• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds




Rep. Calfee, wife Marilyn test positive for COVID-19

Posted at 8:34 pm July 10, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Kent Calfee

Note: This story was last updated at 9:15 p.m.

Tennessee Representative Kent Calfee, a Republican whose district includes west Oak Ridge, and his wife Marilyn have tested positive for COVID-19, the legislator said Friday.

Calfee announced the diagnoses on his Facebook page. He said Marilyn tested positive for COVID-19 recently, and then he was tested this week. The results came back this afternoon, and they were positive, Calfee said.

“At this time, I am not experiencing any symptoms, and I have been self-isolating,” Calfee said. “I wanted to inform you of my positive test, so you could also take additional precautions to keep you and your loved ones safe, if you feel they are necessary. I have also notified legislative administration in Nashville, so they can take any additional precautions in accordance with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to maintain a safe working environment for all within the Cordell Hull Building.”

Calfee, who is from Kingston, represents the 32nd District in the Tennessee House of Representatives. That includes parts of Roane and Loudon counties, including west Oak Ridge.

“At this time, I ask for your continued prayers as Marilyn undergoes Covid-19 treatment,” Calfee said. “My first responsibility is to her and to continue to serve as a faithful husband during these challenging times in both of our lives.”

The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville reported that Calfee’s diagnosis was one of the first two positive COVID-19 tests for a lawmaker or legislative staff member.

Calfee, 71, was in the Cordell Hull Legislative office building as recently as last week, when he attended two days of Joint Government Operations Committee meetings, the Tennesseean said. Only a few lawmakers on the 24-member committee wore masks.

The Tennessean said Calfee’s test results were announced as lawmakers are considering returning to Nashville for a special session and just days after Cleveland Mayor Kevin Brooks, who led a prayer in the House on June 18, tested positive for COVID-19.

On Twitter, Representative Gloria Johnson, a Knoxville Democrat, said she was in a Government Operations meeting last week for 10 hours with Calfee. She said she wore a mask to protect her colleagues, but no Republicans, including Calfee, wore a mask.

Johnson, who said she hopes Calfee and his wife Marilyn overcome the virus, said she is careful to protect her health because she has limited capacity in her left lung and has had aortic valve replacement.

“I try as hard as I can to always practice social distancing and always wear a mask,” Johnson said. “I’m not perfect, but I usually am when in Nashville. This puts all the staff who have to be there at risk also. Staff all wear masks. The Republican legislators should have respect for others.”

Calfee has posted pictures on his Facebook page showing himself at various events, such as one at the Loudon County Republican Party headquarters in late June, without a mask and not maintaining a distance from other people. Public health officials say wearing a mask and maintaining a distance of six feet or more from people outside your home are two of the steps that can help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

You can contact John Huotari, owner and publisher of Oak Ridge Today, at (865) 951-9692 or [email protected]

Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. This is a free story. Thank you to our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. You can see what we cover here.


Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

Copyright 2021 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: COVID-19, Front Page News, Government, Health, State, Top Stories Tagged With: COVID-19, Gloria Johnson, Kent Calfee, Tennessee House of Representatives

Advertisements

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Government News

Roane State helps with experiment to provide high-speed Internet access to rural communities

Roane State Community College played a crucial role in an experiment to get high-speed Internet to rural communities currently lacking what’s become an essential component of modern life. (Photo by Yvette … [Read More...]

Parking at Melton Lake Park to be closed for regatta March 13 & 14

Rowing at Melton Hill Lake (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge) The parking lots at Melton Lake Park will be closed to the public during a regatta next week. The regatta, the 2021 Oak Ridge Louisville Cardinal … [Read More...]

City of Oak Ridge Seal

Oak Ridge releases water quality report

The annual water quality report is now available for viewing on the City of Oak Ridge website, and the report says Oak Ridge water was in compliance with state and federal drinking water requirements, a press release … [Read More...]

Gov. Lee lifts nursing home restrictions, extends state of emergency

Bill Lee Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Friday said he has extended a limited state of emergency through April 28 and lifted state visitation restrictions on nursing homes and long-term care facilities. The … [Read More...]

TVA conducting maintenance at Bull Run

The Tennessee Valley Authority's Bull Run Fossil Plant is pictured above in Claxton on Monday, Aug. 27, 2018. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today) The Tennessee Valley Authority is conducting routine … [Read More...]

More Government

Recent Posts

  • Victim of Claxton shooting reported to be in critical but stable condition
  • Oak Ridge man dies in motorcycle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike
  • Roane State helps with experiment to provide high-speed Internet access to rural communities
  • Parking at Melton Lake Park to be closed for regatta March 13 & 14
  • Regatta season starts next week
  • ORISE receives DOE silver award for GreenBuy program
  • Blasius to discuss Downtown Oak Ridge on Tuesday
  • Oak Ridge releases water quality report
  • Granholm, a former governor, now energy secretary
  • Gov. Lee lifts nursing home restrictions, extends state of emergency

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2021 Oak Ridge Today