Top Stories

See this week's print edition for a complete look back at stories from 2008!

The year 2008 will be remembered across the nation as the year that saw America elect its first black president, and a year marked by economic turmoil. Soaring — and then plummeting — gas prices, financial bailouts and the housing market took center stage in coffee shop discussions while tried-and-true issues like the war in Iraq and global warming were relegated to the back burner.

Locally, many of the major stories in the news shared a component of the nation’s top issues in that they were on-going stories, with developments throughout the year. Scott County Commission dominated story headlines, as a couple of pressing issues — healthcare and education; or, more accurately, the buildings that house them — joined the Justice Center as a topic of discussion.

Here are what we feel were the top 10 stories affecting Scott Countians in 2008:

1. Tragic traffic accident.
There was no story that gripped the emotions of the community quite like an Oct. 24 accident in Robbins. The 2-vehicle accident killed six people, making it the deadliest traffic accident — and one of the single greatest tragedies — in Scott County’s history. Among the victims were four Scott High School cheerleaders, who had cheered on the Highlander football team on senior night at Highlander Field only hours earlier. In the days that followed, the community mourned with the victims’ families and an outpouring of support was realized, not just from Scott County but from outside the community as well.

2. Economy worsens
As words like “Wall Street” and “bailouts” and “automakers” dominated national headlines, the economic downturn was also being felt locally. The year began with an unemployment rate of 7.3%, but would increase substantially by the year’s end, at nearly 13%. Well-known businesses fell victim to the slow economy, including Oneida’s 2nd-oldest business (H.T. Hackney Co.) and what was once the county’s 4th-largest manufacturing employer (Barna Log Homes). By July, the local jobless rate had reached its highest point since the 2001 recession. The pinch was felt in other areas as well, such as rising utility costs; in September, the Tennessee Valley Authority announced rate hikes that equated to nearly a 20% increase for local electric customers of Plateau Electric Cooperative. Also in September, the state continued to address its own budget shortfalls by announcing the closure of the local labor office, effective Dec. 31. But the news wasn’t all bad. A major retail store, Peebles, opened its doors in the Oneida Plaza in October, and in February, County Mayor Rick Keeton joined county commissioners in taking the first steps to develop a comprehensive adventure tourism plan for Scott County in a move that could eventually mean more jobs and tax revenues.

3. Child abuse
Scott County has had an alarming number of child sex abuse cases for several years, and 2008 was no exception. The issue was consistently in the news during the course of the year. An indictment was handed down by a grand jury in February — and more followed in July — in connection with a major “child sex ring” allegedly operating in Scott and Morgan counties and involving a number of young children. A total of four persons — Roger Dwight Williams, 37; Jean McKeehan, 32; Willard Junior Foster, 46; and Anthony Scott McKeehan, 31 — were named in the indictments following a lengthy investigation by various local and state agencies. Prosecution of those charges is ongoing. Also in July, a constable in the 4th District — Curtis Crabtree, 55, of Helenwood — was charged with rape of a child after allegedly sexually assaulting a child relative under the age of five. He later pled guilty to lesser charges. In June, a Pioneer man — Ryan Keith Lowe — was charged with aggravated sexual battery after allegedly assaulting a 6-year-old relative. And in September, an Oneida man — Michael B. Day, 28 — was charged with multiple counts of aggravated statutory rape stemming from an investigation of a sexual relationship with his 15-year-old foster child. He later pled guilty to charges. The Children’s Center of the Cumberlands continued its work to assist with criminal investigations and counsel the victims of child abuse, receiving several grants during the course of the year. Tennessee First Lady Andrea Conte visited Scott County again in 2008 in a fund-raising effort for the Children’s Center.

4. War on drugs
Local authorities continued to battle narcotics and other drug abuse in 2008. The police departments in Oneida and Winfield, together with the Sheriff’s Department and the 8th Judicial District Drug Task Force, conducted several operations during the course of the year and made a number of arrests. In February, a drug raid by the Oneida Police Department and Scott County Sheriff’s Department resulted in seven arrests at a Pine Hill residence. Also in February, a joint investigation by the Sheriff’s Department, OPD and the Drug Task Force resulted in four arrests after a package containing 11 pounds of marijuana was shipped via UPS to an Oneida address. Seven more persons were arrested in connection with a drug sting in the Pioneer area in March. In April, a total of 21 persons were indicted by a grand jury on drug charges following an undercover investigation by the Sheriff’s Department. In December, more than two dozen persons — 25 in total, with several others being sought — were arrested following a similar investigation and a series of grand jury indictments. All three local law enforcement agencies raided several methamphetamine labs throughout the course of the year.

5. Major school projects
While there weren’t a significant number of public discussions on the issue in 2008, looming school projects at Burchfield and Robbins continued to be a pressing matter. In August, it was revealed in a meeting of the Scott County Board of Education that more than $7 million would be needed for the projects. In November, Director of Schools Sharon Wilson and the school board, along with architect Neil Richardson of Upland Design Group, met with County Commission to unveil plans for a major renovation and expansion at Burchfield and a new school at Robbins. The estimated price was $15.5 million for the preferred plans. Not formally discussed, but also looming, is an expansion project at Oneida High School. In April, a $2.5 million self-funding plan was approved for energy conservation renovations in the county schools.

6. Hospital matters
For yet another year, Scott County Hospital was a popular topic in government meetings. Mercy Health Partners — the new umbrella corporation formed in a merger between St. Mary’s and Baptist Health Systems — took over operations of the hospital in early January, having assumed an existing lease with Scott County from Attentus Healthcare. In May, Mercy officials approached County Commission with a proposal for a 20-year lease agreement with Scott County. At the time, 3rd District Commissioner Ernest Phillips referenced declining economic conditions, saying the “unknown is scary . . . you don’t know what’s going to happen after two years,” to which Mercy CEO Debra London responded, “If you say ‘yes,’ we’re here to stay.” By December, however, St. Mary’s was requesting a significant reduction (half) in the amount it pays Scott County for the hospital lease. On Dec. 22, Mercy presented a formal plan, which again called for a 20-year deal with the county but at somewhat less attractive monetary figures than its informal proposal in the spring. The year ended without a final deal being struck between the county and Mercy. The current lease on the hospital expires in January 2010.

7. Justice Center
The year began with county officials taking their first tour of the new Scott County Justice Center as construction neared completion. By September, the nearly-$10 million facility was ready for occupation, with the District Attorney General’s offices being the first to relocate into the facility. By December, the transition from the Scott County Courthouse, Sheriff’s Department and Office Building was completed with the transfer of prisoners from the 100-year-old Scott County Jail to the Justice Center.

8. A rash of fatalities
There were a number of tragic accidents in Scott County in 2008, many of which proved to be fatal, besides the Oct. 24 crash in Robbins that claimed the lives of six victims. See box, page 1.

9. Whisnant indicted
A story that gripped the community in 2007 — the disappearance of a Pioneer woman and the search for her whereabouts — continued in 2008, when her ex-husband, Douglas V. Whisnant, was indicted by a Scott County grand jury. Whisnant was indicted on first degree murder charges on Feb. 26, nearly a year to the day from when Johnson disappeared from her Ditney Trail residence. Prosecution of the state charges were forthcoming as 2008 ended. However, prosecution of federal charges against Whisnant — stemming from firearms allegedly discovered at his home during a March 2007 raid — was completed. He was found guilty in early November, and is scheduled to be sentenced in February 2009. Through his attorneys, Whisnant continued to maintain his innocence of his ex-wife’s disappearance.

10. OHS football run
While their run through a would-be dream season came up just one game short of the state championship, Oneida’s football team turned in an amazing run in 2008. The Indians completed their first undefeated regular season in a decade and won the Region 2-A championship in the final year before the region is to be disbanded by new TSSAA classifications. Oneida won its first game at Dr. M.E. Thompson Field against traditional arch-rival Coalfield since 2000, and its first game against rival Midway since 2002. By the end of the season, Oneida was ranked #3 in the state by the Associated Press, and put together a sterling run through the playoffs before a groundswell of local support in the friendly confines of Dr. M.E. Thompson Field, defeating both Midway and Greenback to reach the state semifinals. Oneida coach Tony Lambert spoke several times throughout the course of the season about football pulling the community together during times of economic worry and distress, and if the increasingly large crowds at Dr. M.E. Thompson Field between an Aug. 20 visit from Rockwood and a Nov. 28 visit from Trousdale County were any indication, he was correct.