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Candidates for Blount's state Senate seat hit Maryville, Tellico forums
School choice and religion in public life were some of the issues that divided Republican candidates for Tennessee state Senate District 2 from the lone Democratic contender this week. Proposals to limit types of immigration helped bring them together. With six weeks before the Aug. 1 primary cuts the field vying to replace retiring state Sen. Art Swann in November from four to two, some of the candidates faced voter questions touching on national and Tennessee politics Wednesday, June 12, and Thursday, June 13. ...
Louisville passes fireworks ordinance ahead of Independence Day 2024
Louisville became the third local municipality to change its fireworks law this year after the Board of Mayor and Aldermen passed the town’s first-ever ordinance on the subject. The ordinance, passed Tuesday, June 11, formally establishes dates to shoot fireworks and also dictates conditions for sale. Shooting fireworks will be legal from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. July 1-3 and from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. July 4. In December,...
Alcoa announces waste schedule for Juneteenth holiday week
The City of Alcoa will make no adjustments to the collection of residential solid waste, residential recyclables, or commercial/industrial solid waste for the Juneteenth holiday week. Residential and commercial routes will run on schedule. There will be no brush collection June 19. Wednesday’s brush route will be collected on Tuesday, June 18 and Tuesday’s brush route will be collected on Monday, June 17. Thursday and Friday’s routes will run as normal. The Alcoa/Maryville/Blount County Landfill will remain open June 19 with regular operating hours of 8:00 a.m. until 5:15 p.m. Please call 865-995-2892 for questions concerning landfill operations. Questions concerning these services may be directed to the Alcoa Sanitation Division at 865-380-4815.
Holy hand grenade: Local theater group revives 'Monty Python'
Zany, goofy, silly, shocking, absurd, puzzling and stupidly creative — they all describe the British comedy “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” but even those words seem inadequate. Sarah Mills, a member of The Trash Panda Players, adds bizarre to the mix of adjectives, and she’s seen the movie several times. Monty Python included actors Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. “It was...
TDOT modifying proposed Louisville Road changes after public input
After receiving widespread objections from nearby residents, the Tennessee Department of Transportation will modify plans to enhance Louisville Road. Department staff will incorporate a bike lane into their plans and will no longer add a concrete barrier that would block left turns on Topside Road. A representative of TDOT confirmed Wednesday, June 12 that the department plans to move forward with the changes. Work is slated to begin in 2027. ...
Blount County's latest budget proposal features level spending, raises
Blount County’s latest budget proposal could trigger base pay increases for new teachers in county schools and support projects ranging from high school roof replacement to the purchase of new police rifles. But Blount’s next budget might also share some major traits with this year’s. The county’s operational spending will stay largely level in the fiscal year that starts July 1 if the current, $274.5 million net budget recommendation survives an upcoming vote from the Blount board of commissioners. A push for $50,000 starting salaries...
Rockford man charged with attempted criminal homicide after allegedly shooting deputies
A Rockford man has been taken into custody after allegedly shooting two Blount County Sheriff’s deputies. Ronald Reed Millsaps, 59, has been charged with two counts of attempted criminal homicide, as well as aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and especially aggravated kidnapping, according to a press release from Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Deputy Corbin Smith, 25, and Deputy Edward Walker, 28, were responding to a domestic call on Jacob Springs Boulevard,...
Check it out at the Blount County Public Library
Summer is the time for beach reads. What constitutes a “beach read”? Anything that you read while you happen to be at the beach? Or light, readable novels that are perfect to take on vacation? Every book that Blount County Public Library (BCPL) puts on the shelves goes through Cataloging Specialist Lisa McDaniel-Tipton. Her precise process includes entering the title, author, subjects, and summary in the library system. She handles hundreds of books a week! According to Lisa, a beach read is light reading, nothing...
Tremont naturalist week
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont will host its Naturalist Week from June 17-21. This free, virtual event is “designed to connect people with nature from wherever they are,” the press release read. Tremont is challenging both children and adults to explore nature around them, whether it’s a park, green space or their own backyard. ...
Springbrook Farm rounds offerings with UT Federal Credit Union
The financial sector is coming to Springbrook Farm in the form of UT Federal Credit Union’s first Blount County location. The branch, which will be the credit union’s eighth overall, will boast state-of-the-art automated equipment and walk-in capabilities. Credit union staff hope to have the branch, which sits at 1858 Pauling Street, operational by July 1 with a grand opening planned for August. Debbie Jones, president and chief executive officer...
Two BCSO deputies injured in Rockford shooting
Two Blount County Sheriff’s deputies were injured in a shooting while responding to a domestic call Tuesday afternoon. The shooting took place around the 1100 block of Jacob Springs Road, according to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Officers issued a shelter in place order in the Jacob Springs area, as well as closed off access to the highway. ...
Plans for up to 115 new, affordable homes in Maryville gain momentum
Long waits for affordable homes in Blount County could shorten in the years ahead. Plans for new affordable and public housing developments are gaining momentum. The staff of Maryville Housing Authority, Blount County’s public housing agency, have been working for months on a project to build as many as 104 affordable apartments behind the agency’s main offices on Atlantic Avenue. A separate project would see MHA place 11 new apartments on land behind the county health department, on McNabb. ...
Honoring our GSMNP veterans event announced
Marilyn Childress, president of the Veteran’s Heritage Site Foundation recently announced the date, time and focus of the annual meeting that honors veterans that are buried in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This year’s event will be held at 11 a.m. Jone 15 at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend. The focus of this year’s event is World War II veterans. Attendees are encouraged to bring photos of their family members who served in World War II whether they are buried in...
APD: Louisville man drugged, raped child
A Louisville man is in custody after Alcoa Police officers said he had sexual contact with a 12-year-old girl in late March. Brian Lee Miller, 45, has been charged with rape of a child, aggravated sexual battery, solicitation of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He is being held in lieu of bonds totaling $280,000 and is set to appear in Blount County General Sessions Court at 9 a.m. June 13. According to an affidavit for his arrest filed Saturday, Miller allegedly gave the 12-year-old “gummies to get her high” and made sexual contact with her on around 20 occasions. Officers said he also solicited her for images via text. He was arrested at 10:12 p.m. June 8 in West Knoxville and taken to the Blount County Correctional Facility, where he remained by press time Monday.
Pershing Academy of Learning will receive million dollar facelift
Alcoa City Schools Pershing Academy of Learning is getting a mighty facelift after the school board passed a $1.2 million renovation proposal in May. The building, which was used as a fire hall in the 1940s, currently houses senior high school students on the first floor, but after renovation, Alcoa Director of Schools Becky Stone hopes to expand the program. Until now, PAL has only served high school students, Stone...
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Blount County Public Library's 7th Annual Mini Con!
Superheroes and wizards alike gathered at Blount County Public Library on Saturday for the seventh BCPL Mini Con. The event, which kicks off the library’s summer reading program, featured craft vendors, authors, comic book and toy sales, food trucks and costumes galore. Notable guests included Smoky Mountain Ghostbusters, storm troopers, and a brooding Batman who stalked the library, taking pictures with attendees. ...
Healthcare transparency group awards B grade to Blount Memorial Hospital
Excitement about grades isn’t just for students and parents. Leaders of Blount Memorial Hospital were happy to receive a B for patient safety on an assessment from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit that bills itself as a healthcare transparency watchdog, for spring of 2024. The group provides hospitals with grades calculated using measures like the number of surgical site infections incurred after treatment, the existence of safety problems such as bed sores and medication administration. ...
Ripley PR named one of Newsweek’s top agencies
Ripley PR, an award-winning global public relations agency in Maryville that specializes in skilled trades, manufacturing, franchising and B2B technology, has been recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Top PR Agencies for 2024. To highlight the public relations agencies that are the most recommended in their sector or specialization in the United States, Newsweek partnered with Statista to release the list of America’s Best PR agencies this month. The...
"Great for the community:" Local realtor renovates historic home for offices
After 18 years in the real estate business, Sara Price is finally going to have her own office. The office in question will be in an iconic Blount County home on East Broadway Avenue that’s almost 100 years old. Work is already underway to turn the historic building into offices for Price’s company, The Price Agency, complete with a reception area, ADA accessibility and a room for designing potential builds. ...
Alcoa closes Chandler Road for repairs
The city of Alcoa announced Friday, June 7 that it had closed a section of Chandler Road for repairs. The 500-foot section that is closed, which begins just east of Chandler Way, will be closed for an “undetermined duration.” Anyone with questions can contact the Alcoa Development services department at 865-380-4800.
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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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