GOVERNMENT/POLITICS A4-5 | OUR COLUMNISTS A6-7 | YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS A9 | BUSINESS A11
A great community newspaper.
powell
VOL. 51, NO. 3
JANUARY 16, 2012
INSIDE FEATURED COLUMNIST DR. JIM TUMBLIN
Gay Street shootout What caused the big brawl of 1882? See page A-6
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Jim McIntyre
‘State of the Schools’ at Gresham Thursday Dr. Jim McIntyre, superintendent of the Knox County Schools, will deliver a “State of the Schools” report and address at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, at Gresham Middle School. The event is open to the public. County Mayor Tim Burchett, school board chair Thomas Deakins and Buzz Thomas of the Great Schools Partnership will also speak. The inaugural event is cohosted by the Knoxville Chamber and the Knox County Council PTA. The State of the Schools address will be broadcast live on Comcast Cable Channel 10, streamed live at knoxschools.org and broadcast on WKCS Falcon Radio 91.1 FM, East Tennessee’s only high school radio station.
ONLINE
DO YOU
LIKE? TELL US!
The Shopper-News is now on Facebook! Check us out for updates, photos and more! www.facebook.com/ ShopperNewsNow
www.ShopperNewsNow.com
news@ShopperNewsNow.com ads@ShopperNewsNow.com EDITOR Sandra Clark sclark426@aol.com ADVERTISING SALES Debbie Moss mossd@ShopperNewsNow.com Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly at 4509 Doris Circle, Knoxville, TN, and distributed to 8,314 homes in Powell.
www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow
|
twitter.com/shoppernewsnow
Jarret offers travel tips
to Heiskell seniors By Ruth White
Knox County Law Director Joe Jarret stopped by to visit the senior adults in Heiskell and shared many useful tips on traveling safely overseas. Jarret is a former active duty U. S. Army Armored Cavalry officer and former U. S. Air Force special agent with service overseas. His tips were practical but often not thought of until it is too late. Following Jarret’s suggestions can make traveling go more smoothly and also help ensure proper medical care in case of emergency. The first step for senior travelers who suffer from serious health problems is to consult a physician before visiting a foreign country. Once the doctor gives a good bill of health and To page A-2
Joan Barker and Linda Forrester share a laugh and a hug before the kick off of the monthly Heiskell Seniors meeting. Photo by Ruth White
By Jake Mabe One of his children asked Phil Peek last month what he wanted for Christmas. He had a simple, special request: “I want the family together.” When you hear what happened to him last April 16, you’ll understand. That Saturday morning, Peek headed to a meeting, was hit by a sudden coughing fit and passed out while driving on Chert Pit Road (between Middlebrook Pike and Ball Camp). “As the song says, Jesus took the wheel,” Peek says, “and took me across the lane, through two yards and brought me in contact with a big tree.” Peek, who is a former teacher at Halls High School, was rushed to UT Hospital. The ambulance drivers told him later they thought they were going to lose him. His vital signs were not good. “I had 17 fractures in my ribs, two bones broken in my right hand and abdominal bleeding they thought would take care of itself.” Doctors told Peek’s wife, Linda, that he should be going home by the following Friday. But by Thursday, Peek’s bowels and kidneys were shutting down. Surgery the next morning discovered three sections of dead bowel. Peek says his body became septic and
he had to undergo 38 days of dialysis. He also began suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome and spent the next five weeks in the acute care intensive care unit. “During those five weeks my lungs collapsed three times.” At one point, Peek’s blood presPhil Peek sure dropped to 40/20. The doctors told Linda they’d done everything they could do. Peek was placed on an oscillating bed to keep his lungs open. He remembers nothing from that fiveweek period. “And then my part of the story is the Lord stepped in.” He was finally placed in a private room but could not walk. But, one week after leaving ICU, Peek suddenly began to improve. He no longer needed dialysis treatments. (He had previously been told he might have to undergo dialysis for six months to a year.) Sent to the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center for three weeks, he slowly but surely began to learn how to walk again. “When the therapist told me
Liford joins HPUD staff RUS loan is $4.9 million The Hallsdale Powell Utility District will borrow $4.983 million from the federal Rural Utility Services agency. The commissioners voted unanimously to take out the loan at last week’s meeting. Proceeds from the 38-year loan will be used to replace water lines and develop storage within the system for fire protection and to address pressure
2707 Mineral Springs Ave. Knoxville, TN 37917 Ph. (865) 687-4537 280 N. Fairmont Ave.
Chick-fil-A coming to Emory Road By Sandra Clark
Phil Peek’s miracle
By Greg Householder 4509 Doris Circle 37918 (865) 922-4136
|
issues in the utility’s 500plus miles of water lines. Loans from RUS protect the utility from annexation by the city as long as the loan is outstanding. The utility has four outstanding RUS loans at interest rates of 3.75 percent or lower. CEO Darren Cardwell confirmed that former HPUD commissioner Sandra Liford has been hired as the utility’s Human Resources and Public Relations manager. She will be responsible for updating employee policies and procedures to comply with any law changes, updating job
all the things I’d be doing (using a walker, being able to use the rest room unassisted), I laughed. I didn’t think it would be possible. In my mind, Patricia Neal is a miraculous place, an incredible place.” He went home June 28. In October, Peek went to his cardiologist for tests. He underwent a tilt table procedure and passed out when nitroglycerin was placed under his tongue. “The test showed the signal that prevents low heart rate wasn’t getting from my brain to my heart. I needed a pacemaker.” Hence the coughing fit that preceded his accident. “God worked a miracle in my life. He has been so good to me. I’ve had many opportunities to share my story and praise Him for sparing my life.” Peek finished his rehabilitation at Knoxville Orthopedic Center on Emory Road. Friends held a benefit singing for him at Callahan Road Baptist Church on July 22. He’d set a goal to be able to get up on stage and sing at the benefit. He needed a walker, but he did it. He sang recently at several events with his quartet, New Heights. “I didn’t know if I’d ever sing
titles and descriptions and creating job levels, and developing an evaluation program. She Sandra Liford will also develop wage levels for different positions, look at the feasibility of developing a bill assistance program, develop a curriculum to educate children and adults about the water utility industry and aid teachers with a curriculum that will assist them in teaching the ins and outs of the water and wastewater business.
Construction will start soon for a new Chick-fi l-A restaurant on Emory Road across from Tennova’s North Knoxville Medical Center. “Weather permitting, we’ll break ground next week,” said franchise owner Greg Jones. Jones expects to hire at least 50 individuals to staff the restaurant, open six days a week but closed on Sundays. He also will bring some employees from his restaurant at 6564 Clinton Highway. This store will be the “biggest and the best” in the Chick-fi l-A chain, Jones said. The restaurant will feature an earth tone color scheme and a beverage refresh station in the dining area. The drivethru will allow multi-orders so traffic moves faster, and the kitchen will have the latest technology. Jones said this store, along with one now under construction in Bearden, will test a service model in which the customer orders and pays, then is seated and a staff member brings the food to the table. The Bearden store, located near Kroger in the Homberg area, should open at the end of April, according to Marshall Wilkins, franchise owner of the stores at Kingston Overlook and Turkey Creek. While the recession has not been great for business, Wilkins said it’s not been devastating for Chick-fi l-A, probably because the business is positioned between true fast-food and a casual dining restaurant. The Knoxville area has 11 Chick-fi l-A restaurants and eight franchise owners. “Don’t try to sell customers (something) as much as take care of them. You’ll be OK,” Wilkins said. See more of his remarks to the Fountain City Business and Professional Association on Page A-5.
To page A-3 Her duties will include customer communications, employee development training and evaluations and other duties that may be assigned. Liford resigned from the board of commissioners on Sept. 19 of last year. She was previously an administrator with Knox County Schools. In other business, Cardwell reported that the utility set 14 water meters in December and conducted six sewer connection inspections. The utility treated 212.3 million gallons of water and 351.9 million gallons of wastewater for the month. The board re-elected
its current officers – Jim Hill, chair; Kevin Julian, secretary; and Robert Crye, treasurer. The board declared five vehicles surplus and instructed Cardwell to sell them at auction. The board also approved a debt management policy, a requirement from the state comptroller’s office. The board approved pay requests to Insituform Technologies for $299,999 for work on the sanitary sewer rehabilitation project and $84,229 to Merkel Brothers for State Route 33 project work. The board will meet next at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13.
WE BUY
GOLD
Morristown, TN 37814 • Physical Therapy Ph. (865) 585-5023 • Aquatic Physical Therapy • Functional Capacity Evaluations • Jump Start Health & Fitness Program • Occupational & Industrial Services • Vocational Services • Work Conditioning
Directly across from Fountain City Park
865-705-5836
Kenton Page, DPh Since 1976
www.associatedtherapeutics.com
5334 N. Broadway
5110 N. Broadway • 688-7025
P.C.C.A. Compounding Specialist