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Archives
01-24-2001 News
School's Out Early, Opens Late
As Winter Weather Holds
School's Out Early, Opens Late As Winter Weather Holds On
Icicles congregate on the eave of a house during one of the coldest Tennessee winters on record. Snow and sleet moving in caused early closing of Overton and surrounding county schools on Friday, Jan. 19. With more snow falling the following day and nighttime temperatures again dipping in the teens, Overton County schools opened one hour late on Monday, Jan. 22. Warmer temperatures are predicted for this week, which may provide a return to normalcy for the schools, or what passes for it with the school construction underway.
Overton Farmers May Be Eligible For Federal Aid The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared Overton County a contiguous disaster area due to losses caused by frost and freeze, as well as drought and high temperatures. U.S. Representative Bart Gordon said, "This disaster designation makes all family-sized farm operators in Overton County eligible to be considered for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency because an adjacent county was declared a primary disaster area." Eligible farmers may receive FSA loans to cover losses caused by frost and freeze that occurred October 1-11 last year, and from drought and high temperatures that occurred April 1 last year and beyond. "FSA will consider the extent of the losses, security available, repayment ability and other eligibility requirements," Gordon said. At the request of Governor Don Sundquist and with the support of Rep. Gordon and U.S. Senators Fred Thompson and Bill Frist, the U.S. Department of Agriculture designated 42 counties in Tennessee as primary disaster areas, and 38 were designated as contiguous counties, eligible for the same aid. Sen. Thompson said, Tenn-essee's 91,000 farms cover half of our state and generate a significant portion of our economy. Our economic prosperity as a state depends on a coordinated and comprehensive response to this disaster, so I am pleased that Secretary Glickman moved swiftly to support the disaster relief that our farmers need to get back on their feet." Sen. Frist said, "Low commodity prices and weather have played havoc on TennesseeÕs farm community. This declaration will bring much needed assistance to our farmers as they prepare for the spring planting season. With this assistance, IÕm confident that our agricultural producers will be able to survive this recent disaster and continue to play a large role in TennesseeÕs economy." Last year, Senators Thompson and Frist sent a letter to Dan Glickman, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), urging him to approve an agricultural disaster declaration for TennesseeÕs farmers as requested by Gov. Sundquist. The declaration also includes Clay, Fentress, Jackson, Pickett, and Putnam counties.
Overton County News
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