Union County Shopper-News 112614 by Shopper-News

POSTAL CUSTOMER

VOL. 9 NO. 47 NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ

Pecans have arrived!

The Union County Lions Club is selling pecans to raise funds to help provide eye care services for Union County citizens. Pecans are currently available at the Union County Trustee’s Office in the courthouse, First Century Bank and Commercial Bank (Maynardville branch). Cost is $10 per pound for halves and $12 per pound for 12-ounce packages of dark chocolate covered pecans.

Nicley resigns as sheriff ’s deputy Union County Commissioner Dennis Nicley has resigned from the Sheriff’s Office where he was a deputy sheriff. Sheriff Billy Breeding confirmed Nicley’s resignation on Nov. 17, but deDennis Nicley clined to comment further. Shopper-News was unable to reach Nicley. Nicley is credited with a traffic stop in Luttrell in December 2011 that resulted in the recovery of some $80,000 worth of stolen ATVs.

IN THIS ISSUE Fletcher is parade candy man If you and the children are going to the Christmas parades in Luttrell and/or Maynardville, tell them to be on the lookout for Ted Fletcher. He’ll be the good guy in the old Chevy pickup truck, ﬁreengine red, restored with tender, loving care to look as good as it is. The boys in the back will be Landon and Cameron. Give ’em a shout. They’ll have treats to share.

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Read Marvin West on page 2

‘Under the Tree’ Five hundred needy children in Union County are registered for Union County Children’s Charities’ “Under the Tree” program, and wish list ornaments are still hanging on trees awaiting angels.

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Read Libby Morgan on page 3

‘Shop Local’ Find dozens of stores with special deals for Christmas in the Chamber-sponsored “Shop Local” promotion.

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See list on page 8

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November 26, 2014

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Nease shatters 50-year scoring record By Libby Morgan Back in 1964, Horace Maynard High School basketball player Lynn Bowman broke his older brother Ray’s single-game scoring record. Ray himself had broken the record twice in his high school years in the late ′50s, once with 47 points and again with 49. Lynn, team captain and senior at the time, scored an even 50 points against Friendsville six years later. Lynn’s plaque has stood unmatched in the trophy case for the last 50 years. Lynn says, “It’s an honor to have the record that long.” Last week, Brady Nease was on ﬁre at the Patriots’ on-court contest with the Knox Ambassadors, scoring 51 points in the game. This feat more than qualiﬁed him as Patriot Athlete of the Week, if not the half-century. Lynn says, “Brady is a great ball player with great talent. These players nowadays are more talented, plus they get more training. It’s a faster game, more up-tempo, than when we played. “We had a fairly good team,” he continues, “We scored more than 100 points in a couple of games. But we didn’t play like these guys, and their competition is welltrained and talented, too.” Nease says, “After my dad congratulated me that night, he told me what I had already said – my score would have only been 42 back in the old days before the

Brady Nease beside the trophy case that has held Lynn Bowman’s scoring plaque since 1964. three-point rule. I’ll be sure to tell that to Lynn when I see him.” Bowman, a resident of Tazewell, will attend an upcoming home game to pass the torch to Nease. Nease says his little brother Barron, 13, is playing very well on the court.

“I hope he beats me one day. He’s telling me he’s going to. I think he’s going to be taller than me,” says the 6-4 Nease. Their sister, Brooklyn, channels her athleticism as a member of the cheerleading squad. Their parents are Kelvin and Joy Nease. The basketball Patriots started

the season with a 55-37 win over Central, a score of 93-63 in the record-breaking game, and they beat Gibbs in a close one at 63-61. “It’s early in the season, but Brady’s got a good game point average so far at 36 points,” says To page 3

Big changes for Hwy 61 in Luttrell By Libby Morgan TDOT brought a big presentation to the Luttrell Community Center, and a big crowd showed up to learn about plans to make Highway 61 safer through their city. TDOT ofﬁcial Steve Allen says, “Several years ago, (Mayor Johnny) Merritt and a few other folks came to Nashville and met with us about this road. The mayor left an impression on the commissioner (John Schroer), who said Merritt was very genuine. At the end of the meeting, the commissioner turned to me and said, ‘Steve, I want you to go up there and see what you can do to help them.’ “I’ve been personally involved with this project since then, and I TDOT official Steve Allen points to one of several drawings showing plans to straighten curves on Highway 61 in Luttrell. plan to see it through to fruition.

“These plans are not carved in stone, and we want your input before we decide on any of it. “We have these meetings in big cities, and we often don’t see this many people as we have here tonight.” A court reporter was on hand to get attendees’ comments on record. “This road has been looked at for a long time. We started back in 1994 by looking at 10.1 miles from Hwy 33 in Maynardville over to Blaine. The recommendations called for 12-foot lanes with 10foot shoulders. “The whole project is at $54 million in today’s dollars. It’s a To page 2

School board wants to extend TN Virtual Academy By Sandra Clark The Union County Board of Education voted unanimously Nov. 20 to extend the Tennessee Virtual Academy contract with K12 Inc. subject to possible changes in state law. State Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman had threatened to close the innovative program that brings about $400,000 into the Union County school system’s budget annually. But Huffman announced his resignation earlier this month, and Gov. Bill Haslam has not named a replacement. School board attorney Mary Ann Stackhouse advised the board to proceed cautiously. The contract between K12 Inc. and Union

County Public Schools renews automatically unless the board gives 180-days’ notice of its intent to non-renew. Stackhouse said the authorizing act will “sunset” on June 30, 2016, unless the Legislature extends it. She said a notice to nonrenew is the safest course. “We want to renew,” said board member Marty Gibbs, “and we want K12 to understand that is our intent.” Gibbs’s motion authorized Director of Schools Jimmy Carter and Stackhouse to draft a letter to K12 expressing the board’s desire to continue the Tennessee Virtual Academy, subject to action by the Legislature.

■ Also on Thursday, the board adopted a la carte prices for adult lunches in the schools including a $4 per plate charge for holiday meals. But the vote was not without objection. “We’re going backwards for faculty and staff,” said Carolyn Murr, president of the Union County Education Association. “These are federal guidelines,” said Carter. “A school lunch program is for students. “(Adults) have the right to do whatever you choose (either eat the lunches or not).” Carter said school lunches are nutritious and fairly priced, even at the higher rate for adults. Murr saw the increase as an-

other nibble at the employees’ standard of living: “We need a raise. It’s been too long.” ■ Carter appointed Ronnie Mincey and Roxanne Patterson to the “special question committee,” required by the Professional Educators Collaborative Conferencing Act (PECCA). The board ratiﬁed teacher representatives: Carolyn Murr, Sarah D. Maness, Cheryl Roark, Shane Rose and John Fugate. The committee will conduct a conﬁdential poll of all eligible professional employees to determine if 15 percent or more want to be represented by the UCEA in collaborative conferencing.

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2 • NOVEMBER 26, 2014 • UNION COUNTY Shopper news

Good guys in Christmas parades By Marvin West If you and the children are going to the Christmas parades in Luttrell and/or Maynardville, tell them to be on the lookout for Ted Fletcher. He’ll be the good guy in the old Chevy pickup truck, fire-engine red, restored with tender, loving care to look as good as it is. The boys in the back will be Landon and Cameron. Give ’em a shout. They’ll have treats to share. I researched this story at Dollar General in almost downtown Maynardville the other day. Ted was buying all the leftover Halloween candy. He had both arms full of bags and boxes, on the way to checkout. I asked if he was going to open a candy store. He laughed and said he was going to give it away. I got quiet while he paid with cash money, $68. Explain, please. “This will be our sixth year to give away candy in the Christmas parades in Luttrell and Maynardville,” said Ted. “Our grandsons sit in the back of the truck and throw candy to other children. This is just something we do. We enjoy the smiles

and the laughter.” Does it get too cold for grandchildren in the back of a slow-moving pickup truck? “Oh no, we have a propane camping heater. They can handle it.” The next time I talked with Ted, he had been to another store and invested an additional $54 in discounted candy. “You are serious,” said I. “Does your wife know you are spending like this?” He laughed again. He said Sonjia likes the idea and is part of the project. “She likes parades. She has an entry.” Sonjia Fletcher will be driving a 1927 Mercedes, brown and cream. Give her a cheer but don’t expect bonus candy. Focus on the red truck. The Fletchers live in Luttrell. Ted operates ABC Scrapyard. The Luttrell parade is Saturday, Dec. 6, and starts at noon at Lutrell Park. Registration is required. Forms are available at cityofluttrell@att.net or 865-9920878. The Maynardville parade is Sunday, Dec14, and starts at 2 p.m. at the high school.

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Ted Fletcher, owner of ABC Scrapyard in Luttrell, is ready for the parades with a tub full of candy and his fire engine red antique pickup.

Hwy 61 huge project, and it’s almost impossible to fund in today’s environment. That’s where the safety money comes in. “The widening has been completed in Section 4 – the 1.9 miles starting in Blaine. As soon as you leave that two miles of super road, you see a sign saying ‘Road Narrows.’” According to Allen, a $168,000 contract is being let in 2015 for better signage, rumble strips, guard

From page 1 rails and more delineation on Sections 2 and 3 of Hwy 61, what TDOT calls a “major collector.” He points out that these sections, between Jim Town Road and Hwy 370, have a severe crash rate of double the state average, which qualifies the sections for state road safety dollars … money that is “immediately available.” “Our display boards illustrate major, major improvements and their options for the longer term,” Allen says.

“This is going to take care of roadway realignments, a retaining wall and drainage work, requiring environmental studies, in-depth design planning and rightof-way procurements.” The sharp curves near the north end of Hwy 370 and at the Luttrell Fire Department will be bypassed by major realignments. The curve at Jim Town Loop is slated to be straightened, changing the angle of the intersection to ninety degrees. Other areas will be widened to 11-foot lanes with

shoulders added. Straightening of the “Woodson Curve” at Seven Springs Farm is “way down the road,” says Allen. “This project will truly improve the safety, decrease the driving time and improve the drainage. We’ll have one to two years of actual construction and some road closures to deal with, mainly one-lane closures, and a total cost of $12.7 million.” Allen concluded his presentation with an estimated timeline calling for completion in 2019.

UNION COUNTY Shopper news • NOVEMBER 26, 2014 • 3

Deadline Monday for ‘Under the Tree’ toy drive Five hundred needy children in Union County are registered for Union County Children’s Charities’ “UnLibby der the Tree” program, and wish list ornaments are still Morgan hanging on trees awaiting angels. Gina Buckner and her elves will be filling those Okie’s Pharmacy, Tolliver’s wish lists with purchases Market, Pete’s Place, Comafter the deadline of Dec. 1. mercial Bank, First CenIf you would like to put a big Christmas smile on a child’s face, pick up one or more ornaments at any of these businesses: Food City,

tury Bank, FSG Bank, New South Credit Union, Janet’s Hair and Tan, and Union County Chiropractic. Or, bring an unwrapped toy to any Union County Dollar General or to American Business Equipment. Monetary donations are also accepted through the Trustee’s office in the courthouse.

Lisa Jo Bailey of Okie’s Pharmacy talks with Allen Goodson while he picks out an “ornament” with a child’s Christmas wish list. Photo by Libby Morgan

Hectic holidays

Keeping history alive

Bill Collins takes a midday break from erecting the Christmas Ron Clevenger, Joe Rogers and Bonnie Peters clean original reclaimed flooring while Chef Walter Lambert (third from left) eats tree at the courthouse to have an early Thanksgiving lunch a “Corryton Elementary Peanut Butter Cookie” from a recipe he rediscovered from his schooldays. The Oak Grove Schoolhouse at the UT Extension office. Allison Padgett-Campbell is in the background. Photo by Libby Morgan restoration in Sharps Chapel is a project of Union County Preservation. More help is always welcome. Photo by Libby Morgan

50-year scoring record coach Shane Brown. “We’ve got some really good teams to beat.” Nease scored 32 in the Central game and 26 against Gibbs. Sophomore starter Sabrina Boggs is being recognized for her successes on the basketball court, too, as this week’s other Patriot Athlete of the Week. She scored 19 points against Gibbs and six points against Central, the first two games of the season. “I’ve played basketball since I started walking. When I picked up a ball, I was just so excited about it, and I started playing and got addicted to it,” says Boggs. She’s considering a career as an ultrasound technician. Her parents are Vivian Kitts, Jason Boggs and Phil Kitts.

From page 1

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4 • NOVEMBER 26, 2014 • UNION COUNTY Shopper news

opinion

Beyond Walker’s Ford

New teacher on the block January 1979 brought a new teacher to Horace Maynard High School to replace the retiring J. B. Mitchell. He will probably not be as well-remembered as several other Union County educators as he was only with the school system for one and a half years. But this gentleman offered his students new, refreshing teaching methods and a love of space exploration. I was privileged to have Mr. Pat Ballard for the last semester of eighth grade and the entire year of freshman science. Mr. Mitchell had taken us through probably threefourths of the eighth grade science textbook before he left, and it wouldn’t take the entire remainder of the school year to complete the portion remaining. This presented Mr. Ballard with a challenge which he met admirably. It was obvious from Mr. Ballard’s teaching that he enjoyed two things. One was TV game shows. Particularly popular at the time was “Password,” hosted by Allen Ludden, husband of none other than Betty White of “The Golden Girls” and “Hot in Cleveland.” We spent many a pleasant hour in Mr. Ballard’s class learning scientific facts through a classroom game based on “Password.” Also popular at the time was TV personality Margie Ison. In a day when only three television stations were available in the Knoxville area (and some of us could only receive two), Margie for many years reported the weather on Channel 6. During Mr. Ballard’s stint in our eighth grade science class, Margie made the move to Channel 10. Mr. Ballard turned this into a teachable moment by conducting a survey to see

Ronnie Mincey TEACHER TIME which commanded more loyalty: Margie or Channel 6 (if memory serves, Margie won hands down). By far what I remember most about Mr. Ballard was his love of the space program. He taught a unit that focused on the origination of the space program and the parts played by the seven original astronauts. Mr. Ballard extended this beyond traditional learning by having us do projects. I do not remember anything at all about my project, but I do remember my friend Bill Petraska’s. Bill covered himself in Selsun Blue shampoo and pretended to be an alien. He was interviewed by his partner Mike Brown in a fictitious, and to me entirely memorable, presentation. In sixth period freshman science, a debate ensued as to whether two one-liter plastic bottles would indeed fill one two-liter plastic bottle. This was tested by filling the one-liter bottle twice and pouring the contents into the two-liter bottle. In answer to my question to Mr. Ballard as to why he chose me to conduct this experiment, he replied, “Why not?” By the way, no false advertising there – two one-liter bottles exactly equaled one two-liter bottle (at least in 1980). Union County lost a great teacher when Mr. Ballard did not return in fall 1980. Next week I turn to another experience courtesy of a new teacher.

Here is the second installment of excerpts from Brigadier General O.B. Willcox’ Civil War diary, as documented in War of the Rebellion, Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 31, Part I: Four Miles from Walker’s Ford. Dec. 3, 1863, 6 p.m. General: I forward dispatches received from scouts. Prisoners will be forwarded in the morning. One of them by the name of Smith, First Tennessee, was attached to General Jones’ headquarters; his company was on duty as scouts and guides. He says that Jones told him the night before the fight that he was going to Blain’s Cross Roads. It is possible that while Wheeler’s brigade started toward Kingston, Jones’ command will move up toward Virginia to cover Longstreet’s left flank. There is no doubt that Colonel Dibrell was wounded and Assistant AdjutantGeneral was killed in the affair of yesterday. /s/ O.B. Willcox, Brigadier-General. Major-General Foster, Irwin’s Ford Road, Dec. 3,

Bonnie Peters

1863, 7:30 p.m. General: I have sent your dispatch for General Grander to Colonel Graham, with orders to send an officer and 2 or 3 intelligent men, all of whom shall be fully posted. I would advise, in addition, that you send from Tazewell to Colonel Davis, who is at Fincastle or near Clinton, and has already opened communication with Colonel Byrd. Colonel Harney, who is at Tazewell, will forward the communication. The prisoner who was at Jones’ headquarters said that General Jones told him that he was going to Bean’s Station. I don’t place much reliance in this, except upon the theory that Longstreet has commenced his retreat, of which there is no evidence. I am satisfied that Longstreet was re-enforced by Buckner and perhaps Cheatham. I have ordered

Colonel Graham to have the enemy followed and watched closely, and to support the advance regiment with any force required. Very respectfully, /s / O. B. Willcox, Brigadier-General. Major-General Foster, Tazewell, Dec. 4, 1863. General: Will you do me the favor to address the enclosed letter to my wife, Detroit? I have no pen and ink. As the report that the rebel cavalry had gone toward Kingston pressing axes to block up the roads is not confirmed, but went on toward Knoxville, it seems to me that Longstreet will soon be put in a fi x, for he cannot afford to cross the river and fight Sherman, nor to leave the river all open to Sherman and fight Granger; hence, unless his force is greater than we suppose, he must retreat. The move of Ransom to Bean’s Station may be intended merely for our benefit, or to keep us from moving down through Clinch Mountain. Since my Indiana boys have done so well, I think we could whip Ransom if we could concentrate upon him; but I think

the present disposition of our forces is all that can be desired in the present attitude of affairs. A citizen here thought he heard cannon firing in direction of Clinton yesterday morning, but did not seem confident of it. Please send my letter home by the most speedy means, and oblige. Yours respectfully, /s/ O. B. Willcox, Brigadier-General. Major-General Foster, Tazewell, Dec. 4, 1863, 4 p.m. General: Captain Hutchins has made a mistake. I sent him up to ask you to give Garrard his orders, if you had not done so already through Colonel Foster; but it seems that Captain Hutchins confounded Garrard with Graham. I have sent copies of both your instructions to Colonel Graham already, myself adding that he must act according to circumstances. His last dispatch mentioned a force, and he had sent to re-enforce his scouting party so as to observe it more closely. As there is some fear of further mistake, will you please send me as definite orders as possible to send Colonel Graham tonight? Very respectfully, /s/ O. B. Willcox, Brigadier-General.

Giving thanks, the American way Starving 17th-century pilgrims would hardly recognize today’s Thanksgiving, now known to Native Americans as “What Were We Thinking Day,” when many celebrate by joyfully pummeling one another as they wrestle for the last Playstation 4 on the shelves of Best Buy at 6 a.m. But Americans have kept the natives’ giving tradition alive. Walmart, Target, Sears, Macy’s and Big Lots, to name a few, thoughtfully give their employees additional hours on Thanksgiving to earn money they will be too tired to spend before Christmas. Inevitably, some workers will think only of themselves and whine about missing time with their families. The giant retailers allow for this by staffing their

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stores with “volunteers.” The resulting 95 percent shortfall in manpower is made up by feckless employees accustomed to eating regularly and sleeping indoors. Don’t let righteous indignation stand in the way of enjoying your turkey and trimmings. Big box stores are upholding the American way of giving. It started not long after that first Thanksgiving feast. Maybe the funny hats and all those “thees” and “thous” should have tipped off the original owners of the land of the free, but it was several years before they realized what the newcomers were giving them, good and hard. And they kept on giving, treaty after shattered

treaty, promise upon broken promise. They gave the Sioux a prairie unspoiled by buffalo, the Comanche a dry wasteland to farm, a trail of tears to the Cherokee. In the name of Manifest Destiny, our forebears slashed their way across the continent, even as clueless folks like Brigham Young made a wrong turn in Wyoming and ended up in Utah, where they founded the Church of Donnie and Marie. At day’s end, to paraphrase a prescient Roman philosopher, they made a desert and called it peace. Like those pioneers, Walmart and the Big Box Brethren (which, by the way, would make a great name for an alternative rock band) marched bravely into Bangladesh, China and Vietnam crying, “Bring us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, and we will pay them 27 cents an hour to make sweatshirts and Cabbage Patch Kid knockoffs.” Theirs is the gift that

keeps on giving: consumerism. They will give it to the American people with both barrels just as long as our demand for cheap goods outweighs our notion of fairness for the workers, here and abroad, who make it possible. In the recent mid-term elections, voters approved a hike in the minimum wage in a handful of states. Those results are likely to become outliers in a political environment that sees Walmart effectively bribing its employees to donate to a political action committee that backs the company’s favorite politicians. Your money is safe if you bet none of those turkeys favors a bump in the federal minimum wage. Obviously, we don’t hold a monopoly on exploiting the less fortunate and driving them from their ancestral homes. It’s a practice that long predates Hitler’s quest for “lebensraum.” We can be thankful today that we are Americans, but as Americans we should aim higher.

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UNION COUNTY Shopper news • NOVEMBER 26, 2014 • 5

Vanderbilt is disaster zone This is a revised version of those saddest of words, “It might have been.” Former Tennessee recruit Brian Kimbrow has emerged as the poster person for the disappointing Vanderbilt Commodores. Once upon a time, the 5-8 prep star from Memphis was hailed as a great catch, a genuine coup by James Franklin. Everybody wanted Kimbrow – Alabama, Notre Dame, Southern Cal. He was the No. 4 all-purpose back in the nation. If you thought Tennessee would sign him, you didn’t know the coach of the Commodores. The super-smooth salesman had little trouble talking down Derek Dooley. Vandy 1, Tennessee 0. Kimbrow lived up to expectations as a freshman kick returner and was among team leaders in rushing yardage. That was 2012, the year Brian celebrated the one-sided victory over the Vols. He sure was glad he didn’t go to Rocky Top. Vanderbilt University was his kind of place. Kimbrow was less productive as a sophomore and seemed to suffer a genuine

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Marvin West

setback when Franklin departed for Penn State. This season, he carried one time, lost six yards, fumbled and managed to get suspended for conduct unbecoming a Commodore. So said new coach Derek Mason. That treatment apparently failed to produce a cure. Three weeks later, Mason dismissed the junior. Only comment was a rather caustic “no one player is bigger than the team.” Strange that Vandy, like Kimbrow, underachieved. Before the season, USA Today tallied the young talent Franklin couldn’t get into his suitcase and said this was again a bowl team (blessed with an easy schedule) that would “run the football with intimidating efficiency.” Hasn’t happened. Sea-

son highlights: 34-31 over UMass, 21-20 over Charleston Southern and 42-28 over Old Dominion. Notice anything missing? Hint: Vanderbilt plays in the Southeastern Conference. Tennessee enters this disaster zone on Saturday. It will be a double-disaster if the Volunteers trip over their own feet and get beat. Tennessee-Vanderbilt is a strange rivalry. Since 1928 the Volunteers have won 71, lost 11 and tied two. My best Vandy friend says I am as old-fashioned as those numbers. That was then, he says. What matters is now. The Commodores have a two-game winning streak against Tennessee. Think about that! A similar disaster occurred in 1925-26. A young soldier named Robert Reese Neyland took care of that. This current mess started the day before Dooley’s dismissal. Tennessee had won 28 of the previous 29 games but 2012 was a stampede the other direction. It included a Vanderbilt kneeldown to avoid running up

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the score. A gracious Coach Franklin thought 41-18 was sufficient. Last year was different but bad. For 56 minutes, Tennessee’s defense played almost good enough to win. It had held Vanderbilt to seven points while forcing four turnovers. Unfortunately, what happened in the final four minutes is what we remember. The Commodores drove the length of the field, 92 yards to be precise, to break some hearts, shatter the home team, put an end to bowl hopes and guarantee a fourth consecutive losing season. Perhaps you recall the sequence of events: Two long pass plays, a facemask penalty and video evidence that overturned a ruling on the field. The clincher was quarterback Patton Robinette’s fake pass and fiveyard scamper to the end zone with 16 seconds to spare. It looked so easy. It hurt so bad. I’m trying to forget, I really am. This Tennessee team could be of some help.

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