For 78 years, Helen Llewellyn Hammer has been the face of Hammer’s stores
HELEN HAMMER
In 1952, Helen Hammer took her first steps in becoming a household name in Clinton and Anderson County.
It was that year that she joined her husband, the late A.B. “Bernard” Hammer Jr., in coming to Clinton to oversee operation of a Hammer’s expansion store in the city.
The couple was supposed to stay a week. The rest, they say, is history.
Helen Hammer died Thursday, Jan. 7, at the age of 98.
Since the early days of Hammer’s on Market Street, Helen’s name was spoken almost in the same tone as one would speak about a mythological figure. Sure, the store bore the family name, but Helen Hammer’s stature as an astute business woman skyrocketed.
At a time when most women were homemakers, or teachers perhaps, if they worked at all, Helen Hammer was in a unique and miniscule category, as she worked side by side with her husband in a venture that began 78 years ago.
Norris leaders receive good news from financial audit
by G. Chambers Williams III
Norris got a clean bill of financial health for the last fiscal year from its outside auditor at Monday night’s City Council meeting, during which councilmembers were also told that the city government has no debt outside that of its Water Commission.
The only governmental debt in the city is about $100,000 owed on capital projects by the Norris Water Commission, the auditor’s report noted. The Water Commission, which provides the water and sewer services in the city, essentially operates separately from the city government.
There were no “adverse” findings in the audit, according to the report, which is typical of the city of Norris.
Councilmembers were also told that the city issued a total of 32 building permits during 2020, for a total value of $1.456 million worth of construction projects.
This map shows the route that U.S. Bike Route 21 will take as it passes through Norris and Andersonville.
Already a popular place for bicycle riders, the city of Norris on Monday approved a proposal to put the city on the map of officially designated U.S. Bike Routes.
Norris will show up on the route map for U.S. Bike Route 21, which, when completely laid out and marked with signs, will allow cyclists to follow the designated route from Aberdeen, Ohio, on the Ohio/Kentucky state line all the way through Chattanooga to Atlanta.
The Kentucky and Georgia portions of so-called USBR 21 have already been approved by the sanctioning agencies – the American Association of State Highway Officials and the Adventure Cycling Association.
Tennessee’s section, which enters the state near the Cumberland Gap Tunnel at the Tennessee/Kentucky line and crosses into Georgia in Chattanooga, is the last link, and approval is expected soon.
Anderson County Sheriff’s Office has charged Oak Ridge resident Tyrone Partridge, with the Dec. 29 robbery at the Marathon gas station on Edgemoor Road in Claxton.
Partridge was booked in the Anderson County jail Jan. 4 following an arrest by the Oak Ridge Police Department for a similar crime. Partridge was the main suspect in an armed robbery at the J&C Market on East Tennessee Avenue in Oak Ridge.
He was arrested on charges of aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, evading arrest, and resisting arrest.
Sheriff’s Office detective, Josh Cardwell, obtained felony warrants for aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, and theft. Partridge, 43, reportedly brandished a firearm and demanded the Marathon employee empty the cash register.
He fled the scene with cash prior to our deputies’ arrival. The Marathon employee was able to provide a physical description and a video recording showing the incident.
Through intel and information sharing with Oak Ridge, Detective Cardwell honed in on Partridge as the suspect for the Claxton robbery which eventually led to him being charged with the Dec. 29 crime.
“This is a great example of two agencies working together to get a dangerous man off our streets. Detective Cardwell and the ORPD should be commended for doing a great job” Anderson County Sheriff Russell Barker stated.
Partridge is still incarcerated at the Anderson County Detention Facility.
Achieving success is difficult without determination.
Failure only occurs when you give up. Since determination cannot be stopped, determined people don’t fail. Determination is the drive that keeps you moving forward regardless of any obstacles. Harnessing the power of determination is one of the secrets of success.
The power of determination is clearly illustrated by a young child intent on getting something they want. They are relentless in their quest. They don’t take no for an answer. They persist nonstop until their goal is realized.
Conversely, without determination, the smallest challenge will serve as a roadblock. When you don’t really want to accomplish something, you have little or no determination to do so. So, let’s explore the various factors fueling determination.
The greater your desire to reach a goal, the more intense your determination. When you want something badly enough, you will do whatever it takes to get it. Conversely, goals with little appeal produce hardly any determination.
U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) released the following statement after receiving a positive COVID-19 test:
“Today (Jan. 10), I learned that I have tested positive for COVID-19 after coming into contact with another infected member of Congress, with whom I share a residence in D.C. I have been in quarantine since Wednesday night, which is when I learned the individual had tested positive, and following CDC guidance. I will continue to work for my constituents while self-isolating. I currently feel okay and remain in contact with the attending physician.
“I again want to urge all Americans to continue to wear masks, practice proper hygiene, and follow CDC guidance as we work to combat COVID-19.”
For night owls, this Roane State certification program is a dream.
It’s the polysomnography program at the community college’s Knox County Center for Health Sciences campus in Knoxville, where students are taught to study, monitor and help unravel the multitude of ailments that can adversely affect sleep.
Roane State is one of only two collegiate polysomnography programs in Tennessee. And Roane State graduates are the majority of sleep technicians at centers in our area.
Nicole Coleman, director of Summit Sleep Services with Summit Medical Group in Knoxville, said “98% of our technical staff went through the polysomnography program at RSCC.” She graduated from the Roane State program more than 20 years ago.
“We are very fortunate to have a program so close by that educates and prepares students for sleep tech positions in our sleep center,” Coleman said. “We know the students coming out of the program will be a great asset to Summit Sleep Services.”
Roane State President Chris Whaley said the prevalence of Roane State sleep center graduates in the regional job market is a “testament to the strength” of the college’s program.
