Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898
Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898
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More than a decade after cofounder Carol Buckley was released from her position as CEO of The Elephant Sanctuary (TES), a Tennessee appellate court ruled in her favor regarding an equally long dispute. Following her dismissal in 2010, Buckley left her residence on the Sanctuary grounds and was subsequently not allowed to visit with the elephant for which the sanctuary was created. A lengthy legal process began in October of 2010. In 2018, a jury trial to establish ownership resulted in a hung...
High school seniors feel cheated. “At least, last year, the seniors got to be together most of the year,” Layla commented as I substituted in her high school math class. “With the quarantine and staggered scheduling, we can’t even do that.” Applications for Federal financial aid by rural students have nosedived in excess of 18 percent, reported National Public Radio in December 2020, signaling dark days for rural, middle Tennessee’s workforce future. However, a bright spot in South Central Ten...
“The children have been amazing. I think they were starved to be around their peers again,” Director of Schools Benny Pace told during his report to the Lewis County School Board Tuesday, August 11, 2020 at the regularly scheduled meeting. All members of the board were in attendance. Chairman Glenda Atkinson presided. The first meeting of the board since students returned to school included updates on the latest CDC and Tennessee Department of Health guidelines for students as they pertain to...
Chief Operating Officer Hayden Rawdon announced this week JTM Broadband has been awarded $605,283.20 by the State of Tennessee in Tennessee Emergency Broadband Funds. Part of the CARES Act, the funds are designated to service approximately 258 homes in Lewis County with high speed broadband. Side roads off Highway 20/Summertown Highway will be targeted to include Grinders Creek Road, Drake Lane, Big Swan Creek Road, Mt. Joy Road and Overhead Bridge Road and some of The Farm, Chief Technical Offi...
Members of the Lewis County Commission voted down a 4.25 percent match to a $2,576,477 airport runway reconstruction project Monday night. All commissioners were present with the exception of Commissioner Connie Sharp. Newly elected Commissioner Kyle Bobo was in attendance as a non-voting participant. He is to be sworn-in in September. Asphalt at Lewis County Airport, John A. Baker Field, is the oldest in the state of Tennessee. A collapsed pipe under the runway as well as divots and cracks...
Two local builders were granted variances on Hohenwald's codes and zoning last week during a meeting of the Board of Zoning Appeals, August 10, 2020. Only one former member of the BZA, Stephanie Runions, was in attendance with a complete new Board in place. New members to the Board in attendance included City Councilman Scottie Bass, Dale Floyd, Kevin Baker and Clasha Tanner. Members Larry McCutcheon, Jerry Risner, June Defoe and Barbara Hinson were absent. Mr. McCutcheon said Tuesday he was not...
While attendance at Lewis County's Memorial Park has been less this year, due mainly to the Coronavirus pandemic's effect on youth sports, the facility, just north of the court house, has seen significant upgrades completed during the summer. The razing of a 1950s or 60s era pavilion last year, made room for new restrooms and a new pavilion, just inside the Smith Street entrance, adjacent to the Girl Scout building. A joint effort of the Park Board, Lewis County Government and the City of Hohenw...
The final leg of a 51 mile long County Seat Connector highway project for Lewis County faces multiple delays at a high cost. Significant environmental issues of the 6.56 mile stretch of State Route 166 between Lewis and Maury Counties have delayed development of the project. Springs and seeps in the rocky terrain between the county line and Mount Pleasant are necessitating substantial stream mitigation, a process estimated to postpone road construction two or more years. Tennessee Department of...
Hohenwald’s Planning Commission convened Monday, where Darrell James, of James & Associates shared information the engineering firm prepared in the Risner Development Project Review. During the discussion, as the development is planned by John Risner and Greg Amacher, Chairman John Risner left the chair, handing the meeting over to Secretary Don Barber. Mr. James, hired by the City of Hohenwald, reviewed a hydrology study created by Mr. Risner’s engineer, Braden Hinson, and provided fee...
Members of Lewis County’s governing body assembled Monday, July 27, conducting business and receiving quarterly reports from department heads. Public Input During a time of Public Input, Edwin Pratt addressed the Board alerting to a downturn in the economy of China. “We would be more than foolish to think this will not affect us,” he admonished the Board. “Evil is coming to this unwalled city...and our only defense is God,” he added. Mr. Praff urged local officials to hold a two hour prayer me...
We are living in unique times. Times that allow us immediate responses via Social Media on a plethora of subjects. Most realize responses are based on our own filters. And that is natural. But it does not have to be this way. “The way a person looks at the world creates his reality. That same way of seeing the world is formed by mostly unknown filters. People learn and develop references and frameworks within which a world can exist,” Belling, B. & Mangalaars, F. A. H. (2004)1. Personal exp...
TCAT President Kelli Kea-Carroll was joined Monday by local elected officials and staff members at the Tennessee College of Applied Technologies for a ground breaking ceremony at the West Main Street, Hohenwald campus. Construction crews arrived one week early, she explained, and not wanting to hinder a schedule, the groundbreaking was held while bulldozers moved in the background. Pictured, left, Lewis County Mayor Jonah Keltner, Instructors Christina Hammonds, Jacquie Coble, Shirley...
Voters have one week left to weigh in on the fate of a new high school for Lewis County students. A quarter percent sales tax vote on the August 6, 2020 ballot/referendum would add pennies for shoppers with big results for educators and students. The Lewis County School Board recently approved the hiring of a construction management company who would oversee all aspects of construction of a new facility on land already owned by the school, adjacent to the current high school on West Main...
City of Hohenwald officials called on their attorney last week after hearing of a request the local Chamber of Commerce made to Lewis County government for additional funding. A letter from the Hohenwald/Lewis County Chamber of Commerce board of directors was sent to Lewis County officials requesting funding to support operations due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic which has affected an approximate one-third decrease in membership. Also outlined was a loss of revenue when the City of Hohenwald...
Members of the Hohenwald City Council met in brief session last Tuesday, with business conducted in five minutes. Councilman Cody Mitchell was absent. Mayor Danny McKnight called the meeting to order recognizing guests Edwin Pratt and this reporter. City employees attending were Building Codes Enforcer Brad Rasbury, Fire Chief Steve Vineyard, Chief of Police Kip Kelsey, City Recorder Kyle Hamm and EC&D Coordinator Helen Ozier. During citizen input, Mr. Pratt spoke on the Coronavirus and indicate...
A huge boom for local governments came when members of the Tennessee Legislature recently approved removing restrictions for Local Government Support Grant funds. Lewis County's portion was increased to $744,538, anticipated to be released in mid-July. Lewis County Commissioners rescinded a resolution of approved projects Monday evening 13 to one in order to reallocate the funds. Voting no was Commissioner Patrick Halfacre. Commissioners Bill Dyer and Ronnie Brewer were absent and two of the 18...
Lewis County Mayor Jonah Keltner called to order the June 30, 2020 quarterly meeting of the Joint Economic & Community Development Board at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Lewis County Courthouse. Reports were received from Executive Board members. City of Hohenwald Mayor Danny McKnight informed the Board the City was in the midst of meter change outs in both the water and gas departments. Mayor Keltner reported on a meeting with the South Central Workforce Alliance, that Lewis County has only had five...
Members of the Hohenwald/Lewis County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors recently elected officers and made decisions regarding the annual Oktober Heritage Festival, their annual banquet and summer Block Parties. Oktober Heritage Festival and the Modern Homestead Expo will remain on the schedule for the fall, planned for October 9-10, 2020, barring no rises in Coronavirus cases or shutdowns by the state of Tennessee. Organization and implementation of the annual festival is under the...
After six months of wrangling, hours of committee meetings and a failed resolution, a change in funding for Lewis County's Solid Waste budget was approved Monday evening. All 17 members of the Lewis County Board of Commissioners were in attendance. A resolution to increase both residential and commercial solid waste fees, identified as 06-08-20, written and amended numerous times by the Solid Waste Committee and members of the Board, was presented to the full body at Lewis County Courthouse...
Members of the Hohenwald City Council met in regular session Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at the Emergency Operations Center on Oak Street. Absent was Vice Mayor Don Barber. In new business, a resolution regulating outdoor displays passed with two ayes and one no vote by Councilman Scottie Bass. Approval of the budget for fiscal year 2020-21 passed unanimously on second reading with a motion to approve by Councilman Cody Mitchell, seconded by Councilman Bass. Budget amendments were unanimously...
Lewis County ranks third from the bottom in the list of COVID-19 cases in the State of Tennessee. According to the state of Tennessee's Novel Coronavirus website on June 8, 2020, Shelby County ranks number one with 6,005 cases, 133 deaths and 66,309 negative tests, a number changing daily. Lewis County has had four cases, two of which are reported as recovered, and no deaths. In Tennessee's 95 counties, Davidson ranks a close second to Shelby with 5,947 cases. In Davidson County there have been...
Members of the James E. (Jim) Oliver family gathered Friday on Highway 412 West near the Perry County line for the unveiling of a sign that named that portion of State Route 412 in honor of the founder of the Oliver Companies....
Architect Bill Allen presented a set of drawings, 95 percent completed, to the Public Safety Committee Monday evening and also addressed an invoice Lewis County Government protested in the amount of $114,147. According to Lewis County Mayor Jonah Keltner, Lewis County contracted with TLM Associates in 2012 under then Mayor Van Ward to create a plan for a new jail. At the time, estimates came in at $7 million for a new penal facility. Three mayors and three commissions later, Lewis County has pai...
During committee meetings Monday, June 1, 2020 at Lewis County Courthouse, Mayor Jonah Keltner presented a list of findings for consideration by the Solid Waste Committee. The most serious is the pending shortfall unless changes in revenue are approved. As of Monday morning, the Solid Waste fund had $110,890, "the lowest it has ever been at this point of the year," the mayor stated, in warning of a potential negative balance looming in coming months. "And for the seventh consecutive month, I'm...
Ashley Heath and Mable Anne, center, visit with Eva Dudley, assisted by Jessica Whitehead, CNA, Tuesday morning at AHC Lewis County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and a game of Patty Cake ensues. The Heath’s are joined each week by Barbara Hinson, second from right, with a bubble blowing gun, and Annette Peery, right, displaying a sign that reads, “Have a beautiful morning and a good day!” They visit with residents through the windows, waving, blowing kisses and bubbles, watching for smile...
