TWRA is distributing wanted posters in the hunt for whoever shot two of our bald eagles. Both were wounded in the wing and are being rehabilitated.

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From the Buzz

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Well, here's the latest and greatest at the Creative Arts Co-op...!

There's a battle going on for the most popular infommercial on television - and boy is it a doozy. Join us for the live auditions as the two hosts battle it out on live t.v. This is like no reality show you have ever seen!

'The Battle For The Next Network Star!' interactive murder mystery
June 15, 2013 (one show only)
8:00pm
Tickets are $20.00pp - includes show, dessert, and beverages.
at the Creative Arts Co-op Visual & Performing Arts Center,
426 Ruritan Road, Harriman

TVA is schmoozing our elected officials pretty hard to get then to buy in to locating new nuclear facilities in Roane County. They don't seem to see a red flag in the fact that All three of TVA’s nuclear plants are now operating under heightened oversight by the NRC due to safety violations.

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Scott McMahan has one of those voices that go with his songs. I'll give you a listen here in a minute.

Friday June 14 Doors open at 6:30 Music at 7:30
$10 cover, BYOB, and BYO food (We highly recommend the Market Street Bistro right next door for supper)

I am curious to learn more about this. Thanks to new member Faithful for pointing it out.

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Glen Casada wants to legislate what your kids are taught in history class because, well some of our founders were deists and had socialist tendencies and kids shouldn't have to deal with non conservative versions of things.

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Drillers can inject 200,000 gallons of unknown chemicals into the ground before the state even opens a public comment period. There are no actions of recourse to reverse ground water contamination and the penalties for contaminating underground water supplies are slight if any are ever levied. Roane County water supplies flow from areas that could be fracked in the near future.

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I realize the news that we have a Congressional Representative may come as a surprise to many of you. Any of you folks who voted for Scott DesJarlais, I blame all this on you. Dee Jay just got censored by the American Medical Association for medical misconduct but that doesn't matter to us now. He's gone. We got this new guy who turns out to be a much slicker sleazebag, and that's just according to his fellow Republicans. So way back in the Republican primary Fleishman decided he could win by lying about his opponent. Nothing new here except that his opponent's team decided Fleishman's methods were too sleazy even for Republicans and sued him. Chuck's doing all he can to prevent his political methods from being seen by the public.

Well, it was close, but not close enough. The Creative Arts Co-op will have to wait another day (June 3rd) to debut their brand of comedy at Smokies Stadium. The original show date was June 2 - with the Smokies battling Jackson, but excessive rain and storms caused unsafe conditions on the field and the game was re-scheduled to tomorrow night (Monday, June 3). Monday night's battle will now be a double header against Jackson with the Creative Arts Co-op entertaining crowds during the second game. The show, you ask? 'Take 'Em Out at the Ballgame!'

The Daily buzz

Unlike TVA the rest of the world is moving away from nuclear power so a large nuclear fuel producer in KY is closing down. In the fray we have two very telling statements. First Senator Corker...

TVA industrial rates have risen more than other utilities in the past decade even though TVA's overall electricity prices remain below the U.S. average.

Calling BS on that statement is EPB President Harold DePriest, chairman of the Tennessee Valley Public Power Association which represents the 155 distributors...

Mayor Watts will appoint Danny Wright to take over, in a move that will have the new chief as the boss of the old chief, Bill Stinnett, who will take over a Captain's spot. From what I know of Mr. Wright he is well qualified for the job. We do wonder if he really wants to put up with the antics of the Rockwood City council for a mere $40,000 a year? Wright is currently on the Roane County School Board.

RCN Story (paywall)

We met Ben Bullington last weekend at Hippie Jack's Farm. He is a Montana small town doc who has turned to singing his songs as a second career. We were blown away when we heard him in a songwriter's round just like this one.

More from Ben's current album. His songs require a bit of listening and thinking, but folks here are pretty good at that.

Our legislators apparently have been ordered not to listen to us..

The Daily Buzz

Get the latest on the clean up and the progress on the Swan Pond Park tonight from 5:30 to 7 at the RCHS auditorium.

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Boy was this predictable...At the 2013 Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit Senator Alexander trashed the German" model of energy independence which relies heavily on wind and solar power and rejects nuclear power. He makes an interesting claim that Germany is closing its own nuclear plants while buying nuclear power from other countries, which is a stretch at best and an outright lie upon examination. Check this headline:
German energy surplus quadruples despite renewable push

Actually I have it on good authority that he was hanging with Jim Clayton at Boyd's Jig and Reel last night, but maybe he is secretly negotiating with Secretary Kathleen Sebelius during the daytime. That and more from the Buzz...

The Daily Buzz

I would be curious to see the historical budget for the Sheriff's Department over the last ten years. For a County with a population that has remained essentially static for the last two decades we sure do seem to be spending more and more on jails and things.

And why does the County Commission not blink at granting the Sheriff and additional $180,000 over its budget while it goes all apoplectic when the School Board asks for less than a third of that amount? Where are our priorities?

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From Rep. Calfee's Facebook page:

"Due to the sequester the current administration put us under, we were disappointed to learn there were no "formal" Memorial Day celebrations, nor will there be fireworks here at Camp Lejeune during July 4th. However, some very dedicated base residents and families decided to recognize those who gave all and would not be around for this or any other holiday- please remember Freedom is not Free."

Come on Kent... Blaming the President for the sequester and the lack of fireworks at LeJeune? You can do better than that. Republicans should stand up and take credit for the mess they made and stop this kind of disingenuous BS. I guess you want to do away with all taxes except for the ones that pay for pomp, circumstance, and fireworks.

Pankey coached Austin East for one season and leaves there with a 3-7 record, after taking over the program with no spring practice. He was previously an assistant coach under Vic King and is well known and liked in Kingston.

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Let us honor the fallen on this day and also those who served, serve, and will serve by doing them the great justice of sending future citizens to war as a last resort in defending our nation. I really wish we could spend a little more of the 29% of the budget of the United States of America on taking care of our Veterans.

Latest word is that the culprits were 11, 12, and 14 year old girls. They are facing felony vandalism charges. Isn't it a little harsh to charge a ten year old child with a felony?

RCN Story

Zillow has issued its Negative Equity Report of underwater mortgages, home equity, and mortgages behind on payments (Link...).

Rockwood is 19% underwater, about 1 mortgage in 5; Harriman is 18%, Kingston less. Overall Roane County is 14% underwater, about 1 in 7. This is very worrisome but some other locales--Knoxville, Crab Orchard, much of Georgia--are much worse.

-- OneTahiti

Kingston Tennessee is a provincial little town in a most beautiful setting. It is blessed with water and scenery with the Emory and Clinch River confluence at the northern end and the Clinch and Tennessee River confluence at the southern end. Fort Southwest Point Park anchors the town at one end and very soon the Ladd Landing Greenway will provide the bookend to the north with the net cost to Kingston taxpayers being absolutely free.

Starting at Ladd Park at the Clinch and Emory confluence, the greenway carves its way through several micro habitats and a mature mixed hardwood forest. Except for the much discussed handrails on the bridge over Ladd Landing Boulevard and a few benches and such, the trail is complete. You may walk the entire trail right now, except for the bridge, and I encourage everyone to do just that. I have traveled it several times and seen something new every time I've gone. There is nowhere else in Roane County that you can walk into a deep forest on the comfort of a paved trail. The Ladd Landing Greenway is a gift that everyone in Kingston should enjoy and treasure from now on.

This is good news and bad news. Too bad this wasn't done 15 years ago when the problem was identified. Good that this beautiful spot on the Emory river will get cleaned up. There will be a big mess for several years but the next generation will have a greater Riverside park in Harriman.

RNeal has the story...
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A best friend is nursing a blood clot in his leg that went undiagnosed and could have done serious damage. He sent this and I'm passing it along.

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions: