POWELL/NORWOOD VOL. 52 NO. 51
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NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Severance won’t seek re-election
Kim Sepesi Severance will serve out her term on the school board but will not seek re-election, she said Friday. She has taken a job with March of Dimes as community director. Severance, who lives in Powell, represents District 7 where county commissioner R. Larry Smith is term-limited and might seek the school board seat. Severance said she has been looking for employment since losing her job in reorganization at Rural/Metro. “I have enjoyed serving, but my new job responsibilities won’t allow it,” she said. “I never intended to be a career politician.” – S.Clark
IN THIS ISSUE
Miracle Maker John Derek Faulconer’s new job has a lot of unknowns, but he’s certain that he’s in the right place because he’s with the right students – the students who will be coming to the Career Magnet Academy at Pellissippi State.
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See Betsy Pickle’s story on A-9
Let ‘em eat cookies
For one brief, shining moment during the Dec. 9 school board meeting called to discuss Dr. James McIntyre’s request to extend his contract for an additional year (through the end of 2017), he gave teachers a reason to believe that he’d heard them.
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See Betty Bean’s story on A-4
Kentucky school to honor ex-Vol
Nothing like this has ever happened before. A high school in Kentucky will name the basketball court and gymnasium for a former Tennessee guard. OK, there is more to the story: Rodney Woods was a shooting star at Lone Jack High in Fourmile, Ky., before he ran the floor for Ray Mears’ Volunteers.
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See Marvin West’s story on A-5
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December 23, 2013
Holiday shopping with the Penningtons Robin and Chad Pennington enjoy shopping at the Target on Clinton Highway. Former NFL quarterback Pennington’s 1st and 10 Foundation sponsored 65 children from Helen Ross McNabb, each receiving a gift card for $150 and a special gift bag from the store. The Penningtons have provided holiday presents and parties for children in residential and foster care programming in East Tennessee for several years through the foundation. Photo by RUth White
Project iPAD benefits Powell High By Cindy Taylor Powell High School students have received an early Christmas present. Project iPAD (Inspiring Powell to Achieve Dreams) began at a Powell Business and Professional Association (PBPA) meeting with a presentation that Powell High principal Nathan Langlois hoped would garner a few iPads for student use. He got more. “When we put together a team to try and achieve iPad donations we thought maybe we could get five,” said Langlois. “We have far exceeded our expectations.” Thirty-eight iPads and an iPad Cart later, students are enjoying iPads in classrooms. The school held a breakfast Dec. 13 to welcome and thank sponsors who donated to the program. “I was surprised at how many kids have never touched an iPad before,”
just listen,” said Langlois. “We have to get away from classrooms being teacherfocused to a student-centered environment. We can now give the students our expectations with the technology to get it done.” The iPAD program was made possible through the following donors: Vaughn Pharmacy, Disney Joint Venture, Expoquip, Garrett Construction, DeRoyal, the Powell High School Foundation, HR Comp, Commissioner R. Larry Smith, First Volunteer Bank, PBPA, Farm Bureau – Kelley Jarnigan, State Farm – Sage Kohler, Sandy Sexton, Moretz Knox County school board member Kim Severance checks out a new iPad with Powell High Moving, Emory Family juniors Caleb Henderson, Valentina Sanabria and Mackenzie Milligan. Photo by Cindy Taylor Practice, Phillips & Jordan, UTFCU, Bailey Real Estate, Clinton Wrecker said Algebra II teacher shared among students. to learn. and Food City. Meagan Miller. “The kids While becoming skilled “This is important The program is ongoing. have already used the iPads on how to use an iPad because it will begin to Contact assistant prinfor in-depth research.” may have a slight learning change the paradigm that cipal Melissa Glover for One advantage is that curve for some teachers, exists where the teacher donation info at melissa. huge files can now be they are more than willing teaches and the students glover@knoxschools.org.
Alexander must step up on Reeves confirmation By Betty Bean pronounced her A-OK. She has Who is Lamar Alexander hurt- an unblemished reputation and ing by blocking the confirmation the American Bar Association’s of a new judge to sit in United unqualified stamp of approval. States District Court, Eastern DisShe was the first trict of Tennessee? woman president The answer is that Alexander’s of the Tennessee petulant political ploy is hurtBar Association ing the people of East Tennessee, and would become who, if asked, would probably say the first woman to they’d like to see justice served in sit in the Eastern a timely manner and their tax dolDistrict. lars used efficiently. The federal court docket in Alexander Knoxville consists of about 80 percent criminal Alexander’s blocking of Knox- cases that can only be tried by Arville lawyer Pam Reeves’ appoint- ticle III judges (so named because ment to the federal bench doesn’t they are empowered under Article serve justice and is costing tax- III of the constitution to wield payer money. “the judicial power of the United Reeves, who was nominated States”). Phillips’ retirement has May 16 to fill the seat vacated by left Chief Judge Tom Varlan as Tom Phillips, who formally retired the only Article III judge sitting in Aug. 1, is an utterly non-controver- Knoxville, although he is ably assial candidate who has the respect sisted by Judge Leon Jordan, who of Republicans and Democrats retired and assumed senior status alike. Both Tennessee senators in 2001. The backlog of criminal met with her earlier this year and cases is ballooning, and civil cases
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are being held up by criminal proceedings, which by law must be resolved speedily. Attorney Don Bosch does a great deal of work in federal court. He is a Democrat whose name was among those originally mentioned to fill the Phillips vacancy (speculation is that he couldn’t take the pay cut). He wishes that Congress would quit playing politics with the judgeships and traces origins of the current state of gridlock back to the fight over the nomination of Robert Bork to the United States Supreme Court in 1987. He says the practice of holding judgeships for ransom, particularly at the district level, needs to stop. “This is an exceptionally overworked judiciary in our district. The backlog of work is staggering and the need for a judge is real and immediate. When our politicians, irrespective of party stripe, fail to see things like this, it’s time for a change,” he said. Article III judges from other jurisdictions, mostly from the
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Eastern District of Kentucky, have been filling in the gaps. One judge, Tena Campbell, flies in from Utah. The visiting judges have their choice of accommodations, and most of them stay at the Hilton Hotel, two blocks away from the courthouse. Executive floor rooms at the Hilton are $183.28 per day ($145 with discount). Add three squares a day and round trip airfare, all multiplied by a factor of at least two (judges typically bring clerks and/or assistants), and costs begin to mount. No matter how judiciously the money is spent, bringing in visiting judges is expensive and (should be) unnecessary. Lamar Alexander’s campaign slogan is “Conservative. Solving problems. Standing up for Tennessee.” It’s on him to demonstrate that these are not just empty words. It’s time for the guy who first got elected to public office by hiking across the state to walk the walk on an issue that matters.
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