Oak Ridge Today

Tennessee Secretary of State presents archives grant to Anderson County historian

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Anderson County Archives Grant

From left are Sen. Randy McNally, Rep. John Ragan, Rep. Dennis Powers, Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, County Historian Mary Sue Harris, and Secretary of State Tre Hargett. (Photo courtesy of Anderson County government)

 

CLINTON—Anderson County government has received a $3,100 archives grant from the Tennessee State Library and Archives, and Secretary of State Tre Hargett last Tuesday personally presented the grant award to Mary Sue “Susie” Harris, Anderson County’s longtime archivist and historian.

State Sen. Randy McNally and State Rep. John Ragan, both Oak Ridge Republicans, and State Rep. Dennis Powers, a Jacksboro Republican who represents part of Anderson County, joined Hargett and Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank for the presentation.

A full-time historian and part-time sleuth, Harris has dedicated more than 50 years of service to Anderson County as a historian, archivist, author, and genealogist. She has helped thousands of citizens track the history of their ancestors—and even find long-lost relatives—in Anderson County and East Tennessee.

“The importance of history can never be overstated—and Mrs. Harris is one of the best ambassadors we have for keeping the flames of the past alive,” Frank said. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum to have presentation on bats on Thursday

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Bat at UT Arboretum

Northern Long-eared Bat (Photos courtesy of Middleton Photos)

The University of Tennessee Arboretum will host a presentation on bats—“Let’s Go BAT-ty”—from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday.

Gerry Middleton, a biologist who has studied bats extensively, will present a slide show at the Visitor’s Center to discuss his two-year study of Arboretum bats. Using his “bat detector,” he will take the group outside to look for the nocturnal creatures.

A biologist with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in the U.S. Department of Energy-Oversight Office, Middleton promised that this will be an opportunity for all ages to learn more about the local bat population, a press release said. Middleton has an master’s degree in wildlife and fisheries from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. [Read more…]

Anderson County receives $64,600 in funding to reduce tobacco use

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Tennessee Commissioner and Anti-Tobacco at Anderson County Health Department

Anderson County has received almost $65,000 in funds to support initiatives that reduce tobacco use. Local officials recently received the check from Tennessee Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner. (Photo Courtesy of Anderson County Health Department)

CLINTON—Tennessee Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner visited the Anderson County Health Department on Friday to present $64,600 in funding as part of the Tennessee Tobacco Settlement Program.

Dreyzehner was in East Tennessee last week to present tobacco settlement checks to the Roane County Health Department ($38,860) and the Loudon County Health Department ($38,103) as well as the check to Anderson County.

Each county in Tennessee will receive funding annually during the three-year program to reduce the burden of tobacco use in the state.

Locally, the Anderson County Health Department is using the funds to support a new “Baby and Me—Tobacco Free” program as well as a partnership with Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) of Anderson County and the Coordinated School Health programs in each of the three school systems in Anderson County. [Read more…]

Council approves stoplight project at SR 95, Bethel Valley Road

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Highway 95 and Bethel Valley Road Stoplight

Note: This story was updated at 11:30 p.m. March 14.

Hoping to improve safety, state officials plan to install a stoplight west of Oak Ridge National Laboratory at the intersection of State Route 95 and Bethel Valley Road.

The stoplight and other geometric improvements have been endorsed by Johnny O. Moore, U.S. Department of Energy manager at the ORNL Site Office.

“This intersection poses safety problems for the general public, as well as employees of ORNL, and these proposed improvements would be greatly appreciated,” Moore said in a Feb. 6 letter to Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson.

The project could cost $200,000. The Tennessee Department of Transportation would fund it through the Federal Highway Administration Highway Safety Project. Oak Ridge City Engineer Steve Byrd said this type of project qualifies for 100 percent federal funding.

On Monday, the Oak Ridge City Council approved an agreement that would make the city responsible for maintenance after the stoplight is built. The annual maintenance cost for the city is expected to be about $1,500. [Read more…]

Highway 116 improvements still planned, schedule uncertain

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Information from WYSH Radio

Following up on a story we first brought you last year, the state is still in the planning stages of making safety improvements to an 11-mile stretch of Highway 116 in Anderson County from Frost Bottom to the Campbell County line.

A safety audit conducted in 2012 by state and local officials showed that in some spots, lanes are too narrow, in others there are no guardrails, and in still other areas, the shoulder is actually less than a foot wide. Slope stability issues were also blamed for some cracking and uneven settling of the pavement. Some spots that have been resurfaced do not have pavement markings and in other areas, rock outcroppings and other hazards are “too close to the roadway for comfort.”

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has recommended paving the entire stretch of Highway 116, widening the shoulders in some places, and adding guardrails, pavement markings, and signage to the roadway as part of the effort to make the road safer. TDOT says that it will also reduce the speed limit on that sometimes-dangerous stretch of road to 35 miles per hour. [Read more…]

Anderson County to be awarded $64K in tobacco settlement money

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John Dreyzehner

John Dreyzehner

Tennessee Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner will join other state and local officials on Friday, April 11, at the Anderson County Health Department in Clinton to present $64,600 in funding as part of the Tennessee Tobacco Settlement Program.

Each county in Tennessee will receive funding during this three-year program to reduce the burden of tobacco use in the state. All counties are challenged to set goals and select one or more projects that address three topics: eliminating smoking during pregnancy, reducing infants’ and children’s exposure to second-hand smoke, and preventing child and adolescent tobacco use. Anderson County will implement first-year projects targeting each of these three focus areas.

Funding from the Tobacco Settlement was provided to the Tennessee Department of Health for fiscal years 2014-16 to address the state’s high rate of tobacco use and prevent expensive related medical costs. The plan to distribute $15 million over three years has been generated with input from all 95 counties. This plan includes a variety of projects to target behaviors designed to protect the health of Tennessee’s most vulnerable populations: unborn babies, pregnant women, and children.

Most Anderson commissioners seek re-election, six running in District 7 in OR

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Anderson County Courthouse

The Anderson County Courthouse on Main Street in Clinton is pictured above.

There are six candidates running for Anderson County Commission in District 7 in Oak Ridge in August, and a Democrat has joined the race for Tennessee House of Representatives in the 33rd District.

Meanwhile, an Independent, Bradley S. Rickett, has joined the race for Anderson County mayor, competing against Democrat Jim Hackworth and the winner of the May 6 Republican primary, either the incumbent, Terry Frank, or her challenger, Commissioner Zach Bates.

Fourteen of the 16 Anderson County commissioners are seeking re-election to a four-year term. But Bates, from District 4 in the Lake City area, is not. And neither is Commissioner John Shuey. Shuey is one of two commissioners in District 7, which includes the Glenwood, Highland View, and Pine Valley precincts in Oak Ridge.

District 7 is the most competitive in terms of number of candidates. In addition to the incumbent, Jerry Creasey, other candidates include Jimmy Bouchard, Michael Marsh, Denny Phillips, Kevin Rice, and Theresa Scott.

District 3—which includes Andersonville, Fairview, Glen Alpine, and Norris—has five candidates, including the two incumbents, Steve Emert and Dusty Irwin. The other three candidates are Josh Anderson, David Farmer, and Philip Warfield. [Read more…]

Senate approves Lake City’s name change to Rocky Top

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Lake City Council Approves Rocky Top Name Change

The Lake City Council votes 4-0 in November to change the town’s name to Rocky Top, and Rep. John Ragan said he had draft legislation to approve the name change to introduce in the Tennessee General Assembly. (File photo)

WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today

A bill that will allow Lake City to officially change its name to Rocky Top was unanimously approved in the Tennessee Senate on Thursday, three days after the state House of Representatives also unanimously voted to support the measure.

Lake City Council members approved the name change, seen as a vital first step toward developing a Rocky Top theme park in the former coal mining town, in November. The bill will now go to Gov. Bill Halslam’s desk for his signature, then the Lake City Council must ratify it by a two-thirds majority.

The name change is seen as a necessary first step toward turning the former coal mining town into a tourist destination, taking advantage of its two exits off of I-75. Plans call for an interactive 3-D theater, a restaurant, a water park and a hotel, as well as other attractions. [Read more…]

State selling award-winning ‘green’ house in Norris

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New Norris House

The state of Tennessee is selling the award-winning “green” New Norris House in Norris. (Photo courtesy University of Tennessee)

KNOXVILLE—The state of Tennessee is selling one of the greenest homes in the state—the New Norris House.

Sealed bids will be taken through 1:30 p.m. (CST) on May 5. An open house will be held April 12, 2-4 p.m., at 143 Oak Road in Norris.

The New Norris House was completed in 2011 after a student-led team at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville worked for three years to bring the concept, first conceived in a classroom, to a modern and appealing home.

The house is a technologically advanced reinterpretation of the historic homes first built by the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933 as part of the Norris Dam project. It has become a nationally recognized model for efficient and sustainable living. [Read more…]

Spotlight: Leadership Anderson County visits state government in Nashville

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Leadership Anderson County Nashville Trip

The Leadership Anderson County Class of
2014 recently visited Nashville on a state government trip.
Rep. John Ragan, Sen. Randy McNally, and Rep. Dennis Powers are also in the photo with the class. (Submitted photo)

Leadership Anderson County Class of 2014, a program of the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce, and members of the Leadership Anderson County board of directors, visited Nashville for their state government trip in March.

The class, shown at left with Rep. John Ragan, Sen. Randy McNally, and Rep. Dennis Powers, participated in a mock session, visited the Tennessee Fusion Center, toured the Capitol and Supreme Court, and met with Comptroller Justin P. Wilson and Secretary of State Tre Hargett.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2015 class. For more information, contact the Chamber at (865) 457-2559 or visit www.andersoncountychamber.org.

Nolan, a state House candidate, has meet-and-greet on Thursday

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Caitlin Nolan

Caitlin Nolan

Caitlin Nolan, a candidate for the Tennessee House of Representatives, has a meet-and-greet on Thursday in Clinton.

It’s scheduled from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday at 364 Market St. in Clinton.

Nolan is challenging the incumbent, Rep. John Ragan of Oak Ridge, in the Aug. 7 Republican primary in the state’s 33rd District. The 33rd District includes Oak Ridge, Clinton, and most of Anderson County.

Visit www.caitlinnolan.com for more information.

Tennessee House gives Rocky Top go-ahead

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WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today

On Monday, the Tennessee House of Representatives voted unanimously to allow Lake City to change its name to Rocky Top. The House bill sponsored by Rep. John Ragan of Oak Ridge passed 89-0.

The name change is seen as a necessary first step toward turning the former coal mining town into a tourist destination, taking advantage of its two exits off of I-75. Plans currently call for an interactive 3-D theater, a restaurant, a water park and a hotel, as well as other attractions.

The state Senate has yet to schedule a vote on the companion bill to the House version, which is being sponsored by Sen. Randy McNally of Oak Ridge. If the Senate approves the measure as expected, the Lake City Council will have to vote again on the name change to ratify the private act that was endorsed Monday by the state House. [Read more…]