Oak Ridge Today

Letter: With city considering grant for synthetic turf, why not a new senior center?

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The Secret City is great at selective discrimination, while its citizens are not vocally supportive of its senior citizens. It lives by divide and conquer.

This actually makes the old adage, “Divided We Fail, United We Stand” a truism for future growth.

Oak Ridge is great at doing conceptual studies in order to hide and delay building its senior citizens a new center.

After reading the article about a SAB (board) proposing to waste, or is that give, some design firm another $50,000, I still remember all the parlaying over the Wildcat Den.

Then the city’s political manipulators tried to get seniors to endorse a bond issue to ensure other monies could be lumped together for a senior center. This failed. [Read more…]

Letter: Hensley wants to deny Baughn the right to serve, represent

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To the Editor:

I was surprised to hear that Charlie Hensley even has a voice.

That when issues arise and he is not in charge of public discussion of important issues, he tries to silence or sweep things under the carpet.

This is so: That issues have no governing decision to bring the issue into a final end.

That’s like hiring a design firm for a Senior Center, then doing nothing.

The City Council wants everything to be status quo. [Read more…]

Letter: Disgruntled by newspaper’s endorsement of Frank

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To the Editor:

I read the July 19, 2014, News Sentinel daily, and I felt very disgruntled when you, a newspaper not located in Oak Ridge, is endorsing political people in Oak Ridge.

I like it when people think for me.

I thought it ironic that you supported Terry Frank as mayor of Anderson County.

I toured the new Anderson County jail extension that the state forced the county to build and how the county struggled with what would happen if state and federal funds were denied Anderson County citizens. [Read more…]

Letter: Creasey has served religiously, saved taxpayer money

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To the Editor:

I have felt compelled to write a letter in support of Jerry Creasey for re-election to Anderson County Commission.

Jerry does not represent me as my commissioner in Oak Ridge. But he has served religiously, trying not to discriminate against anyone.

He has served on the Anderson County ADA oversight board to help the elderly, as well as all ages, to see that disabled rights are enforced and that state and federal laws are met.

Recently, the Oversight Committee has helped inspect the facilities at volunteer fire departments, the new Anderson County jail, and the addition of a new elevator in the Courthouse. The new second-floor bathrooms are now ADA-compliant. [Read more…]

Letter: Remembering Minnie Thompson

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To the Editor:

I keep thinking of Minnie Thompson and some of her attempts to make things better for Oak Ridge citizens.

She showed the documentation of how she had attempted to get automatic doors added to the Oak Ridge Post Office.

I said, “Minnie, this is a prime example of how Oak Ridge sets up a power of ‘four’ that never writes letter for its citizens that have no spokesman.” [Read more…]

Letter: Why must a ‘In God We Trust’ sign be placed on courthouse?

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To the Editor:

I find life really amusing, you see people running around boasting about doing something about bullying in today’s schools. A good example, how our society runs around trying to push an old motto on its people.

I still have difficulty with the “In God We Trust” motto. I can only trust in one God for I can only speak for myself. [Read more…]

Letter: Pays taxes but often doesn’t have access to wheelchair accessible parking

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To the editor:

The most troubling thing about the American with Disabilities Act civil rights laws is that there is no enforcement.

By this, I mean a way to show the public why certain logical decisions were made to benefit the public.

As an example: new and modern businesses are being built, but no one stops to thank the architect or craftsman for including these ADA civil rights regulations on paper.

Today, I ate at Zaxby’s, a chicken drive-through. Guess what they had? The correct ADA handicapped parking for wheelchair users. The city did their job by issuing a business license. A great addition to the Oak Ridge community. [Read more…]

County Commission considers ‘In God We Trust’ signs after legal, design review

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Anderson County Operations Committee National Motto

Anderson County Commisisoner Robert McKamey, left, who has made motions to put the national motto “In God We Trust” on the County Courthouse in Clinton, and Commissioner Whitey Hitchcock, who has voted against the proposals.

They’ve already approved a proposal to put “In God We Trust” on the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton, and county commissioners this evening will consider a committee’s recommendation to install the national motto on black metal signs above the courthouse’s four entrances.

The Anderson County Operations Committee endorsed the signs in a 5-3 vote last week. They would have white lettering that says “In God We Trust,” and they are expected to cost $500 or less.

The County Commission agreed to put the motto on the courthouse in a 12-4 vote last month, but members asked the Operations Committee and Anderson County Law Director Jay Yeager to review legal, liability, and design issues. The committee has now referred the specific sign proposal back to the full commission.

[Read more…]

Letter: Disappointed by commissioners who use religion to govern

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To the Editor:

To answer Marion Burger’s letter and maybe a question that has been bothering me and probably other folks too.

Why were there only Baptists listed in a list of citizens supporting placing “In God We Trust” on the Anderson County Courthouse?

[Read more…]

Letter: Wants sign on courthouse supporting ADA enforcement

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To the Editor:

Regarding the passage of the “In God We Trust” resolution: I want to be the next to add a sign to the top of courthouse since we can now put signs on the courthouse in Anderson County.

I want to have a sign placed on the top of the courthouse stating that Anderson County is in full support of the enforcement of the ADA civil rights laws (Americans with Disabilities Act) passed in 2011.

Failure to do this will say that you are in opposition to the ADA civil rights laws.

[Read more…]