GOVERNMENT/POLITICS A4 | OUR COLUMNISTS A6-7 | YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS A14-17 | BUSINESS A18 | HEALTH & LIFESTYLES SECTION B
A great community newspaper.
halls / fountain city
VOL. 50, NO. 21
MAY 23, 2011
INSIDE www.ShopperNewsNow.com
|
www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow
|
twitter.com/shoppernewsnow
Lions Club honors Joel Helton By Betty Bean
Rachel and Andrew’s love story Jake Mabe tours The Hermitage See page A-6
Fore! Halls Middle golf teams win district titles See story on page A-14
FEATURED COLUMNIST LARRY VAN GUILDER
It’s a numbers game … See Larry’s column on page A-4
‘You’ve got to let it burn.’ Novelists, poets, songwriters – Central High School’s Pi Rho creative writing class provides outlet for budding authors See story on page A-16
ONLINE
Joel Helton didn’t get a banquet or a gold watch when he was forced out of his job at Central High School after his 27th season as head football coach. Last week, the Fountain City Lions Club tried to make up for that with an evening in his honor. The celebration was a love fest with an edge. Some 100 friends and former players gathered to honor the former Central High School football coach, who didn’t get a chance to say goodbye when he was told to turn in the keys to the fieldhouse last November after being accused of intimidating students. The allegations were never substantiated, but Helton remained suspended until he was transferred to Farragut High School in March. Superintendent James McIntyre announced that Helton is permanently banned from coaching in Knox County. There were funny stories and high praise for Helton, who was presented with a plaque from the Lions and a County Commission proclamation declaring last Monday “Joel Helton Day.” Former principal Jon Miller, who was an assistant coach under Helton before becoming his boss, first as athletic director and then as principal, said he came to honor Helton because it’s “more than just coaching; it’s more than one experience. It’s about the relationships (we built as colleagues) and a lifetime of memories.” He said Helton liked to nickname people: “If you had a nickname, you were in.”
in boot camp, there wasn’t a night I didn’t think about something he’d told us. That kept me going over the next few months. … And that’s happened all through my life. To a lot of us he was a dad, a big brother, a friend who would give you the shirt off his back. “Any time you have adversity in your life, you’d remember something he’d said that helped push you through the hard times. It’s not just about the present. He’s built a lot of character for a lot of us – a no-quit attitude, setting goals and reaching them.” Allen agreed and said Helton served as a father figure to countless boys “who didn’t have a dad.” He said it’s going to be difficult Former football players Coby McLemore and Andrew Wallace talk with coach to continue to support the Central Joel Helton. Coach Bud Bales is in background. Photo by S. Clark High School football program. During the social hour afterHe recalled excuses players gave “All this makes it very hard to for missing practice – one kid said ward, another of his former col- even want to do that,” he said. “It’s he missed because he had two col- leagues, retired baseball coach Bud been very intense and there’s a lot lapsed lungs. Jon remembered Bales, didn’t mince words when of animosity. It’s been like a witchD.J. Bowman (an All-State wide he expressed his disgust at what hunt. Once they couldn’t find what receiver/defensive back who was happened to Helton, whom he de- they were looking for …” murdered a couple of years after he scribed as “a good person and a Elliott finished his sentence: graduated) saying, “Coach Helton, good coach. “They went in a different direction you’ve sure got a big heart (pause) “All this garbage going on, I just to get what they wanted.” for a white man.” don’t understand it. They had someHelton said he has fared well at Miller said he is glad he got the thing in their craw and wanted him Farragut and said he appreciates chance to work with Helton, who out for whatever reason, so they the help principal Mike Reynolds never settled for less than “total started making things up. It’s just has given him. commitment from his players and sad and shouldn’t have happened.” “It was awkward at first, not his coaches. ... He was the hardest Two Class of ’89 players, Lee El- knowing anybody, but they’ve been working guy. No one spent more liott and Mark Allen, credited Hel- very nice to me down there. And hours at the fieldhouse. ... He raised ton with having a positive impact kids are kids.” the money to build that fieldhouse, on their lives. Also present were Knox County and he made us (assistants) sell “It wasn’t always about the Trustee John Duncan, Commissioncookies (to raise funds).” game,” said Elliott, a Marine Corps er R. Larry Smith and former coach Helton’s problem? veteran. “It was about life and what Alva Bible. Longtime game announcsports could teach us. When I was er Kenny Carringer also spoke. “He cared too much.”
Tax talk highlights culture clash Months ago the administration began It’s no secret that Knox County spreading the word Mayor Tim Burchett’s proposed that the county was budget, notable for its austerity, facing a $3 million has not been met with universal shortfall. To meet acclaim. That was dramatically the challenge, unillustrated when dozens of black filled positions will remain vacant, McCord a few employees will be terminated and the mayor has proposed sizeand white residents turned out at able cuts in community grants and last week’s County Commission contracted services. workshop to oppose a 92 percent None of these moves should reduction in county funding for surprise. Burchett’s campaign the Beck Cultural Center. stressed his belief in small govA more surprising reaction to ernment – the smaller the betthe budget came two days later at ter. At the same time, contracting a community meeting called by Commissioner Sam McKenzie with the Hope Resource Center, 2nd District Commissioner Amy which provides counseling for Broyles and 1st District Commis- missioners and their audience unplanned pregnancies and oplast Wednesday. Reflecting on the sioner Sam McKenzie. Nearly all poses abortion, is consistent with who attended were Knox County dozen years that have passed since the conservative principles of the Sheriff’s Office employees or the last property tax increase, mayor and his base. spouses of employees. Some char- KCSO employee Jeremy McCord Pushing through any substanacterized the mayor’s lean budget said, “At some point taxes are go- tive changes to the proposed budas a response to a “manufactured ing to have to go up. … We’re not a get will be a challenge. Broyles and crisis,” and none opposed the idea parish in Louisiana which has no McKenzie may gain a couple of almoney. This old Ross Perot theory of a property tax increase. lies before June 13, but if the vote Broyles intends to propose a 3 of no new taxes (doesn’t work.)” divides along city/county lines, McKenzie agreed. “We’re going which seems as likely as any other percent across-the-board pay increase for county employees in the to have to start talking about our outcome, they can’t count enough current budget with a property tax revenue,” he said. noses. The mayor’s constituency increase to follow for FY 2013. If Broyles’ assessment of the pro- lies outside the inner city districts, a tax increase translates to a pay posed budget cut to the heart of and Burchett’s years in Nashville raise, that’s reason enough for what is shaping up as a cultural taught him how to assess the preKCSO employees and other county clash before the budget comes to vailing political winds. workers to support it. a vote on June 13: “Our adminisMcKenzie summed up and But more than purely selfish tration is trying to sell a financial framed the question for those who motives were evident as the dis- crisis that isn’t there.” oppose this budget: “Does the cussion passed between the comBurchett strongly disagrees. mayor have six votes already?”
By Larry Van Guilder
Analysis
DO YOU
LIKE? TELL US!
The Shopper-News is now on Facebook! www.facebook.com/ ShopperNewsNow
4509 Doris Circle 37918 (865) 922-4136 news@ShopperNewsNow.com ads@ShopperNewsNow.com EDITOR Larry Van Guilder lvgknox@mindspring.com ADVERTISING SALES Patty Fecco fecco@ShopperNewsNow.com Darlene Hutchison hutchisond@ ShopperNewsNow.com Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly at 4509 Doris Circle, Knoxville, TN, and distributed to 27,825 homes in Halls, Gibbs and Fountain City.
TITAN A
SELF-STORAGE
Lowest prices in town.
938-2080
Climate and non-climate controlled units, indoor and outdoor, RV storage, 24/7 access, month to month rentals, fenced, lighted and security, convenient to Halls and Powell.
NOW OPEN! Norris Freeway location
BOOT CAMP Register by May 24
859-7900
mercy.com
Fountain City Road to reopen May 30 Knox County deputy director of engineering and public works Jim Snowden said last week that the portion of Fountain City Road closed during the Dry Gap Pike/Fountain City Road/Dante Road intersection project should be open by Monday, May 30. Snowden said that the project’s final closeout – “final asphalt surface, striping, sodding, etc.” – should take an additional couple of weeks and that the project should be entirely completed by July 1. – Jake Mabe
Correction Shopper-News published two misstatements in last week’s front page caption regarding road work underway on Tazewell Pike near Broadway Tazewell Shopping Center. The errors were caused by incomplete information from TDOT. There will be no raised concrete island in the middle of Tazewell Pike. Tazewell Pike will have a curb and gutter section on each side and the shopping center parking lot will have a 6-inch detached concrete curb. Motorists will not need to turn at Coile Road to enter the shopping center. Northbound traffic will use the existing entrance just south of Coile Road and Hardee’s. TDOT will construct a new 36-foot wide entrance to accommodate the shopping center flow of traffic. – S. Clark