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The Daily Times
"A seat at the table:" Louisville government asks for representation in TDOT project
Louisville elected officials are urging town residents to speak out against a proposed infrastructure project that would widen Louisville Road to accommodate truck traffic. The project, which is rooted in the need to update roads for the new Smith & Wesson facility, would widen lanes and add a shoulder between Proffitt Springs Road and Topside Road. The Tennessee Department of Transportation says the project will increase safety along the corridor and streamline the road for future traffic growth. Construction isn’t scheduled to begin until 2027. ...
Blount County Public Library adding nursing station
Bright decor and a collection of books spanning hundreds of topics in the Blount County Public Library’s Youth Services department are designed to appeal to younger patrons. But parents who accompany their children to the library could also benefit from an upcoming addition to the department. The library will soon host one of only a few nursing stations in the county. The Blount County Friends of the Library board voted recently to fund a publicly accessible Mamava nursing station. ...
Alcoa Highway to shift in Knox County
The Tennessee Department of Transportation announced workers will shift a section of Alcoa Highway in Knox County starting Monday night, April 15. The northbound on-ramp from John Sevier Highway to Alcoa Highway will be shifted west of its current location, providing a working space for the contractor to complete the proposed entrance ramp to northbound Alcoa Highway. In addition, workers will slightly shift traffic exiting from northbound Alcoa Highway to John Sevier Highway to construct the proposed exit ramp. This schedule is contingent on favorable weather conditions. Motorists are advised to expect delays and use extreme caution in this area as workers will be present.
Blount County gas prices higher than state average
Gas in Blount County was more expensive than the state average Monday, April 16. Prices at the pump continued to rise in Tennessee and moved 8 cents more expensive over last week, according to a release from AAA — The Auto Club Group. The Tennessee gas price average is now $3.28, which is 20 cents more expensive than one month ago but 10 cents less than one year ago. The...
Maryville resurfacing will move to Foothills Mall Drive
Contractors for the city of Maryville will begin repaving Foothills Mall Drive this week. Crews are currently finishing up several streets in the John Sevier area and will move to Foothills Mall Drive immediately following completion. This part of the citywide resurfacing project is expected to last two weeks. Work will begin at 8 a.m. and end at approximately 4 p.m. daily, weather permitting. Flagged traffic will be in place and no detours are expected. For more information call Maryville Engineering and Public Works at 865-273-3500.
Sponsors, spellers, supporters sought for 27th Annual Adult Spelling Bee April 27
Blount County's 27th Annual Adult Spelling Bee on Saturday, April 27, isn't only for the erudite. Joining in the fundraiser for adult education programs need not be worrisome or cause any angst. The Adult Education Foundation of Blount County has posted a mammoth study guide online for the 2019 word list it is using from the Scripps National Spelling Bee. You can develop some mnemonics, and there won't be any...
Thornhill Mobile Home Community turning out homeowners
David Tate is dying of blood cancer. At most, he has a few years left to live. But there’s another timeline that’s pressing at him: He has about seven weeks to leave Thornhill Mobile Home Community before the home he’s had for decades can be sold, rented to someone else or destroyed. “This is where I planned on dying,” Tate told The Daily Times from his deck Friday, April 12. ...
Maryville City Schools may raise starting teacher pay to $50,750
Maryville City Schools may raise starting teacher pay to $50,750 in the 2024-25 school year, under a plan presented at a school board budget retreat Friday, April 12. MCS Director Mike Winstead explained the plan to distribute a 3.5% pay increase “strategically” to the Maryville Board of Education during its meeting at the Blount Partnership. The plan would raise by 6% the starting pay for a teacher with a bachelor’s...
Townsend residents continue appeals to recall hotel vote
A vocal delegation of Townsend residents still want their city government to recall the vote approving plans for a hybrid hotel in town. In a Thursday, April 11 meeting of the Townsend Planning Commission, citizens accused commissioners of ignoring residents’ interests in favor of unwanted business developments. Planning commissioners approved the plans in January after deliberating whether Ofland Great Smoky Mountains — previously called Yonder Great Smoky Mountains — qualified as a hotel or a campground. An eventual vote opted to treat the development, which...
Greenway streambank stabilization will temporarily affect parking, access
The city of Maryville is preparing to repair sections of streambank along Pistol Creek and Battle Creek in Bicentennial Park to stabilize erosion and enhance the stream corridor along the greenway trail. Project work will begin the week of April 15 and is expected to continue for up to two months. Workers will use soil and vegetative bioengineering techniques to stabilize existing streambanks including streambank grading, installing coir fiber matting and stone at the toe of the bank, and planting native vegetation including trees and...
Patriot Legacies: John Minnis leaves legacy of culture, tradition and service to country
John Minnis was born in 1750 in Down County, Ulster, Ireland. He immigrated to America as a very young man. He lived within 15 miles of Philadelphia. His proximity to history did not stop there. Some family history even finds him at the Boston Tea Party in 1773 but there is no documentation of that. When the Revolutionary War started John Minnis was part of the Pennsylvania militia. He eventually became a sergeant in John Clark’s Pennsylvania Regiment commanded by Col. Walter Stewart. He was...
More than 300 athletes compete at Special Olympics
Despite rainy and cloudy conditions, the 2024 Blount County Special Olympics Track and Field events were held on Wednesday, April 10 at Heritage High School. Athletes representing many schools in Blount County competed in seveal events. Volunteers come out each year to asisst. The day began with a Parade of Athletes. Athletes of the Year were recognized. They include Noah Myers of Heritage High School, Mary Ellen Chupak of Maryville High School, Olvin Rivera of William Blount High School and Shellie Vance, of The Gate. Special Olympics Coach of the Year is Matt Miller, teacher and coach at Maryville Junior High School. The Flame of Hope is brought into the stadium by members of the Alcoa Police Department, Blount County Sheriff’s Office, Maryville Police Department and other community volunteers. Students Tyler Cook (Union Grove Middle), Bentley Holloway (Montgomery Ridge Intermediate) and Logan Miller (Alcoa Middle) were the students chosen to pass off the flame.
Tabled Greenway Village designs get approval
Two plans previously tabled by the Maryville Downtown Design Review Board received approval after developers presented redesigns on Monday, April 8. The planned buildings, which will be part of the Greenway Village development, will appear different from their original designs while having the same contents. The board also recommended developers add trees to the site and work to keep down the summer heat. Board members, who approved the new designs...
Great Smokies Welcome Center holds open house
Smokies Life, formerly Great Smoky Mountains Association, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at the new Great Smokies Welcome Center in Townsend on Wednesday, April 10. Attending were elected government officials, National Park Service staff, members of the Townsend business community and other gateway communities. The event included a 20-minute ceremony, ribbon cutting and open house/reception. The center is open to visitors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week, with the exception of Christmas Day. There is twice the retail space of the previous location. Location is 7929 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway.
Missing man located in National Park
The man park rangers said was missing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recovering in a local hospital after being located Wednesday morning, April 10. Jacob Riggs, 35, was found near Tremont. The National Park Service said he was suffering from “minor injuries and exposure to weather.” The NPS initially asked for help locating Riggs Tuesday, saying his car was found in the GSMNP the day before. The...
Cusick Street narrowing moved to next week
The planned temporary narrowing of North Cusick Street has been moved to Wednesday, April 17. Beginning at the Korean War Memorial Bridge and ending at Hannum Street, all traffic will be shifted to the northbound side of North Cusick Street, with one lane in each direction. The main entrance to the Blount County Public Library off North Cusick Street will be limited to a right turn only to enter and exit. This lane shift is expected to be in effect for one day only while the City of Maryville Water and Sewer Department repairs a failing sewer pipe. For more information call the Engineering and Public Works Department or the Water and Sewer Department at 865-273-3300.
Blount officials plan memorial bridge for slain deputy
A new bridge in Blount County could soon represent the area’s first permanent memorial for a slain sheriff’s deputy. During a Tuesday, April 9, agenda workshop meeting, the Blount County Board of Commissioners voted without comment to send a proposal naming a future Big Springs Road bridge near Friendsville after Blount County Sheriff’s Deputy Greg McCowan. If commissioners approve during their regular meeting next week, April 18, once the bridge opens and a dedication ceremony is held it will be known officially as the Sheriff...
Cost estimate for Blount County Animal Center expansion spikes amid overcrowding
Staff at the Blount County Animal Center aim to grow their facility on Currie Avenue amid increasing crowding, but their plans are now up against a new hurdle: ballooning cost estimates. Price projections for the expansion plan have nearly tripled since their inception, spiking to about $2.9 million, as of February, from an earlier estimate closer to $1 million. As a consequence, the center’s staff hope to split the project into phases, prioritizing needs such as veterinary services and housing for animals. ...
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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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