Oak Ridge Today

Anderson County committee endorses ‘In God We Trust’ signs

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Public Hearing on In God We Trust Motto

Philip Warfield of Andersonville says county residents should be able to decide what goes on the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton during a Monday committee hearing on putting the national motto “In God We Trust” on the three-story building.

CLINTON—After hearing from the Anderson County law director, a county committee on Monday endorsed a proposal to put the national motto “In God We Trust” above each of the four doors at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

The motion by Anderson County Commissioner Robert McKamey was endorsed in a 5-3 vote at an Anderson County Operations Committee meeting on Monday evening. All three “no” votes came from Oak Ridge commissioners.

McKamey’s motion called for installing black metal signs above the doors with white lettering that says “In God We Trust.” The total estimated cost is $500 or less, and the signs would be installed by a professional firm.

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Anderson committee to discuss ‘In God We Trust’ motto, county vehicle

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An Anderson County committee this evening will discuss legal and liability issues associated with placing the national motto “In God We Trust” on the County Courthouse in Clinton.

The Anderson County Commission agreed in a 12-4 vote last month to put the motto on the courthouse, although there were some unanswered questions about design and legal liability. The commission referred the decision to the Anderson County Operations Committee, which will discuss it at 6 p.m. today in Room 312 of the County Courthouse.

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TDOT to spend $1.2 million to make Highway 116 safer

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Tennessee Department of Transportation will spend more than $1.2 million to make safety improvements on Highway 116, also known as New River Highway, in Anderson County’s Briceville community.

After a string of accidents, including some fatalities, on the rural road, local officials began trying to find ways to prevent them in the future and those efforts paid off last August when a team of TDOT officials joined Anderson County commissioners Tim Isbel and Zach Bates, members of the Briceville Volunteer Fire Department, and deputies from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department on a tour of the 11-mile stretch of road from Frost Bottom to the Campbell County line.

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Mayor’s speech had ‘false,’ ‘misleading’ information, commissioner says

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Myron Iwanski

Myron Iwanski

Note: This story was updated at 1:40 p.m. Feb. 27.

Anderson County Commissioner Myron Iwanski said the speech given by Mayor Terry Frank on Monday contained some “false and misleading” information.

Frank held a press conference at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton on Monday, saying she had to respond to accusations that she was taking advantage of taxpayers by using a county car and accepting travel payment.

In her speech during the press conference, Frank said the $400 per month that Anderson County Commission Chairman Chuck Fritts has accused her of receiving is not travel money. Instead, it is a salary supplement that was added to the mayor’s salary back in 1988 when David Bolling was county mayor, Frank said.

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Commission chair: Mayor needs to choose between travel supplement, vehicle

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Chuck Fritts

Chuck Fritts

Anderson County Commission Chairman Chuck Fritts continued to insist Monday that Mayor Terry Frank should either accept a $400-per-month travel supplement or use a county car—but not do both, as he alleges she has.

The $4,800-per-year salary supplement is offered in place of the mayor using a county car, a 1998 Ford Crown Victoria, Fritts said in an e-mail after Frank’s Monday morning press conference.

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Travel accusations forced press conference, county mayor says

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Terry Frank Press Conference

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank says the county commission chairman has made accusations against her related to county travel and vehicle policy, but she has violated no laws.

CLINTON—Her honesty has been questioned, and she has been the subject of a politically motivated smear campaign, Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said.

Anderson County Commission Chairman Chuck Fritts has accused her of taking advantage of taxpayers by using a county car and accepting travel payments, Frank during a Monday morning press conference at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

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Anderson mayor to address ‘false allegations’ on Monday

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank has called a Monday morning press conference to address what she has called “false allegations,” a Thursday afternoon press release said.

“During that time, Mayor Frank will address false allegations brought against her by county commissioners,” the release said. “No other information will be released prior to Monday’s press conference.”

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Anderson Commission approves ‘In God We Trust’ on County Courthouse

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Tom Byrge at Anderson County Commission

Tom Byrge, director of missions for Clinton Baptist Association, explains a proposal to put the national motto “In God We Trust” on the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

Note: This story was last updated at 9:26 a.m. Feb. 20.

CLINTON—Despite some unanswered questions about design and legal liability, the Anderson County Commission voted 12-4 on Tuesday to put the national motto “In God We Trust” on the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

The vote came after more than an hour of discussion during a sometimes-raucous, standing-room-only meeting that, at times, resembled a church service.

Supporters of the proposal outnumbered opponents.

“We don’t want to impose our religion on anybody,” said Kelly Bates, an Anderson County resident and mother of Commissioner Zach Bates. “However, we think it’s unfair and unjust for our children to be robbed of our Christian heritage.”

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Anderson beer board yanks controversial permit

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Beer Board met Tuesday night for a show-cause hearing on the controversial beer permit issued to the Silver Dollar Saloon on Clinton Highway in Claxton and unanimously voted to revoke the bar’s beer permit after numerous irregularities and inconsistencies were found on the application for the permit.

The bar was granted a beer license thanks to a loophole in state laws last year, despite the fact that it is within about 300 feet of a church.

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‘In God We Trust’ motto proposed on Anderson County Courthouse

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Pastors at about 50 churches in Anderson County have asked to put the motto “In God We Trust” on the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton, the county mayor said in a report to county commissioners.

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said that putting the motto on the courthouse wouldn’t cost the county anything. Instead, it would be funded by donations from churches, businesses, and individuals, she said.

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Anderson County school security good, improving

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Information from WYSH Radio

During a joint workshop between the Anderson County Commission and the Anderson County School Board on Thursday, schools’ security director Joe Fogerty outlined security measures already in place across the system and discussed future plans for school security.

Fogerty told a large crowd in the Clinton Middle School auditorium that there are currently eight uniformed, armed school resource officers and a DARE officer patrolling the county’s two high schools, four middle schools and alternative school, and those officers are available to answer calls at the nearby elementary schools. Fogerty also said that there are currently 259 surveillance cameras in nine of the county schools and that similar cameras are being installed on school buses.

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Anderson Emergency Planning Committee meets Tuesday

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The Anderson County Local Emergency Planning Committee will hold its annual membership meeting on Tuesday at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.

There will be a presentation by Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS). All Anderson County and Oak Ridge area companies who handle hazardous and radioactive materials or wastes are invited to send a representative, a press release said.

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