Oak Ridge Today

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…]

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.

Pancake breakfast fundraiser June 14 for Emory Valley Center

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Emory Valley Center Early Learning Center

The Emory Valley Center on Emory Valley Road is pictured above. (File photo)

Submitted

On your way to the Secret City Festival on Saturday, June 14, stop and enjoy a delicious pancake breakfast at Applebee’s in Oak Ridge and also support Emory Valley Center. Proceeds will benefit the ongoing capital campaign for a new building to better serve children and adults with disabilities.

Breakfast will be served from 8–10 a.m. and will include hot-off-the-griddle pancakes and sausage as well as a variety of beverages. Tickets are only $5 each (children under three eat free), and they are currently on sale at Emory Valley Center at 715 Emory Valley Road. Those who attend may also pay at the door the morning of the fundraiser.

Local Emory Valley Center “Celebrity Supporters” planning to help staff greet and serve pancakes include Tennessee Sen. Randy McNally, Rep. John Ragan, Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan, Dottie Thompson, and Gene Caldwell (Emory Valley Center capital campaign co-chairs), Bear Stephenson of Stephenson Real Estate and Auction, Anderson County Chamber Board President Terry Payne, and David Erb of Allstate in Clinton. [Read more…]

Memorial Day ceremony honors 181 Anderson County residents who died in conflicts

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Anderson County Memorial Day Wreath-laying

From left, Anderson County Veteran Services Director Leon Jaquet, Mayor Terry Frank, and Tennessee Rep. John Ragan take part in a Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony on Monday at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

 

CLINTON—More than 100 Anderson County residents have died in conflicts from the Revolutionary War more than 200 years ago to the ongoing war on terrorism and battles in Afghanistan, a county official said during a Memorial Day ceremony on Monday.

Those 181 heroes are remembered and their names inscribed on the Veterans Memorial at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton, Veteran Services Director Leon Jaquet said.

“We gather here today in remembrance of our nation’s heroes, especially our county’s heroes who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in support of this nation’s agenda throughout the world,” Jaquet said. “Our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters who served this country to protect our freedoms and wrote that final check with their lives in support of freedom and democracy.”

Jaquet recognized guests at Monday’s ceremony, including Glen and Amy Morris, parents of Staff Sgt. Daniel Morris, who was killed in Iraq in 2006, and Gerald and Kathy Hovater, parents of Cpl. Jason Hovater, who died in Afghanistan in 2008.

“We remember the 1.3 million Americans who have made the supreme sacrifice during this nation’s wars, from the Revolutionary War to the continued War on Terrorism and Afghanistan,” Jaquet said. [Read more…]

Guest column: Memorial Day thoughts

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John Ragan

John Ragan

The Memorial Day holiday approaches this year as it has every year since the end of the Civil War. In our media, the tourist industry eagerly touts it as the “unofficial beginning of summer.”

Indeed, Tennessee’s weather usually makes the long-planned family picnics and outings to resorts balmy, if not hot. Warm weather makes a great reason to visit the lake, take in a ball game, or some other favorite relaxation. Alternatively, it is good excuse to invite family and friends over for backyard barbecue parties or some other festivity.

This spot on the calendar is also convenient to celebrate high school or college graduations. Perhaps, some of us use the holiday as an extra day in vacation plans. All of this has become a happy part of the American culture.

Generally, on Memorial Day, Americans delight in the cultural blessings of “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Unfortunately, in our zeal to enjoy the day, too many of us easily forget the meaning behind the name of the holiday. It has not always been so. [Read more…]

Anderson County Memorial Day ceremony on Monday

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Memorial Day Ceremony

Anderson County Veterans Service Officer Leon Jaquet says Memorial Day is for honoring military personnel who have died in the nation’s wars. (File photo/May 2012)

Anderson County Veterans Services Director Leon Jaquet has announced plans for the county’s sixth annual Memorial Day ceremony. The annual event will be held on Monday, May 26—Memorial Day—at 10 a.m. rain or shine in front of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

The ceremony will include a wreath-laying at the Veterans Memorial in front of the Courthouse in Clinton as well as remarks from Tennessee Rep. John Ragan.

In a press release, Jaquet said the ceremony is held each year “to pay tribute to the men and women of the U.S. military who have given of their lives to protect the freedoms we all enjoy everyday.

“The day itself is sacred and war veterans need no reminder of the reason for it, but what about the general public, and more importantly the next generations? Do non-veterans really recognize and understand the importance of a day honoring their fellow Americans killed in wars around the world? Sacrifice is meaningless without remembrance. Everyone is invited to attend and show their support of our military past, present and future.”

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…]

Tennessee Secretary of State presents archives grant to Anderson County historian

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Anderson County Archives Grant

From left are Sen. Randy McNally, Rep. John Ragan, Rep. Dennis Powers, Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, County Historian Mary Sue Harris, and Secretary of State Tre Hargett. (Photo courtesy of Anderson County government)

 

CLINTON—Anderson County government has received a $3,100 archives grant from the Tennessee State Library and Archives, and Secretary of State Tre Hargett last Tuesday personally presented the grant award to Mary Sue “Susie” Harris, Anderson County’s longtime archivist and historian.

State Sen. Randy McNally and State Rep. John Ragan, both Oak Ridge Republicans, and State Rep. Dennis Powers, a Jacksboro Republican who represents part of Anderson County, joined Hargett and Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank for the presentation.

A full-time historian and part-time sleuth, Harris has dedicated more than 50 years of service to Anderson County as a historian, archivist, author, and genealogist. She has helped thousands of citizens track the history of their ancestors—and even find long-lost relatives—in Anderson County and East Tennessee.

“The importance of history can never be overstated—and Mrs. Harris is one of the best ambassadors we have for keeping the flames of the past alive,” Frank said. [Read more…]

Anderson County receives $64,600 in funding to reduce tobacco use

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Tennessee Commissioner and Anti-Tobacco at Anderson County Health Department

Anderson County has received almost $65,000 in funds to support initiatives that reduce tobacco use. Local officials recently received the check from Tennessee Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner. (Photo Courtesy of Anderson County Health Department)

CLINTON—Tennessee Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner visited the Anderson County Health Department on Friday to present $64,600 in funding as part of the Tennessee Tobacco Settlement Program.

Dreyzehner was in East Tennessee last week to present tobacco settlement checks to the Roane County Health Department ($38,860) and the Loudon County Health Department ($38,103) as well as the check to Anderson County.

Each county in Tennessee will receive funding annually during the three-year program to reduce the burden of tobacco use in the state.

Locally, the Anderson County Health Department is using the funds to support a new “Baby and Me—Tobacco Free” program as well as a partnership with Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) of Anderson County and the Coordinated School Health programs in each of the three school systems in Anderson County. [Read more…]

Highway 116 improvements still planned, schedule uncertain

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Information from WYSH Radio

Following up on a story we first brought you last year, the state is still in the planning stages of making safety improvements to an 11-mile stretch of Highway 116 in Anderson County from Frost Bottom to the Campbell County line.

A safety audit conducted in 2012 by state and local officials showed that in some spots, lanes are too narrow, in others there are no guardrails, and in still other areas, the shoulder is actually less than a foot wide. Slope stability issues were also blamed for some cracking and uneven settling of the pavement. Some spots that have been resurfaced do not have pavement markings and in other areas, rock outcroppings and other hazards are “too close to the roadway for comfort.”

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has recommended paving the entire stretch of Highway 116, widening the shoulders in some places, and adding guardrails, pavement markings, and signage to the roadway as part of the effort to make the road safer. TDOT says that it will also reduce the speed limit on that sometimes-dangerous stretch of road to 35 miles per hour. [Read more…]

Most Anderson commissioners seek re-election, six running in District 7 in OR

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Anderson County Courthouse

The Anderson County Courthouse on Main Street in Clinton is pictured above.

There are six candidates running for Anderson County Commission in District 7 in Oak Ridge in August, and a Democrat has joined the race for Tennessee House of Representatives in the 33rd District.

Meanwhile, an Independent, Bradley S. Rickett, has joined the race for Anderson County mayor, competing against Democrat Jim Hackworth and the winner of the May 6 Republican primary, either the incumbent, Terry Frank, or her challenger, Commissioner Zach Bates.

Fourteen of the 16 Anderson County commissioners are seeking re-election to a four-year term. But Bates, from District 4 in the Lake City area, is not. And neither is Commissioner John Shuey. Shuey is one of two commissioners in District 7, which includes the Glenwood, Highland View, and Pine Valley precincts in Oak Ridge.

District 7 is the most competitive in terms of number of candidates. In addition to the incumbent, Jerry Creasey, other candidates include Jimmy Bouchard, Michael Marsh, Denny Phillips, Kevin Rice, and Theresa Scott.

District 3—which includes Andersonville, Fairview, Glen Alpine, and Norris—has five candidates, including the two incumbents, Steve Emert and Dusty Irwin. The other three candidates are Josh Anderson, David Farmer, and Philip Warfield. [Read more…]

Senate approves Lake City’s name change to Rocky Top

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Lake City Council Approves Rocky Top Name Change

The Lake City Council votes 4-0 in November to change the town’s name to Rocky Top, and Rep. John Ragan said he had draft legislation to approve the name change to introduce in the Tennessee General Assembly. (File photo)

WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today

A bill that will allow Lake City to officially change its name to Rocky Top was unanimously approved in the Tennessee Senate on Thursday, three days after the state House of Representatives also unanimously voted to support the measure.

Lake City Council members approved the name change, seen as a vital first step toward developing a Rocky Top theme park in the former coal mining town, in November. The bill will now go to Gov. Bill Halslam’s desk for his signature, then the Lake City Council must ratify it by a two-thirds majority.

The name change is seen as a necessary first step toward turning the former coal mining town into a tourist destination, taking advantage of its two exits off of I-75. Plans call for an interactive 3-D theater, a restaurant, a water park and a hotel, as well as other attractions. [Read more…]