Members of the Loudon County Commission and the county school board held many discussions in 2009 in an attempt to decide what to do about the building needs for county schools.  That issue is among the top news stories of the year, a list which also includes the closing of one lane over Fort Loudoun Dam for the summer and the introduction of liquor stores in Loudon for the first time in the county's history. 

January

• The Dec. 22, 2008 spill of more than a billion gallons of water and fly ash from the TVA Kingston steam plant left some Loudon County residents worried that when the contaminated water evaporated the residue could affect air quality locally.  The Loudon County Air Quality Task Force lead the way to getting monitors established to detect any airborne particles from the spill. 

The county's water supply was deemed safe. 

The fly ash spill from the Kingston plant forced the steamboat Watts Bar Belle to relocate to the Fort Loudoun Marina in Lenoir City. General Manager Francie Harkenrider said the fly ash spill had resulted in several cancellations and was very bad for her business. "We just can't afford to stay here with the water the way it is," Harkenrider said. 

Activist Erin Brockovich came to Loudon County to address the media after visiting the site of the fly ash spill in Kingston. She came with a group of attorneys attempting to convince local residents affected by the spill to join in a class action lawsuit.

• The Loudon County Commission agreed to allow Purchasing Director Leo Bradshaw to begin selling surplus county property and confiscated items on-line at GovDeals.com.

• The Loudon County School Board opted to hold their annual retreat meetings in Loudon County after facing criticism for wasting money by holding the retreat in Gatlinburg the previous year.

• The Loudon County School Board unveiled their plan for Phase I the school building program that called for a new school in Greenback, a new middle school in Loudon, combining Loudon Elementary and Fort Loudoun Middle School and renovations for the Philadelphia School cafeteria. "It's a plan that's functional but financially feasible," said school board member Van Shaver. 

The School building program continued to be debated through the year.

• A sinkhole which developed on a portion of Tellico Parkway (Highway 444), near the Tanasi Golf Course, grew so large the officials were forced to extend the road's closure until extensive repairs could be made. 

February

• The Loudon County Commission voted to request the state pass a private act to require submission of plats, plans, plots and road plans with the urban growth area of Lenoir City be submitted to the Loudon County Regional Planning Commission for approval.

The Lenoir City Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing the request.

• While the Loudon County Commission decided to allow the public to vote on whether or not school superintendents are appointed or elected, the Lenoir City School Board voted in favor of appointed superintendents. 

• In an unusual move, County Commissioner Nancy Marcus addressed county commissioners during the public speaking time of the commission meeting. 

The public speaking part of the commission agenda is usually reserved for citizens to address issues before the commission, Marcus said she was speaking in her capacity as a "citizen of Loudon County" not as a county commissioner.  

She gave a 45-minute presentation - including a 20 page handout - detailing her opposition to a new school in Greenback which was part of Phase I of the school building program. 

• With the deadline approaching both Johnny James and partners Ed Bell and John Tuck submitted letters of intent to purchase property for a liquor store establishment in Loudon County. 

March

• A Loudon County man was in critical condition after allegedly being shot by his wife. Joey Richesin, 30, was reportedly shot by Margaret Richesin, 48, at their home located near the Monroe County line. The victim was taken to UT Medical Center while his wife was taken to Lakeshore for a mental evaluation. 

• The man dubbed the "Spirit of Loudon High School" Bruce Lawson died leaving Loudon High School students and graduates in mourning. Lawson was a graduate of the school and lived most of his life in Loudon and had a streak of 417 consecutive Loudon football games attended and kept stats for all LHS games. When the streak was snapped because of surgery, Lawson began a new one and was up to 90 games at the time of his death. 

• Loudon County took its place on the Appalachian Quilt Trail when the first wooden quilt square was unveiled in downtown Loudon. People can follow the trail all over Tennessee to historic landmarks, natural and agricultural attractions and local artisan shops. This quilt square was the first of five of the wooden markers to be put in place in the county. 

• The Lenoir City Council took the next step in their plans to construct a new city hall and a new fire hall by choosing a design firm. McCarty, Halsaple and McCarty of Knoxville was chosen to get the project off the ground.

• In the competitive race to see who would be awarded a certificate of compliance to sell liquor in Loudon County James Purdy and Johnny James were approved. Ed Bell and John Tuck, both of whom were instrumental in getting liquor stores permitted in the county, were denied a permit because of legal errors on their application which was otherwise ranked highest of all the applications.

April

• County Commissioner Austin Shaver presented his plan to fund the county school building program without a tax increase. He said past tax increase had created enough surplus in the county's coffers that funds should be available. 

• The search continued for a former Lenoir City man, Christopher Paris after his plan went down in a South American jungle. He was part of a survey team who crashed in Guyana. No trace of the plane was ever found. 

• A search warrant was served at the home of Donald Zigler of Vonore, a Greenback Parks and Recreation coach, after he was arrested for the alleged solicitation of a minor.

• Johnny James was granted a variance allowing him five fewer feet of setback for his proposed liquor store at Centre 75 Business Park in Loudon.

• The Loudon County Commission met to discuss how to finance millions for the school building program. They voted to ask the county budget committee to come up with a plan that would show how much money the county can provide. 

• The Tennessee Attorney General's office unveiled an opinion saying local school board cannot contribute to non-profit organizations. This ruling put in doubt the county's annual contribution to the Loudon County Education Foundation. 

• The state's Sunshine Law was determined to allow elected officials to discuss business on-line with other officials without violation the open meetings act which forbids officials from discussing public business in private. 

• The effort to reopen the Town Greenway in Lenoir City got a boost from the city council when they voted to approve $57,760 to build a Gabon wall at the closed portion of the city's walking trail. 

• A pair of determined ospreys built a nest atop a 150-foot crane used to unload river barges. Ospreys are considered a threatened species and it's illegal to disturb their nests. 

• The Loudon County Election Commission was temporarily without an administrator after the board voted to remove Dana Zehner from the position and offered the job to Susan Harrison. With Republicans taking control of the General Assembly the previous year, commissions in every county are shifting in power to three Republicans and two Democrats. 

• Lenoir City Middle School teacher Lisa Hoffmeister was arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor after she allegedly asked a 14-year-old female soccer player to meet her in her classroom after soccer practice to "talk to her." According to the police report, Hoffmeister and the students then drove around Loudon County eventually parking at Toads Garage off Steekee Creek Road. Because of concern over pervious burglaries and thefts in the area, the establishment's owner call 911 to report a suspicious vehicle. The report also said, "The defendant did not have permission of the juvenile's parents and at the time was in violation of the established curfew laws." 

• A Loudon County school bus involved in a crash had two digital cameras designed to record activities on the bus but the devices did not record the incident because the video cards had not be inserted in the cameras. Seven students were taken to the hospital following the accident. A school administrator had removed the cards to review an earlier incident that happened on the bus and failed to replace it. The bus driver, Gary Keener, told officials the incident began when he was trying to discipline a students. Reports said as he was speaking to the student he took a curve too fast and went off the road and sideswiped a telephone pole. 

• Months of undercover work resulted in multiple arrests as agents from the 9th Judicial District, the Loudon County Sheriff's office  and the police departments of Loudon and Lenoir City joined forces to track down 20 people who were indicted by the grand jury. According to authorities, 17 of the 20 people in question were arrested that day. 

May

• More than $70,000 was raised in the annual Relay for Life event despite torrential rainfall during the first hours of the event. 

• The auditorium at Loudon High School was given the all-clear by state Fire Marshall Ron Jones. He had ordered the auditorium closed three years earlier  after inspections found multiple problems and the school was unable to use the space for three years until the repairs were complete. The renovations included "life safety" items including fire alarms and smoke clearing systems and along with new seating. 

• The county commission voted to rescind the planning office agreement between the county and Loudon and Lenoir City after Lenoir City voted to withdraw from the county planning office. 

• After a week of hard rains, leaks at various county schools were the hot topic for discussion at the Loudon County School Board's workshop. County purchasing agent Leo Bradshaw told the board it would take approximately $800,000 to fix the various leaks.

• County officials including Loudon County Sheriff Tim Guider, Loudon County Mayor Doyle Arp and County Commissioners Don Miller and Roy Bledsoe were among the citizens who turned up at the County Courthouse to participate in the National Day of Prayer. Everyone prayed for God's help for the community and the nation. 

• One of the large trees that surround the Loudon County Courthouse was uprooted by strong winds and crashed into the historic structure. On the other side of the building, lightning stuck another of the lawn's large trees and flying bark broke a window.

• A Knoxville woman was found dead in a car in Lenoir City Park. The investigation into the death of Jody Davis Pfeilspicker, 43, of Knoxville was believed to be a suicide. 

• Lenoir City Police were asking citizens to take a close look at any $100 bills they received in trade because several fake bills had been spent in the county. 

• Betsy Morrow, director of the Loudon County Education Foundation, decided to step down. She said she was swayed by personal reasons and by the fact the organization had decided to go with a full-time director. 

• Following a six month surveillance period, the Loudon County Sheriff's Department arrested Alan Dennis Owrutzky after discovering an indoor marijuana growing operation in the basement of his barn. 

June

• Traffic congestion was a real problem on the Fort Loudoun Dam bridge as work continued on the bridge forcing cars into one lane and backing up traffic for miles on either side.

• The Loudon County Commission voted to merge the Planning and Community Development office with the Loudon County Building Commission into one office - the Office of Planning and Codes Enforcement. The county had pursued combining the two offices since the economic downturn cut building and development throughout the county. The combined office has fewer staff and would be headed by County Planner Russ Newman. 

• The Loudon County Visitor's Bureau staff went to Lenoir City officials to seek funds in order to bring a fishing tournament to the city. The council was told the tournament could be depended upon to bring in a lot of money to local businesses and motels. 

• Loudon County High School was the setting for the United States Police Canine Association Region 8 Patrol Dog Trial and Competition. The dogs competed in several different events to determine who was top dog in the region.

• It was announced that John Kenneth Harvey, 26, of Lenoir City, would receive only five years probation for the shooting death of his live-in girlfriend, Savannah Cass McMahan in 2008. Harvey was charged with second degree murder in the incident after he admitted shooting and killing McMahan during a domestic argument. McMahan was 21 years old when she died. 

• An Ohio man died in a one-vehicle accident on I-75 in Loudon County. John Dankenbring, 19, of the Cincinnati area, was pronounced dead at the scene after he lost control of his vehicle. 

• Following a closed-door executive meeting the Lenoir City Council voted to return the city court clerk's responsibilities to the recorder/treasure as required by the city's charter. 

• The body of a boater was recovered following an accident on the Tennessee River. Searcher from several surrounding counties came to Loudon to lend a hand in the search for the man who was thrown when the boat he was in hit a barge the night before. 

• Untied Way of Loudon County welcomed a new director. Judy Fenton, who had experience with the United Way in Knox County was named to the position.

July

• The Matlock Bend Landfill in Loudon County was named as one of four East Tennessee locations approved to receive small amounts of coal ash from the earlier spill at the TVA plant in Kingston. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) announced it had approved the site to receive the ash in July. Cheryl Dunson, vice president of marketing for Santek, the management company for Matlock Bend, later told a crowd at the Loudon County Solid Waste Commission meeting that Matlock Bend was not on the list of sites being considered to receive ash from the coal fly ash spill in Kingston. 

• The Rev. Ron Jordon was chosen to receive the J.J. Solomon Award, the highest award given by the Rotary Club. 

• A concrete wall designed as part of an expansion of a sewage treatment plant in Lenoir City collapsed killing one construction worker and severely injuring another. 

• Michael Brown of Beals Chapel Road was arrested and charged with attempted first degree murder of shooting his wife after the pair got into an argument. Brown was reportedly drinking at the time of the incident. 

• Rockin' the Docks concert series brought a large crowd to Lenoir City Park to kick-off the holiday weekend to listen to music and enjoy the fireworks show. "We had a good crowd and the weather turned out for us," said Steve Harrelson, director of Lenoir City Parks and Recreation. 

• Dana Zehner, the former administrator of elections for Loudon County, filed a lawsuit against the county seeking $500,000 and her job back. 

• Lenoir City Council voted to pass an ordinance adding downtown parking restrictions and boundaries and adopting a downtown parking map to the city codes. 

• The Loudon County Sheriff's Department was investigating a string of burglaries that occurred while homeowners were away from their houses. The thefts were primarily in the Hines Valley Road, Highway 70 and the Avalon subdivision. 

• The Lenoir City Council approved a $4.5 million utility project to update wastewater facilities for the city. 

• The repairs to the TVA Fort Loudoun Dam bridge were finished ahead of schedule to the relief of drivers who had suffered 10 weeks of long delays while the bridge was being repaired. 

• Todd Aaron Edwards was arrested for attempting to forcibly gain entry to his father's residence after which his father shot him through the door. Warrants were issued for Edwards for attempted aggravated burglary. He was arrested without incident at his home. 

August

• The Town Creek Greenway in Lenoir City reopened after being closed for months because of safety concerns over an embankment. 

• A Lenoir City man was arrested on drug charges. Grant C. Durst was arrested following a two-month long investigation. A search of his home found a marijuana growing operation. 

• Loudon County lost a lawsuit brought by Tellico Village resident Wes Cooper over how much he owed the county as part of the Adequate Facilities Tax. He had been charged taxes for a part of his home that was not heated or cooled and had refused to pay the tax assessed for the basement space opting instead to file a lawsuit which was successful. 

• Greenback School was forced to close its doors on the second day of school because of a leak in a new installed propane tank. The tank is located on to the school campus and after a valve was seen popping the fire department was notified and the school was evacuated immediately.

• After months of wrangling and debate, the Loudon County School Board passed a budget to pass on to the Loudon County Commission for consideration. The budget called for approximately $37,127,000 to operate the school system. This version of the school budget was estimated to be $365,000 over budget. 

• Lenoir City Elementary reported two cases of H1N1 or "swine flu" but Superintendent of Lenoir City Schools Wayne Miller said he felt the system was ready as they could possibly be for the coming flu season. 

• Local dignitaries were on hand to recognize the Good Neighbor Shoppe for reaching $500,000 in contributions. Proceeds from the shop are sent to several local organizations to help the community. 

• Car dealers in Loudon County reported a jump in sales as residents took advantage of the Cash for Clunkers program that was part of the federal government's stimulus plan to help get the economy moving again. The program provided vouchers for $3,500 to $4,500 for consumers to put towards purchasing a new car.

• Michelle Dicken was named the new director of the Loudon County Education Foundation an organization that assists students throughout the county. 

• The Lenoir City Council continued to debate allowing people to carry guns on the  Town Creek Greenway.

• The annual Battle of the Bridge, the battle being the yearly meeting of Lenoir City High School and Loudon High School on the football field, is about more than football. The contest extended to charity as residents throughout the county donated 97,000 pounds of food to the Good Samaritan Center.

September

• Tellico Village resident Angelo Paul Leone was charged with simple assault against Tellico Village Property Owners Association General Manager Winston Blazer.

• The Loudon County Budget Committee voted to recommend to the full commission that E-911 become a separate entity due to concerns that employees of E-911 might not be eligible for pensions. 

• U.S. Senator Bob Corker addressed a standing room only crowd at Loudon High School as residents came out in force to give their opinions on the health care debate that was raging in Washington, D.C. The majority of those in attendance seemed to oppose the plan. 

• The county school system announced the traditional A, B, and C grades would be replaced with scores of M, P, and N at county elementary schools. According to county school officials The new system reflects whether or not a student has mastered a subject. An "M" means the subject has been mastered, A "P" means a student is making progress and an "N" means a student has not met the standard in that subject. 

• United Way of Loudon County kicked of the 2009 fund-raising campaign with a breakfast at First Baptist Church of Lenoir City. Their goal was to raise at least $320,000 to help local programs that are a part of United Way. 

• School officials decided to close Greenback School and North Middle School due to wide spread illness. The schools spent the extra days off disinfecting the schools and getting them ready for the return of students. 

• The Loudon County Commission continued to debate the county budget with County Planner Russ Newman's salary being a bone of contention. He maintained his salary should not be cut since he was tapped to oversee the combined office of planner and building inspector. The offices were combined as a cost cutting measure. 

• Lenoir City resident Margaret Aguilar was charged with driving under the influence after she turned her car directly into the path of an oncoming Lenoir City Police cruiser on Broadway in downtown Lenoir City. 

• Lenoir City Utilities Board General Manager Fred Nelson announced he would be retiring after 43 years of service. 

• Loudon's two liquor store owners came to the Loudon City Council to request a reduction in inspection fees established by an ordinance adopted earlier in the year.

October

• Michele Dicken, the new executive director of the Loudon County Education Foundation (LCEF), came to the county school board workshop to ask the board to consider reinstating the traditional $16,000 for the foundation into the 2009-2010 school budget. The Lenoir City School System approved their usual $8,000 for this year. She described the LCEF as the "central hub" for business and community members to contribute to county and city students. Dicken said the $16,000 was "a small amount for the vast services we provide."

• Tennessee Valley Authority announced plans to place boxes of sand on top of the earthen embankments at four TVA dams, including Fort Loudoun and Tellico. The temporary four-foot walls are designed to keep water from topping the structures in the event of a storm bringing more water than has ever been recorded in the area, according to Chuck Bach, TVA's general manager of river scheduling. He said the work is necessary because new data shows the integrity of the dams could be compromised if the "probable maximum precipitation" is reached. He said it would take more rain than a 100-year or even 500-year flood. The highest level of recorded rainfall in the area occurred in 1857 and Bach said it would take more than four times as much rain to reach the levels in question.  A recent update of TVA's river modeling program determined the maximum floodwater elevations could be higher than previously calculated.

• The long arm of the law reached right into the Loudon County community with more than 30 citizens rounded up and taken to the Loudon County jail. The jail tour was just one part of the orientation session/course overview for a 10-week program, designed to give citizens an understanding of the criminal justice system. Classes will continue weekly on Thursdays through December 10, when students will graduate, and receive certificates. At the justice center, Sheriff Tim Guider, standing before a classroom filled to capacity, told the group of students what they would experience and what would be expected of them. The purpose of the program is to "foster a cooperative partnership between citizens and the officers who serve them."

• Principal Steve Millsaps of Lenoir City High School was named East Tennessee Principal of the Year by the Education Networks of America (ENA). Millsaps reports he received a nomination from a fellow principal. "I think Jennifer Malone nominated me," Millsaps said. After a long selection process he was recognized. "Towards the end of June, I was nominated, then they went through a selection process that narrowed it down to nine across the state," he explained. After two rounds of written questions, the nine finalists went to Nashville for an interview process. 

• Investigators from the Loudon Fire Department and the Loudon Police Department were on hand to investigate the cause of a house fire at 904 Highland Ave. in Loudon. Bill Jeames of the Loudon Fire Department and Mike Newman of the Loudon Police Department said the house was a total loss. Newman said the fire did not seem suspicious in nature but the investigation was ongoing to determine what started the blaze.

• The Loudon County Commission passed the overdue county budget. Once the last minute amendments were calculated it was expected to total approximately $68 million dollars. Commissioner Wayne Gardin said since the commission couldn't help the school system with extra operating funds "we should ask everybody to make a sacrifice."

• Jennifer Estes Director of Loudon County's E-911 system, updated the county commission on the on-going plan to make her agency independent and to collect funds from the cities as well. The agency decided to make the move to independence when it was learned that E-911 employees could have difficulty entering the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement program, the same situation that prompted the Loudon County Economic Development Agency to become independent. 

• The Loudon County Commission voted to reject the request from the county school board for additional funds to cover the school budget shortfall. The school board had asked for nearly $800,000 in additional funds to finance the operating budget for 2009-2010 - a sum that was to include approximately $400,000 for textbook and a 2 percent raise for teachers. 

• Two individuals were arrested in connection with a home invasion on Riverchase Drive in Lenoir City. George Patrick Locklear, 19, of 1155 Jackson Bend Road, Lenoir City, was charged with resisting arrest/prevention of service and aggravated burglary. The other arrest was of a juvenile. Loudon County Sheriff Tim Guider said K-9 Diego jumped into the lake and swam to the bank on the other side of the cove. The K-9 then apprehended the suspect, later identified as Locklear, who was then taken into custody.

• After several cold mornings UT Extension Director John Goddard began notifying local cattle producers that the frost on Johnson grass sets local pastures up for prussic acid poisoning and cautioned them against pasturing cows to feed on frost-bitten Johnson grass. He said it doesn't take a lot of the grass to kill a cow. "A good mouthful would do it," Goodard explained.

• Members of the Lenoir City Utilities Board met, despite having the meeting cancelled by Board Chairman and Lenoir City Mayor Matt Brookshire, to force an early retirement for LCUB General Manager Freddie Nelson. Neither Nelson nor Brookshire were at the meeting.  

• Clean energy from the sun was being harvested on a rooftop in downtown Lenoir City, out of view from the pedestrians walking the sidewalk below. Ben Tuner, owner of Lock Medic, accessed grant money on federal and state levels to become a green energy provider for the local power grid. "I've always been into solar," Turner said. "For me it was more about being able to provide green power."

November

• A fire at the Tate and Lyle facility in Loudon was quickly contained, creating only minimal damage, according to a spokesperson for the company, Chris Olsen. The incident was the second fire at the business in a year. 

• A boating accident on the river led to a capsized craft, just moments after the boater was rescued by the Loudon County Fire and Rescue Department. "I almost went swimming in the river," joked John Mayes, owner of Allied Insurance of Knoxville, who was taking his 20-foot fish and ski boat to Spring City, to the Arrowhead boat dock for the winter. "I was near the island; I had just gone below the railroad bridge and the new Loudon bridge," Mayes said. "Evidently, the water is real shallow there."

• Loudon County Visitors Bureau got help from Lenoir City Council so the bureau could keep its doors open. During a workshop, visitors bureau board members and supporters made a plea for $32,000 in additional funding for the year. Council members expressed their support of the center and said they would see what they could do.

• Local and state dignitaries came out for the 2009 Veteran's Day ceremony on the lawn of the Loudon County Courthouse. The guest of honor was the Tennessee Commissioner for Veterans Affairs John Keys, himself a veteran of the Vietnam War. With county chapters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion conducting the ceremony and the Lenoir City High School Band playing patriotic music, several county residents turned out for the county's annual tribute to American service men and women. 

• The Lenoir City School Board approved buying championship rings for the North Panther Middle School football team who came away with the title. Board member Bobby Johnson, Sr. got right to the point asking "how much" the rings were going to cost the board. Lenoir City Schools Director Wayne Miller said the rings would cost approximately $9,000 to $10,000. He added that price would provide 75 rings for players, coaches and managers.

• Robert Green, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education, addressed the county school board about what to expect from higher benchmarks for testing that are a part of the state's Tennessee Diploma Project. Green said he wanted to warn school administrators to expect test scores to drop at least one letter grade. 

• County Commissioner Austin Shaver presented a tentative plan to fund the first phase of the county school building program without raising taxes but some commissioners questioned his ideas. Phase I of the building program includes four projects: a new K-12 school in Greenback; combining Loudon Elementary and Fort Loudoun Middle School into one facility, modifications and expansion of the cafeteria at Philadelphia Elementary and a new middle school in Loudon. 

• Several Loudon County farmers, representatives of UT Agricultural Extension Service and energy specialists converged on Alfred Davis' farm to see how the switch grassproject begun two years ago is progressing. The project is part of the UT Biofuels Initiative to grow and harvest switchgrass for ethanol production in Tennessee. In the rainy switchgrass field, pioneer switchgrass farmers looked on as AGCO demonstrated its latest hay baler, which the company has modified to accommodate switch grass harvesting. The switch grass, which grows to be eight to nine feet tall, was processed by the baler and left in bales weighing approximately 800 pounds. "It's going better than we anticipated," said Sam Jackson, vice president of feedstock operations for Genera Energy.

• To continue its efforts to comply with state mandates on its stormwater management system, Lenoir City Council voted to approve work by Cannon & Cannon Engineering. Council member Tony Aikens made the motion, seconded by fellow member Mike Henline. It carried unanimously. In October, the council learned the city is in violation concerning several components of its stormwater management system following an audit, which is still ongoing, by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Codes Enforcement Officer Leslie Johnson said she received the anticipated "notice of violation."

• When funding shortfalls resulted in a temporary shutdown of the Iva's Place homeless shelter in Lenoir City, hot meals continued to be available to the hungry, and operations continued for local victims of domestic violence, thanks to emergency aid from United Way of Loudon County. The emergency need developed after Iva's Place lost funding from a state grant. The United Way Board of Directors, just before Thanksgiving, approved the emergency grant of $9,000 to Iva's Place, allowing the shelter for women and children to continue operations, and the soup kitchen to continue providing hot meals.

December

The Loudon County School Board Building and Maintenance Committee recommended to the full board two different contingency plans for financing the school system's building program - one in case the system receives more stimulus funds and one in case no more federal stimulus funds are forthcoming. Don Shell of Community Techtonics attended a committee meeting Tuesday to outline some of the stimulus funding and tax credit bonds available for school construction.

• A holiday event that has become an annual tradition locally - the live Nativity scene at Sixth Avenue Church of God - continued this year for the 11th season, despite an alleged vandal's attack. In lighted vignettes, the Nativity scene tells the story of the life of Jesus, from birth to crucifixion. The 13 scenes, involving about 100 actors and singers, can be viewed from the comfort of a warm vehicle interior. After the alleged vandal attempted to destroy sets, by driving over sets with a pickup truck, a local resident exemplified the spirit of the season by providing funds and labor to repair and refurbish what was destroyed.

• Loudon County Trustee Estelle Herron was named Trustee of the Year by the Tennessee Trustee's Association.  The award is given each year at the annual meeting of the County Officials Association of Tennesee (COAT) to the trustee who demonstrates professionalism and good judgement in their position as a county trustee. Herron was first elected Loudon County Trustee in 1998.

• Motorists making their way driving over the Fort Loudoun Dam noticed sandbags peeking over the top of the retaining wall and loose sand on the roadway. The same could be said of the earthen embankments at the Tellico, Cherokee and Watts Bar dams. With a cost estimated at $8 million, TVA worked to raise the elevation of four of its dams to help reduce the risk of flooding in the unlikely event of what State Rep. Jimmy Matlock characterized as a "500 year flood." Matlock said his office was fielding calls from county residents wondering why TVA was taking such a measure at such a high cost to prevent an event that has never happened in living memory. "I'm getting calls from county residents asking what in the Sam Hill is going on at Tellico Lake," Matlock said. The work at the dams was to raise the top elevation of each embankment about four feet. The extra height is designed to prevent water from overtopping and damaging the earthen embankments.