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Mountain City, Tennessee 37683Your Community Newspaper, Established 1874 75 centsVol. 146 No. 37

www.thetomahawk.com

THE TOMAHAWKWednesday, September 9, 2020

Community Calendar ...........A2Inside News ..........................A3Public Safety ........................A4Community Matters ..............A5Service Directory ...............A4,5

From Page One ...................A6Sports ...........................B1,6Obituaries ........................B2Patriots’ Day Feature ......B3Classifieds/Faith ..............B5

INSIDE: Thank you for allowing us to serve you!We are Your Community Bank.

www.fsbankmctn.com423-727-8121

By Tamas MondovicsEDITOR

It has been nearly two decades since September 11, 2001, yet the very moment when it all began is as vivid

and unforgettable to most people as ever.

Nearly 3,000 innocent lives were lost due to the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., and rural Pennsylvania.

Even after 19 years, the World Trade Center’s indel-ible images of the World Trade Center collapsing in flames with crowds run-ning for safety will never be forgotten.

Americans remember Patriot Day two decades on

Editor’s Note: The Patriot Day celebrated on Septem-ber 11 is a separate holiday from Patriot’s Day, which is observed on the third Monday in April in Mas-sachusetts.

Patriot DaySpecial Feature Page … see page B3

By Meg DickensSTAFF WRITER

The Johnson County School Board voted unani-mously to move $30,000 in funds to select sports pro-

grams during its Tuesday, August 25, called meeting.

Dr. Stephen Long, Athlet-ics Supervisor, brought the proposal to the board briefly during the previous meeting.

According to Long, the

decision to continue sports was not his.

“It was my job to make the case for athletics, so I made that case,” Long explained his decision to continue contact sports while school cannot

be in-person. “Participation in athletics is not compul-sory. Attendance at school is compulsory. Nobody has to participate in sports. Parents of players signed waivers. No

See Patriot Day Page B3

School Board to move $30K to revenue sportsJOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

By Jill PenleyFREELANCE WRITER

Suicide continues among the leading cause of death nationally and impacts the lives of countless Americans. As World Suicide Preven-tion Day 2020 falls smack dab in the middle of a world pandemic, which has up-ended nearly every aspect of people’s lives and mental health is no exception.

The special day, Sept 10, is set aside to bring awareness and understanding to those who have been impacted by suicide and initiate preventa-tive measures.

Preventing suicide is a per-sonal mission of Kathy Mots-inger, Johnson County Senior

See Schools Page A6

Suicide Prevention takes center stage in September

By Jill PenleyFREELANCE WRITER

For nearly six months, COVID-19 has spread across the state of Tennessee. From the time the Tennessee De-partment of Health (TDH) reported the first positive case in Johnson County in late March, residents have been inundated with data and statistics.

Every afternoon, TDH re-leases a spreadsheet of in-formation to let us know the severity of the situation. To some, the numbers released cause even more confusion.

“We’re pleased to be

adding new reports to help support rapid public health actions in Tennessee com-munities,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “We also want to promote data transparency and help Tennesseans understand the reason case counts for some counties will change as we correct information based on their addresses.”

According to the gover-nor’s office, the new format released last week will reflect a change in how active cases are calculated and a correc-tion in the county of residence for some cases.

One of the most noticeable changes was the new data re-porting “Inactive/Recovered” cases. Previously, TDH con-sidered a case recovered after 21 days; however, beginning

TDH changes format for reporting COVID cases

See Suicide Page A6

See COVID-19 Page A6

By Veronica BurnistonFREELANCE WRITER

Linda and Amber Icenhour

recently released their third book, Scarecrows on Main, in time for the annual event that inspired their story.

Scarecrows on Main is a lyrical children’s book in-spired by the Scarecrows on Main event held in downtown Mountain City, Tennessee, every October.

The event encourages lo-cal businesses and residents to create their own themed scarecrows, which decorate Main Street for an entire month.

“We were looking at the scarecrows on Main,” Linda Icenhour, the author of Scare-crows on Main, said, as she recounted the moment it all began, “and I thought, you know, this would be a great book.”

Containing colorful illustra-tions of familiar downtown sites, Scarecrows on Main follows the ghouls, ghosts, and monsters that wander through Main Street on Hal-loween night.

Regarding the fantastical element of spooks through-out the book, Linda empha-sized how the autumn festival transforms downtown from ordinary to extraordinary every year.

While illustrating the book, her daughter, Amber, sought to create “something special,” not “your everyday Main Street in the United States.”

Linda Icenhour has served in the Johnson County Public Library for 32 years. She har-bors a deep love for reading books and writing children’s stories. Before Scarecrows on Main, she authored two books: Joey’s Big Imagi-

Mother and daughter partner to publish third children’s book

Author and Librarian, Linda Icenhour (left), and illustrator, Amber Icenhour (right), proudly stand with a selection of their work, Saturday, September 5, 2020, in Mountain City, Tennessee. Photo by Veronica Burniston.See Icenhours Page A6

By Tamas MondovicsEDITOR

The Labor Day holiday, the final major weekend of the 2020 summer boating season (September 5-7), enjoyed great weather, drawing thousands of boaters to local lakes and waterways.

Ahead of the busy weekend, and to ensure all those visiting the waterways to have an enjoyable time, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency emphasized

the use of life jackets while boating safely and responsibly.

TWRA officers were out on the watch during the long weekend for dangerous boating behavior, such as boating under the influence (BUI) and other reckless operation, and for a good reason.

Sadly, the agency has reported two boating-related fatalities over the 2020 Labor Day holiday period. The two sepa-rate incidents occurred on Old Hickory Lake in Middle Tennessee, and Watts

Barr Lake in Roane County. TWRA officers were dispatched to a

third incident on the Hatchie River, but it was reported to be medical related.

The agency has seen an increase in pad-dle craft activity throughout the state on rivers and streams, lakes and reservoirs.

“Paddleboards, canoes, and kayaks are recreational vessels and shouldn’t be treated like toys,” said Cpt. Matt Majors, TWRA Boating Investigator. “Boaters

Summer boating season ends with sad statistics

See Boating Page A6

Boaters are enjoying a day of summer fun on Watauga Lake, as Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officials emphasize water safety and safe boating. Photos by Tamas Mondovics

Mountain City resident Kathy Motsinger reflects

on her tragic personal loss to suicide, and works

to ensure others will never have to experience

the pain it brings. Submitted photo