Powell/Norwood Shopper-News 021815

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POWELL/NORWOOD VOL. 54 NO. 7

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NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ IN THIS ISSUE Kiwanis event Northside Kiwanis Club will host a Pancake Jamboree and Bake Sale from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 544 N. Broadway. Tickets at $4 ($10 per family, up to four) are available from Northside Kiwanis members or at the door. All proceeds go to support the service activities of the Northside Kiwanis Club. Info: Tom Mattingly, 414-6218.

February 18, 2015

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Rusty Wallace gives back

Mike Stair, general manager of Air Max trampoline in Powell, poses with Rusty Wallace in front of the car Wallace drove in his final NASCAR race. Photos by S. Clark

GOP reorganization The Knox County Republican Party will hold its biannual reorganization with precinct meetings at the polling places at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, unless otherwise scheduled by the precinct chair. Delegates elected at the precincts will meet for the county convention at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 7, at The Crown College in Powell. Info: Ruthie Kuhlman, chair.

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

Marvin West Sports columnist Marvin West looks at Tennessee’s new offensive coordinator, Mike DeBord, and his fit in maintaining “the best staff in America.” That’s what Butch promised when he was hired. No reason for him to back down, writes West. His column is on page A-4.

By Sandra Clark Rusty Wallace came to Powell and donated $1,000 to two community projects. Chad Campbell, partner and general manager of Rusty Wallace Honda on Callahan Drive, said afterwards, “I’ve gotta go sell some cars!” Wallace said he likes to give back to the communities where he operates a business. “We love Powell and East Tennessee.”

Since retiring from NASCAR racing in 2005, Wallace has concentrated on his growing business which now includes six automobile dealerships with 250 employees and annual sales of more than $200 million. Wallace donated $500 to the Powell Business and Professional Association’s Teen Driver Awareness program, headed this year by past president Sage Kohler and her

associate Rachel Wilburn, both of State Farm Insurance. He also donated $500 to the Powell High baseball team after coach Jay Scarbro described an upcoming stadium improvement project to shore up and brick-face the blocks around the dugout. Wallace won the 1989 Winston Cup Championship and posted 55 victories in NASCAR’s premier series. Now he’s a partner in six

dealerships in East Tennessee, all of which bear his name. He started in Morristown in 1989, forming a partnership with Ray Huffaker who owned Parkway Pontiac. “I made two appearances and won two races,” he recalled, and Huffaker asked him to become a partner. Wallace checked with his mentor, Roger Penske, To page A-3

Apartment project gets MPC approval By Sandra Clark It’s rare to see such a smooth acceptance of 250 apartments, but perhaps it’s a reflection of recent tough economic times. The proposal by TDK Construction Company to build up to 250 apartments on 14.6 acres on Emory Road southwest of Central Avenue Pike was approved on the consent agenda by the Metropolitan Planning Commission last week.

Items on consent are approved as a batch without discussion. MPC chair Rebecca Longmire gave an opportunity for opposition, but none emerged. The rezoning from commercial to planned residential now goes to Knox County Commission. Commissioner Charles Busler said Sunday that it looks like the project will be closer to 221 apartments than 250. He’s requesting

the developer to dedicate land along Beaver Creek for a greenway, and said the developer has agreed. The site is less than one mile from the I-75 interchange at Emory Road and is 2/10 of a mile from the Powell Branch Library. MPC staff recommended up to 19 dwelling units per acre for the buildable portion of the property, resulting in 250 units.

“Planned residential is a preferable zone for this site because it allows clustering of units in the less-constrained portions of the site and requires development plan approval by MPC prior to construction,” the recommendation reads. Planners estimated 66 public and private school kids, ages 5-18, and 2,175 average daily vehicle trips.

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

Betty Bean Tyler Harber: Ace political reporter Betty Bean was writing about this youthful politico some 14 years ago and she’s kept up with him ever since. Now he’s probably heading to jail after last week’s guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Virginia. Bean looks back and ahead with “The Rise and Fall of Tyler Harber.” Inside.

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

The pros and cons of a balanced school calendar By Wendy Smith Bearden High School students and parents didn’t lament the possible loss of long, leisurely summers during principal John Bartlett’s discussion of Knox County Schools’ proposed balanced calendar. There was little reaction, aside from a few questions about specifics, to the idea that the 20162017 school calendar could have two-week fall, winter and spring breaks and an eight-week summer break. There would still be 180 instructional days. Bartlett began the discussion by reminding students and parents, who attended the evening meeting to discuss scheduling as well as a balanced calendar, that nothing is set in stone. “This is a conversation that is just starting and nobody has decided anything yet.” Other local school systems, like Maryville, Alcoa and Oak Ridge, are already on balanced calendars. The school calendar should be structured around needs of

students, and the current calendar, with a 53-day summer break, was set up to meet the needs of an agrarian society. Not many students are hauling hay anymore, Bartlett said. The balanced calendar is intended to provide more continuous learning. Remediation would be offered during the first week of fall and spring breaks, which would give struggling students the opportunity to catch up. A shorter summer break would also reduce summer learning loss, which most affects students who spend summers at home watching television and playing video games. Less time spent reading and interacting with adults results in learning loss, which leaves teachers playing catch-up for the first two weeks of fall semester, he said. But studies comparing the academic success of students on traditional and balanced calendars have been inconclusive, especially for students who are engaged during the summer months. Another

challenge would be changing the mindset of parents who grew up with long summer breaks and want their kids to have the same experience. A balanced calendar wouldn’t affect school athletics programs, and teams would John Bartlett continue to practice during fall and spring breaks. Bartlett conjectured that childcare centers would adjust to meet the needs of a balanced calendar. He emphasized that Bearden’s block scheduling wouldn’t necessarily change due to conversion to a balanced calendar. Bearden has four classes each semester, and students receive a full credit for each one, as opposed to six or seven classes each day for a full year. But a balanced calendar could cost more than a traditional calendar due to the expense of transporting students during the remediation periods built into fall and

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spring breaks. If funds currently spent on transporting students for summer remediation can be shifted, there may be no added expense, he said. Block scheduling also costs more than traditional scheduling, and since school budgets are fixed, it might be reconsidered at some point. Bartlett emphasized that block scheduling will continue at Bearden for the foreseeable future. If the county switches to a balanced calendar, students would be allowed to miss a few days of school in order to attend Governor’s school, he said. School would start a week early, and graduation would be bumped back a week. Mark Wilkerson, whose daughter is a rising sophomore, said that he needed more information before he could form an opinion about a balanced calendar, but that it was presented positively. He’s strongly in favor of block scheduling, which he thinks helps students understand the rigor of a college course load. “That part has got to stay.”

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