North/East Shopper-News 021815

NORTH / EAST VOL. 3 NO. 7

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February 18, 2015

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NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ

At Oakwood Senior Living

Kiwanis event Northside Kiwanis Club will host a Pancake Jamboree and Bake Sale from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 544 N. Broadway.

Tickets at $4 ($10 per family, up to four) are available from Northside Kiwanis members or at the door. All proceeds go to support the service activities of the Northside Kiwanis Club. Info: Tom Mattingly, 414-6218.

GOP reorganization The Knox County Republican Party will hold its biannual reorganization with precinct meetings at the polling places at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, unless otherwise scheduled by the precinct chair.

Delegates elected at the precincts will meet for the county convention at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 7, at The Crown College in Powell. Info: Ruthie Kuhlman, chair.

IN THIS ISSUE

The former gymnasium will be completely redone as an entryway/commons area with bar. Architect’s rendering

By Betty Bean Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett held a press conference in the Oakwood Elementary School parking lot on a dismal January morning in 2012 to announce that

he would try one last time to find a developer willing to take on the project of rescuing the abandoned, century-old building – broken windows, collapsed roof, sagging ceilings, crumbling walls and all.

Neighbors, some of whom were 30 days to help find an angel.

Today, the former Oakwood Oakwood alumni, didn’t hold out much hope for the old school, al- School at 232 E. Churchwell Avthough Burchett said he’d issue a enue is buzzing with activity as Request for Proposals and give historic preservationists another To page 3

Snow mode Shopper-News was composed a bit earlier than usual this week because of the potential for snow. We skipped our final proof-reading, so if you see errors, please call or email and we will correct. Also check for updates on our website, ShopperNewsNow.com

‘A Hand Up’

Skills program gears up for 13th year

By Bill Dockery

Marvin West Sports columnist Marvin West looks at Tennessee’s new offensive coordinator, Mike DeBord, and his fit in maintaining “the best staff in America.”

That’s what Butch promised when he was hired. No reason for him to back down, writes West. His column is on page 4.

Betsy Pickle Read Knoxville’s best movie critic’s take on this year’s Oscars, and match wits with a professtional.

Check out Weekender, inside.

Betty Bean Tyler Harber: Ace political reporter Betty Bean was writing about this youthful politico some 14 years ago and she’s kept up with him ever since.

Now he’s probably heading to jail after last week’s guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Virginia. Bean looks back and ahead with “The Rise and Fall of Tyler Harber.” Inside.

7049 Maynardville Pike 37918 (865) 922-4136 NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark | Bill Dockery ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Patty Fecco | Tony Cranmore Wendy O’Dell | Sara Whittle

Graduation is out of the way at A Hand Up for Women, and fundraising for the coming year is the next order of business.

The Knoxville program that helps women overcome the unfortunate circumstances in their life will hold its annual fundraising gala on Friday, Feb. 27, at Rothschild Catering in West Knoxville.

It offers dinner and music and a chance to hear from women who have benefitted from the life/work skills program.

With its tagline of “You can find Pausing for a photo during a recent Hand Up for Women event are (stand- hope here,” the faith-based oring): Anne Hilliard, graduate, and Eva Pierce, executive director; (seated): ganization is completing its 12th Kendra Tate-Stacy, participant, and Janice Palmer, graduate. Photo courtesy of year in Knoxville. It is the local organization for the national ChrisEva Pierce

tian Women’s Job Corps.

“We ask women to give us two evenings a week for a year, and we help them redefine themselves,” said Eva Pierce, who has been the executive director of the organization since it opened in Knoxville.

More than 70 women have graduated since A Hand Up began, and the program has just enrolled 21, its largest group ever.

Pierce said the program has three components.

First the women are offered life management skills that will help them respond to the day-to-day chores they face in putting togeth-

To page 3

The pros and cons of a balanced school calendar

By Wendy Smith Bearden High School students and parents didn’t lament the possible loss of long, leisurely summers during principal John Bartlett’s discussion of Knox County Schools’ proposed balanced calendar.

There was little reaction, aside from a few questions about specifics, to the idea that the 20162017 school calendar could have two-week fall, winter and spring breaks and an eight-week summer break. There would still be 180 instructional days.

Bartlett began the discussion by reminding students and parents, who attended the evening meeting to discuss scheduling as well as a balanced calendar, that nothing is set in stone.

“This is a conversation that is just starting and nobody has decided anything yet.”

Other local school systems, like Maryville, Alcoa and Oak Ridge, are already on balanced calendars. The school calendar should be structured around needs of students, and the current calendar, with a 53-day summer break, was set up to meet the needs of an agrarian society. Not many students are hauling hay anymore, Bartlett said.

The balanced calendar is intended to provide more continuous learning. Remediation would be offered during the first week of fall and spring breaks, which would give struggling students the opportunity to catch up.

A shorter summer break would also reduce summer learning loss, which most affects students who spend summers at home watching television and playing video games. Less time spent reading and interacting with adults re-

sults in learning loss, which leaves teachers playing catch-up for the first two weeks of fall semester, he said.

But studies comparing the academic success of students on traditional and balanced calendars have been inconJohn Bartlett clusive, especially for students who are engaged during the summer months. Another challenge would be changing the mindset of parents who grew up with long summer breaks and want their kids to have the same experience.

A balanced calendar wouldn’t affect school athletics programs, and teams would continue to practice during fall and spring breaks.

Bartlett conjectured that child-

care centers would adjust to meet the needs of a balanced calendar.

He emphasized that Bearden’s block scheduling wouldn’t necessarily change due to conversion to a balanced calendar. Bearden has four classes each semester, and students receive a full credit for each one, as opposed to six or seven classes each day for a full year.

But a balanced calendar could cost more than a traditional calendar due to the expense of transporting students during the remediation periods built into fall and spring breaks. If funds currently spent on transporting students for summer remediation can be shifted, there may be no added expense, he said.

Block scheduling also costs more than traditional scheduling, and since school budgets are fi xed, To page 3

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2 • FEBRUARY 18, 2014 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

He gained ‘friends for life,’ after life-threatening infection In 2013, Chris Taylor, now 45, was working as a probation parole officer in Claiborne County, driving more than an hour each way to his home in Mascot, Tenn.

“I was getting up at 5 a.m. to be there by 7 and getting home at 8 o’clock at night. I was so tired from working and driving,” Taylor said. “Probably looking back on it, I was more fatigued than I thought I was.”

That fatigue caught up with him after he mowed his lawn in late May of 2013. He awoke the next morning with his left foot swollen and painful.

“I treated it like gout for a week, and then on June 1, I got what I thought was a back spasm. I was in so much pain I went to the emergency room at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center,” Taylor said.

The staff took a blood sample and found Taylor had an infection of Staphylococcus bacteria, commonly known as “Staph,” not only in his left foot, but around the base of his spine where he’d had a previous surgery. The infection was life-threatening.

“I was in kidney and liver failure. They told me I would have died in a few days,” said Taylor.

Strong antibiotics were not successful in battling the infection, so Dr. G. Douglas Schuchmann performed two surgeries to remove the infection from Taylor’s left foot.

Taylor spent about four weeks at Fort Sanders, then another six weeks at Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center. He was a resident there for six weeks and an outpatient for about a year.

“Everyone at Fort Sanders and Patricia Neal has been amazing.

I hadn’t spent a whole lot of time in hospitals, but they were all real nice to me. I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else,” said Taylor. “They called me the ‘mayor of Four-East,’ I was there so long.”

After Taylor was released from inpatient care at Patri-

After six weeks of inpatient care and a year of outpatient treatment at Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center, Chris Taylor celebrated his “graduation” from rehab with staff. Taylor’s experience encouraged him to return with his three daughters to PNRC and hand out cards to patients on Christmas Eve. Now, thanks to his treatment from the Wound Care Center and HBO Therapy at Fort Sanders Regional, along with PNRC, Taylor is getting back to his old self, including playing drums at church.

cia Neal Rehabilitation Center, he received hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy to speed healing of his foot and strong antibiotics to treat his spinal infection.

Five times each week, Taylor was wheeled to the HBO therapy center to spend an hour in a body-sized oxygen tube.

“I’m extremely claustrophobic,” said Taylor. “So the first day, I freaked out, and they called Dr. Schuchmann. He came in and he took me by the hand and said, ‘Chris, it’s going to be OK. I need you to do this.’

Like my grandfather was talking to me. He said, ‘I’ll be here when you get out.’ And when I got out, he was standing right there.”

Over the course of weeks, Taylor’s wounds slowly got better.

“They thought I would be in a wheelchair the rest of my life, but I kept progressing,” he said.

“Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center tried to prepare me for life being a paraplegic, and they did a great job of that, learning to use my upper body to get in and out of the chair. But my hard head wouldn’t believe it. After outpatient therapy for almost a year, I’ve gotten to where I walk with a cane, and around the house I walk without it,” he said.

“I have three girls to walk down the aisle at some point!” said Taylor. “I may never run any marathons, but I’ve been playing drums at my church. My goal is to continue to improve.

“I’d like to thank everyone at Fort Sanders, the HBO therapy team and Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center. They are amazing people with amazing hearts.

They are people that I’ll probably be friends with for life. I’d recommend them to anyone. In my mind it’s the best place in East Tennessee for care.”

For more information about the services offered at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, go to fsregional.com.

Skin substitutes help wound healing

G. Douglas Schuchmann, MD

The body’s ability to heal itself is remarkable. Most of the time, cuts and tears in the skin will heal within four weeks, even if they leave a scar.

However, many factors can inhibit healing. Poor oxygen flow, bacterial infections, age and sex hormones, stress, diabetes, obesity, medications, alcoholism, smoking, and nutrition can each inhibit the body’s ability to heal wounds.

Fort Sanders Wound Treatment Center offers a number of therapies for patients whose wounds do

not heal on their own. One of them, a new “skin substitute,” can provide a healing barrier for the skin.

Called EpiFix, it’s a biological product, meaning it’s made from live human tissue. In this case, it’s human amniotic membrane from real human placentas. They are chosen from women who are healthy, then the membranes are separated, processed, sterilized and freeze-dried for medical use.

“It’s collagen, so it provides a framework for wound healing, plus the amniotic membrane is not re-

jected by the body like most other tissues. It has immunosuppressant properties,” said Dr. G. Douglas Schuchmann, a surgeon and medical director of the Fort Sanders Wound Treatment Center.

The center has been using EpiFix for about three months with impressive results, Schuchmann said.

“It can be put on easily in the clinic,” he said. “It’s almost like a piece of tape. You activate it with saline and it just sticks down, so it’s a very simple and painless ap-

plication. And it just really increases healing times.

“We’re pretty excited about it,” said Schuchmann. “It’s not a new product per se, but we are getting a better feel for it.”

A number of biological tissues are used for below the knee, but EpiFix can be used anywhere on the body, Schuchmann said.

“Whether it’s applied in surgery or at Fort Sanders Wound Treatment Center, EpiFix is probably the best of the biologics and most helpful for our patients,” he said.

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community

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • FEBRUARY 18, 2015 • 3

Oakwood Senior Living

KICKO co-founder Janice Clark shares a message with children from the ministry van.

Photo submitted

Reaching out to Knoxville’s kids

By Ruth White Knoxville Inner City Kids Outreach (KICKO) is a ministry founded in 1995 to reach inner-city children and youth.

Their message of hope is brought to communities through a unique program called Sidewalk Sonday School. Specially-outfitted trucks allow the staff to share the gospel with children at multiple locations each week.

KICKO has been a mobile ministry since its beginning.

Janice Clark, co-founder,

completed an internship at Metro Ministries in Brooklyn, N.Y., under Bill Wilson and brought the idea back to Knoxville. It was in Brooklyn that she learned about Sidewalk Sonday School.

The program’s cube trucks hold everything needed to take the program into communities, and one side folds down to make a stage. KICKO staff members take the gospel to nine sites, reaching close to 1,200 kids each week. Through games, songs and a message, children learn they have some-

thing to offer, regardless of age.

“We have seen generations impacted through the program,” said co-founder Bill Clark.

Youth often become junior staff members and meet for discipleship time on Tuesdays. They enjoy outings through the year, including lock-ins and hayrides, and visit residents at the Golden Age Retirement Home, playing bingo with them and just spending time together.

KICKO meets for Son-

‘A Hand Up’

From page 1

er their lives.

They also get training in job readiness skills – the presentation of self in work settings that builds confidence in their ability to control their motivations, behaviors and social environment.

Spiritual development is the third component of the Hand Up program – with a specifically Christian focus.

“We can give them all the skills in the world, but if they don’t have a reason to get up in the morning, we’re not giving them the whole picture,” Pierce said. “We are a faith-based Christian organization.”

The program is headquartered at Oakwood Baptist Church at 111 E. Columbia Ave. off Central Avenue, but the organization is ambitious to acquire a house that would give it office and classroom space and allow it to offer limited short-term housing. The short-term residential services would let the participants escape the environment that has been the setting for their problems.

“We have seen that we lose women at points of transition,” Pierce said.

“If a woman comes out of prison and comes back to Knoxville, she is often

School Calendar

alienated from her family. If she ends up at one of the missions, she is often going back to everything she is trying to get away from.

“I tell the ladies that if you want to change your life permanently, you have to change your playmates and your playground. We are their first new playmates and provided their first new playground.”

The program has some less tangible benefits. Because it lasts longer than other similar programs for women, participants develop family-like relationships with one another. Pierce describes a recent incident in which a participant with few family connections was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

“The other women and the volunteers did everything a family member would do to care for her – everything,” Pierce said. When the woman eventually died, donors to the program paid for her funeral and burial.

“These manufactured friendships become genuine. In the classes and the mentoring the (women) get very close.”

Pierce, a native of Bluefield, W. Va., has a background in social services

From page 1

it might be reconsidered at some point. Bartlett emphasized that block scheduling will continue at Bearden for the foreseeable future.

If the county switches to a balanced calendar, students would be allowed to miss a few days of school in order to attend Governor’s school, he said. School would start a week early, and graduation would be bumped back a week.

Mark Wilkerson, whose daughter is a rising sophomore, said that he needed more information before he could form an opinion about a balanced calendar, but that it was presented positively. He’s strongly in favor of block scheduling, which he thinks helps students understand the rigor of a college course load.

“That part has got to stay.”

Foster grandparents needed

It’s time to stock your pond!

The Foster Grandparent Program is looking for adults age 55 or older to serve 20 hours per week mentoring and tutoring young people in public schools and other nonprofit settings. Qualified volunteers receive a tax-free stipend and mileage reimbursement. Training will begin Monday, March 2.

Info: 524-2786.

day School Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. in Walter P. Taylor Homes and at 3:15 p.m. at Green Hills; on Thursdays at 3 p.m. in North Ridge Crossing and Austin Homes at 5:15 p.m.; on Fridays at 3 p.m. in Western Heights and the Haslam Boys and Girls Club. The group also meets in the Lonsdale Community on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and Ridgebrook Apartments at 1:30 p.m.

Info: www.KICKO.org

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and adult mental health in the Knoxville community. She has a degree from Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma.

“Sixty-five percent of our support comes from individual donors, and when they hear what these (women) can do, they get out their checkbooks at the end of the evening and help us do it for another year,” she said. “My donors know it’s not just a Band-Aid thing.”

A Hand Up takes in women who are at least 18. The youngest graduate was 19 and the oldest to complete the program was 65. Pierce said they’ve had participants just released from prison, prostitutes and women of every ethnicity and educational level, from no schooling to graduate degrees.

“We find the differences don’t matter,” Pierce said. “All are broken in some way. That commonality is what makes the program work. These are women who are healing and they all just want to be different from how they have been.”

Information about the program or the upcoming fundraiser is available at www.ahandupforwomen.org or at 865-525-9696.

Tennessee Shines Radio Show moves to Old City Tennessee Shines Radio Show will mark its third anniversary with a new location and new weekday beginning Wednesday, March 4, at Boyd’s Jig & Reel, a restaurant and music venue located in the historic Old City.

The hour-long, live radio show begins at 7 p.m. and includes headline musical performers, special guests and readings

by local and regional spoken word artists. Tickets will be available at the door beginning at 6 p.m.

Admission is $10.

Tennessee Shines can be heard in Knoxville and surrounding areas on 89.9 FM, 93.9 FM and 102.9 FM, and online at www.wdvx.com. Past shows are available for on-demand streaming for two weeks after the broadcast.

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construction workers and carpenters put the final touches on Oakwood Senior Living, slated to open in late March. The facility, which retains its original façade, will house 63 assisted living and memory care suites and provide a full array of services including a nursing staff, recreational and social activities programs, transportation, three meals a day, medication management and more.

The new entrance will be through the former gym, transformed into a spacious, high-ceilinged room with a big chandelier, seating for group or individual activities and a bar for residents and guests. (Yes, there will be beer. Red Oak, anyone?)

The suites are former classrooms, ranging from 350 to 600 square feet.

Each features one or more huge windows and some have small kitchenettes.

The memory care apartments will be secured from other units with a higher care staff ratio. Monthly rates range from $2,895– $3,995, and rooms can be shared to reduce cost.

The new owner of the building, Dover Development, is headed by Rick Dover, a longtime builder/ developer who combined his interest in historic preservation with the experiences he had several years ago while looking for care for his grandfather. The architect is Daniel Levy and the designer is his wife, Kendall Levy.

Dover’s first repurposing projects were at River Oaks Place and Lakewood Place (the first Loudon Hospital) in Loudon County, and

From page 1

then the former Lenoir City High School, which is now River Oaks Place of Lenoir City. Dover added the historic Alexander Inn in Oak Ridge to his portfolio, and it is on track to be completed at much the same time as Oakwood.

All of the previously mentioned Dover projects are assisted living/memory care communities, but the next big undertaking, Historic Knoxville High School, scheduled to come online in late 2016, will be an independent living/ mixed use complex with residential units and small businesses.

Northshore Senior Living in West Knoxville will serve both assisted living and memory care communities in new construction.

Dover Development contracts with Senior Solutions Management Group to manage its communities, and the executive director of Oakwood Senior Living, Amy Wise, is a licensed practical nurse who was a student at Oakwood Elementary School. Wise has spent her career in assisted living and says that there’s considerable interest in Oakwood Senior Living (three suites are already reserved, with a fourth reservation expected by the end of last week).

To schedule a tour, call 865-363-5950.

Want to get a look at Oakwood Senior Living and have some barbeque, too? Come for lunch 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Thursday, March 26. The cost is $7 and all proceeds will go to Meals on Wheels.

COMMUNITY NOTES ■ Alice Bell Spring Hill Neighborhood Association. Info: Ronnie Collins, 637-9630.

■ Beaumont Community Organization. Info: Natasha Murphy, 936-0139.

■ Excelsior Lodge No. 342 meets 7:30 p.m. each Thursday, 10103 Thorn Grove Pike.

Info: Bill Emmert, 933-6032 or w.emmert@att.net.

■ First District Democrats meet each first Monday, Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: Tony Brown, 973-4086, or Evelyn Gill, 524-7177.

■ Belle Morris Community Action Group meets 7 p.m. each second Monday, City View Baptist Church, 2311 Fine Ave. Info: www. bellemorris.com or Rick Wilen, 524-5008.

■ Chilhowee Park Neighborhood Association meets 6:30 p.m. each last Tuesday, Administration Building, Knoxville Zoo. Info: Paul Ruff, 696-6584.

■ Edgewood Park Neighborhood Association meets 7 p.m. each third Tuesday, Larry Cox Senior Center, 3109 Ocoee Trail. Info: http://edgewoodpark.us./

■ Historic Fourth & Gill Neighborhood Organization meets 6:30 p.m. each second Monday, Central UMC, 201 Third Ave. Info: Liz Upchurch, 898-1809, lizupchurch1@ gmail.com.

■ Inskip Community Association meets 6 p.m. each fourth Tuesday, Inskip Baptist Church, 4810 Rowan Road. Info: Betty Jo Mahan, 679-2748 or bettymahan@ knology.net.

GOSPEL SINGING

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When: Sunday, February 22 • 11am and 6pm services Where: New Beverly Baptist Church

3320 New Beverly Church Rd., Knoxville, TN 37918

Info: Rev. Eddie Sawyer, Pastor 546-0001 or www.newbeverly.org

Directions:

I-640 to exit 8. Go north on Washington Pike to red light @ Greenway Rd. (facing new Target), turn left, church is ¼ mile on the right.

No admission charge, but a love offering will be taken. DON’T MISS IT!

Worship with us!

New Beverly Baptist Church

4 • FEBRUARY 18, 2015 • Shopper news master technician as teacher.

Old friend Mike DeBord is a line coach. He does bring a lifetime of experience and boost in his career. Butch future may think that is OK. warm compatibility.

“Comfort” is a bigger has returned the favor, res- It isn’t. cuing Mike from oblivion I have no concerns about word in Butch’s vocabulary and adding the encourage- DeBord as offensive coordi- than in mine. I thought Marvin ment of a $500,000 salary. nator. He may even be great, “comfort” was part of the West We have been told that as soon as he catches up 2014 problem.

The coaching staff was this enhances the status with what is going on. quo, that little or nothing I am amazed that Butch more comfortable with Juswill change about the Jones is passing him off as a quar- tin Worley at quarterback offense. I don’t believe that. terback coach. His first and because he was a better Jones group can sell. This is The Vols need more touch- last fling at that assign- practice player, had a betthe year to see how it does at downs. They need to be able ment was the mid-1980s at ter grasp of the offense, was developing talent. to gain a yard now and then, Fort Hays State. Quarter- less likely to make mistakes Fans should accept when they absolutely must back coach of those famous and would stick to plans. It DeBord as a loyalty hire. have one. Maybe DeBord names at Michigan (Tom didn’t seem to matter that This was payback. It is OK to can coach a power forma- Brady, Brian Griese, etc.) he couldn’t run the read option. scratch your head and won- tion. He once did. was Stan Parrish.

It hurts to say what I’ve der, but no bickering. Butch Offense did not come Based on last season’s arhas already said he knows easy for Tennessee the past gument that Joshua Dobbs been thinking, that there what’s best for the Vols. two seasons. It finished needed considerable im- would have been no bowl Butch worked for Mike 104th and 93rd in national provement on fundamentals game had Worley survived. long, long ago at Central rankings. The Vols were and the current dilemma of Justin would have deserved Michigan. Together they 69th in red zone touchdown three freshmen posing as a medal for true grit and produced a 12-34 record. percentage in 2014. Those quarterback depth, it would everlasting respect for raw DeBord did give Jones a big perfectly relaxed about the seem that Jones needed a courage, but no way does

Happy time, good fit, comfort zone The late Al McGuire used “seashells and balloons” to describe good times. The way things are with Tennessee football, you can add rainbows and free ice cream.

Recruiting success remains the talk of the town.

The new offensive coordinator is said to be a precise fit.

Butch Jones is really comfortable. Everybody that matters is some degree of happy. New titles and raises helped.

For lack of contrary information, I assume Mike DeBord is the correct step in maintaining “the best staff in America.” That’s what Butch promised when he was hired. No reason for him to back down.

I will concede that the

The rise and fall of Tyler Harber ured I was out to get him. It wouldn’t have taken a political savant to figure that out, because I loved to crack bad jokes about the escapades of Sun Tzu-quoting undergraduates being unleashed on the world by UT’s political science department.

Betty The last time I heard Bean from Tyler was Nov. 12, 2014, when he sent me an email asking me to come up I’d taken a couple of to D.C. to interview him. He pokes at him as the new en- said the Department of Jusfant terrible of local politics, tice was focusing on Repuband one night when Joe met lican consultants who were me at a blues bar in the Old running super PACs: “I’ve trusted you to write City to drop off some camthe truth before. Can I pay paign literature, he mentioned that Tyler was wait- for you to come up here to meet me once more? One ing for him in the car.

My recollection is that more interview,” he wrote.

“I need an impartial, he couldn’t get into the bar because he wasn’t 21 yet, but reasonable, no BS-telling Joe recently told me that Ty- of why I’m going to federal ler thought it better to wait prison for calling Obama a in the car because he fig- criminal repeatedly on naMy first encounter with Tyler Harber was in 2001 when he was working in Joe Bailey’s first city council campaign.

tional television. Are you up for a story with as much complexity as the series you wrote about me previously?

“Sooner rather than later.

DoJ is pushing hard and I can’t hold them off too much longer. You’ve been the journalist I’ve trusted.

Plus this is going to be a national story. I wanted to give you first dibs.

“Let me know. I know this is a very f’d-up request.

But in the end of my political career, I’d much prefer that you write my ‘epitaph’ than the Times, Post or any other rag inside the beltway.

“Let me know.

“Best regards, Tyler” Flabbergasted, I e-mailed him back, asking him to call me. He never responded.

Ragsdale Harber’s situation became brutally clear last

week when the news broke that he’d pleaded guilty to illegally coordinating a political campaign with a super PAC he’d created, directing more than $300,000 to the campaign and diverting $138,000 of that to a company run by his mother.

The news brought back a flood of memories – Mike Ragsdale’s 2002 county executive campaign kickoff at the L&N Station to the tune of the Beatles’ “Here comes the sun.”

And there he was – Tyler Harber – fi xing to embark on the long-term project of helping Ragsdale become governor.

When Ragsdale was sworn in, Tyler got a nebulous job on the sixth floor.

Later he was transferred to the county probation office, supposedly monitoring prisoners’ ankle bracelets.

A lot of us guffawed at that, because we spotted him doing stuff like chauffeuring the mayor here and there

LOCAL Businesses

trust,

and skulking around meetings keeping tabs on errant county commissioners who weren’t toeing the Ragsdale line.

Over time, recalcitrant commissioners began to complain that they were being threatened with reelection problems if they didn’t get with the program.

Specifically, they said that they were being told that the mayor would sic the ruthless boy genius on them if they didn’t straighten up. Occasionally Tyler got caught misbehaving in public and would get his knuckles rapped.

It all came to a head in 2006 when GOP county chair Chad Tindell refused to turn over a mailing list to the Ragsdale re-election campaign that he’d complied during the previous presidential election. Tyler, who was somehow privy to Tindell’s email password, printed out Tindell’s email correspondence and passed

Tennessee upset South Carolina without Joshua Dobbs.

Now we know and understand.

This, indeed, looks like the beginning of seashells and balloons for Tennessee football. There is reason for optimism.

The Lyle Allen Jones Reconstruction Company has done the preliminary brick work. His method has merit. There will be no more 7-6s.

Spring practice, even in relative secret, figures to be exciting. Already there is chatter about the Orange and White game. And an SEC East title! Some can barely wait. Go Vols!

I hope the new coach can help the team win. If the Vols make it to Atlanta, that might mean top 10 in the polls. Call it to my attention when it happens. That will be the real comfort zone.

it on to Ragsdale and his body man Mike Arms.

Threats, intimidation and car chases ensured. Tyler departed for Washington.

But he was heard from one more time.

Washington Shortly after Ragsdale’s less than impressive 2006 re-election victory, an anonymous blog post asked, “Missing me now?”

“Tyler,” I thought.

After tracking him down, I spent a weekend in Washington interviewing Tyler, and the result was a threepart Shopper-News series detailing the work he had done in the service of Mike Ragsdale. (The trip was solely at my expense, reimbursed in part by the Shopper.)

The interview included a description of his bogus probation job, a detailed account of attempting to To next page

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Shopper news • FEBRUARY 18, 2015 • 5

Campaign aims to keep babies off drugs We’ve produced many exceptional things in East Tennessee – Mountain Dew, hydroelectric power and the 1982 World’s Fair, to name a few.

Wendy Smith

The quick death of Insure Tennessee Deborah Huddleston and Karen Pershing of the Metropolitan Drug Commission display Born Drug-Free in Tennessee materials. The initiative aims to raise awareness about babies being born addicted to drugs. Photo by Wendy Smith

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that this region also cranks out something that should make us all shudder: drug dependent newborns. The Tennessee Department of Health’s 16-county East Tennessee region produced a whopping 27 percent of the state’s 973 Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) babies in 2014. Knox County alone produced 10.6 percent of the total number, which continues to rise.

These babies are sick because they are addicted to drugs ingested by their addicted mothers. The babies, and their moms, are the sad fallout of the region’s over-prescription of opiates. Addiction to prescription drugs is something that can happen to anyone, says Carla Saunders, a neonatal nurse practitioner at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.

“This is not an addictunder-the-bridge problem.

This is a person-sitting-nextto-you-in-church problem.”

Agencies from across the region, including the nonprofit Metropolitan Drug Commission and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, partnered with the East Tennessee NAS Task Force to kick off the Born DrugFree Tennessee education initiative last week.

The goal of the program is to raise awareness about babies being born exposed to prescription and other drugs. Education is aimed at medical providers, women who are pregnant or at risk of becoming pregnant, and their families.

Karen Pershing, executive director of the Metropolitan Drug Commission, says the problem stems from lack of communication. Last week, 29 OB/GYN doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses and nursing students participated in Born Drug-

Free Tennessee training.

Through role-play, the medical providers learned how to talk to women about addiction. It’s not something they’re comfortable asking about, she says.

Pregnant women also need education. They think pain pills are safe because doctors prescribe them, and access points are everywhere. Knox County has 35 registered pain clinics.

Those who recognize that they are addicted, or even dependent, face enormous challenges. They get sick if they quit taking pills, and replacement therapies, like methadone, are also harmful to babies. Information on the Born Drug-Free Tennessee website can help addicted women make changes and move forward with their lives, Saunders says.

Prescriptions for pain pills rose in response to the under-treatment of pain in the late 1990s and early 2000s. At the time, no one

Tyler Harber

realized how addictive the drugs were, she says. Even now, large prescriptions aren’t uncommon.

“There’s no need for opiates to the degree that doctors are prescribing them.”

Despite the number of NAS babies, Saunders has hope. A lot of people are looking for ways to help.

Pershing hopes to see the number of NAS babies born in Knox County drop 20 percent by 2016. It’s a lofty goal, but she thinks it’s possible through education. The Born Drug-Free Tennessee message is being spread via the Internet, radio, television, posters and brochures, and her voice. She’s happy to speak to community groups about the work of the Metropolitan Drug Commission – substance abuse prevention – and she always mentions the smallest victims of drug abuse.

“I always bring up the babies.” Info: www. borndrugfreetn.com

From previous page

derail a referendum on Ragsdale’s county wheel tax proposal and a recounting of an attempt to access confidential medical records of political foes, plus lots of intimidation of other elected officials.

It was explosive stuff, and although Ragsdale compelled department heads and other employees to sign sworn statements

government

disavowing Tyler’s allegations, nothing he told me in that marathon interview has ever been proven false.

Nothing.

Unlikely as it would have seemed in 2001, Tyler Harber became a valued friend and source to me over the years. I watched his rise through the Republican firmament – “Elections and Campaigns” magazine

named him a Rising Star in 2012 – and he was making regular appearances as a commentator on Fox News.

Last October, his refusal to join in on Fox’s wholesale bashing of Muslims was widely reported on other news outlets.

He and his wife, who is carving a niche for herself as a “military romance” author (who knew there was such

a genre?), are the parents of two cute little kids. I was impressed by his personal and professional growth over the years since he was Mike Ragsdale’s dirty tricks specialist. Then it all came crashing down.

This morning, I read that “Elections and Campaigns” has revoked his Rising Star award. And sentencing is set for May.

Recently I wrote the odds favored Gov. Haslam getting Medicaid expansion passed in the special legislative session. Little did I think that it would fail so overwhelmingly in less than 48 hours at the hands of fellow Republicans.

Never has a major initiative from the governor been scuttled so quickly and decisively. What happened?

There are many theories and all have some element of truth. But based on my own 15 years in the Legislature, there seems to be several factors.

First, the governor erred in calling a special session instead of letting Insure Tennessee be considered in the regular session. Weeks were needed to pull together a majority in both House and Senate, if it could be done. In hindsight, it probably would have failed in the regular session too, but not so spectacularly.

Second, the governor never had an accurate count of lawmakers showing a majority in favor. Whatever count he had was not close and was based on hope, not reality. He believed that his plan was so logical and so different from Obamacare that it would prevail after all the facts were outlined, combined with strong business community support.

The votes simply were not there to pass the plan.

Third, there were early warning signs of deep trouble when both speakers (Republicans, too) declined to endorse the plan. Then the Senate majority leader refused to sponsor the plan. Then there was not a written agreement with the Obama Administration. Then the House GOP caucus chair said he was opposed.

Victor Ashe

Fourth, extensive lobbying by hospital executives who spoke of the fiscal plight facing hospitals when top leadership’s pay, even at the medium and smaller hospitals, often exceeds $250.000 and in some cases reaches $600,000 hardly indicated a financial crisis. Only TVA is more tone deaf when it comes to paying outrageously high salaries to the top folks.

Erlanger in Chattanooga recently handed out over $1 million in bonuses to top personnel. This was not the governor’s doing but he got caught in the crossfire.

Fifth, the governor would have been well advised to have discussed this during his re-election campaign last fall. Then he could have said voters knew of it and backed it. He denied himself a mandate on the issue he did not raise.

The high point of the session was Haslam’s address which was as articulate a speech as he has ever given and came from the heart. It simply did not register with members who had already decided to vote “no” on an extension of Obamacare and bigger government.

The governor will and should move on. This Legislature probably will not act on this until a new President takes office on Jan. 20, 2017. While its failure is a setback and embarrassing, it is not the end of the world and Haslam has four more years to lead the state in an exceptional manner.

Hopson and allies to take helm of teachers’ association

By Betty Bean Asked what’s first when she takes over as president of the Knox County Education Association July 1, Lauren Hopson didn’t hesitate: “Increase membership and give teachers a voice.”

This shouldn’t surprise anyone who has observed the Halls third grade teacher since her “Tired Teacher” speech at the October 2013 school board forum.

Being president of KCEA is full-time, so Hopson will be taking a leave of absence from teaching.

If there was a KCEA election surprise, it’s the slate of officers who will enter with her. Members of SPEAK

(Students, Parents, Educations Across Knox), the organization she and others put together last year at the beginning of what came to be known as the teacher rebellion, got elected as well. So Amy Cate will become Hopson vice president; Linda Holtzclaw, secretary; Julie Smalling, high school executive board rep and Mark Taylor middle school executive board rep.

Dave Gorman and Sherry Morgan were elected to the

Anti-Aging

team that interviews candidates for public office.

Here is how Amy Cate describes their platform: “We are for truth and honesty in education – not smoke and mirrors of false promises from the educational reformers… This is 2015 and managing teachers through fear and intimidation is not acceptable. … We pride ourselves in being seekers of truth, but we are far from being radical. I promise!”

Hopson likes being part of a team: “It is a strange feeling to be excited and scared to death at the same time.

My biggest fear was getting elected without the rest of them there to help me.”

One of the first issues she wants to address is helping teachers re-establish some control over their professional lives.

“Over the last five days, I’ve had two days of planning time. We’re supposed to have it every day. Technically, under Tennessee law, I get 2.5 hours per week, which works out to 45 minutes a day.”

Instead, she has been required to attend a technology meeting and a PLC (professional learning community) meeting.

“What we’re supposed to be doing is do grade-level planning, identifying kids who need help; but usually,

we just look at test data.

Pretty much there isn’t anything I can do in a PLC meeting that is more important than planning for my students the next day. Last year, we asked for PLCs to be done monthly rather than weekly. If I worked at a TAP school, I’d have a cluster meeting – you don’t have to think long at all to figure out what those are called.”

And that’s just for starters.

Hopson, who is from Greeneville, started her professional life armed with degrees in psychology and sociology. She worked with troubled kids at a residential treatment center for

several years. In 2000, she went back to the University of Tennessee on a Lyndhurst fellowship, earned a master’s in education, and went to work for Knox County Schools.

She describes herself as generally conservative, but motivated into the political arena by learning of the plight of two friends, whom she describes as “amazing teachers, who, because of one test, had their jobs threatened. Now, they are both teachers of the year at their respective schools – and they’ll probably never talk to you because they don’t want that kind of attention.”

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6 • FEBRUARY 18, 2014 • Shopper news

Patricia Arquette plays the mom of Ellar Coltrane in “Boyhood,” nominated for six Academy Awards.

Pickle picks the Oscars The bookies aren’t as busy as with the Super Bowl, and the list isn’t as long as the Grammys, but the 87th Academy Awards, airing this Sunday night on ABC, should draw one of the biggest TV crowds of the year.

Controversy always intrigues an audience, and “American Sniper” – nominated for six Oscars – has stoked one fire after another. Between the critics’ pans and the divide between viewers, Clint Eastwood’s omission from the best director nominations, the real-life debate over Chris Kyle’s achievements during wartime and the real-life trial now deciding the fate of Kyle’s killer, “American Sniper” has become the most interesting subplot of the Oscars.

It may even be more interesting than the show itself. Nominated for Best Picture along with “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Boyhood,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Imitation Game,” “Selma,” “The Theory of Everything” and “Whiplash,” “American Sniper” isn’t seen as a contender.

The race is between “Boyhood” and “Birdman.”

As clever and well-made as “Birdman” is, nothing is cleverer or better made this year than “Boyhood.” “Boyhood” pushes the boundaries of filmmaking in dozens of ways, and its gamble results in a beautiful, compelling story.

Best Actor (female): Nominees are Marion Co-

Betsy Pickle

tillard, “Two Days, One Night”; Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”; Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”; Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”; Reese Witherspoon, “Wild.”

This is a fantastic lineup, but the only name that counts is Moore’s. This is her third nomination for lead – she’s also been nominated twice for supporting.

Hollywood loves her; the public loves her. She’s getting the gold.

Best Actor (male): Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”; Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”; Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”; Michael Keaton, “Birdman”; Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything.”

It’s a phenomenal field, but an old favorite is poised to win. While this is only the first nomination for Keaton, he is a talented and beloved star seemingly making a comeback in an “arty” film about an actor making a comeback. Life will imitate art.

Best Supporting Actor (female): Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”; Laura Dern, “Wild”; Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”; Emma Stone, “Birdman”; Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods.”

This worthy list also has a frontrunner, and – amazingly – it isn’t Streep, who

already has one supporting and two lead Oscars from 18 previous nominations. Early accolades have overwhelmingly favored Arquette, whose work in “Boyhood” is complex and controlled. The journeyman star will finally get her due.

Best Supporting Actor (male): Robert Duvall, “The Judge”; Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”; Edward Norton, “Birdman”; Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”; J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash.”

This may be the most suspenseful race of all the major categories. Each nominee is impressive, but the two generating the most excitement are Ruffalo and Simmons. Ruffalo was nominated previously for “The Kids Are All Right,” and he’s terrific in “Foxcatcher.”

Simmons is a newbie in the Oscar world, but the man has done everything from the creepiest of convicts to the most lovable of father figures. His tough-guy act in “Whiplash” is a sight to behold, and Oscar voters will want to reward him here for a lifetime of greatness.

Best Director: Alejandro G. Inarritu, “Birdman”; Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”; Bennet Miller, “Foxcatcher”; Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”; Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game.”

Not a weak spot here, but only one spent 12 years making a film that turned out to be a masterpiece.

Can’t wait to see Richard Linklater – the man who directed the classic “Dazed and Confused” – pick up the Oscar for “Boyhood.”

Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner) encourages his team in “McFarland, USA.”

Oscar alternatives

By Betsy Pickle

The Oscars may be drawing the bulk of attention from movie lovers this weekend, but theaters have to keep selling popcorn.

Three films are opening in wide release Friday.

Kevin Costner continues what feels like a comeback with “McFarland, USA.” With “Black or White” still getting love at the box office, Costner piles on with this inspirational film based on a true story.

Costner plays Jim White, a disgraced high-school football coach who winds up in a small town in California, teaching P.E. and science in a primarily Hispanic school.

As he and his family try to deal with culture shock,

he notices that several boys at school are exceptionally fast runners, and he recruits them for a crosscountry team.

Scoffed at by their betterfunded competitors, the team trains hard and heads for a finale that won’t be a surprise for anyone who’s ever seen an inspirational sports movie. Maria Bello also stars in the film directed by Niki Caro (“Whale Rider”).

The hot tub and many of the cast members are back, but not John Cusack in “Hot Tub Time Machine 2,” the sequel to the 2010 hit.

The characters seek out the mysterious hot tub once more to go back in time when one of their own is shot. Adam Scott, Rob

Corddry, Clark Duke, Craig Robinson, Chevy Chase, Thomas Lennon and Gillian Jacobs star for director Steve Pink, also returning.

“The DUFF” delves into high-school life and a twist on “Mean Girls.”

A high school senior decides not to take it when she discovers that the student body has labeled her the DUFF – Designated Ugly Fat Friend – to her more attractive friends.

She tries to reinvent herself and upend the social pecking order at her school, starting with taking down the queen bee.

Mae Whitman, Bella Thorne, Robbie Amell, Nick Eversman, Ken Jeong and Allison Janney star for director Ari Sandel.

weekender

Shopper news • FEBRUARY 18, 2014 • 7

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

Did you know k th thatt Knoxville is home to 21 museums? And here’s some startling info: according to the website moretoknoxville.com, their total annual attendance exceeds that of all UT home football games combined.

■ Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents “Built To Amaze” at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum, 500 Howard Baker Jr. Ave. Showtimes: 7 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m.

Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. Info/tickets: Coliseum Box Office, 215-8999.

FRIDAY ■ Antonin Dvořák’s “Stabat Mater” performance by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay St. Part of the Moxley Carmichael Masterworks Series. Tickets: KnoxvilleTickets.com, 656-4444; KSO box office: 291-3310.

Carol Shane

SATURDAY That’s a lot of art lovers!

The big kahuna, of course, is the Knoxville Museum of Art. It’s home to not only a world-class collection of visual art, but the wildly popular Alive After Five concert series, as well as the brilliant KSO Concertmaster Series of classical concerts.

Right now is a great time to visit the museum, what with the changeable weather and often gloomy skies. Is it spring? Still winter? Who knows? Put away the gardening tools and canoe for a few more weeks, anyway, and find beauty and intrigue inside the KMA. Three local artists – two painters and one mixedmedia sculptor – are currently featured in “Contemporary Focus,” an annual exhibition designed to serve as a vital means of recognizing, supporting, and documenting the development of contemporary art in East Tennessee.

Each year, the exhibition series features the work of artists who are living and making art in this region, and who are exploring issues relevant to the larger world of contemporary art.

■ The Black Jacket Symphony performs The Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” 8 p.m., Bijou Theater, 803 S. Gay St. Tickets: $27.50 plus applicable service fees. Info/tickets: http://www. knoxbijou.com.

SUNDAY Painter Karla Wozniak’s 2014 “Mountain Building,” currently on display at the KMA of KMA

Painter Karla Wozniak holds degrees in painting from Yale University and Rhode Island School of Design, including participation in RISD’s European Honors Program in Rome, Italy. Her paintings have been exhibited all over the U.S. and in Germany. She is currently an assistant professor of painting at the University of Tennessee’s School of Art. Anyone who enjoys the daring and vibrant use of color will love Wozniak’s densely patterned, exuberant works. She’s a modernday Fauve, referring to a group of early-20th-century French Impressionist painters who used vivid palettes. Wozniak draws inspiration from nature as well as the urban landscape.

The other featured painter, Mira Gerard, is chair and associate professor in the department of art & design at East Tennessee State University.

From the KMA website: “Mira Gerard’s shadowy, expansive figure paintings integrate subject matter from her own video recordings and found imagery in ways that blur the boundaries between dream and reality.”

Gerard’s ghostly figures are sometimes gently intercepted by objects, as if they’re made of air. Faces are obscured, backgrounds are multi-layered, gauzy, swirling.

On her website, Gerard states, “I make paintings of the figure as a way to understand desire, which functions in my work in

Photo courtesy

part as a fantasy about being both subject and maker.”

Mixed-media sculptor Caroline Covington’s aim is often to provoke and unsettle. She produces “works that explore notions of displacement, mortality and chance,” according to the KMA website. In addition to her studio practice, Covington is assistant professor of sculpture at Chattanooga State Community College.

Covington says, “My current work exposes the anxieties and apprehensions felt towards the myths of the past and the uncertainties of the future through interactive installations incorporating found and fabricated objects, performance, video and monumental structures. As view-

■ “Hollywood’s Night Out” presented by Young Variety at Regal Entertainment Group’s Riviera 8 Downtown. Watch the Oscar’s live on Regal’s big screen. Doors open 7 p.m. Tickets: $35. Tickets: Fandango Online or the Regal Riviera Box Office.

Proceeds go to Variety of Eastern Tennessee’s Kids on the Go! Program. Info: Variety of Eastern Tennessee on Facebook.

■ Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra Winter Concerts: 4:30 p.m. featuring four of the five Youth Orchestras and 7 p.m. featuring the top Youth Orchestra with solos by the Concerto Competition winners 8th grader Autumn Arsenault, piano and Farragut High School sophomore Jerry Zhou, cello; Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay St. Free admission.

■ Young Pianist Series Concert featuring Steven Lin, 2:30 p.m., Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, 1741 Volunteer Blvd. UT campus. Tickets at the door or online: students free, $25 adults. Info/tickets: 408-8083 or www.youngpianistseries.com.

ers consider the work and the narratives therein, a sense of dread stirs both memories and premonitions, fueling fears and disrupting intimacy.”

So, some uncomfortable feelings may arise. But what better place to explore and expand than in an art museum?

“Contemporary Focus” runs through April 19 at the Knoxville Museum of Art, just off 11th Street at 1050 World’s Fair Park. For more information, including other current exhibits, visit knoxart.org or call 525-6101.

Send story suggestions to news@ shoppernewsnow.com.

Plate it

Bistro by the Tracks I love seafood, so seeing a type I have never tried before on the menu at Bistro by the Tracks made my dinner selection an easy one.

Grilled cobia turned out to be a firm and meaty fish with such a delicious and mild flavor that I cleaned my plate in no time.

Cobia, according to some quick Internet research, is sometimes called black kingfish or black salmon, which is something of a mystery as it isn’t anything like kingfish or salmon and

Mystery Diner

The cobia at Bistro by the Tracks is served with Anson Mills’ Farro Verde – another menu item that sent me to the Internet – and pickled vegetables, thinly sliced radishes, isn’t black. It’s a saltwater lemon and arugula. Farro fish, and most of the sup- is simply an Italian name ply for restaurants comes for emmer wheat. It has from aqua-farms. Cobia’s a slightly nutty taste, can mild flavor makes it a chef’s have a smoky flavor and is favorite at high-end restau- cooked soft, but still with rants. a slight crunch. It is rather

like risotto, but not as soft.

The sauce is the perfect complement to the whole dish. The key is starting at the top layer and making sure your fork goes all the way to the bottom of the plate, getting a little of every component into each bite.

Just eat it. The combination of the cobia, the tang of the pickled vegetables and the farro verde will make

The firm and delicious cobia is the star of this dish at Bistro by the Tracks. Photo by Mystery Diner

this one of your favorite dishes. If you love seafood, you’ll go back to Bistro by the Tracks for this one.

Bistro by the Tracks, 215 Brookview Centre Way, is located off Northshore

Drive in the center behind Walgreens and the former TGI Friday’s restaurant. Go now, and then return for lunch when they open their beautiful patio.

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kids

8 • FEBRUARY 18, 2014 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news

Beaumont rocks!

The PTA at Beaumont Magnet Academy has been hard at work to help make the school year a big success for students.

Ruth White Jameiyes Mills makes an authentic Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The parent organization provides support to the school and teaching staff by donating funds, as well as keeping students safe and the grounds looking good.

President Kelly Johnson shared with the group the projects that have been completed, including the recent winter carnival at which parents and students played games, enjoyed good food and had tons of fun together – all while raising money for improvements and incentives during the year.

Exhibit Night at the school will be Thursday, Feb. 19, and PTA members are currently volunteering to hang art throughout the school and to organize a teacher appreciation meal.

In addition to fundraising, the PTA is currently collecting clothing (all sizes, especially pants and underwear) for students in need.

They are also planning a clean-up of school grounds for Saturday, March 28. The clean-up will begin around 2 p.m. and should last only an hour or so with everyone pitching in to pick up trash

Beaumont parent and PTA member Scott Schimmel discusses the upcoming fundraiser, Beaumont Rocks, at a recent meeting. Photo by R.

Rosa Parks, played by Anijha Battle, is escorted off a bus in Montgomery, Ala., by Judarius Jones, playing a police officer.

Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger.

Bethany Wells leads the Sarah Moore Greene dancers.

White

Magnet Showcase and weed the flower beds.

The big event of the school year is the third annual Beaumont Rocks, to be held Friday, April 3, at the Relix Theatre on Central Avenue in Happy Holler.

The evening will include a night of good music featuring at least one student act and a headlining band.

It’s open to the public, and will also feature Beaumont T-shirts, raffle items and food in a kid-friendly environment. Cost is a $5 cover.

Doors will open at approximately 5:30 p.m.

The PTA needs photos of field trips and other events.

Anyone with photos to share should email them to beaumontyearbook@gmail.org.

Please “like” the organization on Facebook and find out more of the great goings-on at the school. Find them at Beaumont Elementary/Magnet School PTA.

Photos by S. Clark

SMG showcases magnet programs

By Sandra Clark A grand crowd of family and friends gathered at Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy to watch children orate, act, sing and dance Thursday at the school’s magnet showcase.

April Lamb, magnet coordinator, directed what she called “organized chaos” involving several clubs that meet weekly after school.

Videos highlighted the photography club and the newspaper club. Members of the ambassadors club greeted visitors at the front door and escorted them to the gymnasium. The book club and “word birds” also presented.

The program ended with

“Martin Luther King Jr.: The Story of a Dream” by June Behrens, performed by the drama and improv clubs and choir.

Afterwards, guests toured sections of the school where teachers displayed student work.

“We may not be perfect, but we have the courage to do the right thing,” said Anthony Anderson, a leader of the mentor group called ambassadors.

Other club sponsors are: Ahsia Spencer, choir; Katherine Mencer, drama; Shel-

ley Jenkins, improv; Anderson, Viktoria Henderson and Tonya Foster, ambassadors; Bethany Wells, dance; Dion Dykes, video; Amanda Lynn, book club; Charles Thompson, photography; and Katilin Boling, newspaper.

Louise Hargis of the Knoxville Zoo shows Madeline to students at Sarah Moore Greene. Photo by Destiny Woods

Skink at SMG

Madeline, a prehensile tailed skink, is a 29-year resident of the Knoxville Zoo. Photo by Xavier Hill

“I love my new foster family!”

■

Newspaper club gets zoo visit

Louise Conrad Hargis No. brought a reptile in a cooler What does it eat? to last week’s newspaper Kale and carrots. club at Sarah Moore Greene.

Who are her predators?

It was Madeline, a prehenOwls, hawks and eagles. sile tailed skink.

“She smells with her The reporters touched tongue,” said Hargis. the lizard and asked good Reporters commented on questions: the skink’s long fingers (five Does it change colors? per hand) and her tail which

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functions “like another hand,” according to Hargis.

Someone asked how Hargis got her job at the zoo.

“I majored in ecology and biodiversity in college, but what helped most was my summers spent working as a camp counselor.”

West High student directs ‘Alice’ adaptation

By Wendy Smith A.J. Tierney was in third grade when she saw a production of “Peter Pan” and said, “I want to do that.” Her parents immediately began sending her on auditions, and over the next couple of years, she appeared in plays at the Black Box Theater in Bearden and the Bijou Theatre.

Looking back, A.J. thinks “Peter Pan” made her want to fly, not act. But after appearing in 12 different productions and now directing at the Knoxville Children’s Theatre, it’s clear that she’s capable of doing both.

The West High School junior directs “Alice’s Rumpus in Wonderland,” which opens Friday, Feb. 20. She was given the opportunity after interning for a year with the children’s theater, located at 109 E. Churchwell Avenue.

As an intern, she experienced every aspect of

backstage work, from props to stage management. She also choreographed several wordless sequences when she co-directed last fall’s production of “Hound of the Baskervilles.”

She was initially nervous about directing the young cast because some of them are almost like siblings.

She’s known some since the fourth grade, and was concerned that they wouldn’t see her as an authority figure. But they’ve behaved so professionally that it hasn’t been an issue, she says.

The leadership skills A.J. learned as an intern have helped. One of her responsibilities as stage manager was discipline, and she learned how to correct gently with phrases like, “I’m disappointed in you.”

She compares directing with being an artist, or painter. As an artist, she has numerous tools, or geniuses, at her disposal, she

says. In addition to 18 hardworking actors, her work is supported by a talented crew of costumers and set designers. She’s also backed up by the theater’s executive director, Zack Allen.

He wrote the adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” and “Alice Through the LookingGlass,” but it was A.J.’s idea to set the play in New York City during the Roaring 1920s.

“Think of the parallels of the craziness of New York and Wonderland,” she says.

The play begins at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1925 when Alice loses Harry Houdini’s white rabbit.

While chasing the rabbit, she finds herself in the hotel elevator, which takes her down to Wonderland.

Performances are Feb. 20, 21, 22, 26, 27 and 28, and March 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

Info: 208-3677 or knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com

business

Shopper news • FEBRUARY 18, 2015 • 9

Dalton Collision: Gold Class Shop Let’s face it. There are businesses that you hope you’ll never need to visit.

But when you are faced with repairing your vehicle after a collision, you want a place with excellent qualifications. Dalton Collision fills the bill – and then some.

Jerry Dalton was in the fiberglass repair division at Sea Ray Boats, but soon he was also working on cars.

It wasn’t long before his customers also needed collision repair, so he and wife Donna opened Dalton Collision in a garage in 1991.

In 1998, the business relocated to the current building at 355 Rutledge Pike near Blaine. With 8,600 square feet, it appeared the building would have plenty of space. However, in the typical Dalton fashion of growth and progress, an additional 4,000 square feet is being built adjacent to the current location and is scheduled for completion in March.

The new space will include a dedicated aluminum room. With stricter government standards for fuel economy, manufacturers are being required to reduce the weight of cars and trucks. Aluminum reduces the weight of the average vehicle by 700 pounds. The

Nancy Whittaker

Daltons want to stay one step ahead of the future needs of consumers. New Ford F150s are currently made of aluminum. Dalton Collision has already been aluminum certified for Ford, as well as for Nissan, Infinity, Honda, Acura, General Motors and Chrysler.

Certifications are important to Jerry and Donna.

The Daltons require all 16 employees to stay current on the latest technology.

Local and regional training has resulted in Dalton Collision being designated as an I-CAR (Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair) Gold Class Shop for 16 years, the longest of any shop in the state of Tennessee, according to Jerry.

Some insurance companies require collision repair to be done by a Gold Class Shop.

Blueprinting the car – taking a car apart and looking for hidden damages

Elite Realty staff: (seated) owner Andy Mason, Realtor Aaron Newman; (standing) owner Karen Bradshaw, Realtors Shirley Jones and Tausha Price. Not pictured: Donna Beasley, Terri Rose. Photo submitted

Elite Realty marks 22 years Elite Realty is celebrating 22 years of service to the community. Co-owners Andy Mason and Karen Bradshaw held a Knoxville Area Association of Realtors (KAAR) awards luncheon Feb. 10 to acknowledge the accomplishments of Award of Excellence recipients for 2014.

Awards given: Andy Mason – Diamond; Shirley Jones, Tausha Price, Aaron Newman and Terri Rose –

Gold; Donna Beasley – Silver.

“We are not a big corporation. People come to us because they feel they get more personal attention,” said Bradshaw. “We feel blessed that the community has supported us through the years. Without them we wouldn’t be here.”

Elite Realty handles commercial, land and residential sales. Info: 110 Legacy View Way, 947-5000.

– is one reason Jerry says insurance companies refer people to Dalton Collision.

“Quality work with a faster turn-around time is what sets us apart. I put my money back in the business to insure I have the best tools and equipment and latest technology,” says Jerry.

Currently they are averaging repairs on 20 vehicles per week.

Dalton Collision is also certified with in-network Certified VIP Collision Care Repair Services. “We are locally owned and operated but also part of a national chain of shops,” explains

Jerry. Among other benefits, Jerry says this guarantees repairs nationally with a lifetime warranty. When repairs are completed at Dalton Collision, they are guaranteed by the network, so customers can move out of state and still be assured of their warranty if there are any issues in the future.

Dalton Collision is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 5:30 for all services and on Saturdays from 9 to noon for estimates and drop-offs. Collision repair is available for all makes and models. Info: www.dalton- Donna and Jerry Dalton have spent over 20 years building their successful business. Photo by Nancy Whittaker collision.com or 933-9818.

News from Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC)

Bowling finds purpose in writing

By Alvin Nance Margaret Bowling, 86, is proof that you are never too old to find your passion. She published her first novel two years ago and completed her second, “Mountain Glory,” last year.

The Northgate Terrace resident has been invited to bring her newest novel to the KCDC board of commissioners meeting when every commissioner will be given a book purchased by Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation.

In just a few months, Bowling already has sold more than 100 books, even though she never picked up a pen to write until she retired and began crafting stories in spiral notebooks.

Both novels center on ancestors who lived in Scott County in a small community called Norma in the late 1800s. The first book, “Mountain Refuge,” focuses on the childhood and early life of her great-grandfa-

Terri Evans (left) and Alvin Nance (right) have their copies of “Mountain Glory” signed by author Margaret Bowling at a book signing at Northgate Terrace. ther, Will Wilson. The 254page sequel follows Wilson as he raises his children and also tells the story of the Wilson family’s friends and neighbors. This book is about twice as long as Bowling’s first effort.

Bowling said the second book was fun to write, because she had reached the

point where she was writing about people she knew firsthand, such as her grandmother, Nancy Wilson, who is a child in this book.

Publishing was the hardest part of the process. She wrote “Mountain Glory” in a few months, but it took nearly two years to publish.

Her hard work paid off, be-

cause both books now are available on Amazon in both print and digital forms.

Bowling has received a great response from Scott County folks. To her, that’s the best part of writing this book.

“I’m meeting a lot of new people,” Bowling said. “I never dreamed I’d have so many friends.”

Bowling has lived at Northgate Terrace for more than 25 years and has certainly been one of our most engaging residents.

“We are very proud to have a published author,” said Terri Evans, Northgate Terrace senior asset manager. “KCDC staff and residents are eagerly awaiting the next edition to see what happens next to Will Wilson and his family.”

They won’t have to wait long. Bowling says she’s already well on her way in writing her third novel.

Alvin Nance is executive director and CEO of KCDC.

We believe you deserve exceptional care.

Free tax assistance available versalist Church, 616 Fretz Road: 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through April 14.

Documents needed include: Social Security card and birthday for each person on the return; taxpayer photo ID; original W-2s, 1099Rs, SSA1099s, etc., for all income; proof of health insurance – a new requirement. Optional documents: last year’s return, proof of account for direct deposit and expenses for deductions.

Info: www.irs.gov.

SOUTH KNOX SENIOR CENTER ■ Wednesday, Feb. 18: 7:30 a.m. free swim; 8:30 a.m. guitar lessons; 9 a.m. painting; 10 a.m. quilting; 11 a.m. Water Peeps; noon bridge.

■ Thursday, Feb. 19: 7:30 a.m. free swim; 9 a.m. water aerobics, South Knox Opry; 10 a.m. Water Pilates; 12:15 p.m. ballroom dance; 1 p.m. Rook, water aerobics; 1:30 p.m. line dance; 2 p.m. Water Pilates.

■ Friday, Feb. 20: 7:30 a.m. free swim; 8:45 a.m. advanced senior cardio fitness; 9 a.m. water aerobics; 10 a.m. yoga; 11 a.m. SAIL exercise, cards, water peeps; 1 p.m. water

aerobics, beginning art.

■ Monday, Feb. 23: 7:30 a.m. free swim; 9 a.m. Taxaide, water aerobics; 10 a.m. Water Pilates; 11 a.m. quilting, Water Peeps; 1 p.m. bridge, water aerobics, Gospel singing/potluck lunch.

■ Tuesday, Feb. 24: 7:30 a.m. free swim; 8:45 a.m. Senior Cardio Fitness, dulcimer lessons; 9 a.m. water aerobics; 10 a.m. crafts/beading, SAIL exercises; 11 a.m. Tai Chi I; 12:30 p.m. Tai Chi II; 1 p.m. water aerobics; 2 p.m. Water Pilates, yoga.

■ Info: 573-5843.

That’s why we commit to excellence – every patient, every time. And strive to achieve the highest level of quality service in primary care.

We’ve coupled our clinical expertise with the strength of one of the nation’s highest performing health networks, Covenant Health.

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Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which offers free tax preparation by certified volunteers to low-to moderateincome families and households, is available at three locations.

Goodwill, 5307 Kingston Pike: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays, through April 15.

Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays through April 10.

Westside Unitarian Uni-

10 • FEBRUARY 18, 2014 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news

Shopper Ve n t s enews

Send items to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

THROUGH SATURDAY, FEB. 28 “Buy One, Get One Free” admission tickets available for Knoxville Zoo. Tickets can be purchased at the zoo ticket window during regular zoo hours.

Info: 637-5331, ext. 300 or knoxvillezoo.org.

THROUGH FRIDAY, MARCH 27 Call for local authors of children’s books for “Farragut Book Fest for Children” to be held 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 11, at Founders Park at Campbell Station. $25 fee includes tent, table, two chairs and lunch at the event; authors will supply their books, decorations and signage. No fee: bring own set-up materials, which must include a tent fitting a 10'x10' space. Info/to register: www.townoffarragut.org/ register and click the Programs tab; Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive; 966-7057.

THROUGH FRIDAY, APRIL 10 Tickets available for Rhythm N’ Blooms music festival, on stages set exclusively along downtown Knoxville’s historic Jackson Avenue. Features firsttimers, chart-climbers and highly lauded acts from varied musical backgrounds. Info/tickets: www. rhythmnbloomsfest.com.

THROUGH MAY 20 Applications accepted for the Great Smoky Mountains Trout Adventure Camp for middle school girls and boys, sponsored by the Tennessee Council of Trout Unlimited to be held June 15-20 at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (GSMIT) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Info/applications: http://www.tntroutadventure.org.

THROUGH SATURDAY, JUNE 20

MONDAY, FEB. 23 Technology 101: Smartphones and Tablets, 12:30-2 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. Free; open to the public. Info: 3298892, TTY: 711.

Tennessee Stage Company New Play Festival Readings: “American Farce,” 6 p.m., Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road. Info: 689-2681.

TUESDAY, FEB. 24 Log Cabin Quilt Block Class, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Hobby Lobby at Turkey Creek. Cost: $24. Info: Monica Schmidt, 406-3971, monicaschmidt.tn@gmail. com, myquiltplace.com/profile/monicaschmidt.

Quebecois Vive Le Quebec!! cooking class, , 6:30-8:30 p.m., Avanti Savoia, 7610 Maynardville Pike. Cost: $50. Info/to register: 922-9916 or www. avantisavoia.com.

TUESDAY AND THURSDAY, FEB. 24, 26 AAA Driver Improvement Course, 5:30-9:30 p.m., AAA Knoxville office, 100 W. Fifth Ave. Must attend both nights. Preregistration required. Info/to register: Kate, 862-9254, or Stephanie, 862-9252.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25 AAA Driver Improvement Course, 5:30-9:30 p.m., AAA Knoxville office, 100 W. Fifth Ave. Must preregister. Info/to register: Kate, 862-9254, or Stephanie, 862-9252.

THURSDAY, FEB. 26 Family Pajama Storytime, 6:30 p.m., Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. Info: 922-2552.

Computer Workshops: Internet and Email Basics, 2 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Requires “Introducing the Computer” or equivalent skills. Info/to register: 525-5431.

THURSDAY-FRIDAY, FEB. 26-27 AARP Driver Safety class, noon-4 p.m., Halls Senior Center, 4410 Crippen Road. Info/to register: Carolyn Rambo, 382-5822.

FRIDAY, FEB. 27

Online registration open for Race to benefit the Corryton Community Food Pantry, to be held Saturday, June 20. Event is part of “The Run and See Tennessee Grand Prix Series.” To register: https:// runnerreg.us/corryton8mile. Info: corryton8miler@ yahoo.com; ron.fuller@totalracesolutions.com; or Joyce Harrell, 705-7684.

Doc Rock 2015, 8 p.m.-midnight, on two stages: NV Nightclub, 125 E. Jackson Ave. and The Bowery.

Doors open at 7. Ultimate battle of physician bands.

Presented by Knoxville Academy of Medicine Alliance.

Bands include: Second Opinion, Remedy, Patriot Rising, Funk and Awesome, STD-Spinal Tappin’ Docs; South River Trail. Info: https://www.facebook.com/ DocRockForHealth/timeline.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18

SATURDAY FEB. 28

Computer Workshop: Word Basics, 2 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway.

Requires “Introducing the Computer” or equivalent skills. Info/to register: 525-5431.

Historic Hauntings VIP session, 5:30 p.m., Ramsey House, 2614 Thorn Grove Pike. The results of the paranormal investigation by Haunted Knoxville Ghost Tour’s J-Adam Smith and video by Patrick Watson of Mapletree Productions. VIP admission: $35.

Additional tours: $25. All proceeds benefit Historic Ramsey House. Info/reservations: 546-0745; judy@ ramseyhouse.org; Kathy@ramseyhouse.org.

Saturday LEGO Club, 3 p.m., Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. For grades 1-5. Info: 9222552.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Georgi Schmitt, 11 a.m., Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road. Info: 689-2681.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Sean McCollough, 11 a.m., Powell Branch Library, 330 W. Emory Road. Info: 947-6210.

Stand in the Gap Coalition quarterly meeting, 2 p.m., Plainview Community Building, 1037 Tazewell Pike, Luttrell. Program: Dan Smoots will review “Give Me A Reason,” a youth drug identification/prevention program.

THURSDAY, FEB. 19 Burlington Game Night, 5:30-8 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: 5255431.

“Read the Packet: a key factor for successful seed starting,” 3:15-4 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 4438 Western Ave. Presented by Knox County Master Gardeners. Free and open to the public. Info: 329-8892.

FRIDAY, FEB. 20 Chili Fundraiser hosted by the Union County Little League, 5:30-8 p.m., Maynardville Elementary School. Cost: $5 for bowl of chili, drink and cookie.

Silent auction. Info: Union County Little League Facebook page.

SATURDAY, FEB. 21 All you can eat pancake breakfast, 8:30-10 p.m., Chili’s, 6635 Clinton Highway. Tickets: adults, $5; children 4-6, $2; children under 3, free. All proceeds benefit Christus Victor Early Childhood Development Center education program.

Little Free Library Workshop, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Center for Creative Minds, 23 Emory Place. Hosted by A1LabArts. To register: Donna, donnamoore32@mac. com. Info: www.a1labarts.org.

Northside Kiwanis Club Pancake Jamboree and Bake Sale, 7 a.m.-2 p.m., St. John’s Lutheran Church, 544 N. Broadway. Tickets: $4 each or $10/ family (up to four) available at the door. Info: Tom Mattingly, 414-6218.

Ranch Rodeo, 7 p.m., the Great Smoky Mountains Expo Center, 1615 Pavilion Drive, White Pine. Sponsored by the Walters State Ag Club. Proceeds go to scholarships for the Walters State Agriculture Department. Admission: $10 for adults; $5 for students ages 7-17; 6 and under free. Tickets available at the door.

Info: ws.edu.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Sean McCollough, 11 a.m., Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road. Info: 689-2681.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Emagene Reagan, 11 a.m., Powell Branch Library, 330 W. Emory Road. Info: 947-6210.

Tennessee Stage Company New Play Festival Readings: “The Third Proposal,” 2:30 p.m., Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road. Info: 6892681.

SUNDAY, MARCH 1 ‘Recycling Games’ event, 1-3 p.m., Wilderness at the Smokies Waterpark Resort, Sevierville. Oneday tickets to Wild WaterDome indoor waterpark: $15.

Waterpark will remain open until 8 p.m. Proceeds to benefit Keep Sevier Beautiful and Sevier County Food Bank. Kids will learn important tips about recycling and helping the environment.

MONDAY, MARCH 2 American Legion meeting, 7 p.m., 140 Veteran St., Maynardville. All veterans are invited. Info: 3875522.

TUESDAY, MARCH 3 Needle Tatting, Beaded Josephine Bracelet Class, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Hobby Lobby at Turkey Creek. Cost: $24. Info: Monica Schmidt, 406-3971, monicaschmidt.tn@gmail.com, myquiltplace.com/ profile/monicaschmidt.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 6-7 Clothing consignment sale, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Friday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Central Baptist Church Bearden, 6300 Deane Hill Drive. Proceeds go to The Light House Ministries at Austin Homes.

Consignors needed; deadline to register: March 1. Info: cbbclothingsale@gmail.com.

Spring Children’s Consignment Sale, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m.-noon Saturday, Freedom Christian Academy, 4615 Asheville Highway.

SATURDAY, MARCH 7 Free beekeeping class, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., First Avenue Meeting Hall, across from Duncan Lumber in New Tazewell. Sponsored by Bee Friends beekeeping group.

Instructor: John Hamrick, a long-time beekeeper and UT extension agent. Lunch provided. Info/to register: Julianne, 617-9013.

Gospel concert, 2 p.m., North Acres Baptist Church, 5803 Millertown Pike. Featuring: Eternal Vision, Michael & Delilah and Tommy Spencer. Tickets: $10. Door Prize: a lot in Lake Tansi Resort in Crossville.

Proceeds to be used for a mission trip to Nicaragua.

Info/tickets: Stephanie Maples, 556-1681, samaples32@ comcast.net.

Playing With Fire! class, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway 61 in Norris. Instructor: Renee Mathies. Registration deadline: Feb. 28. Part of the Featured Tennessee Artist Workshop series. Info: 494-9854 or www. appalachianarts.net.

Red & Black Jazzy Chili Dinner and Auction hosted by Central High School Bobcat Band, 5-8 p.m., Central High School Commons, 5321 Jacksboro Pike.

Tickets: Advanced tickets, $5; family tickets four or more, $20; at-the-door, $6; bake sale, $1. Chili, live music and silent auction. Proceeds go to new marching band uniforms. Info/tickets: 689-1400.

THURSDAY, MARCH 12 VFW meeting, 7 p.m., 140 Veteran St., Maynardville. All veterans are invited. Info: 278-3784.

SUNDAY, MARCH 15 Mosaic Stepping Stone class, 1-6 p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway 61 in Norris. Instructor: Jessica Kortz.

Registration deadline: March 8. Part of the Featured Tennessee Artist Workshop series. Info: 494-9854 or www.appalachianarts.net.

MONDAYS, MARCH 16, 23, 30 Handbuilding with Clay class, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway 61 in Norris. Instructor: Janet McCracken.

Registration deadline: Monday, March 9. Info: 494-9854 or www.appalachianarts.net.

TUESDAY, MARCH 17 Honor Guard meeting, 7 p.m., 140 Veteran St., Maynardville. All veterans invited. Info: 256-5415.

WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY, MARCH 18-19 AARP Driver Safety class, noon-4 p.m., O’Connor Senior Center, 611 Winona St. Info/to register: Carolyn Rambo, 382-5822.

SATURDAY, MARCH 21 Nuno felted Scarf workshop, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway 61 in Norris. Instructor: Tone Haugen-Cogburn.

Registration deadline: March 14. Part of the Tennessee Featured Artist Workshop Series. Info: 494-9854 or www.appalachianarts.net.

SUNDAY, MARCH 29 Market Basket, 1-7:30 p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway 61 in Norris. Instructor: Barbara Holt. Registration deadline: March 22.

Part of the Tennessee Featured Artist Workshop Series.

Info: 494-9854 or www.appalachianarts.net.

SATURDAY, APRIL 4 Splint Reed Seat Weaving class, 1-5 p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway 61 in Norris. Instructor: Betty Newman.

Registration deadline: March 28. Part of the Featured Tennessee Artist Workshop series. Info: 494-9854 or www.appalachianarts.net.

MONDAY, APRIL 6 American Legion meeting, 7 p.m., 140 Veteran St., Maynardville. All veterans are invited. Info: 387-5522.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9 VFW meeting, 7 p.m., 140 Veteran St., Maynardville. All veterans are invited. Info: 278-3784.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, APRIL 10-12 Rhythm N’ Blooms music festival, on stages set exclusively along downtown Knoxville’s historic Jackson Avenue. Features first-timers, chart-climbers and highly lauded acts from varied musical backgrounds. Tickets available now. Info/tickets: www.rhythmnbloomsfest.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11 Color Me Rad 5K, 9 a.m., Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum. Participants of all ages are welcome to run or walk. A portion of the proceeds will benefit East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. Info/to register: colormerad.com.