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VOL. 10 NO. 13
BUZZ School safety School board member Karen Carson has organized a public meeting for 6-7 p.m. Thursday, March 31, at the Farragut High School library to discuss school safety and communications with parents during emergencies following last week’s lockdown at Farragut High School. Carson has invited parents from other communities to attend as well.
Korda speaks Just 15 minutes after a lockdown at Farragut High School ended last Wednesday, Captain Robby Lawson of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office told members of the Rotary Club of Farragut that there was no danger. He called schools and shopping centers “soft targets� and said sooner or later a terrorist attack will happen in the United States. Then the speaker, George Korda, said public gatherings “are the way free people live.� He cautioned against those who “silo themselves� and said sometimes the steps taken to avoid a possible attack do more harm than good. Lawson announced a second KCSO precinct in Farragut will open in May. Korda cited high negatives for front-runners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and said the person who wins the presidency “could be so bloody and scarred they can’t do anything. And sometimes with government, doing nothing is OK.�
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March 30, 2016
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Animal adoption ambassadors By Sara Barrett It costs Young-Williams Animal Center $36 a day to cover expenses for each animal in its custody according to YWAC marketing coordinator Courtney Kliman. Thanks to a grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), good Samaritans can now decrease those expenses by becoming adoption ambassadors. Through the Adoption Ambassador program, volunteers play a large role in finding forever homes for their fostered animals, and the expenses are paid by the grant. Cedar Bluff Middle School science teacher Carmen Shephard is one of seven ambassadors in the program so far. “I began fostering animals about a year ago,� says Shephard of how she became an ambassador. She would keep a dog or cat in her home until it was able to be adopted, but then she was out of the loop and rarely heard the “happy ending� story of the animal’s new family or if it was thriving in its new environment. After becoming an ambassador the end of last year, Shephard now personally meets potential forever families of her foster pets. Ambassadors can even complete the entire adoption process of an animal with its new owner, and neither needs to step foot inside the shelter. Ambassadors are trained to complete the same paperwork the shelter staff completes with new pet owners. “I love it, because I am actually able to interact with people who will adopt my animals, and I can see updates on their new lives sometimes
through social media,� says Shephard. If an ambassador takes their foster animal out in public, the animal wears a special vest to let people know they are adoptable. Ambassadors are also given the authority to post information about their animals on social media to help them find a home. Kliman says the program has been a success. There is more room at the shelter to take in more animals, YWAC’s overhead has decreased, and she and Shephard agree that fostering helps animals show their true personalities so it is easier to match them to forever homes. An example Shephard gives is Leo, a dachshund who gets really attached to people. He followed Shephard everywhere in her house during his time there, and that is a personality trait that would most likely not be seen in a shelter environment. “Within a week of posting about him on Facebook, I had three or four families interested in adopting him,� says Shephard. Since she had a good idea of his personality, she was able to match him to the appropriate family.
Young-Williams Animal Center adoption ambassador Carmen Shephard and her foster kitten, Brooklyn. Photo by S. Barrett
Haley May Shephard naps with her foster friend, Brooklyn. Photo submitted Shephard also shares the story of Brooklyn, a five-day-old kitten she fostered that wasn’t getting nourishment because its siblings would push it out of the way when nursing. Shephard bottle-fed Brooklyn and the kitten flourished. She is now ready to be adopted. “We can’t provide those resources at the shelter,� says Kli-
man of individualized care. Shelter staff is simply too busy with the amount of animals they have to care for, she says. Adoption ambassadors also have the liberty of setting up meetings between animals and potential adopters early in the day To page A-3
– S. Clark
STAR sets sale Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding (STAR) plans a tack and craft sale from 5-8 p.m. Friday, April 1, at 11800 Highway 11E in Lenoir City. Info: 865-988-4711. The sale will include new and used tack, clothing and equipment. Also vendors will offer crafts, antiques and vintage handmade items for sale. Admission is free; booth rental is $15 with set-up starting at 3:30 p.m. STAR is accepting donations of horse-related items for the sale, and is accepting used computer equipment (no TVs) for recycling March 28 through April 3.
(865) 218-WEST (9378) NEWS (865) 661-8777 news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark | Sara Barrett ADVERTISING SALES (865) 342-6084 ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Patty Fecco | Tony Cranmore Beverly Holland | Amy Lutheran CIRCULATION (865) 342-6200 shoppercirc@ShopperNewsNow.com
AG says drug war ‘a colossal failure’ By Wendy Smith The Farragut West Knoxville Chamber of Commerce hosted a panel discussion on drug use at last week’s Breakfast Speaker Series event. While it wasn’t a business-related topic, Knox County Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief Deputy Lee Tramel said drug problems touch everyone. “It’s an epidemic of Biblical proportions.� Tramel sat on the panel with Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen and Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond. Drug problems used to be limited to certain parts of town, and Farragut wasn’t one of them, Allen said. But that’s changed. “Nobody’s immune from this problem.� The judicial system is facing a major shift in the way it handles drug offenders. The War on Drugs was a colossal failure, she said. According to a list she receives from the Knox County medical examiner, there were 84 overdose deaths last year. Just over 80 days into 2016, there have been 43. The primary culprit is heroin, which
Moderator Mike Arms with panelists Lee Tramel, Charme Allen and Mike Hammond at the Farragut West Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Speaker Series event at Fox Den Country Club Photo by Wendy Smith appeals to young adults because it’s cheaper than pills. Tramel estimates that 99 percent of those in jail are there because of drugs, at least indirectly. The county houses approximately 1,200 inmates every day, and 23 to 25 percent are mentally ill. “It’s no place for a sick person to be.� The county is closer to having a
safety center than ever, but many details need to be addressed, he said. Allen agrees with the concept, but struggles with deciding who should be prosecuted and who should be sent to a safety or rehabilitation center. It could take three different forms − a mental health facility, an addiction treatment facility, or jail diversion for those committing low
level crimes, like public intoxication or disorderly conduct. Repeat offenders are good candidates for a safety center, she said. Those offenders are costing the county money, said Hammond. Two Sessions Court repeat offenders owe over $1 million each. “All the stakeholders are coming together. I think we can pull this off,� said Allen.
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