VOL. 53 NO. 50 NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Pennington passes
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December 17, 2014
Halls Christmas Parade
brings good cheer
James Elwood “Coach” Pennington passed away Dec. 15, while awaiting a heart transplant. Pennington coached football and taught for 30 years at several area schools, including Halls High and Webb School of Knoxville. He is survived by his wife, Denise, who taught English and theatre at Halls High and Webb for many years; son and former NFL quarterback Chad Pennington and daughter Andrea Dubois and their families. Arrangements were pending at press time.
Force softball team members Mackenzie Foust and Lacey Haun are bedecked in festive lights for the parade.
Lights fantastic at Chilhowee Park Take a minute to tour Chilhowee Park after dark to see a forest of lighted trees floating on the lake. You never leave your car. The exhibit will continue until Jan. 1.
Halls High School homecoming queen Madison Smith cuddles with Mitzi the dachshund. More on page A-3
Tour de Lights On Friday, Dec. 19, bring a bike and go to Market Square to enjoy Tour de Lights – a fun, free, casual 5-mile bike ride that starts from Market Square and tours downtown, 4th and Gill and Old North Knoxville. Ride starts at 7 p.m. but judging begins at 6 p.m. and prizes are awarded after the ride in several categories, including Best-Decorated Bike, Best Decorated Person, and Best Group Theme. Mast General Store and Three Rivers Market will provide hot cocoa and cookies for participants. Helmets, white front light, and red rear reflector are required and all ages and skill levels are welcome. Info at www.knoxtrans.org/.
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Kylie Shipman and Billy Richards stay warm on the Old Beverly Baptist Church float.
Internet gets faster in Halls, Farragut By Sandra Clark Farragut Mayor Ralph McGill echoed the sentiments of most community promoters. “TDS is putting in one gigabit (whatever that means) into Farragut (and Halls). “This is the highest Internet speed you can get, period. Having it here really makes a difference for businesses.” McGill was reacting to last week’s announcement from TDS Telecom that it is bringing “1Gig Internet” to parts of Halls and Farragut, where the company provides basic telephone service. The company’s announcement said Farragut and Halls residents will be among the first in Tennes-
see with access to 1Gig Internet service this year. “The launch of 1Gig service means area residents have access to the fastest Internet service in the nation,” said Matt Apps, manager of Internet Product Management and Development at TDS. “With 1Gig, anything our customers do on the Internet will be incredibly fast. From streaming movies or TV shows to working from home, the experience is ‘lagless’ and completely seamless.” The TDS press statement continues: The 1Gig service is about 100 times faster than the national average Internet speed of 10 megabits per second. With it, cus-
tomers can transfer HD movies in seconds and connect remotely to their office or telecommute seamlessly, even on multiple devices. (Writer’s note: I’m amazed that the guy in charge of this is named Apps.) According to Apps, 1 gigabit per second really opens up new possibilities for telecommuting, allowing people to enjoy the benefits of living in a smaller community while working for an employer based in a larger nearby city. The company says 1Gig service is available for immediate installation as part of a TDS TV bundle. TDS TV includes a ConnectedHome DVR (which links all TVs
together), more than 260 all-digital channels (including 100+ in HD), on-demand TV and movies, pay-per-view and on-the-go viewing options. Wireless set-top boxes are also available. Customers with 1Gig bundles will automatically receive Remote PC Support at no additional cost. This service includes unlimited technical support along with device setup assistance, computer cleanup, PC optimization and advanced Internet troubleshooting. Info: www.tdstelecom.com or 866-44-TDSTV. (And did we mention, this is good for business.)
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P.E. is not for all If you like your ShopperNews, you might also enjoy the other seven papers we produce weekly for Knox and Union counties. Each paper contains unique writing. Where to look? Go online to www. ShopperNewsNow.com/. We post each Tuesday at 6 p.m. This week’s Union County edition, for instance, has a recollection from Ronnie Mincey about his time in high school physical education: P.E. to Ronnie meant “personal embarrassment.”
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Midway on back burner; community remains watchful By Betty Bean This fall, the Knox County Development Corporation (TDC) loaded a bunch of county officials and business leaders onto a bus and took them on a tour of four of the county’s eight industrial/business parks. WestBridge, Hardin, Eastbridge and the Pellissippi Corporate Center were on the itinerary. Midway Road wasn’t. Nor was it included in an industrial land inventory conducted earlier in the year by TDC and the Knoxville Chamber, an odd omission in light of the nearly 20year battle that has been waged over the county-owned parcel at the Midway Road intersection of I-40. The Development Corporation has been desperately seeking a large parcel of developable land; residents of Thorn Grove and surrounding communities have fought to preserve the area’s rural character.
Chamber CEO Mike Edwards, a major player in the last round of negotiations (in 2010), said he’s no longer directly involved (the chamber has spun off TDC to become a stand-alone body) but said although Midway hasn’t been part of recent discussions, it’s now more developable because TVA has installed “a big, huge transfer station” on the parcel and KUB also has built a substation there. “We weren’t crazy about TVA wanting to flop its footprint on Midway, but it was an easement they’d owned for a long, long time. So now the utilities are out there, and I think a sewer system is in place, too.” Elaine Clark, president of the French Broad Preservation Association, is reluctant to talk about Midway (perhaps observing the old “don’t trouble trouble till trouble troubles you” admonition), except for expressing some skepti-
cism of Edwards’ claim about the availability of sewer for the park site, which she described as “a two-acre drip field.” She said she’d like to see the task force county Mayor Tim Burchett put together early in his first term under the leadership of former tourism head Gloria Ray resurrected. (The task force dissolved in 2012 when Ray was forced to resign as chief executive officer of the Sports and Tourism Corp.) “We were making real progress,” Clark said. “That’s something that should be revived.” Todd Napier, CEO of TDC, said there was no reason to include Midway on the bus tour, which they were trying to conduct in four hours. He said there’s really nothing to see on the parcel, which is now on the books as a $6.4 million investment, down from the original $10 million after the write-down of
the TVA acquisition. Midway is in County Commissioner Dave Wright’s Eighth District. He’s also on TDC board and was interviewed just hours after its December board meeting. He said he had “the latest, greatest, most breaking news” about what’s going on with Midway. “Nothing. “But it’s going to be something someday. We’ve got kids graduating every year from Carter (High School) and the Career Magnet Academy who’ll be looking for a job. I’d rather see them on the Midway Road exit as opposed to Hardin Valley.” Bill Emmert, longtime Thorn Grove resident whose back porch is a stone’s throw from the boundary of the proposed business park, said neighbors remain vigilant. “It’s as quiet as a mouse, but I’m sure they’re doing something,” he said. “We’re watching.” 2704 Mineral Springs Ave. Knoxville, TN 37917 Ph. (865) 687-4537
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