POSTAL CUSTOMER
VOL. 8 NO. 30
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IN THIS ISSUE
Back-to-school
Brandi Davis presents the Shopper’s annual back-toschool feature with ads from area merchants and a complete school calendar for 2013-14.
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See page 9
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Beach Bash is Tuesday Loretta and Leonard’s Beach Bash is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, at the Union County Senior Center. Come for beach music, food and fun including Ms. Beach Bag contest, hula hoopin’ senior style, senior limbo. Wear your craziest beach attire. RSVP for hamburgers to Melanie at 992-3292.
Corn Fest at Farmers Market The Union County Farmers Market Corn Fest is 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, July 27, in the front parking lot of Union County High School. Fun activities include a treasure hunt, corn hole game and more.
School board to vote on budget The Union County Board of Education has a special called meeting and workshop starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, at Union County High School auditorium. Agenda items include a vote on the 2013-14 budget and on memoranda of understanding for in-school clinics and school resource officers. Director of Schools Dr. Jimmy Carter said the called meeting is necessary to get the budget vote ahead of the county commission’s August meeting.
Constructing to resume on 33 bridge By Marvin West Different bridge builders are coming to Union County. Very heavy equipment is supposedly en route. Soon construction will resume on the Highway 33 bridge over Norris Lake. So says Mark Nagi of the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The original $20-million project, announced by local politicians on Sept. 11, 2009, became a construction disaster two and a half years later when engineers belatedly discovered flaws in the bedrock. Everything stopped for a redesign of bridge footings.
UCHS schedules Union County High School students may pick up schedules and make changes as necessary on these dates/times: ■ 12th grade only – Tuesday, July 23, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. ■ 11th grade only – Wednesday, July 24, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. ■ 10th grade only – Thursday, July 25, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. ■ These will be the only times for changes to be made. The school office will be closed to the public July 26-29. ■ Ninth grade schedules will be given out at the orientation/hot dog dinner 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at UCHS.
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The 2000-feet bridge, once deemed a tragedy waiting to happen, is a really big deal, the most exciting part of the primary route from Middlesboro, Harrogate, Claiborne County and Sharps Chapel to Maynardville and Knoxville. It is heavily traveled. Kay and Kay Contracting of London, Ky., won the revised project in February with a bid of $18,310,000. The company is about to begin to start to do something. “The contractor is in the process of mobilizing a great amount of equipment to the
site to begin work on the drilled shafts,” said Nagi. “The drilling should begin by the first of August and if all goes according to schedule, drilling operations should be completed by the end of the year.” Target date for completion of the new bridge is Aug. 31, 2014. Sometime after that, the old bridge will be removed. It was built in 1936 in preparation for TVA closing the gates on Norris Dam to f lood the Clinch River basin. Replacing that old bridge had long been on the state draw-
ing board. Britton Bridge and Mountain States Contractors won that project, graded new highway approaches and built four giant pillars. They have stood since 2012 as silent sentinels to the change in plans. The state says Britton and Mountain States were paid and relieved of their obligations. Different conditions required different plans and construction methods. Kay and Kay has done rockslide repairs for TDOT and is currently building an I-75 interchange in Kentucky.
Music jam to honor Billy Joe Nicely By Mitzi Wood-Von Mizener Narrow Ridge invites our friends and neighbors to join us for a night of live music in celebration and remembrance of the life of Billy Joe Nicely from 7-10 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at our outdoor stage just up the road from the Mac Smith Resource Center at 1936 Liberty Hill Road. Guests are invited to share their talents in a forum that provides equal time to all who wish to participate. We are hopeful that friends will share stories and songs that are inspired by the memory of Billy Joe. He was always a highlight of our music gatherings and will be dearly missed by all of us at Narrow Ridge. Guests will be given the opportunity to make donations to the Nicely family for medical and Union County musicians: the late John Henry Thomas, Burl Wynn, Ashley Malone and the late Billy Joe Nicely. funeral expenses. This is a non-alBring your friends, family, tions to the snack table are ap- foods only, please). Info: 865-497coholic event that is free and open blanket or lawn chair. Contribu- preciated but not required (finger 3603. Hope you can join us! to all ages.
School starts this week
Luttrell registration New student registration at Luttrell Elementary School is Wednesday, July 31, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., said principal Sonja M. Saylor. Info: 992-3441.
July 27, 2013
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By Sandra Clark Wow! Where did the summer go? Teachers and kids return to school this week with some new faces at the helm and a renewed sense of excitement. Dr. Jimmy Carter has served twice as interim director of schools, but now it’s his show to run and he’s acting like the man in charge. In a lengthy interview last week, Carter said everyone will benefit from clear direction and leadership. The chief challenge this year is implementation of the Common Core, a rigorous standard of academic goals for which students across the state and nation will be tested. (Learn more at www. corestandards.org/) As a supervisor, Carter has attended training on the Common Core. “We know what the standards are, but we must now determine how that looks in a classroom,” he said. As an example, reading has been taught primarily by reading fiction. Now reading will be 80 to 85 percent non-fiction, historical or real-life, and students will be expected to write on the content, Carter said. “It’s not Jack and Jill went up the hill.”
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New readnance direcing books tor) Ann Dyer aligned with has been easy,” the Common said Carter. Core have been “She’s a purchased for thorough progrades K-8 and fessional, but teachers will it’s a learning start learning experience for new methods both of us.” for instruction Carter and the during profescentral office sional developstaff, especialment time, he ly special edusaid. cation teacher As the push Lenny Holt, for education gained experireform has Director of Schools Dr. Jimmy Carter ence in putting gained steam, together a budCarter said it’s not just classroom get last year. teachers who are unprepared. If a blessing came from the “The colleges are not turning out rocky final two years of for(education) graduates who are mer Director Wayne Goforth, versed in Common Core.” Edu- it’s that people in central ofcators have become used to re- fice were forced to step outside forms that come and then go, but their areas of expertise to tackle this one is here to stay, Carter district-wide issues such as the predicted. “And that’s not a bad budget. thing. We will have fewer stanThat experience, coupled with dards, giving the teachers time the new school board budget to develop topics more deeply committee and the appointment and a little richer.” of Dyer, has led to a smoother ■ The district’s budget is budget process this year. expected to be approved by the ■ Roger Flatford has Cartschool board this week and go er’s old job, supervisor of K-8 edto County Commission in early ucation. Was it just Roger’s turn? August. “Working with (new fiAbsolutely not, Carter said.
“Roger (principal at Big Ridge Elementary for 15 years) was a teaching principal. He can go into the classroom and model best practices. “When I held that position my shortcoming was that I was not in the classroom enough. I didn’t give him (oversight of) transportation or personnel, things that took my time. “I wanted a curriculum person, an educator. And that’s Roger’s strength – teaching. He loves teaching and his academic strength is math, an area where our schools need help. “At Big Ridge he was in the classrooms frequently. He monitored kids’ (achievement). He tutored students before and after school. “I’ve known Roger for a long time. We graduated from high school together. I know his abilities.” ■ At Maynardville Elementary School, Carter installed Lisa Carter (no relation) as principal. He said the school needs to improve test scores. When the 800-pupil MES was split in half with the creation of Paulette Elementary, roughly 400 kids To page 2
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