Karns Hardin Valley Shopper-News 091211

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GOVERNMENT/POLITICS A4 | FEATURES A6 | YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS A9 | HEALTH & LIFESTYLES SECTION B

A great community newspaper.

VOL. 5, NO. 37

karns / hardin valley

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

INSIDE

IN THIS ISSUE New York to Knoxville

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Businesses boost CTE Career training available to all By Greg Householder

Takin’ it to the streets Madeline Rogero hits the road in search of votes. See page A-4

FEATURED COLUMNIST MALCOLM SHELL

Riding the Fox Motor Coach Line The Fox family had a long heritage in the transportation business, in some cases dating back almost to the horse and buggy days. See page A-6

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10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378) news@ShopperNewsNow.com ads@ShopperNewsNow.com EDITOR Larry Van Guilder lvgknox@mindspring.com ADVERTISING SALES Darlene Hacker hackerd@ShopperNewsNow.com Debbie Moss mossd@ShopperNewsNow.com Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly at 10512 Lexington Drive, Suite 500, Knoxville, TN, and distributed to 33,237 homes in Farragut, Karns and Hardin Valley.

Remember the old high school dilemma: vocation education versus college prep? Today’s students can have both. Career and Technical Education (CTE) is now available to every Knox County high school student. And under the leadership of Don Lawson, the program is evolving new offerings with a business support system that makes the courses relevant to today’s workplace. Last week, Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre joined the celebration as Home Depot and O.G. Hughes and Sons presented Knox County with $15,000 worth of tools (from Home Depot) and $7,500 in on-board tool storage (compliments of O.G. Hughes and Sons) for the CTE jobsite truck. The newly-stocked truck reflects the diversity of the program these days. The Ford F350 Super Duty was purchased by the school system as a wreck. The kids in the auto repair and auto body classes fixed it. The students in the graphics classes designed and created the decals. Lawson said the truck will be

shared among all CTE programs and students will benefit from the latest tools. Lawson said 70 percent of Knox County high school students take three or more CTE courses and 90 percent take at least one course. The CTE students graduate at a rate of 92 percent – better than the systemwide average of almost 87 percent. For a complete listing of CTE programs, visit the CTE Partnership website at www. ctepartnership.org.

Knox County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre accepts a pipe wrench from Home Depot Pro account representative Stan Rudder (right) as Knox County Schools CTE director Don Lawson looks on. Home Depot donated tools worth $15,000 to stock the jobsite truck. O.G. Hughes and Sons Inc. donated on-board tool storage worth $7,500 for the truck. Photo by Greg Householder

PostNet featured at GKBA By Sandra Clark The Greater Karns Business Association meets monthly for lunch and networking. President Bill Halsey wants to grow the group which Larry York said had fallen off “since Mark Cawood got a job.” A pretty solid crowd last week heard Joani Leeds of PostNet discuss her business. State Rep. Bill Dunn looked relaxed in jeans and sneakers. The Legislature is adjourned and “you are safe until January,” said Dunn. Halsey said membership is open to businesses in Hardin Valley, Sol-

way, Ball Camp and Karns. Dues are $45. Info: 659-4155 or www. karnsbusiness.com/. Leeds, a former high school English teacher, and her husband, Gary, bought the local PostNet franchise almost five years ago. The business is located in Tate’s Gallery at the corner of Middlebrook Pike and Cedar Bluff Road. Hilary Beebe is a key staff member, “like a daughter,” says Joani. Leeds makes the case for shopping locally rather than online. It’s often more expensive to trust your printing to a stranger, she says. Beware of

add-ons and shipping charges. PostNet handles imprinted promotional items, and Joani brought numerous samples as gifts to those attending GKBA. Gary specializes in banners, signs and posters. Hilary can get a mailing out from start to finish including stuffing. And Joani brings that English teacher’s red pencil to typos. You get proofreading whether you ask for it or not. Joani is active in the GKBA, chairing the committee on lunch. Other officers are Alisa Pruett, vice president; Tracy Sawyer, secretary; Joani Leeds at PostNet in Cedar Bluff. and Kathryn Eaton, treasurer. Photo by S. Clark

Fed bucks feed county government By Larry Van Guilder For fiscal year 2011, Knox County’s budget topped $647 million. According to the county’s chief financial officer, the federal government supplied about 8.5 percent of that amount. John Troyer says the federal contribution to the county last fiscal year was about $55 million, with roughly $41 million going to schools and another $14 million dollars spread around various county departments. With budgetcutting running at a fever pitch in Washington, what do county residents stand to lose if the federal well runs dry? Grant Rosenberg heads Community Development for the county. Rosenberg’s department funds local grant programs through two sources of federal money, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). HUD funds were reduced by 12 percent this

program year, and CDBG were cut more than 16 percent. Rosenberg anticipates more cuts next year in the range of 10-15 percent. The federal money funds a laundry list of programs and services, including money for renovating or building housing for seniors and low to moderate income families. Currently, Rosenberg says, money has been set aside to replace a roof at the YWCA and renovate the Pleasant Tree apartments managed by Child and Family Tennessee. Other recipients include the Volunteer Ministry Center dental clinic, the Helen Ross McNabb Center and the Public Defender Community Law Office. Rosenberg notes that the housing programs provide an additional benefit. When the KnoxvilleKnox County Community Action Committee contracts for construction services, jobs are created or maintained.

Continuing cuts in federal funds will be felt across the board, but arguably hit housing hardest. “It limits affordable housing for seniors,” Rosenberg says, just as the baby boomer generation is hitting retirement age. The school budget is already strained, and the future looks grim enough without additional cuts in federal funds. The current budget includes a one-time boost of $8 million from the Education Jobs Program. The money primarily is used to fund teacher salaries and benefits. According to the line item detail in the school budget, $6.8 million of those funds are directly tied to teacher compensation. To maintain the same level of instruction next year would require an 8-cent property tax increase. The Knox County Health Department received nearly half of the $14 million disbursed to the “rest” of the county apart from schools. Dr. Martha Buchanan

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manages a $24 million budget, and federal dollars supply about 25 percent of the department’s operating costs. Federal money goes to programs for “everything from TB to STDs to immunizations,” Buchanan says, but she expresses confidence in her department’s ability to carry on even if the spigot is turned off tomorrow. “We’ve got a great team at the health department,” she says, and it may need to “work smarter.” “Fortunately, we’ve had some ‘heads ups’ from our state partners (about possible cuts),” Buchanan adds, and if necessary the department will reorganize and restructure. Every department head in Knox County may not share Buchanan’s confidence, but her forward thinking outlook is a must. Federal funding of state and local programs is in a downward spiral and the bottom is nowhere in sight.

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