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Vol. 6, No. 10 • March 5, 2011 • www.ShopperNewsNow.com • 4509 Doris Circle, Knoxville 37918 • 922-4136
Raising Gideon
AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD Masons to serve breakfast J.C. Baker Masonic Lodge #720 of Maynardville will host an all-youcan-eat breakfast 7-11 a.m. Saturday, March 12. There will biscuits and gravy, sausage, bacon, eggs, coffee and drinks for an $8 donation. Children under 6 eat free with a paid adult donation. Tickets can be obtained from any Lodge member or purchased at the door. The Lodge is located just north of the Shell station and El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant on Highway 33. All are invited to attend.
Luttrell seeks scholarship applicants The city of Luttrell is accepting scholarship applications for a graduating senior residing in Luttrell. Applications are available at Luttrell City Hall during regular business hours, and applications will be accepted until April 15. Info: 992-0870.
Easter Egg hunts ■ Wilson Park will host the annual Union County Easter Egg Hunt for kids 11 a.m. Saturday, April 16, next to the Union County High School baseball field. There will be hunts for age groups 2 and under, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12. Rain date is April 23. The event is sponsored by Union County Parks and Recreation, Union County Business and Professional Association, First Century Bank, Commercial Bank and FSG Bank. ■ Big Ridge State Park will host the 13th annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 23. Twelve thousand eggs filled with toys, candy or extra prizes will be hidden. There are prize eggs and a grand prize for each age group, including toys, bicycles and food coupons. Bring the whole family and make a day of it. Children ages 2 and under hunt at 10 a.m. with parents’ help. Ages 3-4 hunt at 10:30, followed by ages 5-7 at 1 p.m., and ages 8-10 at 1:30. Info: 992-5523.
Paulette VFD to hold rummage sale Paulette Volunteer Fire Department is accepting sellable items for the annual rummage sale set for March 11-12 at the Paulette Building on Highway 33. Info or to donate: Terri Bruner, 992-6700; Debbie Caldwell, 992-6035; or Sheila Rice, 603-0396.
Training guide dog is labor of love for Morgan By Cindy Taylor
H
ave you heard about the Morgans? Union County abounds with talented folks, and this family is no different. Bill and Debbie Morgan set up shop on their sheep farm in Sharps Chapel when Bill retired as the UT extension agent for Union County. They are raising four children who take an active part on the farm but are talented in their own right as well. Oldest daughter Anna is a junior at Bryan College in Dayton, Tenn., and among her career choices is the consideration of becoming a veterinarian. Daughter Sarah is becoming well known in Union and surrounding counties for her ability to make a dulcimer sing. Son Jim is the youngest and is active with 4-H showing the sheep. At 12 years old, he is still pondering his career direction which could include carrying on the family’s sheep business but he also loves woodworking. And then along comes Mary. While happy working with her family on the farm and staying active in 4-H, her love of animals led her to pursue outlets to channel that love in a direction that would benefit others. An Internet search brought a company that handles guide dogs for the blind to her attention. You could say, “and the rest was history,” but that would be nowhere near the full story. “I was trying to figure out something I could do with animals,” said Mary. “Mom suggested I look into doing this.”
Mary Morgan and Gideon the dog sit on the steps at Mary’s home in Sharps Chapel. Mary is training Gideon to be a leader dog for the blind. Photo by C. Taylor
“I had heard about people raising dogs for the blind. I searched the Internet and found this organization in Michigan called Leader Dogs for the Blind. They breed the dogs, send them out for initial training, and then blind students come and stay there for about a month and are paired up with a dog.” Then, Gideon the future leader dog came for an extended stay with the Morgans.
in his bowl. He does not go to his food until given permission by Mary. As he eats, Mary places her hand in his food bowl to teach him not to be aggressive regarding his food. Mary has raised Gideon from the time he was 7 weeks old. In Mary was given a manual on August, she will take him back to the basic training for which she Michigan, where he will have an would be responsible. One part additional four months of training of the training involves having with a professional. Gideon stay when she places food To page A-3 Mary Morgan and Gideon the guide dog will be special guests at the Union County Lions Club meeting at noon Monday, April 11, at Hardee’s in Maynardville. All are welcome to attend.
Highway 33 widening, bridge construction delayed By Cindy Taylor Residents of Union County have been noticing a distinct lack of workers around the Highway 33 expansion sites in Maynardville, and work appears to be slow around the new Highway 33 Bridge as well. Media Relations Coordinator for TDOT B.J. Doughty explained the reasons for this. “Due to the difficulties of major construction work during the winter months, the contractor, APAC-Atlantic Inc, for the Highway 33 expansion through Maynardville has moved off the project for the past several weeks,” said Doughty. “Workers will be back on site Monday, March 7, to resume operations.” Doughty said that while the project is currently behind schedule, the projected completion date of Sept. 30 of this year still holds. Doughty also said that the contractor feels confi-
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Equipment sits idle along Highway 33. Photo by S. Carey
dent that the time can be made up and the completion date can be met. TDOT has been working through some design changes involving the foundations of the new Highway 33 Bridge for the
past few months. These changes were necessary due to the close proximity of the new bridge to the foundations of the existing bridge. “These changes will likely extend the time on this contract,
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but we don’t currently have a revised date,” said Doughty. “In the meantime, work is progressing with the completion of the abutments and the shallow water piers. Work is progressing on Pier #4, which is not impacted by any close foundations of the existing bridge.” The original completion date given by Mountain States Contractors LLC for the new Highway 33 Bridge was June 30, 2012. There is no word as to whether the changes will impact the projected completion date or the cost for the project. When asked if the continued problems were likely to cause a bottom line increase to the original contracted amount of $22.3 million for the new bridge, Jerry Britton, owner of Britton Bridge LLC and subcontractor for Mountain States LLC said that he was not at liberty to say.
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