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A great community newspaper
VOL. 7 NO. 19
IN THIS ISSUE
‘Little Red Corvette’
May 12, 2012
Summer days in the Chapel
How would you like to cruise the county in your very own Corvette? Well, that distinction could be yours if you are the winner of the Upper Room Ministries raffle. A member of the church has donated a red 2000 Corvette convertible valued at $19,750 to the church. Until the winning ticket is drawn, Sharps Chapel resident Dudley Cunningham will have the unique honor of driving the car around Union and Claiborne counties so folks can get a look at the car.
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POSTAL CUSTOMER
Members of Union County Bent Grass Band are Doug Steffe, Lee Ogle, Glenn Ogle, Randall Walker and Randy Zilz.
See Cindy’s story on page 3
A turn of the pen
Wood-turned items come in all shapes and sizes. Bob Stephens dabbles in one of the smallest. His hand-turned fountain pens are eye-catching, beautiful and functional. He uses many different types of wood to make pens from light to dark in color. His preferences run from walnut, oak, ebony and cherry to Cocobolo and Koa.
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See Down-home Update on page 4
Tennessee restoration
By Cindy Taylor
All you need is a periscope. Tennessee football fans who survived the depths of the worst season in 75 years are again paddling toward the surface. They think they see good times ahead. Well, at least better days.
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See Marvin’s story on page 5
It’s bird’s nest time!
A gardening friend of mine showed me a new and active bird’s nest last week. It was situated in a small flame azalea bush, no leaves on it yet, but the birds apparently had confidence that the leaves would be there in time to hide and shelter the soon-to-be baby birds. The nest was a thing of beauty, precisely constructed and containing four little blue eggs. It got me to thinking about bird’s nests, both in general and also on a personal level.
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Shoffner making up for lost time Many people have birthday parties thrown for them, but some get tired of waiting and just throw their own. For Sharps Chapel residents who happened into the park May 5, Jack Shoffner’s 50th birthday party was a great way to spend the day. Everyone was invited, and no presents were required. Bluegrass music rang out across the park in Sharps Chapel while party goers strolled the grounds, ate inexpensive hot dogs and barbecue, and viewed vintage vehicles driven in by locals. “I had never had a birthday party, so I decided to do something for myself when I turned 50,” said Shoffner. “I’m hoping this will give some kids something to do during the summer.” Shoffner hopes to make up for 50 years of no parties by bringing in food and music to the park each month during the summer and Birthday boy Jack Shoffner brought his restored 1940 Plymouth vintage coupe to the Sharps Chapel Fun Day. hopes others will join in the fun. Photos by C. Taylor
See Dr. Collier’s story on page 7
Index Business Community Down-home Update Marvin West Lynn Hutton Kids
2 3 4 5 5 6-7
4509 Doris Circle 37918 (865) 922-4136 news@ShopperNewsNow.com ads@ShopperNewsNow.com EDITOR Cindy Taylor brentcindyt@gmail.com ADVERTISING SALES Brandi Davis davisb@ShopperNewsNow.com Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly at 4509 Doris Circle, Knoxville, TN, and distributed to 11,000 homes in Union County.
Bus service: Yes, no, maybe? By Cindy Taylor The Union County school board held a special called meeting May 3 to discuss four pertinent issues, the most important being whether buses will continue to run through the last days of school. The board decided last fall to stop bus service for those days in anticipation of a budget shortfall. Temporary Director of Schools Jimmy Carter plans to approach County Commission at its May 14 meeting to request additional
UNION PAWN
funds so bus service can continue. “We hope to have enough in our fuel supplement to handle a couple of those days,” said Carter. “If County Commission does not approve funding for this, we will not be running buses for at least the last six days.” If there is no money forthcoming from County Commission, the days when no buses will run are slotted for May 14-18, 21, 22 and 26. May 25 has always been a professional development day, and
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the state forgave two snow days that weren’t used. Because of this, May 23 and 24 will be added as professional development days. If the fuel supplement can be used, May 14 and 15 are the dates that will most likely have bus service. The board will have a special called meeting immediately after the County Commission meeting on May 14 if funds are approved. If not, the school board will not meet, and the bus service will end after May 15. When asked if this breaks contracts with bus drivers, Carter said the contracts have a built-in addendum that if funds are not available to continue bus service, the school system cannot be held liable. Payment to Rouse Construction has been denied by the school board since before the new Paulette Elementary School was completed due to a disagree-
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ment about kitchen items. The cost ended up as more than what had been originally discussed, but the board agreed to pay the additional $7,000 and put the issue behind them. At the advice of the board attorney, the wording of bus contracts has been revised, and this will be discussed and a vote taken about accepting the new wording at the May 10 regular meeting. The bid process for bus contracts has also been revised and a new point system has been put in place. This system includes 20 points for vendor buses and maintenance facilities, 30 points for vendor experience/ability, 20 points for communication plan and 30 points for proposed cost. A detailed description of requirements will be available for vendors at a later date.
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