Discounted Cruises Offered To View Sandhill Cranes During Weekend Festival

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Blue Moon Cruises is offering special discounted cruises to view the Sandhill Cranes during the Sandhill Crane Festival, Jan. 19-20. The cruises will last approximately one and a half hours and will circumnavigate the crane roosting areas on Hiwassee Island.  In addition to Sandhill Cranes, other species that may be seen on the cruise are resident and wintering bald eagles, cormorants, waterfowl, herons, egrets and grebes. 

The Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival which takes place at the Birchwood School and Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Birchwood, Tn., includes nature exhibits, artisan booths, crane viewings, lectures and boat rides to celebrate the seasonal return of thousands of Sandhill cranes to the nearby Hiwassee Island Refuge. Cruises will leave from Blythe Ferry Landing adjacent to the Wildlife Refuge and Cherokee Removal Memorial.   

Tickets for the Hiwassee Island cruise are $15 per person at www.bluemooncruises.org or 888 993-2583.   


TVA Celebrates National Trails Day With Enhancement Efforts

The Tennessee Valley Authority will be making improvements at six trail locations in Tennessee and Alabama on Saturday, June 1, to celebrate National Trails Day and is encouraging volunteers to participate. Among the projects is the 1.5-mile Buck Island Trail on Guntersville Reservoir in Alabama. Partially destroyed by a tornado in spring 2011, the trail will be rerouted ... (click for more)

Deadline To Submit Comments On 2013-14 Hunting Seasons' Proposals Is Monday

The Monday, May 27 deadline is approaching to submit comments for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s 2013-14 hunting seasons’ regulations proposals. This is an opportunity for the public to share ideas and concerns about hunting regulations with TWRA staff. The regulations proposals were made at the April meeting of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission and the ... (click for more)

3 Charged In Raleigh With Murder Of Former Cleveland, Tn., Woman

Three people have been charged in Raleigh, N.C., with the murder last week of a 30-year-old woman, who had just moved from Cleveland, Tn. Arrested for the slaying of Melissa Dawn Huggins-Jones were Ronald Lee Anthony, 23; Sarah Rene Redden, 18, and Travion Devonte Smith, 20. The victim's body was discovered by her eight-year-old daughter in their apartment in the North Hills ... (click for more)

Green Infrastructure Master Plan Underway For Chattanooga

LDA Engineering has been selected to lead the team to develop and recommend a green infrastructure master plan for the city of Chattanooga to complement traditional “gray” infrastructure, namely man-made sewer and stormwater structures, with sustainable green alternatives, officials said Wednesday.   “We are honored to be selected to develop Chattanooga’s green infrastructure ... (click for more)

Thanks, Sheriff

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Department is very responsive and professional out in Apison, and I appreciate that.  We have some fine deputies serving Hamilton County.    I took a minute to call and tell them thank you, I hope my neighbors will also. Brian Wood Apison (click for more)

Roy Exum: Hypocrisy And Horses

I am still wincing over the fact a horrendous bill passed in the state legislature that would make whistle-blowers into criminals would have actually gone into law had it not been for Governor Bill Haslam’s eleventh-hour veto. Called the “Ag-Gag bill,” similar efforts in other states have also soured because it is no more than a Catch-22 trick to protect those who abuse animals, ... (click for more)