The Daybreaker: 12/16/2024
Good morning, Scott County! Welcome to a brand new work week. Hopefully it’ll be a good one. It’s also the last week before Christmas, so one last chance to get those holiday preparations out of the way! Here’s a look at what’s happening in Scott County this week.
This Week’s Weather
🌧️ Rainy weather continues today.
Almanac: Sunrise/Sunset: 7:42/5:25 • Records: 73° (2005), -2° (1962) • YTD Rainfall: 51.0” (Normal: 55.3”).
Details: Rain showers remain likely today, along with breezy conditions. We won't see as much rain as yesterday. Scattered showers will be across the area at daybreak, generally moving out of the area by late this morning. However, rain becomes a near certainty tonight, as a weakening line of convection approaches from the west. Between a quarter of an inch to half of an inch of rain is possible tonight. The rain showers will clear our area by tomorrow morning, leaving us with partly sunny skies tomorrow. Temperatures will be near 60° the next three days before colder air begins to filter back in Wednesday night. Rain will be likely again on Wednesday, as well.
Further Out: The cold air will initially be unimpressive. We'll dip to near freezing Wednesday night, but the high will be well into the 40s both Thursday and Friday, as sunshine returns to the region. A stronger wave of cold air takes hold for the weekend, and temperatures won't get out of the 30s Saturday or Sunday. In fact, we might be lucky to get above freezing on Sunday, with nighttime temperatures in the teens. Dry weather should remain in place through the weekend. The general idea has been that a really nice warming trend will take place next week, with temperatures returning to around 50° perhaps as soon as Christmas Eve, and eventually getting into the 60s just after Christmas. There are some late indications that the colder air may hang on a bit longer than initially expected, however. We'll watch for another 24-48 hours to see how this pans out. The Climate Prediction Center is forecasting above-normal temperatures for almost the entire continental U.S. through the Christmas holiday period, and the generally mild weather pattern should hang on through the first 10 days or so of January, at least.
Snow Watch: Accumulating snow is unlikely for at least the next two weeks.
White Christmas Watch: A white Christmas is very unlikely this year. Temperatures are expected to be in the 40s and 50s on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. However, there is a very slight possibility of this weekend's cold snap hanging on a bit longer than expected, which could provide a very narrow window for wintry mischief. Don't expect it, but we'll watch it for a day or two and see how it appears to be shaping up.
You can find daily weather forecasts and analysis on our website, Eye to the Sky.
News Updates
• TCAT Oneida/Huntsville graduated 20 students from its lineman program on Thursday. The program is recognized as one of the best in the Southeast, and draws students from all across Tennessee. Three of the graduates — Oneida High School grads Reece Kennedy, Landon Limburg and Noah Lowe — were local.
• In high school basketball Friday night, Scott High defeated Union County 71-63 on the strength of a 28-point, 14-rebound effort by Wyatt Lloyd…Oneida saw Drayton Wade score a triple-double, with double figures in scoring, rebounding and assists, as the Indians dominated rival Coalfield…The Lady Highlanders were surprisingly dominant against district foe Union County, the team that ended their season a year ago…And Coalfield proved why it’s the team to beat in District 3-1A with a big win over the Lady Indians.
• Scott County Commission will meet in regular session at 5 p.m. this evening, at the Scott County Office Building in Huntsville. A very light agenda awaits commissioners.
• Don’t forget that Santa letters to the Independent Herald are due by Dec. 19 at 12 p.m. You can mail them to P.O. Box 4974, Oneida, TN 37841, or email to santa@ihoneida.com. For teachers who are having their students write letters as classroom projects, Word documents are greatly appreciated! Two letter-writers will be randomly drawn (one boy, one girl) to receive $50 cash prizes. The letters will be published in a special edition of the IH on Dec. 22.
• A new edition of VARSITY: The Sports Magazine of the Independent Herald was published yesterday. It contains a wrap-up of sports from the past week.
The Week Ahead
» Monday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The cost is $7 for dine-in or carry-out. Phone: (423) 569-5972.
» Monday: Scott County Commission will meet in regular session at the Scott County Office Building in Huntsville, beginning at 5 p.m.
» Tuesday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will host exercise from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.
» Tuesday: Pinnacle Resource Center’s food pantry (1513 Jeffers Road, Huntsville) will be open beginning at 10 a.m. There are no income guidelines; however, a photo ID and a piece of mail with a Scott County address are required.
» Tuesday: Boy Scout Troop #333 will meet at the Oneida War Memorial Building on Alberta Street in Oneida beginning at 6 p.m.
» Tuesday: Oneida basketball will travel to Campbell County for a 6:30 p.m. start, while Scott High will host Anderson County, also at 6:30 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on the IH Sports Network, with the Baby J’s Pizza Pregame Report beginning at 6:15 p.m.
» Tuesday: Wall Builders will meet from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Trinity Baptist Church (1611 Glass House Road, Helenwood) for those struggling with addiction or striving to keep off drugs. There will be preaching, teaching, food, fellowship and personal counseling.
» Tuesday: Alcoholics Anonymous meets at the Highway 27 Unity Club in Oneida at 7 p.m.. For more information: highway27unityclub.com.
» Wednesday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The cost is $7 for dine-in or carry-out. Phone: (423) 569-5972.
» 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, located on Church Avenue, directly behind First United Methodist Church, is open from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Thursday mornings, except on the first Thursday of the month, hours are from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.. You are eligible to receive food once per month. Operating procedures have been modified in order to comply with governmental requests for social distancing. For more information or requirements, call the church office at (423) 569-8828.
» Thursday: The Boards of Mayor and Aldermen for both Oneida and Huntsville will meet at 6 p.m., at the Oneida Municipal Services Building and the Huntsville Municipal Building, respectively.
» Thursday: Narcotics Anonymous meets at the Highway 27 Unity Club in Oneida at 7 p.m. For more information: highway27unityclub.com.
» Thursday: Oneida basketball will be in Christmas tournament action at Eagleton Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The schedule has not been announced.
» Friday: Santa and friends will be at First National Bank’s Oneida office from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. You can get a free 8x10 photo, along with cookies and hot chocolate. (Sponsored.)
» Friday: Timber Rock Lodge in Oneida will host a Madrigal Dinner Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. Seating is limited. Tickets can be purchased at timberrocklodge.com.
» Friday: Scott High boys will be in Christmas tournament action at Loudon Friday, Saturday and Monday. The Highlanders will open play against Tellico Plains on Friday, with future games in the tournament depending on the outcome of that game. A game time has not been announced.
Have a great week! Our next newsletter will be The Weekender, published Friday morning. This week’s publications will include our regular E-Edition on Thursday, Varsity on Sunday, and our annual Dear Santa edition on Sunday. — Sam Voss, IH
Want to subscribe to this newsletter? It’s free!
Have an event to submit? Email newsroom@ihoneida.com or visit indherald.com/community-calendar-2.