2/1/08-2/28/08

To Amy Estes:
Although I do not know the Bryant family, I agree with you that they need to be remembered in our prayers. I am very sorry for their loss.

I take offense to the fact that you say people write to crucify others on this site however. While sometimes people do have strong opinions about things, I do hope that you do not mean to suggest that what they are saying is untrue. If so, I have to feel sorry for you for living in a dream world.
These things ARE happening and they affect YOUR life as well as everyone else in this county, no matter if you want to see it or not. I commend Shaver for providing us with news the way it really is.

As for the anonymous posts, if you cannot figure out why that happens, you really DON"T have a clue as to what our politicians are capable of.

JoAnne Turner LC 2/27/08

I never write into this site for many reasons but today I feel that I should, so please see if you can do the following...
Please take a moment today to pray for the families and parents of Corey Bryant. Corey was tragically taken away from his family Saturday night in a car wreck.

So instead of getting on this website today and making horrible remarks about people and placing blame which I see all of you do anonymously which really confuses me, just take a moment to remember these people today and everyday to follow. We should all be keeping this family in our prayers and thoughts today instead of crucifying those around us. Would you all do this? Can you do this?

Thank you
Amy Estes 2/25/08

TO Wife of 2/22 and One of the Good Ones: My heart goes out to all the families of the "GOOD" guys in the Sheriff's Department that have to sit back knowing everything that a certain "Wife" gets away with.......I feel sorry for her little boy when he starts hearing all the things she's done and gotten away with. What kind of example is she setting for him????? I'm just glad he's got a good daddy to count on. I've known this "wife" since she was a child and believe me she hasn't changed (for the good) in the least.........It amazes me all the people who are willing to jeopardize their own jobs and reputations to cover up her illegal activities. I've been told she knows "Too Much" about too many people and would use it against them if necessary. Could this be the answer to this blond's hold on the Loudon County Sheriff's Department (beside using her husba nd's position over those in lesser authority). If she is allowed to get away with another crime what will she do next?????

Sign me - An old neighbor 2/25/08

How nice for the Nelson's and Littleton's. It is preposterous to me that while they are spending the "rate payers" monies for this trip, they are also spending their employees raises for their own personal gain. Didn't Freddie just return from a 2 week trip to the Bahamas. Did he get a personal raise this last year. For the short time he has been manager he has received over $30,000.00 in raises. Oh and the monies that are left over from the "non-profit" organization are spread around to the high ranking employees. What about the select 3 or 4 people besides Freddie that got raises? And, the monies that are left over each year because of LCUB being a non profit organization are disbursed to the "higher ranking officials". I would like to see some of them get up at 3 am, go out into a storm, go up in a bucket and work a hot line of trouble. All the while the crews that get up in the middle of the night in a storm, didn't receive a raise last year in spite of the 5 million in reserves. Some of these men have close to or over 30 years of service and are getting close to retirement. Without a pay increase their retirement is a stagnant. The last years of retirement are very important for the retiree. It is absolutely outraging to perpetually put these men's lives on the line and deny them a raise while you give yourself one. We are tired of padding the pockets of those living the luxurious life, all at the expense of the working man. The crews worked short handed every day, yet they are always hiring someone new in the office. Politically speaking of course. If you go through the history of employees hired over the years, it is obviously apparent that nepotism has been a deciding factor of employment for several "lucky ones" that have been hired. These hard working men pay union dues that come out of their check once a month. These union dues have increased in the last year, but when the time comes for representation, there is none. Such as when these men were hoping and fighting for their raises last year. It seems that they are not representing the working men as much as they are catering to LCUB. All of these issues need to be addressed. It is time for the way that this company practices it's hiring, lack of pay to some while an increase in pay to others stops. What can we do????

Not Happy 2/23/08

To Buba 02/20/08

If you have not received your answer to why the LCUB management constantly lies to the employees and says they are broke and do not have money for raises for the rank and file employees, please read the article at vanshaver. com (OFF TO NEW YORK).

When management wants something, all of a sudden $5,000,000 (five million) just appears out of the blue. I'm not surprised about the junket to New York. I'm just surprised that "Matt the Brat" is not going. Usually junkets of this grandeur and magnitude are saved for family vacations.

The employees have no recourse, but are so tried of being lied to. How long O,lord, how long?

LCUBer 02/23/08

This is a response to Glenda

Some have stood up for what they feel was right and have been setup, ran off, fired or chastised for allot less then what others have been indicted and arrested for, and still working for the Sheriff's Office. The good people of Loudon County will have another chance
to change things in two years. The truth will come out. Just ask the ones that have been employees for
years and years but not anymore.

Wife of a Ex Deputy a Good Father and a Good Man 02/22/2008

Word around the castle is that king Arp spent nearly six thousand dollars on the new chair in his new office. Any body surprised? What a crook. Glad to know my tax dollars are holding his sorry A** up.

Well, I guess nobody is going to say who the latest deputy's wife is to run afoul of the law. Guess we can wait till the next grand jury report. The last time she was indicted for the same thing, her charges were reduced through Russ Johnson's da's office to a lesser crime and she walked away with no more than a slap on the wrist. So this time she stole a lot more. Guess she figures she will just get out of it again. It's just hard to believe her deputy husband hadn't noticed she had spent over $6000 in a month that he didn't give her. Guess that says a little something about his powers of observation. If Johnson lets her walked again he should be arrested.

I'm puzzled. Management has constantly said that there is just no money for raises at LCUB unless you work in the management offices. But now I see they plan to buy the shopping center. How can they find the money to buy a building they don't need but not the money to give small raises to the employees they do need? I bet I know who is making those decisions.

I see that nobody on the school board bothered to respond to Van’s challenge to prove him wrong. This school board has no credibility.

So the school board spent a long weekend in a ritzy Gatlinburg hotel, the weekend before Valentine’s Day. Is that called a Sweetheart’s junket at taxpayer expense?

Remember when this same school board tried to cut out bus transportation? I guess they had more important things to spend our hard-earned money, like a nice long weekend for themselves. Its time that they face the same fate as the school board in Elizabethton, vote them out of office!

What kind of people have we elected? Our part-time mayor with full time pay Doyle Arp and his gaudy columns, commissioners voting themselves a big fat pay raise and laptops and now the school board and their sweetheart junket, while students sit in trailers or do without heating/air!

Ready to vote them out 2/19/08

Sondra Sarten will be presenting a Paper in Phoenix Arizona, at the Waste Management Conference on February 26, 2008 that she wrote titled " United States DOE and Public Involvement a Key to Successful Clean Up" Sondra is representing RS Construction and Fabrication Inc. on behalf of the DOE Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board ( ORSSAB) where she has been active member for the past two years. Sondra is also the Chair Person for the ORSSAB Stewardship Education Committee. Sondra is very active in environmental clean up and educating the public on how and where radioactive clean up efforts are focused. With Loudon County just down the road from Oak Ridge. She expresses concerns about the clean up efforts and keeps abreast of the latest technology used in decontamination and decommissioning of the plant sites.

http://www.wmsym.org/pdf/WM08_Final_program.pdf
2/19/08

I couldn't agree with you more. It is so unfair that all the good deputies and employees who work at the Sheriff's Department get tarnished when others do bad things. Unfortunately, the sheriff's department doesn't have just one bad apple but about a half barrel of them. For what ever reason, Sheriff Guider refuses to do anything about it. This is not the first time this same deputy's wife has stolen money in fact it's not even the second or third. And Guider knows about all of the times. Yet does nothing.

I'm sorry your husband and others have to take the punch. All the sheriff department employees should stand up and demand that Guider take action to clean up his department.

To What's Next,

Don't take this personal, but I have had enough. I know it might be hard for people to believe it, but "ONE BAD APPLE DOES NOT SPOIL THE WHOLE BUNCH". Before you go tossing around ignorant uneducated statements, maybe you should do your homework, not everyone that is a county deputy or spouse of a deputy has been arrested or indicted. I should know, I am the PROUD WIFE OF A LOUDON COUNTY K-9 OFFICER. Rather than casting stones and painting everyone with the same paintbrush, take the time to pat an officer on the back and say "THANK YOU", "THANK YOU FOR PROTECTING MYSELF AND MY FAMILY WHILE WE SLEEP", "THANK YOU PUTTING YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE EVERY DAY TO MAKE US SAFE".

KELLI SARTEN WATKINS 2/14/08

Just how many more days off can the Loudon county school employees milk out of the flu? I mean really. It always seems the sickness is worse on Thursday and Fridays which just happens to give the teachers a four day weekend. Last week they took Friday and Monday, then by chance they got Tuesday off for the election. I hate to break the bad news to the school people but we know how this works. You've got to burn up those snow days. The next time you complain about your job you might ask where else could you work where they close the business if too many people get a cold.

My question is this- why ARE we funding children from other counties school education? I do not mind paying my fair share for kids in this county, but if I am going to be asked to pay more taxes for school, I draw the line at paying for out of county kids. Let those parents pay their bill or let them go back to their own schools. I had to pay for my own babysitter- these
parents can do the same.

Fed Up in LC 2/14/08

I can't believe BOE think "there's nothing wrong with making a profit" is an adequate explanation for making a stupid deal and violating public trust.

It's not just that the the BOE paid a $900,000 premium for the land on 321, the biggest screw-up was not fairly evaluating the deal after the 22 acres had been "negotiated" back to the seller. The land retained by the seller is arguably worth as much as the entire tract, or will be if the county provides services to or develops the rest of the land.

If I went to a car dealer and paid twice the sticker price of a new car and they gave me a dealer demo with 50,000 miles on it would that be OK? After all, there's nothing wrong with the dealer making a profit.

There many be nothing wrong with the dealer making a profit but If I accepted such a deal I would be a fool. If I took someone elses money, promised them I'd get them a fair deal and then negotiated such a lopsided deal I would have failed in my pledge to get them a fair deal.

That's the whole point, not that there is anything wrong with making a profit, but that there is something wrong with the BOE taking on the responsibility for managing the public's money and then getting hornswaggled because they didn't do their homework.

Not admitting an obvious mistake after the fact is pretty bad conduct also.

A nose for news 2/14/08

What is the deal with wanting to cut down the stately tree that has become an icon to towns folk and visitors. I can fully understand town improvements but why should a beautiful tree such as "Old Blue " be sacrificed. What type of Greenway can you put at the fountain? Is Mr Littleton going to place a brick walkway from that area leading to the revitalized area near the river? Is this Greenway going to offer smooth surfaces for our local skateboarders to travel from the river area to the fountain? If Miss Knight has nothing more to do than plan a cutting of the tree maybe she should do something useful like try to get another super market to come into Loudon so that food prices may be lowered due to competition.

And another thing, why is the EDA ( Economic Development Agency) getting involved with redoing the fountain area? How is this apart of there mission? I would think this would fall under the umbrella of Loudon City Parks and Rec. In the article posted it was said that " It might be a fight" this is in reference to removing the tree and replace it with a sign post. and that comment was met with Kathy Knight ( EDA ) saying that her and County Mayor Doyle Arp have discussed doing some thing at the courthouse for Christmas. That's were she wants to put the tree. Again , who is this EDA. are they not a part of our county government? in the article are the names of city councilmen that you may voice your opinion to and I agree that they should know how we feel, but on the other hand it seems as if EDA is a big pusher of this so I think they should hear our opinions too. if you decide to call them I am sure you can find there number in the book under Loudon County Economic Development Agency. Ask for Pat Phillips ( Director) or Kathy Knight ( Assistant Director ) maybe they can explain why with a little more detail.

Has anyone heard anything about the d.a.'s office investigating a high ranking county deputy's wife? If anyone can verify that someone down there is under investigation for something along the lines of lets say, credit card fraud or credit card theft, it sure would be interesting to know. It wouldn't be too hard to imagine someone down there doing that, I mean, you really can't say your a member of the Loudon County Sheriff Department if you haven't been arrested, indicted, or under investigation. If this is true, do these people not know the very laws they are enforcing? It's almost like breaking the law is accepted at the sheriff's department.

to find options to remedy the problem....EXCEPT...all of that was followed by "They'll be discussing it while they are on retreat in Gatlinburg!! I do believe we the taxpayers pay for that retreat also!! And I for one don't think I should have to put them up in a motel, feed them, and entertain them. Why can't that money be used for the schools since we are so desperate? And if they care so much, why don't they just "retreat" to someone's house and discuss it, maybe everyone could bring a covered dish?

A fed up voter 2/11/08

I have read this Blog for sometime now. Everyone has a Gripe but does nothing about it. You want Change ,you have to make Change. I'm over the Tellico Village Land Grab thing, that TVA consumed some 25 years ago or so. Hey! Read the "Trail of Tears" about our For-Fathers that ran the Indians off!!! Which most Indians Perished before reaching to the West. TVA was all business and not the Best Choices ,But weren't a bunch of savages. Tellico Villagers have done a lot for Loudon and Lenoir. For one thing they pay High property Taxes and get very little in return. Without their Tax revenue We would be paying really High Property Taxes around here. And now some of you seem to Begrudge them getting anything from the county. Well, yes these people do stick together to what their needs are in their community and they can look you in the eye and be direct about it . Something we should have been doing all along!!! It's a dirty shame We never get to Vote on anything important to us that our Tax Dollars goes to pay for. I was always told the Majority Ruled!!! Well? What's happened here? Would you let your Kids run your household with you having no say so? Don't answer that! I don't want to know, too much Barking, No Bite! After you've read this and you have cussed me and Really Hate me ,it will Prove you Do Care about Your /Our Community. The future will be here for our Children and Grandchildren someday, We have to pave the way for a better change of Good Living for all. Please ponder this, Thank You

Ralph Lenoir City /Loudon Tn. 2/11/08

I am so mad about the school board and all those who went to Gatlinburg. They showed all of us that they don't care one bit about the kids but just about taking care of themselves. We will vote all of them out in the next election. They don't deserve to be on that board.

I would like to thank the candidates who took down their political signs so quickly after the election. Except for a few, Shirley Reno and William Jenkins, nearly all the signs were gone in two days. I would like to remind Leo Bradshaw about his choice to put his signs up before Christmas. Could have made a difference.

Hot diggedy dawg! I believe that the citizens of this county ARE finally tired of the corruption and bull we've been handed. Thanks to all of us for voting and showing them who pays the bills. Hear that Arp? You need not bother running again when the time comes!!

According to the News Herald, only one local candidate got any votes in early voting. Surely this is not right. Did the News Herald screw things up again? Or was this just their way of trying to influence the outcome of the election. Why do I keep reading that rag?

Lets throw the bums out!

NO to Arp’s man, Leo Bradshaw!

NO to Arp’s puppet, Shirley Reno!

NO to Arp’s sales tax increase for more laptops, commissioner pay raises,Comm. Don Miller’s Tellico Village Library, columns...

NO to Sheriff Tim Guider’s man, Tony Arden.

A Happy Voter 2/6/08

If you haven’t read the WBIR TV website about the sales tax referendum, “Commissioner Don Miller told 10News the schools would receive the half-cent increase, in addition to half the local option sales tax, as required by state law. He said that means the schools would receive 1.5 percent of the tax, instead of the required 1.25 percent.” That means that the remaining 1% would go to county coffers to spend on things that are important to commissioners and budget chairman, Mayor Arp. Perhaps, marble columns for the outside of the county building?

IF Loudon County Commissioners want to impose a property tax hike or wheel tax on the residents of our community, we the voters, should decide by referendum ballot. Decisions that important should not be decided by ten commissioners and a mayor!

Pat Hunter 2/5/08

If we needed any more evidence of the in competency of the school board they provided it. With all the problems and wanting more money they load up and go to the mountains at our expense. I will never vote for any of the members who take this trip.

A little bird tells me that Arp got him some more marble columns. Yep, he sure did. This time he put them on the other side of the hall on the school side. Is there no limits to how this man can find ways to throw away money? I'm beginning to think all the elected officials are crazy. They want to raise taxes? What for, just to buy more marble columns. I loved the video. I bet the marble column salesman was a relative of Arps. I guess marble columns are more important than education.

I really don't want to get into the whole village vs county debate but I would like to point out a few obvious facts. It's not just the sheriff's office. When the village people wanted a red light, the county put one in. Not at Shaw Ferry. When they wanted a new road for the church parking lot, the county built them one. When was the last time the county built a new mile long road? When they didn't like the smoke coming from across the river at Rarity Pointe, the county passed an open burn ban. When the village wanted their own voting district, the county gave them one. There's more but I think you can get the picture. Now they want the county to build them a million dollar library. Anybody want to bet on whether they will get their library?

Why does the village seem to get such preferential treatment? Because they vote. Plain and simple, they vote and they vote together. If other areas of the county want the same attention as the village then they will have to learn to vote. Elected officials can hear what voters say. It's sad that county priorities are dished out to the areas that vote but that's just how it in in the grown up world.