POSTAL CUSTOMER
VOL. 9 NO. 15
IN THIS ISSUE Headless cow haunts Norris Lake Somewhere there’s a cow head singing, “I… ain’t got no body,” … said body has been floating for weeks now by Stiners Small Wild Area on the Powell River. The rotting hulk has been just offshore by Shirlee Grabko and Bill Manning’s dock, and heavily perfuming the nearby air.
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April 12, 2014
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Ridge Runners all smiles
Read Libby Morgan on page 3
August ballot set Barring a withdrawal on April 10, the ballot for the nonpartisan Aug. 7 general election has been set. There were a couple of surprises. Union County Mayor Mike Williams drew two challengers: Jeff Brantley, who owns a trucking company and currently serves on the county commission; and Thomas Heemstra, a retired Air Force and business executive who lives in Sunset Bay. Sheriff Earl Loy Jr. faces former chief deputy William F. “Billy” Breeding II. Constable and former state representative Chad Faulkner had picked up a petition but withdrew on April 2. He is a candidate for re-election as constable.
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Read Sandra Clark’s report on 2
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Morgan Johnson, a 4th grader at Big Ridge Elementary, gets a congratulatory high five from race director Jennifer Massengill at the inaugural Ridge Runners race at Big Ridge State Park. More pictures and story on Page 2.
McCollough marks 25 years By Libby Morgan
Pre-K Round-up Pre-K Round-up is Saturday, April 12, at Horace Maynard Middle School. If your child will be 4 years old by Aug. 15, he/she could qualify for Pre-K. Contact Luttrell Elementary, 992-3441; Maynardville Elementary, 992-8391; or Sharps Chapel Elementary, 278-3294 for appointment to sign up. Bring: copy of birth certificate, copy of social security card, proof of residence (such as an electric bill), copy of case number for anyone who receives state benefits, food stamps, etc., proof of income (tax return), and physical/shot record with doctor’s signature. Questions: call elementary school and ask to speak to the Pre-K teacher.
Luttrell Beautification Luttrell residents will sponsor a community cleanup, plant giveaway and beautification awards on Luttrell Beautification Day, 9 a.m. until noon Saturday, April 26, at Luttrell Park. Info: Mayme at maymejodys@aol.com or Rebecca at 992-0870 to volunteer.
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Back in 1989, M. T. Booker decided to retire from his post as State Farm Insurance agent in Maynardville. Enter David McCollough, who had been working with Phil Nichols in Halls for a couple of years. “I looked back at some photos from then. I had a lot more hair and I weighed a lot less,” jokes McCollough. He and his staff are celebrating his 25th year of providing auto, home, life and health insurance in Maynardville. The office is on Monroe Street across from the courthouse. “My first claim was probably my oddest. A car hit a horse up in Tater Valley. There were injuries involved and, sadly, the horse died. “And in 1994, a hailstorm caused a huge number of claims. David McCullough with his staff, Traci Hickman, Jake McCollough and Lisa I was out in it, and I experienced Loy. Photo by Libby Morgan
firsthand what softball-sized hail looks like. “Insurance has changed a lot in 25 years. We used to cold call all over the area. Tanya Cooke did a lot of that for me. But with new regulations and legislation, we don’t do that anymore. “A lot of my business is from out-of-towners. They see that there’s a State Farm here, and they come in for coverage on their vacation property.” He mentions Darlene Wine as one of the newcomers who showed up, and stayed for 13 years, working in the office. She retired last year. Traci Hickman is the administrative assistant and Lisa Loy takes care of customer service. David’s son, Jake, has been at the State Farm office for a year and hopes to advance his career with State Farm. Info: 992-5268.
Prosecuting criminals every day By Sandra Clark Lori Phillips-Jones has an easy laugh, but don’t let that fool you. The district attorney general has a backbone of ramrod steel. Convicting and jailing criminals has a way of toughening up a person. Running for election for the first time since her appointment by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2012, Phillips-Jones is juggling trials in her 5-county district with campaign events and her family. She’s also monitoring legislation and working with state Rep. Dennis Powers to make it harder to buy ingredients for methamphetamines. She says juggling is nothing new. Most women learn early to multi-task. “With our work in General Sessions, Juvenile and Criminal
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courts, along with the Grand Jury, our office handles 610 court sessions per year,” she said. Jared Effler, a longtime assistant district attorney, is challenging Phillips-Jones in the Aug. 7 election. Effler, who lives in Union County, requested 50 earned days off to campaign. Phillips-Jones just fired him. “Had he been gone for 50 days, now would we cover (our) court (dates)?” she said. “(His absence) would have left our office understaffed.” On Effler’s chief campaign issue – an office in every county – Phillips-Jones says the state allocates a specific amount of money. “There’s no money to open an office (in Union and Fentress counties) and staff them fulltime.” The assistant
DA assigned to Union County is at the courthouse most Thursdays and is readily available to law enforcement officers, she said. The job: “Anyone can be a victim of crime. We have to be sensitive to that. The district attorney must be stern and tough yet compassionate to victims. “I am proud of the fact that we have a high percentage of cases resolved,” she said. Resolved means with a conviction or plea bargain. In 2011-12, with 19,531 warrants issued in General Sessions courts, 94 percent of the cases were resolved. For that same period, 4,713 cases were brought in Criminal Lori Phillips-Jones examines criminal courts with 92 percent resolved. stats during an interview. Photo by S. Phillips-Jones oversees a staff Clark of 47 including attorneys. She’s even compiled the staff’s collecTo page 2
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