Polling locations open through April 30 in Clinton, Oak Ridge, Norris
by G. Chambers Williams III
The Anderson County government office on Andersonville Highway in Norris is one of three early-voting sites for the May 5 county primary election. Early voting begins Wednesday, April 15. - G. Chambers Williams III
Early voting for the May 5 Anderson County primary election will begin next Wednesday, April 15, and continue through Thursday, April 30.
The primary includes Republicans and Democrats seeking spots on the Aug. 6 general election ballot.
Three locations are provided for early voting:
• Anderson County Fair Association building, 218 Nave St., Clinton.
• Midtown Community Center, 102 Robertsville Road, Oak Ridge.
• Anderson County Government Offices, Anderson Crossing Shopping Center (Norris/Andersonville), 3324 Andersonville Highway, next door to Anderson Crossing Pharmacy.
Early voting hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. until noon Saturday.
Deadline to register to vote in the May 5 primary was this past Monday (April 6).
Concrete paving continues on what’s now being called Pearl Alley, a walkway from Commerce to Market streets in downtown Clinton. - G. Chambers Williams III
Work continues this week on the concrete paving of Pearl Alley in downtown Clinton, a convenient walkway between the Commerce Street parking lot and the businesses on Market Street.
Additionally, Main Street remains closed to traffic from Broad to Kincaid streets as workers continue laying lateral sewer lines from Main Street buildings to the new main sewer line running down the middle of the street.
Clinton City Manager Roger Houck said last week that the Market Street project “is about 80 to 82% complete, so it’s getting there. The trees will be pretty good size – they won’t be saplings. Planting will be done after the concrete work is done.”
Pearl Alley paving began early last week, and was about two-thirds finished by Monday, with the last part to be completed the section on the south end, connecting to the sidewalk on Commerce Street.
Meanwhile, pouring of concrete for the new sidewalks on Market Street is nearly finished, but the planters and a few other elements remain to be completed, including irrigation, installation of light posts, and planting of trees and shrubs.
Two Clinton City Council members recently announced their candidacy, and a third has also indicated a run for re-election.
The announcements from Council Member Wendy Maness, Ward 3 and Council Member David Queener, Ward 1, came at the Feb. 23 Clinton City Council meeting, but the election isn’t until November, unlike the earlier one for the Anderson County Commission.
Councilman Brian Hatmaker is the third one, but has not made an official announcement yet.
Maness announced her candidacy first.
“I just want to say I am glad to have served the community here in Clinton, and I feel like I’ve worked very hard,” she said. “And I hope that shows, and I plan to run for South Clinton again in Ward 3. And I thank you for trusting me.”
Queener said he felt he had done more for the city while on the Board of Education than on the City Council, specifically in hiring Kelly Johnson, whom he called “the best superintendent in the state of Tennessee.”
Still, he said he was ready to serve a second term of four more years on the council. He said he would not seek a third term.
“If you can’t get it done in eight, go home, and that’s what I intend on doing.”
Mayor Scott Burton added that he had heard from Hatmaker, who was sick at that meeting, that he intended to run again in Ward 2.
Burton made his own announcement at a previous meeting.
“The purpose is always the same,” he said. “It’s make Clinton as great as it can be.
“I think I speak for everybody. If we weren’t doing a good job, we wouldn’t be running again. I think we’re doing a fantastic job and we’d just like to continue to do that.
Hatmaker, despite being a candidate, said he would like to have an ordinance limiting signs to 45 days out from an election. However Tennessee law prevents such local ordinances.
A federal program will help people from Anderson, Morgan and Roane counties who’ve had cancer or other illnesses from nuclear radiation to get compensation. - Ben Pounds
A new source of compensation is available for people who’ve suffered medical conditions from radiation exposure.
James Brooks, Anderson County law director, spoke about the federal program, called the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, at the March 9 ounty Operations Committee meeting.
He said RECA recently expanded to include eligible people who’ve lived, worked or attended school in specific zip codes within Anderson, Morgan and Roane counties.
The eligible zip codes for RECA in Tennessee are 37716, 37840, 37719, 37748, 37763, 37828, 37769, 37710, 37845, 37887, 37829, 37854, 37830 and 37831.
Compensation under the fund is available for up to $50,000 for eligible individuals.
If a qualifying individual is deceased, surviving spouses can get $25,000. If there is no living spouse, the surviving children may split the $25,000.
Brooks said radiation exposure is linked to conditions such as leukemia, thyroid cancer and lung cancer, among others.
With spring digging season underway, the Powell Clinch Utility District is urging homeowners to call 811 before starting any outdoor projects that involve digging.
The reminder comes as April is observed as National Safe Digging Month and as a new survey highlights the scale of planned projects nationwide. According to the survey, nearly three in four American homeowners plan to undertake a digging project this spring — more than 60 million households.
However, more than 10 million of those homeowners say they do not plan to contact 811 before digging, increasing the risk of striking underground utility lines.
Hitting buried lines — including gas, electric, water, sewer or communications — can lead to injuries, service outages and costly repairs. Utility lines are often located just inches below the surface, making even shallow digging potentially hazardous.
