Oak Ridge Today

Ex-AC school bus driver indicted in May 2013 crash

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Information from WYSH Radio

A former Anderson County school bus driver has been indicted on charges related to a bus crash last year that injured four students.

Tammy Moore, 46, of Clinton was indicted by the grand jury on a charge of reckless endangerment and reckless driving in connection to a crash that occurred on May 21, 2013. Her bus, with 44 students aboard, was on Johnson Gap Road when the bus left the right side of the road and dropped off an embankment and turned over on to its side after traveling some 60 yards. [Read more…]

Teen charged with attempted murder in alleged stabbing

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Dakota Michael Rogers

Dakota Michael Rogers

A Knoxville teenager has been charged with attempted second-degree murder and aggravated assault in an alleged stabbing after a fight ensued when he went to pick up a car on Mehaffey Road in eastern Anderson County on March 24, authorities said.

Dakota Michael Rogers, 19, allegedly went to the home at about 9 p.m. March 24 to pay for a car and repay a female resident who had loaned him money for it, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department investigator Mark Bolton said in affidavits filed in General Sessions Court in Clinton.

But Rogers, who was arrested Monday, allegedly got into a fight with a male resident. It started in the living room and then spilled out onto the porch, according to the affidavits. Bolton said the two men do not get along.

The victim said the two men were separated by a porch rail, and when he walked to it, Rogers stabbed him in the belly near his belly button. The victim said he he did not see the knife. [Read more…]

Roane Commission sends ‘In God We Trust’ proposal to committee

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Roane County Courthouse

An “In God We Trust” sign could be placed above the main entrance of the Roane County Courthouse in Kingston under a proposal being considered by county officials. The signs could also be displayed in the Roane County Commission chambers. (Photos by Sara Wise)

 

KINGSTON—The Roane County Commission voted on Monday to defer a resolution to the property committee that would place signs that say “In God We Trust” on the County Courthouse in Kingston.

The vote to defer was closely split, at 8-7. Commissioners James Brummett, Ray Cantrell, Bobby Collier, Randy Ellis, Jerry Goddard, Chris Johnson, and Fred Tedder all voted not to defer the resolution.

Many commissioners who voted against deferment argued that deferral would only delay the process further. Others, however, felt that the issue should have gone through the committee before the commission had any say in the matter.

Ellis, who filed the resolution in favor of the signs, said that the resolution would reach the committee either way, and that the committee would have the final say in the design and placement of the signs.

“Roane County is deep in its faith,” he said. “Not one of my constituents…has come to me against this.” [Read more…]

Meth lab seizures in Tennessee down from 2013

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Federal Meth Prosecution

Flanked by local, state, and federal law enforcement officers, U.S. Attorney William C. Killian, center, announces that 42 people, including many Anderson County residents, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine. (March 2013 file photo)

Information from WYSH Radio

The Tennessee Meth Task Force says that the number of meth labs seized in the state in the first quarter of 2014 is down 52 percent from this time last year. Between January and March of 2014, 290 meth labs were seized, compared to the first quarter of 2013, when 612 meth labs were seized.

Officials attributed the decrease to several factors, including increased enforcement, like the federal indictments handed down in Anderson County last year against more than 50 people on meth-making and related charges. Officials also cite local ordinances passed by 17 communities that now require a prescription to purchase pseudoephedrine, which is the key ingredient used to make meth. Last year, however, the state Attorney General opined that such laws violate the state constitution.

In 2013, Anderson County led the state in meth lab busts. First quarter numbers for 2014 show that Anderson and Roane County have had the second highest number of seizures, with 10 meth lab busts each, and that Monroe County ranked first with the highest number, 14 meth lab seizures.

Inspired by her son, Neergaard runs for state House

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Misty Neergaard

Misty Neergaard

Inspired by her son’s efforts to shed light on the effects of bullying, Oak Ridge resident Misty Neergaard is running for the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Neergaard is unopposed in the state Democratic primary in District 33, which includes most of Anderson County, on Aug. 7. She will take on the winner of the Republican primary, which pits Rep. John Ragan, the incumbent, against newcomer Caitlin Nolan.

In a press release, Neergaard said her focus is on the need for Anderson County voters to have a voice in the Tennessee House.

“All too often Tennessee and its citizens are portrayed in a negative public light, Neergaard said in the release. “I know the people in Anderson County are kind and hard-working. They deserve a government who cares about them instead of scoring political points. Our family has been through some tough times, and the people of East Tennessee have been wonderfully supportive. It is time I give back.”

The release said Neergaard has been a dedicated mother and housewife for 18 years. Last summer, her son Marcel Neergaard created an online petition to help bring the effects of school bullying to light, the release said. [Read more…]

2014 Election: Anderson County primary voting totals

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Anderson County Election Commission

Here are the unofficial election results for the contested races in the Democratic and Republican primaries in Anderson County on Tuesday. The results include all 27 precincts, early voting, and absentee ballots.

Anderson County mayor—Republican primary

  • Terry Frank—3,896 (53 percent)
  • Zach Bates—3,406 (47 percent)

Anderson County chancellor—Republican primary

  • Nichole “Nicki” Cantrell—3,895 (54 percent)
  • Michael S. Farley—2,979 (41 percent)
  • Phil Harber—368 (5 percent) [Read more…]

Anderson County elects first female chancellor

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Anderson County Republican Party Candidates

Nicki Cantrell, second from right, who is running unopposed in the Aug. 7 general election after winning the Republican primary on Tuesday, will become Anderson County’s first female chancellor. Also pictured at right is Michael Farley, one of her two Republican opponents. The three GOP candidates for Juvenile Court judge are also pictured. From left they are Vickie Bannach, Lauren Biloski, and Brian Hunt, the winner of Tuesday’s Republican primary.

 

Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Note: This story was last updated at 4:10 p.m. May 7.

Primary Winners: Frank, Cantrell, Hunt, Lay, Clement

One is Anderson County’s first female mayor. The other will become the county’s first female chancellor.

The two candidates—Terry Frank and Nicki Cantrell—beat their opponents by significant margins in the Republican primary on Tuesday. Both said their victories were based in large part on running positive campaigns.

Cantrell’s victory over Clinton attorney and City Judge Michael Farley, who had the support of many other lawyers, appeared to be the big upset of the night in what had been the most heated race, with the two candidates clashing over their courtroom experience and trading accusations of false claims and “mudslinging.”

Zach Bates

Zach Bates

Both were running to replace the current chancellor, William Lantrip, who is retiring at the end of June after 25 years on the bench. The chancellor hears cases in Chancery Court ranging from divorces and adoptions to lawsuits and contract disputes, but can also sometimes hear Criminal Court cases, sit as the Circuit Court judge, and hear Juvenile Court appeals.

“Nobody believed we could do this,” Cantrell’s husband Dail Cantrell said Tuesday night. “We refused to run a negative campaign and got the support of the people.”

Nicki Cantrell won by about 900 votes, collecting 3,895 votes to Farley’s 2,979, according to unofficial results with all 27 precincts reporting. That’s roughly a 54 percent to 41 percent margin.

A third candidate, Republican Phil Harber, who did not appear to campaign as hard as either Farley or Cantrell, received 368 votes. [Read more…]

Lake City’s name change to Rocky Top on hold for now

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Tim Isbel at Hearing on Lake City Name Change to Rocky Top

Tim Isbel, president of the Rocky Top Marketing and Manufacturing Co., at a federal court hearing on Monday on Lake City’s proposed name change to Rocky Top.

Note: this story was updated at 2:52 a.m.

KNOXVILLE—Lake City’s proposed name change to Rocky Top is on hold for now as a federal judge considers a request to stop the move.

The name change has been proposed as part of an expensive plan to convert the former coal mining town in northern Anderson County into a tourist destination. But it has been challenged by the publisher of “Rocky Top,” a well-known bluegrass song and unofficial University of Tennessee anthem.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has signed a bill that allows the name change, but the proposal has not yet gone back to the Lake City Council for final approval. Under the state law, Lake City could become Rocky Top on July 3, said Tim Isbel, an Anderson County Commissioner and president of Rocky Top Tennessee Marketing and Manufacturing Co.

That company has proposed a development that could be worth up to $450 million over six years and include an indoor and outdoor water park, coal miners theater, children’s museum, train rides, restaurant, and candy company on some 300 acres near two exits off Interstate 75. During a hearing in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Monday, officials said it could bring 200 new jobs to Lake City and generate another $6 million in sales tax per year. But the project hinges on the name change. [Read more…]

2014 Election: Frank says she’s kept her promise; Bates wants to focus on retail, housing

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Zach Bates

Zach Bates

CLINTON—She says she’s kept her promise to protect Anderson County from higher taxes and worked to make government more efficient while improving customer service.

He says the county needs a more targeted approach to bringing in new retail and rebuilding the housing market.

The two candidates, incumbent Terry Frank and her challenger Zach Bates, face off in the Republican primary in Anderson County on Tuesday.

Frank was first elected in a special election in August 2012. She is the first female mayor of Anderson County and running for her first four-year term. She is completing the unexpired term of former mayor Rex Lynch, who resigned in January 2011.

Bates is a one-term Anderson County Commissioner who is not seeking re-election to that seat. [Read more…]

DA moves to close business involved in alleged prostitution

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Dave Clark

Dave Clark

Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark last week moved to declare a new business a nuisance and close it down because of its alleged role in prostitution, a press release said.

The business is King Accupressure at 2683 Andersonville Highway in Anderson County.

The enforcement action was the result of an undercover investigation by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office that started almost immediately after King Accupressure opened, Clark said in the release. He said a deputy posed as a customer and alleged in a criminal complaint that he was solicited for prostitution.

Two women were taken into custody at the scene, Clark said. [Read more…]

CASA, Child Advocacy Center collecting overnight bags for children

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CASA of the Tennessee Heartland

Submitted

The Child Advocacy Center of Anderson County has joined with CASA of the Tennessee Heartland and a private therapist (Sheila Marczak) to address a special need.

More than 400 children in Anderson County are removed from their homes each year due to abuse and neglect.  We have found many of them do not have luggage (a carry-on or duffle bag) and must carry their belongings in a garbage bag. This is very humiliating to a child, and is happening at a time when these children are already so vulnerable. We are hoping to provide each child in shelter and foster care with a brand new carry-on (duffle bag, etc.), so that they will never have to move from one location to another with their personal items in trash bags. [Read more…]

Anderson County calendar of events for May

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Anderson County Tourism Council

The Anderson County Tourism Council building on Highway 61 near Interstate 75 is pictured above. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Tourism Council)

Submitted

Here is a calendar of events for Anderson County in May:

  • Spring Colors Train Ride and Dinner Trains—May 3 and 17 at Secret City Excursion Train

Southern Appalachian Railway Museum is offering one-hour excursions with narration on May 3 and 17. Departure times will be 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. During the ride, passengers will hear the story of the Manhattan Project, which was one of the most remarkable industrial achievements ever accomplished. There will also be a dinner train on the 3 and 17 at 6 p.m. Diners will be treated to a delicious entrée prepared by Chef Andras. For more information, call (865) 241-2140 or visit www.southernappalachia.railway.museum. [Read more…]