VOL. 56 NO. 4
www.ShopperNewsNow.com |
FIRST WORDS
Reform elder law now By Shannon Carey All my fellow Gen X’ers, Millennials and younger, give me your attention. You guys, we are so not ready for the Silver Tsunami. If you’ve not heard, that’s the going name for the tidal wave of elderly Andrea Kline folks needing care that’s expected as the Baby Boomers – our parents and grandparents – age. I heard Assistant District Attorney Andrea Kline speak about elder abuse last week, and the statistics she quoted are staggering. Age 85 and over is the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. By 2050, 19.8 million will be over 85. Half will have some kind of dementia. Kline said Tennessee’s laws about elder abuse, her specialty within Knox County District Attorney Charme Allen’s office, are outdated, making it difficult to prosecute those who prey on the elderly. Written in the 1970s, those laws were cutting-edge at the time, but they need a reboot. She said, and I agree, “It’s time for a change, and the time is now.” More statistics: 47 percent of elders will suffer abuse by their caregivers, and only one in 19 of those cases will be reported. Examples include physical abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. The stories will break your heart, like the one Kline shared about an unnamed 90-yearold woman who was left in a bathtub for four days by her “caregiver” son with nothing but a Honeybun and a yogurt to sustain her. Shocking? “Things like that happen all the time,” said Kline. She receives between five and 20 referrals a day, although she does not prosecute them all. To page A-3
January 25, 2017
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Beaver Creek could host kayaks By Sandra Clark Kayaks and canoes on Beaver Creek, along with debris removal, could reduce flooding while providing outdoor recreation. The East Tennessee Community Design Center is drafting a plan for a put-in in Halls, probably at Clayton Park, and a takeout in Powell, possibly at Powell Station Park. The Halls Business and Professional Association, led by president Michelle Wilson, and the Powell Business and Professional Association, represented by Justin Bailey, met last week with Leslie Fawaz of the Design Center, and architect Trey Benefield. Also present were Dr. Bob Collier, who donated 11 acres for a nature preserve on Beaver Creek adjacent to the Powell Library; Carol Evans, executive director of Legacy Parks Foundation; Mark Campen, city council member and environmentalist; Roy Arthur, the county’s watershed manager; and Doug Bataille, senior director of Knox County Parks & Recreation. Arthur said the Beaver Creek Kayak Club has formed in the Karns area, putting in at the county’s Harrell Road Park and kayaking to Melton Hill. He said Harrell Road has not flooded since the park was developed and downstream debris was removed by kayakers. Plans will be brought to the community in public meetings, which will be publicized in Shopper News.
Local leaders discuss Beaver Creek: Justin Bailey, Powell; Doug Bataille, Knox County; Michelle Wilson, Halls; and Mark Campen, city council. Photo by S. Clark
Trey Benefield talks with Roy Arthur (standing) and Dr. Bob Collier.
FC meeting ends in confrontation, walkout By Betty Bean Last week’s meeting of an ad hoc group formed to advocate change in Fountain City ended with an explosion when the leaders argued about the group’s goals. Jamie Rowe said John Fugate was speaking for himself only when he told elected officials at a Jan. 5 meeting that the group, Advocates for Fountain City, wanted a traffic signal at Beverly Road and Tazewell Pike. She asked him to retract a wish list that included contradictory desires for enhanced vehicular
access to businesses along with better, safer pedestrian routes on Broadway. The earlier part of the meeting, held in the conference room of Commercial Bank, was an informational session featuring city traffic engineer Jeff Branam, who talked about long range plans to modernize traffic signals and improve KAT bus service on Broadway and other major arterial streets. After Branam and others from the city departed, Rowe, the president of the Tazewell Pike-Beverly Station Neighborhood Coali-
tion, told Fugate, the president of the Fountain City Business & Professional Association, that he needed to tell the public what he had told her in a private meeting Jan. 10: “You admitted the items on the agenda were never discussed or voted on by the Advocates for Fountain City group. You further acknowledged the three items listed were ideas you, as an individual, wanted to present to the officials attending the Jan. 5 meeting.” To page A-3
Sherri’s photo feature:
Painting at ‘Wine and Canvas’
Van Gogh couldn’t have been any more intense about his brushwork than the 20 artists who gathered at Gibby’s restaurant in the Cedar Bluff Holiday Inn. These men and women, students of Tracey Crocker’s Wine and Canvas class, were focused. ➤ See pictures on page B-3
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Here’s a thought: Ask a teacher By Lauren Hopson
Kids need to be kids. Children don’t have enough time just to play anymore. These are statements heard regularly from teachers and parents alike. Recess times have gotten whittled down from 30 minutes to 15 in many schools across the state. Some schools don’t offer recess on days that Hopson students have physical education class. Teachers are starting to use all kinds of gadgets from exercise balls to pedal desks and fidget toys, just to give students an outlet for their boundless energy. Knee deep in good intentions, our friendly local legislators jumped in to save the day! This past fall, a new Tennessee law went into effect that altered the structure of the school day. It mandated additional time for public school students to engage in unstructured physical activity, otherwise known as recess. I imagine the sponsors of this bill were reacting to data about the health of our children and outcries from con-
cerned parents and teachers. In theory, if kids need more exercise, then let’s give it to them. While we were watching harmful bills that would drain funds from public education by funding charter schools and voucher programs, this seemingly helpful one snuck up on us. It came as a great surprise to administrators who were suddenly tasked with fitting in additional periods of recess between 90-minute math and reading blocks, lunchtimes, related arts classes and intervention schedules. Bad weather, limited playground space and seven-hour days became issues. A couple extra 15-minute breaks per day may not seem like a big deal until you are faced with the nonexistent sense of urgency of a 7-year-old who needs to find his coat, go to the bathroom, get a drink of water and then play in the water fountain on the way to the playground door. Many of them will probably need to do that again on the way back to the classroom. That is what 7-year-olds do. Happily, Rep. Bill Dunn was quick to recognize the problems and introduced a bill this year to repeal the previous legislation. While
teachers are thankful that they may have a more workable schedule next year, many are wary that taking away all time requirements may allow districts to skimp on recess again. If physical activity is so important, why on earth would school systems do this? The answer lies in our obsession with feeding the testing beast. As long as test scores are used inappropriately to judge schools, administrators and educators, districts are going to be tempted to use every possible minute for instruction of subjects that can be assessed by TN Ready. Last I checked, recess is not a tested subject, but apparently, you can do math and sit on a bouncy ball at the same time. The lesson to be learned here is that crafting legislation should always involve asking the experts. Healthcare workers should be consulted on medical legislation. Safety policies should be crafted with input from the police. Maybe we should also ask teachers how legislation will actually translate to the classroom. Lauren Hopson is president of the Knox County Education Association and a mom.
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