Steve Marion

Last weekend, as the enormity Hurricane Helene had wrought on parts of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina began to emerge, people gathered at the lake access in Leadvale to watch the flood enter Jefferson County. Dandridge Fire Chief Andy Riley was among them. “I really couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he recalled. Carried on the muddy water, like […]

Earth-moving is underway at the site of Enbridge’s new natural gas compressor station in Talbott, representatives of the energy transportation company reported. East Tennessee Natural Gas, LLC (ETNG), which is owned and operated by Enbridge, received “Notice to Proceed” early last month from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Completion of the new station, which is part of a system […]

County Commission’s budget committee turned down salary increase requests Tuesday from two departments whose leaders say they’re having trouble hiring at current pay levels. In a busy meeting prior to the Commission work session, the group heard comments from Sheriff Jeff Coffey and Librarian Bethany Jones, both of whom said comparably low pay is making it hard to fill vacant […]

County Commissioners’ vote next week on a new wheel tax proposal might not be the only opportunity for additional revenue as a challenging budget year approaches. Commissioner Rob Blevins is backing a mineral tax, which is also expected to receive a vote next Monday, and citizens have come up with a proposal to regulate short term rentals that they say […]

Plenty of internet shoppers stay up all night hoping to score a coveted item on sale. For Lacey Shults, it’s a life-size inflatable hearse drawn by a human skeleton. Just about everybody admires someone famous, and it’s not that unusual to get a tattoo of that person. Lacey’s tattoo just happens to be Elvira, Mistress of the Night. And plenty […]

School Board switched gears Monday by seeking to apply $10.9 million to energy and roofing projects on existing facilities – a move that could significantly limit their fund balance contribution to a potential Jefferson Elementary project. Last month, County Commission approved the Board’s request to earmark another $2 million for a JES project, bringing the total available from the school […]

It was the best 100 miles he’s ever driven. Jeff Underwood had no idea the day would be a good one when he woke at 1 a.m. and decided to start his trek home to Jefferson County from Russellville, Arkansas. He just knew he wanted to get started home early. Underwood is a project manager for Mahle. He travels to […]

County Planners want more information from all parties before they consider a subdivision request involving two proposed residences initially constructed as “sheds.” During last month’s meeting, eight citizens lined up to complain about the development at 2251 Jim Henry Road by Grace Contractors, LLC, which includes two 3,300-square-foot structures. Representatives of Grace had initially told the county building department the […]

A short-term rental industry that seemingly sprang up overnight has state and local officials playing catch-up. Do a quick search on one of the major online booking sites, and you’ll see over a thousand options for overnight accommodations in the Dandridge area alone. Currently, there are no county guidelines to protect customers or the property owners who live near the […]

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and other state, federal, and local agencies will host an open house Monday about efforts that have begun to clean up and restore Douglas Lake after the influx of debris from Hurricane Helene. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has closed the Shady Grove boat launch as a staging area for equipment, and operations will begin soon […]