VOL. 8 NO. 29
IN THIS ISSUE
A royal ‘save’
The 2014 Fairest of the Fair was nearly the pageant that wasn’t. Director Kelley Grabill and assistant director Christina Collins arrived at Karns High School early Saturday morning to find the stage had been vandalized. All their hard work lay in tatters, glittery Mardi Gras decorations strewn about and sets destroyed.
➤
Read the story on page A-3
More turmoil at school board Knox County school board drama continues with last week’s revelation that vice chair Gloria Deathridge has health issues that might make it difficult for her to serve a four-year term. She’s a candidate for reelection on Aug. 7, opposed by retired social worker Marshall Walker.
➤
Read Sandra Clark on page A-4
ESPN disses Vol backfield!
www.ShopperNewsNow.com |
Senior power Karns center looks to January opening date By Nancy Anderson If good things really do come to those who wait, the Karns Senior Center is going to be great. The long-awaited and longdiscussed center for the Karns area was originally slated to open in summer 2014. On Wednesday, July 16, the groundbreaking ceremony was held. Sporting his “Old Guys Rule” T-shirt, Karns resident and member of the Karns History Club Jim Stevens said he’s now hoping for a grand opening in January. “Hopefully, the Karns History Club will have a new home come January. We think it will be a great place to meet and gather stories,” Stevens said. Official groundbreakers at the ceremony were Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, Knox County Commissioner Brad Anders and Knox County Veterans and Senior Services Director Robert “Buzz” Buswell. The center will be at the Karns Sports Park off Oak Ridge Highway and has a projected cost of $1.2 million plus approximately
$100,000 annually for programming and staff, said Anders. It will be approximately 8,000 square feet. Jeanette Roberts, Thera Carr and Edith Fouch were on hand for the shoveling of the dirt and were excited to see the center on its way to reality. “This center will be very nice. I’m looking forward to spending time there with my friends,” said Roberts. The new center, the sixth for Knox County but first in the Karns area, will feature an exercise room, craft room, multiple meeting rooms, an auditorium, computer room and outdoor kitchen. The project also calls for a new field house for the youth sports programs. Anders said the senior center has been a long time coming for the area, with the idea starting almost a decade ago. The Karns seniors are already a close-knit group, said Stevens, so the benefits of a local center will be immediate. The shirt says it all for Karns resident Jim Stevens as he attends the groundMore photos on page A-3 breaking ceremony for the Karns Senior Center. Photos by Nancy Anderson
Good old ESPN, more enthused than usual about SEC football, honors us with a backfield ranking.
➤
Proud to represent
Read Marvin West on page A-5
Burchett trivia The Shopper-News interns visited with two West Knox guys, Judge Thomas Varlan and Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, last week. Burchett amazed the kids with his eclectic interests and sent them away with Bigfoot bumper stickers. Intern Donna Mitchell compiled a quick list of “Five Things You Didn’t Knox About Mayor Burchett.”
➤
Read Interns on pages A-8-9
Peach Festival For the past two years, rain has soaked the St. Mark United Methodist Church Peach Festival. This year, for the first time, umbrellas were available for purchase, which guaranteed a sunny event. The idea for the festival came from members who used to live in South Carolina, where peach festivals are common, said Pastor Dave Graybeal. The festival featured peach ice cream, cobbler, baked goods and bags of peaches, which were purchased from Butler & Bailey Market in Rocky Hill. Entertainment included gospel bluegrass from Son Rise of Maryville.
➤
Read Wendy Smith on page A-7
10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378) NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sherri Gardner Howell | Nancy Anderson ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Shannon Carey Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore Patty Fecco
July 23, 2014
www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow
Karns will once again put its best face forward as the winners in the Karns Fairest of the Fair contest begin their year representing the community. The pageant was packed with challenges for organizers this year, but the exciting smiles of the winners at the end put a happy face on the event. Representing the Karns community this year will be, from left, Taylor Hart, Princess; Rachel Wolfenbarger, Senior Miss; Destiny Ramsey, Junior Miss; and Malerie Taylor, Little Miss. At front is Chiannah Ruckart, Wee Miss. Photo by Mallory Bertrand
Rogero supports ‘not-metro,’ with big ‘but’ By Anne Hart Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero says she supports the consolidation of Knoxville and Knox County governments with one very important stipulation: The end result must be a municipal form of government. “I wouldn’t want to live in a consolidated government that had the current form of county government,” Rogero told members of the Rotary Club of West Knoxville in response to a question from the audience. Rogero, who served on County Commission for eight years, said that soon after County Mayor Tim Burchett recently announced that he is going to actively push for consolidation of the two governments she met with him and told him her position. “We had a good conversation about it all,” she said. “We don’t always agree on everything, but we do talk about things, and we get along well.” Rogero said the city of Knoxville and the areas of Knox County surrounding it “are becoming more and more an urban area, and having one government makes sense. But I like city government. The buck stops with me. I hire the law director, I hire the tax collec-
Call Today For Our Summer Specials
Madeline Rogero tor, I hire the police chief, and they all report to me. I’m responsible for what happens.” In addition, she said, she likes the fact that elective offices in the city are nonpartisan, as opposed to the county’s highly partisan structure. Elected to the office in 2011, Rogero is the city’s 68th mayor. She told Rotarians that she understands that as business leaders and entrepreneurs “your job is to create jobs, and mine is to create the climate that makes that possible – that ensures we have the
quality of life that people will want to live and work here.” To do that, she says, the city has used Tax Increment Financing (TIFs) and other “strategic tools,” including public infrastructure and façade grants, to help create a vibrant downtown. “Historically, there had been a lack of investment in downtown. We have used these tools to make things happen that otherwise would not have happened. We are now starting to see some of those TIFs roll off and tax dollars come to the city.” Rogero cited numerous initiatives sponsored by or encouraged by the city, including the University Commons soon to open on a former brownfield on Cumberland Avenue. “Six years ago, then-Mayor Haslam began working with stakeholders on that project. It represents $130 million in private investment.” The revamping of Cumberland Avenue itself has had some scheduling changes, as important factors like University of Tennessee football traffic have to be taken into consideration, Rogero said. One important visual blight will be eliminated: Knoxville Utilities Board has agreed to move utility lines into the back alleys that parallel the street instead of burying
SALES • SERVICE • MAINTENANCE
them underground, thus saving millions in taxpayer dollars. Rogero said another significant infusion of private money – some $165 million – along with a TIF that will delay payment of taxes for a certain time, is making the Tennova project south of the river on the old Baptist Hospital property a reality. A design model has been created for the first four blocks of a plan to revitalize Magnolia Avenue as the city moves to make that portion of East Knoxville more livable and attractive to visitors and residents alike, as it has done in North Knoxville near Central Avenue, she said. The mayor also pointed to the city’s massive Urban Wilderness project and bike trails as a success story that will bring ever-increasing numbers of tourists and their dollars to the area. She pointed out that outdoor recreation is a $6 billion industry in Tennessee. And yes, she says she hears complaints about the lack of parking downtown and in the Cumberland Avenue area, and that is why the city has granted TIFs for garage construction in those areas. “But here’s the good news,” she said with a smile. “We need more parking because there’s more development going on.”
SUMMER SALE! Preserve those old reels, slides & vhs tapes today!
20% OFF 8mm & SUPER 8
Providing d a Superior Quality l off Life f ffor Seniors in Knoxville Assisted Living & Memory Care 555 Rain Forest Road • 865-200-8238
Family Business for Over 20 Years 5715 Old Tazewell Pike 687-2520 Financing available through TVA Energy Right program* *Restrictions May Apply
Cantrell’s Cares
Bring your VHS, slides, MOVIE FILM to DVD film and more into Cannot be combined with any other discounts or offers. the digital age. Coupon must be presented at time order is dropped off. Discount will not be applied to previous orders or orders that are being processed.
Audio & Video Conversion
SN07/23/14 SN 07/23/14 Expires 07/29/14
686-5756
www.DigitizeItNow.com 12752 Kingston Pike, Renaissance Farragut, Ste 103, Bldg E