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Coffee Break

Longtime Shopper-News columnist Dr. Jim Tumblin received the 2012 Knox Heritage Media Award for his long-running monthly column, History and Mysteries. We are quite proud of Dr. Jim and thought you needed to get better acquainted with him over this week’s Coffee Break.

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A great community newspaper

VOL. 6 NO. 51

IN THIS ISSUE

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December 17, 2012

Decorating the White House

See page A-8

Miracle Maker When most parents think about the Parent Teacher Association, they envision the handful of women who work the equivalent of a full-time job to raise money for smart boards and playground equipment. But when members from each of the county’s PTA-affiliated schools come together, even bigger things happen.

See Wendy Smith’s story on A-9

Being cool “It’s hard to believe, but there was a time when I was cool,” writes Wendy Smith. “I wore the latest clothes, listened to the latest bands, and occasionally felt the warm glow of admiration. Back then, in my college days, I dreamed of graduating, getting a job, and buying a stereo. I got around to the first two.” Walk with Wendy down memory lane.

See her wrap-up on page A-3

Comedy of errors Changing coaches wasn’t as depressing as some disasters, Marvin West says. The search was a comedy of errors. Never have so many who knew so little said so much. Media and fans with “inside” information were very entertaining. Better than Oprah. The outcome was OK.

See Marvin’s story on page A-8

Engineering at Sequoyah Sequoyah Elementary School students and their families made prosthetic hands, used lamps to steer solar-powered model cars and built “tumbling towers” during Family Engineering night held in the school gym.

See Sara Barrett’s story on A-10

10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378) NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark | Wendy Smith | Anne Hart ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Shannon Carey | Patty Fecco Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly. the Bearden edition is distributed to 24,646 homes.

Dusty and Mary Beth Reagan (at right) pause at the East Visitors’ Entrance to the White House. Mary Beth is owner of The Flower Pot, 700 S. Gay St., and was one of fewer than 100 florists and decorators from across the country selected to decorate the White House for the holidays. She embellished the planters shown here and also the helped with the mantel, tree and decorations in the Diplomatic Room. See story on page 12

Urban forester gets to work By Wendy Smith No one’s more excited that Knoxville has hired a full-time urban forester than Public Service Director David Brace. Planting and maintaining city trees is just one of the department’s many responsibilities, which include trash and brush removal, mowing and fixing potholes. “He’s going to wake up every morning thinking about it,” Brace says of Kasey Krouse. “It won’t just be reactive.” Krouse came onboard early this month. Mayor Madeline Rogero announced the creation of the urban forestry position during her budget address this spring. The city has a $50,000 budget for planting new trees, and over 500 trees will be planted in the coming year. He’s no stranger to Knoxville’s tree scene. His previous employer, Davey Resource Group, worked on the city’s tree inventory in 2011. He spent a few weeks getting to know the city’s practices, and was impressed. “Knoxville has a solid goal in place,” he says. Krouse worked with Davey Resource Group for six years, and has conducted tree inventories in cities across the country. Knoxville compares well in some areas, like its tree board, he says. The city’s tree board was named the state’s best by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council in 2012. But there is room for improvement in other areas, like mulching, he says.

Knoxville Public Service Director David Brace tours the PetSafe Downtown Dog Park with Kasey Krouse, the city’s new urban forester. Photo by Wendy Smith He will manage the tree board and monitor the health and stock of the city’s trees. He also plans to offer education both internally and to the community. He’d especially like to meet with neighborhood associations. Knoxville has good resources, including numerous nonprofit groups and the UT extension office, and Krouse hopes to spend his early days on the job getting to know people. He’ll also look into funding op-

portunities that could provide even more trees for the city. Brace accompanied Krouse on a quick tour of the trees surrounding PetSafe Downtown Dog Park last week. They observed a line of white pines with their tops removed to accommodate utility lines. The trees should never have been planted there, said Brace. Having an urban forester that oversees planting will help safe-

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guard the city’s tree budget. When it comes to tree placement, you need to look 60 to 80 years down the road, says Brace. Krouse says Knoxville has the key players in place for a successful urban forestry program – a good tree board, a green-minded mayor, and now, a dedicated urban forester. “I hope Knoxville will be a model for urban forestry programs in other cities.”

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