FRIDAY 162nd YEAR • No. 190 DECEMBER 9, 2016 CLEVELAND, TN 22 PAGES • 50¢ Coming Sunday Last-Minute Tri-Con Inc. awarded LFMS bid Gift Guide set By CHRISTY ARMSTRONG struction. construction can begin. The campus is made up of several pod- Looking for some ideas for that Banner Staff Writer The board unanimously chose the low- With the company bidding with a pro- style buildings which require students to est of five bids for the project, a posed contract length of 550 days, go outdoors to move from class to class. special Christmas something for a Lake Forest Middle School’s students, very special somebody? Help is on $17,245,000 submission from Tri-Con Director of Schools Dr. Linda Cash said Students will continue attending Lake faculty and staff have a reason to cele- Inc. of Cleveland. the goal will be to have the building ready the way! It’s called the “Last-Minute Forest during the construction. After they brate today. The last hurdle in the effort Board Chairman Rodney Dillard for students at the beginning of the 2018- move into the new building, most of the Gift Guide,” and it is an annual spe- to get a new academic building at the acknowledged it was indeed a special 19 school year. cial section published in the existing buildings will be demolished. school has been overcome. occasion. Thursday’s vote was preceded by years Some, like the freestanding gym, auditori- Cleveland Daily Banner. Watch for it Applause filled the room after the “That’s been long coming, and it’s very of talk about the need for a new building. in Sunday’s edition! um and cafeteria buildings, will remain. Bradley County Board of Education voted exciting,” Dillard said. The proposed two-story, 137,000-square- Cash said the new building, designed Thursday to approve the company which Now that the contractor has been cho- foot structure was designed to eventually Food for local will be responsible for the building’s con- sen, the process of finalizing plans for the replace multiple buildings. See LFMS, Page 6 families in need A goal to distribute 750 boxes of food staples and $24,000 in dona- Director tions has been set by the William Hall Rodgers Christmas Basket FIREMEN CAN DANCE, TOO! Fund. The food staples will be given gets OK to families in need in the community just before Christmas. The fund, which is a 501(c)(3), is a volunteer- supported effort. Donations may be to pursue mailed to First Tennessee Bank, P.O. Box 3566, Cleveland TN 37320- 3566 or dropped off at First estimates Tennessee Bank at 3870 Keith St. Inside Today on AU site Cash will develop funding proposal By CHRISTY ARMSTRONG Banner Staff Writer The Bradley County Board of Education has voted to further explore the purchase of the old American Uniform facility near Ocoee Middle School. Board members voted unani- Banner photo, ALLEN MINCEY mously Thursday to give MICHAEL McCABE of the Director of Schools Dr. Linda Cleveland Fire Department Cash the OK to come up with a Banner photo, ALLEN MINCEY wasn’t the only one in the family cost estimate and approach the THE CLEVELAND FIRE DEPARTMENT and Bradley County Fire-Rescue were involved ringing the bell for The Bradley County Commission Thursday in a Challenge of the Bells, to see which group could raise the most money at The with a funding proposal. Salvation Army, as his young The property is being consid- Salvation Army red kettles placed at Walmart. The friendly fundraising competition turned into a son also joined in Thursday’s ered as a place which would friendly dance-off between the BCFR’s mascot Sparky and the CFD’s Michael McCabe. fundraising efforts. house a secondary school, a “STEM hub” and a space which could be rented to local busi- nesses or nonprofits wishing to SA’s ‘Battle of the Bells’ now ablaze partner with the school system. Thursday’s vote was done By ALLEN MINCEY of people dropping off money in those kettles, it was another with almost no discussion. Raiders double up Banner Staff Writer successful effort by the emergency agencies. However, the board discussed it Earlier this week, the Cleveland Police Department and at length during a work session The Cleveland Blue Raiders Local emergency responders continue to assist The Salvation Bradley County Sheriff’s Office raised nearly $1,800 between Tuesday. and Lady Raiders picked up a Army in the friendly Challenge of the Bells competition, to see them at the same site. “It is a building with a pair of district basketball wins which organization can raise the most for the nonprofit organi- “We enjoy helping, and it is nice to see the support not only tremendous amount of poten- against McMinn County. The zation. for the Salvation Army, but for our firemen,” said Capt. Donnie tial. ... We have this demand, Walker Valley Lady Mustangs gal- On Thursday, both Bradley County Fire-Rescue and the Sherlin of the Cleveland Fire Department. Many who made and we think this is a game- loped to a win over Tyner, but the Cleveland Fire Department rang bells at the red kettles in front donations thanks the firefighters for the work they do in the changer,” Cash said. Mustangs fell to the Rams in the of the two entrances to the north Walmart, and from the number local community. The director first made the closer. The Bradley Central bears “It was amazing to see how wrestled to a win over Hixson. many stopped to talk to us See ESTIMATES Page 7 The cleveland Duals event is set while also dropping off money for Saturday. See Sports, Pages for The Salvation Army, which 13-15. does such a good job in our area,” added Deputy Chief CPD confirms Forecast Donnie Sullivan of Bradley County Fire-Rescue. charge against Sgt. Ruthie Forgey, who heads the local chapter of The student set as Salvation Army, said that seven kettles were filled during the fire departments’ appearance on ‘terrorist threat’ Thursday. She said that the By SARALYN NORKUS amounts raised by the two were Banner Staff Writer over $2,900 — $2,123.21 by the BCFR, and $810.76 by the The student whose threat Today looks to be sunny, with a CFD. against a teacher led to a brief high near 37. Tonight should be Cleveland Police Officer Sean lockdown at Cleveland High mostly clear and cold, with a low Bulow may have started a trend School Thursday morning was around 19. Saturday should be Banner photo, ALLEN MINCEY on Monday as he danced at the charged with “terroristic threat,” sunny, with a high near 45. ANGELA DAWSEY, a shopper at Walmart, made a donation to The Salvation Army’s red kettle, CPD’s drop-off point. His danc- according to the Cleveland Police Saturday night calls for mostly clear and took the opportunity to have her photo made with Bradley County Fire-Rescue’s mascot ing prowess led to a video being Department. posted on Facebook and eventu- Sgt. Evie West of the CPD said skies, with a low around 27. Sparky, while Breanna Melton, right photo, joined in the Christmas festivities at the store by danc- ally becoming a viral sensation, the arrest stemmed from a post ing at the Cleveland Fire Department’s fundraising location. The two fire departments are raising on an internet site where stu- money for The Salvation Army through the friendly Challenge of the Bells competition. See FIREMEN Page 6 Index See THREAT, Page 6 Church........................................8-9 Classified................................20-21 Comics.........................................17 Editorials......................................16 Empty Stocking Horoscope....................................17 Obituaries.......................................2 Stocks............................................4 Fund to distribute Sports......................................13-15 TV Schedule...........................18-19 Weather........................................11 1,000 kids’ books By ALLEN MINCEY Around Town Banner Staff Writer Children will be receiving gifts and toys at the Nola Beth and Ben Greene Christmas Party for Kids on Dec. 17, and among busy decorating their Christmas those gifts will be books for each child, from birth trees ... Savannah Watson and to age 12. Crystal Cole Ball getting matching The Children’s Reading Foundation of Southeast designs ... Wes Eshenbrenner Tennessee’s Bradley County chapter delivered receiving another award ... Max 1,000 books to the Empty Stocking Fund head- McCann making sure he got the quarters on Thursday morning. The party for kids lights back on. is where the gifts purchased from donations to the fund are distributed. The book that will be a part of the gifts is written Banner photo, ALLEN MINCEY by Lynn Fielding, the co-founder of The Children’s THE CHILDREN’S READING FOUNDATION of Southeast Tennessee’s Bradley County chapter recently dropped off Reading Foundation on the national level. 1,000 books to the Empty Stocking Fund headquarters to distribute to children on Dec. 17 at the Christmas Party for Kids. From left are local chapter president Vicki Beaty, Sheena Newman, Terri Murray, Sandra Rowland of the Empty Stocking 6489076 75112 See BOOKS, Page 7 Fund, Dr. Linda Cash, and local chapter treasurer Traci Hamilton. 2—Cleveland Daily Banner—Friday, December 9, 2016 www.clevelandbanner.com Infrastructure OBITUARIES (USPS 117-700) near St. Jude Periodical Postage Paid at Cleveland, TN 37320-3600 Post Office POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to: Banner, P.O. Box 3600, Cleveland, TN 37320-3600 to get funds Published at 1505 25th Street, NW (P.O. Box 3600) Melissa Jane Cooper To submit an obituary, have the funeral home or cremation in Cleveland, TN 37320-3600, daily except Saturday MEMPHIS (AP) — State and Melissa Jane Cooper, 46, of society in charge of arrangements e-mail the information to obitu- and Christmas day by Cleveland Newspapers, Inc.