NORTH / EAST VOL. 2 NO. 15
IN THIS ISSUE
Walking tours
“Walk the streets of a city torn in two by divided loyalties and then get an overview of the fighting from the observation deck of the Sunsphere. Spies, bridge burners, miracle shots, betrayal and battle.” Laura Still tells stories. She’s written plays and poetry and she conducts tours of downtown Knoxville.
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April 14, 2014
New life for Magnolia
Read about Still’s walking tours on 3
School board predictions First District incumbent Gloria Deathridge faces challengers Marshall Walker and Robert Boyd – both able guys who know their way around schools. Betty Bean sizes up this race along with others and predicts the outcomes for all.
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Read Betty Bean on page 4
City salaries: Bet you didn’t know ... The city of Knoxville is essentially a service provider. It’s a people business. As such, wages and related fringe benefits make up the largest part of the city’s $183 million operating budget.
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Read Nick Della Volpe on page 5
Marvin West talks basketball My mentor ... said “basketball is such a simple game, even you can teach it.” All you have to do is control time and space – and don’t give up the baseline. He explained that effort and positioning are key ingredients of defense and rebounding. He said shooting was a bit more complicated, that even the best players rarely made half their shots. He recommended getting as close to the basket as possible before “putting it up.”
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Read more from Marvin on page 5
Free fun at the Arboretum Looking for a fun, educational, no-cost spring and summer activity for preschoolers in a beautiful setting close to home? Check out Stories in the Garden at Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum at 1 p.m. every Wednesday until Halloween, sponsored by the University of Tennessee’s ECO Garden project.
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Bob Whetsel and Dawn Michelle Foster are excited about work on the Magnolia Avenue Corridor. The old Swan’s Bakery is behind them. Photo by Betty Bean
Details on page 6
By Betty Bean On Wednesday, April 16, at 5:30 p.m., the city will introduce the Magnolia Avenue Streetscapes Plan at the O’Connor Senior Citizens Center, 611 Winona Street. The public is invited to see the renderings, learn more about plans for the 3.5-mile stretch from the eastern end of downtown to Burlington and give suggestions. The Magnolia Corridor Plan has been in the works since 2009, when the Metropolitan Planning Commission studied ways to enhance and redevelop Magnolia Avenue. Kimley-Horn was hired last
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The short-term plan will include a “model block,” the area from Jessamine Street to the old Swan’s Bakery. Façade grants will be available to property owners who wish to improve the look of their commercial buildings. The work will be done “core-out” and in stages, starting with the segment closest to downtown. Kimley-Horn is Nashvillebased, but the local project director is David Coode, who grew up in Holston Hills and attended Catholic High School when it was in the building now occupied by Pellissippi State Community College, right in the middle of the “model
block.” His design will include improved sidewalks and crosswalks and pedestrian amenities. If the plan is approved, he will seek funding for a detailed design, which will be similar to what the city has done in downtown redevelopment, said Bob Whetsel, city redevelopment director. Magnolia is a state highway and the city will work closely with TDOT as plans progress. “We are very excited about the work being produced on this historic street where the streetcar used to run all the way out to Lake Ottosee (now Chilhowee Park),” Whetsel said.
Family Justice Center named for Randy Nichols District Attorney General Randy Nichols (speaking) pretended to be surprised last week when the maintenance crew pulled a big canvas cover hanging over the front of the Family Justice Center on Harriet Tubman Street to reveal that the building will henceforth be known as the Randall E. Nichols Family Justice Center. Nichols is retiring this year. Mayor Tim Burchett (in back) presided. The Family Justice Center serves victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and provides the services of prosecutors, investigators, clergy and social service professionals. Photo by Betty Bean
Lay, McMillan are GOP candidates to replace Swann By Jake Mabe
The swan takes flight. After 32 years on the bench, 4th Circuit Court Judge Bill Swann announced his retirement last year, shortly after lawyer Greg McMillan said he would seek the job whether Swann ran or not.
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fall to design a StreetScape, determine short- and long-term improvements, identify likely relocations and study ways to extend the First Creek Greenway from Caswell Park to the Old City. Although Magnolia isn’t what it used to be, it’s got great potential due to its generous width and the good “bones” in the buildings up and down its length, says Dawn Michelle Foster, deputy director of redevelopment. “We look at Magnolia Avenue as a ‘complete street,’ and we are looking for ways to enhance economic development opportunities.”
Swann is Knox County’s most controversial judge; lawyers and litigants either love or hate him. Many just bypass his court entirely, filing in Chancery Court and putting a burden on that court’s caseload. The biggest complaint against Judge Swann is his overreliance on psychologists, with several working in his court, pushing up costs.
The state requires that divorcing couples undergo one mediation session; Swann requires four. The state requires four hours of Parent Education Seminars; Swann requires 12. It is difficult to get a trial date because he has trial “managements,” which require litigants to spend yet another day sitting in the courtroom with their lawyers so that progress toward settlement can be “measured.” Another frequent complaint is his overreliance on Orders of Protection. At one time, Knox County’s 4th Circuit Court issued more OPs than Davidson, Hamilton, Shelby and Sullivan counties combined. He also has a stable of lawyers who work as his “special masters.” These lawyers have their own robes,
dockets and nameplates. When they’re not wielding a gavel, they are practicing in his court, raising the question of how these individuals can be agents of the judge one day and come before him the next? Candidate Patti Jane Lay is one of these, and Swann has endorsed her to succeed him. These practices Lay have caused Chancery Court dockets to become overloaded with divorce cases. Swann’s critics say he has made the process of getting a divorce in Knox County expensive, cumbersome and protracted. The candidates: Two law-
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yers seek to replace Judge Swann, a race that will be decided in the May 6 Republican Primary. The winner will face the winner of the Democratic Primary, either Daniel Kidd or David Valone, in the general election. Patti Jane Lay and Greg McMillan are campaigning hard – both in the shadow of Bill McMillan Swann. Lay grew up in Fountain City and Bearden, graduating from Webb School of Knoxville. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Emory University in Atlanta and a law degree To page 3