Patten Recommends Dissolving Airport Authority by JOYANNA LOVE and the Cleveland City Council
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T H U R S D A Y 161st YEAR • NO. 215 JANUARY 7, 2016 CLEVELAND, TN 24 PAGES • 50¢ Patten recommends dissolving Airport Authority By JOYANNA LOVE and the Cleveland City Council. Patten’s signature is seen above his city’s ‘Front Door’ for many government essary to plan, build and develop the Banner Senior Staff Writer In the correspondence, Patten sug- title “Chairman, Cleveland Municipal officials, corporate leaders and visitors Jetport, the Jetport is now operating gests the Airport Authority had served Airport Authority.” to our community! Another layer of very well under the leadership of the The Cleveland Municipal Airport its purpose of establishing the Jetport “Quite frankly, I don’t believe the ‘bureaucratic oversight’ is not neces- director of operations, Mark Fidler,” Authority, which serves as the govern- and is no longer essential to its suc- Airport Authority is needed any longer,” sary for the sound and financially Patten wrote. ing body of the Cleveland Regional cess. Patten’s letter cites. “Mr. [Mark] Fidler secure operation of the Jetport.” Whether a city can dissolve an air- Jetport, may be dissolved at the recom- Dissolving this governing body was is a department head of the city of The issue will likely be discussed at port authority is somewhat disputed. mendation of its chairman. not discussed at any of the prior meet- Cleveland. He has more experience in Monday’s Cleveland City Council meet- In a June 2005 memo, Sid Hemsley, Lou Patten, who heads the airport ings and Patten alone signed the letter. aircraft and airport operations than all ing. who was the Senior Law Consultant for board, had not notified his fellow board Patten did not initially send other mem- of the Authority members combined! Patten said in a phone interview the Municipal Technical Advisory members of his intention to make such bers of the board a copy of the letter. The city owns the Jetport. The Jetport Wednesday that he plans to be at the Service at the time, states “the city a recommendation prior to sending a The letter appears on Cleveland is a great asset and substantial invest- meeting. letter to Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland Regional Jetport letterhead and ment for the city. It also serves as the “While the Airport Authority was nec- See AIRPORT, Page 13 Inside Today Haslam MPO sets to give SR 60 as keynote highest roadway address priority Chamber meeting features governor Widening project By BRIAN GRAVES debated for years Banner Staff Writer By JOYANNA LOVE Gov. Bill Haslam will deliver Banner Senior Staff Writer the keynote address at the Mustangs raided Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of A long-anticipated project to Commerce’s 90th annual meet- widen State Route 60 got a boost by Red Raiders ing on Thursday, Jan. 21, at Wednesday when the Cleveland The Walker Valley basketball Urban Area Metropolitan 6:30 p.m. at the Banner photo, CHRISTY ARMSTRONG teams had a tough time of it on Omega Center. FRIENDS from Cleveland State Community College, Bradley Central High School and other Planning Organization listed it as the court Wednesday night with a the No. 1 priority. "We are organizations gather around Mike Shipp, seated in the center. When Shipp lost his ability to drive pair of losses to Baylor. The extremely excit- The project would widen State Mustangs fared better on the ed that Gov. himself around town due to a broken wheelchair lift, his friends raised thousands of dollars for him Route 60 to four lanes from bowling lanes claiming the boys Haslam has to purchase a new one. Westlake Drive into the Hopewell and girls District 5 champi- accepted our area. onships. Former Cleveland Blue invitation to The project preference will be Raiders football standout Chad join us as we reported to the Tennessee Voytik has announced he will be celebrate the A helping hand for Mike Department of Transportation. transfering from Pitt. See Sports, culmination of “TDOT asks of the MPOs to Pages 9-11. Haslam our 90th look at the planned state projects anniversary Community, schools, friends come … they ask for priority rank of Internet access impacting the economic and those to be put in TDOT’s three- community development of our year work program,” MPO direc- is a ‘right’ for all community,” Chamber President to the aid of popular scorekeeper tor Greg Thomas said. “It’s a The question of providing broad- Robert Bradney said. project that has been there and The meeting will feature high- By CHRISTY ARMSTRONG as a scorekeeper at both Bradley Central and been in the work program to band Internet services to rural areas lights of the 2015 program year, Banner Staff Writer Cleveland State. advance and it had been held up in unserved locations across recognition of volunteers and “He has a critical part in what’s going on because of funding. I think it’s Tennessee has been a hot spot for When one of their own found himself in need, here,” Cleveland State Athletic Director Michael likely that it will move forward presentations of the prestigious the athletic departments of Cleveland State headlines over the past year. In a M.C. Headrick Free Enterprise Policastro said. “The best thing about Mike is now. guest “Viewpoint” in today’s edition, Community College and Bradley Central High you know he’s going to be there. … He’s a great Bradley County Commissioner Award and the Robert W. Varnell School rallied the community to help. the Bradley County Young Leadership Award. person, and his condition doesn’t keep him from Terry Caywood said the widening Groups in and around Cleveland recently doing what he wants to do.” of State Route 60 was a project Democrats weigh in on the subject Sponsorships for the evening raised approximately $4,000 to help a man who by saying broadband accessibility is are available and can be secured However, Shipp temporarily lost his ability to that had been discussed for uses a wheelchair to maintain his mobility. get himself into his van and drive himself to years. Funding issues with the a “right.” The perspective can be by calling Aaron Weatherford at Mike Shipp, who has a form of dwarfism, has 423-472-6587 or by visiting the Federal Highways Trust Fund found on Page 12. become a fixture at local sports games, serving See MIKE, Page 13 Character education See HASLAM, Page 5 See MPO, Page 5 Generosity, the Character Education focus for December, and several featured schools are THC’s advisory Abbott set to return included inside today’s Character Counts edition. group gives nod to court again Friday Forecast By ALLEN MINCEY He has appeared in General Partly sunny skies today with Banner Staff Writer Sessions Court numerous times to nomination since being arrested and charged temperatures finally warming up; at A murder case from July con- — the latest Monday when he least, a little. High today should be By BRIAN GRAVES tinues to be brought up in court came before Judge Sheridan 54 with calm winds. Tonight, show- Banner Staff Writer as Donald Lee Abbott appeared Randolph — but was silent and ers are likely to return to the area, this week in Bradley County A major part of downtown Cleveland appears unresponsive to any questions but probably not until after midnight General Sessions Court, and will posed to him. poised to become a nationally recognized place of reappear on Friday. or later. Otherwise, cloudy with a historic significance. Abbott and Randolph have had low around 43. Calm wind with Abbott is accused of the July a bit of history between them The Advisory Committee to the Tennessee 27 shooting death of Marla chance of precipitation at 60 per- Historical Commission on Wednesday approved since Abbott’s arrest. cent. Banner photo, HOWARD PIERCE Sharp, who was owner of the He was openly hostile toward the nomination of the “Cleveland Commercial THE BUILDINGS THAT make up Cleveland’s Little Diner on 1st Street. Historic District” to be placed on the National the judge when he first appeared Commercial Historic District, including The Spot According to Cleveland Police in court, and confronted Index Register of Historic Places. Department reports, he turned The process began over a year ago after approval restaurant which was constructed circa 1905, Randolph with expletives and have been approved by the state of Tennessee for himself in the day of the homicide profanity during his initial Classified................................14-15 of the idea by the MainStreet Cleveland Board of and was charged with first- Directors and the Cleveland City Council. application of approval by the United States arraignment. Comics...........................................6 degree murder, in addition to At that appearance, Randolph Editorials......................................12 Department of Interior to be placed on the several lesser charges. Horoscope......................................6 See NOMINATION, Page 5 National Register of Historic Places. See ABBOTT, Page 13 NASCAR......................................16 Obituaries.......................................2 Stocks............................................4 Sports........................................9-11 Public feeling chipper TV Schedule..................................7 Weather..........................................8 about recycling drive Around Town By RICK NORTON Associate Editor Orville Alley having a Merry Christmas ... Teresa Gilbert tak- Any live Christmas trees left standing in Cleveland and Bradley ing a wedding cake photo ... County households still have the opportunity for an eternal home Brooke Alley waiting on cus- — as mulch — thanks to the 21st annual Chipping of the Green tomers with a smile ... Hannah recycling program, but time is running out. Gilbert having a laugh with an old Saturday is the final day to deliver discarded evergreens at any friend ... Matt Simcox checking of the four collection points, according to Cheryl Dunson, execu- on the arrival of an email ..