“This is the day we pay homage to those who did not come home,” said Leon Jaquet, veteran services officer for Anderson County. “The price of freedom has been paid with their blood.” He spoke at the Memorial Day service at the courthouse in Clinton. Memorial Day was celebrated in Anderson County with speeches, color guards, taps, prayers, wreath-laying and rifle salutes at Clinton, Norris and Rocky Top. The speakers at Clinton were Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank; state Rep. John D. Ragan, a retired Air Force fighter pilot; and Zach Farrar, who served as a captain in the Marines and is currently vice president of Regions Bank. “We do remember, we do honor, and we proudly stand with those families left behind,” Frank said. “Courage is not the absence of fear,” Ragan told the crowd. “Without fear, courage has no meaning,” As the people gathered remembered courage, Ragan also asked them to remember love, quoting John 15:13 where Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Ragan urged the crowd to engage in the battle for freedom by fighting against domestic terrorists who would take away our freedoms.
Read MoreThey came together to celebrate, to pay homage, to share. The Coal Creek Miners Museum’s Coal Miners Reunion Saturday was a time to reflect on a way of life. It’s hard to pass on the heart of coal miners, to put into words the bonds that miners share, the experiences that only families of coal miners have in common, because coal mining is not just a profession. It’s a way of life. Take, for example, Margaret Fritts. She and her daughter and granddaughter were at the Coal Creek Miners Museum in Rocky Top Saturday morning. They are “three generations” of a coal mining family. It is part of their identity, part of who they are and how they describe themselves. Margaret Fritts’ father, Lewis Emery Kesterson, was mine inspector in Briceville. And though Kesterson died in mid-1950s, the family is forever linked, through him, to the mines, and to coal mining. And there is a hidden beauty in coal that only someone who is linked to mining can find. Lisa Pebley, who is the curator of the Coal Creek Miners Museum, has found that beauty hidden in coal.
Read MoreA 19-year old man, Payton I. Bridges, was killed Thursday, May 25, as the result of a shooting on the 800 block of Fowler Street, Clinton. The Clinton Police Department was called to the home at about 12:30 p.m. on a report of a person shot. When officers arrived, they found Bridges had been shot and killed. CPD detectives, with the assistance of the TBI, collected evidence at the scene, served search warrants and interviewed witnesses. At about 9 p.m., a juvenile was taken into custody and charged with homicide, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and unlawful possession of a weapon. Both the suspect and victim are from the Clinton area and are acquaintances. Police Chief Vaughn Becker thanked District Attorney General Dave Clark and the TBI for their assistance.
Read MoreThere will be no increase in Norris property taxes in the new fiscal year beginning July 1, and, at least for now, no raises in water or sewer rates, according to the preliminary budget, as approved last week on first reading by the City Council. A public hearing has been set for 6 p.m. Monday, June 12, before second reading and expected final passage of the budget ordinance at the regular council meeting following the hearing. Last year, Norris water and sewer customers saw steep raises in their bills — 25 percent for sewer service and 10 percent for water — in the 2022-23 budget, part of which was to help pay for employee salary increases and state-mandated improvements in the sewer system. Just like last year, the new budget for 2023-24 holds the Norris property tax rate at $1.54 per each $100 of assessed value.
Read More