There was a terrific turnout for the March 4th Spay/Neuter held at Burgess Feed in Benton. Thank you so much Mr. Burgess, for allowing the Mobile Veterinary Unit to use some of your parking lot! Remember Burgess has Pet food and pet supplies including some pet medications at conservative prices.
Also, Sharp as a registered entity is dissolving .... too many complications with meeting schedules, paper work, etc. However, be assured we are all continuing our animal rescue work individually. As you know, Kim, who owns Heavenly Cuts will always be a central contact 338-4411. We still need donations there for food and medicines for rescued animals. Every penny we have ever collected goes directly to the needy animals.
So donate what you can at Heavenly Cuts, no matter how small. Also we are urgently in need of a "pet wheelchair" for a little dog, only 3 years old who is paralyzed from the waist down . My husband Ed is trying to build one but if anyone has one that could be modified to fit this tiny dog, it would be just great! We also need pet carriers and dog houses. If you have any to donate, call Kim at 338-4411 or me, Michelle at 423-596-8866. We will pick them up. We are concentrating on low-cost Spay and Neuter and welcome any phone calls. Hope all is well with Polk County citizens. We are still hoping for a Shelter someday! Keep talking to your Commissioners!
Thanks,
Michelle Novotny
To the Editor,
In response to Mr. Bruce Walters’ letter week before last, about corridor K, I would like to ask him…. You think the wildlife and The National Forest “needs to be protected at all cost”? Well, how do you feel about about protecting the humans that have to drive that dangerous road everyday to get back and forth to work? You don’t think that they need “protected at all cost”?
You seem to know a lot about the history of Polk County. Especially for someone that doesn’t even live here (your letter says you live in Largo Florida, but own property at Campbell Cove). Well in doing your research of this county and its roads, did you happen to tally up the number of people that have gotten killed on the River Road? Why don’t you look that up? I don’t know a soul that has 2.3 billion dollars (what you said the cost of a new road would be). But I do know that you could ask any person that has had a loved one die on that “beautiful” road and they would tell you, they would give every cent of it to have their daughter or son or mother or father or husband or wife back! They would do anything “at all cost”(as you say) to keep it from happening again to some other person -- If for nothing else but to spare another family of the pain that they themselves went through.
That road may be a beautiful scenic drive to you, but do you know what? For those of us that DO LIVE here in this county and HAVE to drive it twice a day to go to work, or have a child that has to drive it every day to go to school…well the road just stinks (I can think of a few other word for it)….it is nothing but dangerous, buddy, and that’s the bottom line. Pretty will always take a backseat to deadly in my book.
You have no idea what it feels like to be expecting someone you love home and to hear a siren going down 64 towards the river. To have someone call to tell you that there has been a wreck on the river road again. The worry you will feel until you find out it wasn’t your husband or wife returning from work, or your child returning home from college. If you lived here maybe you would have a different view. If you had a loved one that had to drive that road every day, you might get just as angry as I do when I pick up my local paper and read a letter from some guy that lives in Florida opposing a new safer road.
Also to just touch on the statements you were made about the dangers of “run off” getting into the river as a result of a new road, with all the anti freeze and McDonalds and Hardees wrappers and cigarette butts and blown out recap tires….where in the world do you think that stuff is going with the road situated where it is now? The road runs right along side the river as it is!!! That crap gets in it every day. it wouldn’t be some new pollution caused by a new road. It’s there now as the road is today!! Why don’t you do a little more research and find out about all the stuff that has been dumped into the Ocoee as a result of semi trucks wrecking and running off into it? There has been everything from dead rotten chicken parts to diesel fuel to Little Debbies to concrete and acid spilled in there. Every time caused by a wreck. People that live here know and remember these things.
The citizens of Polk County love these mountains and rivers, that’s why we choose to live here. This is our home and we love it! But, Mr. Walters, I personally feel that when you love something that you want what is best for it. And what would be best for this county and its citizens is to finally have a safe road to commute on! And when we get the urge to get back to nature and go sightseeing and bird watching and flower smelling, we still can. These mountains are our backyards. We are talking about a road here… a 12 to 14 mile stretch of road. It’s really not going to take up that much room. Not compared to the thousands of acres of mountains that will be left untouched. This road that you oppose needs to happen, to save lives (I haven’t even touched the economic standpoint, and I won’t in this letter). If you lived here you would know that. But you don’t live here. You live in Largo Florida.
The Polk County Planning Commission voted last month to send a letter of intent to call in the remaining $24,000 of the road bond for Phase V of Ocoee Mountain Club.
State-of-the-art mapping technology is located in every ambulance now that Rural/Metro has takesnover, thanks to the foresight of the Polk County 911 Board.
The McMinn County Living Heritage Museum’s iconic schoolhouse quilt has been replicated on an 8-foot-square block and installed above the museum’s front entrance as part of the Appalachian Quilt Trail program.
After the social hour and meal the business session was held and several important items were discussed, including the selection of the 2010 scholarship recipient from Polk County High School.
Polk County High School students put their skills and talents together at the National Technology Students Association Conference and came away as National Champs in the On-Demand Video Competition.
The Museum Center is pleased to host an exhibition that looks at the history of the fraternal lodges in Bradley County and the impact that they have made on the development of our area.
The Bonnie Blues 956 Chapter of the Children of the Confederacy made a trip to Franklin, Tennessee on June 18 and 19 to attend the Tennessee Division Convention.
The long-awaited book is an update of the very popular “Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests: A Field Guide for Identification and Control,” published by the Station in 2003.
How effective have plastic bag bans and restrictions been on reducing plastic litter and other problems associated with their proliferation? And is it really better to use paper bags, which will just lead to more deforestation?
Wildlife linkages can have a significant impact on decreasing animal deaths on roadways as well as highway safety, according to An Assessment of Wildlife and Aquatic Habitat Linkages.
A pair of juvenille White Ibis have been visiting the East Tennessee Nursery during the last two weeks ... seemingly content to feed on the abundant Junebug population.
Jim Caldwell snapped this picture last week, commenting that he couldn't believe he saw something so unusual as a deer grazing in the middle of the Hiwassee River.
Subscriber Carol Cooper captured what appears to be a special moment between two cardinals at about 7:15 last Wednesday morning at Campbell Cove Lake in Turtletown.
A group of Copper Basin High School students learned about environmental cleanup, the importance of clean water and the history of copper mining during Earth Day activities hosted by Glenn Springs Holdings.
The new, easier-to-use site provides new ways to explore Living Heritage Museum’s current and upcoming exhibitions, its programs and events, and detailed information about the Museum and its collection.
The Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association (TOHA) hopes to capitalize on that trend by promoting driving tours that link the Cherohala Skyway and Ocoee Scenic Byway.
Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Officials report that three American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) funded projects in the Cherokee National Forest were recently completed.
Each year, the State of Tennessee Department of Tourist Development publishes a Vacation Guide that includes a collection of Tennessee’s finest communities.
A Tennessee Overhill trail will be included in the initiative, and the Cherohala Skyway between Monroe County and North Carolina is included in the byways section.
Linda Caldwell, executive director of the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Tourisim Association, is helping to coordinate the local effort under the state guidelines.
In addition to destroying part of the county’s major highway, last week’s rockslide also damaged the county’s major tourism infrastructure – the whitewater rafting put-in.
Governor Phil Bredesen today announced the 2010 Back to School CoverKids outreach campaign to help enroll Tennessee’s children in the state’s free, comprehensive health insurance plan.
A man claiming to be a representative of Volunteer Energy Cooperative (VEC) telephoned at least two Meigs County residents early Wednesday morning attempting to get money.
The Department of Revenue is reminding Tennessee shoppers that during these three days of savings, you can save almost 10 percent on tax-free clothing, school and art supplies and computer purchases.
Volunteer Energy Cooperative (VEC) officials were recently alerted of a person trying to gain access to a VEC customer’s home by claiming to be an employee of “the electric company.”
In fact, due to ARRA incentives, initial federal data shows the average tax refund for 2009 is up nearly 10 percent, or $266, from the previous year, according to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Doug Shulman.
While the economy slowly recovers, many budget-conscious homeowners are looking for simple, cost-effective ways to transform their homes' exteriors into inviting outdoor "land-escapes" that can be enjoyed year around.
Dear EarthTalk: I see a lot of “healthy snacks” being marketed for kids that list “natural flavors” but don’t identify them. Should I use these products?
Flowers and plants are blooming, the sun is shining and the weather is finally getting warmer after winter's chill. So why not bring some of spring's beauty into your home so you can enjoy it day after day?
Reports from across the nation indicate fake agents and sales representatives are going door-to-door claiming to be with the federal government to peddle phony health insurance policies.
At a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission meeting, action was taken which reduced the bear archery season to three weeks from the originally proposed five week season.
The second Kid’s Fishing Day, hosted by TWRA, Forest Service and the Cherokee Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, will be at McCamy Lake in the Chilhowee Recreation Area on May 15th, 8 am-12 pm.
An economic benefit study of trout fishing in Tennessee showed total expenditures of $1.5 million for the Hiwassee River during a 6-month period in 2002.
What many consider the "King of American Game Birds", the wild turkey is quite vocal during the spring breeding season. The call (gobble) of the wild turkey in the mountains of east Tennessee is an unforgettable sound.
TWRA officials met with the county’s Fish & Wildlife Committee and more than a dozen citizens to discuss the planning process for a new five-year management plan for the river.
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