Anderson County Archives - Oak Ridge Today

Anderson County school bus rolls on side, three students possibly injured

May 21, 2013 By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Note: This story was updated at 1:57 p.m.

An Anderson County school bus rolled on its side on Johnson Gap Road on Tuesday morning in the Dutch Valley community, and five students could have minor injuries, officials said.

There were 44 students on Bus No. 20, which transports students to Dutch Valley Elementary School, Clinton Middle School, and Clinton High School, said Jim Woodward, chief financial officer for Anderson County Schools. It crashed at Dutch Valley Road at about 7:50 a.m. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Education, K-12, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Schools, Clinton High School, Clinton Middle School, Dutch Valley, Dutch Valley Elementary School, Jim Woodward, Johnson Gap Road, school bus

Letter: Recommends Anderson County establish fire district

May 19, 2013 By Oak Ridge Today Letters Leave a Comment

To the Editor:

This month’s Operations Committee meeting included discussion on a proposed resolution that would disqualify any fee- or membership-based fire department from participating in Anderson County’s annual appropriations plan for major asset purchases. Under the current agreement, property taxes fund equipment purchases for both the municipal and volunteer fire departments on a yearly rotational basis.

According to current state statutes, local governments have only two options available to fund or contribute to the county fire departments. Either a county fire district is established, whereby a separate account is created (for funding purposes), which allows for oversight and accountability, or the source of funding is limited to a donation which allows little input from the legislative body. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Letters Tagged With: Anderson County, county fire district, equipment, fire department, fire district, funding, Mark DeVol, Operations Committee, volunteer fire departments

Man indicted in mausoleum assault

May 17, 2013 By John Huotari 2 Comments

Charles Ronald Bean

Information from WYSH Radio

An Anderson County grand jury has indicted a Powell man on charges that he lured a man to a mausoleum in Claxton, locked him inside, and forced him to perform oral sex.

Charles Bean, 55, was indicted on charges of aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, vandalism, and vandalism of a cemetery. Bean has been in custody since his arrest in July of last year. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape, Anderson County, assault, Charles Bean, Claxton, grand jury, mausoleum, vandalism, vandalism of a cemetery, Woodhaven Memorial Gardens

Guest column: Baughn lists budget-cutting proposals to reduce tax rate

May 16, 2013 By Trina Baughn 3 Comments

Trina Baughn

During our May 13 and May 28 meetings, the Oak Ridge City Council will determine your property tax rate for the next year via our annual budget. Our decision will directly affect your personal finances. Of greater consequence, however, we will establish our city’s competitive position.

Currently, Oak Ridge has the third-highest property tax rate in East Tennessee at $2.39 when you add in the Anderson County rate of $2.35. Each penny of our rate equals approximately $90,000 of spending. We have a tremendous opportunity to make Oak Ridge more competitive and attractive to prospective residents and businesses without sacrificing our quality of life.

In addition to increasing our revenues (I’ve suggested converting select city-owned assets into taxable properties, eliminating tax abatements, and negotiating voluntary payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements), we must ensure the highest and best use of each and every penny you entrust to us.

During our deliberations, I will make the following motions to immediately reduce our tax rate and/or improve our marketability to outsiders: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: Anderson County, attrition, blighted properties, budget, Economic Development Fund, funding, library, membership, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge City Council, property tax rate, Recreation and Parks, red light camera funds, refuse contract, revenues, tax abatements, travel, Trina Baughn

Crime down 25 percent in Anderson County in two years, sheriff says

May 15, 2013 By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The total number of crimes reported to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department has dropped by about 25 percent in the past two years, Sheriff Paul White said.

He said overall crimes decreased by an even larger percentage, roughly 35 percent, from 2007 to 2012. Crimes against property, such as burglaries and thefts, fell about 20 percent over two years and close to 30 percent since 2007.

“This drop in overall crime can be directly attributed to proactive law enforcement and increased patrols of the rural areas of the county,” White said in a Monday press release. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, arrests, burglaries, crime, crime statistics, crimes against property, Dave Clark, Jim Akagi, Oak Ridge, operational analysis, Paul White, reported crimes, reports, thefts, warrants

Former Anderson commissioner, OS manager hired in Kingston

May 14, 2013 By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

Former Anderson County Commissioner and Oliver Springs City Manager Dave Bolling has been hired as the new city manager in Kingston after spending the last year as the town administrator of Newcastle, Maine.

Bolling and one other finalist were interviewed on Friday, and following the interviews, the City Council voted unanimously to offer the job to Bolling. His first day on the job will be June 1, and he will earn an annual salary of $70,500 a year with a performance bonus possible after the first year and a $5,000 moving allowance. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Government, Oliver Springs, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Dave Bolling, Jim Pinkerton, Kingston, Maine, Oliver Springs

Anderson County officials discuss budget Monday evening

May 5, 2013 By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Terry Frank

Spending requests have exceeded expected revenues by more than $4 million, mostly because of a proposal to hire more jailers, and Anderson County officials will discuss the budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 during a Monday evening workshop.

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and Budget Director Chris Phillips have said they plan to present a balanced budget that does not raise taxes but still provides core services.

County officials have said projected revenues are down slightly, or about 98 percent of what they are in the current fiscal year. There has been a slight increase in property assessments, but sales and business tax revenues are projected to be down. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Budget Committee, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, budget, Chris Phillips, health insurance, jail, jailers, revenues, school budget, spending, tax revenues, taxes, Terry Frank

Guest column: Anderson County officials present budget highlights

May 2, 2013 By Anderson County Mayor Leave a Comment

By Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and Budget Director Chris Phillips

As Anderson County government begins the budget process for the 2013/2014 county budget, we wanted to share with the citizens, elected officials, county employees, and all interested parties some of the challenges and opportunities that we face in presenting our County Commission with a balanced, no-tax-increase budget while still providing core services.

Upon first request from all departments, the county’s general fund budget is out of balance by more than $4 million, expenditures over revenues.

Revenues are initially projected at 98 percent of our current year levels. Property assessments (growth) have a slight increase, while things like sales tax and business tax are projected to be down to some extent. While the county’s general fund is not heavily dependent upon federal revenue, budget woes at the federal level have caused concern about some of the revenues that we do receive. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Schools, budget, business tax, Chris Phillips, expenditures, jail, jailers, medical costs, property assessments, revenues, sales tax, Terry Frank

DA: Crime down a ‘remarkable’ 10.5 percent in Anderson County

April 30, 2013 By John Huotari 5 Comments

Dave Clark

The number of crimes reported in Anderson County dropped again last year, continuing a six-year trend, District Attorney General Dave Clark announced Monday.

Crime was down 10.5 percent in Anderson County in 2012, Clark said.

“That is a remarkable result in a single year,” he said. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, cases, crime, Dave Clark, district attorney general, indictments, jail population, Oak Ridge, reported crimes, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

‘Talk is Cheap’ on Saturday to feature ‘down-home wit,’ wisdom, laughs

April 21, 2013 By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

An event organized this weekend by the Clinton Rotary Club and Timely Topics will feature “down-home wit and wisdom, with lots of laughs along the way,” a press release said.

It’s called “The Talk is Cheap Tour,” and it features Jim Claborn, Bill Landry, Sam Venable, and Elizabeth Rose.

It starts at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Ritz Theater in Clinton. General admission tickets are $15, and VIP tickets are $25. The VIP tickets include preferred seating and a reception at the Clinton Civic Center to meet the performers and friends, the press release said. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Clubs, Community, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Bill Landry, Clinton Rotary Club, college scholarship fund, Elizabeth Rose., Jim Claborn, Ritz Theater, Sam Venable, Talk is Cheap, Timely Topics, youth projects

Reader pic: Anderson Mayor speaks to Breakfast Rotary

April 2, 2013 By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank speaks to the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club. (Submitted photo)

Submitted

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank recently spoke to the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club.

The mayor shared some of her personal views and opinions on Anderson County and the challenges facing county leaders, such as housing, drugs, taxation, and an overcrowded jail. Frank said many of these challenges are similar for other communities across the state and country.

She also spoke about some of the positive aspects of Anderson County. Among those: being a diverse community in terms of people, terrain, history, and assets—from the small historical town of Oliver Springs to the manufacturing companies in Clinton, and a focus on the future with science and technology in Oak Ridge.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Community, Government, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County mayor, Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, Terry Frank

Two schools each win $5,000 in ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover

March 27, 2013 By Oak Ridge Associated Universities Leave a Comment

Students at two local schools spent the past month patiently awaiting a potential classroom-altering announcement, and last week their patience was rewarded.

ORAU made surprise classroom announcements and presented each a $5,000 grant as runners-up in the 2013 Extreme Classroom Makeover competition. Courtney Batchelor, an eighth-grade teacher at Lake City Middle School in Anderson County, and Kristan Headrick, a sixth-grade teacher at Coalfield School in Morgan County, will use the grants to purchase technology to outfit their classrooms. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, K-12, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Top Stories Tagged With: A.L. Lotts Elementary School, Anderson County, Coalfield School, Courtney Batchelor, Extreme Classroom Makeover, Karla Fultz, Kristan Headrick, Lake City Middle School, Morgan County, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, ORAU