Inside Scott: Mid-Week Edition
Good Wednesday morning! 🐪 And what a beautiful Wednesday it’s going to be, as we roll towards the final few days of May.
(Pictured: Scott County Boy Scout Troop 333 retires the ceremonial flag at the annual VFW Post 5669 Memorial Day service on Monday. IH photo.)
Weather
☀️ An absolutely gorgeous stretch of weather continues today, with highs only in the mid 70s and plenty of sunshine. It doesn’t get much better than this in early summer!
Almanac: Sunrise/Sunset: 6:20/8:50 • Records: 89° (2012), 37° (1994) • YTD Rainfall: 29.4” (Normal: 25.7”)
Details: We’ll see sunny skies today and a high of only about 74° before we drop to near 50° tonight. Some outlying areas could make a run at the 40s tonight and again tomorrow night. Tomorrow will be a carbon-copy of today, then we’ll gradually start to warm up as we head into the weekend.
Further Out: We’ll see rain chances return to the forecast on Saturday, and better rain chances on Sunday. But we shouldn’t be dealing with a lot of rain this weekend. A typical summer pattern takes shape with daily chances for thunderstorms that will continue through next week. Overall, we’ll continue to be the coolest spot in the U.S. (relative to normal) through the first half of the month of June.
The Latest
➔ CLEAN-UP UNDERWAY: The Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area will remain closed in the area of Divide Road — including Charit Creek Lodge, Twin Arches, Hatfield Ridge and the Terry Cemetery area — as clean-up continues in the aftermath of Sunday’s severe thunderstorms. Park visitors who were trapped at Twin Arches and Charit Creek have been freed, but significant damage remains in the area. A timeline has not been released for the reopening of those areas, but one NPS worker said it will likely be months until all of the trail maintenance is complete. Nearby Pickett State Park is also closed until further notice.
➔ STILL NO SIGN OF MISSING MAN: The Scott County Sheriff’s Office and teams of volunteers spent Memorial Day searching the rugged mountain terrain around Bull Creek for missing Scott County man Audie Dean Harness, who has been missing since May 4. Authorities located his abandoned vehicle on a four-wheel-drive road near Bull Creek Sunday evening, but so far there’s been no sign of Harness himself.
➔ IT’S OFFICIALLY WET: May 2024 will go down as the wettest month of May on record in Oneida, with 10.68 inches of rainfall recorded by the National Weather Service. The old record was about 9.5 inches, set in 1984. A typical May sees around 4.5 inches of rain fall in Oneida.
➔ RECORD-LOW UNEMPLOYMENT: Rainfall isn’t the only thing setting records in Scott County. According to new data from the TN Dept. of Labor & Workforce Development, Scott County’s unemployment rate has fallen to 3.6%, tying the all-time low that was previously set in 2019.
➔ HE FELT THE SACRIFICE WAS WORTH IT: At Monday’s VFW Memorial Day service in Oneida, CWO Darryl Dellarossa (U.S. Army, ret.) said that U.S. Marine Cpl. Rusty L. Washam of Scott County, who was killed in action in Iraq in 2006, believed America was worth the sacrifice.
Calendar
Here’s a look at what’s happening in Scott County the next couple of days …
⦿ Wednesday: Library hours today are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Huntsville, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Oneida, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Winfield.
⦿ Wednesday: Pool hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Huntsville ($3). The Oneida City Park Splash Pad is also open (free).
⦿ Wednesday: Lunch will be served at the Scott County Senior Citizens Center from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The menu is chicken and dumplings with all the trimmings and dessert. The cost is $7 for dine-in or carry-out. Call (423) 569-5972. There will be Bingo at 12:30 p.m.
⦿ Thursday: Library hours today are 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Oneida. Huntsville and Winfield are closed.
⦿ Thursday: Pool hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Huntsville ($3). The Oneida City Park Splash Pad is also open (free).
⦿ Thursday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will host exercise from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.
⦿ Thursday: The Gerry McDonald Mission House at First United Methodist Church of Oneida will be open from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. You are eligible to receive food once a month. For guidelines and more information, call the church office at (423) 569-8828.
⦿ Thursday: S.T.A.N.D. will present a free carnival at Oneida City Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be food, games, bounce houses and more.
⦿ Thursday: Narcotics Anonymous will meet at the Highway 27 Unity Club in Oneida at 7 p.m. For more information: highway27unityclub.com.
⦿ Looking Ahead: Concord Baptist Church and Mission of Hope will present their annual “Day at the Park” on Saturday, June 1, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Oneida City Park. There will be food, fun, games and prizes. The event is free.
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