Oak Ridge Today

Seventeen arrested, 26 indicted on drug-related charges, sheriff says

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Paul White

Paul White

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department arrested 17 people on drug-related charges on Monday and Tuesday following drug investigations during the last few months, Sheriff Paul White said Wednesday.

These charges are mostly result from the sale or possession for resale of prescription or legend drugs, as well as marijuana- and methamphetamine-related offenses, White said. The charges were included in 35 indictments against 26 people returned by an Anderson County Grand Jury in June and July after investigations by the Sheriff’s Special Operations Unit.

White said deputies started making arrests on the indictments and related drug-activity investigations on Monday.

He said those indicted for the manufacture, sales, delivery, or possession either sold to undercover agents or were in possession of illegal drugs for resale. Of the 26 people indicted, 19 were charged with prescription narcotics offenses, three were charged with cocaine offenses, three were marijuana-related, and one was on methamphetamine charges. [Read more…]

Anderson County Commission approves budget, tax rate unchanged

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Anderson County Commission in June 2014

The Anderson County Commission is pictured above during a June meeting. (Photo by Sara Wise)

CLINTON—The Anderson County Commission approved a budget for Fiscal Year 2015 during a special meeting Tuesday. The budget will not raise property taxes in the county.

Commissioners Tracy Wandell, Rick Meredith, Zach Bates, Jerry White, and John Shuey did not attend, but the other 11 commissioners voted unanimously to approve the budget. Commissioners had called the special session during their June meeting.

Under the budget approved Tuesday, the Oak Ridge property tax rate will remain at $2.347 for every $100 of assessed property value, while property owners in Clinton will continue to pay $2.50 per $100 value. All other property owners in Anderson County pay $2.529 for every $100 of their assessed property values. [Read more…]

Roane approves ‘In God We Trust’ signs

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Roane County Courthouse

The Roane County Courthouse in Kingston is pictured above. (Photo by Sara Wise)

WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today

The Roane County Commission voted 13-1 on Monday to place the words “In God We Trust” at three locations in the Roane County Courthouse in Kingston. The signs will be similar to those placed above all four entrances at the Anderson County Courthouse last year and the one placed above the entrance to the Oak Ridge General Sessions Court building.

The Roane County proposal was made earlier this year, but commissioners initially balked at approving it until it made its way through the property committee.

The black granite signs will be placed above the north and south entrances to the Courthouse. A bronze plaque inscribed with “In God We Trust,” which is the national motto, will also be placed in the Commission meeting room, which also serves as a General Sessions courtroom. As in Anderson County, the signs will be paid for by private contributions. [Read more…]

High Places Church has Summer Youth Camp at Big Ridge next week

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High Places Community Church is having its Summer Youth Camp at Big Ridge State Park next week.

This week-long camp tradition has been going on for more than 30 years, providing a unique youth-oriented life experience that takes place in a natural outdoors setting, a press release said. The camp is for sixth- through 12th-grade youth, and this year’s theme is “Catching Fire.”

The camp runs from 11 a.m. Monday, July 21, to noon Saturday, July 26. [Read more…]

Guest column: PSI offers reading program

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PSI Reading Program

From left to right are General Sessions Judge Don Layton, Tammy Garner, Daniel Hamby, and Chad McNabb. (Submitted photos)

The greatest challenge people can face is themselves. Two people, Tammy Garner and Daniel Hamby, have accepted and conquered that challenge. These two individuals under the voluntary instruction of Betty McCarty and Peggy Tiner have been learning to read.

PSI and General Sessions Judge Don Layton have partnered to provide an opportunity to instruct basic reading skills to probationers.

“The ability to read is essential to acquiring a better job and quality of life,” Layton said. “It is our hope that courageous example of Tammy and Daniel will cause others to seek the ability to read, notwithstanding their age or life conditions.” [Read more…]

Guest column: Anderson County election ballot explained

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Submitted

The August 7 ballot for the state primary and local general election will be an important and complex ballot. You will find three main sections to the ballot.

First will be the state and federal primary, second will be the county general election, and third will be the retention questions for Tennessee Supreme Court judges and appellate court judges.

The first eight offices on the ballot are the contests for the state and federal primary election. They are governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee Senate, Tennessee House of Representatives, and state executive committeeman and committeewoman. These eight offices are the ones a person must declare whether they are voting in the Democratic or Republican primary.

After these eight offices come the candidates for the Anderson County general election. It does not matter which party primary you selected to vote in, Democrat or Republican, you are now free to vote for the candidate of your choice no matter to which party you belong. The county general election offices are: [Read more…]

Oak Ridge first EPA green power community in Southeast

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EPA Green Power Community

Oak Ridge has been recognized as the first Green Power Community in the Southeast by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Pictured above from left during a Monday night Oak Ridge City Council meeting are Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan; Tennessee Representative John Ragan, vice chair of the House Energy Task Force; Robin Manning, executive vice president of external relations for the Tennessee Valley Authority; Marlene Witt, Oak Ridge business office manager; and Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs.

 

KNOXVILLE—The Tennessee Valley Authority has been recognized as a Top 10 utility leader in green power program sales, and Oak Ridge has been designated the first Green Power Community in the Southeast by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

TVA was recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. In the first NREL Top 10 ranking in a decade, TVA landed at No. 9 nationally with green power sales of 199,067 megawatt-hours in calendar 2013, thanks to TVA’s Renewable Energy Solutions programs and participating local power companies, a press release said.

Oak Ridge is one of the participating communities, and it received the EPA designation based in part on TVA green power purchases. TVA and Oak Ridge officials had a brief ceremony to celebrate during a Monday night Oak Ridge City Council meeting.

“TVA is proud to be recognized nationally for our strong and growing support of renewable energy,” said Patty West, director of TVA’s Renewable Energy Solutions. “Cost-effective, renewable energy is an important part of TVA’s diverse portfolio of energy-generation sources.”

A key to TVA’s renewable energy sales has been Green Power Switch, or GPS, which TVA launched on Earth Day 2000 with local power companies and members of the environmental community as the first-of-its-kind renewable power purchase program in the Southeast, the press release said. [Read more…]

State lawmakers seek photos of fallen Vietnam-era soldiers

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Randy McNally

Randy McNally

From WYSH Radio

Three local state legislators are seeking photos of Vietnam War veterans from Anderson County who were killed in action in order to honor the fallen heroes at a new facility that complements the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

The photos are being sought by Tennessee Senator Randy McNally and Representative John Ragan, both Oak Ridge Republicans, and Dennis Powers, a Jacksboro Republican. The photos will be part of a multimedia display at the new facility, which will be built between the existing Wall and the Lincoln Memorial. The effort is part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, or VVMF.

Senator Mark Green, a Clarksville Republican who is heading up the effort statewide, enlisted the help of the local lawmakers in trying to locate missing photos of local veterans for the memorial. [Read more…]

ASAP needs derby volunteers at AC Fair on July 18

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Volunteers are needed at the Drive Drunk Get Nailed Demolition Derby at the Anderson County Fair on Friday, July 18.  The demolition derby starts at 7:30 p.m., and volunteers need to arrive by 6 p.m.

Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention—or ASAP—of Anderson County will shoot and toss ASAP T-shirts into the crowd during the event. If you can help, notify ASAP Prevention Coordinator Michael Foster by calling (865) 457-3007 by Wednesday, July 16, so they can get enough passes for all the volunteers.

Robert McKamey to seek re-election to County Commission

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Robert McKamey

Robert McKamey

Robert McKamey, Anderson County commissioner from District 5, will seek re-election in the August 7 general election.

The Fifth District includes the Clinton High School, Dutch Valley, Marlow, and Norwood precincts.

McKamey, 64, served in the old Third District from 1982 until 1994 and has served in the Fifth District since 2006. McKamey serves on several committees, including Operations, Legislative, Nomination, Highway, Human Resource, and Veterans Advisory Committee.

McKamey previously served as chair on the Insurance Sub-Committee, Jail Projects Superintendents Committee, and Legislative Committee, and Long Range Planning Subcommittee. McKamey also served as chairman of the Redistricting Committee, E-911 board of directors, and CASA board of directors. [Read more…]

State bill allows Anderson Commission to donate school buildings to EVC

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Emory Valley Center Presentation

Tennessee Representative John Ragan, second from right, presents Janet Wood, Emory Valley Center development director, second from left, a copy of the bill supported by Ragan and Senator Randy McNally, right, and passed by the Tennessee General Assembly allowing the Anderson County Commission to donate the original red brick school buildings to Emory Valley Center. Also pictured at left is Emory Valley Center board member Bill Hevrdeys. (Submitted photo)

 

Submitted

A bill supported by Tennessee Representative John Ragan and Senator Randy McNally passed the Tennessee General Assembly allowing the Anderson County Commission to donate the original red brick school buildings to Emory Valley Center.

A copy of the bill was recently presented to Janet Wood, Emory Valley Center development director.

In 1958, a local group of parents raised money and built the first red school building for their children with disabilities who were not allowed in the public school system at the time. Plans are under way for a historical marker to be placed there recognizing the efforts of these parents.

Schools release Oak Ridge to Maryville comparisons

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There was much discussion comparing the Oak Ridge and Maryville school districts during budget deliberations in Oak Ridge this year. Among the data compared between the two systems was the number of administrators working for each district.

Last week, Oak Ridge Schools released information that compares the two systems in a variety of areas, including number of administrators, average teacher and principal salaries, ACT scores, student-teacher ratios, and percentage of economically disadvantaged students, among other things.

Read the information here: Oak Ridge to Maryville Comparisons.