TUESDAY 162nd YEAR • No. 205 DECEMBER 27, 2016 CLEVELAND, TN 16 PAGES • 50¢ REMINDER Wacker, BCSO lawsuit tie for No. 5 spot Trustee’s Office set to be open Launch of operations, TOP 10 Litigation by atheist Saturday, 9-12 NEWSMAKERS group tests sheriff From Staff Reports expansion big in ‘16 The Bradley County Trustee’s Office will be open Saturday, By BRIAN GRAVES staff writers of the Cleveland Daily Banner. By BRIAN GRAVES as they so choose, but my personal faith Dec. 31, from 9 a.m. to noon, Banner Staff Writer Construction on the Wacker plant began Banner Staff Writer in Christ is absolute. I will not alter or according to an announcement Just weeks before it marked its official in 2011 and racked up mind-boggling sta- The words “He is risen” began a debate change my faith for any reason,” Watson by Mike Smith, trustee. grand opening, Dr. Erika Burk, senior tistics: 8 million cubic yards of soil moved; over when an elected official can espouse said when responding to a letter he All other offices in the Bradley director of human resources for Wacker 145,000 cubic yards of concrete poured; his faith which ended up in a Knoxville received March 28 from the American County Courthouse will be Polysilicon North America LLC, spoke at 40 tons of steel and 980,000 feet of pipe; courtroom. Atheists Legal Center in Washington, closed on this day. the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of more than $2.5 billion spent; and 650 new The case of American Atheists vs D.C. All normal business in the Commerce and showed a picture on the jobs. Sheriff Eric Watson earned a tie for the In the letter, AALC said the organiza- office such as tax services, and screen with the caption, “A Sunny, Bright Even before the all the governmental No. 5 position in the Top 10 Newsmakers tion had received a complaint on March others, can be conducted on this Future for Charleston, TN.” and corporate VIPs gathered at the site for of 2016 list as selected by the editors and 27 about a Facebook post the Bradley date. The beginnings of that future tied for the its opening, the Wacker plant had pro- staff writers of the Cleveland Daily County Sheriff’s Office had “posted The Trustee’s Office is located No. 5 spot on the list of Top 10 duced 1,000 tons of polysilicon. Banner. about the Christian holiday Easter.” in Room 104 of the Newsmakers of 2016 by the editors and April 18, 2016, had all the trappings and “I respect the right of others to believe “American Atheists Legal Center found Courthouse’s ground floor. The office can be found just down See WACKER, Page 6 See ATHEIST, Page 6 the hall, and on the opposite side, from the Bradley County Clerk’s Office (where automobile tags are renewed.) Normal business hours at the Engineers Trustee’s Office are 8:30 a.m. to CLEVELAND USA 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 5 still trying p.m. on Friday. Questions may be directed to Planning for a visit? the office by calling 423-728- to identify 7247 or 423-728-7248. Drop-in visitors are welcome. Greenway landmark the cause shows multiple ways Inside Today of cracks From Staff Reports A new attraction has been “This idea was added to the presented as both art at BCHS Cleveland/Bradley County and information. We Greenway — a 10-foot tall knew it had the potential Assessment so far directional sign that graphical- to attract people to the ly illustrates the direction and Greenway to check it relatively positive approximate mileage to 24 locations of cities named out, which is one of the By CHRISTY ARMSTRONG “Cleveland” across the United main goals of GPAC.” Banner Staff Writer — Tara Brown States. There are still several The project is located on the unknowns in regard to what is southeast corner of the busy Texas is third in size, followed causing structural problems at Keith and 25th Street intersec- by Mississippi and Georgia to Bradley Central High School. tion and was funded by the round out the Top 5. The pop- However, Bradley County Greenway Public Arts ulations are based on the most Director of Committee (GPAC), a group of recent census data, while the Schools Dr. volunteers dedicated to bring- distances were derived from Linda Cash ing art to the Greenway. plugging the information into a said some of The idea was proposed to mapping application. the more seri- GPAC earlier this year by “All of these ‘Cleveland’ loca- ous possibili- Cameron Fisher, chairman of tions exist, but they may be ties have Wolfpack sinks the Cleveland/Bradley County unincorporated suburbs of already been Greenway Board. larger metro areas, perhaps eliminated. Commodores “We are all acquainted with like a Hopewell or Tasso local- A second Cleveland, Tennessee and ly,” Fisher said. “Because of geotechnical Cash The Vanderbilt Commodores Ohio, but beyond that the had a tough time against North this some of the towns did not engineer has examined the ‘Clevelands’ of the U.S. are less have population data listed.” cracks and sinking floors which Carolina State in the known,” Fisher stated. “It was Independence Bowl. Patrick Fisher advised that the are plaguing some of the high fascinating to discover how mileage listed on the signs school’s classrooms. A core MacCoon takes a look at the many cities there are with the Contributed photo post-Christmas basketball tourna- should not be considered JOE MCCULLOUGH, right, and Steve Crittenden of Theme drilling was recently taken from same name.” exact, but a “general idea” of the concrete in the affected area, ment schedule beginning with the According to Fisher, Fusion install the new multi-layered sign on the Cleveland/Bradley Cleveland Blue Raiders Holiday County Greenway. The unique tower provides directions and dis- and the initial assessment was Tennessee has the second said to be relatively positive. tournament Wednesday. See largest Cleveland, next to Ohio. See GREENWAY, Page 6 tances to other Clevelands in the United States. Sports, Pages 11-13. “We do not have a plan from the engineers as of yet, but they have eliminated multiple things Forecast that it could be and are looking for the reason,” Cash said. Showers today with a high near Red Kettle campaign falling short of funds “They do not at this point 62. Chance of precipitation is 80 seem to be overly concerned. percent, with about a quarter to By SARALYN NORKUS George stressed the importance of those $5,000. They are just looking at why half-an-inch of rain possible. Banner Staff Writer year-end donations, specifically financial George added that giving to the Salvation things shifted, so we can get a donations, in keeping the Salvation Army Army has never been easier thanks to a plan to correct it.” Tonight, showers are likely during With just five days left in 2016, the going strong. number of different avenues for donating. Among the issues which have the early evening with gradual Salvation Army is hoping that folks will “Right now the greatest need is monetary Those looking to give can do so in person at been ruled out is live sinkhole clearing. Low should be about 38. consider them when it comes to their year- donations because we are considerably the Salvation Army’s locations on Inman activity. Cash said she has been Chance of rain is 60 percent. end donations. behind with our red kettles,” George stat- Street as well as the Inman Coffeehouse at told “those kinds of dangerous Slight chance of rain on “After Christmas is when a lot of us clean ed. “Any monetary gift is greatly appreciat- Bradley Square Mall, online at things have been eliminated Wednesday with chances increas- our closets out and have time at home to ed.” http://www.csarmy.org/, calling 1-800- from the cause.” ing to 60 percent on Wednesday look at donations for the year. Many take Going into its final days before SAL-ARMY or texting “CSARMY” to 91999. Still, she noted there are cer- night. Thursday will also include a that time to make last-minute donations,” Christmas Eve, the Chattanooga area was Besides clothes and financial donations, the tainly problems with the dam- slight chance of showers with a Chattanooga Area Salvation Army Director down $20,000 in red kettle collection, with aged school buildings which of Development Kimberly George said. Cleveland’s kettles being down a little over See RED KETTLE, Page 6 need to be corrected. high near 55. Cash said the school system is waiting for word on what is likely Index to be causing the problems and Garments still what exactly needs to be done to Classified......................................15 fix those problems. Comics...........................................8 being accepted Because the scope of work is Editorials......................................14 still unknown, so are the costs Horoscope......................................8 by coat drive and the proposed timeline for Obituaries.......................................2 the work in question. Sports......................................11-13 From Staff Reports In a few classrooms at Bradley Central, large cracks zig-zag Stocks............................................4 The Cleveland/Bradley their way through the concrete TV Schedule..................................9 County Community Coat block walls, and some stretch Weather........................................10 Drive, which is scheduled to from ceiling to floor. conclude at year’s end, is In some classrooms, the floors entering its final few days. slope downward as they Around Town The annual initiative is approach the exterior walls. This sponsored by The Caring Trina Norton pridefully finding has caused gaps of up to 4 inch- Place, Superior Dry Cleaners the best possible way to elimi- es between the classrooms’ and Classique Dry Cleaners.