T U E S D AY
jANuARY 5, 2016
161st YEAR • NO. 213
CLEVELAND, TN 16 PAGES • 50¢
Tax distribution plan
gets county approval
Workers’ Comp claims
get commissioner’s ire
By BRIAN GRAVES
By BRIAN GRAVES
Banner Staff Writer
Banner Staff Writer
The Bradley County Commission voted Monday to approve a
“memorandum of agreement” between the county, the
Cleveland/Bradley County Chamber of Commerce and Tri-State
Exhibition Center concerning the division of the hotel/motel tax.
The terms of the memo will take effect July 1, if the 2 percent
increase — making a total tax of 7 percent — is passed by a private
act in the state Legislature.
Under the private act, 80 percent of the proceeds would be allocated for tourism and economic development while the remainder
would go to the county’s general fund.
One Bradley County commissioner wants more publicity on the
number of Workers’ Compensation claims by county workers.
Commissioner Thomas Crye broached the subject during the County
Commission’s Finance Committee meeting Monday.
“We are having a multitude of Workers’ Compensation claims,” Crye
said. “I’d say about 70 percent of them are ‘at fault’ and primarily, they
are all restricted to the road department and the sheriff’s department.”
Crye said the road department’s numbers are “nearly equal” to those
from the BCSO.
He proposed implementing a new line item for the departments that
Milan Blake
See PLAN, Page 16
Inside Today
Thomas Crye
See CLAIMS, Page 16
Anderson
assigned
by judge
to the PD
New tours
of Raider
Arena are
restricted
Murder suspect
in court Monday
Action to help
construction
By ALLEN MINCEY
By LARRY C. BOWERS
Banner Staff Writer
Flames split GSC
games on the road
The Lee University men and
women were back in action on
the basketball court Monday
night. The Lady Flames picked up
a GSC win over West Alabama
while the Lee men fell to the
Tigers. Tennessee head football
coach Butch Jones has hired
Miami’s Larry Scott to coach tight
ends for the Volunteers. See
Sports, Pages 9-11.
Staying positive
best alternative
It’s not always an easy task,
but staying positive in the face of
devastating challenge can ease
the pain of uncertainty, no matter
what lies ahead. At the start of a
new year, it’s a point worth considering. See the guest
“Viewpoint” on Page 12 of today’s
edition.
Forecast
Ross Anderson, the suspect
accused in the murder of a
Cleveland woman and her son in
December, made his first appearance in court in Bradley County
Monday to face those charges.
The Public Defenders Office
was appointed to represent
Anderson, 31. Bradley County
General Sessions Court Judge
Sheridan Randolph set the defendant’s next court
date for Jan. 20.
The courtroom
was
empty
except for a larger amount of
security, as well
as the parents of
the victim —
Rachel Johnson.
The two sat in
the courtroom
Anderson
throughout the
morning and returned in the
early afternoon Monday to view
Anderson’s court appearance.
According to the affidavit of
complaint against him filed by
the Cleveland Police Department,
Anderson is accused of shooting
Johnson and her son, Colton, at
the Hillview Drive home that he
See ANDERSON, Page 16
Today will have plenty of sunshine, but it won’t help the temperatures which will only hit the mid
40s. No rain is in sight for the next
few days with a low of 24 predicted for tonight. Sunny skies continue Wednesday, with the exception
of a few afternoon clouds and temperatures reaching 49.
Wednesday night lows are
expected to reach 30.
Index
Classified................................14-15
Comics...........................................6
Editorials......................................12
Horoscope......................................6
Obituaries.......................................2
Sports........................................9-11
Stocks............................................4
TV Schedule..................................7
Weather..........................................8
Around Town
Terry Caywood showing off his
granddaughter’s achievements ...
Carolyn Lay sharing the woes of
cold weather ... Charlotte Peak
noticing a new haircut on a friend
... Jeff Yarber with a parent’s
pride ... Jeremy Love cooking
Mexican food ... Trina Norton
doing some weekend remodeling
in her scrapbooking room ...
Philip Luce setting up some
plans for a meeting.
6 89076 75112 4
OMS teacher
Stan Green
visitation set
Wednesday
By BRIAN GRAVES
Banner Staff Writer
and
CHRISTY ARMSTRONG
Banner Staff Writer
The students at Ocoee Middle
School faced another tragedy for
this school year
when
they
returned from
their
holiday
break Tuesday.
Stan Green, a
veteran Bradley
County educator
and
seventhgrade instructor
of social studies
Green
at OMS, died
Sunday of a
heart attack.
He was 55 years old.
See GREEN, Page 16
Banner Staff Writer
Banner photo, LARRY C. BOWERS
CASON CONN, of Tri-Conn Construction, left, and Upland Design Group architect Brian Templeton,
right, provided an update on construction progress of the new Cleveland High School Raider Arena at
Monday’s school board meeting. Others in the photo include Director of Schools Dr. Martin Ringstaff,
Communications Supervisor Andrea Byerly, and student liaison Mariah Voytik.
Robinson, Dirksen are named
new city school board officers
Chairman Tom Cloud finishes 3 terms
By LARRY C. BOWERS
Banner Staff Writer
The Cleveland Board of
Education will have new leadership for the 2016-17 school
year, but the face of leadership
will be very familiar.
Dawn Robinson, Cleveland’s
longest-serving school board
member, has once again been
selected to serve as chair of
the school board.
Robinson said Monday
evening it has been eight or
nine times she has served as
the c