Independent Herald

TUESDAY WEATHER: Another warm, dry day is on tap today, with sunny skies, a high of about 75 degrees, and breezy conditions. However, rain is on the way.

We'll see rain chances begin late tonight, then become likely tomorrow. By late morning, rain will be a near certainty. Rain chances will continue into tomorrow night. It'll be breezy, with wind gusts to 30 mph. This looks like a good, soaking rain — even moreso than Sunday. We could see up to an inch of rain.

THE WEEKEND: Temperatures will be somewhat cooler behind this storm system. We'll only be in the mid 60s Friday, and we probably won't get out of the 50s Saturday or Sunday. We'll be dry, however — a pretty decent way to open the deer hunting season.

NEXT WEEK: We'll see a slight chance of rain showers to start next week and to end it. Temperatures will generally be in the 50s and 60s, as our stretch of warm weather in the 70s will end this week.

FURTHER OUT: Overall, the month of November continues to look mild and somewhat wetter than normal (remember that all things are relative; November is typically our second-driest month of the year). We've also been expecting a very mild month of December. However, the impending polar vortex split could change things as we get closer to the end of November and the start of December.

TODAY’S EVENTS: The Scott Appalachian Industries Senior Center in Huntsville offers a walking program, massage chairs, and games each weekday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., along with a congregate meal that is free for ages 60+ at 12 p.m. (Must call to reserve a meal.) … The Scott County Senior Center in Oneida will host exercise from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. … Pinnacle Resource Center’s food pantry (Jeffers Road, Huntsville) will be open at 9:15 a.m. A photo ID and a piece of mail with a Scott County address are required … Boy Scout Troop #333 will meet at the Scott County War Memorial Building (Alberta Street, Oneida) at 6 p.m. Prospective new Scouts are welcome to attend … Wall Builders will meet at Trinity Baptist Church (1611 Glass House Road, Helenwood) at 7 p.m. for those struggling with addiction or striving to keep off drugs … Alcoholics Anonymous will meet at 7 p.m. at the Highway 27 Unity Club in Oneida.

FIVE BIG THINGS

Five big things for Scott County this week, the first week of November!

1.) Election Time: Tuesday is Election Day in Scott County, across Tennessee, and throughout the nation. Locally, voters will pick a Governor, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, and state representative. There are also three proposed amendments to the state constitution that are on the ballot. Residents of the Town of Winfield will also pick a mayor and two aldermen. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Unlike the early voting period, where everyone votes at two centralized locations, Election Day polling will take place at the precinct to which you are assigned according to your address. See your candidate options here: https://independentherald.net/early-voting-for-statewide-winfield-elections-begins-wednesday/

2.) County Commission: Scott County Commission will meet in work session on Monday at the Scott County Office Building in Huntsville, beginning at 5 p.m. Commissioners meet on the first and third Monday of each month (unless one of them is a holiday). The first Monday is committee meetings. The third Monday is the full session. (Citizens who wish to address the commission can do so at the full session on the third Monday.) County Commission has six standing committees that will meet Monday: Recreation, Budget, Building & Grounds, Community Development, Emergency Services, and Intergovernmental.

3.) Bridge Work: Construction has restarted on the High Point bridge in Oneida after being delayed by several months while steel beams were being manufactured. The massive, curved steel beams were delivered last week and can be seen at the construction site. The timeline for completing the project is now January 2027. Niggs Creek Road remains closed at the railroad overpass while the new bridge is being built.

4.) Football Postseason: The high school football postseason begins this week, and Oneida will travel to Cumberland Gap after finishing as the No.3 seed in Region 2-2A. The Indians have a record of 4-6. The Panthers (7-3) are the No. 2 seed in Region 1-2A. The two teams last played in 2021. That was also a first round playoff game, and Oneida won 33-6. The Indians have won 10 straight against Cumberland Gap, dating back to 2007. Friday's game will kick off at 7 p.m.

5.) Help if Needed: Struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol? There are several support programs available this week. Alcoholics Anonymous will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Highway 27 Unity Club in Oneida (17737 S. Alberta Street). Narcotics Anonymous will meet there at 12 p.m. Wednesday and 7 p.m. Thursday. Trinity Baptist Church (1611 Glass House Road, Helenwood) hosts its Wallbuilders program from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, with preaching, teaching, counseling, food and fellowship. Celebrate Recovery meets at 27192 Scott Highway in Winfield from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.

MONDAY WEATHER: After a rainy Sunday, we dry out today. However, the long stretches of glorious weather we've been enjoying this fall appear to be over. We'll be breezy today, with gusts up to 20 mph, and a high of 70 degrees. Tonight we'll dip to about 53 degrees.

Tomorrow will be warmer, in the mid 70s, and continued breezy ahead of an approaching storm system. That system will begin to impact our weather early Wednesday morning, as rain becomes likely and lingers into Thursday. This looks like a good, soaking rain, which is certainly needed. There could even be some thunderstorms, but severe weather probabilities are quite low.

THE WEEKEND: We'll dry out for the weekend, with cooler temperatures. We'll generally be in the low 60s Friday through Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: We may see a replenishing shot of cooler air next week, around Nov. 10, but we'll moderate quickly and it looks like temperatures will be quite warm as we head toward the middle of the month -- near 70 degrees for highs.

FURTHER OUT: An anomalously early sudden stratospheric warming event in the next few days could result in a split in the polar vortex, which could mean an early-season cold outbreak for parts of the eastern U.S. later this month into early December. There's absolutely no guarantee this will happen, but it's a possibility worth keeping an eye on.

FROST/FREEZE WATCH: Our next chance of a widespread frost or even light freeze could come around Nov. 12-13.

TODAY'S EVENTS: Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services’ Mobile Health Clinic will be in the Walmart parking lot in Oneida from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering integrated primary care and behavioral health. No insurance is not a problem. Call (866) 599-0466 for more information… The Scott Appalachian Industries Senior Center (Monticello Pike, Huntsville) offers a walking program, puzzles and games, and massage chairs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. each weekday, with congregate meals at 12 p.m. that are free for ages 60+ (must call to reserve). Additionally, Matter of Balance will be offered today at 9:30 a.m. and Golden Grooves Exercise will be offered today at 1 p.m. … 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… Scott County Commission will meet in work session at the Scott County Office Building, beginning at 5 p.m.

It's November 1. How many of you put up your Christmas tree today? Or will you wait until after Thanksgiving?

Prior to the start of Friday’s regular season finale against Eagleton, Oneida honored Tim Smith and Mark Matthews for their decades of dedications to bringing OHS football games into the homes of Scott Countians.

JORO SPIDERS ARRIVE IN SCOTT COUNTY: According to Joro Watch, maintained by the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, there was a documented sighting of a Joro spider in Scott County on Oct. 1. That was the first such sighting that was officially documented here. Two weeks later, on Oct. 15, a spider photographed by the Independent Herald in the Oneida area was confirmed by the University of Tennessee to be a Joro spider.

Read More: https://independentherald.net/invasive-joro-spiders-arrive-in-scott-county/

Okay, you guys know the drill. Let’s see those pictures from this weekend’s youth deer hunt!

Be sure to include names!

Another day of football? Yes, please. Saturday at 1:30 p.m., it's Oneida vs. Wartburg in the Area II Class 2A championship game. Then, at 6:30 p.m., it's Scott vs. Maury in the Area II Class 4A championship game. Both games will be live on the IH Sports Network! The action will begin at 1:15 p.m. Then, after a short break, we'll be back at about 6:15 p.m. for the nightcap.

Facebook: Independent Herald, IH Sports Network
YouTube: youtube.com/ihsportsnetwork
TV: Highland Media Channels 190-191
Web: www.ihsports.net

AN UPDATED LOOK AT WEEKEND RAIN CHANCES: Unfortunately, rain chances for Sunday are looking more and more meager. There's a 40% chance of rain showers Sunday and Sunday night, but what once looked like a widespread dust-settling rain now looks more like sprinkles at best.

Our next chance for rain will come the middle of next week. A potent cold front could even present a severe weather threat, along with the potential for gusty winds that will quickly mute these beautiful fall colors. This next system will likely be the end of our daily 70-degree temps for the season.