and a ski mask. He was reportedly armed but the clerk did not get a clear look at the type of weapon. The men made off with about $400 in cash. Clinton Police describe the suspects as armed and dangerous and ask that if you have any information that could assist in their investigation to call 865-457-3112. CPD, ORPD Nab Grate Thieves Investigators with the Clinton and Oak Ridge police departments arrested three people in connection to a recent series of storm grate thefts on Wednesday. Approximately 60 of the heavy metal grates were stolen in Oak Ridge and another 20 in Clinton over the past week or so. The Oak Ridge grates were found Wednesday at a scrap yard in Harriman and workers there said they had obtained it from a facility in Morgan County. Investigators went to the business in Morgan County and while they were there, three men pulled up in a pickup truck with grates believed to have been stolen in Clinton. Three suspects were arrested and charged after questioning and they are identified as 23-year-old Jessie Wayne Duncan, 23-year-old Ronnie Lynn Green and 21-year-old Derek Anthony Jones, all of Clinton. They each were charged with three counts of felony theft over $1000 and taken to the Anderson County Jail. 18 grates valued at some $2500 were recovered by authorities. 2011 Record Low Number Of Traffic Deaths
Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security officials today announced preliminary figures indicating the state has recorded the fewest number of traffic fatalities in 48 years. In 2011, there were 947 traffic-related deaths on Tennessee roadways, representing the lowest figure since 1963 when 941 people were killed as a result of a crash. Last year’s preliminary number of 947 traffic deaths marks just the third time in 48 years vehicular fatalities have dipped below 1,000. Since 2006, Tennessee traffic fatalities have declined by 26.2 percent, including a drop in fatalities involving large trucks (34.5%), pedalcyclists (28.6%), motorcyclists (19.1%) and pedestrians (4.5%). In 2011, State Troopers arrested 4,689 impaired drivers, rising 39 percent from the previous year. Additionally, drunk driving deaths fell 31.6 percent from 2006 to 2010. On the other hand, seat belt usage still causes a major concern for law enforcement officials and highway safety advocates. While 2011 data indicates the safety belt usage rate was 87.4 percent in Tennessee, 56.3 percent of vehicle occupants killed in fatal crashes were not buckled up. Thanks to increased public awareness campaigns, along with traffic safety and driving under the influence (DUI) enforcement, the THP investigated fewer injury and alcohol-related crashes statewide in 2011. State Troopers worked 10,000 injury wrecks and 1,090 impaired driving crashes statewide last year, representing an 8.4 percent and 25.6 percent decline, respectively, from 2010. Funding provided by the Governor’s Highway Safety Office has allowed the THP to continue providing increased enforcement and public awareness campaigns for the safety and security of state highways. Their financial support allows Troopers to work additional hours during special enforcement campaigns.
____________________________________________________________ Clinton Council OKs Convenience Center Proposal
The Clinton City Council voted 5-2 in special session Tuesday (1/10) to endorse a counterproposal to the Anderson County government as negotiations continue in hopes of relocating the Glen Alpine Convenience Center from its current location on Seivers Boulevard. The city and county have been at odds over what to do about the site for some time now and a Chancellor’s partial ruling last month has almost cleared the way for the county to expand and make renovations to the site if no agreement between the two sides can be reached to transfer ownership of the county-owned site. If an agreement can be reached, the center would be moved to the David Jones Industrial Park. The two dissenting votes came from Charlie Lyons and ET Stamey, who both indicated their concerns over lingering environmental issues at the site and their possible effect on the purchase price. Here are the highlights of the latest offer made by the city. The city and county will average the two appraisals of the property to a “Fair Market Value” of $184,000. The city would then forgive the current $106,000 balance of overpaid sales tax revenue currently due to the city from the county and apply that toward the Fair Market Value price, leaving a net balance of some $78,000 on the property. The county would retain ownership of the site and offer it for sale at a public auction. The first $78,000 of the property sale will then be credited toward the remaining balance to equal the Fair Market Price with any money over and above that $78,000 to be used by the county to relocate the center. In the event that the auction does not bring in $78,000, the city would pay the county the difference over a two-year period. The proposal also calls for the county to agree to specific time periods for putting the land up for sale and relocating the convenience center. This morning, County Mayor Myron Iwanski said that he fully supports this proposal and will present it to the County Commission for consideration when it meets on Tuesday January 17th in its quarterly day session. He indicated that based upon conversations he has had with some Commissioners, he believes that they will also support the proposal. If it is accepted by the Commission, details will have to be worked out regarding specifics of the deal and could be presented to the Commission and Council again as soon as next month for final approval.
Congressman Visits ORNL
US Congressman Ralph Hall, a Texas Republican and chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee took his first tour of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory on Tuesday (1/10). Hall, the oldest member of Congress, was accompanied on his visit by fellow republican Congressman Chuck Fleischmann. During his visit, Hall toured the High Flux Isotope Reactor and the National Center for Computational Sciences as well as other ORNL facilities.
Devonia Coal-Washing Facility Remains Closed
A coal-washing facility in Anderson County’s Devonia community shut down last week after a large discharge of coal-washing by-products into the New River will remain closed until state and federal officials are satisfied that its operators can meet water quality standards. The Baldwin Coal Preparatory Plant near Devonia owned by Premium Coal was ordered to halt its operations after authorities say they failed to report the discharge, which lasted for about 12 hours on January 2nd. State and federal officials say that they found a grayish black material three days later on rocks and algae in the New River and along its banks for about seven miles downstream from the discharge site. Once the facility is allowed to resume operations, officials there will have to take water quality samples once a day rather than twice a month, conduct a biological survey to determine if the discharge of shale and rock shavings affected the waterway’s ecosystem and text the toxicity of the discharge. Representatives from facility owners Premium Coal met with state and federal officials Tuesday (1/10) for a compliance review session and have been instructed to send those officials a report this week explaining how the water quality violation occurred and what steps will be taken to prevent future incidents.
OR Consultants Recommend Water, Sewer Rate Increases
A consultant hired by the city of Oak Ridge has recommended new water and sewer increases for city residents. The increases are necessary largely because of an EPA mandate that the city upgrade its sewer system by September of 2015, a project estimated to carry a total price tag of over $18 million. Knoxville engineering firm Lamar Dunn & Associates recommends increasing water rates in Oak Ridge from $11.50 to $12 for the first 2000 gallons used and increasing wastewater fees from $13.50 to $18.50 on the first 2000 gallons. The study, presented to the City Council earlier this week, says that even with the proposed increases, the city’s water and sewer rates would remain on the level of other nearby utilities. The City Council will hold a workshop to discuss the study’s findings on January 23rd.
ASAP Drug Bin At CPD A “Success”
(ASAP of Anderson County) The permanent medicine disposal bin at Clinton Police Department is already serving residents of Anderson County after only a few months of being installed. Clinton Police Department, in collaboration with Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) of Anderson County, is excited about the early results of the permanent bin. As of the first week of January the Clinton PD has collected over 32 pounds of unused or unwanted medicine since the bin was installed in October. December was an outstanding collection month according to Lieutenant Vaughn Becker as officers collected over 27 pounds during the month. “Our residents are responding to having a safe place to dispose of their unused medicine,” according to Becker. “The outstanding response by community members is encouraging in our fight to reduce medicine abuse,” said Stephanie Strutner, Executive Director of ASAP. Strutner encouraged residents to demonstrate their social responsibility by saying “now is a great time to clean out your medicine cabinet!” “Properly disposing your medicine protects your family, your community, and your environment.” A reminder to residents: the bin is located at the Clinton Police Department, 125 W. Broad Street. It offers a safe option for residents to dispose of unused or unwanted medicine seven days a week and is accessible 24 hours a day. The bin accepts unwanted, expired, or otherwise unused medications; antibiotics/steroids; cold and flu medications; vitamins/herbal supplements; pet medications; medication samples; medicated ointments and lotions; and unused sharps (epinephrine, unused pricking devices). Business waste and used needles or other sharps are not permitted to be disposed in the bin. For more information, visit www.ASAPofAnderson.org or call 457-3112.
Former Maryville Church Leader Indicted
A former youth leader at a Maryville church was indicted Monday (1/9) by a Blount County grand jury on seven counts each of conspiracy to commit statutory rape by an authority figure and statutory rape by an authority figure as well as one count of sexual battery by an authority figure. Laura Lee Salazar’s husband Michael pleaded guilty in 2010 to 10 counts each of unlawful sexual contact and the statutory rape of five girls who had been part of the couple’s congregation at the Lord’s Disciples Ministries of Whosoever Will. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Laura Salazar is facing charges connected to three girls and incidents that occurred in 2008. She is free on bond and no trial date has been set.
Eagle Bend To Expand Clinton Plant
(TDEC) Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty along with local officials announced Monday (1/9) that Eagle Bend Manufacturing, Inc. is expanding its Clinton, Tenn. facility, creating 188 new jobs and investing $64 million over the next five years. The company, a division of Magna International, Inc., is a Tier 1 automotive parts supplier for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of cars and light trucks worldwide. “Eagle Bend Manufacturing represents the type of success story we are aiming for in our economic development efforts,” Haslam said. “We have placed a renewed emphasis on helping existing industries grow right where they are, as this is essential to reaching our goal of becoming the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.” Founded in Anderson County in 1987, the Eagle Bend facility will add more than 100,000 square feet to its current 334,000 square foot plant. The expansion will occur in phases over the next five years with the first phase commencing in the first quarter of 2012 and covering 27,000 square feet. The newly created jobs will include assembly, laser and press operators and maintenance positions. The Clinton facility currently employs more than 600 people. Anderson County Mayor Myron Iwanski said Monday: “This expansion demonstrates that Anderson County has the infrastructure, skilled labor force and low business costs required to be profitable in today’s tough economy. We appreciate the long term commitment that Eagle Bend has made to Anderson County and the work of Economic Development Association President Tim Thompson to help make this happen.” Clinton Mayor Scott Burton said: “Eagle Bend Manufacturing has been a great corporate citizen in our Clinton business community for nearly 25 years. We look forward to assisting them with their latest expansion and future growth.”
State, Fed Environmental Agencies Probe Coal Discharge
State and federal environmental agencies have shut down an Anderson County coal mining operation following a discharge of shale and rock shavings into the New River last week. The Baldwin Coal Preparatory Plant near Devonia owned by Premium Coal was ordered to halt its operations after authorities say they failed to report the discharge, which lasted for about 12 hours on January 2nd. State and federal officials say that they found a grayish black material on rocks and algae in the New River and along its banks for about seven miles downstream from the discharge site. Those officials say there is no indication of a widespread fish kill but that the discharge did create water quality issues because of the sediment it left behind. The discharge also did not affect the nearest water treatment plant, which is located about 30 miles away in Huntsville. The release originated in the plant’s discharge pond and was created during the process of separating coal from shale and rock. Officials are still working to determine exactly how much material entered the waterway and are planning to meet with officials from Premium Coal today for a compliance review session. Premium Coal is owned by the Justice family from West Virginia which purchased National Coal Corporation last year.
Alcoa Man Sentenced In Death Of Mother, Toddler Son
An Alcoa man was sentenced Monday (1/9) to 10 years in prison for the drunken driving crash that killed a Blount County woman and her infant son in February of 2010. Jeffrey A. Knight pleaded guilty in November to two counts of vehicular homicide in the deaths of 21-year-old Brittany Thomas of Rockford and her 10-month-old son Aiden. Knight was given a pair of 10-year sentences that will be served concurrently. Police and prosecutors say that Knight’s blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit when his northbound car crossed over the median on Alcoa Highway, became airborne and landed on top of Thomas’s southbound vehicle, killing her and her son instantly.
LOC Votes To Disband
The Local Oversight Committee, an organization established two decades ago to allow local governments some oversight over DOE environmental activities, voted to disband on Monday (1/9). The move was not unexpected as several officials have complained recently that the committee no longer serves the interests of local government and needs to be replaced. Current plans call for dissolving the current organization of the LOC in favor of a new conglomerate of local governments that will work with the DOE and state environmental officials. Opponents of Monday’s move claim that the LOC still served its purpose as an independent voice for these communities affected by the DOE operations in Oak Ridge. The LOC was funded through TDEC and that money is expected to be shifted to the new so-called “inter-local” group. The vote was 6-4.
State: Powell Man Pleads Guilty In Anderson Sales Tax Case
(Tennessee Department of Revenue) The Tennessee Department of Revenue announced that a Powell man pleaded guilty on Monday (1/9) to two counts of sales tax evasion, two counts of forgery, and one count of aggravated perjury. 38-year-old Andrew Dow Scoles was granted Judicial Diversion and placed on two year's probation. Scoles was also ordered to make restitution in the amount of $1,973.63. On March 1, 2011, the Anderson County Grand Jury returned a two count indictment for Evasion of Sales Tax, a Class E felony. The indictment charged that Scoles provided false and fraudulent information to the Anderson County Clerk's office when he registered a 2000 Velocity boat and a 1997 Ford Mustang, resulting in unreported tax totaling $1,973.63. The Grand Jury also indicted Scoles on one count of Aggravated Perjury, a Class D felony, and 2 counts of Forgery, Class E felonies. Prosecution of this criminal case was pursued by the department in cooperation with District Attorney General Dave Clark's office. Commissioner Roberts expressed his appreciation for the excellent cooperation the department has enjoyed with General Clark. Citizens who suspect violations of Tennessee's revenue laws should call the toll-free tax fraud hot line at (800) FRAUDTX (372-8389).
AP: 14 Tennessee Counties Declared Ag Disaster Areas
(AP) The federal government has declared 14 Tennessee counties as agricultural disaster area after drought and excessive heat last summer. Gov. Bill Haslam announced Friday that Blount, Cumberland, Fayette, Fentress, Haywood, Loudon, McMinn, Macon, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott and Wilson counties were given the designation by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Haslam requested the help last month. The designation means farmers in the affected counties can apply for Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments to help recover lost income, low-interest loans and other assistance through local USDA Farm Service Agency offices. So can farmers in counties that adjoin the primary disaster counties. Crop losses ran as high as 30 percent. Haslam requested separately that Williamson and Henry counties be added and that Claiborne and Union counties be considered because of flooding.
CPD Raids Tobacco Shop
Clinton Police Department investigators obtained a search warrant and raided a local business Friday (1/6) suspected of selling synthetic marijuana and being in possession of drug paraphernalia. Lt Vaughn Becker says officers remained on the scene for several hours at Mark’s Tobacco at 805 S. Charles G. Seivers Blvd., owned by Mark Benton, collecting evidence and conducting interviews. Becker says detectives have been working this case for about six weeks. No charges have been filed as the investigation continues.
Report: TVA Secures Agreements To Purchase Claxton Properties
TVA has obtained sales agreements from 19 property owners in Claxton as the utility seeks to expand its coal ash storage area at the Bull Run Fossil Plant. The News-Sentinel reports that the 19 parcels total about 150 acres and that TVA has seven other purchase offers outstanding and another seven pieces of property are in the process of being appraised. The properties where sales agreements have been reached are being studied to determine if they will be adequate for coal ash storage and no final decisions have been reached. Officials say that if the deals are finalized, the property owners will be paid fair market value but declined to say how much they would be paid. Other sites away from the Claxton plant have also been researched for ash storage. TVA said last summer that it had about 18 months of storage life left in its current ash storage area at Bull Run and that a 5-acre site at the plant would provide another five years of storage capacity. The utility says it needs at least 100 acres to expand the storage facility and create a buffer area. The expanded storage area is part of TVA’s plan to shift away from wet coal-ash storage at its coal-fired plants to the safer dry storage, which Bull Run already uses.
Man Sentenced In Sexual Assault Case
Friday (1/6), an Alcoa man pleaded guilty to assaulting a 6-year-old girl in the woods behind an apartment complex in Alcoa in May of 2010. 47-year-old Ken Hurst Harris pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual battery and especially aggravated kidnapping and was sentenced to 27 years in prison. He will also register as a sex offender and will remain under community supervision for the rest of his life following his release from prison. On May 19th, 2010, Harris took a six-year-old girl into the woods behind Meadowood Apartments and sexually assaulted her, according to Alcoa Police. Two teenaged girls had been walking in the area at the time of the incident and had seen Harris and the girl walking together. Feeling something was wrong they retrieved the girl’s mother and another adult and began calling the child’s name. She came running out of the woods a few minutes later and Harris was detained by police a short time after he too emerged from the woods.
2 Boys Struck By Car, Driver Cited
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office says that two Carpenters Middle School students received minor injuries Thursday morning (1/5) after being struck by a car while crossing the road to get on a waiting school bus. The two boys, ages 12 and 14, were taken to the emergency room at Blount Memorial Hospital for treatment. At around 7:35 am, the two boys were crossing the street to get on a waiting school on Miser Station Road at Benson Lane. 78-year-old James Ralph Bowerman, 78 of Friendsville, was traveling north on Miser Station Road. He said he did not see the children crossing the street, but did see the school bus's flashing yellow lights. He said by the time he saw the red lights start flashing he did not have time to stop. Bowerman was cited with failure to stop for a school bus.
Alcoa Inc. To Permanently Close Smelting Operation
Alcoa Inc. announced Thursday (1/5) that it will permanently close its smelting operation in Blount County that first opened in 1913. The shutdown is part of the company’s overall strategy to reduce its smelting capacity by some 12% in order to make it more competitive in a weakened aluminum market. Aluminum prices have fallen by more than 27% in the past few years. The Blount County smelting operation was idled in 2009 because of those falling aluminum prices and 450 workers were laid off. Efforts were underway to possibly reopen the Blount County operation but negotiations with TVA on a long-term power contract stalled. However, officials say that while that deal would have been crucial to reopening the facility, the failure to reach an agreement was not the reason the company made its decision. Alcoa says that it is still committed to its North Plant, where aluminum sheets are rolled for use in the beverage industry. The company’s former West Plant has been demolished and is being redeveloped for commercial use and officials say similar plans are in the works for the smelting operation site. Alcoa still employs approximately 1600 people in Blount County.
Report: Judge Awards Damages In Jail Lawsuit
An Anderson County judge ruled Wednesday (1/4) that a former pretrial release officer with the county shouldered most of the blame for an assault on a Claxton man by other inmates at the Detention facility that left him with permanent damage to his right eye. The News-Sentinel reports that Judge Don Elledge ruled that pretrial release officer Terri McCloud took almost four hours to arrive at the jail to sign Kenneth King’s release papers and it was during that time that King was beaten up by five other inmates who were reportedly searching for drugs. King had been arrested the night of October 27th, 2009 on a charge of driving on a suspended license after a records check following a traffic stop showed his license was suspended. However, the charge that led to that showing up on his record had already been dismissed in Clinton City Court. The error was discovered the next day. While Judge Elledge laid most of the blame for the attack on McCloud’s late arrival at the Jail, he did dismiss one of the main parts of the $500,000 lawsuit filed by King, namely that jailers were negligent or deliberately indifferent by placing him in a cell with medium-security prisoners. Elledge ruled that the jailers based their evaluation on where to place King on his demeanor following his arrest, which they say was combative. He said the negligence occurred the next morning after the charge against King was dropped. The paper reports that Elledge also placed some blame for the incident on King but in the end, awarded the man $93,500 for pain and suffering, mental anguish and the permanent loss of some vision in his right eye. The county will also pay King’s $32,599 in medical expenses.
AC BOE OKs Solar Project
15 school roofs in Anderson County will soon feature solar panel arrays that will generate revenue for the school system, power that will be sold to TVA and opportunities for students to learn more about solar energy. The County Commission signed off the on the project last month and the School Board last week gave its final approval for the venture, which school officials say will generate over $118,000 a year in rent and licensing revenues. Solar company Lightway North America is developing solar farms in several states and under the agreement, revenue generated by the sale of electricity to TVA will be divided between the schools and the company with the company getting almost 90 percent. Contractor East Tennessee Solar will begin installing solar panels at Anderson County High School and at Andersonville, Lake City, Norris and Norwood Elementary Schools. When all of the panels are up and running, 15 schools will be included. In addition to the financial windfall for the system, the company will also help educators develop a curriculum about solar energy, place an information kiosk inside Anderson County High and donate solar panels to a so-called zero-energy classroom project being developed at Clinton High School.
AP: Woman Gets Life In Death Of Ex-ORNL Scientist A former housekeeper from northern Kentucky has been sentenced to life in prison in the murder of a retired Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientist. Willa Blanc received the sentence Wednesday in Boone Circuit Court at Burlington, according to The Kentucky Enquirer. The 50-year-old Blanc pleaded guilty last month in the death of 73-year-old Walter Sartory, whose burned body was found in March 2009 in Indiana about two weeks after friends reported him missing from his home in Hebron. Sartory was wealthy and reportedly a bit of a recluse. Authorities believe Sartory was kidnapped and taken to the basement of Blanc's home in Union, where he died about a week later. Sartory's bank accounts were drained of about $200,000. Valentine’s Day Dinner Train
(Southern Appalachia Railway Museum) Southern Appalachia Railway Museum (SARM) will again roll out its restored 88-year old Pullman dining car, and Chef Andras will skillfully prepare an assortment of 4 different and delicious entree choices for the museum's annual Valentine Dinner Trains. The event gives couples the opportunity to experience the romantic setting enjoyed by travelers during the golden age of rail travel in the 1930's and 40's. The museum's Secret City Scenic Excursion Train's Valentine trips have become so popular that four departures are planned; Saturday, February 11 at 5 p.m., Sunday, the 12th at 5 p.m., Monday, the 13th at 6 p,m, and Tuesday, the 14th at 6 p.m. Passengers will begin their journey back in time aboard Southern Railway coach Fort Oglethorpe, which was built in 1947. They will then be ushered into the classic dining car where they'll be greeted by neatly-dressed servers and tables set with fine china on crisp white tablecloths. A long-stemmed rose will await each lady at her table. Advance reservations are required as seating is limited. Tickets are $140 per couple and include the train ride, dinner and all taxes and gratuities. Reservations can be made by calling 865-241-2140. Callers should be prepared to make their entree choices at time of reserving. The choices are: Bourbon-marinated grilled filet of beef, herb-marinated grilled chicken breast with white wine sauce, grilled Cajun style shrimp with pesto cream sauce and Spinach and feta stuffed baked tomato with brie cream sauce. Full payment by check made out to SARM must be mailed to arrive one week before the event. The train boards next to the Heritage Center on Highway 58, about 10 miles west of downtown Oak Ridge, and the rides last approximately 1-1/2 hours and take the diners through the original K-25 uranium enrichment plant site, now known as East Tennessee Technology Park, as well as through the hills and hardwoods of rural Poplar Creek Valley.
McDaniel To Debut New Projects On PBS
(PBS) Local Filmmaker Keith McDaniel will be featured in January on East Tennessee PBS (ETPBS) with the debut of a new television program and the premiere of two new documentary films. The television program, Tennessee Filmmaker with Keith McDaniel, will debut Sunday, January 8th at 3 pm. The tv show is a monthly, one-hour program that features interviews with independent filmmakers from across the state of Tennessee. Hosted and produced by McDaniel, the program will also screen films by the guests. The first episode of Tennessee Filmmaker with Keith McDaniel will feature East Tennessee filmmakers Mitch Moore and Leigh Ann Jernigan as well as Emmy-nominated Nashville documentarian Zac Adams. A new episode will be broadcast the second Sunday of each month at 3 pm. Also on January 8th, beginning at 6 pm, ETPBS will premiere McDaniel’s new 30-minute documentary film Roane State Community College: 40 Years of Class. McDaniel produced the film in honor of Roane State’s 40th anniversary. The film traces Roane State from its humble beginnings in 1971 through its four-decade history. It features interviews with all four Roane State presidents as well as a number of former and current faculty, staff and students. The third project from McDaniel will premiere Thursday, January 26th at 9:30 pm with a second airing on Sunday, January 29th at 7:30 pm. “Valley of Independence” is McDaniel’s latest documentary. The film, which was produced in 2011 for the Grainger County Historic Society, traces the history of Grainger County, Tennessee, from the late 1700’s through the completion of Cherokee Dam in 1941. Grainger County Historian Ken Coffey, who is featured prominently in the 30-minute documentary, said, “We are so pleased to have East Tennessee’s premiere documentary filmmaker tell our story. This is something we have wanted for a long time and couldn’t be happier with the film. Mr. McDaniel did a fantastic job.” McDaniel, a native of East Tennessee, is an award-winning documentarian whose feature films include The Clinton 12 and Secret City: The Oak Ridge Story. He is also the founder and director of the Secret City Film Festival held each fall in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Suspicious Fire Probed
The Anderson County Sheriff’s department is investigating a suspicious New Year’s Day fire that destroyed the cab of a commercial truck belonging to Wolf Tree Services. Briceville volunteer firefighters responded to the fire on Graves Gap early Sunday and soon notified deputies because of the suspicious nature of the fire. The blaze destroyed the cab of the truck but did not damage its trailer or a skid steer tractor on the trailer. An employee of the tree company told deputies that the truck had been left in the area to continue clearing rights of way for a coal company. There are no suspects at this time.
Alcoa Hires Firm To Design Proposed New High School
The Alcoa city school system has hired an architectural firm to design and plan a new high school that officials would like to see opened in time for the 2014 academic year. Lewis Group Architects from Knoxville is expected to have designs for the new high school completed by the end of next month. The new school is expected to cost somewhere around $20 million and will boost capacity from 600 to 1000 students. The new school would attach to the current gym and extend across Faraday Street featuring 170,000 square feet of space, 20 new classrooms, a lecture hall and a new cafeteria. The current Alcoa High is near capacity. When the new school opens, the Alcoa school system will feature four, rather than three schools, with the current elementary school being turned into a primary school for students in grades K through 2, the current middle school would be converted into the elementary school with grades 3 through 5, the current high school would become the new middle school serving grades 6 through 8 and the new high school would house grades 9 through 12. If the project moves forward as planned, ground could be broken on the new school later this year.
ACSD Deputy Assaulted On New Year’s Day
An Anderson County Sheriff’s deputy was allegedly attacked by a Claxton man early New Year’s Day. Deputy Adam Bryant responded to a domestic disturbance call at a home on Blacksferry Lane at around 1 am Sunday and when he arrived, found the front door open, a window broken and blood in the doorway. The deputy identified himself several times before Lloyd Scroggins emerged from a bedroom covered in blood and began yelling obscenities at Bryant before ordering him out of the house. Bryant’s report indicates that Scroggins then approached him and tried to assault him, at which point a struggle ensued that went from the front to the rear of the home and did not end until a second deputy arrived and tazed Scroggins. EMS personnel tried to check Scroggins for injuries but he violently refused their efforts to transport him to the hospital. Instead, he ended up in the back of Deputy Bryant’s cruiser, where he allegedly tried to break a window with his feet and his head. Jailers found drug paraphernalia when Scroggins was searched and he was charged with assault, resisting arrest, public intoxication, disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia. The investigation was unable to determine the circumstances that led to the incident and at last check Scroggins remained in custody at the Anderson County Jail on bonds totaling $5000.
Great Smoky Mountains Aquatic Biology and Trout Fishing Adventure
The second annual Great Smoky Mountains Aquatic Biology and Trout Fishing Adventure for middle school girls and boys, sponsored by the Tennessee Council of Trout Unlimited, will be June 18–23, 2012, at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Summer Adventure is designed to give kids an awareness, appreciation and understanding of the importance of our nation’s aquatic resources with an emphasis on conservation, protection and restoration of coldwater ecosystems. Participants will learn about stream ecology, brook trout restoration, stream physics and chemistry, fishing etiquette and aquatic entomology. They will experience fly tying and fly fishing along with hiking and swimming. GSMIT is in Walker Valley on the banks of Little River’s Middle Prong, a coldwater stream containing brook, brown and rainbow trout. Facilities include dormitories, dining hall, classrooms, outdoor meeting shelters, bookstore/gift shop and full-time professional staff. Summer Adventure 2012 will begin on Monday afternoon, June 18, and end at noon on Saturday, June 23. Boys and girls 12 to 15 years old as of June 18 are eligible to apply; Trout Unlimited will accept a total of 12 participants. Tuition is $488; insurance coverage is supplied by GSMIT. A new website has been created for Summer Adventure 2012 by students at Anderson County Career and Technical Center—high schoolers working on behalf of middle schoolers! Youngsters interested in attending 2012 Summer Adventure must complete an application form on the new website, http://www.tntroutadventure.org. Application deadline is March 1, 2012; selections will be made by March 15. Applications should be mailed or e-mailed to: John Thurman, P.O. Box 546, Norris, TN 37828, jthur727@bellsouth.net. When families are notified that their child has been selected, they will be provided with a GSMIT registration form; TU will be happy to help families complete this form. All applicants will be notified of their selection status no later than March 20, 2012.
Clinton Council Members Sworn In
The three members of the Clinton City Council re-elected last month were sworn in this morning (1/3) at City Hall. Incumbent Vice Mayor Jim McBride and fellow incumbent Council members Larry Gann and Rob Herrell all defeated challengers in the December election to win four-year terms.
Camp Montvale To Be Protected
The Foothills Land Conservancy has announced that the property that once housed Camp Montvale will be preserved for future generations through a land conservation easement. That easement will prevent development of the 364 acre site. The popular camp closed in 2005 and Harmony Adoptions is trying to raise money to purchase the property and open the Harmony Family Center at Montvale.
Union Stop Leads To Multi-County ATV Theft Ring
A traffic stop in Union County Wednesday night (12/28) led authorities to an ATV and utility trailer theft ring and the recovery of at least $80,000 in stolen merchandise. 14 ATVs and 15 utility trailers had been recovered by the Union County Sheriff’s Department at last check, including some reported stolen in Anderson, Blount, Grainger and other counties including Union. Deputies were on the lookout for a pickup truck believed to have been involved in the theft of ATVs in Grainger County when they pulled it over in the Luttrell community at around 10:30 pm Wednesday. No arrests have been made at this time but as many as five people could face charges pending the outcome of the investigation, which is continuing.
THP: Man Killed In AC Logging Truck Wreck
A Wartburg man was killed Thursday morning (12/29) when the loaded logging truck he was driving crashed at a rural site in Anderson County. The Tennessee Highway Patrol reports that 70-year-old Bobby Hawn was killed in the accident that occurred shortly before 11:45 am Thursday on private property off of Highway 116. The truck that Hawn was driving left the roadway and crashed into an embankment, killing him even though he was wearing his seatbelt. No other vehicles were involved.
OR Sears Location Marked For Closure
The parent company of Sears and Kmart announced on Thursday (12/29) that the Oak Ridge location of Sears is among 79 stores that will be closed this year following poor holiday sales. Sears Holding Corp. issued a preliminary list of stores that will be closed across the country on Thursday just days after announcing that up to 120 stores will be closed and sold this year. Two other Sears’ stores in Tennessee—in Cleveland and Antioch—will also close and one Kmart in Tennessee—in Hendersonville—will be shuttered. The Oak Ridge Sears is located in the nearly-empty Oak Ridge Mall and while city officials say it is unfortunate that it will be closing, it could lead to renewed interest in marketing the mall to developers. Past efforts to revitalize the beleaguered mall have fizzled. No exact closing date for the Oak Ridge store has been announced but when it is, we will let you know about it.
Probationary Corrections Officer On Other Side Of Bars
A corrections officer still in her probationary period at the Anderson County Detention Facility was arrested Tuesday (12/27) after officials received information drugs were being brought into the Detention Facility. Kaitlin Paige Hardin, 21, of Lenoir City, was charged after an investigation was conducted. Investigator Danny Bowie with the Detention Facility received information Hardin was bringing narcotics to an inmate. Investigator Bowie and investigators with the Special Operations Unit conducted a “sting” operation offering her prescription narcotics which were to be brought to the inmate. Hardin was taken into custody and charged with the Manufacture/Delivery/Sale/Possession of a Controlled Substance and Introduction of Drugs into a Penal Institution. A subsequent investigation revealed Hardin also brought narcotics to an inmate in the Detention Facility on an earlier date. She was charged with these offenses as well, meaning she faces two counts of each charge. Hardin was a probationary corrections officer and had only been employed at the Jail since November. Needless to say, her employment was terminated upon her arrest and she is currently being held in jail without bond pending arraignment.
Knox Man Indicted On Sales Tax Evasion, Other Charges
According to a release from the Tennessee Department of Revenue, their Special Investigations Section conducted an investigation that led to the indictment and surrender of 64-year-old Jerry Lee Hatmaker of Knoxville on sales tax evasion and other charges. On December 14, Hatmaker surrendered to authorities at the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department. Two days prior, an Anderson County Grand Jury returned a 4-count indictment for Evasion of Sales Tax, a Class E felony. Hatmaker was also indicted on one count of Filing a False Report, one count of Perjury, and one count of Forgery. The indictment charges that Hatmaker obstructed the State in the collection of sales tax by falsifying records relating to his purchase of a boat, resulting in underreported sales tax totaling $2,050.50. Citizens who suspect violations of Tennessee’s revenue laws should call the toll-free tax fraud hot line at (800) FRAUDTX (372-8389).
Report: Veteran MHS Teacher Featured On Teach.com According to the Daily Times, a veteran Maryville High School English teacher has been chosen as just one of eight teachers across the country to be featured on Teach.com, a website that provides information for people interested in becoming not only a teacher, but a great teacher. Teach.com was created by the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education and Dr. Penny Ferguson, who teaches 11th grade English at Maryville, was chosen after what officials called an “exhaustive search.” Ferguson has won numerous awards in her 41-year academic career and is a member of the National Teachers Hall of Fame. To view her profile on the website, visit www.teach.com and click on the “Who teaches?” link. Blount Mobile Meals To Hold Fundraiser The Blount County Community Action Agency will be holding a fundraiser on February 1st to support the organization’s Mobile Meals program, which provides 212 meals per day to people who otherwise might not be able to get them. CAA officials say that the economic downturn and a cut in the funding they receive from the Blount County government are making it harder to fund the program, which is operating at about $20,000 over budget. It costs about $1,650 a year to provide five meals a week to an individual including the cost of food, preparation, packaging and delivery. The Mobile Meals program is recruiting local basketball coaches and players to play on a team they have dubbed the Mobile Meals Dribblers against the Harlem Ambassadors in a charity game February 1st at Maryville College to raise money, have a little fun and support the cause. The Harlem Ambassadors is a coed basketball team whose focus is making a positive difference as it visits communities across the nation. Tickets for the February 1st fundraising game are available by contacting the CAA at 865-983-8411 or visiting www.blountcaa.org. Corporate help is being sought for the fundraiser. Groups, companies or organizations can sponsor a quarter, a player or the event, depending on the level of contribution, and each includes a block of free tickets. Report: Child Molester Never To See Kids Again
A 40-year-old Anderson County man has pleaded guilty to molesting his three children—two boys and a girl—over a four-year period and has been ordered never to speak with them again and to avoid all contact with children. The man, whose name we will not release to protect the identities of the children, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of incest and attempted aggravated sexual battery. The abuse occurred between 2001 and 2004 when two of the children were seven years old and one was 10. The girl, 7 at the time, was apparently so traumatized by the abuse that she remains in a psychiatric facility to this day. The News-Sentinel reports that problems with the case resulted in the plea agreement that will send the man to jail for five years followed by 25 years of supervised probation and a lifetime of community supervision. He was also added to the state’s sex offender registry. His now 37-year-old wife is facing similar charges and will appear in court next month.
Chancellor Rules For County In Convenience Center Appeal
Wednesday (12/21), an Anderson County Chancellor issued a partial ruling in favor of the Anderson County government in its appeal of the Clinton Planning Commission's decision not to approve the county's plans for improving the Glen Alpine convenience center located on Seivers Boulevard inside the city limits. The judge ruled that the city did not have sufficient evidence to reject the county's plans to expand the center and gave attorneys on both sides 30 days to file any applicable legal briefs before he makes a final ruling. The site is located in the middle of a commercial district and while county officials would prefer to relocate the convenience center to the David Jones Industrial Park, County Mayor Myron Iwanski says that if the judge rules in the county’s favor next month, the county is prepared to move forward on expanding and improving the existing site if the city will not accept its proposed terms to turn the land back over to so that it can be developed. The Clinton City Council rejected an offer from the county to buy the land back from the county on Tuesday and voted instead to create a six-person ad hoc committee made up of three representatives each from the city and the county to continue negotiating terms of an agreement. Iwanski was lukewarm on that idea Wednesday evening, saying that if the County Commission approved, he would continue negotiating with whomever the city appoints. The county’s initial offer was to sell the city the parcel at a cost of $204,000 based on an independent appraisal or to allow the property to be put out for bid. The city countered with its own independent appraisal that showed the value of the land to be around $163,000. The city’s first offer included having the county repay the $106,000 in erroneously collected sales tax revenues with the city offering $150,000 for the property. Under that proposal, the county would deed the site to the city and expedite the relocation of the center to the industrial park and both parties would enter into what is described as a “quasi-master settlement” under which the city would pay the county 12.5 percent of it’s portion of the Local Option Sales Tax generated by development at the site for five years or until the $150,000 purchase price is paid off in full. The county countered by agreeing to average out the two appraisals to reach a Fair Market Value of $184,000 and applying the $106,000 owed in tax revenue to the purchase price, leaving the city owing the county $78,000 to be repaid over the next four years. The Clinton City Council will likely hold a special called meeting on January 9th to formally adopt the committee idea and possibly appoint members as the negotiating process moves forward. The county is not likely to make a final decision on how to proceed for several months but will begin the process on January 5th at 5 pm when the Solid Waste Advisory Board meets to begin looking at preliminary expansion plans. After that, the full County Commission is expected to take up the issue in January as well. We will continue to follow the story for you.
Follow-Up: ORUD Responds To Audit Findings
Following up on a story we brought you Wednesday (12/21), Oak Ridge Utility District officials say they were not surprised by the findings of a recently-completed audit of its operations by the State Comptroller’s Office. Officials also say that all of the money the state said needed to be reimbursed to the utility by officials has been paid and that several policy changes have been enacted to prevent any future incidents. The state released its audit findings on Wednesday and said that investigators had determined that general manager Ben Andrews had purchased a damaged skid steer from the utility and then used district mechanics, materials and facilities to have it repaired before taking it home for personal use. Andrews says that the district has since adopted a policy prohibiting employees from purchasing surplus equipment from the utility. Auditors also found that among the luxury amenities included in Andrews’ utility-owned $38,000 Chevy Tahoe was a $463 subscription to XM satellite radio. Andrews says that vehicle is now used by the utility’s operations manager and that he now uses his personal vehicle for utility business. The audit also discovered that the utility paid over $2900 for two employees and their spouses to travel to Rome for three days before a Mediterranean cruise set up by the East Tennessee Natural Gas Homebuilders program, a promotional effort aimed at encouraging homebuilders to include natural gas appliances in the homes they build. Andrews says that money has been paid back and that the utility has not participated in the controversial program for about three years now. Officials say that the state did not find any violations of statute in their probe and that the last incident mentioned in the audit happened over two year ago.
State: ORUD Manager ‘Used Position For Personal Benefit’
(State Comptroller’s Office) The Oak Ridge Utility District’s general manager used his position for personal benefit on more than one occasion, an investigation by the Comptroller’s Division of Municipal Audit has revealed. The report does not mention his name but the utility's general manager is Ben Andrews. Also, the district paid travel expenses for two employees and their spouses to go on a trip to Rome, although they performed no work-related duties during that trip. The audit states that the general manager bought a damaged skid steer, a machine which had been used by the district for loading and digging. After he bought parts to repair the skid steer, he then ordered the district’s mechanic to repair the machine at the district’s shop, using district tools and materials, before taking the equipment home for his personal use. The district also paid $463 to add a subscription to XM satellite radio in a Chevrolet Tahoe purchased for the general manager's use. The $38,820 vehicle’s amenities included an off-road package, heated leather seats and a premium sound system – all of which were required to meet the district’s minimum bid specifications for the vehicle. Investigators determined that two district employees and their spouses went on a three-day trip to Rome at the district’s expense. The trip was organized in conjunction with the East Tennessee Natural Gas Homebuilders program, a promotional effort intended to encourage homebuilders to provide natural gas hookups in the homes they build. Investigators could determine no business purpose for utility district employees to travel to Rome three days before a homebuilders’ trip was set to begin, much less accompany the homebuilders on a Mediterranean cruise. “It is important for utility district officials to remember that the money they receive from customers is still public money,” Comptroller Justin P. Wilson said. “Therefore, it should be treated as such. Using district funds for personal gain is certainly no way for district officials to endear themselves to their ratepayers.” To view the complete report, visit http://www.comptroller1.state.tn.us/Repository/MA/Investigative/oakridgeud.pdf
Clinton Council Takes Measures To Avoid IRS Penalties
The Clinton City Council also voted Tuesday (12/20) to approve a $50,000 budget amendment to try and fix a paperwork snafu involving the city’s voluntary ING 457(b) retirement program. Budget Director Gail Cook learned last week that since the program’s inception in January of 2008, the city had been incorrectly handling payroll deductions for the program. That error resulted in Social Security and Medicare taxes not being taken out of employee contributions, meaning that approximately $46,000 is owed for Social Security and Medicare taxes for the years 2008 to 2011. The budget amendment will cover the payment of those taxes to the federal government but city officials did warn Council members that even after the taxes are paid, the IRS will likely levy fines, penalties and interest that will require additional money from the city’s coffers to pay for. In addition, the error means that around 150 W2 forms and almost two dozen other forms will have to be filled out again by city employees to ensure that all information is entered correctly.
Man Arrested In Maryville Robbery
A Maryville man was arrested Tuesday (12/20) on charges connected to a home invasion robbery that occurred Monday morning. 22-year-old Edward Jackie Morgan was charged with especially aggravated burglary and is being held at the Blount County Jail. Maryville Police were called to a home on Middle Street at around 8 am Monday and told by the victim that he had been awoken by two masked men entering his home and coming in to his bedroom. He said that the two men assaulted and choked him with a bamboo pole before stealing his wallet and around $400 in cash. The incident sent the victim to the hospital for treatment of injuries to his upper body but he was later released. The victim was able to identify Morgan as one of the suspects but not the other man and Maryville Police arrested Morgan Tuesday. Police believe they have identified the second suspect and charges are pending against that individual as well.
Former PCUD President Charged
Former Powell-Clinch Utility District president Del Roberts turned himself into authorities at the Anderson County Jail on Monday (12/19) after being charged with one count of fraudulent use of a credit card and one count of theft over $60,000. Roberts was booked into the Jail and released a short time later after posting bond. A state audit released last year found that Roberts had charged over $95,000 on a utility credit card over a five-year period for things like vacations, college tuition and medical bills. He was fired in May of 2010. Officials with Powell-Clinch issued a statement on Monday that reads in part: “The District has fully recovered all funds allegedly misappropriated and its ratepayers have suffered no financial loss as a result of this unfortunate incident.” The statement also says that internal controls that were in place to prevent incidents like this were compromised as “individuals inside and outside the District…apparently were aware of the misappropriations and failed to report them to the board so that action could be taken sooner.” The utility and the state comptroller’s office have also implemented revised policies to prevent future incidents. Last week, Utility Vice President Richard McIntosh was booked into the Jail and released after he was indicted on a charge of felony theft connected to allegations that had used District crews and equipment to perform work at his house in August of 2010. Last week, the utility said it had investigated those claims last year and found no wrongdoing had been committed. We will continue to follow this story for you as it continues to develop.
State Rejects Blount Charter School
Monday (12/19), the Tennessee State Board of Education denied the appeal of a Blount County School Board decision to reject an application for a new charter school. Gary Nixon, the Executive Director of the State Board, wrote that out of 100 possible points, the amended application for the so-called HOPE Academy STEM charter school only received a 41 overall and “insufficient” in each of the four categories they are scored upon from the Blount County School Board’s Charter Review Committee. Those categories are mission, education plan, governance and business & operations. Nixon says that his own evaluation of the application resulted in a similar low score. Nixon wrote “I recommend that we affirm the decision of the Blount County Board of Education to deny the application of HOPE Academy.” The Board members then voted unanimously to accept that recommendation. Monday’s decision cannot be appealed and marks the end of an appeals process that began in August when the Blount County School Board first rejected the charter school’s application. At the time, school officials said that opening the academy would have a negative financial impact on the system but the state Treasurer rejected that argument in October. Last month, both sides had a chance to present their cases to representatives of the state Board. HOPE Academy supporters will likely submit another application to the Blount County School Board next year.
AC Commission Approves OR Project Financing
Monday night (12/19) the Anderson County Commission approved using Tax Increment Financing to pay for infrastructure improvements at the site of the Woodland Town Center project in Oak Ridge. Tax Increment Financing—or TIF—allows the city to use new property tax revenue to pay for those improvements. It is believed to be the first time that TIF has been used to pay for infrastructure improvements for a retail development in Oak Ridge. The Oak Ridge Industrial Board will review the plan, which was approved last week by the Oak Ridge City Council, a little closer in the coming weeks. Plans call for a new Aubrey’s restaurant and a relocated Panera Bread to be built at the site with the hope of more retail businesses down the line.
Man Charged In 2010 Assault On Greenback Mayor
A Maryville man has been indicted on charges related to a break-in and assault at the home of Greenback’s mayor last year. 21-year-old Micah Kimsey was indicted by a Loudon County grand jury on charges of felony especially aggravated burglary and served with the papers on Monday (12/19) in his cell at the Blount County Jail, where he is serving a sentence for auto theft and a probation violation. Kimsey is accused of breaking into a refrigerator outside the home of Greenback Mayor Tom Peeler in the early morning hours of August 5th, 2010 and trying to steal food items. Peeler was awakened by an alarm and confronted Kimsey and during the ensuing struggle, Peeler suffered a broken jaw that required surgery. The investigation caught a break in April when Kimsey allegedly began bragging about the crime.
CPD Officer Recognized
Clinton Police Officer Jason Lawson was recently honored with a special letter of commendation for his efforts in battling drug activity in our community. Chief Rick Scarbrough presented Lawson with the letter during a recent Clinton City Council meeting. Lawson's supervisor, Sgt Jason Stokes, recommended the commendation. Stokes said "Officer Lawson has declared war on the meth manufacturers in and around Clinton." Reports indicate that Lawson's recent investigations have resulted in the seizure of nearly two dozen vehicles and more than $1600 in cash. The investigations have, so far resulted in 13 drug-related charges filed and more charges pending. Lawson has been responsible for removing pseudoephedrine from the hands of meth manufacturers that would have become over 70 grams of meth on the streets.
Fire Destroys Clinton Business
A fire Saturday night (12/17) destroyed a Clinton real estate business. The fire was reported at around 6:30 pm Saturday at Southern Homes Realty at 500 Baxter Avenue and when firefighters arrived, they found the building engulfed in flames. Fire crews remained on the scene for several hours battling the main fire and putting out hot spots. No one was at the business when the fire broke out and there were no injuries reported. The cause of Saturday’s fire remains under investigation but officials say it appears to be accidental in nature.
Reminder: CodeRED Signups Underway
The City of Clinton has contracted with Emergency Communications Network to license its CodeRED high-speed notification solution. The CodeRED system provides officials the ability to quickly deliver messages to targeted areas or the entire city. Messages delivered via the CodeRED system will include major fires, chemical spills, evacuations, lock downs, natural disasters, abductions, major water system problems, bomb threats and other emergencies. Residents who live inside the city limits will also have the option to be notified when the National Weather Service issues tornado warnings and other severe weather information. All individuals and businesses are urged to log onto the city of Clinton website (www.clintontn.net) and follow the link to the CodeRED enrollment page. Those without Internet access may call the Clinton Police Dept dispatch center at 865-457-3112, Monday through Friday, (10am-5pm) and supply their information over the phone. Required information includes first and last name, street address (physical address, no P.O. boxes), city, state, zip code and primary phone number. Additional phone numbers can be entered as well. All businesses and individuals, who have unlisted phone numbers, who have changed their phone number or address within the past year and those who use a cellular phone or VoIP phone as their primary number should register.
Report: 2 Arrested For OR Home Invasion
Tuesday (12/13), Oak Ridge Police arrested two brothers in connection with a November home invasion in the Highland View neighborhood. 29-year-old Charles Lewis and 29-year-old James Lewis, believed to be twins, were charged with assault and aggravated burglary in connection to an incident that was reported on November 18th. In that incident, the men are accused of forcing their way into a home on Highland Avenue looking for someone and threatening and assaulting the two female residents. The Oak Ridger reports that the men were identified through a photo lineup and warrants were issued for their arrests, which were executed Tuesday. Both men remain in custody at the Anderson County Jail on bonds totaling $55,000.
Man Jailed Following Blount Lockdown
A Knoxville man is in custody following a lockdown at Carpenters Middle School Wednesday afternoon (12/14). Ernest Dean Vickers, 42, Chickamauga Avenue, Knoxville, is being held in the Blount County Jail on bonds totaling $2,000 on the charges of domestic violence with assault and simple assault pending a hearing in Blount County General Sessions Court at 9 a.m. December 29. At around 3 p.m., the Sheriff's Office responded to Carpenters Middle School after Vickers came on campus and tried to check out an undisclosed number of students but did not have permission to do so. He is then accused of making threats toward the children to his ex-girlfriend on the telephone in the school office. Earlier in the day, as well as over the past several weeks, the Sheriff’s Office reports that Vickers made threatening phone calls to another individual associated with his ex-girlfriend. School administrators overheard the conversation and notified the School resource Officer, who in turn notified the Sheriff’s Office. A decision was made to put the school on lockdown as a precautionary measure for the safety of the children and the staff. The lockdown was lifted shortly after 4 p.m. Knoxville Police Department took Vickers into custody at his Knoxville residence at around 4:45, and he was transported back to Blount County. At last check, he remained in custody.
Man Pleads Guilty In Honeymoon Death Of Bride
A Rockwood man pleaded guilty Tuesday (12/13) in Sevier County to second-degree murder in the February 2010 stabbing death of his newlywed bride while they were on their honeymoon. 36-year-old Brian Umphrey had originally been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 36-year-old Cassandra Petry but pleaded this week to the lesser charge and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Petry was found stabbed to death inside a room at the Days Inn in Pigeon Forge, where the couple was honeymooning after marrying for a second time. They had previously been married and divorced before reuniting.
PCUD VP Indicted
The vice president of the Powell-Clinch Utility District turned himself into Anderson County authorities Tuesday (12/13) after he was indicted last week on a charge of felony theft over $1000. Richard McIntosh was booked into the Anderson County Jail and released after posting a $25,000 bond. The indictment alleges that McIntosh “knowingly diverted services for his own benefit or the benefit of another” in August of 2010. McIntosh served as the utility’s interim president from May of 2010 to February of this year after former president Del Roberts was accused of spending almost $100,000 in utility funds on himself. Rob Neil was appointed the full-time president in February. A state audit released last year found that Roberts charged over $95,000 on utility credit cards over a five-year period on things like vacations, college tuition and medical bills. Roberts has been the target of a criminal investigation that has so far yielded no charges. Officials say that he has repaid the utility. Powell-Clinch officials issued a statement Tuesday that said they had already investigated allegations similar to those McIntosh was indicted for and found no improprieties saying that the services in that instance provided to McIntosh were the same as provided to other customers. The indictment does not specifically allege the services in question. The release states that he will stay on as Vice President of Operations unless new information is released that would cause them to reverse that decision. The utility has reopened its internal investigation into the matter. Powell-Clinch Utility District remains the focus of an ongoing investigation by the DA’s office into its operations and the three-member Board of Directors is the subject of an ouster petition filed by the state’s Utility Management Review Board alleging that they failed to monitor the utility’s operations and finances. The board is fighting the ouster effort.
BCSO Seizes Illegal ‘Potpourri’
(Submitted) The Blount County Sheriff’s Office says a search warrant executed at a local business by the Fifth Judicial Drug Task Force late Tuesday afternoon (12/13) turned up almost 150 packets of illegal "potpourri". In addition, one man was cited. Marcus Erving DeHart, 27, Madison Avenue, Maryville, was cited with possession of Salvia Divinorium A. DeHart is the owner of SmokeyZ Discount Tobacco on Alcoa Highway, the business where the search warrant was executed. Investigators with the Fifth Judicial Drug Task Force executed the search warrant at SmokeyZ Discount Tobacco following multiple undercover purchases of the "potpourri" over the past several weeks. Nearly 150 packets of the potpourri were seized. The packets were marketed under five different brand names. Prices of the potpourri ranged from $15 to $70. In addition to the potpourri, more than $1,000 was seized from the store. Illegal "potpourri", which contains substances that are illegal to sell, possess, or manufacture as part of the law, continues to be one of Tennessee's leading problems, causing health care concerns and increased visits to the emergency room because of its lethal side effects. It is referred to in some circles as “synthetic marijuana” and is said to give the user a high. However, the substances have been linked to several health problems among users. Young buyers are especially attracted to it because of its availability, even though Tennessee and many other states passed laws this year that ban the sale or possession of the substances. Many of the products do not contain labels with the ingredients, so businesses continue to sell the products even though possession is against the law. "We will keep working cases such as these because of the many problems associated with the use of these products," Sheriff James Berrong said. "Since the last search warrant we executed a few weeks ago at another local business, it was reported to us that a local person fell victim to its use, and ended up in the emergency room. We will continue with these search warrants until Blount County businesses stop selling these products." The State of Tennessee is holding a statewide "webinar" for law enforcement officers January 5, 2012, which will increase our efforts to enforce the new law.
THP Announces Checkpoints
The Tennessee Highway Patrol will be conducting sobriety roadside safety Checkpoints during the week of January 20,2012 on Park Lane @ Red Hill Road in Anderson County. Impaired driving is a serious crime that kills more than 16,000 people and injures 305,000 others every year in the United States. Troopers will evaluate drivers for signs of alcohol or drug impairment. Troopers will target those who operate a vehicle while impaired and take corrective actions for other violations observed while ensuring the protection of all motorists. The Tennessee Highway Patrol recognizes that sobriety checkpoints are highly visible and effective tools in the battle against impaired driving.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol will be conducting driver’s license roadside safety checkpoints on the following dates and locations:
Date (s): Location (s): 02-10-2012 State Route 170 @ Ozella Lane 02-24-2012 SR 330 @ Dutch Valley
ASAP Of Anderson Teaching Kids About Dangers Of Drinking
(Submitted) Mrs. Riddle’s fifth grade class at Grand Oak Elementary School recently participated in Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention—or ASAP of Anderson County’s—Reach Out Now with a special guest, County Commissioner Jerry White. Reach Out Now is an alcohol prevention education class for fifth and sixth grade students. During Reach Out Now students learn the dangers of underage drinking through a fun, hands- on learning experience. Commissioner White, also a County Beer Board member, shares ASAP’s commitment to reducing underage drinking in Anderson County. “I was very impressed with the presentation and the material ASAP covered was both fun and informative,” stated Commissioner White. “I was impressed with how engaged and responsive the students were to the material.” According to Michael Foster, ASAP Prevention Coordinator, alcohol is the leading drug problem among youth in the United States with approximately 10.7 million underage drinkers. “Reducing underage drinking in Anderson County is a high priority of ASAP,” said Foster. “Underage drinking is reduced through awareness initiatives and limiting the access of alcohol to minors.” For more information about Allies for Substance Prevention (ASAP) of Anderson County, to volunteer with its efforts, or to request a program for you classroom, contact Michael Foster at 457-3007 or ASAPofAnderson@gmail.com.
Roane State Expansion OKed
The State Building Commission has signed off on the design for a 48,000 square foot expansion of the Oak Ridge campus of Roane State Community College. Construction on the $11.5 million project is expected to begin in the spring and should be ready for students by the fall of 2013. College officials say that the expansion will allow the school to offer new programs to its students while increasing the available space for students in existing programs. The Oak Ridge campus was designed to accommodate 1800 students but enrollment is now around 2700. The college raised $2.5 million in local funds to secure the remaining $9 million from the state for the expansion.
Cross Mountain Anniversary Observed
Friday (12/9), approximately 200 people gathered in Briceville to observe the 100th anniversary of the Cross Mountain Mine disaster. On December 9th, 1911, a methane gas explosion killed 84 miners and trapped five others who were found and rescued 58 hours after the initial explosion. The rescue marked the first time in US history that the precursors to modern-day mine rescue techniques were used. The morning’s festivities began at the Briceville Community Church, which was built in 1888 by immigrant Welsh coal miners. Names of the dead and the rescued were read and music was played in tribute to their memories. Attendees then headed to the Circle Cemetery, where about one-third of those miners were laid to rest following the disaster, for a ceremony marking the cemetery’s addition to the National Register of Historic Places. The next stop was the old mine portal, now covered by a pond, where descendants of the Cross Mountain miners planted chestnut trees for the five miners who survived the ordeal and for past and present coal mine rescue teams. Descendants of miners came from as far away as Alabama, Ohio, North Carolina, Alabama and Indiana.
B&W Y-12, RSCC Announce Agreement
B&W Y-12 announced an agreement today (12/12) with Roane State Community College that gives employees who want to return to college more scheduling options for classes, and college credit for work and apprenticeship experience. B&W Y-12 President and General Manager Darrel Kohlhorst and Roane State President Dr. Gary Goff announced the new Memorandum of Understanding at today’s weekly meeting of the East Tennessee Economic Council. "As we prepare for the future of Y-12, it's critical that we equip our employees with the skills they need to meet our nation's future national security challenges," Kohlhorst said. "Roane State is working with us to do that by tailoring classes to meet our needs and our employees’ needs. It’s also of great benefit that our employees now can receive college credit for their hands-on work experiences.” “We look forward to providing outstanding classes that will fit Y-12 employees’ schedules and help them achieve their goals,” Goff said. “This arrangement is a great example of how Roane State and industries can work together to develop a highly trained workforce.” Roane State will offer additional classes on Fridays, Saturdays and evenings, when the majority of Y‑12ers who work four 10-hour days are off work. Roane State also will give some college credit for work experience that meets course requirements. About 170 workers participated in Y-12’s tuition reimbursement program during Fiscal Year 2011, and 13 of those attended Roane State. With the new agreement in place, Y-12 expects Roane State’s numbers to climb. Many employees enroll in classes to boost their work skills. Others return to school to pursue a degree. Most Y-12 students enrolled in the Roane State program are pursuing an Associate of Applied Science Degree in General Technology or are completing their general education requirements for transfer to a four-year institution where they can pursue a bachelor’s degree.
AC BOE Extends Foster Contract…Again
Thursday (12/8), the Anderson County Board of Education voted for the second time in as many months to extend the contract of Director Schools Larry Foster through the end of June 2015. The Board had voted to extend the contract last month but held this week’s second vote to ensure that all state laws dealing with public notifications of meetings were followed.
Blount Partnership Offering Prescription Program Residents of Blount County and the surrounding areas now have access to free discount prescription drug cards compliments the Blount Partnership. The Blount Partnership Rx Card is a free prescription assistance program that was recently launched to help uninsured and underinsured residents afford their prescription medications. The program, which is free to everyone, provides savings of up to 75% on prescription medications. Residents interested in obtaining a free card can stop by the Blount Partnership office at 201 South Washington Street in Maryville or visit www.blountchamber.com to download a free card. The Blount Partnership Discount Rx Card has no restrictions to membership, no income or age limitations, and residents are not required to fill out an application. Friends and family not residing in the county can also use the program from anywhere in the country. The card is accepted at over 56,000 national and regional pharmacies around the country. The Blount Partnership Discount Rx Card was launched to help uninsured and underinsured residents afford their prescription medications. However, the program can also be used by people who have health insurance coverage with no prescription benefits, which is common in many health savings accounts (HSA) and high deductible health plans. Additionally, people who have prescription coverage can use this program for non-covered drugs. You can download a free card, lookup participating pharmacies and search medication pricing by visiting www.blountchamber.com/tndrugcard. OR Company Aids Food Program In Schools
Officials from the Anderson County school system, Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee and DOE cleanup contractor UCOR gathered in Oak Ridge this morning (12/8) to celebrate a $7000 donation from UCOR to support the Food4Kids backpack food program in four Anderson County middle schools. That program is for students at risk of going hungry over the weekend and involves giving those children backpacks on Friday afternoons to ensure that they will have enough to eat while school is out of session. Food for the program is paid for using grant money and donations and this $7000 donation will go a long way toward helping more county students. Director of Schools Larry Foster says that there are students in the middle schools who need the support this program provides, but who don’t have elementary-school-age siblings who are involved in the program. This donation will allow those older students to receive help as well. Scientific evidence suggests that hungry children are less likely to become productive adults and experts say that nationally one in six children lives in a household with so-called “food insecurity” which means they don’t always know where their next meal is coming from. Each week, students at the county’s alternative school, the Learn Center, assemble bags of food to be distributed to participating students and earn community service credits at the same time.
Incumbents Rule Clinton Election
It was a night for the incumbents Tuesday (12/6) in the Clinton municipal election as all three incumbent City Council members were re-elected to four-year terms. In Ward 1, incumbent Rob Herrell won his first election, defeating Ron Meredith with 651 votes to 469--or 58% to 42%. It was his first election as Herrell was appointed to his seat following Mayor Scott Burton's election in 2009. In Ward 2, incumbent Larry Gann defeated Randall Page with 625 votes to 405--or 61% to 39%. In Ward 3, incumbent Vice Mayor Jim McBride was re-elected, defeating Richard Dawson 696-390--or 64% to 36%. Three incumbent School Board members were unopposed and Ward 3's Merle Pryse took home the most votes out of that trio with 876. Ward 1's Brian Jenkins (691 votes) and Betty Sellers (676) were also re-elected to four-year terms. Only 1136 of Clinton's 6229 registered voters—or 18%--took part in the election.
Iwanski Decides Not To Run For Mayor
Tuesday (12/6), interim Anderson County Mayor Myron Iwanski announced that he will not in the 2012 mayoral election. In a statement released on Tuesday, Iwanski sates “I appreciate the positive feedback and comments encouraging me to run, however, I will stand by my commitment not to run in 2012.” Iwanski was appointed to serve as county mayor through the August 2012 election earlier this year by the County Commission following former Mayor Rex Lynch’s indictment on state sales tax fraud charges. He said at the time that he would not run for the final two years of Lynch’s unexpired term but in recent months, said that he was keeping his options open after being approached by several people who encouraged him to run. Iwanski says in his statement that not running will allow him to focus the remaining nine months of his term on building on the progress that has been made since his appointment. Some of that progress, according to Iwanski, includes addressing long-standing capital project needs at the jail and in the school system as well as reducing spending and using grants to improve infrastructure in rural areas of the county. The deadline to qualify as a candidate in the March 6th primaries is noon on Thursday and as of right now, two candidates have qualified in each party to seek the nomination to run for the office in August. On the Republican side, Clinton resident and Oak Ridge business owner Terry Frank will square off with Lake City business owner and County Commissioner Tim Isbell. On the Democratic side, Oak Ridge attorney Warren Gooch is set to take on former State Representative Jim Hackworth of Clinton.
Online Extra...Mayor Iwanski's Statement On His Political Future: "Mayor Myron Iwanski has decided not to run in next year’s election for County Mayor. “I appreciate the positive feedback and comments encouraging me to run. However, I will stand by my commitment not to run in 2012. I have enjoyed my time over the last 10 months as mayor. With the cooperation of many folks, we have made significant progress in solving some of the problems facing Anderson County. We have addressed some long standing major capital project needs at the jail and our schools and some serious building maintenance needs. We have built the foundation to expand our industrial and retail tax base in a way that can help us avoid the need for additional tax increases. We have reduced spending across the board on operations while maintaining services and increasing our fund balances. We are now working closely with our cities and are using grants to improve infrastructure in our rural areas. Not running will allow me to focus the remaining nine months of my term on building on the progress we have made on these and other issues. I am hopeful that the mayor we elect will be someone who can help bring folks together in a cooperative way. I am pleased that Warren Gooch and Tim Isbel recently decided to run. Each has the experience to provide the leadership we need.”
Former Alcoa Teacher, Coach Arrested On Sex Charges
A former history teacher and softball coach at Alcoa High School who resigned suddenly in October was arrested Monday (12/5) after a Blount County grand jury indicted him on nine sex-related charges involving two softball players. 40-year-old Robert Paul Talley turned himself into Alcoa Police Monday after the grand jury indicted him on five counts of statutory rape by an authority figure and two counts each of sexual battery by an authority figure and solicitation of a minor for sexual battery by an authority figure. The charges against Talley stem from a report on October 26th by Director of Schools Brian Bell, who contacted authorities regarding allegations of Talley’s inappropriate conduct with students. That report to Alcoa Police was made after the school system conducted its own investigation. According to the Alcoa PD, the investigation determined that Talley had engaged in sexual conduct and inappropriate physical contact with a juvenile female student and that he had engaged in efforts to solicit inappropriate sexual contact with another female student. Police say that information from both victims indicates his alleged activity spanned more than one school year. Talley resigned his position on October 27th. He taught 11th grade history and government and had been with the Alcoa school system since 1994. The investigation is ongoing and Alcoa Police ask that if you have any additional information to contact Detective Kris Saunders at 865-380-4964. You can also leave anonymous tips by calling the Alcoa PD’s Crime Hotline at 865-380-4715.
ACSD Cites 4 In Beer Sting
According to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, their deputies, the Lake City Police Department, and the Oliver Springs Police Department conducted compliance checks of local businesses who sell beer. This operation was a follow-up to the compliance checks in September. On Thursday, December 1, investigators with the Sheriff’s Special Operations Unit and officers with the Lake City and Oliver Springs Police Departments visited eighteen businesses to attempt to purchase beer. Four sold beer to the underage person. The following businesses checked for identification but sold the beer anyway: Marathon on Oak Ridge Hwy. in Clinton; Marathon on N. Main St. in Lake City; Pilot on N. Main St. in Lake City; Shell on N. Main St. in Lake City. Those clerks who sold beer to the underage purchasers have been cited to court and the beer permit holders will be brought before the respective beer boards for Anderson County or Lake City. Businesses who checked for identification and did not sell beer are to be commended and recognized for their efforts. All of the following businesses checked for identification and did not sell beer to the underage purchaser: Dollar General Store on West Tri-County Blvd. in Oliver Springs; Exxon on N. Main St. in Lake City; Fast Lap Market on Lake City Hwy. in Lake City; Food City on E. Tri-County Blvd. in Oliver Springs; Kwik Shop on E. Tri-County Blvd. in Oliver Springs; La Fiesta Restaurant on N. Main St. in Lake City; Marathon on E. Tri-County Blvd. in Oliver Springs; Marathon on Lake City Hwy. in Lake City; Marathon on Main St. in Oliver Springs; Picante Restaurant on Winter Gap Rd. in Oliver Springs; Pizza Hut on E. Tri-County Blvd. in Oliver Springs; Raceway on E. Tri-County Blvd. in Oliver Springs; Rite-Aid Pharmacy on E. Tri-County Blvd. in Oliver Springs; and the Shell on E. Tri-County Blvd. in Oliver Springs.
ORHS Duo Reigns Supreme At Siemens Competition
Oak Ridge High School seniors Cassee Cain and Ziyuan Liu won the $100,000 grand prize Monday (12/5) at the 13th annual Siemens Competition for Math, Science and Technology, the nation’s premier science research competition for high school students. The duo won the award in the team category of the prestigious competition held over the weekend in Washington, DC. They used gaming technology—specifically the Xbox Kinect—to analyze human walking patterns and their project is said to provide an accurate understanding of how a person moves and could have uses in the future in the medical field, specifically in prescribing treatment for people whose movement is limited due to injury or ailment, including the design of prostheses.
Campbell Woman Indicted In Son’s Death
Friday (12/2), the Campbell County grand jury indicted 39-year-old Wanda Cieslak on charges of felony murder and aggravated child abuse in connection to the death of her newborn son in October. Cieslak allegedly got high on prescription medication on October 13th and broke into a house on South Indiana Avenue in Lafollette where she had lived until two days earlier when it was quarantined as a meth house. At the house, she allegedly gave birth, killed the full-term baby—whom medical examiners say was born alive, put his body in a garbage bag and left it on the front porch of a home on Hatmaker Drive, where it was discovered on October 21st. Cieslak remains in custody at the Campbell County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
ORFD Promotes Waldo
(Submitted) Fire Chief Darryl Kerley has announced the selection of Joshua L. Waldo to fill the position of Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention and Training division for the City of Oak Ridge Fire Department. Waldo is being promoted from his present position of Firefighter Engineer and brings 15 years of experience in fire, rescue and emergency medical services to the position, serving in municipal, private, volunteer and Department of Energy fire and emergency response organizations. He also serves as an Academy Credentialed Instructor (ACI) for the Tennessee Fire Service and Code Enforcement Academy and as Fire Chief for the Marlow Volunteer Fire Department in Anderson County. Chief Waldo is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) and will complete his Master’s degree at EKU in May 2012 in Fire and Emergency Management. Josh has also been selected to begin the four-year Executive Fire Officer program at the National Fire Academy beginning in February 2012. Chief Waldo will oversee building inspections, the public fire education program and fire department training operations. His appointment was effective Monday, November 28, 2011 at a salary of $60,299.20. He will be officially sworn in at the December 12th City Council meeting by City Manager Mark Watson. Chief Waldo and his wife Cindy have one son, Wyatt, and reside in Clinton.
Suspected Dealer Leads 3 Agencies On Pursuit A suspected drug dealer led police, deputies and state troopers on a high-speed pursuit Tuesday afternoon (11/29). The chase began as the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department’s special operations unit was assisting the Clinton Police Department in an undercover buy/bust operation. The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Derrick Cook of Jacksboro, fled the scene. The pursuit left the city and went into the county with Cook driving at a high rate of speed, often in the wrong lane and once through an active school zone. Cook also allegedly tried to hit at least one deputy’s cruiser head-on with his SUV. The chase ended on Nature Lane when Cook encountered a dead end street and turned around. Deputy Charles Faircloth stated in his report that allowing Cook to “continue his flight back up the curvy, one-lane Nature Lane could only have ended with a head-on collision with other officers” so he radioed dispatch for permission to terminate the pursuit, which he did by ramming Cook’s SUV with his cruiser. Faircloth was treated for minor injuries at Methodist Medical center and later released. While deputies were taking Derrick Cook into custody, his wife Kasha Cook told officers that she had tried to make him stop and that she had feared for her safety during the chase. Derrick Cook was charged with kidnapping, reckless endangerment, evading arrest, reckless driving and a host of moving violations by the Sheriff’s Department. Derrick Cook was charged with DUI by drugs by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, which investigated the crash that ended the chase and both Derrick and Kasha Cook were charged with meth-related offenses by the Clinton Police Department. As of this morning, both remained in custody at the Anderson County Jail. 250 Accept Voluntary ORNL Separation Offers
Oak Ridge National Laboratory officials said Wednesday (11/30) that approximately 250 employees have applied for the Voluntary Separation Program and that, if approved as expected, those employees will be off the lab’s payroll by the end of this month. The Voluntary Separation Program was part of Lab Director Thom Mason’s announcement earlier this year that lab contractor UT-Battelle was taking steps to eliminate as many as 350 jobs and that they had also taken other measures to cut costs in preparation for tighter budgets in the future. It is not clear at this time if UT-Battelle will be issuing involuntary layoff notices but officials say that decision won’t be made until next year’s budget picture is clearer. Earlier this month, the lab announced that it was cutting some benefits, including the match on 401(k) contributions as part of their cost-cutting moves. About 4600 people are currently employed at ORNL.
ACSO Receives GHSO Grant For Third Year
Sheriff Paul White announced today that the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department has been awarded a traffic safety grant for the third year. The grant award of $40,000.27 from the Governor’s Highway Safety Office will support our traffic safety program for DUI enforcement. The primary goals of this program are to save lives and reduce injuries from motor vehicle crashes by active enforcement of drunk and impaired drivers. Sheriff Paul White sought assistance from the Governor’s Highway Safety Office for this program again this year to promote traffic safety in Anderson County. Sheriff White received notification of the grant award in the amount of $40,000.27 from the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Governor’s Highway Safety Office. This grant funding will provide equipment and overtime for DUI and impaired driving enforcement. “This grant will help the Sheriff’s Department continue to make our roadways a safer place by funding equipment and overtime for DUI enforcement”, said Sheriff Paul White. “We are proud to join with the Governor’s Highway Safety Office and all of our state and local law enforcement agencies in this effort”, continued Sheriff White. “Our thanks to the Governor’s Highway Safety Office and the Tennessee Department of Transportation for their assistance in continuing this grant for the third year.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides the funding for GHSO grants. For more information on the Governor’s Highway Safety Office, please visit: http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/ghso/.
2 Cited In Blount “Potpourri” Bust
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office said today two
Blount County
residents were cited during a search warrant served at a tobacco store in
Maryville
Monday night (11/21). Yvonne Diane Newberry, 49, of Rockford, was cited for
simple possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance (marijuana), and
Gene Marlene Owenby, 45, of
Maryville,
was cited for simple possession of a Schedule
III
controlled substance (Hydrochodone). Monday night, investigators with the
Fifth Judicial Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at the Smoker's
Discount on East Broadway Avenue in Maryville. The search of the business
was the result of repeated citizen complaints and undercover controlled buys
of "potpourri" from the business. So-called “potpourri” drugs purportedly
give the user a “high” when ingested but have also been shown to cause
adverse, sometimes severe medical reactions. A new state law restricts
their sale and possession. During the raid, numerous packages of
"potpourri" were recovered, along with several thousand dollars in currency
from sales. The store employees, Newberry and Owenby, were in possession of
the marijuana and Hydrochodone. Charges are pending against the owners of
the establishment, as well as any managers, as the investigation unfolds.
The specific names of the potpourri drug were not disclosed because “we do
not want other retail stores to think we are only concerned with specific
name brands,” according to Sheriff James Berrong. The new law restricting
the sale, possession, and distribution of these substances went into effect
July 1, 2011. Since then, there has been more than one incident where people
in our community have had medical reactions while consuming these
substances, not knowing the real dangers. OR IDB OKs Switch Funds For Insurance Company
Last week the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board voted to pay for new electrical switches to keep the lights on at the national headquarters of Appalachian Underwriters in Jackson Plaza. The company requested the switches after several recent power outages at their building, which brought their operations across the country to a halt each time. The IDB okayed $68,600 for the switches as part of an agreement under which Appalachian Underwriters pledged to add 125 more jobs at their headquarters over the next three years at an average salary of $45,000 a year with at least 10% of those new workers Oak Ridge residents. The total cost of installing the switches will be $78,330 including labor and materials and testing.
Norris Gets Sewer System Grant
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty recently approved a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant to assist in infrastructure improvements in Norris. “As we work to make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs, the proper infrastructure must support existing and future businesses,” Haslam said. “I am pleased the state of Tennessee is able to partner with our local communities to make these projects a reality.” The funds will be used for sewer system improvements. Funding for the $344,828 project will include $44,828 in local funds. The grant dollars were provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and were allocated under a procedure authorized by the Tennessee General Assembly. “Community development is essential in growing the economy and creating a business friendly environment,” Hagerty said. “CDBG grants allow communities to take the steps needed that will ultimately encourage existing businesses to expand and future companies to relocate and invest in Tennessee.” The grant was approved following an application by Norris and has the support of Mayor Chris Mitchell, Sen. Randy McNally and Rep. John Ragan. U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, U.S. Sen. Bob Corker and Congressman Chuck Fleischmann aided in securing the funds. Allocation of CDBG funds is based on priorities set at local levels where community needs are best known. The CDBG program is administered in Tennessee by the Department of Economic and Community Development.
Clinton Woman Killed In Wreck
A 45-year-old Clinton woman was killed in a single-vehicle accident Monday afternoon (11/21). The Tennessee Highway Patrol says that Candese Walker had been headed south on Carroll Hollow Road near Shelton Lane at around 3:15 pm Monday when she lost control of her Chevy Cobalt while negotiating a curve. The car left the road and traveled down an embankment before colliding with a tree stump. Troopers reported that there were no indications at the scene of alcohol or drug use and that Walker had been wearing her seatbelt. The report does indicate that wet roads may have played a role in the accident.
Alleged Pawn Shop Shooter To Undergo Mental Evaluation
The man accused of shooting and killing a pawn ship employee in Clinton earlier this month has been ordered to undergo a mental evaluation. 64-year-old James Allen Green remains in custody at the Anderson County Jail on a $4 million bond on charges of felony murder, first-degree murder, aggravated assault and felony theft. He is accused of walking into South Clinton Pawn on Clinch Avenue on November 7th and asking clerk Larry Snellings to see a shotgun. Green is then accused of loading the gun with shells he brought from home and shooting Snellings during a struggle over the weapon. Green was shot twice by store owner Ron Webber II as he fled the scene and arrested a short time later after his wife called 911 upon seeing him return home covered in blood, leading her to believe that he had tried to kill himself. Green was originally appointed an attorney from the Public Defender’s Office but has since removed itself from the case citing a possible conflict of interest as the defender’s office is representing someone who may have witnessed the shooting inside the store. Clinton attorney Mart Cizek was appointed to represent Green on Monday.
Follow-Up: Court Date, Bond Set For Pawn Shop Suspect
64-year-old James Allen Green was arraigned Tuesday in connection to last week’s deadly shooting inside South Clinton Pawn. Green was taken into custody upon his release from UT Medical Center on Monday (11/14) and charged by Clinton Police with felony murder, first-degree murder, felony theft and aggravated assault. His bond was set at $4 million during a video arraignment hearing Tuesday morning (11/15) and his next court date will be November 30th. He was also appointed a public defender. Green is accused of walking into the store on Clinch Avenue on Monday November 7th at around 2 pm and asking store employee Larry Snellings to see a shotgun. He is then accused of loading the gun with shells he apparently brought from home and shooting Snellings during a struggle over the weapon. Green was shot by store owner Ron Webber II, who hit the fleeing suspect twice with a .40-caliber pistol. Green was arrested after he returned to his home shortly after the pawn shop shooting and his wife called 911 after seeing him covered with blood. Authorities have not yet revealed what they believe the motive in last week’s shooting to be, but have said that the suspect and victim did not know one another.
OR Man, Mom Nabbed For Crack Charges
An Oak Ridge man and his mother were arrested Saturday morning (11/12) on several drug related charges. An Oak Ridge police officer spotted a Dodge Durango speeding on North Illinois Avenue at around 3:30 am Saturday and reported that the driver had sped off when he tried to pull him over. The officer located the driver, identified as 23-year-old Undra Lamont Davis outside his home on South Seneca Road and ordered him to stop but Davis allegedly fled inside the house before being brought down by the officer with a Taser. About a gram of crack was found on Davis when he was arrested and a bag containing almost 19 grams of crack was found on the floor next to him. Davis was charged with felony evasion, speeding and possession of crack for resale while his mother, 45-year-old Rhonda Renee Scott, was charged with possession of crack for resale and simple possession of schedule II & IV narcotics. Officers seized drugs, cash and weapons from inside the home. Davis remains in custody on a bond totaling $300,000 while Scott was released Monday after posting a $100,000 bond.
Green Formally Charged In Pawn Shop Shooting
Investigators from the Clinton Police Department have formally charged 64-year-old James Allen Green in connection to last week’s deadly shooting inside South Clinton Pawn. Green was taken into custody upon his release from UT Medical Center on Monday (11/14) and charged with felony murder, first-degree murder, felony theft and aggravated assault. His bond was set at $4 million during a video arraignment hearing this morning (11/15) and his next court date will be November 30th. Green is accused of walking into the store on Clinch Avenue on Monday November 7th at around 2 pm and asking store employee Larry Snellings to see a shotgun. He is then accused of loading the gun with shells he apparently brought from home and shooting Snellings during a struggle over the weapon. Green was shot by store owner Ron Webber II, who hit the fleeing suspect twice with a .40-caliber pistol. Green was arrested after he returned to his home shortly after the pawn shop shooting and his wife called 911 after seeing him covered with blood. Clinton Police Chief Rick Scarbrough commented that “this investigation was complex, in the fact that we had not access to our suspect due to his initial medical condition. However, our investigators did a tremendous job on this case.” Authorities have not yet revealed what they believe the motive in last week’s shooting to be, saying only that the suspect and victim did not know one another.
AC Election Precincts Redrawn
The Anderson County Election Commission recently approved a new map for voting precincts as they continue readjusting the county’s political boundaries in light of last year’s US Census data. The new plan creates a new voting precinct in Claxton that will be called “Bull Run” and closes the old “Blockhouse Valley” precinct. Some of the redrawn boundaries contain city and county voters, including Oak Ridge precincts Emory Valley, Highland View and Pine Valley, all of which will now also include voters from outside the city limits. Lake Hills residents, who have been voting for several years at the Clinton High precinct, will now vote at the Emory Valley precinct in Oak Ridge. For more information on where you will be voting in the next Anderson County election, contact the Election Commission at 865-457-6238 or visit them online at www.acelect.com.
Report: Judge Denies Motion To Dismiss Ouster Suit
According to the News-Sentinel, an administrative law judge has rejected a motion to dismiss an ouster suit against the three members of the Powell-Clinch Utility District’s board of commissioners. The judge’s decision will be appealed to Davidson County Chancery Court. The state’s Utility Management Review Board is trying to oust Charles Oldham of Lake City, Jerry Shattuck of Clinton and Charles Taylor of Lafollette. The ouster effort began after a state investigative audit of the utility determined that former General Manager Del Roberts allegedly used almost $100,000 in utility funds to pay for a Disney vacation, a cruise and dental work. He was forced to resign in May of 2010 and since then he and the board members have been the subject of a criminal investigation that has so far not resulted in any charges. The audit blasted commissioners as well for things like excessive travel expenses by Oldham and Taylor, allowing costly out-of-country trips for utility employees and paying for expensive holiday parties. The ouster petition also claims that the commissioners failed to read the district’s annual financial report for several years, allowing the utility to remain open to fraud, waste and abuse. The commissioners appealed the ouster suit on the grounds that they claim the Utility Management Review Board lacked jurisdiction; that it was unconstitutional to apply a new ouster procedure to events that occurred before it was adopted; that the ouster procedures are “unconstitutionally vague” and that two members of the state board that voted for the ouster had conflicts of interest. The administrative law judge ruled against the appeal and the case will be headed to Chancery Court because there are questions about constitutionality that cannot be addressed by an administrative law judge.
Charges In Murder-For-Hire In AC Sent To Grand Jury
Charges against a Lake City woman accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her ex-boyfriend over a child custody dispute have been bound over to the grand jury. 42-year-old Teresa Dawn Wright remains in custody on a charge of solicitation to commit first-degree murder, which she was charged with shortly after giving the keys to her 2001 Chevy Cavalier to an undercover TBI agent as the down payment on a hit against ex-boyfriend 24-year-old Christopher Braden. The transaction took place in the parking lot of the Arby’s on North Seivers Boulevard in Clinton on the evening of October 19th and was recorded on video and audio tape. The tapes also reveal that Wright offered to make payments on the $2500 hit, including monthly installments from her paycheck and paying off the balance with her income tax refund check in January. Testimony on Wednesday (11/9) revealed that Wright’s ex-husband Scott Henderson notified authorities of his ex-wife’s intentions after a meeting that same day between them in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The meeting with the undercover TBI agent was arranged the same day Henderson made his report. Wright and Braden had been involved in a custody dispute surrounding their four-month-old son and Wright allegedly wanted the hit to take place before a late-October court hearing in that case.
Follow-Up On Clinton Shooting Following up on Monday’s (11/7) fatal shooting at South Clinton Pawn, suspected shooter 64-year-old James Alan Green remains in stable condition at last report at UT Medical Center as he recovers from wounds sustained in an exchange of gunfire with the co-worker of slain store employee Larry Snellings Sr. Green is accused of walking into the store at around 2:15 pm Monday, asking to look at a shotgun, then loading it with ammunition he brought from home. Snellings was shot at close range during a struggle over the gun and Snellings’ co-worker Roy Webber Jr. told police that he had seen Snellings push the gun barrel away before Green stepped back and shot him. Webber returned fire with a .40-caliber pistol after Green allegedly made a move toward him. Webber shot at Green as he fled and bullet holes were visible in the front windows of the business and one of those shots is believed to have struck a headlight on a car that had been passing by the scene on Clinch Avenue at the time of the shooting. The driver of that car was not injured. Police have still not released any information on a possible motive but have said that is does not appear that Green and Snellings knew one another. Some of Green’s family members say that he was being treated for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and had experienced some health problems recently. No charges have been filed at this time as the investigation continues. TBI Arrests Ex-CPD Officer On Drug Charges
The TBI announced Tuesday (11/8) that its agents had arrested former Clinton Police Officer Randall Chisum of Maynardville on drug charges. Chisum was indicted last week by an Anderson County grand jury on charges of possession of Schedule II & IV narcotics. Chsium was indicted earlier this year on a charge of aggravated statutory rape following a TBI investigation that determined he had inappropriate contact with a 17-year-old girl. Chisum was a member of the CPD when he is accused of having sex with a 17-year-old girl on May 8th. He resigned the following day after he was confronted by superior officers with the allegations. The TBI joined the investigation, which resulted in a grand jury indictment in June. Chisum has pleaded not guilty to the charge and that case is pending before the court. During the statutory rape investigation, TBI agents discovered that Chisum was illegally possessing pills, according to a release. He was booked at the Anderson County Jail Tuesday afternoon and released a short time later after posting a $2500 bond.
Gun Locks Available
Project ChiildSafe is an organization that aims to keep children safe in the home and anywhere else where guns might be present and they provide local police departments and Sheriff’s offices with safety kits to distribute to the public free of charge. The kits include a safety brochure that covers several options for storing firearms as well as a cable-style gun lock. Locally, the Alcoa, Lake City and Maryville Police Departments as well as the Blount and Anderson County Sheriff’s Offices have them. For more information, visit www.projectchildsafe.org .
Update: Pawn Shop Shooting Victim Dies, Suspect Recovering
An employee was killed in a shooting at the South Clinton Pawn Shop on Clinch Avenue Monday afternoon (11/7) and the suspect was wounded by a second store employee. The shooting was reported to the Clinton PD at around 2:15 pm and when officers responded they found 59-year-old Larry Snellings suffering from a shotgun wound to his neck. He was taken to Methodist Medical Center by ambulance, where he later died from his injuries. The suspect was identified as 64-year-old James Alan Green of Clinton and police say that he was shot and wounded by store employee Ron Webber Jr. after Snellings was shot at close range. Police cordoned off the area and searched for the suspect until a 911 call came in at 2:25 pm from Green’s wife, who believed that he had shot himself. When police officers, deputies and EMTs arrived at the Green residence on Highland Avenue just outside the city limits, they found a wounded Greene and the shotgun from the pawn shop. Green was taken to UT Medical Center by Lifestar, where he underwent surgery Monday evening. As of this morning he was listed in stable condition. Green is said to have walked into the store and asked to see a shotgun. While the gun was unloaded when given to him, it appears that he loaded it with shells he had brought from home. A struggle ensued between Green and Snellings, during which the gun was fired and Webber returned fire with a .40-caliber handgun as Green fled in to the parking lot. Bullet holes were evident in the front windows of the store and Webber—whose father founded the business—told police that he thought he had hit the gunman several times. Investigators have not determined the motive for Monday’s shooting, which was Clinton’s first homicide in six years. Green seems to have a clean criminal record as the AC Jail website lists no local arrests in the past 13 years. Scarbrough thanked the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance with crowd control and other aspects of the response and commended the officers in his own department for handling Monday’s situation in the manner in which they did. The investigation is continuing and charges are pending. When more information becomes available we will pass it along to you.
State Commends Cole For Photo ID Assistance
Secretary of State Tre Hargett commended Anderson County Clerk Jeff Cole for providing free photo identification for Tennesseans to help them meet the requirements of a new voting law. Under the new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, voters will be required to show state- or federally-issued photo IDs to cast ballots in Tennessee elections. Anderson County is one of 30 counties across the state re-issuing driver licenses with photos at no cost to registered voters who currently have licenses without photos. "I am glad that we can offer this service free of charge to our citizens and help get their needs met before next year’s elections,” Clerk Cole said. The free photo IDs are only available for people who do not have other forms of acceptable ID but wish to vote. In addition to driver licenses with photos, other acceptable forms of ID, even if expired, include: U.S. passports, military ID cards, gun permits with photos, Department of safety and Homeland Security photo IDs and federal or state-issued photo IDs except for college student IDs. “I am grateful that Jeff Cole and 29 other county clerks have joined the Department of Safety and Homeland Security in making free photo IDs readily available for Tennesseans who need them,” Secretary Hargett said. “This new law is important because it is a tool that can help reduce the potential for voter fraud. It is equally important that eligible voters have proper identification when they visit the polls. Thanks to the efforts of Jeff Cole and his staff, it will be more convenient than ever to get that type of identification.” County clerks have agreed to provide this service through March 12, 2012.
Clinton Wreck Kills One
A 33-year-old Clinton man was killed early Saturday morning (11/5) in a one-car crash on Charles Seivers Boulevard at the intersection with East Broad Street. Police responded to the crash scene at around 5:45 am. Clinton Police say that the Lincoln Continental left the roadway and struck a utility pole holding up traffic lights head-on. They reported no signs of braking or evasive action at the site of the crash, which killed Weston Tyler Mitchell. Mitchell was not wearing his seatbelt according to the Clinton PD report, which also notes that alcohol and drugs are not believed to have played roles in the crash. No one else was in the vehicle with Mitchell, whose body was taken to UT Medical Center for an autopsy.
Blount Law Enforcement Provides Drug Drop-Off Point
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s municipal police departments have joined forces with Blount Memorial Hospital to provide a drop-off point for unwanted, unused or expired prescription and non-prescription medications. Similar to a drop-off that was recently installed in the public lobby of the Clinton Police Department, a drug drop-off box has been set up in the 24-hour lobby of the Blount County Justice Center at 904 East Lamar Alexander Parkway in Maryville. Residents can drop off narcotics, prescription and over-the-counter medications at any time with no questions asked as long as they are not illegal drugs, a biohazard or a compressed liquid like an asthma inhaler. It is part of a larger effort to remove unnecessary drugs from the nation’s medicine cabinets to help fight prescription drug abuse.
Ground Broken On AC Learning Academy
Ground was broken this morning (11/4) on Anderson County’s new Learning Academy. The low bid came in at $6,084,000, slightly under the budgeted $6.1 million for the new facility that will replace the current Learn Center, the county school system’s alternative school for students with behavioral and other problems that prevent them from attending a more traditional school. Director of Schools Larry Foster had this to say about the students who will benefit from the new facility: “One of the things that people often criticize us for is that this is a facility for ‘thugs’ and that’s not the intent of this building. We have students who often act out their behaviors because they can’t fit into a traditional classroom…and function with 30 other students but this is true alternative learning and we all learn differently. We’re learning more about the brain research that says that students don’t always learn the same. It’s not a cookie-cutter approach.” Rouse Construction out of Knoxville submitted the low bid and site preparation is underway on the campus of Anderson County High School next to the Career and Technical Center. Director of Special Education Sue Voskamp talked about the approach to teaching at the new school: “It’ll be a lot of one-on-one, a lot of small group. It’ll be hands-on learning. They’ll have access to the career component of it and the technology component of it so it’s going to be kind of active learning, engaged and relevant to their lives.” School officials have said for years that the current Learn Center located in the old National Guard Armory in Clinton is inadequate for its needs. Here, Voskamp spoke about those inadequacies: “At the Armory, it’s not a school so we don’t have classrooms so we have makeshift classrooms. Those are just totally inadequate. The space is [also] just totally inadequate. This new facility will be a school. We’ll have classrooms, we’ll have the equipment and technology that all classrooms require so it will be that classroom that they’re very familiar with. Earlier this year, funding for the new Learning Academy was included in a total of almost $25 million in bond issues passed by the Anderson County Commission to address needs across the county including an expansion of the jail and other capital improvements at county schools. Foster talked about the response from the community to the project: “In my discussions with the community, they were always supportive of public education and were willing to actually have a tax increase. There were probably some that said ‘no taxes at all.’ Could we fund this any other way? The answer was ‘no,’ we didn’t have any additional revenue coming in. I began to see as we explained the process of what the alternative programs really do, people came up to me and said ‘this is really good for our children.’ The contract calls for the school to be ready for students in time for the beginning of classes in August.
Windham Professionals Announces Blount Branch
(Blount Partnership) The Blount Partnership announced this morning (11/2) on its website that Windham Professionals, a full-service national collection agency, is adding to its operations by establishing a workforce in the Tyson Centre Building (110 McGhee Tyson Blvd.) located in Alcoa, Tenn., next to McGhee-Tyson Airport. Windham, which provides specialized collection services in the educational, commercial, government and healthcare industries, plans to initially hire 125 employees in the fields of accounting, administrative, human resources and training professionals beginning approximately Feb. 1, 2012. "We are excited about Windham Professionals new location to Blount County," said Bryan Daniels, President/CEO Blount Partnership. "This is another solid addition to the community made possible by the city of Alcoa and Blount County, along with Governor Bill Haslam who is to be commended for his continued support of the ongoing business developments in Alcoa." Chuck Harper, Executive Vice President of Operations for Windham Professionals, said "Windham Professionals wishes to thank the Blount Partnership along with the City of Alcoa for their support in making this move happen.” The professionalism exhibited, along with the Tyson Centre, made this an easy decision. We are eager to get started in our new location and continue with our expanded operation." With nearly 30 years in operation, Windham has experience working with numerous educational loan programs while being an International Association of Commercial Collectors, Inc. (IACC) Certified Collection Agency as well as a certified member of the Commercial Collection Agency Association (CCAA) and the Commercial Law League of America (CLLA). It is also a HIPAA ready collection agency and a Government Services Administration (GSA) Schedule 520-4 contractor. "Windham's expansion is another boost to the region's economy and a positive sign about the strength of the Alcoa area," said Don Mull, City of Alcoa Mayor. "These professional jobs show the depth of our diverse economic development." This expansion continues a trend over the past 12 months in Blount County's economic development programs with more than 1000 announced jobs. For more information on the company, visit www.windhampros.com .
Three Charged After Dealer Reports Crime
Three people were arrested Friday in connection to a drug deal gone bad that was reported by the self-confessed drug dealer. Friday night (10/28), 34-year-old Anthony Slay of Oak Ridge went to the Oliver Springs Police Department to report that he had been robbed at a home on Mahoney Road, but later admitted to investigators that he had gone to the home to sell six Roxycodone pills to 39-year-old Wanda Gail Strickland for a total of $138. He says that she shortchanged him by $40, which she accused him of stealing from her on a previous occasion. Slay said when he tried to take the pills back from Strickland, he was attacked from behind by 31-year-old Brent Carroll of Harriman, causing him to drop his pink cell phone and his cash. He fled the scene and headed to the police station after Carroll allegedly threatened him. Slay gave a written statement of the incident to investigators from the Oliver Springs PD and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department before being taken back to the scene, where he identified Carroll and Strickland. Inside the home, officers found Slay’s cell phone in a back bedroom. Strickland later admitted to dividing the pills up with Carroll after Slay left the house and taking some of his cash. Carroll was charged with robbery and conspiracy while Strickland was arrested on a conspiracy charge and Slay was charged with selling drugs. Slay and Carroll each remained in custody at the Anderson County Jail at last check while Strickland was released on bond Monday night.
CUB’s Fay Named ETEDA Board Chair
Clinton Utilities Board general manager Greg Fay has been chosen as the 2011-2012 chair of the East Tennessee Economic Development Agency—or ETEDA—board of directors. The Agency made the announcement on Monday (10/31), also announcing that Dale Keasling, the president of Home Federal Bank, will serve as chair-elect. The ETEDA works with business leaders, local utilities, economic developers, local government officials and others to improve the business landscape of the region in a way Fay calls “unparalleled.” Fay also says that the appointment means that CUB “is well positioned to impact regional economic development.” In his time at CUB, the utility has kept its power rates low while developing the most sophisticated industrial power grid in TVA’s 7-state service area. The ETEDA markets the business location advantages of the 15-county Knoxville-Oak Ridge region to not only businesses but also those who specialize in site location from across the country. That 15-county area represented by the Agency include Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane and Union counties in our listening area. The 2011-2012 ETEDA Board also includes officials from Lafollette Utilities, Rockwood Electric Utility, the Fort Loudon Electric Cooperative, TVA, Bechtel Jacobs, Y-12 federal Credit Union, Oak Ridge Electric, Maryville Electric, Alcoa Electric and the Harriman Utility Board, among others.
AC DA Announces DUI Grant
As we reported last week, the Anderson County District Attorney’s Office has received a renewal of a special grant from the Governor’s Highway Safety Office of more than $150,000 to fund efforts focusing on DUI enforcement efforts. The grant funds a special DUI prosecutor, a DUI coordinator and specialized training for area law enforcement officers. DA Dave Clark says that as a result of this grant in the past, those officers are better trained to detect impaired drivers and investigate DUI cases. Clark, in a release, stated “We are happy to have grant assistance to continue our crackdown on drunk driving. The bottom line is that this grant is helping us make Anderson County a better and safer place to live,” adding, “Anderson County is not a good place to drive impaired.” Related story below.
State Transportation Safety Grants Announced
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Commissioner John Schroer today (10/20) announced more than $16.2 million to support highway safety in Tennessee. The funds support the mission of the Governor's Highway Safety Office (GHSO) to save lives and reduce injuries on Tennessee roadways through leadership, innovation, coordination and program support in partnership with numerous public and private organizations. "We continue to work with local and state agencies to make our roadways safer," Haslam said. "These grants will support the efforts of highway safety agencies and advocates to reduce the number of people killed and injured in traffic crashes in Tennessee each year." There are multiple elements that contribute to a sound and safe roadway system. Some of those aspects are an accurate traffic safety data collection and analysis system; well-trained and well-equipped law enforcement personnel; and effective emergency medical and trauma systems. A major part of roadway safety is educating motorists about laws and good driving behaviors. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides the funding for GHSO grants. The grants are awarded to agencies that successfully applied for funding based on a defined problem and statistical need. Each year, the GHSO accepts applications from agencies across the state for available highway safety funds. Applications are reviewed and scored by the GHSO and external highway safety advocates. The agencies that meet the criteria for funding received awards. Locally, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department received a $40,000 grant for Alcohol and DUI detection through checkpoint and saturation patrols and a $5000 grant for Drug Recognition Expert Instructor funding. The Lake City and Norris Police Departments received $5000 each for high visibility enforcement campaigns and the Oak Ridge Police Department received just under $25,000 for Multiple Violations Police Traffic Services. In addition the Anderson County DA’s office received $156,375 for a DUI Abatement/Prosecution Enhancement grant. In Blount County, the Alcoa Police Department received $25,000 to fund saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints. The Maryville Police Department $34,467 for saturation patrols and the Townsend PD received $5000 for high visibility law enforcement campaigns. The Blount County DA’s office also received $137,000 for a DUI Abatement/Prosecution Enhancement grant. The Blount County Sheriff’s Office received three grants: one in the amount of $49,381 for saturation patrols and high visibility efforts; one for $74,987 for enforcement on the Tail of the Dragon and another in the amount of $14,999 for a Network Coordinator. For a complete list and description of each grant, visit http://www.tn.gov/tdot/news/2011/GHSO2011-2012AwardedGrants.pdf.
Son Of Fire Victim Sues Alleged Arsonist, BC Emergency Agencies
The son of the Louisville woman who died last year in a house fire has sued the man accused of setting the fatal fire and several Blount County emergency agencies for not responding in time to save her. Cheryl Quinn died several days after a fire in October of 2010 from smoke inhalation and her ex-boyfriend Thomas Henderson was charged with criminal homicide and aggravated arson after being arrested by US Marshals in Colorado. William Paul Quinn, Cheryl Quinn’s son, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Henderson last week that also names the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, the Blount County 911 center and the Blount County Fire Protection District as defendants. The suit alleges that emergency officials did not respond with enough urgency after Ms. Quinn called 911 to report that Henderson had set her garage on fire and that she was afraid to leave her burning house because he was still on the property. When an employee of the Fire Protection District arrived on the scene 18 minutes after the 911 call, they did not immediately get out of their vehicle because Henderson was still in the driveway. Once the first fire engine and deputy showed up, first responders entered the burning home and found Quinn lying on her bathroom floor. She died a few days later. The suit alleges that the response time of the first responders was “deficient and untimely. As a result, the responders were negligent in their duty to timely respond to the scene, secure the scene and rescue the victim.” The 911 center is named as a defendant for classifying the initial 911 call as “medium” rather than “high” priority. The suit is asking for $10 million and the defendants will have 30 days to respond.
Teach Kids About Stranger Danger
We would like to remind all of our listeners who are parents to speak with their children about the dangers of strangers. Make sure that your kids know that if they get separated from you while shopping, not to look for you. Instead, tell them to go to the nearest checkout counter and ask if the clerk works there and then ask for help. They should never go to the parking lot by themselves. Tell your kids that if anyone ever makes them feel uncomfortable, they should trust their instincts and get away from that person and find you or another trusted adult and share their concerns. Have your kids walk to school or play in a group of kids as children are most likely to be the targets of abduction while they are alone. Remind them that adults will usually not ask kids for directions and if a car stops and an adult does ask for directions, they should never approach the vehicle under any circumstances and should run away, especially if a stranger offers them a ride. They should never go near a parked car with someone in it and they should never get into a car without your permission. They should be told whose car they can ride in and warn your children that if someone tries to lure them into a car by telling them that you sent them to pick them up, they should never obey those instructions. Set up a code word for situations in which you do need to send someone to pick up your child that only you, your child and that person will know. If they believe they are being followed by someone on foot, they should go to a place where other people are gathered, a neighbor’s house or a store and ask for help. If they believe they are being followed by someone in a car, they should reverse direction or take a path where a car would not go. They should not try to hide behind bushes or in the woods. They should also be taught that if someone does try to grab them, they should not just scream but they should yell the word “help” as loud as they can. For more tips on how to teach your kids how to be safe around strangers, you can visit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s website at www.missingkids.com or call 1-800-843-5768.
ACS National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists
As we reported last month, Clinton High School senior Ethan Roeder and Anderson County High School senior Emmalee Mariner have been named as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists. Ethan hopes to attend Belmont, Columbia, Emory, Harvard or New York universities and study musical theatre and communications and journalism with a minor in language or sociolinguistics which is the study of the relationship between language and culture. Emmalee hopes to attend the University of Chicago, where she is considering studying history as well as Russian and Arabic. The National Merit Scholarships will be awarded in the spring. There are approximately 16,000 semifinalists nationwide and only 286 in Tennessee, and around 15,000 of them will be named as finalists early next year.
ORHS National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists
Four Oak Ridge High School seniors have been named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists. They are Jerry Feng, who hopes to study engineering at MIT; Jordan Christopher Hellman, who hopes to attend the University of Chicago to study chemistry, computer science, foreign languages and linguistics or philosophy; James Senter, who hopes to attend either Cornell or Carnegie Mellon to study computer science; and Ben Foust, who wants to study physics in college but has not decided where he will attend.
Maryville High School National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists
Maryville City Schools is pleased to announce the names of four high school seniors named as 2012 National Merit Semifinalists. Approximately 16,000 students were named last week as Semifinalists - continuing in the competition for some 8,300 scholarships worth more than $34 million that will be offered next spring. Gabriel Sneed is undecided about a major or a college at this early date, but academic interests that might influence her decision include: mathematics, physics, English literature, and languages. Chase Evan Condrone will explore studies in biochemistry, physics or English literature before deciding on a major in college next fall. Bradley Vorjohan hopes to continue his education at Massachusetts Institute for Technology where he plans to study Mechanical Engineering. The final Maryville High School semifinalist is Jenny Wu. While Jenny is still considering where to attend college next fall, her plan at this time is to study English Literature and minor in Creative Writing.
ORNL, RSCC Partner On Carbon Fiber Project
ORNL and Roane State Community College have partnered on a pilot plant that will demonstrate cutting-edge technology to produce carbon fiber more cheaply and create new jobs. The $35 million Carbon Fiber Technology Facility is being built in Oak Ridge’s Horizon Center Business Park and is being funded with federal stimulus money. Carbon fiber is strong enough that it could ultimately replace steel in cars as well as a host of other uses in a wide variety of industries including energy efficiency and others. Currently, though, it is so expensive to make that its use is limited. The technology created at ORNL could slash the price of producing 100 pounds of the material from $100 to $10. Carbon fiber is currently made using petroleum based products but ORNL has developed far cheaper alternatives that can be used to produce it. Roane State has received a pair of grants to train future workers in what officials believe is a major growth industry. One grant worth $1.64 million will be used to develop an associate’s degree program at the school to train students to work in the composites industry while $1.2 million of another grant will be used to establish one-year training programs for students. The carbon fiber pilot plant in Oak Ridge should be operational by January 2013 and is expected to produce as much as 25 tons of the material each year. 20 people will work at the facility with researchers at ORNL further refining the production process. The lab, the school and area economic development groups will also work with local companies to try and expand carbon fiber’s use in existing products.
Burn Permits Now Required
The state of Tennessee Division of Forestry now requires outdoor burning permits if citizens have brush or other debris they want to dispose of with fire. October and November are typically the driest months of the year in our state and now through May 15th, burn permits are required for any outdoor burning. The permits are free and easy to get and you can find the number for applying in your county by visiting www.burnsafetn.org. This year, a new online option is available for the burning of individual piles of leaves and brush only. The website also contains information on how to safely burn debris as well as information about how to protect your home and property from wildfires and the daily wildfire report. Officials say that about 40% of wildfires each year are caused by debris burns that get out of control and point out that while having a burn permit is required, it does not absolve property owners of responsibility if their fire gets out of control and spreads. Never leave a debris burn unattended and if you are conducting one, take precautions to make sure they don’t spread like having a hose or other source of water nearby. Having a permit also saves fire departments time as they can check their local permit log to see if a permit has been issued in a given location before responding to a report of smoke. Burning without a permit is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and fines up to $50. Wildfires caused by arson are Class C felonies punishable by three to 15 years behind bars and fines up to $10,000.
Report: CUB Accepts In-House Investigation’s Findings
Thursday (10/13), the CUB Board of Directors voted 4-1 to accept the findings of an in-house investigation into a former employee’s allegations of safety violations, intimidation and hazing at the utility. The News-Sentinel reports that the investigation did not find evidence of some of the more general accusations of former employee Brandon Madison but did confirm many of his specific charges. Madison resigned rather than being fired in January and earlier this year he and his father took their concerns over the utility’s operations public. The investigation, which was conducted by CUB Assistant Manager Ernie Bowles, concluded that there was no evidence of ongoing safety violations or evidence that workers were intimidated into remaining quiet about safety issues on the job nor was evidence of hazing uncovered. Bowles interviewed almost three dozen CUB employees during the investigation, which began in August. Madison said that he had been injured while being “rolled,” which he described as a physical attack by another employee. According to the News-Sentinel, the report describes rolling as “playful” and said that it had been going on for decades. Employees interviewed said they did not view it as offensive and high-level management was apparently unaware of the practice. Bowles wrote in the report that it will no longer be tolerated in the future. Madison also said that CUB employees were made to work extremely long hours without sleep following this spring’s storms that caused widespread power outages. The report confirmed that employees worked through two nights and stated that “going forward, under no circumstances would we require our work force to remain on the job through two consecutive nights without sleep.” Bowles reported that employees believe that CUB is a safe work environment. The report did confirm an incident in which a piece of equipment was dropped on Madison from an overhead bucket truck and that a foreman had ordered workers to install five scrap power poles and dig four more holes for a bridge that a property owner wanted to build on his land in exchange for allowing CUB crews on his property. The report concluded that the foreman had overstepped his authority in that instance. The dissenting vote in accepting the |
