A slide along Tennessee Route 116 in northwest Anderson County has shut the road down to one lane, pending repairs. - tdot photo
Part of the roadway of heavily-traveled Tennessee 116 (New River Highway) slid down the bank of the Ligias Fork River on Monday morning, forcing the Tennessee Department of Transportation to close the eastbound lane.
Pending repairs, all traffic will be routed through the slide area on the westbound side, and temporary traffic signals are being installed to accommodate the change, according to TDOT spokesman Mark Nagi.
The slide occurred in the area of Grave Hill Missionary Baptist Church, southwest of Briceville in far western Anderson County.
“Geotechnical engineers are currently assessing the situation,” Nagi said in an email Monday afternoon. “Crews have set up barriers and temporary traffic signals will be installed. This lane closure will be in place until the slide has been repaired.”
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has taken over the investigation of the Dec. 26 shooting by law-enforcement officers of a suspect fleeing police on southbound Interstate 75 just south of Rocky Top, according to District Attorney General Dave Clark.
Dylan Phillips, 27, was being chased by Campbell County sheriff’s deputies into Anderson County, and was eventually pulled over by an Anderson County sheriff’s deputy, according to a report from Clark’s office.
During the attempted arrest, Phillips resisted arrest and used a firearm against the officers at the scene, and was himself then shot multiple times by officers involved in his apprehension.
He survived the shooting and was transported to a hospital by a Life Star helicopter, where he received treatment for his injuries and then released into police custody.
Authorities have not yet said why Campbell County officers were pursuing Phillips, other than reporting that they had determined he was armed.
What the city plans to spend its recent $375,000 state parks and recreation grant money on will be the topic of discussion at a City Council workshop at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13, at the Norris Community Building. This is one of the parks included in proposed initial improvement projects to be paid for out of the grant money. - G. Chambers Williams III
Special Norris City Council workshop meetings are planned for Thursday (Jan. 9) on how city employees will be compensated in the coming fiscal year’s budget, and on possible new rules about where trees can be planted on city property.
At 5 p.m., the council will hear input from the city manager and interested residents about city worker pay and benefits, based on studies comparing Norris’s current pay scales and benefits to other nearby cities with similar populations and staff sizes.
“It’s going to be more of a discussion of salaries and benefits – what data we’ve collected and where we got it from,” City Manager Adam Ledford said Monday.
“This came out of the last budget session, and we will share the info we’ve collected on market conditions, and go through it on a department-by-department basis,” he said.
City leaders have said that retention of staff is a major goal, and that pay and benefits play a large role in that effort.
Thursday’s session precedes the coming budget workshops by the City Council that will lay out the framework for the budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
The council is expected to pass the new budget in June.
There will be a public comment meeting from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Monday (Jan. 9) on proposed revisions to Anderson County’s stormwater management and pollution control plan.
It will be held in Room 118A of the county courthouse in Clinton, according to the county mayor’s office.
“Anderson County government and the office of Planning and Development will be hosting a public comment session for anyone interested in providing comment on the proposed revisions to the Stormwater Management and Pollution Control Resolution of Anderson County,” an announcement says.
The proposed revisions “incorporate new required permanent stormwater standards for an approximate 13-square-mile portion of unincorporated Anderson County designated as urban area, the notice says.
“Citizens wishing to review the proposed revisions may visit the home page of the Anderson County government website at andersconcountytn.gov, or go directly to the proposed revision link at andersoncountytn.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/possible-anderson-resolution-082224.pdf.”
The courthouse is at 100 North Main St. Room 118A is on the first floor.
The proposed revisions and maps will be available at the session, and the county’s stormwater staff will be at the meeting to answer questions.
Anderson County’s Stormwater Management Department, “through collaboration with other agencies, strives to enhance the quality of life in Anderson County by reducing drainage and flooding problems, and by improving water quality through proper planning and through the promotion of effective stormwater management practices,” the announcement noted.
For more information, contact coordinator Danny Phillips at phillips@andersoncountytn.gov or 865-463-6870.
The steel framework for the new Anderson County Chamber of Commerce headquarters building on North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard at Weaver Street began going up last week. - G. Chambers Williams III
The Anderson County Commission failed to approve a raise for Veterans Services Officer Scott Nation at its December meeting.
The recommendation came from the Veteran Services Committee.
County Mayor Terry Frank explained that there were issues with theraise because of the way the contract for the position was advertised.
“My concern with an over $10,000 increase within six months of hire is that no other candidate was messaged that they would be afforded this opportunity for an increase,” she said.
She said it was unlikely that the only other candidate would file a complaint, but still believed the county should be “sensitive to” that issue. “I have enormous respect for Mr. Nation as well as the Veterans Service Office itself,” Frank said.
She and Finance Director Robert Holbrook said Nation’s salary had already been increased twice, first by $2,500 after he completed training, and then by $2,000 as part of a 4% increase of all county salaries.
But Frank said this increase, which she called the third, was “too much, too soon” compared to what the county advertised for the position.
Holbrook also said he would first like to find a source for new raise without causing a shortage at the end of the fiscal year.
True Grace Productions shot a film at 201 Café and Wine Bar in Oak Ridge. Pictured are the cast and crew of “Someday”: Amy Crowley, Jennifer Willis, Scott Harbison, Marsha O’Keefe, Shauen Miller, Taryn Grace, Matt Webb, Courtney Lee Simpson, and R.L. Bell.
An Oak Ridge writer, director and producer has been working on producing a film in her hometown.
Taryn Grace said she plans to screen her film, titled “Someday,” at film festivals across the country before releasing it for the public later.
She shot the film at 201 Café and Wine Bar on Sunday, Nov. 24.
“I’m a resident of Oak Ridge, and I have always loved the beauty of Anderson County and all that it has to offer,” she said.
“The kindness of everyone at 203 Cafe and Wine Bar has made me love it even more.
“Filming went very well because of the incredible cast and crew that showed up ready to work but also have fun,” Grace said.
She said a true story inspired her film.
“It’s about a mother who finds out that her son is suffering from drug abuse and how she learns to cope with the devastating realities that come from addiction,” she said.
Members of the staff at Express Employment Professionals hold up a banner they’re planning to display in their office Thursday as they hold an event to honor all area law enforcement officers on National Police Officers Appreciation Day. The event, from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. is in appreciation of the officers for their service to the community. There will be food, drinks and a couple of gifts for the event, including “Thin Blue Line” bracelets.
From planting 50 trees to protecting other trees from beetles, the work of the Clinton Tree Board continues.
Riley Sain, chairman of the Tree Board, spoke to the City Council recently offering an update.
“I can see the need for it in our city and I really appreciate his spirit of trying to get us up to date on keeping our trees healthy and in place; they’re a benefit to everybody,” Vice Mayor Larry Gann who has also served on the Tree Board said regarding its work.
Sain said the board got an $83,000 grant through the city, and $65,000 of that went to cleaning up dead limbs from trees at Jaycee Park.
He said this would not only prevent the limbs from falling on people, but also make the trees healthier.
Sain said he and others had begun working on dealing with a beetle that is often a pest to trees —the emerald ash borer — before the tree board even existed in its current form.
“If you’ve driven down the interstate in the last few years and you’ve seen all the dead trees along the side, those are mostly white ash trees,” he said.
He said Jaycee Park had about 40 of these trees, but volunteers have treated them.
“We’ve been treating those for about eight or nine years now, and we’ve still got 26 of them that are alive, which is phenomenal,” Sain said.
