The Tennessee Department of Transportation has been asked to give a Thursday evening presentation on future improvements to a 2.6-mile section of Clinton Highway from Edgemoor Road to the Knox County line.
The community meeting is at the Claxton Community Center from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 7.
Anderson County officials asked TDOT to give the presentation, spokesperson Mark Nagi said. [Read more…]
The Anderson County Mayor’s Office will host a community meeting on July 7 in Claxton, and the public is invited to attend and hear from state road officials about plans to improve Clinton Highway (US 25W) from Edgemoor Road to the Knox County line.
The community meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on July 7 at the Claxton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road. Officials from the Tennessee Department of Transportation will discuss the project in detail as well as gather input from the public. Representative John Ragan and Senator Randy McNally, as well as Claxton Commissioners Tracy Wandell and Chuck Fritts are scheduled to be in attendance.
The proposed project—intended to reduce fatal and injury motor vehicle crashes while improving safety and access along the corridor—will include resurfacing the existing roadway and reconfiguring lane markings to allow dedicated passing areas, a continuous center turn lane, and wider shoulders, a press release said. The project was initiated after a meeting in April 2016 between Anderson County, TDOT, and local and state law enforcement officials. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce building is pictured above.
The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Advocacy Committee will host a series of candidate forums during the election season this year, and the first forum, for three Anderson County Commission candidates, will be in July.
That first forum will be for candidates running in the special election for Anderson County Commission District 8. The forum will be held from 7:30-9 a.m. Thursday, July 14, in the Joyce Conference Room at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, which is at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
All three candidates for the office—Myra Mansfield, Angeleque McNutt, and Phil Yager—have indicated that they will be present for the forum, a press release said. All candidate forums are free and open to the public. [Read more…]
Officials in Rocky Top and Anderson County will have a ribbon-cutting on Friday, July 1, to celebrate recent legislation that allows all-terrain vehicles to ride on Highway 25W starting this summer.
The celebration will include officials from the City of Rocky Top, Rocky Top Chamber of Commerce, and Anderson County Tourism Council. The ribbon-cutting is scheduled at 10 a.m. Friday, July 1, at the “Welcome to Rocky Top City” sign located between the southbound exit ramp of Exit 129 off of Interstate 75 and the Colonial Road in front of KFC and Cracker Barrel.
The Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation to amend current law that would allow for all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, to ride on Highway 25W in Rocky Top from the intersection of Colonial Lane to the intersection at Jacksboro Avenue beginning July 1, a press release said.
“Current legislation allows for ATVs to be operated on State Route 116 from Beech Grove to Highway 25,” said Mike Lovely, Rocky Top mayor. “This amendment extends the riding area and allows riders from Windrock Park to access the commerce area of Rocky Top.” [Read more…]
The ballot is set for the August 4 county general election and state and federal primary elections. The competitive elections include the Republican and Democratic primaries for the U.S. House of Representatives in the Third Congressional District, which includes Oak Ridge, and the race for one of two seats in Anderson County Commission’s Eighth District, which includes the Woodland, Hendrix Creek, and Emory Valley precincts in Oak Ridge.
There is also competition for two seats on the Anderson County School Board, one in the Third District and the other in the Fifth District.
U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, an Ooltewah Republican, is the incumbent in the House’s Third Congressional District. He has two opponents in the Republican primary on August 4: Allan Levene and Geoffery Suhmer Smith. (Signs for Fleischmann and Smith have both recently been posted in Oak Ridge.)
There are also three Democratic candidates on the ballot for U.S. House, Third District. They are Michael Friedman, George Ryan Love, and Melody Shekari.
The Republican winner will face the Democratic winner in the November 8 federal general election. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Police Department, Anderson County District Attorney General’s Office, and Oak Ridge Schools have started investigating juveniles with unexcused absences from school during the 2015-2016 school year, officials said Friday.
“This process involves seeking petitions for truancy for those students who were absent for significant periods of time,” a City of Oak Ridge press release said.
The petitions will be submitted with the Anderson County Juvenile Court for remediation, the press release said. The 15 petitions were the start of an ongoing investigation, and officials anticipate that additional juvenile petitions will be filed.
“As part of this investigation, ORPD will also be investigating additional allegations of educational neglect, and when warranted, will seek petitions in (Anderson County General) Sessions Court against parents of students with a high number of unexcused absences from school during the 2015-2016 school year,” the release said. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
On Wednesday night, Anderson County Emergency Medical Services Director Nathan Sweet delivered a “State of the EMS” address to county commissioners and members of the public.
The county EMS became an individual entity not funded by the county six years ago, choosing instead to support itself through fees. When the EMS became a stand-alone entity, the county ignored a recommendation from the County Technical Advisory Service—or CTAS—and provided only $215,000 in start-up money rather than the $1.1 million recommended by CTAS. Despite that early limitation, the department was able to support itself…until last year.
In 2015, the County Commission voted to contribute $600,000 to fund the EMS, which found itself hampered by delays in reimbursement from Medicare and serious problems with the third-party billing company used by the EMS. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
The Anderson County Commission will meet for its regular monthly session on Monday, June 20, at 6:30 p.m. in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.
Commissioners will be considering appointments of commissioners to the newly-created Budget and Purchasing Committees brought about by the recent change in financial management systems. The Nominating Committee met this week and recommended that Commissioners Chuck Fritts, Whitey Hitchcock, Myron Iwanski, Theresa Scott, and Jerry White serve on the Budget Committee. The Nominating Committee members also recommended that Commissioners Tim Isbel, Angeleque McNutt, Steve Mead, Theresa Scott, and Philip Warfield serve on the Purchasing Committee.
The full Commission will discuss and possibly vote upon the Operations Committee’s recommendation to move forward on a project to refurbish the Glen Alpine Convenience Center in Clinton. The Commission will also discuss a five-year lease extension at a cost of $1,000 per month for the land housing the Wolf Valley Convenience Center in Claxton. [Read more…]
A special meeting of the Anderson County Commission has been scheduled for June 23 for budget-related discussions.
During the meeting, department heads, residents, and elected and appointed officials can talk to the commission about the proposed budget that has been recommended by the Anderson County Budget Committee and presented by Mayor Terry Frank.
Also, there could be discussion, amendments, and adoption of the budget for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1, including any resolutions required or related to the budget and/or tax rate, a meeting notice said. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
The Anderson County Commission’s Operations Committee did not end up discussing Monday night whether to pay the legal bills of Public Works Director David Crowley in connection to his acquittal in April on charges that he illegally inspected buildings without the proper certification. In fighting the charges, Crowley’s legal bill came to $59,258.62.
Crowley had requested that the Commission do what it has done before in cases when a public official faced, but was acquitted of, charges related to their governmental posting. But during the May meeting of the County Commission, some commissioners questioned whether Crowley had followed proper procedure in submitting his request for reimbursement. The question was referred to the Operations Committee and was the first item on the agenda for Monday’s meeting.
But Crowley was not in attendance when the meeting began, and commissioners voted to put it on the end of the agenda due to his absence. Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank pointed out that Crowley’s presence was not necessary since the matter had been referred back to committee by the full Commission. When the topic came up again, Crowley was still not present. Commissioner Jerry White made a motion to pay Crowley’s legal bill, but discussion ended before it began due to a lack of a second. In the end, no action was taken, and the question of Crowley’s legal fees continues. [Read more…]
Herman Collins
Michael McKamey of Clinton, who had been a candidate for the Tennessee House of Representatives in District 33, announced Tuesday that he has suspended his campaign, a party official said.
The campaign suspension was announced by Anderson County Democratic Party Chair Catherine Denenberg.
McKamey is supporting Herman Collins, who has announced as a write-in candidate in the Democratic primary for the same office, Denenberg said. Collins, who also lives in Clinton, now serves as the first vice chair of the Anderson County Democratic Party.
McKamey made his decision to suspend his campaign due to a family illness that is requiring his full attention, Denenberg said. [Read more…]
Angeleque McNutt
Anderson County Commissioner Angeleque McNutt wants to keep her seat on County Commission, and she has announced that she is a candidate in the August 4 election.
McNutt, who owns Rainbow Florist in Oak Ridge, was appointed to replace Robin Biloski on Anderson County Commission when Biloski resigned on August 3 because she and her husband Bill moved to Madeira Beach, Florida.
McNutt now represents District 8, one of two commissioners in that district (Myron Iwanski is the other commissioner). The district includes Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland in Oak Ridge.
McNutt’s appointment to the seat by the County Commission in August 2015 was through the August 2016 county general election. [Read more…]
