Kyles Ford
Politics
Northeast Tennessee music census launching May 8
Tennessee Entertainment Commission (TEC), Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (TDTD), Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development (TNDECD), and the East Tennessee State University Research Corporation have come together to announce the Northeast Tennessee Music Census will go live May 8 at www.NETNmusic.com. The Northeast Tennessee Music Census is an online survey that will collect […] The post Northeast Tennessee music census launching May 8 appeared first on www.elizabethton.com.
Hawkins’ Testerman attends first Teachers of the Year State Dinner hosted by First Lady Jill Biden
WASHINGTON (WJHL) – First Lady Jill Biden and Rogersville City School’s Missy Testerman sat at the same dinner table Thursday. The First Lady hosted the first “Teachers of the Year” State Dinner at the White House. The dinner honored Missy Testerman, the current National Teacher of the Year, and other teachers committed to education. As […]
Virginia: America’s First Frontier celebrated at Wilderness Road State Park
Wilderness Road State Park in Lee County, Virginia, hosted its premiere event Virginia: America’s First Frontier last weekend (May 10-12). A small army of 18th Century reenactors set up camp at the park for three days offering visitors a glimpse of what life was like at Martin’s Station in the late 1700s. The event featured […] The post Virginia: America’s First Frontier celebrated at Wilderness Road State Park appeared first on Middlesboro News.
TDOT investing millions to fix Northeast Tenn. potholes left by winter storm
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has increased its repaving efforts in Northeast Tennessee and across the state. According to TDOT, crews are continuing to address lingering potholes caused by January’s intense winter storm. TDOT has invested an additional $15 million for 121 projects across Tennessee. Of those projects, 28 […]
Sports briefs: Relay for Life set for May 4
ROGERSVILLE — Relay for Life of Hawkins County will host its survivor and caregiver walks on May 4 at Rogersville City Park. A talent show will kick off a full evening of festivities at 4 p.m. on the City Park stage. Survivor registration will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. with the opening ceremony at 6 p.m. followed by the walks. There’ll be live music and entertainment from 7-9 p.m. with the luminaria ceremony at 9 p.m. There’ll be food booths, games and silent...
Committee rejects 2024-25 Highway Budget, seeks $1.2 million in cuts
Hawkins County Highway Superintendent Danny Jones has already made little more than half the spending cuts the commission’s Budget Committee is seeking before it will consider approving his 2024-25 budget. The Highway Department operates on its own budget separate from the county General Fund. On April 23 the Budget Committee voted 7-0 to reject the Jones’ proposed 2024-25 budget which asked for $1 million in additional spending, was $2.8 million...
DeWitte suggests 10 cent tax hike to cover impending Goshen bridge debt
Hawkins County Mayor Mark DeWitte told the commission Monday he’d like to see a 10 cent property tax approved to cover the debt and other expenses associated with replacing the Goshen Valley Bridge. DeWitte gave the county commission an update during Monday’s meeting on what progress has been made since county leaders became aware that the bridge will have to be replaced. Hawkins County has approximately $1.2 million of state...
Sheriff's 2024-25 funding requests survives the first cut during Tuesday's budget hearings
When the Commission’s Budget Committee reconvenes on May 9 to consider the second draft of the 2024-25 general fund budget it will be looking at a deficit significantly higher than the $2.2 million shortfall it was presented on April 17. On Tuesday the Budget Committee approved several funding increase requests “for calculation purposes only”. That means the decisions made by the committee Tuesday aren’t final, and will be considered again...
Sheriff seeks $1.8 million budget increase for new employee salary scale
The proposed 2024-25 Hawkins County General Fund budget presented to the commission’s Budget Committee last week had a $2.211 million deficit, which historically for the first draft is not as bad as it’s been in recent years. But, that proposed budget doesn’t include the millions of dollars in funding increase requests the Budget Committee received during the first round of budget hearings last Wednesday and Thursday. A few examples include: ...
Ethics complaint filed over anti-Lundberg ads from PAC
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Text messages to voters criticizing Republican Tennessee Senator Jon Lundberg’s voting record as too liberal, which come from a political action committee (PAC), have drawn an ethics complaint from the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus’s chairman. “Concerns” about potential collusion between the PAC and Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger and her campaign as […]
Church Hill accepts $236K bid for pickleball courts J.W. Salley Park
The Church Hill BMA accepted a $236,057 bid to convert tennis courts into pickleball courts at J. W. Salley Park during the April 16 meeting. The construction will include resurfacing one tennis court and installing six pickleball courts beside the pool. Baseline Sports Construction from Knoxville will construct the courts, and is expected to begin in mid-May. ...
Korean War soldier from Pennington Gap accounted for
PENNINGTON GAP, Va. (WJHL) – A Southwest Virginia soldier who served in the Korean War has been accounted for decades later. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced Wednesday that U.S. Army Private 1st Class Harold D. Wilder, of Pennington Gap, was accounted for. Wilder was killed in the Korean War and was officially accounted […]
Commissioners get first look at proposed 2024-25 budget
County Commissioners got their first look Wednesday at the proposed 2024-25 budget, which in traditional fashion, shows a substantial general fund deficit based on underestimated revenue and overestimated expenses. County Budget Director Eric Buchanan was more concerned about the proposed Highway Department budget with additional spending requestd in excess of $1 million. The proposed budget also ends with a negative fund balance, which is not permissible by the Tennessee Comptroller’s office. ...
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