Results tagged “Local” from The Slug

Vice Mayor and 6^th District City Councilman Mark Brown has accepted the position of Knox County Judicial Commissioner, which requires him to resign as Vice Mayor and his elected position on Knoxville City Council.
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Solid Waste    C+

In 2007, the U.S. produced 254 million tons of solid waste. More than a third was recycled or recovered, representing a seven percent increase since 2000. Per capita generation of waste has remained relatively constant over the last 20 years. Despite those successes, the increasing volume of electronic waste and lack of uniform regulations for disposal creates the potential for high levels of hazardous materials and heavy metals in the nation's landfills, posing a significant threat to public safety.

Tazewell Mayor Steve Vass died at his home Wednesday afternoon of a gunshot wound that appears to be self-inflicted. The Claiborne County Sheriff's Department has confirmed the mayor's death and is investigating it as a suicide.
Capt. David Honeycutt said the mayor was a close, personal friend and "a person who put the concerns of the city before his own."
Honeycutt said Vass, 65, had been in failing health recently. Deputies are considering that a likely motive.

In 2006 and 2007, the list of grant awards approved by Knox County Commission and published in the budget included a group called "Matching Mentors Consortium" that didn't really exist, the draft audit states.

The $10,000 budgeted in 2006 actually went to the Knox County Christian Women's Job Corp ($5,000), SOAR youth ministries in Lonsdale ($2,500) and TennCorp Community Services Volunteers Inc. ($2,500), which was founded by Finch and run by Finch's sister.

In 2007, the $4,500 budgeted to the Matching Mentors Consortium actually went to the Colonial Village Neighborhood Association ($500), Mount Olive Community Organization ($500), South Doyle Area Home Owners Association ($500), South Haven Community Organization ($500) and Tennessee Conference Community Development Inc. ($2,500), the last two of which also had ties to Finch or her staff, according to the draft.

Fourth Circuit Court Judge Bill Swann this week approved the final divorce decree giving Claudia Ragsdale back her maiden name and the couple freedom from the ties that had bound them.

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But the settlement agreement changes the grounds for divorce and does not come with a call for alimony or health care coverage for Claudia Ragsdale, who has battled cancer.

To find out who gets what - including the University of Tennessee football tickets - read the story Thursday online and in the News Sentinel.

The "Coal Ash Reclamation, Environment, and Safety Act of 2009" addresses the 
urgent need to ensure safe storage of coal ash at impoundments like the one in 
Tennessee.  This bill:  
 
 Imposes uniform federal design, engineering, and performance standards on 
new coal ash impoundments.  These standards are to be developed in 
accordance with the requirements for impoundments in the Surface Mining 
Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). SMCRA provides direction 
for the stable storage of the coal mining wastes, including coal slurry, which 
are generated at mines--a similar challenge to the storage of coal ash at 
utilities.   
 
 Provides one year for completion of a detailed inventory of the hundreds of 
existing coal ash impoundments and the risks each poses to groundwater and 
human and environmental health.  The Secretary of the Interior is given the 
authority to order improvements of impoundments based on the inventory.   
 
 Requires adequate monitoring and inspection regimes for both existing and 
new coal ash impoundments.  
 
 Allows States with adequate or superior standards to administer the program 
similar to the authority provided by SMCRA.

(A) the size of the impoundment is adequate for its intended purposes;
(B) the impoundment dam construction will be so designed as to achieve necessary stability with an adequate margin of safety compatible with that of structures constructed under Public Law 83-566 (16 U.S.C. 1006);
(C) the quality of impounded water will be suitable on a permanent basis for its intended use and that discharges from the impoundment will not degrade the water quality below water quality standards established pursuant to applicable Federal and State law in the receiving stream;
(D) the level of water will be reasonably stable;
(E) final grading will provide adequate safety and access for proposed water users; and
(F) such water impoundments will not result in the diminution of the quality or quantity of water utilized by adjacent or surrounding landowners for agricultural, industrial recreational, or domestic uses

Nashville, Tennessee - For the third straight year, Interstate 40 in Tennessee tops the list of best roads in the country according to the nation's truck drivers.  In addition, for the 10th consecutive year truckers rated Tennessee's overall roadway system as third best in the nation (tied with Georgia) according to a recent survey published in Overdrive Magazine.
"Tennessee's roadways are a major economic driver for our state," said Governor Phil Bredesen.  "The consistently high ranking of our transportation system from the people who use it most certainly enhances opportunity for future growth and development in Tennessee."

Authorities said today that skeletal remains found on an East Knox County farm last month are those of popular Knoxville hair stylist Byron Barker, who has been missing for more than three years and was the victim of foul play.

Barker was 47 when reported missing by family members on May 19, 2005. His 2004 Nissan Altima was found in a hotel parking lot in Williamsburg, Ky.

A week ago, the News Sentinel was forced to reduce its workforce because of the economic situation. Next week, readers will see changes in the newspaper itself.

Some of these change, too, are intended to reduce costs. Like other newspapers, we have been affected by sharply rising expenses, altered advertising patterns and the overall slowdown in the economy. During this time of transition, we want to do everything we can to produce a newspaper that is affordable as well as readable.

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The biggest change will be in Monday's paper. The start of the week will feature a quick-read edition in two sections, News and Sports, as well as classified advertising.

The "A" section will combine national and local news, with emphasis on local. The weather charts will move to Page A2, and the obituaries will appear in the back of the section. The section also will include our editorials and letters to the editor.

The "B" section will be Sports, including comprehensive reports on the weekend's games. At the back of the section will be the movie ads, TV listings, comics and puzzles.