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STRAWBERRY PLAINS, Tenn. (WATE) — Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of devastating flooding across East Tennessee, with many communities rocked by the scope of the damage.

One neighborhood in particular in Strawberry Plains had lingering problems months after the rain stopped in 2019. At least three homes in the Ashley Oaks neighborhood were under several feet of water last year.

MORE: Strawberry Plains neighborhood still flooded; residents drive through floodwaters

The roads homeowners needed to get in and out of their subdivision were also closed because of flooding. Two months after the February 2019 flood, county leaders partnered to help make the roads passable.

MORE: Strawberry Plains homeowners relieved as floodwaters pumped to help with cleanup

A year later, as April Cole walks through her backyard she says, “It actually looks kind of like a small lake.”

It’s underwater from rain earlier this month.

“At least it’s not as bad as it was last year. But it could get worse,” added Cole.

Casey Lane is the only road in the Ashley Oaks neighborhood that’s closed because of flooding. The Cole family pointed to a marker in the road they had from flooding in 2019.

“You couldn’t get into the subdivision. People couldn’t get out of the subdivision. You had water over every road into the subdivision and it was really scary for some people,” said Cole.

In 2019, the Disaster Relief Team with the Jefferson County Baptist Association partnered with state and other government emergency services to install hosing and a pump to make the roads in the neighborhood accessible.

Cole says it took until summer for everything to completely dry out but this last rainstorm was worrisome, “You’ve always got that thought in the back of your head. If it’s gotten bad once, it could get worse the next time. You just never know.”

On Friday, Jim Smith drove by to see the damage from the most recent storm, “It’s nice to have a little water near your house but not in your house and like this.”

Smith doesn’t live in Ashley Oaks but says all the flooding is unbelievable, “I mean what can you do? I couldn’t imagine having this situation right outside our house.”

For the Coles, they know everything will dry out again but it’s still heartbreaking.

“You just don’t know what’s going to happen. I think about these other homes and it devastates me,” Cole said.

The Jefferson County EMA says a hydrology study by the Army Corps of Engineers was requested last year by the county mayor, looking at what options the county may be able to take.

We’re told the study was presented to county leaders this week but no course of action has been decided just yet.

Jefferson County EMA adding that when it comes to flooding, they keep an eye on the Ashley Oaks neighborhood for standing water.

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The vote Monday night was tight- nine in favor and nine opposed with two abstaining.

STRAWBERRY PLAINS, Tenn. — Jefferson County Commissioners voted against rezoning a 7-acre farm into a slaughterhouse. The vote was tight with nine in agreement, and nine in opposition. Two Commissioners abstained.

The proposal would have rezoned the Agricultural-2 farm into an Industrial-2 slaughterhouse.

The property is located in between Bruner and Eslinger Roads off of Highway 11E. It is surrounded by family homes.

The Commissioners meeting lasted for nearly two hours, as over 30 people took to the podium to share their thoughts on the project.

Of the 30 people that spoke, only five were in favor of the slaughterhouse.

"Our community was intended to be an agricultural and a residential community… and you're asking to put an I-2 zoning smack dab in the middle of this place, and these people's homes," one concerned community member said at the meeting.

Most community members were in agreement that there is a need in the community for a slaughterhouse.

"We are not opposed to industry and business in the county. We need tax revenue," Debbie Berry said, "We're just opposed to the site."

The Berry family resides on Bruner road. They have three houses next to one another, where they have called home for the past 80 years.

"We have nieces and nephews that that ride and play outside," Berry said, "It just breaks my heart for the community that this is happening again."

Berry's front yard was 200 feet from the proposed slaughterhouse. Her family looks out on grassland with rolling hills. They value the quietness of their home and the peace it has brought their family for generations.

"We're fully invested in this community and this property. It'll be theirs one day," Berry said, referring to her nieces and nephews.

Berry's niece also wrote a letter to the Jefferson County Commission. It was read last week in front of the board.

The letter said, I really don't want a slaughterhouse right next to my family's houses. Please say no to the slaughterhouse.

"That's from the perspective of a 9-year-old," Berry said.

Credit: WBIR

At the County Commissioners meeting, people expressed their concerns. The major concern was that it would be the first I-2 site in all of Jefferson County.

Community members worried it open up possibilities for other I-2 sites to be established in Strawberry Plains.

"It's going to open a pandora's box that will haunt you for the rest of your lives," one community member said in the meeting, "If you can put in a smelting plant, and you can bury toxic waste… it's more than a slaughterhouse people."

The five people who spoke in favor of the slaughterhouse also presented compelling evidence for the necessity of this type of establishment in Jefferson County.

One community member, who has cattle, expressed the need for a butcher closer to home.

"I have been driving every week, one to two times a week… to the five different butcher shops that are closest to me," she said, "I have to book one to two years out to get an appointment."

The major investor of the property was a company called Local Meats LLC.

The owners of Local Meats said they wanted to build a clean facility to fill the demand for a local meat harvesting site they saw during the pandemic. They said the fully enclosed facility would not keep animals on-site overnight.

"We want a clean facility because if you are running a harvest facility and the storefront there at the same time, the lady in the high heels who comes in to buy steaks for her husband doesn't have a smell when she comes in or leaves," Local Meats LLC President Mark Pettit said.

Pettit also brought a mock-up drawing of the infrastructure he was planning to build on the site.

Credit: WBIR

Pettit said the plan for the project came from a place of need in the community, and how hard it is to find a local place to get an animal slaughtered.

"We are a group of farmers, we came together, we are not rich, we don't have deep pockets," Pettit said on the podium, "We do have ideas and we were trying to help our fellow farmers and community members."

Pettit was honest in saying it was his first time leading a project of this magnitude.

"We will be happy to talk with you when we get our plans together.. but as you can tell we're new at this.. we're not businessmen we're farmers," Pettit said.

However, his comments did not change the community's mind.

"These are homes, these are families, this is not a place for a slaughterhouse," said Melinda Earnest.

Earnest backs up to the property that was being considered for the project.

"It will be in my backyard," Earnest said, "I can throw a rock and hit it if they build it there."

"Think of the noise, the smell alone, and the traffic on our roads," Earnest said.

They worried their home value would decrease being across the street from a meat-processing plant.

"None of us are going to be able to get anything out of our homes," Earnest said.

Down the road, Ginger Evans owns "Yard Sales and More," a small antique shop off of Highway 11E.

She thought the idea of expanding the industry was a smart financial move for the county and the surrounding residents.

"There's not a lot of jobs in this area," Evans said, "So, we need jobs here instead of traveling out of the area to go to for jobs."

However, Evans was frustrated that the proposal was kept so silent. She did not attend the initial Jefferson County Commission meeting.

"There was no notice given to us about a public meeting, being business owners," Evans said, "If it is such a big thing, don't you think business owners nearby have the right to know about it?"

Credit: WBIR

More than 700 community members created and signed a petition to keep the slaughterhouse out of their neighborhood.

"We are fighting it with everything we have," Earnest said.

Credit: WBIR

Community members also called on Jefferson County Commissioners to stop the project.

Rob Blevins is the county commissioner for the 6th district, where the slaughterhouse is being proposed.

"The citizens have overwhelmingly come out in my district opposing it," Blevins said.

Credit: WBIR

Blevins voted against the rezoning at the Monday night County Commission meeting.

"We understand the need for this," Blevins said," We're just asking that they build it in a different location than someone's backyard."

Earnest agreed.

"It's the wrong place," she said.

While the community's battle to end the rezoning was successful in the Monday night County Commissioners meeting, they know the idea of expanding the industry and economy in Jefferson County will eventually come to fruition.

They encourage it.

Just not in their backyard.

Wait times at driver services centers across East Tennessee have multiplied since July. The state is trying to change that--but the worst may be yet to come.

STRAWBERRY PLAINS, Tenn. — Outside the driver services center in West Hills Friday, the line of customers formed practically pre-dawn.

They checked their watches, clutched their coffees and prepared to wait.

"The earlier you get in here, the earlier you leave," Lilia Yanez said.

She brought her son to retake his written permit exam before school.

"We’re keeping fingers crossed by because this is the third time."

She planned to get him to school on time, but the statistics are stacked against her.

Since the Real ID program went into effect in July, wait times at East Tennessee Driver Services Centers have increased substantially.

At the West Hills location, waits peaked at 54 minutes in July. At the Morristown location, they've multiplied more than five times--from almost six minutes in June to almost 29 minutes in October.

RELATED: Driver service center in Hamblen Co. temporarily closed

At the Strawberry Plains office, average waits more than doubled from June to October.

"If you're not there early, you're going to wait," Yanez said.

Driver services administrators insist the roll-out of the "enhanced" license--needed for airplane travel and federal building entry starting October 2020-- has gone relatively well. Officials said times are falling from their summer peak.

RELATED: TN Dept. of Safety beefing up licensing center staffing due to REAL ID demand

RELATED: Only about 4% of Tennesseans have the Real ID license with a year until the deadline

"Wait times went from being about 14 to 15 minutes up to I think ours peaked at about 30-35 minutes, maybe a little bit more than that," Ron Scarbro, the manager of the Strawberry Plains office said.

The state has added self-service kiosks and brought on part-time workers to help manage the load.

"Steps are being made are being taken to address these wait time issues and we're seeing that as a success," Scarbro said.

The other issue: new "enhanced" Real ID licenses require more documentation.

Outside the West Hills location Friday, Tammy Jones clutched a folder full of documentation.

"I mean I'm just bringing everything. I have anything from marriage certificate to birth certificate," she said. "I’m not sure exactly what we have to have, but if it’s not correct, I’ll go back and get some more."

Driver services locations have changed throughout so document checks for customers like Jones happen earlier in the process.

"So that they're not having to wait 45 minutes to an hour only to get called up and find out that they don't have what they need and get turned away," Scarboro said.

But he warns wait times might go up even more as the October 2020 deadline gets closer.

"We're doing everything we can, we're getting staffing in place, we're doing all these things making sure we're still getting that right information out there so that when it does happen, we're going to be ready to address it," he said.

Education helps.

Scarboro said making sure customers know what documents they need helps avoid repeat visits and keeps lines moving.

RELATED: Tennessee Real ID: Everything you need to know

Some county clerk offices can also issue Real IDs. They are allowed to charge a small additional fee. All of Knox County Clerk locations can issue them except for the office at the Farragut Town Hall.

Driver services spokesperson Wes Moster provided this data of average wait times for East Tennessee license centers:

Oak Ridge Driver Services Center in Anderson Co.

June: 3,013 people served. Average wait time, 9 minutes 23 seconds.

July: 3,327 people served. Average wait time, 43 minutes 9 seconds.

August: 3,399 people served. Average wait time, 29 minutes 52 seconds.

September: 3,452 people served. Average wait time, 13 minutes 35 seconds.

October: 3,723 people served. Average wait time, 12 minutes 25 seconds.

Maryville Driver Services Center in Blount Co

June: 2,593 people served. Average wait time, 16 minutes 44 seconds.

July: 3,557 people served. Average wait time, 45 minutes 31 seconds.

August: 3,679 people served. Average wait time, 31 minutes 39 seconds.

September: 3,618 people served. Average wait time, 20 minutes 36 seconds.

October: 4,362 people served. Average wait time, 24 minutes 50 seconds.

Morristown/Hamblen Co. Driver Services Center

June: 2,887 people served. Average wait time, 5 minutes 44 seconds.

July: 3,774 people served. Average wait time, 15 minutes 34 seconds.

August: 3,531 people served. Average wait time, 21 minutes 4 seconds.

September: 2,929 people served. Average wait time, 24 minutes 12 seconds.

October: 3,307 people served. Average wait time, 28 minutes 46 seconds.

Knoxville/Knox Co. Driver Services Center

June: 3,099 people served. Average wait time, 24 minutes 56 seconds.

July: 4,850 people served. Average wait time, 54 minutes 20 seconds.

August: 3,586 people served. Average wait time, 53 minutes 17 seconds.

September: 3,319 people served. Average wait time, 33 minutes 55 seconds.

October: 3,794 people served. Average wait time, 29 minutes 34 seconds.

Knoxville/Strawberry Plains Driver Services Center

June: 4,224 people served. Average wait time 13 minutes 23 seconds.

July: 5,643 people served. Average wait time, 36 minutes 2 seconds.

August: 5,397 people served. Average wait time, 28 minutes 7 seconds.

September: 4,117 people served. Average wait time, 18 minutes 48 seconds.

October: 4,715 people served. Average wait time, 29 minutes 34 seconds.

The Tennessee high school football season is into the playoffs. Here's a quick look at what you need to know regarding the top games, teams and players from around the state.

Round 2 Playoff Schedule and Live Scores

State playoff bracketsState stat leaders

Round 2 Scoreboard

Class Division I Class 1AFull bracket can be found here - 2022 Tennessee High School Football Playoff Brackets: TSSAA Division I Class 1A

Class Division I Class 2AFull bracket can be found here - 2022 Tennessee High School Football Playoff Brackets: TSSAA Division I Class 2A

Class Division I Class 3AFull bracket can be found here - 2022 Tennessee High School Football Playoff Brackets: TSSAA Division I Class 3A

Class Division I Class 4AFull bracket can be found here - 2022 Tennessee High School Football Playoff Brackets: TSSAA Division I Class 4A

Class Division I Class 5AFull bracket can be found here - 2022 Tennessee High School Football Playoff Brackets: TSSAA Division I Class 5A

Class Division I Class 6A

Class Division II Class AFull bracket can be found here - 2022 Tennessee High School Football Playoff Brackets: TSSAA Division II Class A

Class Division II Class AAFull bracket can be found here - 2022 Tennessee High School Football Playoff Brackets: TSSAA Division II Class AA

Class Division II Class AAAFull bracket can be found here - 2022 Tennessee High School Football Playoff Brackets: TSSAA Division II Class AAA

Her family said she was buried at their home, keeping her close to all the ones who loved her.

STRAWBERRY PLAINS, Tenn. — A beloved duck who was well known and cherished in a Strawberry Plains community passed away Friday, according to a family who was taking care of her.

The Hosea family said they noticed Daryl acting strangely in their yard Friday night and decided to take her into their home since the weather was expected to drop to freezing temperatures that night.

They said Daryl then collapsed and passed away, surrounded by people who loved her.

They set up an appointment with a veterinarian soon after, to determine her exact cause of death. They said the veterinarian found two things that stood out to him.

First, he said a part of her large intestine, the cecum, had turned black. The veterinarian said that it could have been caused by an infection or a kind of toxicity, according to the family.

Second, he said Daryl had been eating seeds with a pink coating, which would be usually applied as a preservative on packaged seeds. He said the coating could have been toxic to her and could have caused the black portion in her intestine, according to the family.

The family said they did not want to leave her at the veterinarian's office, so they brought her back to their home. There, they decided to bury her and keep her "close to all the ones who loved her so much."

Daryl was named after the family bought three ducklings in March 2020 and was named after a character from The Walking Dead. They later released the ducks into a pond, and Daryl was the only one who came back. He hung out around the neighborhood ever since.

"He learned his name a few months after he come [sic] back so no matter where he's at in the neighborhood we can go out on the back porch and holler, 'Hey, Daryl,'" said John Hosea, who helped raise Daryl.

Later, in 2021, she was found on the road with feathers everywhere. It looked like she had been injured, so the community banded together to get her the treatment she needed. They raised $1,155 to get her treatment, and Daryl was later able to walk again.

A group on social media was also created, giving people constant updates about Daryl and sharing funny images about the community's pet duck.

"Her sweet little soul will forever be remembered in our community and in our hearts," Hosea said to the group on Jan. 31.