2008 GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP March 1st - May 31st Communities all across the nation will be cleaning up.

Keep Roane Beautiful has set

April 5, 2008

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

as Roane County's county-wide clean up date.

There will be organized and individual cleanups across the county.

Read more here.

March 13th at the KINGSTON COMMUNITY CENTER 2P.M. and 7P.M.

This course is for men and women of all ages. The purpose of this seminar is to discuss how you can use the knowledge you already have to help keep yourself safe. It also discusses all of the personal protection items and training being advertised today to help you to understand what each of them are.

TAC staff has spent the last 18 years traveling around the country doing these courses and accumulating knowledge of the dangers and possible solutions to personal attack. The primary thing we want to do is to stimulate your own.

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Lincoln Davis today received notification from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that the Kingston Fire Department has been awarded a grant totaling $592,635 under the Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program, to be used for the hiring of firefighters.

Between our announcement last week and news of this major grant, I couldn’t be more pleased with the resources that will be flowing into the county to aid our first responders in protecting the well being of our community,” Congressman Davis said.

Kingston Mayor Troy Beets was very pleased to hear the news of the grant, saying, “We are excited to receive this grant, which is a culmination of a lot of people’s efforts and hard work. This is one of these things that will provide a higher level of protection for the residents of Kingston now and in the future.”

Upon receiving news of the grant from Congressman Davis’s office, the Chief of the Kingston Fire Department, William Gordon, said enthusiastically, “This will double the size of my department and this is going to provide a better service for the people of Kingston and the visitors we have come through our city.”

The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant, awarded under the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, is intended to support the hiring of firefighters and the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. In Fiscal Year 2007, the Department of Homeland Security will award nearly $115 million directly to fire departments to expand the number of firefighters available to more effectively protect the health and safety of the public with respect to fire and all other hazards.

This major announcement comes on the heels of Congressman Davis’s visit last week to Kingston for the announcement of a $611,000 appropriation he was able to secure in the 2008 Omnibus spending bill for Roane County emergency communications. County Mayor Mike Farmer, Sheriff Jack Stockton, Kingston Police Chief Jim Washam, Harriman Police Chief Randy Heidle, and various county and city officials were present for the announcement.

Free Tax Help

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA)

Volunteers provide FREE federal tax assistance to the people of Roane County by helping people with basic tax returns and electronic filing. Download flyer for more information including dates, times and locations.

Download Flyer here.

Fire Chief Willie Gordon was elected Chairman of the East Tennessee Regional Council of Fire Chiefs during their quarterly meeting held in Knoxville yesterday evening, January 9, 2008. Approximately 60 East Tennessee Fire Chiefs were in attendance at the meeting. Other officers elected during the meeting were Terry Bobrowski of the East Tennessee Development District as Secretary/Treasurer and Tony Watson, Chief of the Pigeon Forge Fire Department was elected Vice Chairman. Chief Gordon filled the seat vacated by Chief Greg Patterson of the Gatlinburg Fire Department.