Welcome Home Troops!

It was a very welcome homecoming for soldiers of the 251st Military Police Company as friends, family and pets greeted their loved ones upon returning to the Lexington National Guard Armory Friday. Capt. Daniel Evans told assembled soldiers that one of the missions in Iraq was “to excel. We did that.” Another mission was “to bring everyone home safe and alive. We did that.”

Please take a few moments to share your thoughts and appreciation for our soldiers. To comment click 'Comments' below.

HELP! The Gas is Running Out...NOT!!!!

The panic button was pressed last Friday as word of a potential gasoline shortage spread across the state. Tempers flared and nerves were raw as motorists rushed to local gas outlets. Police officers were needed at some locations in Lexington to handle the already heavy Friday traffic. School Day at the Fair also added more than a normal Friday traffic flow. If you haven't looked at a print copy of The Progress this week, you should really check it out because the photo on our website doesn't quite do this chaos justice.
Many places in town had one lane of Hwy 412 blocked as the lines from the gas stations extended into the road. Station attendants at several locations were out at the pumps directing traffic, pumping gas, and collecting money on the spot. Naturally, this much confusion led to vehicle accidents in the parking lots. The question now is determining whats worse -- a rumor of such a ridiculous magnitude or the fact that so many folks were taken in by it! It is VERY unlikely that Tennessee will ever get to the point that gas supplies are even critically low, much less gone. The state of Tennessee has already taken measures to help ensure Tennessee will not experience a fuel shortage. (A press release was released last week regarding this.) ...And if we do run out, well I guess I'll just have to eat crow.
Anyway, one thing you SHOULD be highly concerned about is price gouging in Lexington. After driving across the state this past weekend it was clear that gas prices range from a vast variety of amounts. So why is it that when you enter Lexington, almost all of the gas prices are exactly the same? One could wonder if this is some type of conspiracy...
Also, what about that station in town, that the Progress office received numerous calls about on Wednesday, that reportedly lowered their price by almost a dollar, but for only a few hours?
However, if you should suspect price gouging at the pump, the state is seriously requesting that you report it!
Check this out, it came from a recent news release from the TN Attorney Generals office -- "Following reports of high gas prices in East Tennessee and throughout the state, Attorney General Bob Cooper and Department of Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Leslie Newman today announced the launch of a joint effort to examine whether certain businesses are engaging in gas price gouging."

Governor Bredesen is urging Tennesseans to exercise vigilance in their use of fuel during the temporary supply shortage caused by recent storms in the Gulf of Mexico.
"I encourage Tennesseans to be conscientious in their use of gasoline in the coming days as the nation's fuel infrastructure recovers from the recent storms," Bredesen said. "If you need gas, buy it, but if you don't need to refuel now, there’s no reason to rush to the gas station to fill up. If you can wait to refuel, it's best to wait until supplies are replenished."
To file complaint visit this website:
http://www.state.tn.us/consumer/consCompFrm.html

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Lexington Loses Longtime Industry

Lexington is losing a longtime member of the local industrial family.
Bill Sills Sportswear Inc. on East Church Street will close within three to six weeks due to their major customer moving to clothing producers in El Salvador and south Texas. Employees were notified by owner Bill Sills Monday morning in an emotional announcement.
The company will continue some operations in their Huntingdon facility, including popular camouflage seat covers and manufacturing products for companies such as Cabella’s.
In Lexington, the chief customer was Varsity Spirit, who provides assorted cheerleader-type uniforms and accessories.
"We’ve been just like a family with Bill Sills in Lexington," said Mayor Bobby Dyer Monday morning. "It’s sad to see them lose their jobs. It’s nothing we’d done. It was a business decision. We had a great relationship over the years."
Bill Sills said Monday there are 30-40 employees now working in Lexington but there has been as many as 60.
Sills said talking to employees Monday brought him to tears, adding that "it’s like family."
He questioned the quality of work from the out-of-country producers.
"We’re going to be the Cadillac, not the junker," he said. "The good stuff will outlast the junk."
In November 1991 it was announced that Bill Sills Sportswear of Huntingdon would open a facility in Lexington with plans to employ at least 25 people in 1992. At that time, it was also announced that the garment manufacturer needed to expand because of the demand of its main customer– Varsity Spirit.
"We’ve been with Varsity since 1986," said Sills on Monday. "They told us we were the second one (producer) they’d worked with. They were very small when they started. They said we were the reason they were where they are today. I asked them ‘if we got you where you are in 20-something years, how do you justify going to someone that didn’t get you there.’ They said ‘it’s just business.’ It’s like a funeral to me. Lexington has been so good to us."
"David Jowers and Pat Carnal got us there," said Sills. "In ensuing years, it was Bobby Dyer. They were instrumental. We were just thrilled to death with Lexington. They’ve just been so good to us down there. I’d love to be there if we had any work. It breaks my heart but there’s nothing to do."
Dyer echoed the sentiments of Sills, saying that employees and management had excellent working relationships.
He said local officials will now look at what to do with the building that also houses the Lexington Civic Center and Senior Citizens Center. He said there are possible grants that could help in renovating or remodeling the local landmark.

If you flip on the television to lets say, CNBC or another channel where business is discussed, you'll probably hear terms such as 'the Global Marketplace' or 'outsourcing'. What this basically means is that Henderson County is now competing for industry (JOBS) with not only neighboring counties or states even, but with other countries around the world. Most of these other countries have cheaper labor costs, so America must counteract this advantage with education and location. First is education, an educated workforce is usually more valuable for an industry than a workforce that will simply provide cheap labor. Also, education is directly responsible for advances in technology which in today's society decides what country will maintain dominance in areas such as transportation, manufacturing, medicine, and military. So our elected officials MUST vote in favor of education. The other weapon America uses against cheap labor costs is location. America has abundant natural resources that other countries simply don't have. In Henderson County we have 7 lakes, a large airport, interstate access, and the TN River only a few miles away, thus making our town an ideal location for industry. However, there's something you should know. Often times when industry first begins to look at moving into an area they will "scout" the place as just an ordinary person, the city leaders will not even know at this time. They will visit local restaurants, churches, bars, and community events just to get a feel for what people think of their community. So be careful what you say about our town and who's listening. -- By the way, this is a true story of a large local industry.

We hate to see Bill Sills leave but we appreciate the service they have given to our community over the years and we wish them well. Click 'Comments' below to share your thoughts.

26 Year old Woman Files False Rape Report

A 26 year-old Henderson County woman was arrested for filing a false police report after telling officers she had been raped and held at gunpoint.
Ronnie Kelley of Moore Park Cove was charged.
According to Henderson County Sheriff’s Department Captain Brian Roberts, Kelley told officers she had been raped, held at gunpoint and not allowed to leave a residence on Holly Springs Cemetery Road where she had gone with a friend.
She had self-inflicted scratches and marks around her shoulder and neck area, said Roberts, adding that she claimed to have been held down by one male subject and raped by another.
She stated she started text-messaging someone and was able to flee the residence as the two men came after her with guns.
The incidents reportedly took place on the morning of August 28. Around 8 p.m., the sheriff’s department got a call to respond to the hospital for a possible rape report.
A team of investigators were gathered, the judge was notified and warrants were signed at 12:30 a.m. on August 29 with the assistance of Asst. D.A. Angie Scott. Investigators interviewed 8-10 possible witnesses who had been at the residence, said Roberts.
"After interviewing the subjects that had been at the house, we learned there was more to this," said Roberts. "We went through all this activity to get all this information and cover all the bases. It took several hours interviewing, getting warrants for the residence, only to learn this was false. We went back at 2:45 a.m., picked up the alleged victim in the case and took her to the jail. She gave us a full confession that she wasn’t raped, she wasn’t held at gunpoint, and nothing she had told us was true."

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Scotts Hill High Teacher Named 2008 “Tennessee Star”

Each year, one teacher from the state of Tennessee is chosen from thousands of nominees as the “American Star of Teaching” by the U.S. Department of Education.In 2008, the “Tennessee Star” is Scotts Hill High School English teacher Kay Hart, a 29-year veteran.“All my life I wanted to be a teacher...I want you to want to come to my classroom,” a tearful Hart told the assembly audience at SHHS Thursday.The award had been kept secret from the SHHS students and teachers prior to the school-wide assembly. When the announcement was made, their excitement burst out in applause and respectful shouts.“It’s a good news story for the whole school,” said Carolyn Snowbarger, Director of the Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative with the U.S. Department of Education. “...When you think of heroes, you may think of superheroes. Well, there are heroes around us today.”Principal Brian Norton may have been the only one in on the secret.“I’ve never observed you taking for granted the power of being a teacher,” he said to Hart and the assembly. “It’s evident you’ve affected so many people. It’s evident by the number who come back to visit you. You make English and Drama fun. Your as excited today as you were when you began.” Students Bethany Reed and Mary Beth Helms spoke of the love and friendship that become a part of being a student of Mrs. Hart.It is the fourth year that the U.S. Department of Education has recognized American Stars of Teaching, spotlighting some of the nation’s most highly effective teachers and honoring these important professionals working hard for students.The American Stars of Teaching are teachers who are improving student achievement, increasing opportunities for students and using innovative strategies to make a difference in the lives of students.A selecting committee comprised of former K-12 teachers who now work for the U.S. Department of Education reviewed over 5,000 nominations.In addition to English, Hart teaches creative writing and theater arts. She was named Scotts Hill High School Teacher of the Year in 2006 and was a finalist for the Tennessee Department of Education Teacher of the Year in 2007. She said she had taught over 2,000 students in her 29 years.“I’m proud to be at Scotts Hill High School,” she said.

Please feel free to leave your comment or "congrats" for this extraordinary teacher and mentor.

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