North/East Shopper-News 032316

NORTH / EAST VOL. 4 NO. 12

BUZZ Fulton boys win!

The boys basketball team from Fulton High School has brought home a state championship. Team members said they won to honor Zaevion Dobson, 15, who was killed while shielding schoolmates during a drive by shooting.

Coached by Jody Wright, Fulton beat Brainerd 59-50 March 19 at MTSU to win the Class AA title. It’s was Fulton’s third state championship, the first since 2009.

Mabry-Hazen to host park day Volunteers are needed between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at Mabry-Hazen House, 1711 Dandridge Ave., for Park Day. Activities will include leaf and brush removal, mulching, and general spring-cleaning. Some tools will be provided, but volunteers are encouraged to bring rakes, pitchforks, tarps and similar yard tools.

The event is part of a 20year nation program in which history buffs, community leaders and preservationists team with the Civil War Trust at more than 125 sites in 29 states to answer the call to service.

Rain date is April 16.

Info/RSVP: 522-8661 or mabryhazenhouse@gmail.com.

www.ShopperNewsNow.com |

www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

March 23, 2016

Planting beauty at the park

By Sandra Clark The volunteers from Town Hall East were at work again Saturday, planting nine tonto crepe myrtle trees at Tank Strickland Park.

Terry Raby brought his pneumatic shovel device to help break up the soil. This was followed by traditional shovel work, planting, filling holes and mulching. The crepe myrtles, planted in three groups of three, will bloom red in the summer, said Nick Della Volpe. “Seven years ago the park was a neglected and unpleasant site that misrepresented the community,� said Sharon Davis.

Della Volpe and Davis spearheaded the project, soliciting support from city and county officials, Town Hall East and Cemex, a building materials company located in East Knox County.

Knox County purchased the land adjacent to Burlington Branch Library and named the park for its chair, Thomas “Tank�

Volunteers from Town Hall East planted nine tonto crepe myrtles in the Tank Strickland Park on Asheville Highway on Saturday. Pictured are Terry Raby, Eston Williams, Mimi Meredith, Millie Ward, Jim Malia, David Lee, Nick Della Volpe, Rick Mallory, Ethan Newton and Melvin Burns. Photo by Sharon Davis

Strickland.

Town Hall volunteers have purchased playground equipment and planted trees and flowers. Recently, the city planted willows at the park, under the direction of urban forester Kasey Krouse.

Egg Hunts

■Bells Campground Baptist Church Easter Event, 10 a.m.noon Saturday, March 26, 7816 Bells Campground Road. Info: 947-6254. ■Big Ridge State Park Easter egg hunt, Saturday, March 26. Rain or shine. Schedule: 10 a.m., 2 years old and younger; 10:30 a.m., 3-4 years old; 1 p.m. 5-7 years old; 1:30 p.m., 8-10 years old. Bring your basket. Prizes; Easter Bunny. Meet at the Park office. Info: 992-5523. ■Children’s Easter party, 10 a.m.

Saturday, March 26, sponsored by Trentville UMC and Pleasant Hill UMC. Info: 933-5041. â– Community Easter egg hunt, 11:30 a.m. Sunday, March 27, Powell Presbyterian Church, 2910 W. Emory Road. Info: 938-8311; www. powellpcusa.org. â– Easter Eggstravaganza, 10 a.m.noon Saturday, March 26, Bells Campground Baptist Church, 7815 Bell Campground Road. Activities include: puppets, skits, a craft and an egg hunt for children through 5th grade, followed by hot dogs. â– Easter Eggstravaganza, 11 a.m.

Saturday, March 26, Union Baptist Church, 6701 Washington Pike, for kids pre-K through 5th grade.

Info: DiscoverUnion.org. â– Pancake Breakfast and Easter egg hunt, Saturday, March 26, Beaver Ridge UMC, 7753 Oak Ridge Highway, 9-10 a.m.; egg hunt for ages 0-fifth grade, 10 a.m. Bring basket.

(865) 922-4136 NEWS (865) 661-8777 news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark | Ruth White ADVERTISING SALES (865) 342-6084 ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Patty Fecco | Tony Cranmore Beverly Holland | Amy Lutheran CIRCULATION (865) 342-6200 shoppercirc@ShopperNewsNow.com

Richard Yoakley: A school of second chances

By Ruth White When you hear about Richard Yoakley School, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

Do you think it’s where Knox County sends the worst, most unruly middle and high school students? Those who can’t be in a regular school setting? To principal Seth Smith, in his first year at the school, it’s a school of second chances.

Richard Yoakley is an alternative school for students in grades 6-12. The students are at the school for disciplinary reasons, and the RYS staff works to prepare them academically and socially Richard Yoakley School principal Seth Smith reflects on his first year at the for a regular school experience.

In addition to regular studalternative school. Photo by R. White

ies and preparing for hurdles like TNReady and helping the students prepare for college and career, staff members work on behavior management, interaction with others and goal-setting – all while fostering a nurturing environment.

Smith began his teaching career at Fulton High School back in 1997 and later went on to become assistant principal/athletic director at Carter High. He moved to Farragut High as assistant principal in 2011 and then to Central High for the 2014-2015 school year. He believes that his work in those different demographic To page 3

Feel the ‘Buzz’ for next schools super

By Betty Bean

In February, school board member Terry Hill’s colleagues tasked her with vetting candidates for interim schools superintendent and reporting back April 4 with a recommendation for her colleagues. There are several candidates, but almost nobody is talking about anyone but Great Schools Partnership president Oliver “Buzz� Thomas for the job.

Thomas gained frontrunner status because he is intimately familiar with the workings of Knox County Schools, well liked and, in many respects, highly qualified.

Board chair Doug Harris kicked that perception up a notch when he undercut Hill by declaring

reality that after the August elections, his supporters will no longer dominate the new school board.

The interim superintendent will take over when McIntyre departs.

The initial list of nominated candidates included Knox County Finance Director Chris Caldwell, Human Capital Strategy Director Rodney Russell, Secondary Schools Supervisor Danny Trent, Assistant Superintendent Bob Thomas, retired administrator Ed Hedgepeth and perennial candidate George Hamilton.

Caldwell wasted no time saying thanks but no thanks. Sources say Russell and Hedgepeth have now done the same, leaving Buzz Thomas, Bob Thomas (who was

strongly considered for the superintendent’s job in 2008 when McIntyre was selected) and Trent as the remaining viable candidates.

But the smart money is on Buzz Thomas. “Buzz has that vision and the ability to sell that dream. He believes in what he does so deeply that people want to be a part of it.

That’s a unique personality,� said board member Patti Bounds. “The first time I met Buzz, I sat there in his office and thought to myself, ‘Why did we go all the way to Boston to get Dr. McIntyre when Buzz is so highly qualified?’

To page 3

& $ & $ & # #$ # # & & "' & * $ ( * $*$& ' # $

) "' & & # ' # # # $

& $ ( !

Thomas the best choice before the vetting process had begun. Harris is not running for re-election and is the de facto leader of the five-member majority that Buzz Thomas will control the board until new members are seated in September. Hill, who is not a member of the majority coalition, declined to comment on the process.

The search for an interim leader became necessary when Superintendent James McIntyre announced in January that he will resign in July, citing the political

2 • MARCH 23, 2016 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

Time’s awastin’

Relief comes quickly for active Maryville outdoorswoman Marilla Cable had suffered long enough. After years of on-again, off-again bouts of sciatica, spinal injections and physical therapy, she was ready to take the proverbial bull by the horns.

“I had done everything, but none of it was working,” said Cable.

“So finally, I just stood on my doctor’s toes and said, ‘We’re doing an X-ray today because I refuse to live like this another day.’

“I had to get this fixed – I had a life to live,” said Cable, whose job as dispatcher at a Louisville-based charter company is to make sure the buses and limos run on time. “I have Girl Scouts I work with every week, I have three grandchildren. I don’t have time to be down.”

Without hesitation, her primary care doctor ordered the X-ray and didn’t like what he saw. After ordering an MRI, he wanted to refer her to a new neurosurgeon in town. Cable, however, knew who she wanted – Dr. Joel E. Norman, a neurosurgeon at the Fort Sanders Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery and the long-time partner of the recently retired Dr. William Reid.

“They said, ‘You’ll never get in there,’ but they called and I got in at his Maryville office the next day – the very next day!” said Cable.

“We try to make sure that patients are seen in our office usually within a week of calling,” said Dr. Norman. “We use nurse practitioners (NPs) to perform initial patient evaluations on people who have not already undergone the imaging procedures necessary for us, as physicians, to make an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

My partner (Dr. Barrett Brown) and I are each in the office at some point four days a week and our NPs see patients every day. We do not require a referral to be seen.”

“We often open up additional patient appointment slots in order to take care of our patients in a timely manner. I certainly wouldn’t want to spend a month in agony waiting for a doctor’s appointment, and I try to keep our patients from going through that as well.”

“In this case, we were even able to place Ms. Cable on the surgery schedule within two weeks of her initial evaluation,” Dr. Norman added. “We are committed to providing prompt care for our patients in all aspects of their neurosurgical care.”

If Cable thought that getting an appointment was fast, she was even more startled when Dr. Norman scheduled her surgery on June 30, just 11 days later.

According to Dr. Norman, Cable’s clinical history and neurological exam strongly suggested a radicular component to her pain, meaning it was likely originating from a spinal nerve compression. Follow-up Xrays of her lower back confirmed that there was significant instability at the L4-5 disc space, and the L4 bone was clearly seen to slide forward on L5 when she bent over.

A review of her MRI confirmed the diagnosis of a spondylolisthesis, or slippage, of the L4 vertebrae over the L5. “This significant instability led to the formation of a synovial cyst, or ‘outpouching’ of the material providing the cushioning of the joints in the spine,” said Dr. Norman. “This cyst was compress-

there was no longer ing the nerve roots any compression leaving her spine of those nerves. He and running into her leg.” also passed a probe While Cable exalong the course of pressed some reserthe nerve to confirm no compression was vations about surevident, even outside gery, Dr. Norman his field of view. The said she had “reached disc between L4 and a point where her pain was no longer L5 was then completely removed on tolerable.” both sides. Dr. NorWhile the traman then placed a ditional, open ap“cage” or spacer into proach would require a large midline the disc space to help incision in the back, hold that space open, and put material in stripping muscle tisthe cage to help the sue away from the patient to grow new bone and placement bone across this disc of large retractors, Dr. Norman offered space and form a solid fusion. a minimally invasive “Her surgery went surgery known as very well,” said Dr. TLIF (transforamiNorman. “I was able nal lumbar interbody fusion). The minimally invasive apMarilla Cable is back to hiking, kayaking proach from Cable’s and loving an active life after finding releft side used small lief at the Center for Minimally Invasive incisions around the center Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional of the spine and state-ofMedical Center. the-art intraoperative image guidance to allow for less tisto completely decompress the neusue damage and retraction.

During the 3-to-3.5 hour surgery ral compression. In her case, I was at Fort Sanders Regional Medical even able to bring the vertebral bodCenter, Dr. Norman placed pedicle ies back into normal alignment.”

Cable was in the hospital only screws into the L4 and L5 vertebral bodies on both sides. He then overnight, but it was long enough removed the diseased facet joint that she was impressed by the hospifrom the left, and removed the sy- tal staff. “When I was in holding and novial cyst. This allowed him to beginning to get woozy I asked them, directly visualize the nerves as they ‘Could you please pray with me?’ And leave the spine and ensure that they did,” she said. “They were just

incredible. They took care of my every need before I needed it. I was very well pleased with everyone there. I was very impressed. Everyone was very nice, very accommodating.

They knew I was a little apprehensive – they had me in there and put a little heater blanket on me, and they’d come by and talk to me and they were just really, really good.”

By the time of her one-month follow-up visit with Dr. Norman, Cable was already feeling better.

At her two-month follow-up, she realized that she had been hurting even worse than she first thought.

“When I went back for my threemonth visit, Dr. Norman asked what all I had been doing. “I said, ‘Oh, a little mountain hiking, a little kayaking, a little paddling my boat and playing leap frog with my granddaughter.’ He said, ‘You were playing leap frog?! I don’t even play leap frog!’

“I said, ‘All I know is I can walk, I can sit, I can cross my legs and it doesn’t hurt.’

“I recommended Fort Sanders and Dr. Norman to a friend of mine a couple months ago,” Cable added.

“I told her that she has to go see Dr. Norman, and she said, ‘I’ll never get in there.’ I said, ‘As soon as I hang up the phone, please call because I’ve been praying about this and it will happen.’ She picked up the phone and she got in to see him the very next day, and she had surgery two weeks later. It was amazing.”

For more information about the Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional, call 865541-2835 or visit fsregional. com/minimallyinvasive.

Meet Dr. Joel Norman – local neurosurgeon and Seymour native Dr. Joel Norman is a native who returned to East Tennessee after medical school and now cares for patients in the place he calls “home.” He recently talked about his journey from local boy to well-educated neurosurgeon, Dr. Joel Norman and the minimally invasive spine surgery that is changing the lives of his patients.

Tell us your story – where did you go to school, and how did you decide to become a neurosurgeon?

I was born in Knoxville, and raised in Seymour. After I graduated from Seymour High School, I went to college at MTSU in Murfreesboro, then moved to Johnson City to attend ETSU Quillen College of Medicine. I completed neurosurgery residency in Lexington, Ky., at the University of Kentucky.

I’ve always had a keen interest in the sciences. I found neuroscience intriguing and challenging.

Once I found my way into the op-

erating room, I knew I had found my calling. Combining my love of neuroscience with my love of the operating room, neurosurgery was a natural extension.

What do you like about this area? In other words, why are you still here, instead of in a larger city?

East Tennessee is my home. I love the scenery here, the people here, and the opportunity to give back to the community that raised me.

I appreciate the hometown feel here and the value that word-ofmouth retains in this community.

The greatest compliment I receive is when someone tells me they heard about me from one of my patients.

What are some common problems your patients have, and how do you help them?

We treat an expansive variety of patients from brain tumors to herniated discs. Many of my spine patients have seen several different medical providers and some have undergone several different treatments for their back and leg pain before they arrive in my office.

Most have complaints of back pain coupled with sciatica or nerve pain, typically running down the back of their legs. These patients benefit from the minimally invasive approaches to lumbar discectomies and spinal fusions.

Which patients might be candidates for the surgery?

The ideal candidate for minimally invasive spinal fusion is someone suffering from back and leg pain due to a spondylolisthesis, or slippage, of the lumbar vertebrae. This is a condition sometimes missed on an initial workup as it often requires specialized X-rays with the patients bending forward or backward to clearly visualize.

Often, patients are pain-free while lying on their back, such as during their MRI scans, but upon standing their pain returns.

Can you explain how it works? What are the benefits of minimally invasive spine surgery?

Minimally invasive spine surgery uses specialized technology within the operating room to allow for smaller incisions and more precise placement of instrumenta-

tion. We are able to actually obtain a CT scan of the patient while they are asleep on the operating room table and customize our surgical approach to the individual patient, in real-time.

This allows for much smaller incisions and less damage to the tissues surrounding the spine. Ultimately, this approach gets people back on their feet sooner than is generally necessary for a more traditional, open approach to the spine.

What makes the Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center the best choice for this surgery?

Fort Sanders Regional has demonstrated a true commitment to excellence in spine surgery, and especially minimally invasive neurosurgery. The hospital has been instrumental in purchasing stateof-the-art intraoperative image guidance that allows minimally invasive surgery to be possible.

We have a dedicated team of nurses and technicians in the operating room who are experienced and specially trained to as-

sist in these minimally invasive procedures. Post-operatively, our nurses are also hand-picked and specially trained in the management of our patients who have undergone minimally invasive spinal procedures, and we have a dedicated floor of the hospital reserved for neuroscience, and especially spine patients.

What’s it like to also practice medicine in the place where you grew up?

Many of my friends and family still live nearby and it’s been great to reconnect with people I hadn’t had the opportunity to see in the years I was away for training. It’s also been an honor and a humbling experience to take care of people who watched me grow up in a small town. I’ve taken care of my school teachers, old friends and family members of friends who knew me in high school.

I have a relatively unique experience in that I graduated high school with many of the same people I started kindergarten with.

I’m honored that those people who watched me grow up trust me now with their health.

REGIONAL EXCELLENCE. Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center is a regional referral hospital where other facilities VHQG WKHLU PRVW GLI¿FXOW FDVHV

0094 009 94--007 94 077

ł ł ł ł

5RERWLFDOO\ DVVLVWHG VXUJHU\ &HUWL¿HG 6WURNH &HQWHU $ZDUG ZLQQLQJ +HDUW &DUH 1HXUR &HQWHU RI ([FHOOHQFH

community

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • MARCH 23, 2016 • 3

Alina Jones used watercolors and paint pens on canvas with a picture to create “Colorful Blues.�

Burlington Library to host A-E artwork East Knoxville’s Burlington Library will host a reception featuring the art work of Austin-East Magnet High School students. The work is currently on display and will remain through the event, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 14.

The show will feature art in many different media, including watercolor, picture collages, oils, pastels and pencils, and will showcase the talents of many of the students.

The Burlington Library is located at 4614 Asheville Highway.

Feel the ‘Buzz’ “One of his most amazing qualities is his ability to make everyone feel valued, regardless of their position in life. I have observed this on multiple occasions. I’ve seen him with school cafeteria workers, taking the time to go to each individual and thank them. It doesn’t matter what their position is.

That’s just Buzz. He’s a visionary and has brought innovative programs to Knox County.�

In the minus column, Bounds wonders how the Great Schools Partnership will raise money without Thomas, and although Thomas is a nationally known author, public speaker, ordained minister and an attorney with four college degrees who habitually graduated at the top of his class and once chaired the Maryville school board, his lack of classroom teaching experience at the K-12 level concerns her.

She also worries about his support of SCORE (State Collaborative on Reforming Education), a think

COMMUNITY NOTES â– Alice Bell Spring Hill Neighborhood Association. Info: Ronnie Collins, 637-9630. â– Beaumont Community Organization. Info: Natasha Murphy, 936-0139. â– Belle Morris Community Action Group meets 7 p.m. each second Monday, City View Baptist Church, 2311 Fine Ave. Info: bellemorris. com or Rick Wilen, 524-5008. â– Chilhowee Park Neighborhood Association meets 6:30 p.m. each last Tuesday, Administration Building, Knoxville Zoo. Info: Paul Ruff, 696-6584. â– Edgewood Park Neighborhood Association meets 7 p.m. each third Tuesday, Larry Cox Senior Center, 3109 Ocoee Trail. Info: edgewoodpark.us. â– Excelsior Lodge No. 342 meets 7:30 p.m. each Thursday, 10103 Thorn Grove Pike.

Senior Keii Welcom created “Team Aqua� using prisma markers. Photos by R. White

Ruth White

FCE to make pillows, hats tank that supports the high stakes testing regime that she and many other teachers detest.

Finally, Bounds finds Thomas’s offer to be involved in the search for a new superintendent somewhat offensive. “While I would welcome his input, I don’t remember anybody asking him. I don’t see that in that job description at all. I’m thinking, ‘Wait a minute!’�

She says she likes Thomas, but “He would not be my first choice.�

As a member of the minority faction, however, she said the votes for the Great Schools chief are probably there.

Finally, McIntyre’s major nemesis, Mayor Tim Burchett, lobbed a warning shot across Thomas’s bow: “He’s very personable. I like him, but he’s going to have to make some changes if he’s going to be successful.� When pressed, Burchett said that the public is demanding administrative reductions.

Family Community Education (FCE) is holding a workshop 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Sunday, March 27, at the Eastern Region FCE office, 1801 Downtown West Blvd., to make pillows and hats for cancer patients. The FCE is under the direction of a county extension agent and Knox County has four clubs.

Bearden meets 10 a.m. each third Tuesday at Central Baptist-Bearden, 6300 Deane Hill Drive.

Info: Shannon Remington, 927-3316.

Carter meets 10 a.m. each second Tuesday at Carter Senior Center, 9036 Asheville Highway. Info: Anne Winstead, 933-5821.

Crestwood meets 10 a.m. each fourth Thursday at Grace Lutheran Church, 9076 Middlebrook Pike.

Info: Ruby Freels, 690-8164.

Karns meets 10 a.m. each second Wednesday at Karns Community Center, 7516 Oak Ridge Highway. Info: Charlene Asbury, 691-8792.

Other FCE community projects include: using recycled cards for placemats for Mobile Meals, donating to Newborn in Needs,

Info: Bill Hutton, 773-5228 or s_wlhutton@yahoo.com.

â– First District Democrats will meet Monday, April 4, Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Speaker: Laschinski Emerson from the S.M.A.R.T. Institute. Info: Harold Middlebrook, haroldmiddlebrook@gmail.com; Mary Wilson, marytheprez@ yahoo.com.

â– Old North Knoxville meets 6:30 p.m. each second Monday, St. James Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 1101 N. Broadway.

â– 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. â– Oakwood Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association meets 6:30 p.m. each first Monday, Community Club House, 916 Shamrock Ave.

groups helped prepare him for his job at Yoakley. “We get kids from all over Knox County here, and my experiences have helped me be able to deal with all types of kids and communities.�

Smith credits his former principals Cheryl Hickman from Carter and Mike Reynolds (Farragut and Central) for help in guiding him. “Cheryl was a great, dynamic leader and just a great person,â€? he says. “Mike Reynolds ‌ I have so much respect for him. He’s a great man and I learned a lot from him, from them both. They both showed me how to treat people.â€?

Growing up, many teachers and coaches invested in Smith and inspired him to want to make a difference in kids’ lives. He also coaches basketball during the season.

His first year at Yoakley (formerly Alice Bell Elementary School) has been great.

Smith credits the phenomenal staff and is thankful

to them for helping make the transition go smoothly.

During an average year, the school has close to 600 students. Some stay a semester before returning to a regular school setting, while others end up staying an entire school year.

To Smith, Yoakley is truly a family. “The ideal school is a great team where everyone pulls together,� he says. He believes that RYS has the best people on staff to help the students grow and be better prepared to go back to their base school. “The kids we have here are some great kids who have made a mistake. We don’t want them defined by their mistake; we want them to be successful.�

As Smith points out, each student is ultimately responsible for his/her actions. His hope is that the life and social skills they receive at Richard Yoakley will help them get on the right path for a bright future.

working with 4-H children in craft camp and donating monies to send 4-H children to 4-H camp. Info: Heather Kyle, Family & Consumer Science Extension Agent, 215-2340 or hkyle@utk.edu

Knox Heritage is seeking nominations of Knoxville’s and Knox County’s most endangered places or structures to be included in the 2016 Fragile Fifteen List of Endangered Historic Places.

The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 6.

The 2016 Fragile Fifteen will be announced Monday, May 16.

The list provides a work plan for the nonprofit organization for the next 12 months. Preservation strategies are developed for each site on the list and can in-

â– Parkridge Community Organization meets 6:30 p.m. each first Monday except holidays, Cansler YMCA, 616 Jessamine St. Info: Jerry Caldwell, 329-9943. â– Second District Democrats meet 6 p.m. each second Thursday, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 2504 Cecil Ave. Info: Rick Staples, 385-3589 or funnyman1@ comic.com. â– Thorn Grove Rebekah Lodge No. 13 meets 7:30 p.m. each second and fourth Monday, 10103 Thorn Grove Pike. Info: Mary Jo Poole, 599-7698 or mjp1101@aol.com. â– Town Hall East. Info: Eston Williams, 406-5412 or eston_williams@yahoo.com; facebook.com/townhalleast/ info.

clude working with current property owners, government officials, citizens and/ or potential new owners to preserve these important parts of our community’s heritage.

Completed nomination forms can be sent to Knox Heritage by mail to Knox Heritage’s Fragile Fifteen, PO Box 1242, Knoxville, TN 37901; by email to hcook@ knoxheritage.org; or in person at the Knox Heritage office, Historic Westwood, 3425 Kingston Pike.

Info/nomination form: www.knoxheritage.org.

-/ 9 2 ".4 2 /$$! 9 { |ªÓ ‘ÓåŽe@Þ×b Ó@eÏ@呪¼×b /n[‘@š Ýn¼å×

!oý’\AÂŚ Ԓ›› J AŒâ’ŒA ÂŞĂŹĂ“Ă—a Â?1ÂŽ ²²@ Â? ²Ą  I /@ĂĄ ²²@ Â? ²²Â

ÂƒÂ˛Ä„Ä„ ӑnÂĽ .e Z @šš× ãÛÛÂ?ĂŁĂœĂ›Â€ Z @Ă˝ ãÛÛÂ?ĂŁsĄ€ ÂƒÂƒÄ„ÂŚ ÂŽ@ @ÂĽ ßÞ €ÛÛÂ?sss² Z @Ă˝ €ÛÛÂ?sÂŚĂœĂœ

 ný‘[@ÂĽĂ“nĂ—ĂĄ@ĂŹĂ“@¼å™¼ªýà [ÂŞÂ

ÂŞÂ n Â˜ÂŞÂ‘ÂĽ ĂŹĂ— |ÂŞĂ“ ‘… Ă—[Ă“nnÂĽ 18b |ÂŞÂŞe I eӑ¼™ Ă—Âťn[‘@š×z !; ,3. / # a kĂŠÄ„Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă kÂƒĂ Ä„Ä„ # kĂŁÄ„Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă k€à ĄĄ #

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

â– 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.

From page 1

Nominations open for ‘Fragile Fifteen’ list

A nice selection of 3D artwork lines the window sill inside the library’s meeting room. Some of the pieces include Kammie Gardner’s “Tim C’s� from mixed media; Sharay Patrick’s “Who on Stage?� featuring paint markers and varnish on a vinyl record and album cover and Tierra Gwinn’s “T-Verses� featuring clay, glaze and marbles.

From page 1

Richard Yoakley

kÂƒÄ„Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă Ă kĂœĂ Ä„Ä„ # Ă˝[šÏenĂ— @š[ªŽªšà #ÂĽn [ªÏª¼ ÂťnĂ“ ĂĄ@QšnĂ

#3,#! ## #.

! ! ! #! ;à ½!#1 1 #31žà !#1 ## 9 1 #1 . /, /Ă :, . / ƒĂ?Ą€Ă?Â˛ĂœĂ

Â˜Çľâ€ŤŮŽâ€ŹĘ‡Ć–Ä°Ë› UÍœĘ‡ĘŻĘŻ ʼn İ˛Χʇ˛İ ÂƒÂ˛Ä„Ä„ ӑnÂĽ .e Z @šš×

# 1 #. 19# ÂĽ[šÏenĂ— [@Ó¼‘å@Ă—b [ŽªÓ‘תb [@[ĂĄĂŹĂ—b …Ó‘ššne [Ž‘[™nÂĽb …Ó‘ššne Ă—ĂĄn@™ I ׎ӑ  [ªª™ne ‘¼ ÂŞĂŹĂ“ Ă“ne Ă—@ĂŹ[n I ĂťnÂ…nĂĄ@QšnĂ—Ă ĂŠ ӑ[n I Qn@ÂĽĂ—b ĂŠ åªÓ呚š@Ă— Â…@Ó¼‘׎ne ߑåŽ [ÂŽnnĂ—nĂ

#3,#! ## #.

! ! ! #! ;à ½!#1 1 #31žà !#1 ## 9 1 #1 . /, /Ă :, . / ƒĂ?Ą€Ă?Â˛ĂœĂ

Â˜Çľâ€ŤŮŽâ€ŹĘ‡Ć–Ä°Ë› UÍœĘ‡ĘŻĘŻ ʼn İ˛Χʇ˛İ ÂƒÂ˛Ä„Ä„ ӑnÂĽ .e Z @šš×

1 .1 1 / 8

-3 / 1 #/ ÂŞĂŹĂ“ ennÂťÂ?|ӑne ĂĄ@[ÂŞĂ— }ššne ߑåŽ Qnn| QӑיnĂĄb ÂŞĂŹĂ“ ב…¼@ĂĄĂŹĂ“n [ÂŽnnĂ—nb Â…@Ó¼‘׎ne ߑåŽ Ă—ÂŽĂ“neene [@QQ@Â…n I [ÂŽnnĂ—n Ă—nĂ“Ăťne ߑåŽ ‘[ÂŞ en Â…@ššª  ‘še Ă—@ĂŹ[n I Ă—ÂŞĂŹĂ“ [Ă“n@ Ă

ksĂ Ä„Ä„

1 -3 1#/ . ! # åߪ ĂĄ@ĂˆĂŹÂ‘ĂĄÂŞĂ— ennÂť |ӑne ߑåŽ ~ÂŞĂŹĂ“ åªÓ呚š@b ÂŞÂĽn Ă—ĂĄĂŹ||ne ߑåŽ Ă—ÂŽĂ“neene [Ž‘[™nÂĽb ÂŞÂĽn Ă—ĂĄĂŹ||ne ߑåŽ Ă—ÂŽĂ“neene Qnn| Ă—nĂ“Ăťne ߑåŽ ӑ[nb Ă“n|ӑne Qn@ÂĽĂ—b šnĂĄĂĄĂŹ[nb I Ă—ÂŞĂŹĂ“ [Ă“n@ b [ÂŞĂťnĂ“ne ߑåŽ [ÂŽnnĂ—n e‘Ă

kÂŚĂ Ä„Ä„

!#9 . ! ,,; / .8 ./ #. 9 !1 .Ă : !1 1 ,/z Catch up with all your favorite columnists every Wednesday at www.ShopperNewsNow.com

4 • MARCH 23, 2016 • Shopper news

Confusing season, proud finish Before you ask, I still don’t know why this Tennessee basketball season was so strange. Sorry, but I cannot explain the Volunteers’ split personality. I do salute the team for never giving up.

Sometimes the Vols played better than they were. Nipping Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament was an example. Sometimes, had they just been pitching pennies, they could not have hit the ground.

This unusual team was confusing. Some might call it maddening. It often won one half but not the other.

It stunned Kentucky. It defeated South Carolina. In the first game without Kevin Punter, it shocked me and LSU. The last four games of the

Marvin West

regular season were miserable.

From beginning to end, Tennessee was consistently inconsistent. It played well in spurts but was totally unpredictable. Sometimes the team was creative in finding ways to lose. It fell with a thud at Missouri, losing to a worse team by missing 10 free throws and getting killed on the backboards.

Strangely enough, on other occasions, the Vols won rebounding battles in

total defiance of the laws of size and strength. Armani Moore, in pursuit of the ball, went where some feared to venture. Armani Moore is a warrior. Tip your cap.

Because it had no inside game, Tennessee threw up far too many three-point shots. When that didn’t work, it dumped the scoring burden on Punter. He responded with the heart of a champion. We really realized his value when he was lost to the foot fracture.

Punter’s output stirred memories of Allan Houston.

KP was no match in style points but his accuracy and average were comparable.

To Kevin’s credit, his weakest outing was much better than Allan’s disaster of 1993, his final game in or-

Players carried the coach off the court. Sines admitted later that he feared a fumble. “We had never practiced that.�

The early 1960s were a transition period, from bad basketball to awful to terrible. Two Vols were linked to a point-shaving scandal.

Sines’ final team went 4-19. I was there. I recall a Stokely Center game with fewer than 500 fans. I wanted to put their names in the newspaper as the “faithful few.�

The late, great Tom Siler saved me from myself. He said I would undoubtedly misspell a name or three and we’d be publishing corrections for a week. He did permit a “crowd� photograph, attorney G. Edward Friar alone in an end section, high above the goal, surrounded by hundreds of

ange, SEC tournament, one for 15 from the floor. The Vols lost to Kentucky, 10140. The Vols had 30 turnovers.

This Tennessee team was not good. It lost 19 times.

Want to talk about bad, just for comparisons?

Houston’s dad, Wade, has protected a generation of Tennessee basketball from the “worst� label. The year after Allan went pro, Coach Houston produced a 5-22 record. Three-fifths of the success came at the expense of UT-Martin, Mercer and Tennessee Tech.

Long, long ago, John Sines was Tennessee coach.

He didn’t have much to work with and it showed in results. Like this team, that 1960 team upset Kentucky.

empty seats.

Into that setting marched Ray Mears. Good times followed.

Through the years, Tennessee has had basketball ups and downs. Considering the circumstances, the down part of this year was understandable. The ending was an up. Seniors enhanced their image with the rout of Auburn, the victory over Vanderbilt and the effort against LSU. They cared. They never stopped caring.

Robert Hubbs and Detrick Mostella changed their image. They are now part of the future.

If Rick Barnes really has a point guard and can find a center and somebody to replace Punter and Moore, good times are again possible. Keep the faith. Don’t ever give up.

Marvin West invites reader reaction. His address is westwest6@netzero.com

Lucky 13? State House campaigns warming up Gloria Johnson is running for the Legislature again. Johnson, a oneterm Democrat who represented District 13, was defeated in 2014 by Republican Eddie Smith.

Now Smith is running for re-election and (so far) is the only Republican seeking the seat. The filing deadline is April 7 at noon.

Interestingly, Johnson may have a democratic opponent. According to the election commission, Don Daugherty, a former county Democratic Party chair, has picked up a petition to run as both a democrat and an independent. He can’t run as both. Instead, Daugherty will have to choose to run as a democrat, independent or not at all.

Of course, there’s precedent for Daugherty to run as an independent candidate. In 2010, Daugherty

to seek re-election after Republicans in the Legislature redrew the 13th district to include more Republican Scott voters from west Knoxville.

Frith The result was a wideopen seat with no favored candidate. That November, ran as an independent Johnson faced Republican against democratic county Gary Loe and independent commissioner Amy Broyles. candidate Nick Cazana.

(Daugherty lost to Broyles, Johnson defeated Loe by 58 percent to 41 percent.) less than 300 votes and was While few observers believe almost certainly assisted by Daugherty would defeat the more than 1,000 votes Johnson in a democratic for Cazana’s independent primary this year, an inde- campaign.

Why? pendent run by Daugherty Many observers believe would almost certainly ensure Rep. Eddie Smith’s re- that candidate Nick Cazana benefited from having the election.

It would be a cruel irony same name as prominent local developer and Repubfor Gloria Johnson.

Johnson first ran for the lican donor Nick Cazana.

That’s right. Two differDistrict 13 seat in 2012. The district had been repre- ent guys. Same name.

Bottom line, in 2012, Glosented by Democrat Harry Tindell for more than a de- ria Johnson likely won becade, but Tindell chose not cause a lot of voters believed

she was running against two Republicans – and they split enough of the vote to allow Johnson to win. Then four years later, in a turn of events only fitting of Shakespeare or local politics, Eddie Smith may win easily because he’d be running against two Democrats.

Regardless, there will be grumbling among Democrats if Johnson fails to defeat Smith this year. District 13 is a winnable district for state democrats – a rarity in East Tennessee – and there is no shortage of strong democratic candidates waiting in the wings.

Current county Democratic Party chair Cameron Brooks is young, ambitious and well-liked. Former city council member Charlie Thomas has strong district ties and would make a great candidate for any office.

Neither would run

against Gloria Johnson.

Democrats shouldn’t wait too long. After 2016, there are only two more election cycles before the next legislative redistricting. Last time around, state Republi-

cans didn’t put enough Republican voters in the 13th district.

They won’t make the same mistake again.

Scott Frith is a local attorney. You can visit his website at pleadthefrith.com

City officials ponder election changes In a tabloid with the solitary word “sex� two inches high on the cover, Joe Sullivan pontificated about Knoxville’s election cycle.

He made bold claims about Mayor Rogero’s position on a possible charter amendment, but his column lacked actual quotes from Rogero.

In a March 15 email to City Council, Deputy Mayor Bill Lyons warned of Sullivan’s column and admitted he was the source. “I also let him know that we wanted to make Council aware of our thinking prior to publication. ...

“Late this morning Joe (said) he had changed his publication date to tomorrow.

This email is to make sure you are not taken by surprise.�

Lyons wants to extend Mark Campen’s term by two years (until 2021) to move District 5 into cycle with other district races. He wants to retain non-partisan elections on odd-numbered years, forcing city taxpayers to bear the full cost of two elections including early voting.

That’s a lot of change.

Thanks for sharing, Bill. – S. Clark

! " ' %" ' ! % ' $ " $% !$ $ ! ' ! ' #( " ' ! + % ) + %+%' (" $ %

!

* #( " '

' $!(

$! $ ' " % )

government

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • MARCH 23, 2016 • 5

Speculating on Cheek’s retirement White Lightning with former Bearden High School players noted: (top) McKayla Choate, Kelsey DeVoti, Bekah Copas, Kaylor Susong (Bearden), Elena Schusterick (Bearden), Cassidy Heemsoth (Bearden), Kat Glass( (Bearden); (bottom) Soriya Gast (Bearden), Sadie Coons (Bearden), Cameran McKenry (Bearden), Maiya Hilsinger (Bearden).

Former Bearden stars playing in North Georgia;

Ethics complaint pending

Last season, they were Bulldogs. This season they are Tennessee White Lightning, playing teams along North Georgia’s I-75 corridor from Dalton down to Marietta.

The team is composed primarily of former Bearden High School student athletes who resigned from school’s softball team after their coach was summarily fired last year. This year, they are playing travel ball with the North Georgia ASA under former Bearden coach Leonard Sams and assistant coach Adam McKenry. So far, their record is 5-1-1 against tough competition.

Principal John Bartlett and athletic director Nathan Lynn announced that Sams’ departure was by mutual decision, with no further public explanation.

Sams said he believes that the administration was influenced by the complaints of two sets of disgruntled parents.

The mass departure left Bearden with just two returning players. Sams’ replacement wasn’t hired until late July, when Lynn announced that he’d hired Angelica Wade McClerkin, a teacher’s aide who played in college and served a single

Betty Bean season as Sams’ assistant.

The school got a TSSAA waiver from the requirement that head coaches must be teachers or have five years’ experience as an assistant. The team reportedly has not fared well in pre-season practice games.

Eight of the White Lightning’s 11 players would have been on the Bearden team this year, including six who would have been starters.

Another is an incoming freshman transfer from Sevier County who wanted to play for Sams, who had transformed Bearden from cellar-dweller to powerhouse. Last year Sams was named district Coach of the Year and selected to coach the 2016 USA Softball Under-18 team in Spain. The USA team will represent their country in Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona.

Sams and McKenry said the players, many of whom are college prospects, are enjoying playing against the elevated competition in North Georgia, but miss the experience of representing their

school. Two seniors who quit playing softball altogether may join the White Lightning for spring league play.

Meanwhile, McKenry and team parent/booster Randy Susong, who are stuck with a $40,000 note for a new indoor practice building, have filed an ethics complaint against Lynn, Bartlett, Supervisor of Facilities Management Doug Dillingham and Superintendent James McIntyre. The complaint says the booster club members intended to build the facility in stages, but Lynn and Bartlett informed them that Knox County would not allow for phased construction, so the club voted to secure a loan that McKenry and Susong would guarantee. “This was not a gift from Randy or Adam but a booster club loan that was designed to be repaid over the next season or two.�

The complaint charges improprieties in the bidding process and construction glitches that drove up the cost. “Randy Susong and the team did fundraising, parents/players volunteered labor. Coach Sams paid for labor out of his own pocket, and funds from the school account were used to pay for

the $30,000 overage in construction.�

Sams’ firing shattered the boosters club and obliterated its fundraising ability, leaving Susong and McKenry liable for a $750 monthly note. The complaint charges that Bartlett, Lane, Dillingham and McIntyre “intentionally lied and blatantly violated rules, procedure and protocol. ‌ In short, two Bearden High parents are responsible for paying a loan on a facility that should never have been constructed‌â€?

Meanwhile, softball season is starting this week.

Here’s a statement from Bartlett issued via Knox County Schools: “Coach McClerkin and the Bearden High School softball team are well prepared for a great season.

Sixteen talented and dedicated young women will take the field to kick off the regular season on Monday night and we are extremely excited to see what kind of success they find this year. (signed) Principal John Bartlett, Bearden High School�

Sadly, this is wrong.

Bearden softball’s first game was 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at Grace Christian Academy.

A tough man who loves a tough job We’ve said this before, but Judge Tim Irwin is exactly the right person for the job he holds. The judge of Juvenile Court handles cases ranging from horrendous to heart-breaking.

His dad, Eddie, was a city police officer. Tim played football for Central High School, UT and in the NFL for 14 years, mostly with the Minnesota Vikings. In the off seasons, he attended law school.

Speaking last week to the Halls Business and Professional Association at Beaver Brook Country Club, Irwin said a key to raising good

Sandra Clark

kids is spending time with them. “Children understand when you make a sacrificial gift of time for them.

They understand if they are loved. “It’s nice if there’s a mom and dad (at home), but there can be just one person – one who will be disappointed if the kid screws up.�

Irwin supports the Boys and Girls Club with an annual bass tournament with Food City, but he says all the youth groups are good: Scouts, Emerald Youth, Big Brothers. “Anything that places a loving, caring person with a child is good.�

Irwin collects stuffed animals to distribute to children in his court. He gathered some 40 in Halls.

He and seven magistrates handled 28,000 cases last year, he said, but he loves his job. It’s a chance to show love, even tough love, to some kids who need it most.

Celebrating an event?

Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin carries a box of stuffed animals donated by businesses in Halls.

With impending retirements of two key aides, speculation on campus is that UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy Cheek may himself retire this year and announce it concurrent with the summer UT Board of Trustees meeting in June.

Provost Jimmy Cheek Susan Martin is stepping down, and Margie Nichols, who handles communications for Cheek, has announced her retirement.

Cheek turns 70 this year and may be ready to let someone fight the numerous battles UT faces in the Legislature. When contacted for a comment, Nichols said Cheek had not mentioned retirement to her. However, that is not a denial.

Cheek has been an active chancellor. He and his wife have been involved in the Knoxville community including strong support for the Knoxville Botanical Gardens. In many ways, he has had a positive impact on UT. However, when Cheek does retire, can Dave Hart be far behind? Also, it will be interesting to see how long Rickey Hall, vice chancellor for diversity, remains. ■Tank Strickland, who was a top aide for four mayors (including me) for over 18 years, “retired� from the city in January.

However, it seems the retirement probably was not voluntary. No one is talking which is a statement of sorts in itself. But if more definite information is forthcoming or can be uncovered, it will be covered here.

Strickland, who was also chair of Knox County Commission, is well-known and popular in the AfricanAmerican community and respected across the county. He has a keen knowledge of public opinion and his departure from the city is a loss to any mayor, especially one facing issues on Magnolia Avenue.

Strickland did not support Rogero when she ran for mayor in 2003 against Bill Haslam. He backed Haslam. It is unclear whether that was a factor in Strickland’s departure, but many think it was.

Rogero also did not assist Sam Anderson in remaining on the civil service board when a residency

Victor Ashe

issue was raised. Anderson had also backed Haslam in 2003. If Rogero, in fact, engineered Strickland’s departure she owes the public an explanation and an apology for being less than candid. Strickland deserved better. ■Knoxville attorney Caesar Stair IV, older brother of council member Marshall Stair, has been elected president of the Great Smoky Mountains Association which assists in research on plant and animal life in the park. ■Council member Finbarr Saunders has closed his campaign account after four campaigns, two for county commission and two for city council. He won three. He spent most of his account defeating Paul Bonovich last November.

Only $2,271 was left and his wife, Ellen Bebb, wrote an email saying it has been dissolved by giving $1,000 to Dogwood Elementary and the remaining $1,271.89 to Pond Gap Elementary.

This would indicate Saunders does not plan to run for another public office as he is now term-limited on city council. Bebb has been his diligent and effective political adviser these past few years. Future candidates would be well advised to enlist her help. ■Tom Ingram, political operative who lives in Knoxville, has become an adviser to the John Kasich campaign after working for the Jeb Bush campaign. In 2012 he backed Jon Huntsman. He was a key adviser to Gov. Haslam in his first term as governor. ■Dr. David Northington’s final concert as a faculty member at the UT School of Music was March 6. He concludes an active and distinguished career at UT. He visited Poland while I was ambassador there and performed in several cities in addition to Warsaw where he played in front of the Chopin Monument as well as at the Ambassador’s Residence.

Northington has been a great asset to the university and Knoxville. He will continue to be active in the community despite having retired from UTK.

% "

#

&&& %

'

Share your family’s milestones with us!

Send announcements to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

$

6 • MARCH 23, 2016 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news

SENIOR NOTES â– All Senior Centers closed Friday, March 25. â– Carter Senior Center 9040 Asheville Highway 932-2939 Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Offerings include: card games; exercise programs; arts and crafts; movie matinee each Friday; Senior Meals program noon each Wednesday. Veterans Services, 11:30 a.m.

Wednesday, March 30 (info: 215-5645).

Register for: Lunch Bunch: Cracker Barrel, noon Monday, March 28. Potluck: Giving Thanks, 11:30 a.m.

Wednesday, March 30. â– Corryton Senior Center 9331 Davis Drive 688-5882 knoxcounty.org/seniors Monday-Friday Offerings include: exercise classes; cross-stitch, card games; dominoes, crochet, quilting, billiards; Senior Meals program, 11 a.m. each Friday.

Getting your ‘house in order’

By Carol Z. Shane At the beginning of her “House in Order� seminar on end-of-life issues at Turkey Creek Medical Center, facilitator Becky Dodson asked the group of around 60 participants to close their eyes and imagine the details of their own passing. “What will the room look like?� she asked. “Who will be around you?�

Just then, a cell phone went off. The ring tone was the theme song from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.� “OK,� said Dodson, “so we’re in the wild west.� The room erupted in laughter.

Such laughter and such a large group indicate a change in the way people are thinking about end-oflife care. “I’ve been talking about advance directives

for 15 years,� says Dodson. “Groups usually number 30 to 40 people. We had 83 preregistered for today. People are becoming more willing to address this topic.�

Members of the crowd listened and asked questions as Dodson took them through a booklet prepared

by Tennova Health Care titled “House in Order Planning Guide.�

When asked about her motivation for attending the seminar, Lorene Battle of West Knoxville, who is in her 70s, said, “I don’t want anything out of order by the time we get to heaven! I don’t want our kids to have to take care of anything.�

Lucinda Turbeville, 55, echoed that statement. “I have one son living in Middle Tennessee. This isn’t for

me – this is for him.�

Dodson says that aging Baby Boomers “want to be in control� of their own final choices. “Many of them have watched their parents’ declines and they don’t want that to happen to them.�

Also helping to facilitate the event were Barbara Wright, Tennova’s director of volunteer services, and the Rev. Will Runyon, chaplain.

Dodson was pleased with the turnout. “It’s a hard conversation to have, but it’s going to be hard sooner or later,� she told the group. “Coming today is an act of love for your loved ones.�

Dodson, now a vice president at Tennova, was formerly a social worker specializing in geriatrics.

Send story suggestions to news@shoppernewsnow.com.

Barbara Wright, Tennova’s director of volunteer services, and Becky Dodson, Tennova vice president. Photo by Carol Z. Shane

Co-ed softball teams forming at Caswell Knox Senior Softball (women 55+ and men 60+) will meet to organize 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 5, at Caswell Park. Games will be each Tuesday and Thursday at 9 and 11:30 a.m. April through October. Bring your glove and come to play in a non-competitive league for fun and exercise. $10 fee for city insurance. Info: Bobby Rice at 865-573-2189.

Karns resident Jessica Whaley supports the youth of Beaver Ridge UMC by purchasing household treasures from Lisa Howard, director of youth ministries and communications for the church.

Register for: Free CPR and AED course, 1-3 p.m.

Friday, April 8. ■Larry Cox Senior Center 3109 Ocoee Trail 546-1700 Monday-Friday Offerings include: exercise programs; bingo; arts and crafts classes. ■John T. O’Connor Senior Center 611 Winona St. 523-1135 knoxseniors.org/oconnor. html Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Offerings include: Card games, billiards, senior fitness, computer classes, bingo, blood pressure checks 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Monday-Friday. Free tax preparation available 9 a.m. Wednesdays through April 13.

Draw on, Charlie

From Picasso prints to plants to exercise equipment to clothes, vendors like Kim McCall had it all at Beaver Ridge United. Photos by Nancy Anderson

Cartoonist Charlie Daniel of Powell and Edith Williams of South Knoxville at Charlie’s 86th birthday party, Dec. 14, 2015. Edith is two days younger than Charlie.

Spring brings ‌ a new furry friend! " # & + & "& & " (

( ) & & & & (& # &+ #& ##

Doublestuff

Brandy

Orange

VVisit Vi i our adoption center at West Town Petsmart.

Adoption fairs Saturdays noon - 6 pm

) & "& & +

(

( " + " & "+ * "

) " #

# # ## "& ## & & # & ( &

Lilly

Punkin

Misty’s Pet Depot • 5451 Washington Pike Adoption fair Saturdays 12 - 4

Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee " # & & (& # &+ #& ## " & & & " ) # #( "& # ") # ) + ( & ( * " ## " ) ( # * & (& #

&"( # " "#

& " # # * # ( & "# & " " ## # & " ( (& '$ #& ## ( & #!

www.feralfelinefriends.org

Contact C Co ont ntac tac actt De D Debb Debbie ebb bbiie ie a att 30 300 300-6873 0-68 6873 73 for adoption and fostering information.

www.kfcf.petfinder.com

Space donated by Shopper-News.

faith

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • MARCH 23, 2016 • 7

The story of stories A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second and third stories shalt thou make it.

(Genesis 6: 16 KJV)

Organizers of Central Baptist Church Fountain City’s fundraiser to support this year’s trip to Romania are pictured behind Precious Moments figurines up for auction: Suzanne Worth, Tracy May, Becky Reagan, Martha Johnson, Fran Mitchell and Crissa Lewis. Photo by Cindy Taylor

Transforming lives in Romania

By Cindy Taylor Most folks wouldn’t pick Romania for a vacation.

Central Baptist Fountain City church member Fran Mitchell is getting ready to make her third mission trip to that country. Others are taking vacation time from work in order to go.

The church has partnered with Missio Link International for several years to make the trip possible.

Mitchell says the experience allows team members to give their talents and materials and see immediate results. “We have had young

people that changed their course of direction as a result of their experiences in Romania,� said Mitchell.

The team will work at Deborah House, a safe house established years ago to provide professional help, a family and the love of Christ in a safe setting for girls who have suffered abuse or been victims of human trafficking. Mitchell says being involved in the ministry has been a blessing. “I saw young girls come to Deborah House shattered and fearful and watched them transform over the years into happy,

healthy young women.�

Mitchell said she has also had the benefit of learning what life was like under Communism, as well as the changes that have taken place since the revolution.

She says that on a personal level, continuing to go provides her an opportunity to grow as a Christian and to learn that the love of Christ is universal.

The church held a fundraiser with dinner and live and silent auctions on March 5 to support the 10-member team heading to Romania and help with airfare.

Set to head out on May

20, some members of the team will lead vacation Bible school while in the country. Others will be spending their time on construction projects. While the goals may change for each trip, Mitchell says the effect on the lives of participants only improves. “This partnership is a meaningful experience that goes beyond any actual task we perform,� she said. “After the first trip I knew I had lifelong friends and that I would want to continue to be a part of their ministry and their lives. These people have become like family to me.�

Beaver Ridge UMC hosts sale to fund missions

By Nancy Anderson An early morning downpour did little to dampen the spirits of diehard yard sale enthusiasts last Saturday when Beaver Ridge United Methodist Church held its annual spring yard sale to help fund a major youth mission trip scheduled for July. “We’ve done pretty well so far,� said director of youth ministries Lisa Howard. “The rain kept maybe two vendors away, but not the shoppers. We’ve made oodles so far! “We’re so thankful God gave us sunshine a little while ago. The kids are set on going to Impact Richmond again this year, and the price per kid has gone up to $300. So we’re working hard, but we’re having fun doing it.�

Impact Richmond is a missions organization in Richmond, Va. that welcomes Christian youth groups for a week every July

to help repair the homes of those in need.

While the youth group calendar is packed with activities, trips, and service opportunities throughout the year, the annual Impact Richmond trip is a major event the kids work toward all year. “We’ve asked the kids if they’d like to do something else this summer, but they were all very clear.

They want to do Impact Richmond. It’s always been a special trip for them as they get the opportunity to go out and help someone hands on. They meet someone, see their need, and help fulfill that need. It’s very special. “Last year, some of the kids reinstalled a front door for a 97-year-old woman whose door would not close and lock. Now she’s safe and it just means the world that we were able to do that for her. The kids are still talking about it.

It’s funny: you know a word all your life, and suddenly one day you think to wonder: how in the world did the levels of a building come to be known as stories?

I looked on the Internet (fount of all knowledge!) and discovered that there is an interesting story behind stories.

Noah himself would never have called his ark a three-storied ship because many-storied buildings hadn’t been thought up yet. (The illfated Tower of Babel came later.) And we know that it was centuries before any of these events were recorded on scrolls of parchment.

The “stories� mentioned in the King James Version of Noah’s ark story were a product of the seventeenth century, the period when the KJV was translated.

It was the late Middle Ages, and humans were once again building large buildings to the glory of God. They added stained

Cross Currents

Lynn Pitts

glass windows to the churches, windows that depicted stories from the Bible as teaching tools for a largely illiterate population who couldn’t read a Bible, even if they had one.

And Bibles were not common; they were the product of a lot of work, including translating the texts and copying them by hand with quill and ink (that had to be made!) onto parchment that also had to be created in a laborious process.

So it was that the different levels of a church’s building came to be known as stories! And later, any building with more than one level was a two- or three- or fourstoried building!

FAITH NOTES between the services, $3 each or $12 family, Easter egg hunt for the children following the 10:30 service. Info: 523-5687.

Classes/meetings â– First Comforter Church, 5516 Old Tazewell Pike, hosts MAPS (Mothers At Prayer Service) noon each Friday. Info: Edna Hensley, 771-7788.

Special services â– St. James Episcopal Church, 1101 N. Broadway, will host the following services: Maundy Thursday, March 24, Holy Eucharist Rite II and Foot Washing at 7 p.m.; Good Friday Liturgy at noon and 7 p.m. with Stations of the Cross at 1 and 3 p.m.; Easter Sunday, March 27, Holy Eucharist at 7:30 and 10:30 a.m., breakfast

Anthony Damiano, 13, the Rev. Larry Dial and Austin Housewright, 14, are working hard to sell an upholstered chair to raise money for a youth mission trip scheduled for July.

“We’ll be taking 12 to 15 kids ranging from grade six to grade 12, and there’s something for all of them to do. “It doesn’t matter your age

or your size, you can be used for God’s grace ‌ would you like to buy a treasure from the youth booth? There’s still a lot to choose from.�

â– Easter Sunrise Mountain Top Service, 6:30 a.m. Sunday, March 27, Ober Gatlinburg. Led by local pastors of the Gatlinburg Ministerial Association. The offering collected during the service will be used by the Association in assisting those in need.

A breakfast buffet will be available at Ober Gatlinburg’s Seasons of Ober Restaurant, 7:15-10:30 a.m. Info: 436-5423; fun@obergatlinburg.com; obergatlinurg.com.

Deadline this week for Hometown Hero Nominations for Home Federal Bank’s Hometown Hero will be accepted through Friday, March 25, at 5 p.m. at any of the bank’s 23 offices in Knox, Anderson, Blount and Sevier counties.

Details and a nomination form are available for download at homefederalbanktn.com or can be picked up at any of the bank’s offices. Honorees will be announced beginning in April.

Easter service is tenebrae with a twist

By Carol Z. Shane Easter is this weekend, and having obser ve d P a l m Sunday l a s t week, Christians will be gathe r i n g to mark Maundy T hu r s d a y, Good Friday and the eventual celebration on Easter Sunday morning.

At Church of the Savior United Church of Christ on Weisgarber Road, the Rev. John Gill and choir director Alex Engle are planning to observe Good Friday with the traditional service known as “Tenebrae,� from the Latin word for “darkness.� Except that this, according to Gill, will be “Tenebrae with a twist.� “We’re going to have a kind of ‘Reader’s Theater,’� says Gill. On one side of the church’s altar table, the Passion story will be told. On the other side, interspersed with passages from the Bible, will be a monologue

from the writings of Roberta Bondi, Professor Emerita of Church History at Emory University’s Candler S c ho ol of Theology and author of the book “Memories of God,� from which the monologue is taken.

The Bondi piece deals with the author’s struggle to accept the meaning of the Crucifixion after years of struggling with it “as a scholar and a woman.� “In this Tenebrae service,� says Gill, “her journey to discover new meaning in the old story will serve as an entry point to think about the Passion of Christ in new ways.�

The two readings, says Engle, evolve very differently. “The Bondi story starts in absolute chaos and moves into calmness and resolution. The story from scripture starts relatively calmly, with Jesus’ final supper with his disciples, and quickly becomes chaot-

ic.� Engle says that when she and Gill were building the service, she wanted to think of ways in which the musical selections could enhance the two narratives.

The result is “a Russian nesting doll� of musical selections, Engle says, each revealing further steps in opposite directions.

Tenebrae is a collaborative service in which each

congregant holds a lit candle. One by one, the candles are extinguished until the room is in darkness. Gill and Engle invite anyone to take part, especially those who may have questions of their own. “It’s okay to struggle,� he says. Of the featured Bondi monologue, the author herself says, “I wrote it to help others with their issues, too. Many

blessings!�

The Church of the Savior United Church of Christ invites all to their observances of Holy Week, including Tenebrae at 7 p.m. on Good Friday, March 25.

The church is located at 934 N. Weisgarber Road in Knoxville. Info: 584 7531 or http://www.cos-ucc.org.

Send story suggestions to news@shoppernewsnow.com.

www.ShopperNewsNow.com

Ä…Ę ĚŤ Ä“Ë“Ćś Ć‹Ę Ë“ĆžČĄÄ“É?É?Î’ ȥɹͽȥ̋Ɯƞ Ě‹Ę Ä“Ě‹Ě‹ĆśÉąĆž Ę ĚŤË“ Ě—Ë­Ě‹ČŽ ēɹɹ̍ēÉ?

2ē˥̋Ɯ˓ Š̍ɹ˓ȥ˥Ɯ ŠƜ˓ͽȥƋƜ &Ę ÉąĆžĚŤĆ‹Ě‹ĆśĆž ŚΒ .˓ʸ .ēͽȥƞ &Ë“ĚŤĚ‹Ć‹ČŽÉ?ƜΒ

̂ƚ̗Χ ēʸɣʸ Š̍ɹƞēΒƛ wÄ“Ë“Ć‹ČŽ ̨˭ƛ ̨ΧĘ&#x;Ě‚

c,£Ú£ R£žR£,s

ŠƜ˓ͽȥƋƜ Î…ČĄÉ?É? ŚƜ ČŽĆśÉ?Ćž Ę ĚŤĚ‹ËĄČĄĆžĆśĆ› ΅Ɯē̋ȎƜ˓ ʍƜ˓ɣȥ̋̋ȥɹǡƛ Ę Ë“ ȥɹ˥ȥƞƜ ČĄÇĄ ÉąĘ Ě‹Ę¸ ¤Ɯǥ˓Ɯ˥ȎɣƜɹ̋˥ Î…ČĄÉ?É? ŚƜ ˥Ɯ˓ͽƜƞʸ

GĆŁĹ–Ć• Ć˛Ć˛Ä†Č‰ÄžĹœČ‰Ç˛ IG’Ć cÉŒŇ?Ô?Ň? Ň?Ä?ÎŹČŤ Ô?Đ˜ÓœĐŽ Î?ÉŒŇŒČ§ Ň…R Ä?Ї ÓœÎ?ÉŒ ŇŒÉŒŇ?Ô?ŇŒŇŒÉŒČ—ÓœÎŹĐŽĐ˜Č§ Ä?Đ˜ČŤ ÓœÎ?ÉŒ Ď¨ÎŹÉ¸ÉŒČŚ Î?ÉŒ ÓœÎ?Ä?Óœ Č‚ÉŒĎ¨ÎŹÉŒâ€ŤŮ†â€ŹÉŒÓœÎ? ÎŹĐ˜ Đ‡ÉŒČ§ ÓœÎ?ĐŽÔ?Ę’Î? Î?ÉŒŮ’ÉŒŇŒÉŒČŤÉŒÄ?ČŤČ§ŮĄÉŒÓœŇ?Î?Ä?ϨϨÎ?ÉŒĎ¨ÎŹâ€ŤŮ†â€ŹÉŒČŚ Đ˜ČŤŮ’Î?ĐŽŇ?ĐŽÉŒâ€ŤŮ†â€ŹÉŒŇŒ Ď¨ÎŹâ€ŤŮ†â€ŹÉŒÓœÎ? Ä?Đ˜ČŤ Č‚ÉŒĎ¨ÎŹÉŒâ€ŤŮ†â€ŹÉŒÓœÎ? ÎŹĐ˜ Đ‡ÉŒ Ň?Î?Ä?ϨϨ Đ˜ÉŒâ€ŤŮ†â€ŹÉŒŇŒ ČŤÎŹÉŒŃ­ ÉŒĎ¨ÎŹÉŒâ€ŤŮ†â€ŹÉŒŇ?Óœ ÓœÎ?ĐŽÔ? ÓœÎ?ÎŹŇ?Ҁ҆

ÂŁÓœÉŒâ€ŤŮ†â€ŹÉŒĐ˜Ň? qĐŽŇŒÓœÔ?Ä?ŇŒŮĄ Ę‡ÔŒĘ?ÎŤâ€ŤÚ„â€ŹÓ¸Ó¸ŃŒ

ŃŒÓ¸â€ŤÚ„â€ŹĘ? yĘ’Ď¨ÉŒŮ’ĐŽĐŽČŤ â€ŤŮ†â€ŹÉŒĐ˜Ô?ÉŒ

eĐ˜ĐŽŮ&#x;â€ŤŮ†â€ŹÎŹĎ¨Ď¨ÉŒČ§ Ă“s ӸҰĐ?ŃŒŇ°

kids

8 • MARCH 23, 2016 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news

Wignor named Richard Yoakley teacher of year

By Ruth White Richard Yoakley School recently hosted a parent night to allow parents to talk with teachers in a more relaxed setting.

The event is Wigdor hosted twice each year in hopes of reaching as many parents as possible.

Jon Wigdor is the head of Family and Community Engagement and looks forward to seeing parents and guardians and providing tools to help families succeed.

Wigdor was named the school’s Teacher of the Year

and he said he was honored by the selection. Wigdor has been on staff at Richard Yoakley for eight years and taught in Rhode Island for 4 years prior to moving to Tennessee.

He teaches social studies and is the department’s chair. Both of his parents built careers in education – his dad a college psychology professor and his mom a “professional test giver.” Education is in his blood and he loves being able to reach and connect with the students at RYS. He has always liked working with young adults, and the smaller classroom settings at the school allow him to build relationships with students and help them be successful.

Fulton brings home state basketball championship

The Fulton High School boys basketball team brought home the AA State Championship trophy last weekend after defeating Brainerd 59-50. The team is pictured with coaches and the cheer squad following the trophy presentation. Fulton’s Trey Davis was named tournament MVP. Photo submitted

‘Lighten Up!’

Abbi Cate Barnard (center) leads the choir in “Words of Wisdom” during the production. Photos by R. White

Shopper s t n e V enews

Send items to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23 Bits ’N Pieces Quilt Guild meeting, 1 p.m., Community Building, Norris. Speaker: Joyce Morgan of The Quilt Patch in LaFollette. Guests and new members welcome. Info: Mary Jane Berry, 494-7841.

International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10 p.m., Claxton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road, Clinton. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724; oakridgefolkdancers.org; on Facebook.

WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY, MARCH 23-24 AARP Driver Safety class, noon-4 p.m., O’Connor Senior Center, 611 Winona St. Info/registration: Carolyn Rambo, 382-5822.

THURSDAY, MARCH 24 “Raised Beds: Build ’Em and Fill ’Em,” 3:154:30 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 4438 Western Ave. Presented by Master Gardener Michael Powell.

Free and open to the public. Info: 329-8892.

FRIDAY, MARCH 25 2014 Medal of Honor Quilt on display, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Info: 215-8824; eths@eastTNhistory.org; easttnhistory.org.

SATURDAY, MARCH 26 Cat Fanciers Association Cat Show, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Chilhowee Park Jacob Building. Tickets: $6 adults, $4 seniors and students; available at the door.

Fourth Saturday Jam Session, 7 p.m., Old Rush Strong School, Leadmine Bend Road, Sharps Chapel.

Bluegrass, country and gospel music presented by local musicians. Free admission, dancing and snacks; donations appreciated.

March is Music in Our Schools Month, and what better way to show off the musical talents of students than with a performance to kick off spring?

East Knox Elementary recently presented “Lighten Up!” Music director Steven Simpson acquired “Lighten Up!” from his mentor and friend Angela Cook at Fountain City Elementary. Cook sat front and center to see Simpson in action and sang along to many of the tunes. The show was fun and light-hearted.

I always enjoy stopping by East Knox to watch Simpson direct the choirs. Dynamic and entertaining, he puts his love for music into each performance.

Ruth White

The show reminded me of the skits from “Laugh-In” and other classic comedies, as students stepped forward during the songs to say one-liners and jokes such as “What did Tennessee? It saw what Arkansas.”

Songs from the show included “This Show is Over” and “What did Delaware?”

Simpson also managed to slip in a 15-year East Knox Elementary favorite, “Pizza Hut.”

Kitten and cat adoption fair, noon-6 p.m., West Town PetSmart adoption center, 214 Morrell Road.

Sponsored by Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee.

Info: www.feralfelinefriends.org.

“Name Your Price” rummage sale, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Lighthouse Christian Church, 8015 Facade Lane. Limited exceptions. Benefits LCC Youth Group.

Saturday Lego Club, 3 p.m., Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. Info: 922-2552.

Special stage version of the Lantern Tour, 4:30 p.m., Historic Rugby’s Rebecca Johnson Theater. Tickets: $10; reservations recommended. Info/reservations: 423-628-2441.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, MARCH 26-27 East Tennessee Daffodil flower show, 1-5 p.m., Ellington Plant sciences Building Auditorium, UT Ag. Campus. Free to the public. Info: 591 6774.

TUESDAY, MARCH 29 Annual dinner and silent auction fundraiser, 6-8 p.m., fellowship hall Crossroads Academy and Little Miracles Learning Center, 105 Fellowship Lane. Dinner tickets: $8. Silent auction only, $5. Info/tickets: 945-1239.

“Glass Fusing Workshop” class, 6-8:30 p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway, Norris. Instructor: Kathy King. Part of the Featured Tennessee Artist Workshop Series. Info/registration: 494-9854; appalachianarts.net.

Happy Travelers Lunch and Gathering, 10:30 a.m., North Acres Baptist Church, 5803 Millertown Pike. Cost: $7. Entertainment: Fredda Valentine. Reservation deadline: Saturday, March 26. Info/reservations: Derrell Frye, 938-8884 or 254-8884.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 Documentary Series: “Years of Living Dangerously” – Episode 5, 7-9 p.m., Mac Smith Resource Center, 1936 Liberty Hill Road, Washburn. Info: 497-2753 or community@narrowridge.org.

International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10 p.m., Claxton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road, Clinton. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724; oakridgefolkdancers. org; on Facebook.

Line dancing, noon-1 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. Free and open to the public. Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

“Spring Fling,” 5:15 p.m., Christ UMC, 7535 Maynardville Highway. Includes: entertainment by The Blair Experience, silent auction, raffle of an Archie Campbell print and dinner. Cost: $7, or $24 for family. Reservation deadline: March 25. Info/reservations: 922-1412.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1 First Friday Comedy, 7-9 p.m., Saw Works Brew-

Fountain City Elementary music teacher Angela Cook stops by to show support to East Knox Elementary music teacher Steven Simpson during the school’s presentation of “Lighten Up!”

ing, 708 E. Depot Ave. Free comedy showcase featuring Atlanta comedians Ian Aber and Hayley Ellman.

First Friday Knoxville “The Next Level!!!” 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Jubilee Banquet Facility, 6700 Jubilee Center Way. Adult party featuring multiple DJs. Advance tickets: $10, 1stfridayknoxville-tnl.eventbrite.com; Simply 10, 2043 N. Broadway; Gams’ Hair Fashions, 1524 University Ave; 615-995-9093.

Opening reception for exhibit by Owen Weston, 5-9 p.m. Broadway Studios and Gallery, 1127 N. Broadway. Exhibit on display through April 30. Info: BroadwayStudiosAndGalley.com.

THURSDAYS-SUNDAYS, APRIL 1-17 “Annie, Jr.,” Knoxville Children’s Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Ave. Performances: 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 1 and 5 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays.

Info: 208-3677; knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com; info@ childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 2 AARP Driver Safety class, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6500 South Northshore Drive. Registration: Paul Johnson, 675-0694. Info: Carolyn Rambo, 382-5822.

Bluegrass, noon-3 p.m., Marcos Pizza, 7121 Maynardville Pike. Info: 377-4403.

“Drip Irrigation: Putting it Together,” 10:30 a.m.-noon, Master Gardener Demonstration Garden, All Saints Catholic Church, 620 N. Cedar Bluff Road.

Presented by Master Gardeners of Knox County. Free and open to the public. Info: 215-2340.

Kitten and cat adoption fair, noon-6 p.m., West Town PetSmart adoption center, 214 Morrell Road.

Sponsored by Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee.

Info: www.feralfelinefriends.org.

“Maximizing Your Social Security” workshop, 10:30 a.m., Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. Presented by Darrell Keathley, COFFE. Info: 922-2552.

“Mosaic Stepping Stone” class, 1-6 p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway, Norris. Instructor: Jessica Kortz. Registration deadline: March 26. Info/registration: 494-9854; appalachianarts. net.

Open music jam, 7-9:30 p.m., Mac Smith Resource Center, 1936 Liberty Hill Road, Washburn. Info: 4972753 or community@narrowridge.org.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, APRIL 2-3 Auditions for Shakespeare on the Square, Emporium Building, 100 S. Gay St. Hosted by Tennessee Stage Company. Times: 1-3 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. All auditions by appointment only. Info/ appointments: 546-4280; tennesseestage@comcast.net; tennesseestage.com.

weekender

Shopper news • MARCH 23, 2016 • 9

Good clean fun

By Carol Z. Shane

Kids find lots to do in downtown Chattanooga.

Chattanooga is kid-friendly short trip

By Sandra Clark Got kids 12 or younger?

Look no farther than Chattanooga for a fascinating one- or two-day adventure.

Sleeping: Splurge on a hotel downtown. Look at the Hampton Inn & Suites.

Located just off I-27, it’s within walking distance of the Tennessee Aquarium and IMAX theater, the Bluff View Art District and the Creative Discovery Museum. Other hotels are strategically spotted around the attractions as well.

The Hampton itself is fun with an indoor/outdoor pool and warm towels, a workout gym and a no-charge breakfast buffet. Guest rooms have free WiFi, a 37-inch HDTV, mini-fridge and microwave.

The inn has an on-site manager, eager to assist, and 134 guest rooms and suites.

Parking is $8/day. Park and walk to restaurants, attractions and even the Tennessee River.

Eating: After that wholesome Hampton breakfast, pocket a banana or a muffin for a mid-morning snack.

For lunch, look at Puckett’s Grocery. It’s a Tennessee original, founded in the 1950s with restaurants now in Nashville, Franklin and Columbia. In 2015, Puckett’s moved into the huge TGI Friday’s spot and hasn’t missed a beat.

Lunch specials include a meat and three or cherrywood smoked barbecue, the house specialty. Lunch clientele is a mix of tourists and downtown office workers. Servers seem to handle just four or five tables, keeping things moving. Puckett’s offers live music at night.

Check the blog or Facebook page for details.

For an afternoon pickme-up, visit Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream parlor just a halfblock away. There’s a Rita’s Italian Ice close-by, too, but save room for dinner.

For a fancy, sit-down experience, choose Alleia Restaurant on E. Main Street.

With Italian and seafood specialties, Alleia garners rave reviews. Just watch for feathers on that grilled duck wings appetizer.

Less expensive alternatives for a taste of Chattanooga are Lupi’s Pizza Pies on Broad Street, Campy’s Famous Fried Chicken on Martin Luther King Blvd. and the Bluegrass Grill, E. Main Street.

And for dessert, head over to The Hot Chocolatier on Market Street. Gourmet fi xings with coffee or tea.

Ahhhhh.

Playing: You can’t beat the Creative Discovery Museum, especially for kids as young as 3. Open 10 to 5, seven days a week, the

museum features a special exhibit, “Hot and Seoul, Growing up in Korea� through May 15. Korean War veterans especially will be amazed at the detail in this exhibit.

Museum highlights include a kite-flying experiment with torn paper and a jet of air; the bubble pond on the top floor; the hike up the lookout tower; and the acoustical adventures with musical instruments.

Kids literally race from room to room. This museum is one giant “Wow!�

This is STEM at its hands-on best. Kids can experience the power of mechanics with gears, pulleys and levers. Or they can see plants growing, producing strawberries and more, with bee hives on-site.

A fun exhibit for little kids is a life-sized beehive.

The kids put on a bee suit labeled queen, worker or drone and then climb into a honey-comb cubby. Every adult in the museum is smiling – well, except perhaps for that woman who chases away anyone who ignores the sign to tap on the glass

while she feeds crickets to a lizard. Not sure if she’s avoiding excitement for the cricket or the lizard.

IMAX 3-D Theatre has three features with discounted ticket prices if you watch more than one. We chose “Under the Sea,� a well-crafted visual treat.

Forty-five minutes is long enough, though, to keep quiet a kid whose idea of underwater adventure is “Octonauts.�

The Tennessee Aquarium is the granddaddy of attractions, recently expanded to include colorful salt-water creatures.

The River Journey is home to the most diverse gathering of freshwater animals in the country, says the website. A highlight is the playful river otters.

Ocean Journey, housed in a separate building, includes sharks, jellyfish and penguins. And the gift shop will send you home with T-shirts, books, mugs and mementoes of your Chattanooga visit.

You can do this trip, folks, in 24 hours, start to finish from Knoxville. Including the drive.

This is the time of year that East Tennesseeans bless their home. With spring bursting, blooming and breezing all around us, we’re all looking for opportunities to get outside.

And what better way for families to enjoy the beauty together this special weekend than a good old-fashioned Easter egg hunt?

This Friday and Saturday, RiverView Family Farms, located on Fort Loudoun Lake in Farragut, will be hosting such an event on a gigantic scale. As in over 4,000 brightly colored plastic eggs to find. Both afternoons, all afternoon, continuously. “When I was a child my mother would open up the farm to schoolkids,� says Rachel Williams Samulski, who traces her family’s ownership of the working cattle farm back to 1801. “We love to see kids come out, play, get dirty.�

Though eager to share the farm experience with everyone, Samulski is especially interested in young folks who, in this age of high-tech gadgetry, are losing their connection to the land. And she values the intergenerational ties that the farm experience can foster. “In every family,� she says, “someone’s got a connection to a farm – a father, a brother, an uncle.�

There’s plenty for everyone to do. There will be live

animals to view, hay bales to climb, a “calf wobble� activity, which Samulski describes as “running like a hamster on a wheel,� craft stations, face painting, live music and hayrides. There will be food available for purchase. “Sometimes grandparents come and sit by the river and play checkers,� says Samulski. “It’s all on the water, so it’s very relaxing.�

As for that epic egg hunt, the kids can redeem their baskets of booty for prizes.

Those who find rare, special golden eggs will receive a T-shirt that proclaims, “I found the golden egg at Riverview Farm!�

This is the fifth year that Samulski and her family have hosted the Easter event. “It’s starting to become a tradition with families,� she notes, and not only year-to-year. In conversation with one family at last year’s event, she mentioned that they looked familiar. “We were here yesterday!� the father replied. “It’s just good clean fun,� says Samulski. “Spring Time – Easter Event on the Farm� happens from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, March 25-26, at RiverView Family Farm, 12130 Prater Lane in Knoxville. Admission for ages 2 and up is $9. Info: riverviewfamilyfarm.com or 603 9347.

Send story suggestions to news@shoppernewsnow.com.

Hall, 5806 Kingston Pike.

Cost: $20; $25 after April 11.

Info: Wayne, 696-9858; Sara, 588-6098.

REUNION NOTES â– Halls High classes of 2005 and 2006 combined reunion, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30, Knoxville Hilton. Tickets: Eventbrite.com. â– Knoxville High School Alumni Association will host the Classes of 19101951, 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 30, Bearden Banquet

â– Powell High Alumni Reunion, 4:45 p.m. Saturday, April 2, Jubilee Banquet Facility, 6700 Jubilee Center Way. Guest speaker: Dr. Chad Smith, PHS principal and PHS graduate. Info: Lynette Brown, 947-7371 or LBrown8042@ aol.com.

Great advice from a kindred spirit

By Sandra Clark Poet and Knoxville native Nikki Giovanni dazzled an overflow crowd last week, speaking here as part of Pellissippi State’s Beyond the Common Book Club and Common Academic Experience. She is now a distinguished professor at Virginia Tech University.

She read two poems and talked about coming-of-age as a black woman in Knoxville. But her wise one-liners drew laughter and respect. Try these: ■Get rid of people that make you crazy. ■Don’t put pressure on yourself to change the whole damn world. Just do what

you can do. ■Quit letting the haters determine how you look at yourself. ■Do the things that make sense to you. ■The answer is yes – always yes.

In fact, tear out this advice and post it on your wall.

Giovanni understand Appalachia and its people.

She said it’s better to have car trouble in “some holler� around here than in some city up North. “I’m no fool,� she said.

Things were not peaches and cream in Knoxville. Now 72, she recalled when black kids were not allowed in Chilhowee Park. “I can’t stand

amusement parks to this day!� Black citizens could not eat at lunch counters downtown or attend movies. “I remember walking up those steps (to the balcony for blacks) at the Bijou.�

But she saluted the spirit of those East Tennesseans who stood with the Union during the Civil War. She nodded at the white families who “would not send people back to be enslaved.�

She saluted the West Virginians who said, “We will not send our sons to die so Shenandoah can have slaves.�

And she acknowledged teachers from Austin High School, Ms. Emma Stokes (French) and Ms. Alfredda

Delaney (English) as great influences. Her grandfather, John Brown Watson, was a longtime Latin teacher at Austin High. According to her biography, her grandmother Louvenia “cheerfully volunteered her granddaughter Nikki� to protest segregated dining facilities at Rich’s department store (now the UT Conference Center) on Henley Street. “It’s a wonderful thing to be black. I recommend it,� she said at Pellissippi State.

She took questions as well.

Her advice to aspiring writers: Do not write every day. “Nobody has that much to say.� Instead, read every

day. “Take something in.�

Unemployment? “There are so many things to be done.� For instance, figure out how to take wine into space. That needs to be done.

Regrets? She watches “Jeopardy� most days and would enjoy being a contestant. “I was a wrong answer once.�

At its core, her message was an affirmation of black women, women in general and the people present.

Don’t worry about “mistakes,� she said. Those were just learning experiences and many were actually fun at the time.

Let’s all say, “Yes!�

Nikki Giovanni speaks to an overflow crowd at Pellissippi State’s Magnolia Avenue campus. Photo by PSCC And a huge thanks to Pellissippi State Community College, its president Anthony Wise, and its Magnolia Avenue campus dean Rosalyn Tillman.

./+"& % 0". "& (($ '(("& +"%( .. + ' +" " # & /+# 1 & + ,,"& . , ./ $'/& + & '/&.+1 +" . # $$ 0". '/+ %'/, $$!1'/! + !.'! .

%""

" % ' ' ) % " (& # $$ ''' '

# !

$$

'

* ) )

'/( $ +/". & '. . $ / .)

# "

business

10 • MARCH 23, 2016 • Shopper news clothes closets and maintaining in-house food and clothing pantry shelves).

Dorothy Hahn has been a customer since the business opened. She is one of many regulars with whom Dawn is on a first name basis.

“We get a lot of hugs here,” Dawn said.

“I will go to no other,” Hahn said.

But A-1 Laundry still struggles, primarily because of location. Although its street address is 4883 N. Broadway, the laudromat is tucked away in a strip mall dominated by Big Lots and Food City (behind Panera Bread), and is not visible from the street.

“We have a Broadway address, but we’re not on Broadway,” Dawn said.

“People would go down Broadway looking for us and find our competition with our paid advertisement – so now, we don’t put Broadway on ads. We say ‘behind Kathy Dawn says running a business is hard, but she’s not giv- Panera Bead,’ or ‘next to Big ing up.

Lots.’”

A-1 Laundry is allowed a free book and magazine vice projects (washing and a small sign on the mall’s shelf) and community ser- folding clothes for PTA directory, and Dawn and

Small business struggles with regulations

By Betty Bean In 2013, the ShopperNews told the story of A-1 Laundry, a mom-and-son Fountain City business struggling to get off the ground under new ownership while facing an array of problems, the foremost of which was an audacious late-night thief who was robbing the change machine and even using pilfered quarters to buy snacks. Issues with government fees and regulations weren’t making matters any easier, either.

Day manager Kathy Dawn and her son, owner Ricky Whitener, caught the offender using the old “$20bill on a string” trick with a

surveillance camera, identified him via Facebook and turned him over to police, who arrested and prosecuted The resulting story, “Say hello to Jake,” recounted their remarkable detective work.

We checked back with them last week and learned that “Jake” has paid some restitution money (not nearly as much as he stole), and that their business, which Dawn refers to as “the mat,” has drawn a solid base of regular customers, thanks to its friendly, Mayberryesque atmosphere and some unique promotions (Dollar Day Every Day for top loading machines and

Whitener are convinced that a freestanding sign would help their business.

But they are only allowed a temporary banner 60 days a year, and that’s gotten more expensive under the new ordinance – $328 for two months, up from $52 under the old ordinance.

Director of Building Inspections Peter Ahrens said City Council considered cutting back the length of time the banners could be used, but instead left it at 60 days divided into four 15-day periods.

“It’s tough when you’re just part of a directory sign and you’re not visible from the street,” Ahrens said.

“But the intent (of the ordinance) is that they are to be used when there’s a sale going on, versus having them out there for the entire month.”

Dawn said running their own business has been hard for her and her son.

“But we’re not giving up.

We’ve met so many nice people, and what we provide is not a luxury. It’s a necessity.”

News from the Rotary Guy

World Rotary Day in Knoxville is a George Wehrmaker production

By Tom King Meet George Wehrmaker, a 15-year member of the Rotary Club of Bearden, a quiet man who does what he does because he Tom King loves Rotary and our community. He is a key figure – perhaps the key figure – in the annual World Rotary Day project that involves Knoxville’s seven Rotary clubs.

World Rotary Day is celebrated annually on Feb. 23, marking the anniversary of Rotary International’s founding in 1905 in Chicago. Rotary clubs celebrate this anniversary by participating in an array of service projects.

Knoxville’s clubs embraced a project that began in 2008 by “adopting” a local school or facility that needed a little help – be it installing new playground equipment, mulch for playgrounds, planting new trees and shrubs, doing general

landscape work, or building steps or painting classrooms and refurbishing old pavilions.

Each year the presidents of the local clubs identify a worthy project. In all but one year the work has been done at a school. In 2015 Rotarians worked at the Cerebral Palsy Group Home in Fountain City on a chilly February Saturday.

Here’s where the work has been done each year: 2008-09 – Sarah Moore Green Elementary 2010 – Tennessee School

for the Deaf 2011 – South Knoxville Elementary 2012 – Belle Morris Elementary 2013 – Pond Gap Elementary 2014 – Ball Camp Elementary 2015 – Cerebral Palsy Group Home 2016 – Ridgedale Alternative School Wehrmaker is a natural for this work since he owns Brightside Landscape, a company he started in 1998 and today serves more than 90 commercial and residential clients in Knox, Anderson, Roane, Blount and Sevier counties. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy (soils) in 1990 from Texas A&M. So how did Wehrmaker become involved in this project? “I was working with the group at a school one Saturday when this all began and it was a little bit disorganized, so I started organizing teams to do this and do that and it all worked OK,” he said. “Then someone asked me to coordinate this project and in Rotary you’re not supposed to say no when you’re asked to do something.”

Bearden Rotarian George Wehrmaker is presented with his Paul Harris Fellow pin by District 6780 assistant governor coordinator Patty Daughtrey in 2014.

He donates his time and expertise in planning each year’s project, visiting the sites, meeting with school principals and the Rotary clubs to outline the project and buying what’s needed.

At the sites he coordinates the volunteers.

In 2014, he was presented with a prestigious Paul Harris Fellow in honor of his work on this project.

“That really meant a lot to me and it really surprised me,” he says.

For the past three years the Knoxville Breakfast Rotary Club has had workdays

at Blue Grass Elementary School similar to World Rotary Day projects. Wehrmaker, of course, was asked to help with these and, of course, he said yes.

“I really love doing it. I love Rotary and I know that we do a lot of international work, but I love working on the close-to-home stuff and making a difference,” he explained. “And how much closer can we get than helping the schools that need the help here in town?”

Tom King is a retired newspaper editor, a Rotarian for 28 years and past president of the Rotary Club of Farragut. He can be reached at tking535@gmail.com

BIZ NOTES ■ Dr. Jack Lacey, senior vice president and chief medical officer at UT Medical Center, retires from his role on March 31 after nearly 40 years of service. In 1991, he earned recognition by then-Gov. Ned McWherter as the recipient of the Tennessee Outstanding Achievement Award. Lacey received a 2015 Tennessee Hospital Association Award of Excellence for devoting his career to improving health care in the community, region and state.

YOU Can Prevent Wildfires.

SMOKEYBEAR.COM

Space donated by:

ION OF STA IAT TE OC

STERS RE FO

Only

NATIONAL A SS

■ ORNL Federal Credit Union has announced promotions for two employees: Derek Saidak is the chief loan officer and Tom Wright is now chief marketing officer. Saidak will oversee the credit union’s lending strategy including business, consumer and mortgage lending and collections.

Wright will oversee branding, marketing and communications as well as enhancement and growth of the ORNL FCU brand.

FO

U N D E D 192

0

■ Kim Pouncey has started a business to train and certify wine vendors. TopShelf will help store owners prepare for the sale of wine in grocery stores starting July 1.

“Employees and managers at each location – anyone who rings up the sale of alcohol – will be required to complete a Responsible Wine Vendor clerk certification class,” she says. “Grocery stores

Dr. Lacey

Hackney

Kim Pouncey

John Rhea

Derek Saidak

Tom Wright

in Tennessee will have the same level of responsibility as bars and restaurants when it comes to preventing underage drinking.”

■ SunTrust Mortgage is honoring mortgage loan officers Suzy Schierbaum and Karen Hackney for being Silver Award recipients and producing sales manager John Rhea Schierbaum for being a Bronze Award recipient from the Knoxville Mortgage Bankers Association. This award is

presented to mortgage loan officers who have achieved a high number of volume and units for the year 2015.

■ Priority Ambulance will host a facility open house and job fair at the company’s East Tennessee headquarters at 910 Callahan Drive, Suite 101, on Thursday, March 31, from noon to 4 p.m. to hire paramedics and EMTs. Priority is offering signing bonuses and full- and part-time work schedules.

■ KUB raised a record $54,837 for Project Help in January through collections at Food City stores and Home Federal banks.

Shopper news • MARCH 23, 2016 • 11

12 • MARCH 23, 2016 • Shopper news

*- '

" ' # ' - )&

%!$ ,+ )&