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The Daily Times
Alcoa’s Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center to expand
One of Alcoa’s most popular community spaces could nearly double in size by 2026. The number of visitors to the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center on East Franklin has increased substantially over the years. City officials say that it’s time the center did some growing to match. Alcoa’s plans include building a 3,500 square-foot addition, new classroom and meeting spaces and exterior restrooms. The new space will be used...
Memorial Day weekend in Blount blending remembrance, summer activities
This Memorial Day weekend offers Blount Countians a chance to recognize sacrifice and mark a start to the summer. Those possibilities and the way the holiday is often celebrated offer a study in contrasts — family gatherings, travel and warm days free from work come at the same time as recognition of military members who were killed or died in action. Events happening in Blount County include programs organized by...
Thirty-six Blount County seniors earn scholarships from Prudentia Masonic Lodge #719
Prudentia Masonic Lodge #719 has awarded $60,000 in scholarships to 36 Blount County seniors. The scholarship, named after James Leonard Jenkins, is awarded to qualified high school seniors who are attending a four-year university, two-year college, or trade school. What makes the scholarship unique is the fact that any Blount County resident can apply, so long as they attend one of the public schools, whether in the county or city,...
Patriot Legacies: Pennsylvanian Joseph McConnell
Joseph McConnell was born in Pennsylvania about 1745. He served in the Cumberland County, Pennsylvania militia. Under a 1777 Pennsylvania law, most Pennsylvania male adults were required to serve. It is difficult to know what Joseph McConnel did in the Revolutionary War because of the rotational nature of militia duty in Pennsylvania. He died without filing for a pension, so he left no record of his service. We do know that he paid taxes which, based on when and where paid, were used to finance...
Maryville school board approves 5-year facilities plan
Maryville City Schools has developed half a decade’s worth of plans for the district’s facilities as its student population expands. Now, some of the costs and timelines for the school district’s priorities are solidifying. Maryville’s board of education Monday, May 20, approved a five-year facilities plan laying out preliminary timelines and cost estimates for a suite of projects. Those include a planned expansion of Maryville High School, a renovation of what’s now the Maryville Academy building and changes to athletic facilities. ...
McGhee Tyson looks to remedy overcrowded cars amid rising passenger counts
Staff at McGhee Tyson Airport screened 6,380 passengers last Friday, setting a facility record for most passengers served. In light of skyrocketing demand, members of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority Board are rushing to keep up as the busy summer season moves into full swing. Developments discussed in a Wednesday, May 22 board meeting include building another parking lot, updating lot names and plans to crack down on lingering drivers at the terminal curb. ...
BCSO: Victim of alleged May 8 shooting dies
A 63-year-old man who was reportedly shot by Louisville resident Benjamin Michael Absher on May 8 has died, according to a Blount County Sheriff's Office spokesperson. The victim, identified as Sammy E. Garland, Jr., passed away May 18 at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. The investigator assigned to the case wrote a warrant for criminal homicide and served it to Absher in jail, BCSO spokesperson Marian O'Briant said. Absher's bond has been increased from $200,000 to $1 million. He is scheduled to appear in General Sessions Court at 9 a.m. June 6, 2024.
Memorial / Decoration Day Celebration at Cedar Lawn Cemetery May 27
The Dorothy Mitchell-Kincaid Beloved Community Outreach Foundation Inc. and Foothills Funeral Home are co-sponsoring the 11th Annual Memorial / Decoration Day Celebration on Monday, May 27, from noon to 12:30 p.m. at Cedar Lawn Cemetery, on Kings Court in Alcoa. The public is invited to participate in a gathering of remembrance, celebration and fellowship. For more information about the event, contact Rev. Dr. Willa Estell, 865-335-7527, Marjorie Stewart, 865-207-6776, or Tanya Martin, 865-255-9742. Donations may be sent to Beloved Community Outreach Foundation, c/o St. Paul AME Zion Church, 401 W. Broadway, Maryville, TN 37801. The mission of the Beloved Community Outreach Foundation is to live out its faith by providing financial, emotional, and spiritual support to residents of Blount County living with chronic illness.
On the cutting edge: two Heritage High School students will compete in robotics competition
Two Heritage High School students will travel to Atlanta next month to compete in the SkillsUSA Robotics: Urban Search & Rescue competition. Burl Grubb and William Prince have been hard at work, under the instruction of HHS teacher Sam Warwick, designing what they hope will be the robot to bring home the prize. SkillsUSA is “the largest gathering of America’s future skilled workforce and the ultimate recognition of excellence in...
Townsend talks special events, city manager
Townsend officials modified the city’s new special events ordinance Tuesday night, May 21, giving the option to waive the $100 application fee. The move comes after complaints that smaller nonprofits may not have the budget to pay the fee before their events. Applicants can now argue their case before the city Board of Commissioners to demonstrate why they can’t afford the fee. Commissioners also extended the deadline to remove decorations and event structures. ...
Veterans available for Memorial Day, Veterans Day celebrations
A group of veterans in the community meets weekly at Vienna Coffee in Maryville as a way to reach out to one another and offer assistance. Veterans Coffee Fellowship meets from 2 to 4 p.m. each Wednesday at the local coffee shop, located at 212 College Street. There is no fee to attend or requirement of membership, said founder Vern Gardai, retired Army chaplain. All attendees pay for is their own beverages or food. ...
Lawsuits served on both sides of quarry issue in Greenback
A dispute surrounding the operation of a limestone quarry on a Greenback property known as Hutton Farm has resulted in lawsuits filed by entities on both sides of the issue. In a complaint filed on April 22, the town of Greenback and Loudon County Regional Planning Commission are suing the limited liability companies M&M Stone Farms, which owns the property on Hutton Road, and Tri-County Crushed Stone, the quarry operator. ...
Andy's Frozen Custard plans Maryville entrance
After initial talks to build in Alcoa, developers of cold treat chain Andy’s Frozen Custard have set their sights on property in downtown Maryville. The finished business, which would feature a drive-through and walk-up service, is planned to be next door to Dunkin’ on South Washington Street. The business will likely open its doors in the first quarter of 2025. Founded in 1986, Andy’s offers a selection of frozen custard...
Alcoa School Board approves $1.2 million for renovations to Pershing Academy of Learning building
Alcoa Board of Education has approved $1.2 million in funds to renovate the Pershing Academy of Learning building. During Monday afternoon’s board meeting, Director of Finance Thomas Shamblin addressed the board with revisions to the original budget proposal. Originally, part of the funds to cover the renovations were to come out of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief budget, a relief fund set up in response to Covid-19, but...
Alcoa Memorial Day schedule
Alcoa will make no adjustments to the collection of residential solid waste, residential recyclables, or commercial/industrial solid waste for the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 27. Residential and commercial routes will run on schedule. Brush collection will resume regular pick-up on June 4. Questions concerning these services may be directed to the Alcoa Sanitation Division at 865-380-4800. The Alcoa/Maryville/Blount County Landfill will remain open on Memorial Day, with regular operating hours of 8:00 a.m. until 5:15 p.m. Please call 865-995-2892 for questions concerning landfill operations.
Tuesday sees jobs, flowers at McGhee Tyson
Tuesday was a day of new beginnings at McGhee Tyson Airport as two events fell on the same day. On the one hand were flowers, and on the other, job opportunities. The overlap of the two events was more coincidental than purposeful, according to Becky Huckaby, vice president of public relations for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority. While a need to fill multiple positions at the airport led staff to host a job fair at the airport Hilton, members of local nonprofit Special Growers diligently...
Flagging on Sam Houston School Road
The city of Alcoa announced Tuesday, May 21 that upcoming flagging operations will affect traffic on Sam Houston School Road beginning this week. The project, which has already begun, is expected to last through July. Sam Houston School Road between Holliday Drive and the Alcoa Water Treatment Plant will have workers flagging the area from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for the month of May. This is in conjunction with the Eagleton Ballfield Project to implement a soil borrow pit on Sam Houston School Road. Staff are advising motorists to use caution when driving through the area, as workers will be present, and allow additional travel time when using this route.
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The Daily Times, an award-winning daily newspaper in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, has served Blount County, Tennessee, readers since 1883. The Daily Times is a family-owned newspaper based in Maryville, Tennessee, near Knoxville, providing quality news and information to the communities it serves, with an emphasis on local news in the Blount County area.
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