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Meet the Locals ......................A2Education ...............................A3Court Report ...........................A4Agriculture/Health...................A5Cranberry Festival ...............A6,7Obituaries ...............................A8Faith .......................................A9

From Page One ..............A10Homecoming ...............B1,3,4Service Directory ...............B2Community Calendar ........B5Sports .............................B6,7Classifieds .................B8,9,10

INSIDE:

THE TOMAHAWKMountain City, Tennessee 3768375 centsWednesday, October 9, 2019 Vol. 145 No. 41www.thetomahawk.com

SATURDAY, OCT. 26. 9 AM - NOONRALPH STOUT PARK

Jill PenleyFREELANCE WRITER

After the liquor store ref-erendum passed in Johnson County last November, the Town of Mountain City ad-opted an ordinance estab-lishing specific regulations

regarding the retail sale of liquor. The Town of Moun-tain City Board of Alderman then held a public Work Ses-sion in mid-August, during which the board unanimously approved two package store applications with the stipula-tion that they pass building

inspections and are deemed “insurable.”

Locals began noticing ren-ovation projects preparing to house the city’s first package stores. Robert Blackwell’s 2 Sisters will be located in the Pioneer Shopping Cen-ter while Tom and Becky

Stanley have been working for months on renovating a building along South Shady Street known by locals as “the skating rink.”

Both projects stalled, how-ever, when it was time for an Order of Compliance to be

Building Inspector, package store moving forwardCITY COUNCIL

See Council Page A10

Traffic backs up due to construction on South Main Street towards State Highway 67 near the Johnson County Health Department. The project is slated for

completion before Christmas. Photo by Tamas Mondovics

Joining a sizable crowd that lined the streets downtown Mountain City for this year’s Homecoming parade, Hadley Ingle, 3, is ready to cheer on the Longhorns last Friday. The evening festivities proved to be a huge success with the crowning of Emmy Miller and Natalie Winters as junior princess and homecoming queen, respectively, not to mention

the boys’ 33-6 victory against Claiborne County. See more Homecoming on page 1-B. Photo by Tamas Mondovics

By Jill PenleyFREELANCE WRITER

It doesn’t take very long for vehicle congestion, particu-larly at the beginning of the school and workday, and the issue is compounded in the midst of a construction project, which is forcing one-lane of traffic.

Work crews began setting up barriers and temporary signage on South Main Street towards State Highway

Sidewalk project causing traffic woes

‘Go Longhorns’

See Construction Page A10

By Meg DickensSTAFF WRITER

The Johnson County Court-house is in desperate need of repairs. Both the Johnson County Commissioners and Budget Committee discussed this at their September meet-ings. The most pressing issue is the roof. This issue is lead-ing to more damage, which will increase future expenses.

The jury box damage is an excellent example of this. The damaged ceiling has curled the relatively new hardwood flooring in the box. Other than cosmetic damage, County Lawyer Perry Stout pointed out the possible health risk in the upcoming winter months. Toxic molds, such as the common mold Stachybotrys chartarum, thrive in moist wood, paper, drywall, and other similar materials.

“The roof is currently a lia-bility,” Stout pointed out. “It’s a matter of public record.”

This project will reduce liability as well as increase building value. The court-house’s R-value will increase from R4 to R24 after repairs. R-value measures insulation effectiveness, which affects heating and cooling costs.

No local companies put in a bid for the job, although one showed interest before the formal bid. Morristown Roofing gave the best price at $109,685, which includes repairing the jury box hole, painting, replacing skylights with LED lights in the current frames, and giving the cur-rently flat roof a 6-inch drop.

Keeping the skylights would increase repair costs by $8,000 and increase heat-ing and cooling costs. Fund-

Jo. Co. Courthouse to receive repairs

The County Commissioners and Budget Committee approved a bid to repair the Johnson County

Courthouse’s damaged roof. The construction will begin this month and is promising to cut heating and

cooling costs. Photo by Meg Dickens.

See Courthouse Page A10

Staff Report

Town of Mountain City Board of Mayor and Alder-men declared October 23 through 31, as Red Rib-bon Week during its regular meeting held this month on Tuesday, October 1.

“The town values the health and safety of all our citizens,” stated Mayor Kev-in Parsons, “substance abuse is particularly damaging to our children and a contribut-ing factor to the three leading causes of death of children – accident, homicide, and suicide.”

The goal of Red Ribbon Week is to involve the entire community and promote awareness and prevent drug use. During the meeting, City Council granted a re-quest by the A.C.T.I.O.N Coalition to purchase ban-ners to be placed on Main Street to promote this event.

Red Ribbon Week began in 1985 by the National Family Partnership. The non-profit organization is dedicated to educating children, teenag-ers, and parents about the dangers of drugs.

“I urge all citizens to join me by wearing a red ribbon all week to raise awareness about the dangers of drugs and educate others,” said Parsons.

A.C.T.I.O.N. Coalition brings together stakeholders to support a healthy com-

munity by strengthening in-dividual and community as-sets. Parsons’ support of this group began over 12 years

ago when he turned what was at the time the mayor’s office and adjoining unused office

Officials promote drug abuse awareness, Red Ribbon Week

With ACTION Coalition Prevention Specialist, Denise Woods by his side, Mayor Mike Taylor signs a Red

Ribbon Week Proclamation, supporting and promoting substance abuse awareness. Submitted photo

See A.C.T.I.O.N. Page A10

STINK BUGS? We have indoor and outdoor stink bug killer spray!!!

Mountain View Nursery & Landscaping Home and Garden Center1987 S. Shady St. (Hwy 421) Mtn City, TN (423) 727-2774 Mon-Fri: 9am-5 pm | Sat: 9am -12 noon

FABULOUS FALL DECOR! New arrivals now in store!

Shady Valley Cranberry Festival This Friday & Saturday

October 11th & 12thFor a full schedule of events see pages A-6 & A-7 of this edition!