Good Thursday evening! This is The Weekender, a final look at this week’s news from the Independent Herald. The Daybreaker (Monday) and The Weekender (Thursday evening) are our two news-first newsletters. We publish several other newsletters throughout the week, as well as our regular E-Edition on Thursday and our Varsity E-Edition on Sunday (during sports season). If you’d like to adjust your subscription to include (or exclude) any of these newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t subscribed, please consider doing so!
Today’s newsletter is sponsored by Buckeye Home Medical Equipment. Serving Scott County and several other communities in the Upper Cumberland region, Buckeye is a full-line DME providing home health equipment to its patients.
Big South Fork Medical interim CEO talks addition of services
ONEIDA | At a meeting of the Scott County Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Big South Fork Medical Center interim CEO Cathal McGuckin said that the hospital continues to add services that are concentrated on “closing the service gaps” that exist in local health care.
McGuckin, who has overseen day-to-day operations at the hospital since the untimely passing of Hal Leftwich in 2025, pointed to the recent opening of an infusion center, last year’s opening of a wound care center, and the addition of low-dose CT scans for lung cancer screenings. He added that the hospital has also added echocardiogram imaging — a non-invasive ultrasound that provides heart diagnostics for physicians.
BSFMC has also introduced a swing bed program, which helps patients continue the recovery process close to home. Swing beds are short-term skilled care for patients who need therapy, IV antibiotics, wound care, or other support services before they can return home.
In regards to the $1 billion Tennessee will receive from the Trump administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill” for rural health care initiatives, which state Sen. Ken Yager had mentioned earlier in the meeting, McGuckin said it is “a lot of money, but there are a lot of people looking for it.” Nevertheless, he said, “we’re going to continue to fight for it.”
McGuckin pointed out that it has been nine years since Florida-based Rennova Health reopened the Scott County hospital. “There have been ups and downs, (but) I think that’s health care in general,” he said.
On a related but separate note, Myrtle Recovery Centers CEO Bob Merritt provided an update on his facility, which opened in 2023 and provides recovery services in Scott County.
Myrtle is a 30-bed facility that operates inside an unused portion of Big South Fork Medical Center.
Merritt said that as of the first quarter of 2026, Myrtle has admitted a total of 870 patients and has accumulated more than 12,000 “patient days.” It has had more than 2,200 referrals, he said, which have come from 78 of the 95 counties in Tennessee.
“We have quite the reputation out there,” Merritt said, adding that Myrtle is highly regarded for the recovery services it offers.
Despite the statewide referrals, Merritt said that 47% of patient referrals come from Scott, Anderson, Campbell, Morgan, and Knox counties — and that 350 have come from Scott County alone.
He added that the facility’s patient satisfaction surveys show that 98% of past patients would “strongly recommend” Myrtle.
“We’re very proud of what we do,” he said. “We have a very strong program.”
Huntsville Post-Acute & Rehabilitation Center offers short-term or long-term care … on your terms. Learn more. (Sponsored content.)
Yager addresses landfill, nuclear, and data centers
ONEIDA | State Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, addressed the proposed Roberta Phase II landfill and several other topics in an appearance before members of the Scott County Chamber of Commerce at the Scott County Senior Center in Oneida on Thursday.
Yager, who has steadfastly opposed the construction of a second landfill in Scott County, applauded the recent developments that have derailed the proposed landfill, though he said “the beast is still breathing” and vowed efforts to stop it will continue.
Specifically, Yager applauded a decision by the TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) to deny an Aquatic Resources Alteration Permit (ARAP) to Roberta Phase II, saying he had been confident all along that would be the case.
“There was little discretion that TDEC had with the landfill permit,” Yager said. “The EPA sets the guidelines on that. But the ARAP is a different issue. I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop because I felt confident the commissioner would deny that permit. He has done that.”
That echoes comments Yager made to the Independent Herald months ago, when he expressed confidence that TDEC would not approve the project.
The state agency issued a permit for a 24-acre landfill in 2010. However, construction on that project never began. The permit was recently sold to Atlanta- and Chattanooga-area developers, who moved forward with the purchase of 700 acres of property and applied for re-certification of the permit, along with a nearby rail transfer station. Because more than one year had elapsed, TDEC re-certification was needed, and ARAP laws that have been updated since 2010 applied. In rejecting the re-certification process last month, TDEC said that any future efforts to move forward with the landfill will be subject to local approval through the Jackson Law, where it would almost certainly be doomed to fail.
Yager said Thursday that the two options developers have remaining are to resubmit their application with changes, or to litigate TDEC’s decision.
Legislation filed by Yager and state Rep. Kelly Keisling, R-Byrdstown, this past session sought to permanently stop the proposed landfill by classifying the Big South Fork River as a scenic river under a 1960s-era state law and add extra stipulations that would not allow another landfill anywhere in Scott County. That bill sailed through the Senate but narrowly failed in a House committee.
Yager pledged to continue efforts to pass that bill in 2027. He said Scott Countians owe a “thank you” to Keisling for his work on the bill in the House of Representatives, and added that he and Keisling had believed the votes were in place to pass it. “One of the fellas who told us he was going to vote yes, we lost him in committee and lost by one vote,” Yager said. He added that some of the language in the bill may change before it is reintroduced this winter, but it will remain substantially the same.
Other topics addressed by Yager at Thursday’s meeting included state and federal funding for rural health care, nuclear waste, and data centers.
On health care: Yager said that Tennessee will receive $1 billion over a five-year period from the Trump administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill” for rural health care transformation. Some of that money, he said, could be utilized by Big South Fork Medical Center, Mountain People’s Health Councils Inc., or by Roane State Community College for its education.
On nuclear: Yager spoke positively about the nuclear renaissance that is taking place in Tennessee. Nuclear industrial development has been a buzzing topic lately, and Yager said that communities throughout East Tennessee stand to benefit. He said that Morgan County recently received a grand for nuclear site development, and encouraged Scott County to file its own grant application — which the Industrial Development Board’s Stacey Swann said has already happened.
In response to a question about the storage of nuclear waste and the possibility that the 700-acre landfill property might be repurposed for such a use, Yager said that nuclear storage is a possibility he supports — but it doesn’t look like people might think it does.
Yager explained that the days of disposing barrels of nuclear waste that have to be stored forever are gone. The new era, he said, involves recycling nuclear waste so that it can be used again. Tennessee has applied for a federal permit to do just that, though it has not received word on whether the permit will be issued. He said the Tennessee Association of County Mayors unanimously endorsed the project, signaling its potential to benefit communities across the state.
Yager said the bulk of this activity will occur in Oak Ridge, which is the state’s hub of nuclear industry, but added that the supply pipeline could easily extend to Scott County, supporting a local business that might spring up.
The key, Yager said, is appropriate messaging so that residents are educated on what nuclear storage does — and does not — consist of.
On data centers: Yager said he is not aware of any current interest to build a data center in Scott County, but said that he has strong reservations about data centers for two reasons. One, he said, involves the high usage of electricity, which can drive up costs for other electric customers. Another, he added, is the release of heated water, saying he questions what that will do to the lifespan of streams.
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O&W Road reopens after bridge replacement
ONEIDA | The O&W Road into the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area has reopened for vehicular traffic after being closed for the better part of two years.
The Scott County Road Department reopened the road earlier this week, following the completion of a bridge replacement project over Pine Creek. The road had been closed at the Toomey Road intersection, just outside the Big South Fork NRRA, since the TN Dept. of Transportation condemned the bridge in Fall 2024.
The bridge, originally constructed in 1914 as part of the Oneida & Western Railroad, was removed and rebuilt by Cookeville-based King General Contracting, which won the contract with Scott County. The same company is also rebuilding the railroad overpass on Niggs Creek Road at High Point.
Construction of the bridge began in August 2025.
The bridge was one of three original bridges from the O&W Railroad days remaining on the rail bed, which has been a county road for decades. The two remaining include another bridge over Pine Creek inside the Big South Fork NRRA, and a bridge over the Big South Fork River. The latter has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places and will eventually be closed to vehicular traffic once the state deems it unsafe for travel.
ICYMI
Threads of Life: This week’s Threads of Life newsletter is in remembrance of Crystal Worley, James Brown, Marlys Devries, Hollis Gibson, Billy Shoemaker, Allen Thomas, and Mary Wilson. » Read It
Echoes in Time: This week’s Echoes in Time newsletter takes a look back at Jehu Phillips, one of Scott County’s earliest county officials who provided invaluable insight into the early days in this area. » Read It
The Weekend
🌥️ Weather: After a partly sunny day on Friday with a high of 83°, we’ll see rain chances return Saturday. There’s a 60% chance of rain Saturday with a high of 77° expected. There’s a 50% chance of rain on Sunday, with temperatures again in the upper 70s. Check out our daily Eye to the Sky updates on our Facebook page— published each morning at 7 a.m. on the dot.
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⛪︎ Featured Church
Bible Believers Baptist Church
Denomination: Baptist
Pastor: Joey Zachary
Address: 120 Cooper Lake Road, Oneida
Services
Sunday School: 10 a.m.
Sunday Morning: 11 a.m.
Sunday Evening: 6 p.m.
Wednesday: 7 p.m.
» See the complete Church Directory, and thank you to our sponsors of the Church Directory.
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📅 Community Calendar
• Saturday: Huntsville Municipal Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cost is $3. The Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area swimming pool at Bandy Creek will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The cost is $3 for ages 13 and up, and $2 for ages 6-12. The Oneida City Park splash pad will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (weather permitting).
• Sunday: Huntsville Municipal Pool will be open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The cost is $3. The Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area swimming pool at Bandy Creek will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The cost is $3 for ages 13 and up, and $2 for ages 6-12. The Oneida City Park splash pad will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (weather permitting).
• Sunday: Celebrate Recovery, a 12-step program designed to help with addiction, co-dependency and domestic abuse, will be hosted by Fire & Purpose Ministries from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 27192 Scott Highway in Winfield. There will be food, fellowship, praise and worship. Childcare is provided.
The Community Calendar is presented weekly by Citizens Gas Utility District. You can help prevent pipeline damage and leaks by calling 811 before doing any excavating or demolition and submitting a utility locate request. Visit citizensgastn.com.
Scenic Sale!
This week’s sale items at Scenic Foods in Huntsville! The sale continues through Tuesday. Sponsored content.
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Our Newsletters:
• Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
• Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
• Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
• Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
• Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
• Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)