During the last half of this year, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee unveiled the state’s new standard license plate, a press release said. The design of the new license plate was chosen by Tennesseans through a statewide vote. Anderson County Clerk Jeff Cole is pictured above with the new plate. (Submitted photo)
During the last half of this year, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee unveiled the state’s new standard license plate, a press release said. The design of the new license plate was chosen by Tennesseans through a statewide vote.
“In our 225th year of statehood, we invited Tennesseans to cast their vote and help select the state’s next license plate,†Lee said. “I’m proud to announce the winning design that will represent our unique grand divisions and take its place in Tennessee history.â€
More than 300,000 Tennessee residents cast a vote, with 42% voting for the winning design, the press release said.
Per the Tennessee statute, the license plate is redesigned every eight years if funds are approved in the General Assembly’s annual budget. This statute requires that either “Tennessee,†“Volunteer State,†and “TNvacation.com†be displayed on the plate, along with the county name and the expiration decals. This statute also allows Tennesseans to choose “In God We Trust†as a plate option.
The Joel W. Solomon Federal Building United States Courthouse is pictured above on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
 A jury found she had been sexually harassed while working for Anderson County, but the county was not liable. Then, since she did not prevail in the civil trial, she was ordered to pay about $1,800 in costs to Anderson County. Now that’s on hold. The former employee, Gail Harness, has appealed her $7.5 million sexual harassment lawsuit against Anderson County to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The rest of this story, which you will read only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:Basic
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to: Oak Ridge TodayP.O. Box 6064Oak Ridge, TN 37831 We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here. We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!
The Joel W. Solomon Federal Building United States Courthouse is pictured above on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
A jury found she had been sexually harassed while working for Anderson County, but the county was not liable.
Then, since she did not prevail in the civil trial, she was ordered to pay about $1,800 in costs to Anderson County.
The Joel W. Solomon Federal Building United States Courthouse is pictured above on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
 A jury found she had been sexually harassed while working for Anderson County, but the county was not liable. Then, since she did not prevail in the civil trial, she was ordered to pay about $1,800 in costs to Anderson County. Now that’s on hold. The former employee, Gail Harness, has appealed her $7.5 million sexual harassment lawsuit against Anderson County to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The rest of this story, which you will read only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:Basic
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to: Oak Ridge TodayP.O. Box 6064Oak Ridge, TN 37831 We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here. We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!
The Anderson County Democratic Party will hold a Biennial Reorganization Convention to elect new leaders on Saturday, August 21.
The meeting will take place at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge, a press release said. Doors open for registration at 1 p.m. The convention will start promptly at 2 p.m.
Local Democrats will elect a chair, vice chairs, secretary, treasurer, and executive committee members from all areas of the county for a two-year term, the press release said.
“All Democrats who are residents of and who are registered voters of Anderson County are urged to attend to discuss the party’s agenda and events for 2021-2022,” the press release said. [Read more…]
Planning the picnic at the Pavilion are, from left, Ann Miller, Paula Daniel, Abbie Moore, Liz Ibbotson, Ann Mostoller, and Laura Carrington. (Submitted photo)
Anderson County Democrats will host a picnic from 6-8 p.m. Saturday, July 17, at the Pavilion at the Oak Ridge Marina on Melton Lake Drive.
Hot dogs, toppings, side dishes, and cold drinks will be provided at the picnic, sponsored by the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club and the Anderson County Democratic Party, a press release said. They request that those attending don’t bring food to share, although they may bring food for themselves. [Read more…]
Lewis Ridenour, an Oak Ridge police officer, is running for Anderson County Circuit Court clerk.
Ridenour is a former chief deputy of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department. He is an Anderson County native who lives in Andersonville with his wife of 25 years, Pam, a press release said.
In the press release, Ridenour said he pledged to bring integrity, public service experience, sound judgement, and knowledge to the office.
Ridenour has served with the Oak Ridge Police Department since 2008, the press release said. His current assignment for the past seven years has been as liaison to the U.S. Department of Energy.
The Joel W. Solomon Federal Building United States Courthouse is pictured above on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
CHATTANOOGA—Four women who testified during a civil sexual harassment trial in federal court last week said their former boss, a former Anderson County elected official, caressed them around the waist, rubbed them, sent graphic messages about oral sex, and asked them to have sex with him and his wife, among other allegations of inappropriate behavior. The experiences have left them traumatized, the women said, unable to eat or sleep, suffering from anxiety and panic attacks, and in one case, diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.Â
Two of the women have filed lawsuits in federal court over the alleged harassment by former Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk William Jones, who served one term from 2014 to 2018. A trial was held for one of the lawsuits in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga last week. That lawsuit was filed in March 2018 by former employee Gail Harness, who started working for Jones as a college intern in 2016. The lawsuit had alleged that Harness had endured a hostile work environment in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Tennessee Human Rights Act.Â
On Thursday, a seven-person federal jury found that Harness had been sexually harassed while working for Jones, but the jury found that the county was not liable. No damages were awarded.
Jones was originally a defendant in the lawsuit, but he was dismissed in June 2019, leaving Anderson County as the sole defendant. Jones was not the employer, so Harness could not sue him, Senior U.S. District Judge Curtis Collier said in court Wednesday.Â
Jones had denied the allegations of sexual harassment, and he filed counterclaims in response to both lawsuits, the one filed by Harness and a second filed by Amy Ogle. In response to the Harness lawsuit, Jones had alleged that he had been defamed and his privacy invaded. But that was before before a jury found that Harness had been sexually harassed. Responding to the Ogle lawsuit, Jones has asked for at least $15,000 for legal services and fees.
The trial of the Harness lawsuit left unanswered, at least for now, a question about what can be done when an elected official violates constitutional rights. The county’s human resources director said a change in law might be required.Â
The four-day trial included disagreements between the testimony of former Anderson County Human Resources Director Russell Bearden and Mayor Terry Frank. The two disagreed about when the mayor knew about allegations of sexual harassment by Jones. They disagreed about whether the mayor retaliated and whether she protected Jones over the women he allegedly harassed. And they disagreed about whether she told the former human resources director to not take a complaint to the county law director because that would “cause a political storm.”Â
The trial, which was Monday to Thursday, had nine witnesses. They included Harness, the former employee who filed the $7.5 million lawsuit against Anderson County in 2018; her psychologist, who testified that Harness had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder; three other alleged victims of Jones; the current human resources director, Kimberly Jeffers-Whitaker; a deposition of the county law director, Jay Yeager; Frank; and Bearden.Â
Attorneys for Harness said the litigation will continue, and they said during the trial that it could be appealed to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Harness’ attorneys disagreed with the jury instructions. Among the questions raised by the judge during the trial was whether Jones made policy for Anderson County and whether he is a county official or state official. The defense, Anderson County, argued that the office of circuit court clerk is created by the state constitution, while Harness’ attorneys said the county had delegated authority to Jones and he supervised county employees.
The allegations against Jones became public in February 2018. The Anderson County Commission censured Jones that same month. Jones ran for re-election despite the allegations, although he lost the May 2018 Republican Party primary to the current clerk, Rex Lynch. However, Jones remains involved in local politics; he is currently vice treasurer of the Anderson County Republican Party. Jones declined to comment about the lawsuit or trial on Thursday.Â
The presentation of the evidence during the civil trial last week lasted three days, Monday to Wednesday. The jury deliberated Thursday. Here we have included a chronological summary of the evidence presented to the jury. It includes information about the allegations of sexual harassment, the county’s response, and Jones’ response. We have also summarized discussions between the attorneys and Collier, the judge, and included more information about the jury verdict.
The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:
Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831
We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.
We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.
Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!
The Joel W. Solomon Federal Building United States Courthouse is pictured above on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
CHATTANOOGA—Four women who testified during a civil sexual harassment trial in federal court last week said their former boss, a former Anderson County elected official, caressed them around the waist, rubbed them, sent graphic messages about oral sex, and asked them to have sex with him and his wife, among other allegations of inappropriate behavior. The experiences have left them traumatized, the women said, unable to eat or sleep, suffering from anxiety and panic attacks, and in one case, diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Two of the women have filed lawsuits in federal court over the alleged harassment by former Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk William Jones, who served one term from 2014 to 2018. A trial was held for one of the lawsuits in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga last week. That lawsuit was filed in March 2018 by former employee Gail Harness, who started working for Jones as a college intern in 2016. The lawsuit alleged that Harness had endured a hostile work environment in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Tennessee Human Rights Act.
The Joel W. Solomon Federal Building United States Courthouse is pictured above on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
CHATTANOOGA—Four women who testified during a civil sexual harassment trial in federal court last week said their former boss, a former Anderson County elected official, caressed them around the waist, rubbed them, sent graphic messages about oral sex, and asked them to have sex with him and his wife, among other allegations of inappropriate behavior. The experiences have left them traumatized, the women said, unable to eat or sleep, suffering from anxiety and panic attacks, and in one case, diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.Â
Two of the women have filed lawsuits in federal court over the alleged harassment by former Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk William Jones, who served one term from 2014 to 2018. A trial was held for one of the lawsuits in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga last week. That lawsuit was filed in March 2018 by former employee Gail Harness, who started working for Jones as a college intern in 2016. The lawsuit had alleged that Harness had endured a hostile work environment in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Tennessee Human Rights Act.Â
On Thursday, a seven-person federal jury found that Harness had been sexually harassed while working for Jones, but the jury found that the county was not liable. No damages were awarded.
Jones was originally a defendant in the lawsuit, but he was dismissed in June 2019, leaving Anderson County as the sole defendant. Jones was not the employer, so Harness could not sue him, Senior U.S. District Judge Curtis Collier said in court Wednesday.Â
Jones had denied the allegations of sexual harassment, and he filed counterclaims in response to both lawsuits, the one filed by Harness and a second filed by Amy Ogle. In response to the Harness lawsuit, Jones had alleged that he had been defamed and his privacy invaded. But that was before before a jury found that Harness had been sexually harassed. Responding to the Ogle lawsuit, Jones has asked for at least $15,000 for legal services and fees.
The trial of the Harness lawsuit left unanswered, at least for now, a question about what can be done when an elected official violates constitutional rights. The county’s human resources director said a change in law might be required.Â
The four-day trial included disagreements between the testimony of former Anderson County Human Resources Director Russell Bearden and Mayor Terry Frank. The two disagreed about when the mayor knew about allegations of sexual harassment by Jones. They disagreed about whether the mayor retaliated and whether she protected Jones over the women he allegedly harassed. And they disagreed about whether she told the former human resources director to not take a complaint to the county law director because that would “cause a political storm.”Â
The trial, which was Monday to Thursday, had nine witnesses. They included Harness, the former employee who filed the $7.5 million lawsuit against Anderson County in 2018; her psychologist, who testified that Harness had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder; three other alleged victims of Jones; the current human resources director, Kimberly Jeffers-Whitaker; a deposition of the county law director, Jay Yeager; Frank; and Bearden.Â
Attorneys for Harness said the litigation will continue, and they said during the trial that it could be appealed to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Harness’ attorneys disagreed with the jury instructions. Among the questions raised by the judge during the trial was whether Jones made policy for Anderson County and whether he is a county official or state official. The defense, Anderson County, argued that the office of circuit court clerk is created by the state constitution, while Harness’ attorneys said the county had delegated authority to Jones and he supervised county employees.
The allegations against Jones became public in February 2018. The Anderson County Commission censured Jones that same month. Jones ran for re-election despite the allegations, although he lost the May 2018 Republican Party primary to the current clerk, Rex Lynch. However, Jones remains involved in local politics; he is currently vice treasurer of the Anderson County Republican Party. Jones declined to comment about the lawsuit or trial on Thursday.Â
The presentation of the evidence during the civil trial last week lasted three days, Monday to Wednesday. The jury deliberated Thursday. Here we have included a chronological summary of the evidence presented to the jury. It includes information about the allegations of sexual harassment, the county’s response, and Jones’ response. We have also summarized discussions between the attorneys and Collier, the judge, and included more information about the jury verdict.
The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
The Joel W. Solomon Federal Building United States Courthouse is pictured above on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 10:30 p.m.
CHATTANOOGA—A seven-person federal jury on Thursday found that a former Anderson County employee had been sexually harassed by former Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk William Jones, but the county was not liable. The former employee, Gail Harness, had filed a lawsuit in federal court because of the sexual harassment, and she had sought $7.5 million in damages.
The lawsuit was tried in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga from Monday to Thursday.
Attorneys for Harness had alleged that Anderson County had inadequate training or supervision and had tolerated violations of federal law. Harness had endured a hostile work environment caused by the pervasive, unwelcome sexual advances from Jones, and her rights had been violated under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the attorneys said. Harness had sought damages for pain and suffering, embarrassment and humiliation, permanent injury, and loss of enjoyment of life and reputation.
But attorneys for the defendant, Anderson County, said the county had no control over Jones, an elected official, and the county had investigated after Harness filed her complaint in 2017.
Four women testified in federal court in Chattanooga this week. They said Jones had caressed them around the waist, rubbed them, whispered inappropriate things about how other employees looked, sent graphic sexual messages about oral sex, asked them for “alone time” and to accompany him on a trip, and responded to a question about a job with a message that included a suggestion to send a picture of breasts, among other allegations. Jones referred to himself as “Daddy,â€Â the women said, and he asked Harness to have sex with him and his wife, according to her testimony. Jones boasted about being unaccountable to anyone except the voters of Anderson County, according to the witnesses. Employees said they worried about being moved to the Oak Ridge court—the “clerk’s graveyard”—or fired if they didn’t please Jones or comply.
“He is an elected official, and he told us all the time, no one can touch me,†said employee Tracy Spitzer, a witness for Harness.
“They were all scared to do anything about it,” said Richard Collins, one of three attorneys for Harness.
Jones said he could do whatever he wanted, including masturbate in his office, according to the testimony.
Jeff Cole is seeking re-election as Anderson County clerk in the 2022 election.
Cole has worked in the Anderson County Clerk’s office since 1989, and he has served as Anderson County clerk since 2002, a press release said.
Cole is a certified public administrator from the University of Tennessee, and he is a graduate of the University of Tennessee Local Government Leadership Program. Cole was president of the County Clerks Association for the State of Tennessee, and he was chosen as County Clerk of the Year by all county clerks in the state of Tennessee in 2015, the press release said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the office has had a continued interest in protecting Anderson County families and businesses that use the clerk’s office, the press release said. Recently, the office installed new counters that have enhanced safety features and allow for better service, the release said.
The County Clerk’s office is responsible for waiting on more than 120,000 customers a year, according to the press release. The office has more than $8 million in receipts per year and offers more than 15 different services to the citizens of Anderson County.
Anderson County Register of Deeds Tim Shelton will seek re-election to a four-year term in the county elections next year.
Shelton has served as register of deeds since September 2002, and he has received statewide recognition for his work. Shelton was recognized as Tennessee’s register of the year in 2004 and 2009, and he was elected as president of the Tennessee Register of Deeds Association in 2005, a press release said.
He was elected as president of the County Officials Association of Tennessee in 2013.
“In 2017, Shelton received the ultimate award for a county elected official by being selected as the county official of the year for the State of Tennessee,” the press release said.
The Oak Ridge offices of the Anderson County Clerk and Trustee will be temporarily closed to in-person transactions starting Monday for construction to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The Anderson County Clerk’s and Trustee’s main offices in Clinton and Andersonville are not affected by this temporary closure to the public, a press release said. The offices are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
While the Oak Ridge offices will be closed to in-person service, employees will still be available to serve customers at the drive-through location in Oak Ridge, the press release said. It’s located at 728c Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge. It will be open for renewals only from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. In addition, residents can drop off title work and park in a space to wait while the paperwork is processed and returned to them, the press release said. The Trustee’s Office staff will continue to collect property tax payments at the Oak Ridge drive-through and accept calls to make appointments for the tax relief and freeze program, the press release said.
Anderson County reported more than 2,500 new cases of COVID-19 in December and 43 deaths and 43 hospitalizations.
It was the worst month of the pandemic by far, part of a statewide surge after the Thanksgiving holiday.
The number of deaths reported in December (43) exceeded all previous months combined and was more than triple the number of deaths in November (13). Until December, November had been the worst month of the pandemic.
The overall fatality rate, comparing total deaths to total cases since the pandemic began, rose to roughly 1.3 percent in December.
About 3.3 percent of Anderson County’s roughly 77,000 residents were infected with COVID-19 in December, when 2,524 new cases were reported. Roughly 7.3 percent of the county’s residents have tested positive for COVID since the pandemic began March 20.
About 38 percent of the county’s total 113 hospitalizations since March were reported in December, when 43 hospitalizations were reported.
The number of new cases reported in December accounted for about 45 percent of all COVID-19 cases reported in the county since the pandemic began more than nine months ago.
The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:
Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831
We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.
We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.
Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!
These charts show the number of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations by month in Anderson County since March 2020. (Charts by Oak Ridge Today)
Anderson County reported more than 2,500 new cases of COVID-19 in December and 43 deaths and 43 hospitalizations.
It was the worst month of the pandemic by far, part of a statewide surge after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Anderson County reported more than 2,500 new cases of COVID-19 in December and 43 deaths and 43 hospitalizations.
It was the worst month of the pandemic by far, part of a statewide surge after the Thanksgiving holiday.
The number of deaths reported in December (43) exceeded all previous months combined and was more than triple the number of deaths in November (13). Until December, November had been the worst month of the pandemic.
The overall fatality rate, comparing total deaths to total cases since the pandemic began, rose to roughly 1.3 percent in December.
About 3.3 percent of Anderson County’s roughly 77,000 residents were infected with COVID-19 in December, when 2,524 new cases were reported. Roughly 7.3 percent of the county’s residents have tested positive for COVID since the pandemic began March 20.
About 38 percent of the county’s total 113 hospitalizations since March were reported in December, when 43 hospitalizations were reported.
The number of new cases reported in December accounted for about 45 percent of all COVID-19 cases reported in the county since the pandemic began more than nine months ago.
The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
