We are into our now annual "Clean-up, Paint-up, Fix-up Week" and here's hoping that the weather is allowing folks to really get involved. Our city street department got us off to a very good start with the work they did in front of the Municipal Building in trimming the shrubs and planting an already blooming dogwood tree along with azaleas and more shrubs. We certainly appreciate their efforts. And Campbell County Environmental Officer Glennis Monday planned to bring his crew to Jellico to help in our litter cleanup.

I know that the Bucks are continuing the work on the interior of their buildings and will resume work on the exterior once the interior work is completed. And it is especially good to see what the Johnny Baird family is doing to renovate the historic Coca-Cola plant -to even include restoring the lettering that has been there all these many years. Having that building restored is something that I have wanted to see since I first took office eight years ago.. When those two projects are completed, our downtown will take a big leap forward toward total restoration.

And I am still in awe of the transformation that is currently taking place with the Tabernacle. When finished, it will be hard to find a facility with which to favorably compare it. It is truly going to be a mark of distinction for Jellico and worthy of a now international organization..

I recently thanked Orin Bray for the incidences in the past when he has volunteered his time and the use of his privately owned bucket truck for projects intended to improve the appearance of our downtown. He in turn mentioned another project that might need his help in the future as well and he said that he and his truck will be available if required. That is the type of community spirit that we need from all of our folks if we are going to get Jellico restored to where we want it to be and where it needs to be.

(As I reported last week, we still do have some situations that badly need corrective action and we are contacting owners in writing and asking them to help us in our efforts to improve the appearance of our town by voluntarily taking that corrective action.. Hopefully we can work together to accomplish a lot of what needs to be done in that respect within the near future.)

Our Radio Station WJJT AM 1540 is now located in its new studios in the Tabernacle that along with its new transmitter and transmission tower, is really putting out a very clear signal. The quality of the sound is outstanding and I understand that reports from London and Mount Vernon to the north and Clinton and Oak Ridge to the south and from Oneida in the west to Middlesboro to our east indicate they are getting very good reception now that the station is back to gradually approaching its original power.

Owner Marvin Douglas says that the station will now have the capability to greatly increase its wattage sometime in the future which will allow the station to extend to an even much greater listening area.. And new technology is going to provide capabilities that were un-thought of just a few years ago. The station is assigned hours of operation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that currently run sunrise to sunset with permission to remain on the air continuously twenty-four (24) hours a day in the event of an emergency situation requiring those hours of operation. (I hope that our citizens will remember that fact should we ever experience such an emergency situation.) However WJJT will soon go hi-tech and join the Internet where it can be heard world-wide twenty-four hours (24) hours a day every day and seven days a week.

For a commemoration of the opening of the new studio and other facilities, Douglas says that special activities will be planned. In an interesting historical note and according to his research, as best he can determine the first sermon on the station was preached by Rev. Jasper Walden in February, 1972.. He said he plans to invite Rev. Walden back for the special commemoration along with many others.

We have had a 9/11 observance in Jellico every year since that terrible tragedy. But this year governors, mayors, school principals, etc. all across our country are being asked to pick up with an activity begun last year in Washington, D.C.. An "America Supports You Freedom Walk" in our nation's capitol last September in support of our troops really caught on and organizers hope to make it a nation wide activity this year.. Jake and I have discussed the request and we can incorporate such a walk into our annual observance.. Our troops need our support and a national outpouring of such great support should provide a real morale boost for them.

(Our Boston Elementary School earlier sent letters and packages to area troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. In appreciation, one U.S, Marine helicopter pilot in Iraq who has relatives at our school, attached an American Flag to the outside of his Blackhawk helicopter, flew it for some time in that country and then forwarded it to our pre-school staff and students along with a beautiful photo of the helicopter in the air with the flag and a citation from the Unit Commander.)

Mumps is something that a good percentage of children once experienced at some point while growing up and even into their young adult years. A lot of us older generations can still remember those days well. But with vaccinations Mumps have become a rare occurrence .

However the largest Mumps epidemic in about 25 years has recently been reported in Iowa. Since that time it has now spread to neighboring states including Illinois and Missouri. Both states border Kentucky and a Public Health Advisory has been issued in the Commonwealth informing citizens that Mumps may be coming to Kentucky. The implication is clear for us since many of our local folks live in southernmost Kentucky and of course our town and county borders that state. And certainly diseases pay no attention to borders..

Thankfully an effective vaccine for Mumps has been available for some time and is routinely recommended as part of childhood immunizations in the United States.

But that is not the case with the now much feared Avian or "Bird Flu" (short for influenza) that seems to be popping up all over the world and is reminiscent of the deadly flu of 1918 that spread from person to person and is estimated to have killed between 40,000,000 and 100,000,000 people world wide - an estimated 600,000 in the United States including a good number proportionately to the population in our area.. So far virtually every human case of Bird Flu has apparently been acquired from a bird/fowl (or an animal in a very few cases) and I have seen no reports where there is known transmittal from one human to another..

However the scary thing is that all strains of flu are caused by a virus and viruses have a way of mutating and taking on new capabilities on a fairly regular basis. And the great fear is that the Bird Flu could at some time mutate to the point where it can be passed from person to person.. As the news media keeps pointing out, should that ever happen, the world will face the possibility of a world wide epidemic (pandemic) of unthinkable consequences since no proven effective vaccine is yet available. You can rarely tune in a news cast of any kind without hearing comments concerning the spread of that flu from country to country.

Several talking to me in past weeks and months concerning Bird Flu have mentioned the problem that we have with pigeons in our downtown and in other areas. They fear them for several diseases that they are already known to carry and transmit to humans. Fortunately however, research so far indicates that although pigeons can get the deadly flu strain, they do not constitute a big worry as yet as far as that disease is concerned.. In research tests, they are said to develop the Bird Flu only when given very high doses of the virus - but even then, they do not always develop it. Those who do become infected are carriers for only a very short period of time and so far, there have been only a very few humans world wide to come down with Bird Flu confirmed to have been contacted from pigeons. According to what I have read, the real danger is from migratory birds rather than those that usually remain in general areas - and we have plenty of those that homestead around here all year round as anyone around the Interstate during the winter can certainly attest.

(Our Boston Elementary School nurse recently attended a conference concerning Avian Flu and according to the information given to her and the very large audience in attendance, there no longer is a question if the virus will reach the USA... The only question now is when! And it will probably be within the next few months. A recent report on one of the national news services emphasized that there is no need whatsoever for panic but that all areas, large and small and including families, need to be giving consideration to future possible action in the still believed to be unlikely event, that that strain of flu should ever become a serious problem in this country.)

In an earlier article, I listed the top five seniors at Jellico High this year and mentioned the fact that one of the top graduates to be, Tosha Ayers, is the Battalion Commander for the school's Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and how proud I was to learn of her position in the Corps since I worked so long and hard years ago to bring that program to alma mater..

Since that time I have also been informed that Class Salutatorian Anne Miller is the Battalion Executive Officer and I want to be sure and congratulate her for that accomplishment as well.

And I again want to congratulate all of our seniors and wish them the greatest future success including our Valedictorian, Shannon Brookman who along with Tosha, Anne, A.J. Miller and Thomas Gulley make up the top five academic achievers in the Class of '06..

I didn't see the Derby Classic High School All-Star Basketball game and I haven't talked to anyone who did. But the printed reports coming out of Louisville, Ky concerning Tennessee signee Duke Crews sure sound good for Vol basketball fans. You wouldn't expect a Tennessee recruit to start in that game no matter how talented. And apparently Crews did not and may have played sparingly in the first half and scored only 2 points. However with his team down something like sixteen points, he started the second half and led an amazing comeback. In fact his team lost on a free throw by the other team in the last two or three seconds of the game.

Although at 6-7, at least part of the time he guarded a 6-10 or 6-11 high school All-America, had seven (7) blocked shots and almost managed a triple double - scoring 10 more points and grabbing eleven (11) rebounds. To top if off, he is said to be able to touch both hands flat on the top of the square above the basket. Whew! Get out the round ball!

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