Former Clinton High School assistant baseball coach and teacher Clay Turpin has reached an agreement with the state of Tennessee in a grade-changing case.
Under a judicial diversion agreement reached Jan. 9, Turpin will have the charges expunged after completing 11 months and 29 days of probation, according to his attorneys.
Turpin was charged with tampering with or destroying government records in connection with a grade-altering incident at Clinton High School that led the school system to fire him on May 8, 2024.
“Although we believe Clay had compelling legal defenses that could have resulted in the outright dismissal of his charges, the outcome reached today made sense for Clay, and allows him to avoid the time, expense and stress involved in contesting the case further,” attorneys Jefferey C. Collier and Travis E. Dorman said in a statement. They added that Turpin looks forward to moving on with his life with a clean record.
This is an example of the 2026 Pierce Freightliner Commercial Pumper fire truck that the city of Norris will be purchasing from a Memphis dealer to replace the city’s only certified truck, destroyed in a crash.
The Norris City Council on Monday night gave unanimous final approval to the purchase of a new $410,000 fire truck to replace the one destroyed in a recent accident.
But the council rejected, on a 2-3 vote, an ordinance that would have placed strict limits on political signs posted on residents’ private property.
Council members passed a budget ordinance on final reading appropriating money for the purchase of the fire truck. The ordinance had been passed on first reading during a special council meeting the previous Monday night, Jan. 7.
Norris will replace its only certified fire truck, destroyed in a Nov. 12 accident, with a new Pierce Freightliner Commercial Pumper, which could arrive within four to six weeks, according to City Manager Bailey Whited.
The council on Jan. 7 declared the loss of the fire truck to be an emergency under state law, which exempted the city from having to seek bids on a new truck. Usually, any purchase over $10,000 requires such a bidding process.
A brand-new 2026 model, the Pierce pumper truck, with a 1,000-gallon onboard water tank, will be purchased from Siddons-Martin Emergency Group in Memphis.
“The Nov. 12 accident created an emergency situation that allows purchasing without competitive bidding,” Whited told the council last week.
Voters line up in the Andersonville Elementary School gym to cast their ballots in an election in 2024. - G. Chambers Williams III
The slate of candidates for the coming Anderson County election continues to grow, with Road Superintendent Gary Long filing for re-election this week, and two more filing for County Commission seats.
Michael Y. Foster picked up a petition last week to seek re-election to his commission seat in District 2, while newcomer Jawrell Cook picked up a petition for a seat in commission District 8.
Candidates, including two seeking the Republican nomination for Anderson County mayor, began filing for the various county positions when registration officially opened Dec. 22, with the primary election coming up May 5.
District 3 County Commissioner Joshua Anderson filed to run against incumbent Mayor Terry Frank in the GOP primary. Frank was the first candidate for any county office to pick up and file a petition to run.
Candidates have picked up petitions to run in all eight commission districts in the primary, according to the Anderson County Election Commission.
Anderson County Commissioner Shain Vowell talks to fellow Commissioner Tim Isbel. Isbel spoke in favor of Google Maps recognizing the Rosedale community in the New River area rather than considering it part of Briceville. - Ben Pounds
The Anderson County Commission will vote Tuesday, Jan. 20, on whether to ask the state of Tennessee to transfer some land along state Highway 116 to local residents in the New River area.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.
The Operations Committee voted Monday, Jan. 12, to bring the proposal before the full commission.
Operations Committee Chairman Tim Isbel told The Courier News that the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency owns much of the land in the area and that residents want it for housing and retail development.
