LaFayette Freedom Festival and the annual fireworks show will be held tonight at the main rec. department. Festival officially begins at 5, fireworks scheduled for 10:30 PM.

It’s a hot day but the forecast looks good, small chances of storms in the afternoon that decrease as the night goes on. It wouldn’t be a real Freedom Festival without a little rain, anyway.

As mentioned in February, LaFayette’s fireworks show this year is being held a full week before July 4th because it saves the city half of what the show normally costs – $5,000 vs. $10,000.

(Freedom Festival will also be your last chance to buy a raffle ticket to win a guitar or a trip to Nashville and support the LaFayette library.)

Tomorrow night the city will also present another outdoor movie – Despicable Me 2 – at 9 PM in Joe Stock Park.       

Wednesday Chattanooga’s supposedly reputable newspaper published an inflammatory article about Mike Lovelady’s lawsuit against LaFayette and several city leaders. LU won’t share the link because of the inaccuracies in the report, which boils down to a one-sided hit put together by Lovelady or his lawyers.

Lovelady accuses the city of a vendetta against him based on a relationship with one councilman’s wife and his “son” Gary, but fails (again) to address what the city actually said he did: storing hard liquor in the business and serving it to employees (some underage) in violation of city and state rules.

There WAS an inappropriate (non-physical) relationship between Gary Lovelady and the woman, which resulted in some inappropriate photos. (She wasn’t the only one, by far, he’s been involved with.)

As LU mentioned back in February, Lovelady tried to use the pictures as blackmail to get himself out of trouble. He told the police chief about those when he was being investigated, said he would get them in the local paper if they took his license away. The local paper wouldn’t touch that part, but now the Chattanooga paper has helped Mike complete his threat, making the issue public.

LaFayette has bent over backwards to accommodate the man and his businesses for three years, up to the point where he broke multiple laws. Now that he’s been called out for that behavior he’s digging up dirt, filing lawsuits, and throwing accusations around to defend himself against charges that he can’t dismiss head-on.   

WQCH Radio, 06/25/14: “A DAUGHERTY STREET RESIDENT WAS ‘ROUGHED UP’ AS SHE TRIED TO BREAK-UP A LATE NIGHT FIGHT IN HER YARD. POLICE WERE CALLED JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT SUNDAY MORNING. WHEN THEY ARRIVED, THE THREE YOUNG MEN INVOLVED IN THE FIGHTING, HAD FLED. THE RESIDENT SAID THEY CHOKED HER AND SLUNG HER TO THE GROUND BEFORE RUNNING.

“OFFICERS SPOTTED TWO MEN MATCHING THE DESCRIPTION ON MCLEMORE STREET. THEY REFUSED TO STOP – AND A FOOT CHASE ENSUED. OFFICERS TASED AND ARRESTED ONE SUSPECT, 19 YEAR OLD CORY GAGE LEE OF LAFAYETTE. HE WAS CHARGED WITH SIMPLE BATTERY, CRIMINAL TRESPASS, OBSTRUCTION AND UNDER-AGE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL. POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR THE TWO OTHER SUSPECTS.”

An adult present during the fight says Mr. Lee assaulted a 15-year-old girl. Others say the whole thing started over drugs.   

Walker County property owners have recently been notified that their buildings and lands are being reappraised by county officials, to set the taxable value before property taxes rise this summer.

Hopefully tax assessors will notice the Davenports, one of Walker County’s wealthiest families (that control more private land than anyone else) have a barn that somehow hasn’t been included on their tax bill in the past.

County records show only one building on this property, but anyone with eyes can see there are obviously at least two…

The Davenports have been generous campaign supporters of Commissioner Heiskell, and the county has been building a project FOR the Davenports now for over a year, across the street from the barns. (Photo below shows a county work truck parked nearby.)

Tax Commissioner Carolyn Walker and Road Commissioner Bebe Heiskell both know that taxes not paid by one property owner become taxes that have to be paid by others. Certainly neither of them would intentionally screw the rest of us to benefit their friends on the mountain.

Nobody would dare suggest this is an intentional benefit for the Davenports, but simply an oversight. LU shares the photo and information here so county officials will know of this mistake and can rush to correct it before tax records are set in stone for the year.

You’re welcome!   

150 years ago last night and today, LaFayette was the prize in a heated battle between Union and Confederate forces. Union soldiers headquartered inside the old downtown courthouse were attacked on June 23rd by a band of of Confederates on their way to blow up bridges heading into Tennessee.

US troops tore down a wooden school building and used the material to build barricades, holding off rebel fighters until reenforcements arrived from Rock Spring early on June 24th. Union forces prevailed and LaFayette was not returned to the Confederates.

LaFayette Presbyterian Church, built in 1848 and still standing, served as a hospital for soldiers wounded in the conflict. Total losses were 28 killed and 60 wounded. Many of those who died fighting for LaFayette are still buried in the city cemetery; 15 Confederates killed here have never been identified.

The school building torn down was the Female Academy built in 1849 between the Marsh House and Chattooga Academy building. At that time Chattooga Academy was the boys’ school; it and the Female Academy were then the only equivalent of a modern (private) high school for several counties.

(Chattooga Academy [or John B. Gordon Hall], as we all know, already had a role in the Civil War about six months earlier when General Bragg used it as his headquarters during the Battle of Chickamauga.)

The Female Academy was later rebuilt and served, along with Chattooga Academy, as the original LaFayette High School until 1919 when the school moved to Cherokee Street.

An event commemorating the 150th anniversary was held over the weekend.     

Two suspects in last week’s Trion kidnapping case have been arrested.

The men, identified as Cedric and Samuel Johnson, were living in an apartment adjacent to the kidnapping site, but aren’t from the area. Trion PD has recovered weapons and clothing detailed by the victim.     

Memorial service for slain county police dog Tanja was attended by hundreds of law enforcement and emergency service workers from Walker County and the surrounding area. Ceremony at the Civic Center was preceded by a procession of 100+ county vehicles, which left LaFayette High School around 10 AM Friday.

A week before the shooting, a Chattanooga charity donated $850 to buy a bulletproof vest for the dog. Funds weren’t used, and will presumably go to buy a vest for the next K9 unit.     

Rampant theft in the Queen City continues uninterrupted:

WQCH Radio, 06/19/14: “A LAFAYETTE HIGH SCHOOL MAINTENANCE BUILDING WAS TARGETED BY THIEVES OVER THE WEEKEND, AND AROUND 100 GALLONS OF GASOLINE WAS STOLEN.

“LAFAYETTE POLICE GOT THE CALL MONDAY MORNING. THEY FOUND THAT A LOCK ON THE MAINTENANCE BUILDING GATE HAD BEEN CUT, AND ANOTHER LOCK WAS BROKEN OFF THE GAS-HOLDING TANK. PRINCIPAL MIKE CULBERSON SAID THE TANK HAD JUST BEEN RE-FILLED, AND THEY CALCULATE THE LOSS AT ABOUT 100 GALLONS. THE TANK IS USED TO FILL LAWN TRACTORS AND OTHER MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT ON SCHOOL GROUNDS. POLICE HAVE NO SUSPECTS AT PRESENT.”   

Walker County leaders met Tuesday in Chickamauga to discuss a variety of topics. Most of the speeches were fluff, but one item stands out: Commissioner Heiskell says Money Cove Farms “will soon be placed under professional management.”

Wait, so David Ashburn, Bebe’s uneducated Graddaughter, and toothless hillbilly campaign supporter James Alfred Brooks somehow couldn’t successfully run a wedding resort in the middle of nowhere after we spent at least $10 million on it? Now THAT’s a surprise.

Hopefully it’s the kind of professional management deal where an outside company leases the property and runs it, absorbing all losses and keeping all profits. But it’s probably a crap deal where we pay some outfit a big chunk of change to supervise the property and we still have to eat the money it doesn’t make.

Remember, this is the same crew that controls 1/3 of Hutcheson Hospital.   

Monday’s hearing about Chattanooga Street Tavern’s pouring license was a mixed bag, hardly a victory for the city or the business.

Witnesses during the hearing verified everything the Tavern and its owner(s) have been accused of: storing liquor illegally and serving it to employees, some of whom were minors.

The Council ruled a minor punishment handed down in February was sufficient and the business can keep its license, basically saying LPD acted properly. They resisted Mr. Lovelady’s goading – he essentially dared them to do something inappropriate – but possibly held back more than necessary to keep him from having more ammunition to attack the city with. (They also established a slap-on-the-wrist policy for similar violations in the future, which we may regret later on.)

Now the city and several leaders – including the police chief – face civil lawsuits from the Lovelady family, and the Lovelady clan still faces civil lawsuits from former employees who claim they were sexually harassed.

LaFayette citizens can continue to embarrass themselves, eat sub-par food and listen to terrible music while drinking cheap beer at the Tavern, and Mike Lovelady can continue losing money on a glorified bar he only keeps open for pride.

Sounds like we ALL lost out.           

Memorial service for Tanja, Walker County police dog killed last week, will be held 11 AM this Friday at the Civic Center.

58-year-old Idahoan Steven Lee Waldemer, alleged killer of Tanja and wounder of a deputy on Friday, remains behind bars in LaFayette. He’s currently in custody on charges of sexual assault and will soon also be charged with the shooting and related crimes.     

Hutcheson announces several management promotions.

Press release doesn’t mention the changes were made (at least in part) because the hospital’s Director of Nursing and HR Director both quit on the same day for as-yet unknown reasons.   

“This chair is probably one of the greatest things that’s ever happened to me..” -Austin Whitten   

A shooting Friday afternoon on Lookout Mountain left one Walker County deputy injured and the Sheriff’s Department K9 dead.

Steven Lee Waldemer of Idaho, on probation from a kidnapping sentence and out of touch with authorities, is suspected of sexually assaulting a local woman in front of her children and assaulting one of the kids inside a camper trailer on Moon Lake Rd.

Walker County deputies attempting to apprehend the man Friday were fired at; a shotgun blast hit deputy Donnie Brown in the face and neck and killed the county’s new police dog, Tanja. (Per WQCH, this was the first crime scene deployment for Tanja, who joined the department only a few weeks ago.)

Officers from Chattooga and Dade arrived after the shooting, but the suspect managed to slip by at least 12 deputies when their view of his camper was obscured by the gas and smoke they filled it with while trying to drive him out.

After escaping, Waldemer headed towards Alabama on foot and was arrested in the woods without further incident. He now faces pretty much every charge you can think of.

Deputy Brown was released from the hospital and is expected to be OK. A memorial service for Tanja will be held in the near future.         

City hearing regarding Chattanooga Street Tavern beer and wine license will be held at 9 AM.

This hearing isn’t about the morality of selling beer, it’s about violating city rules about how and where alcohol can be sold. The city’s initial investigation of hard liquor served during a Valentine’s Day party led to discovery of three possible law violations: hard liquor stored at the Tavern, alcohol being served to Tavern employees, and serving employees who were also minors. Other issues may also surface during the hearing.

LaFayette council can hand down a fine, temporarily suspend the Tavern’s pouring license, permanently suspend their pouring license, or turn a blind eye to flagrant violations of the law in favor of what Tavern owner Mike Lovelady refers to as “progress.”

Lovelady is fully aware of everything he’s accused of doing wrong, but so far he’s refused to directly address any of that. Instead he’s used a multitude of profiles and pages on Facebook to attack the city (and LU often as not) for trying to enforce the law.

He and his supporters have spoken of vast conspiracies against him, of people who hate alcohol, people who hate businesses, personal vendettas, etc. but nothing at all about the core accusations of serving the wrong kind of alcohol to the wrong people at the wrong place at the wrong time in blatant, intentional violation of the law.

The hearing will likely draw a sizable crowd, probably a majority pro-Tavern considering it’s scheduled during hours when most people are at work.   

Also starting 9 AM at city hall: David Hamilton’s new career as LaFayette City Manager.

Hamilton replaces former City Council member and business owner Max Morrison, who’s been holding down the Manager’s office as an unpaid interim for well over a year.