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Cumberland Gap Ranger receives prestigious national award

News Feed — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:54:55 +0000

CUMBERLAND GAP, Tenn. — Sunlight breaks through the morning fog revealing traces of the misty forest. In the distance birds are singing, as a squirrel bounds from the ground and, in an instant, scrambles up the nearest tree. The scene is set. Through the trees a shadowy figure bounds toward the camera, “Wow! Welcome to another wild outdoor adventure!”

So begins another riveting episode of Wild Outdoor Adventures with Ranger Carol Borneman, a weekly show featured on Channel 22 in Middlesboro, Kentucky. Her smile is captivating, her knowledge is spellbinding, her enthusiasm is contagious… and now she is being recognized for her extraordinary efforts to bring the stories of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park to life

Oak Ridge supercomputer is world’s fastest

Tim Knight — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:18:27 +0000

KNOXVILLE, TN (AP) – The Cray XT5 supercomputer known as Jaguar at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility has become the fastest in the world.

It will be listed as No. 1 on the TOP500 list of supercomputers that will be formally announced Tuesday.

Southern Nationals stretch run goes through East Tennessee

News Feed — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:10:13 +0000

After seven exciting races, the O’Reilly Southern Nationals Series is ready for the final three events on the 10-race mini-series which ends in East Tennessee.

During the first seven events, there have been five different winners including Vic Hill (Wythe Raceway), Jonathan Davenport (Carolina Speedway), Casey Roberts (Hartwell/Swainsboro & Screven Speedways), Tony Knowles (Fort Payne Speedway) and Chris Madden (Crossville Raceway). Already over 100 different drivers have raced with the O’Reilly Southern Nationals Series and a tight point battle is heating up for the final three race swing which starts Tonight (July 23rd) at Cleveland Speedway paying $3,500 to win.

The ninth stop on the tour following Cleveland Speedway will be at the Loven Family’s Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, TN on Friday Night July 24th which pays the event winner $5,300. Following Volunteer Speedway will be the finale event at the Tazewell Speedway in Tazewell, TN which pays $5,300 to the race winner on Saturday Night July 25th.

For more information on the O’Reilly Southern Nationals Series, please visit the series website at www.southernnationalsseries.com.
The O’Reilly Southern Nationals Series is brought to fans across the Southeast by many important sponsors and partners, including O’Reilly Auto Parts, Red Man Tobacco Products, American Racer Tires, Barry Wright Race Cars, Carolina Performance, DBR Performance Starters, Delph Communications, Fibertech Roofs by JB Performance, Graphic Impressions, GRT Race Cars, GW Performance, Hoosier Racing Tires, Integra Racing Shocks, MasterSbilt Race Cars, Ohlins Shocks, PPM Performance Products, Rocket Chassis, Schaeffer’s Oil, SHY Racing Suspensions, Star Graphix, VP Racing Fuels, Wiles Driveshafts, and Wilwood Engineering.

Position Name Points Hometown
1. Tommy Kerr 976 (Maryville, TN)
2. Jonathan Davenport 954 (Blairsville, GA)
3. Tony Knowles 952 (Tyrone, GA)
4. Dennis Franklin 944 (Gaffney, SC)
5. Jeff Cooke 908 (Spartanburg, SC)
6. Shon Flanary 832 (Church Hill, TN)
7. Dane Dacus 815 (Lakeland, TN)
8. Daniel Baggerly 748 (Rural Retreat, VA)
9. Austin Dillon 684 (Lewisville, NC)
10. Gar ****son 680 (Flinstone, GA)

2009 SCHEDULE:
Monday, July 13 – Wythe Raceway, Rural Retreat, VA (Vic Hill)
Tuesday, July 14 – Carolina Speedway, Gastonia, NC (Jonathan Davenport)
Thursday, July 16 – Hartwell Speedway, Hartwell, GA (Casey Roberts)
Friday, July 17 – Swainsboro Raceway, Swainsboro, GA (Casey Roberts)
Saturday, July 18 – Screven Motor Speedway, Sylvania, GA (Casey Roberts)
Monday, July 20 – Fort Payne Motor Speedway, Fort Payne, AL (Tony Knowles)
Tuesday, July 21 – Crossville Raceway, Crossville, TN (Chris Madden)
Thursday, July 23 – Cleveland Speedway, Cleveland, TN
Friday, July 24 – Volunteer Speedway, Bulls Gap, TN
Saturday, July 25 – Tazewell Speedway, Tazewell, TN

Rarity Mountain sees prices drop

News Feed — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:20:51 +0000

When David and Sharon Gordon bought a lot in the Rarity Mountain residential community in 2006, they paid $445,000 for the Jellico, Tenn., property.

But after a recent auction, that same lot changed hands for only $5,500, a massive discount and a striking example of the difficulties facing some of East Tennessee’s high-end residential developments.

The Rarity Mountain lot in Campbell County was one of several that hit the auction block on June 27 at a sale of properties foreclosed on by First Tennessee bank. The sale featured lots from four projects developed by Maryville-based Rarity Communities – none of the lots were owned by Rarity itself – and from a Campbell County project previously called The Villages at Norris Lake.

National Coal facing foreclosure

News Feed — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:15:17 +0000

National Coal of Alabama, a wholly owned subsidiary of Knoxville-based National Coal Corp., is facing foreclosure on its outstanding capital stock after defaulting on a $60 million credit agreement with various lenders, the parent company announced Monday.

None of the creditors, which include TCW Asset Management Co. and other lenders, have a lien or encumbrance on assets of National Coal Corp. or its other subsidiaries, officials said in a prepared statement.

Ausmus took long way back

News Feed — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:11:13 +0000

When folks from back in Tennessee phoned Aaron Ausmus in Los Angeles, they’d wonder why he had a hair-dryer going. Didn’t he still shave his head?

It wasn’t a hair-dryer. It was a 747.

“We lived in a little one-bedroom apartment in El Segundo, right by the (LAX) airport,’’ Ausmus said. “When planes were taking off the windows and mirrors would rattle.’’

He never had that problem growing up in LaFollette.

Ausmus left Tennessee in 2001 to launch his career as a strength-and-conditioning coach at Southern Cal. He’s back home now, UT’s second head strength coach of the young Lane Kiffin era.

Ky. man arrested for robbing bank in Jellico

News Feed — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:42:24 +0000

JELLICO (WATE) — A Kentucky man was arrested Tuesday night, six hours after he’s accused of robbing the First Volunteer Bank in Jellico, Tennessee.

The suspect is Billy Joe Blankenship, 31, of Williamsburg, Kentucky.

Investigators believe Blankenship went in the bank at 189 5th Street around 2:50 p.m. Tuesday, showed a semi-automatic pistol, gave a teller a bag and told her to fill it.

He also told the teller not to activate any alarms.

After getting an underdetermined amount of money, the robber left the bank on foot.

Officers arrested Blankenship at 9:00 p.m. Tuesday without incident in Williamsburg.

From WATE-6

Permit for Tenn.’s first elk hunt in more than 150 years to be posted on eBay

Tim Knight — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:16:59 +0000

A permit for Tennessee’s first elk hunt in more than 150 years will be posted on the Internet auction site eBay.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency earlier awarded four permits by drawing.

The fifth and last tag will go to the highest bidder on the auction site. It will be posted from Thursday until July 25.

TWRA says all proceeds will be used to benefit the elk restoration program in East Tennessee.

The hunt will be Oct. 19-23 in the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area near Norris Lake.

East TN Racing Info – Blog

Tim Knight — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:57:57 +0000

http://easttennracer.blogspot.com/2009/07/oreilly-southern-nationals-series-heads.html

Roadkill Running Club Scavenger Hunt

Tim Knight — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:04:47 +0000

July 18
Details at http://www.roadkillrunningclub.com/?id=241