NORTH / EAST VOL. 2 NO. 16
IN THIS ISSUE
S ummer C a mp! It’s that time of year again, time for kids to look forward to summer break, and time for parents to think about filling those long summer days. Lucky for them, there is an abundance of camp opportunities right here in East Tennessee.
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Check them out on pages 6-7
$1 movies at Regal Regal Entertainment Group will host kids at $1 movies this summer. The 23-year-old program will be available at 350 Regal theaters across the country. The nine-week film festival will be at 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, start date based on local school schedules. A portion of the admission goes to the Will Rogers Institute. Each week two films will be shown.
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See the story on page 9
Battling bullying At first glance, “U R Beautiful,” written in big pink and blue letters on the sidewalk in front of Whittle Springs Middle School, looks like the work of a daring tagger – right smack on the school’s doorstep. But at second glance, it’s something entirely different, and pretty wonderful.
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April 21, 2014
Nature Play at Knoxville Zoo By Betty Bean Visitors to the Knoxville Zoo will find an updated something old, plus a bunch of somethings new there this spring. The “ZooChoo,” a trackless reproduction of the much-loved miniature train that used to carry kids around between exhibits, will be in service. The train tracks became problematic to maintain, so the train was mothballed but never forgotten. This spring, the zoo is rolling out the new ZooChoo, a rubber-tired conveyance that will loop around the northern end of the new Nature Play outdoor creative-play area. Masterminded by grounds curator Jen Henderson, Nature Play will feature plants and flowers and baby animals as well as magical nooks and crannies like a vine-covered tunnel leading to a fairy garden, teepees made of living vines and mysterious doors to nowhere. There will be an area where kids can build their own tent forts or walk into a teepee that is soon to become the frame for string-bean vines (right next to strawberry beds and other edibles). Nature Play will be opening in the next few weeks and aims to encourage kids to use their imaginations while learning more about plants and animals. There will also be a touch and scent garden (with some carnivorous plants) to encourage visitors of all ages to think about starting their own butterfly gardens to encourage pollinators. Benches and chairs hewn with a chainsaw by one of Henderson’s talented co-workers will invite tired parents to rest a spell while the kids explore. Artworks like an organic “twigloo” by Kelly Brown of Bower Bird Sculptures and Henderson’s elephantear bird bath (a sand sculpture of the botanical kind of elephant ear, not the kind elephants hear with) will invite the eye. Although Henderson shares the credit for the
Read Betty Bean on page 8
David Hull (left) and Mike Smith (right) work in the Knoxville Zoo’s new Nature Play area with grounds curator Jen Henderson. They are building the bamboo frame of a teepee that will be covered with pole beans. Photos by Betty Bean
To page 3
City Council approves Prosser Road project By Betty Bean City Council has approved a $1.4 million contract with Twin K Construction of Helenwood, Tenn., for improvements to Prosser Road between Knoxville Zoo Drive and Magnolia Avenue, a sinkhole-dotted area that has flooded for years.
Seeking trail lovers The newest way to show Volunteer spirit is through the Trail Volunteer program. A partnership between Knox County, the city of Knoxville, the town of Farragut, Ijams Nature Center, Outdoor Knoxville and Visit Knoxville, the program gives people who already enjoy using local trails and greenways the chance to be ambassadors for them.
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Read Betsy Pickle on page 4
KUB will kick in more than $288,000 for infrastructure improvements. The contractor will pay a $200-per-day penalty if the work is not completed on time and $1,000 a day after Sept. 1 if the work on Knoxville Zoo Drive isn’t finished, or if two 12-foot travel
NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark | Betsy Pickle ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Shannon Carey Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore Brandi Davis | Patty Fecco
downstream because “the amount of (water) storage remains the same” as the roadbed is raised. Hagerman said the city will be pumping the Timothy Avenue retention area regularly to reduce the likelihood of flooding there.
The legacy of Black Wednesday four countywide officeholders – all having been “invited to leave” by the court following their disregard of the charter amendment imposing a two-term limit, adopted by voters in 1994. Sheriff Tim Hutchison was replaced by his handpicked successor, Jimmy “J.J.” Jones, who in turn hired Hutchison until the new pension kicked in – a lifetime pension that started for Hutchison at age 54 at $80,000 per year and escalates annually. Register of Deeds Steve Hall This spring’s ballot is littered with names from Black Wednes- was replaced by his chief deputy, day. And that’s remarkable. Some Sherry Witt, who in turn hired participants were tainted to the Hall, who continues to be empoint of political destruction; oth- ployed in the office. Both Jones and Witt are runers skated with no apparent fallout. Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007. ning for what amounts to a third That’s the day 19 Knox County term, and both are likely to win. County Clerk Mike Padgett commissioners met to select eight replacement commissioners and was replaced by sitting Commis-
By Sandra Clark
When we read in another paper about “Black Friday,” we knew it was time to revisit our county government’s worst day. Betty Bean writes about Black Wednesday in her column (page 4), and two excommissioners (Phil Guthe and Mark Harmon) actually published books about it.
Analysis
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lanes open to Prosser Road traffic are not completed (to accommodate the Tennessee Valley Fair). In response to questions, Engineering Director Jim Hagerman said the project will be completed by year’s end. He doesn’t anticipate an impact on areas up- or
sioner Billy Tindell. Padgett is unopposed as the Democratic nominee to regain his old job this year. Trustee Mike Lowe was replaced by his chief deputy, Fred Sisk, who hired Lowe back. Sisk did not seek election when John Duncan announced for the job. Lowe is headed to court on criminal charges; Duncan resigned after paying bonuses people had not earned; and the commission appointed Craig Leuthold, a commissioner during Black Wednesday, to the job. He’s on this year’s ballot. Others with a Black Wednesday connection: Michele Carringer, who was appointed to replace Scott Moore after he was ousted, seeking election as a commissioner at-large. Mike Hammond, a commissioner on Black Wednesday, is a candidate for Criminal Court Clerk.
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Phil Ballard, also a BW commissioner, is the property assessor, up for re-election in 2016. Greg “Lumpy” Lambert, Larry Clark, Ivan Harmon and Mark Cawood are Black Wednesday commissioners who voted for Jones and now work for him. Other voting commissioners with ties to the sheriff were Paul Pinkston, whose wife worked in inmate medical services, and Scott Moore, whose wife went to work for the sheriff after Black Wednesday. Guthe writes about commissioners who: “… have no particular background, education or training for the position. … Only a fraction of eligible voters choose a relative unknown with perhaps questionable talent from a short list.” Whether they advocate for government big or small, once there most never want to leave.