VOL. 7 NO. 51
IN THIS ISSUE Meet the county’s newest principal and his school John Derek Faulconer’s new job has a lot of unknowns, but he’s certain that he’s in the right place because he’s with the right students – the students who will be coming to the Career Magnet Academy at Pellissippi State.
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December 23, 2013
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Counting down Evidence abounds that it’s Christmas week
Read Betsy Pickle on A-9
Cookies, anyone? For one brief, shining moment during the Dec. 9 school board meeting called to discuss Dr. James McIntyre’s request to extend his contract for an additional year (through the end of 2017), he gave teachers a reason to believe that he’d heard them.
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Read Betty Bean on A-4
Kentucky school to honor ex-Vol Nothing like this has ever happened before. A high school in Kentucky will name the basketball court and gymnasium for a former Tennessee guard. OK, there is more to the story: Rodney Woods was a shooting star at Lone Jack High in Fourmile, Ky., before he ran the floor for Ray Mears’ Volunteers.
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Read Marvin West on A-5
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Severance won’t seek re-election Kim Sepesi Severance will serve out her term on the school board but will not seek re-election, she said Friday. She has taken a job with March of Dimes as community director. Severance, who lives in Powell, represents District 7 where county commissioner R. Larry Smith is term-limited and might seek the school board seat. Severance said she has been looking for employment since losing her job in reorganization at Rural/Metro. “I have enjoyed serving, but my new job responsibilities won’t allow it,” she said. “I never intended to be a career politician.”
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Robert Griffin sells mistletoe at his makeshift “store” at Turkey Creek. See more Signs of the Season on A3. Photo by Sherri Gardner Howell
shopping and Robert Griffin is By Sherri Gardner Howell Scarlett Munk is licking icing selling kisses. If you awoke from a 100-year off her lips, Teresa Rollen is ringing a bell, Tamara Benton is nap with no point of reference for
But back to Robert Griffin. The what month it was, you wouldn’t have to look very hard for clues. young entrepreneur didn’t have a The signs of the season are everywhere. To page A-3
Madrigals, trees and Christmas cheer
brought in approximately $800 with the auction of three decorated Christmas trees. The trees were themed, with one touting classic movies, another giving a nod to Walt Disney World and the third offering a Starbucks theme. Proceeds from the auction will help cover choral department expenses. At the band concert, the orchestra started the show with classics such as “Away in a Manger” and “English Folksong Suite.” Band Victoria Crawford sings a song about solos popped up in a spirited renChristmas cookies with the Madri- dition of “A Christmas Festival,” gals while standing among the audi- which was followed by seasonal favorites such as “Sleigh Ride.” ence. Photo by Justin Acuff
By Sara Barrett What an evening! If the Christmas spirit wasn’t present in those attending the Farragut High School’s Choral department’s annual Christmas Concert, it was certainly filling them as they were leaving. The Dec. 12 concert kicked off the school’s Fine Arts Department celebration, which was followed
the next evening with the Orchestra and Band Winter Concert. At the choral concert, the musical offerings included a mix of traditional favorites as well as recent “classics,” such as “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” The school’s Madrigal Singers, Men’s Chorus and Women’s Chorus also performed. A fundraising opportunity
Alexander must step up on Reeves confirmation By Betty Bean pronounced her A-OK. She has Who is Lamar Alexander hurt- an unblemished reputation and ing by blocking the confirmation the American Bar Association’s of a new judge to sit in United unqualified stamp of approval. States District Court, Eastern DisShe was the first trict of Tennessee? woman president The answer is that Alexander’s of the Tennessee petulant political ploy is hurtBar Association ing the people of East Tennessee, and would become who, if asked, would probably say the first woman to they’d like to see justice served in sit in the Eastern a timely manner and their tax dolDistrict. lars used efficiently. The federal court docket in Alexander Knoxville consists of about 80 percent criminal Alexander’s blocking of Knox- cases that can only be tried by Arville lawyer Pam Reeves’ appoint- ticle III judges (so named because ment to the federal bench doesn’t they are empowered under Article serve justice and is costing tax- III of the constitution to wield payer money. “the judicial power of the United Reeves, who was nominated States”). Phillips’ retirement has May 16 to fill the seat vacated by left Chief Judge Tom Varlan as Tom Phillips, who formally retired the only Article III judge sitting in Aug. 1, is an utterly non-controver- Knoxville, although he is ably assial candidate who has the respect sisted by Judge Leon Jordan, who of Republicans and Democrats retired and assumed senior status alike. Both Tennessee senators in 2001. The backlog of criminal met with her earlier this year and cases is ballooning, and civil cases
Analysis
are being held up by criminal proceedings, which by law must be resolved speedily. Attorney Don Bosch does a great deal of work in federal court. He is a Democrat whose name was among those originally mentioned to fill the Phillips vacancy (speculation is that he couldn’t take the pay cut). He wishes that Congress would quit playing politics with the judgeships and traces origins of the current state of gridlock back to the fight over the nomination of Robert Bork to the United States Supreme Court in 1987. He says the practice of holding judgeships for ransom, particularly at the district level, needs to stop. “This is an exceptionally overworked judiciary in our district. The backlog of work is staggering and the need for a judge is real and immediate. When our politicians, irrespective of party stripe, fail to see things like this, it’s time for a change,” he said. Article III judges from other jurisdictions, mostly from the
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Eastern District of Kentucky, have been filling in the gaps. One judge, Tena Campbell, flies in from Utah. The visiting judges have their choice of accommodations, and most of them stay at the Hilton Hotel, two blocks away from the courthouse. Executive floor rooms at the Hilton are $183.28 per day ($145 with discount). Add three squares a day and round trip airfare, all multiplied by a factor of at least two (judges typically bring clerks and/or assistants), and costs begin to mount. No matter how judiciously the money is spent, bringing in visiting judges is expensive and (should be) unnecessary. Lamar Alexander’s campaign slogan is “Conservative. Solving problems. Standing up for Tennessee.” It’s on him to demonstrate that these are not just empty words. It’s time for the guy who first got elected to public office by hiking across the state to walk the walk on an issue that matters.
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