FRIDAY 162nd YEAR • No. 208 DECEMBER 30, 2016 CLEVELAND, TN 22 PAGES • 50¢ Basket Fund Donations to the William Hall No. 2 Newsmaker of 2016 was city manager change Rodgers Christmas Basket Fund are still being accepted. Each By LARRY C. BOWERS Service informed Council members of year, the fund supplies boxes of Banner Staff Writer the search process they faced. food staples to needy families TOP 10 MTAS provided assistance free of during the holiday season. The The Cleveland City Council started charge, and Norris recommended the fund, which is a 501(c)(3) charity, the 2016 calendar year with a huge city hire a consultant. This was prior is a volunteer-suppported effort. challenge — an ordeal which devel- NEWSMAKERS to the Council’s decision to hire Any funds over what is needed to oped into the No. 2 news story of the Wallace, who had also assisted with pay for food bought this year will year as voted by Cleveland Daily the city’s hiring of Police Chief Mark be used next Christmas. Banner staff writers and editors — The huge field of applicants was Gibson. Donations may be mailed to First when the city celebrated the retire- vetted by city consultant and former Council explored the possibility of Tennessee Bank, P.O. Box 3566, ment of City Manager Janice Casteel Tennessee Bureau of Investigation using MTAS and a recruiting agency, Cleveland TN 37320-3566 or and announced the hiring of new City Director Larry Wallace, of Athens, as but Norris told them she had never dropped off at First Tennessee Manager Joe Fivas. well as a community committee. A list heard of this happening. She said it Bank at 3870 Keith St. This newsmaker was not just the of finalists was presented to the City was something a recruiting company retirement of Casteel, a 42-year Council by the panel. would probably not invite. Inside Today employee of the city of Cleveland, but Following Casteel’s announcement She said there were agencies that the intense search and eventual hir- of her pending retirement, with plans ing of the new city manager — from to leave on May 1, Margaret Norris of among 63 candidates. the Municipal Technical Advisory See NEWSMAKER, Page 6 Casteel Fivas CSCC Cleveland develops REMEMBER ranks 2nd ‘pathway for housing maps’ WHEN market By LARRY C. BOWERS By CHRISTY ARMSTRONG Banner Staff Writer Banner Staff Writer Low unemployment rates, a top In hopes of increasing the place to live, a generation of new Volunteers looking number of students completing jobs, and even more accolades their college degrees, Cleveland have been bestowed on Cleveland to close out strong State Community College has and Bradley County during the developed new degree completion past number of months. The Tennessee Volunteers are Now, the community has looking to regain some swagger plans for students. School President Dr. Bill jumped up to another category. with a win in over Nebraska in This rating has to do with health the Music City Bowl today in Seymour said it has been work- ing on developing “pathways” — not physical health, but health Nashville. The Cleveland girls of the housing market. picked up a victory over Unicoi meant to help students stay on track with their studies and Cleveland is ranked No. 2 on a County in holiday basketball tour- list of 400 U.S. housing markets, nament action, while the Blue reach graduation. This action stems from the meaning the availability of hous- Raiders fell to Clarksville. The ing is among the healthiest and Bradley Central Bearettes moved local college’s ongoing participa- tion in the American Association most sustainable in the nation. forward in tournament action in Climbing to No. 2 in the “Top Greeneville. The Bears fell to of Community Colleges’ Pathways Project. 10” means the overall outlook for Maryville in tourney action there. housing in our community See Sports, Pages 13-15. “For all of our academic pro- grams, we have developed remains positive, according to the ‘Pathway maps,’” Seymour said. report released last week. Fireworks safety “These are curriculum maps for This forward-looking indicator As residents begin to gear up students to see what they need to evaluates the housing health out- for the New Year activities, many take, when they need to take it look for 400 metropolitan areas of are preparing fireworks. David and what all the benchmarks the U.S., positively rates employ- Dumm, manager of the Fireworks are. It puts it all together into a ment, demographics, the mort- Supermarket, has some safety very neat package.” gage market and home prices in tips. See story, Page 7. “With Pathways, we’re moving Cleveland. away from a model where a stu- The “Top 10” list includes sev- dent comes into college and is eral communities from the Forecast faced with a world of choices, Southeast, three from North which is particularly difficult for Carolina and two from South first-generation college stu- Carolina. Also represented, in dents.” addition to Tennessee, are New Seymour noted the college York, Maryland, Georgia, and prides itself on offering a variety West Virginia. of degree programs. However, he There is also a list of communi- said choosing one can be daunt- ties which display the most ing for some students, so the col- PHOTOS ARE being accepted for the Banner’s annual Remember When section, which will improvement during the past lege is working on helping simpli- run on Jan. 15, 2017. This photo of the old Bradley County Courthouse being torn down was year, with Cleveland at No. 9. fy their decisions. submitted by Robert Abel. The courthouse was built in 1892 at a cost of $75,000. It served the The nation’s Top 10 metropoli- Today looks to be sunny, with Like its public college counter- people of Bradley County until 1964. If you have old photos (at least 25 years old) you would tan communities, regarding the health of the housing market: a high near 48. Tonight’s fore- parts throughout Tennessee, like to share with the community, submit them with a Remember When subject line to cast calls for clear skies and a CSCC has been promoting the No. 1 — New Bern, N.C.; No. 2 — [email protected], or come by the office at 1505 25th St. Photos are being accepted Cleveland; No. 3 — Syracuse, low around 26 degrees. statewide “Drive to 55” initiative. between 12:30 and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. When possible, identification and general Saturday should see increasing N.Y.; No. 4 — Goldsboro, N.C.; The goal is for 55 percent of dates of people and photos are suggested. The deadline for submission of photos is 5 p.m. clouds and a 30 percent chance Tennesseeans to have earned No. 5 — Baltimore-Columbia, of showers, with a high near 46. college degrees or certificates by Monday, Jan. 9. Please keep submissions to a maximum of five per person. Md.; No. 6 — Fayetteville, N.C.; Saturday night calls for cloudy the year 2025. See HOUSING, Page 6 skies and a 70 percent chance Seymour said more and more of rain, with a low around 41. colleges are realizing that clearly New Year’s Day should see outlining degree completion clouds and an 80 percent steps for students does in fact chance of rain, with a high near affect degree completion. Workhouse construction was big issue in 2016 53. Sunday night calls for clouds Completing the “Pathways and an 80 percent chance of maps” is one way the college is — Part 3 of 3— news that affected Bradley Yarber as chairman and vice to work on county property for rain, with a low around 50. working to more clearly outline County over the last 12 months. chairman. county departments. n n the steps. BY BRIAN GRAVES Former Commissioner Ed The 20th annual “Cleveland “You want to make them really Banner Staff Writer SEPTEMBER Elkins retired from his position 100” banquet honoring the work Index n simple, straightforward and clear The Tennessee Corrections as president of the SPCA. of local first responders was held The last quarter of 2016 held n for students, so they do not fall Institute commended Bradley Some Bradley County con- at the Cleveland Country Club. Church.........................................8,9 some good news, disturbing n behind,” Seymour said. County for taking the initiative in stables asked the County Plans for enhancing the Classified......................................21 news, and an emotional goodbye constructing a new workhouse at Commission to pay for new security for the Bradley County Comics.........................................17 These plans, which will be by the staff of a local newspaper made available during the Spring the Bradley County Justice radios. Courthouse were reviewed. Editorial........................................16 to its longtime leader. Center. n County commissioners n Bradley County was offered Horoscope....................................17 This is the final part of a n County Commission chose to adopted a resolution that allows Lifestyles........................................5 See PATHWAY, Page 6 month-by-month review of the retain Louie Alford and Jeff for the county road department See WORKHOUSE, Page 7 Obituaries.......................................2 Sports......................................13-15 Stocks .......................................... 4 TV Schedule...........................18-19 Taylor: Seat belts may not be best Weather........................................11 Around Town way to make school buses safer Banner photo, Chattanooga, legislation to bus aide. Armstrong’s bill did Samantha Holmes planning to SARALYN NORKUS NHTSA data favors require seat belts on school not call for retrofitting school relish her retirement ... Blake CLEVELAND compartmentalization buses, including retrofitting cur- buses with seat belts and did McPherson settling into his new CITY rent buses, will soon be up for not gain enough support.