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The Advocate & Democrat
SHS, city consider partnership for work-based learning
There may soon be a partnership between the City of Sweetwater and the town’s high school to promote work-based learning. A representative of Sweetwater High School approached the Sweetwater City Commission during their February meeting to propose a partnership to enable student internships through the school’s Career and Technical Education program. The Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs allow students to learn workforce skills in industries considered in high demand. ...
Sequoyah’s Barr signs with University of the Cumberlands football
When Billy Barr stepped onto Sequoyah’s gridiron last spring he did not have his future in the sport beyond the 2023 season in mind. But things work mysteriously. The Chiefs’ senior took to the sport, was a part of a Sequoyah team tied for the top record in the county and is continuing his time in it after signing with the University of the Cumberlands football team. ...
Alleged drug trafficker arrested after pursuit into McMinn County
Local law enforcement agencies recently arrested an alleged drug trafficker with several hundred grams of meth and 100 grams of fentanyl. According to information submitted by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, officers with the Monroe County Violent Crime Task Force, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and the Madisonville Police Department conducted a surveillance operation on what they referred to as a “known drug trafficking location” in the Gudger community on March 1. ...
Sweetwater commission identifies site for new community center
Bringing a community center to the city was one of the Sweetwater City Commission’s major goals to get underway this year. Now, it appears it’s on its way to fruition. During the City of Sweetwater’s monthly workshop held on Feb. 26, the commissioners confirmed the acquisition of properties from the Sweetwater Utilities Board. While much...
Sweetwater heads into new district for 2024
The districts do not change much for Sweetwater athletics this spring, but there is notable movement across the three sports. The Wildcats have been one of the more consistent programs in advancing teams out of the district tournaments across multiple sports and they hope to continue that tradition. District 3-2A Baseball: Despite returning from a Class 2A semifinalist run last spring, Wildcat baseball is not the clear front-runner in the...
Sequoyah sports set for deeper, more difficult district play
Sequoyah sports face a step up in competition this spring. All three team sports square off in new districts that are notably stronger than the past. Sequoyah soccer will compete in a larger district than last season while the baseball team faces an entirely new format. District 5-3A Baseball: Teams in the newly redesigned league will play 12 district games as opposed to eight. A preview of the district tournament...
Tellico looks to get over edge in new districts
Tellico Plains will look to make noise in newly designed districts this spring. Tellico baseball and softball hope to push into the top two of packed leagues while Bears soccer readies itself for its first dance in District 3-A. District 3-2A Baseball: Tellico Plains showed it can compete in the district a year ago with wins over Kingston, Meigs County and Sweetwater. The Wildcats and McMinn Central will enter as...
Tellico Plains voted best water in region
Tellico Plains water was recently named the winner of the Region 10 Best Tasting Water Contest sponsored by the Tennessee Association of Utility Districts (TAUD). The competition took place Feb. 28 at Eastside Utility District in Chattanooga. This is Tellico Plains water’s first regional win since the Best Tasting Water Contest began in 2007. TAUD Region 10 consists of Bledsoe, Bradley, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie...
Volunteer firefighters honored this week
The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) and the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) are honoring the bravery, dedication and sacrifices of Tennessee’s volunteer firefighters during Volunteer Firefighters Week, March 3 through March 9. Each year, the first full week in March is observed in Tennessee as Volunteer Firefighters Week to honor and recognize volunteer firefighters for their courageous and dedicated service. “Tennessee’s volunteer fire departments are the...
Monroe on the Go!
Free spay/neuter vouchers Monroe County Friends of Animals (MCFA) Spay Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) will issue free spay and neuter vouchers to low-income Monroe County residents on Saturday, March 9 from 10 a.m. to noon. This will be a call-in voucher session. There will be no physical presence required. Those that wish to request a voucher should call one of the following phone numbers: 423-836-2041, 423-405-4392 or 865-268-9730. If the...
Monroe County Criminal Court for Feb. 2024
Monroe County Criminal Court held its February session with several guilty pleas heard and indictments handed down. Pleas heard included: Scotty Tyler Bushey, 30, Pumpkin Hollow Road, Madisonville, possession of Fentanyl for resale, $2,000, 4 years at 30 percent; simple possession of a schedule IV narcotic, $750, 11/29 suspended at 75 percent; resisting arrest, 6 months suspended. ...
General Sessions for 2/27/24
Tammy Lee Lynn Lopez Morales Alvarez, 46, County Road 274, Niota, possession of meth, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving on a revoked license, three traffic violations, reset for 4/9. Scott Nelson Anderson, 58, County Road 274, Sweetwater, evading arrest, possession of meth, possession of Hydrocodone, possession of drug paraphernalia, two traffic violations, reset for 3/12. Zoie Dylan Baker, 21, Highway 68, Sweetwater, theft under $1,000, dismissed. ...
Man pleas guilty to abuse of corpse, other charges
A man was spared a charge of facilitating murder in 2022, but did plea to a charge of abuse of a corpse in Monroe County Criminal Court. Andrew Wayne Young had been charged with facilitation of murder in the October 2022 death of Chelsie Walker after he and Gerald Hayden Millsaps allegedly sold her Fentanyl that proved lethal. A grand jury indicted Young on several charges in April of 2023...
Man desperate to get into church, says he won't go back to jail
A man desperately trying to get into a church told law enforcement they would have to shoot him in the head to get him to leave March 1. Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy Haily Burrell said it was a few minutes before 10:30 a.m. when she arrived at Carson Island Baptist Church on Highway 72 East on a call of a man looking like he was trying to break into the building. ...
Woman says boyfriend chased her down and assaulted her
A woman told law enforcement she tried to get away from her allegedly abusive boyfriend, but he chased her down in a car and tackled her Feb. 23. Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy Kieran Reeves said it was just after 9 p.m. when he was sent to Highway 72 West just past Old Slag Road where Vonore Officers were out with an injured woman who’d been involved in a domestic accident. ...
Man caught with unmarked, untraceable gun
One man was arrested and another got away after a high speed chase on the roads between Madisonville and Tellico Feb. 24. Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholas Crawford said it was around 10:30 p.m. when he was on Old State Road when he was passed by a dark colored minivan going toward New Highway 68. He said he saw the minivan cross the yellow double line and he turned around to see if it was going to continue doing so. ...
Alleged shoplifter makes it out of parking lot but not off interstate
A woman suspected of shoplifting managed to elude Sweetwater Police Feb. 24 before McMinn County deputies and the Highway Patrol found her on the interstate. Sweetwater Police Officer Jordan Moore said he went to Walmart on Main Street around 12:30 p.m. on a call of a shoplifter and saw a woman matching the description he’d been given running across the parking lot while a Walmart employee stood in the store’s door and pointed at her. ...
Woman eludes police, accidentally knocks on door of deputy
Two women who eluded law enforcement after a high speed chase Feb. 25 turned up a little later, with one unwittingly knocking on the door of an off duty sheriff’s deputy while seeking help. Sweetwater Police Officer Kurt Cannon said he was in the Rural King parking lot on Main Street when he saw Lindsey Nipper sitting in a black F-150 and knew she had arrest warrants out of Loudon County. ...
TVA official talks considerations in potential removal of Calhoun dam
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will soon host a public open house concerning their draft environmental assessment for proposed removal of the Saulpaw Mill Dam in Calhoun. The open house will be held on March 7 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Calhoun Elementary School, located at 150 Sherwood Avenue, Calhoun. According to TVA Senior Water Resource Specialist Shannon O’Quinn, one of the reasons the TVA has considered removing...
Sweetwater looks to balance expectations, maturation in new season
There is an aura of expectation around Sweetwater, but also a recognition of a challenge for this baseball season. Perhaps the two beliefs coincide — they might for coach Travis Watson. The Wildcats return the majority of last year’s team that reached the Class 2A state semifinals, including two All-State selections, four All-County selections and multiple college commits. ...
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The Advocate & Democrat serves Sweetwater, Madisonville and surrounding areas of East Tennessee.
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