VOL. 8 NO. 16
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IN THIS ISSUE
Just look down
S ummer C a mp! It’s that time of year again, time for kids to look forward to summer break, and time for parents to think about filling those long summer days. Lucky for them, there is an abundance of camp opportunities right here in East Tennessee.
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By Nancy Anderson When Christina Collins and her fiancé, Josh Hancock, decided to open a floral shop and boutique in the heart of Karns, they knew there was going to be a billboard near the unassuming little building. But they had no idea it was going to be as big a deal as it is. The huge billboard – subject of some controversy in the community – looms above Hancock Florist, making it nearly invisible by comparison. Collins and Hancock, however, are those “lemons to lemonade” people, and they aren’t letting the giant crush their dreams. Owning a floral shop runs in her blood: Her grandmother, who helps out in the shop, has been in the floral
Check them out inside
$1 movies at Regal Regal Entertainment Group will host kids at $1 movies this summer. The 23-year-old program will be available at 350 Regal theaters across the country at 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, start date based on local school schedules.
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See the story on page A-10
Seeking trail lovers The newest way to show Volunteer spirit is through the Trail Volunteer program. A partnership between Knox County, the city of Knoxville, the town of Farragut, Ijams Nature Center, Outdoor Knoxville and Visit Knoxville, the program gives people who already enjoy using local trails and greenways the chance to be ambassadors for them.
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April 21, 2014
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business for more than 30 years. The florist shop has been busy lately, says Collins, supplying fresh flower arrangements for weddings, funerals, holidays and gifts. The shop also sponsors designer jewelry from local artisans. “We’re very fortunate to have the support of our neighbors,” says Collins. Hancock agrees. “The Karns community has been so good to us. This is our home, and our kids go to school here. Our lives are right here, and we want our business to grow here too,” he says. Both have a positive attitude about the sign. So, when you see what you can’t miss, look down. Hancock Florist offers a much better view.
It’s a strange perspective, no matter how you view it. Christina Collins stands outside her new floral shop and in the shadow of the giant billboard on the corner of Oak Ridge Highway and Byington Beaver Ridge Road.
Read Betsy Pickle on page A-4
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
MADD walk at West Hills Park Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s local affiliate will host a non-competitive MADD walk and 5K fundraising event 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 26, at West Hills Park. The race will start at 10:15. Registration is $15 for those ages 5-21, and $20 for those 21 and older. Corporations and other groups are encouraged to form teams of 10 or more and are asked to raise $100 each through donations.
Daniel Kidd to speak in Karns The 6th District of the Knox County Democratic Party will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, at the Karns Library. The speaker will be Daniel Kidd, candidate for Circuit Daniel Kidd Court Judge, Division IV. Info: Clay Mulford at 257-6744 or Janice Spoone at 771-5920.
Journey around the world with Pellissippi students
NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sherri Gardner Howell | Nancy Anderson ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Shannon Carey Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore Brandi Davis | Patty Fecco
Asanga Bandara talks to Faris Aldawas about Sri Lanka at Pellissippi’s Festival of Cultures. Photos by Justin Acuff
To page A-3
The legacy of Black Wednesday By Sandra Clark When we read in another paper about “Black Friday,” we knew it was time to revisit our county government’s worst day. Betty Bean writes about Black Wednesday in her column (page A-4), and two ex-commissioners (Phil Guthe and Mark Harmon) actually published books about it.
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For the festival, there were performances by Mawre & Company, a West African dance and drum group; Miyagi Ryu Okinawan Dancers, a Japanese traditional dance group; the Alexia School of Middle Eastern Dance; the Tellico Tappers; Bhangra; the East Tennessee Chinese School dance team; and Pellissippi State’s bluegrass ensemble, Hardin Valley Thunder. An exhibit depicting rangoli floor art, a traditional Indian design, captivated visitors to the Goins Building Rotunda. The design was created by Pellissippi
By Sherri Gardner Howell Fun and the opportunity to learn about other cultures was the order of the day at Pellissippi State Community College during the school’s Seventh Annual Festival of Cultures on Friday, April 11, at the Hardin Valley Campus. The free community event put the spotlight on the students and the many cultures represented by the student body at Pellissippi. At the Festival of Cultures, attendees received a Festival Passport booklet that they could get “stamped” as they visited each country. The booths and exhibits offered a look at each different culture, as well as some fun activities.
This spring’s ballot is littered with names from Black Wednesday. And that’s remarkable. Some participants were tainted to the point of political destruction; others skated with no apparent fallout. Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007. That’s the day 19 Knox County commissioners met to select eight replacement commissioners and
four countywide officeholders – all having been “invited to leave” by the court following their disregard of the charter amendment imposing a two-term limit, adopted by voters in 1994. Sheriff Tim Hutchison was replaced by his handpicked successor, Jimmy “J.J.” Jones, who in turn hired Hutchison until the new pension kicked in – a lifetime pension that started for Hutchison at age 54 at $80,000 per year and escalates annually. Register of Deeds Steve Hall was replaced by his chief deputy, Sherry Witt, who in turn hired Hall, who continues to be employed in the office. Both Jones and Witt are running for what amounts to a third term, and both are likely to win. County Clerk Mike Padgett was replaced by sitting Commis-
sioner Billy Tindell. Padgett is unopposed as the Democratic nominee to regain his old job this year. Trustee Mike Lowe was replaced by his chief deputy, Fred Sisk, who hired Lowe back. Sisk did not seek election when John Duncan announced for the job. Lowe is headed to court on criminal charges; Duncan resigned after paying bonuses people had not earned; and the commission appointed Craig Leuthold, a commissioner during Black Wednesday, to the job. He’s on this year’s ballot. Others with a Black Wednesday connection: Michele Carringer, who was appointed to replace Scott Moore after he was ousted, seeking election as a commissioner at-large. Mike Hammond, a commissioner on Black Wednesday, is a candidate for Criminal Court Clerk.
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Phil Ballard, also a BW commissioner, is the property assessor, up for re-election in 2016. Greg “Lumpy” Lambert, Larry Clark, Ivan Harmon and Mark Cawood are Black Wednesday commissioners who voted for Jones and now work for him. Other voting commissioners with ties to the sheriff were Paul Pinkston, whose wife worked in inmate medical services, and Scott Moore, whose wife went to work for the sheriff after Black Wednesday. Guthe writes about commissioners who: “… have no particular background, education or training for the position. … Only a fraction of eligible voters choose a relative unknown with perhaps questionable talent from a short list.” Whether they advocate for government big or small, once there most never want to leave.
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