County, state and federal elected officials joined members of the local judiciary for the third-annual Elected Officials Food Pantry Drive on June 24 at St. Joseph Pantry. The bipartisan effort, coordinated by Sabra Beauchamp, Daniel Forrester and Ryan Spitzer, raised more than $1,800 for the pantry.
Donors included Beauchamp, Forrester, Spitzer, Victoria Bowling, Warren Gooch, Randy McNally, Rick Scarbrough, Chuck Fleischmann, Jim Dodson, Sean Gleason, Terry Frank, Denise Palmer, Chad McNabb, Regina Copeland, Tim Shelton, Jeff Cole and Maura Vespie.
Military veterans from Anderson County are invited to come together this Saturday July 11) for the monthly Veterans Breakfast at the Clinton Community Center, 101 S. Hicks St.
In honor of America’s 250th Birthday, July’s breakfast will be held in the Community Center gymnasium to accommodate additional entertainment.
The chow line opens at 8:30 a.m. and there will be a brief program at 9 a.m. honoring veterans.
This month’s breakfast, hosted by Anderson County citizens, is sponsored by Apple Blossom Cafe and Catering, and the doughnuts are provided by state Rep. Ed Butler.
These breakfasts are held to recognize and honor local veterans and their families for their service to the United States.
Ron Meredith, president of Clinton Broadcasting, has been named the recipeint of the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame’s inaugural Johnny Eagle Impact Award. The award recognizes the impact local radio and personalities have on a community. - Tony Cox
Ron Meredith, president of Clinton Broadcasters Inc. and owner of WYSH, has won the first Johnny Eagle Award from the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame.
“This award [is] given to a broadcaster showing great community service and making a difference,” the hall of fame states on its website.
He will recieve this award on Saturday, July 25. The award honors an individual in the radio business on ties to the community.
Bob Kessing, president of the radio hall of fame, called Meredith a “natural” fit for the award due to his dedication to community announcements.
“If you turn it on in the morning, they’ll tell you when the latest little league sign-ups are,” Kessing said of WYSH. “If you tell them that you have something going on in the community they put it on the air.”
He also said he appreciated Meredith’s commitment to broadcasting about high school sports and church events.
“It’s just such a fiber of the community,” he said of WYSH.
The Conservative Republicans of Anderson and Knox Counties will host a public meet-and-greet Wednesday, July 8, featuring candidates seeking local offices in the Aug. 6 election.
The event will begin with light refreshments at 6:30 p.m., followed by candidate remarks at 7 p.m. at the Oak Ridge early voting precinct inside the Midtown Community Center/Oak Ridge History Museum, 102 Robertsville Road.
Organizers said the event will feature several Republican candidates on the Aug. 6 ballot, with early voting scheduled to begin next week. Candidates expected to attend include:
• Anderson County Commission District 6 incumbent Anthony Allen.
• Nathan Mullins, candidate for Anderson County Commission District 7.
• Don Layton, candidate for Anderson County Commission District 8.
• Raymond Nell Phillips, candidate for Anderson County Commission District 1.
• State Executive Committee candidates Lucas Heaton and Sherri Garrett.
•Colt Jennings, candidate for Anderson County sheriff.
Organizers said additional candidates also may attend.
According to the sponsoring organization, the event is intended to highlight candidates it considers to represent conservative values.
Organizers said they welcome attendance from voters of all political affiliations who want to meet the candidates and learn more about their positions before the election.
Following the candidate presentations, attendees will have an opportunity to speak individually with the candidates.
For more information, contact Debbie Heaton at 423-342-8242.
Pictured are Katherine Birkbeck, Bear Stephenson, Bill Gallaher, Joey Smith, Wendy Maness, Amanda Hughes, Kelly Vittatoe, Jay Knapp, Charlotte Johnson, Cindy Landon, Regina Copeland and Ronnie Fox. - Submitted
The Clinton Rotary Club celebrated another successful year of service to the community during its annual Awards and Officer Installation Ceremony, recognizing outstanding volunteers, honoring community partners, and welcoming new leadership for the 2026–2027 Rotary year.
The club recognized its outgoing president, Regina Copeland, for her exceptional leadership and dedication throughout the past year, a news release stated.
During her remarks, incoming president Amanda Hughes thanked Copeland for her tireless service, noting that she served in numerous leadership capacities while managing many of the club’s day-to-day operations.
In addition to serving as president, Copeland coordinated weekly lunch meetings, worked closely with the Clinton High School Interact Club, oversaw service projects and academic scholarships, and helped ensure the club’s many community initiatives were successful.
This was how the Clinton fireworks show looked from Seviers Boulevard during Saturday night’s July 4 and America’s 250th celebration in the city. - Submitted
Visitors to the Independence Day celebration at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris watch as a blacksmith’s anvil is blown high into the air with a charge of gunpowder on Saturday, July 4. - G. Chambers Williams III
Thousands of people turned out at the Museum of Appalachia last Friday and Saturday to take part in two days of events to observe America’s 250th birthday, July 3 and 4.
The highlight of the celebrations both days were the museum’s anvil shoots, a frontier tradition in which a blacksmith’s anvil is blown high into the sky using a pile of gunpowder.
Other activities included Revolutionary War living-history programming, historical interpretations, and traditional Appalachian demonstrations.
Anvil shoots were used by pioneers to celebrate holidays, elections, military victories, and other major occasions, and are one of the museum’s most anticipated annual traditions.
Additional activities at the museum in Norris included a Revolutionary War encampment, militia drills, and historical presentations from reenactors portraying figures such as John Sevier, Henry Knox, and David Hall.
Despite a morning thunderstorm, there was a huge turnout of visitors to take part in the Norris Day activities on the Norris Commons on Saturday. They included former long-time City Councilwoman Loretta Painter, second from right, who came back from Virginia for the weekend to attend. - G. Chambers Williams III
Coming this Friday night (July 10) will be the last of this year’s five Norris Concerts on the Commons, this time featuring “Small Wars,” an indie/rock/alternative group with original hits from the 1970s to the 2000s.
The concert will be held on the outdoor stage next to Lions Pavilion, in front of Norris Middle School. It is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and end by 9 p.m.
There is no admission charge, but attendees are requested to bring their own chairs or blankets to sit on in the grassy area in front of the stage.
Last week’s concert, on July 4, was part of the annual Norris Day events, and was followed by a 20-minute fireworks display in the Commons area across from the middle school.
Hundreds of cars and crowds of people lined the streets to view the fireworks, which could be seen from as far away as Andersonville.
The Betty Anne Jolly Norris Community Library has recently been awarded two grants to help it procure and maintain unusual items for lending, including portable Wi-Fi hot spots. - G. Chambers Williams III
The Betty Anne Jolly Norris Community Library has recently received two grants, one of which, for $1,397, will pay for the next year of service for portable Wi-Fi hot spots that are available to check out.
That grant came from the state of Tennessee’s Training Opportunities for Public Libraries grant program, designed to support broadband-related library services.
“We circulate five Wi-Fi hot spots, which people can check out five days at no cost,” said library director Kimberlee Byrge.
“Each one provides portable Wi-Fi for up to 10 devices, as long as it is within the T-Mobile service area,” Byrge said. “They are very popular. People check them out for trips, or when they’re working where there is no Wi-Fi.”
