Oak Ridge Today

Inspired by Tennessee, Obama proposes free community college for two years

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Bill Haslam at White House with Barack Obama

This is a screen shot from a White House video filmed during a September 23, 2011, event on No Child Left Behind. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, center, introduces President Barack Obama, right.

 

Inspired by programs in Tennessee and Chicago, President Barack Obama has unveiled a proposal to make two years of community college free for anyone who’s willing to work for it, the White House said Thursday.

The White House said 57,000 students representing almost 90 percent of the state’s high school graduating class applied for the Tennessee scholarship program, which is called Tennessee Promise, in the first year. It provides two years of community or technical college to graduating high school seniors free of tuition and fees.

The federal program is called America’s College Promise, and it could benefit roughly nine million students each year, officials said. A full-time community college student could save an average of $3,800 in tuition per year.

The president is expected to announce the proposal in Knoxville on Friday, when he visits Pellissippi State Community College in Hardin Valley and manufacturer Techmer PM in Clinton. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill will join Obama on the East Tennessee trip. [Read more…]

Letter: Register of Deeds audit shows surplus, refutes opponents’ claims

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Tim Shelton

Tim Shelton

Note: This is a copy of a press release submitted by Anderson County Register of Deeds Tim Shelton. Shelton and his challenger, Bill Gallaher, have had a back-and-forth debate about office finances. You can see Gallaher’s press release here.

The Anderson County Register of Deeds office has concluded an internal audit of all revenues and expenditures dating back to 2002, the year that current Register of Deeds Tim Shelton first took office. The results appear to refute the claims made by opposition candidate Bill Gallaher that the office is operating in the red. According to the audit results, the Register of Deeds office has generated a surplus of $546,286 over the past 12 years, with revenues coming in at $3,661,700 and expenditures totaling $3,115,700 for the same time period.

“I felt it important to provide this information to the public so that the confidence which our citizens have in the register of deeds office could be validated,”” stated Shelton. “”We went receipt by receipt, totaling every revenue and expenditure since I took office, double and triple checking to ensure that nothing was missed.””

The controversy of fees began a few weeks ago when a mail piece was sent out by Bill Gallaher, who is opposing current Register of Deeds Tim Shelton in the August 7 general election. Shelton disputed the accusations during two recent joint appearances by both men, one on radio and the other at a public forum in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Letter: Register of Deeds proud of record, won’t run negative campaign

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To the Editor:

Having served as Register of Deeds for Anderson County these last 12 years, I am extremely proud of my record and all that the office has accomplished during that time. I have served the citizens of our county with the utmost of integrity and have worked hard to earn their trust. However, to now have my opponent question my integrity merely for the purpose of winning an election is both disappointing and insulting.

While I welcome constructive criticism and respect those with differing opinions on office policy and management decisions, I absolutely detest negative campaigning and in particular the use by my opponent of mailers and phone calls which mislead and deceive the voter. His use of individuals from other parts of the state calling on his behalf stating the office is short $300,000 is totally false. This would be a violation of state law and would be exposed during our annual state audit by the state comptroller’s office. Additionally, the District Attorney’s office would be notified as well as the county mayor and others. We have always accounted for every penny collected in the Register of Deeds office, and we have never violated state law. [Read more…]

City officials clash over Secret City Festival spending costs

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Rick Springfield at Secret City Festival

The Rick Springfield concert at the Secret City Festival in June was the largest ever for the annual festival, an organizer said.

Debate over the costs of the Secret City Festival—and whether the city can afford a $160,000 “party” every year—was briefly renewed again on Monday.

The sometimes-rancorous debate came up as the Oak Ridge City Council considered whether to approve two resolutions laying the financial foundation for the June 2014 festival.

Early in the debate, Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn moved to reallocate the Secret City Festival money and use it instead for a school resource officer in each middle school, or two SROs total.

But Council member Charlie Hensley said Baughn was essentially asking the city to take money it would collect from festival sponsors and use it instead for SROs.

“I think that’s fraudulent,” Hensley said. [Read more…]

Anderson Commission to consider new fees for inmates

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Information from WYSH Radio

As the Anderson County Commission continues to try and find ways to generate sufficient revenue to staff the jail expansion scheduled to open early next year, commissioners on Monday will consider several resolutions drafted by the county law director assessing new fees for inmates incarcerated at the county jail. Law Director Jay Yeager says the new fees are in line with state law and would help take the onus of housing the inmates off of the taxpayers and place it on the offenders themselves.

Some of the proposed fees include charging prisoners for their jail-issued clothing and toiletries as well as instituting medical and dental co-pays and fees for having a jailer escort an inmate to the hospital to visit a sick relative or to the funeral of someone in their immediate family. [Read more…]

Roane State fee deadline is Aug. 13 for registered students

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Roane State Community College Harriman Campus

Roane State Community College students who have registered for classes must pay their fees by Tuesday, Aug. 13, at 4:30 p.m. to keep their class schedules. (Photo courtesy RSCC)

Roane State Community College students who have registered for classes must pay their fees by Tuesday, Aug. 13, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time to keep their class schedules, a press release said.

Students can pay fees at www.roanestate.edu. They need to log in to RaiderNet and click “Your Account” to get started. [Read more…]

Public hearing on Andersonville Fire subscription plan draws huge crowd

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Information from WYSH Radio

An overflow crowd of Andersonville residents unhappy about the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department’s subscription plan jammed the hallways on the third floor of the Anderson County Courthouse on Monday to express their anger and frustration over the new fees scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1.

The fire department says it needs an increase in revenue or it will have to close its doors. But many citizens call the subscription plan “extortion.”

Earlier this year, the department’s board of directors voted to implement the plan after donations continued to lag far behind budgetary needs.

[Read more…]

Registration under way for Roane State spring semester

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Registration is under way for the spring 2013 semester at Roane State Community College, and the fee deadline is Jan. 7.

Spring classes begin Jan. 17.

[Read more…]

Aug. 14 is fee deadline for Roane State’s fall semester

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Students who have already registered for fall classes at Roane State Community College need to pay their fees by 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14, to avoid deletion of their class schedules, a press release said.

Students can pay their fees at www.roanestate.edu.

[Read more…]