Shopper-News 022414

VOL. 2 NO. 8

IN THIS ISSUE WHERE

JOBS ARE the

Unity gets new owner

In our quest to discover “where the jobs are,” we found a homegrown business that has provided jobs along with compassionate community service for 35 Dr. L.C. Powell years. We also found an indomitable woman with an inspiring story. Come along.

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Read Sandra Clark on page 9

Dem women prepare to party The oldest Democratic women’s club in America is throwing itself a party.

The Knox County Democratic Women’s Club, established March 28, 1928, will celebrate its 85th anniversary year 6:30 Saturday, March 8, at the Southern Depot, in conjunction with Women’s History Month. The public is invited and descendants of charter members will be there. There will be music, heavy hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. It’s not a costume party, but period attire will be welcome.

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No doubt you are delighted, perhaps even bubbling over, with the coming of spring sports at the University of Tennessee.

What, you hadn’t even thought of Volunteer track, baseball, tennis or golf?

These are the fun and games funded by football and donations. Please mark your calendar. Enjoy.

Read Marvin West on page 5

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Read Betsy Pickle on page 3

7049 Maynardville Pike 37918 (865) 922-4136 NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark | Betsy Pickle ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Shannon Carey Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore Brandi Davis | Patty Fecco

February 24, 2014

Knox airport

By Betsy Pickle Amid all the discussion and controversy over schools in Knox County, there’s one that gets As from everyone who’s been involved with it.

The Aviation Academy at McGhee Tyson Airport is an acclaimed, groundbreaking endeavor that has become a model for programs across the country. And it takes only five days to graduate!

The Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority is accepting applications through March 14 for the program, which runs on five consecutive Wednesday evenings April 23 through May 21.

“This will be our third class,” says Becky Huckaby, the authority’s vice president of public relations. “The Aviation Academy was created during the year the airport was celebrating its 75th anniversary.

“We were looking for ways to help bring the public in and interact with the facility, instead of just thinking of our building as a place where people come to take a trip or to rent a car or to pick someone up.

We wanted people to know about the people who work here, about the significant operations that go into keeping the facility open and also what kind of impact we have just being in the community.

“We had such wonderful moments with the people who participated (the first year), we opted to make this an annual program.”

Class members get up close with an engine.

Aviation Academy participants examine a military helicopter at McGee Tyson Airport. Photos submitted

The academy is free, but there is a rigorous screening process for applicants.

“They have to go through a background-clearance process because we’re taking them behind the scenes and taking them into areas of the airport that the general public typically doesn’t get to go,” says Huckaby.

The program is targeted toward adults age 21 and older – and there is no upper limit.

“This last class we had someone who was 85 years old.”

The first two classes had members from eight counties throughout East Tennessee. Between 25 and 35 people will be accepted for the academy – some of the areas

visited are cramped, and there are space limitations.

“Our class members are people who have a genuine interest in our facility, who are opinion leaders within their own groups who can help spread the word about what the airport’s doing and what imTo page 3

The Freedom of Jazz and Blues Staff and students at Pellissippi State’s Magnolia Avenue Campus hosted entertainer Kelle Jolly Feb. 19 as part of the school’s Season of Music.

Pictured after the performance are students Jessica Michel (at left) and Druscilla Roberts (at right) with performers Emily Mathis and Jolly.

Refreshments were provided by Iota Phi Lambda Sorority Inc., Alpha Xi Chapter.

Jolly interacted with students, answering questions and discussing the history of African-American music.

Photo by S. Clark

Candidates visit Valentine’s Day had come and gone, but there was a lot of love in the room at the February South of the River Democrats meeting.

More than two dozen attendees packed the meeting room at the South Knoxville Community Center on Feb. 17 to learn about and support Democratic candidates for races this year.

www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

Aviation Academy offers backstage look at

Read Betty Bean on page 4

Spring sports

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www.ShopperNewsNow.com |

Opting out: Parent says K-2 testing harms daughter

By Betty Bean Jennifer

Nagel’s 7-year-old daughter spent her snow days reading a book. That might not sound like a big deal, but to Nagel, it’s almost miraculous because reading has been an ordeal for her daughter, who has Jennifer Nagel an undiagnosed learning disability. Nagel says her daughter’s teacher has been very helpful, but the school system has not. So she started looking for solutions on her own.

Almost by accident, she found

By Jake Mabe a critically acclaimed series of He was a big man with an even books co-written by actor Henry bigger heart. And Winkler and the Yale Center for he’ll be missed.

Dyslexia & Creativity for and Roger Wilson, about dyslexic kids – who knew 55, passed away the Fonz has a master’s degree Feb. 16, following from Yale, and dyslexia? an illness. He was a As of last week, Nagel’s daughlongtime employee ter is halfway through a book of the Knox County about a resourceful dyslexic boy Sheriff’s Office, innamed Hank Zipzer, printed with cluding a 22-year a special font designed for dysRoger Wilson stint at assistant lexics, who frequently have problems with letters that seem to float chief deputy.

“I’d usually talk to him every around the page.

Nagel says her daughter has day,” Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones finally found joy in reading, no said. “No five people could do Roger Wilson’s job.”

For the past few years, WilTo page 3

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son was in charge of inmate work crews. They would perform maintenance for nonprofits and around the county, working at such places as the Halls Outdoor Classroom.

Wilson himself would secure bicycles and food baskets for those who needed them, as well as help former inmates and their children.

Jones said Wilson never publicized it and wanted it that way.

Last year, he racked up $125,000 in volunteer hours for nonprofits.

“I had just talked to him, and he was feeling better. He’d had some health problems. So it was not a complete shock, but it was a To page 3

2 • FEBRUARY 24, 2014 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

Statins: What do the changing guidelines mean for you?

Are you a male over the age of 65, but told that your cholesterol levels are fine?

You still might need to take a statin drug, according to new guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. A statin is a cholesterollowering medication, but decades of studies have shown that they can also help prevent heart attacks and strokes even if cholesterol levels are at previously defined targets.

“We are now treating our high cardiovascular risk patients with statins. We don’t think of them as cholesterol pills, but rather as cardiovascular and stroke reduction pills,” said interventional cardiologist Dr. Joshua Todd of the Knoxville Heart Group and Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center.

The American Heart Association and the American College of Dr. Joshua Todd Cardiology issued the new guidelines in November 2013. The previous guidelines targeted three groups of patients – those with known cardiovascular disease, an LDL at very high levels (>190 mg/dl) and patients with diabetes (age 40-75).

The new guidelines include a fourth

group who will need statin therapy – those with an estimated 10-year risk of heart attack or stroke greater than 7.5 percent. The percentage is based on a calculation from several risk factors that include the patient’s overall cholesterol level, the HDL level plus a handful of other risk factors, such as gender, age, race, blood pressure and whether a

patient smokes or has diabetes.

The physician plugs those factors into a “risk calculator” to find a patient’s score, which calculates a person’s risk of a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years.

Anybody with a 7.5 percent or higher risk should take a statin, the new guidelines say.

Under the old 2002 guidelines, a person’s

10-year risk had to exceed 20 percent to go on statins.

The risk rate is set lower because the calculator is also factoring the possibility of stroke as well as heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the world, but stroke is fourth, according to the American Heart Association.

“So, for example, a 62-year-old male with normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels has a 7.5 percent risk,” said Dr. Todd.

“So he’s going to be on a statin.”

Even some people with a risk as low as 5 percent can benefit from a statin, studies have shown, especially African-American women over age 60 with high blood pressure, and men over 50 who smoke and have high blood pressure.

Statins are generally low in cost, about $4-5 a month for a generic brand, with a low risk of side effects as well. “They’re very safe,” said Todd. “We do see some muscle and liver side effects, but they’re rare.”

Overall, more people will be hearing their doctors say they need to be on a statin.

“It’s going to be a big change for people who were previously told their cholesterol levels were at target,” said Todd. “Twice as many Americans will be taking statins based on these new guidelines with the hope of a dramatic reduction in cardiovascular events.”

Close to home and close to the heart It was in the middle of the night in late June when Catherine Miles, 87, woke up to extreme nausea.

She thought maybe it was a stomach virus, but never suspected a heart attack.

“I was sick to my stomach all

night. But I had no chest pains,” said Miles, who lives in Knoxville with her daughter and son-in-law, Ivee and John Slater.

When the first morning light came up, Miles was worried her family would go off to work. “I

Get heart healthy!

Physical exercise and a heart-healthy diet are keys to preventing and recovering from heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. Some more heart healthy recommendations: Don’t smoke Maintain a healthy weight Get daily moderate exercise Eat a healthy diet, low in saturated fats, processed sugar and sodium, and high in fiber ■ Eat five fruits and vegetables each day ■ Know your numbers for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, and manage high levels with medication if necessary

Catherine Miles talks with Renee Hammett while at the cardiac rehabilitation program at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center.

and did the job,” said Miles.

Miles was sent up to the heart catheterization lab.

“They took her back right away,” said Ivee Salter. “By the time my husband got back from parking the car, they were starting the procedure. It was so fast, it was done in 45 minutes.”

Miles had a 100 percent blockage in her right coronary artery.

Todd inserted a slender catheter (a tube) into the main artery in her groin and threaded it up to the heart, without cutting open the chest.

He found and removed the clot in her heart, and inserted a tiny mesh stent to hold open the artery in that spot.

After two nights in the hospital,

Miles went home. She continues attending the cardiac rehabilitation program at Fort Sanders to maintain her strength and endurance, and she is walking every day for exercise.

“We’re doing protein powder in the morning and a gluten-free diet, a blood thinner and vitamin K,” said Slater. “I’ve lost 12 pounds along with her!”

Miles said she would recommend Fort Sanders to anyone who needs cardiac care.

“Everybody, really they were wonderful, they were wonderful,” Miles added. “I felt blessed to be so near to home, and here.”

And, she credits her daughter for her quick thinking. “She has been a blessing to me.”

serving our patients for more than 25 years.

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Joseph S. Smith, M.D. Joshua W. Todd, M.D. David E. Wood, M.D.

For more information please call (865) 546-5111 or visit knoxvilleheartgroup.com.

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■ ■ ■ ■

didn’t want to be left alone,” she said. But, there was no chance of that. Ivee Slater said she took one look at her mother and knew right away she needed emergency care.

“I said, ‘Sister, you’ve got to get out of here!’ ” said Slater. “There was nothing in the house that would make her feel better, so we had to go. I wasn’t going to sit there and let my mother hurt.

“But of course she had to put her perfume, earrings and her cross on, and do her hair,” Ivee Slater said with a laugh.

The Slaters took Miles to the emergency department at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, just a few minutes from their home. It was around 6 a.m. when they arrived.

Heart attacks are less likely to be recognized in women than men.

While men most often have classic chest pain symptoms, women are more likely to experience atypical symptoms such as nausea or sweating with a heart attack.

But at Fort Sanders Regional, emergency room staff right away gave Miles an electrocardiogram (EKG), a test to detect abnormal electrical activity in the heart.

“Evidently they are experts at knowing when something’s wrong,” said Miles. “They right off said, ‘It’s the heart.’ ” The emergency department called in Dr. Joshua Todd, an interventional cardiologist with Knoxville Heart Group. Fort Sanders Regional has cardiologists on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all living within a short drive of the hospital.

“Dr. Todd and his team, somebody must be on duty at all times, because that team came right in

Shopper news • FEBRUARY 24, 2014 • 3

Jim Berrier, candidate for Knox County trustee, and Cheri Siler, candidate for the State Senate District 7 seat, feel at home with the South of the River Democrats. Photos by Betsy Pickle

Members and visitors at the South of the River Democrats February meeting are (front row) Sylvia Woods, Cheri Siler, Shannon Webb, Fran Ansley, Kathy Manning; (second row) Baron Hyatt, Mary Wilson, Polly Murphy, Amber Rountree; (third row) Sarah Campbell, Martha Olson, Jim Sessions, Linda Haney, Vivian Webb, Debbie Helsley, Cameron Brooks; (fourth row) Daniel Lawhorn, Jon Leach, Andrew Doss, Bill Cox, Arthur Webb, Bart Rountree and Jim Berrier.

Candidates visit South Dems Valentine’s Day had come and gone, but there was a lot of love in the room at the February South of the River Democrats meeting.

More than two dozen attendees packed the meeting room at the South Knoxville Community Center on Feb. 17 to learn about and support Democratic candidates for races this year.

Cheri Siler, candidate for the State Senate District 7 seat, Jim Berrier, candidate for Knox County trustee, and Amber Rountree, candidate for Knox County School Board District 9, all came to introduce themselves.

Another special guest, Kathy Manning, chair of the Knox County Democratic Women’s Club, came to invite chapter members to the KCDWC’s 85th anniversary celebration. The group was the first county Democratic women’s club founded in the United States.

The event, featuring a reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres, is 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 8, at Southern Depot. Tickets are $40 and are available through https://secure.actblue.com/ contribute/page/85.

■

Betsy Pickle

Siler, an instructional coach with Knox County Schools, says she felt compelled to run for office because of her dissatisfaction with the job state Sen. Stacey Campfield is doing. The mother of six says she’s a “proponent of hard work and public schools.”

Berrier, who was in the first graduating class of South-Doyle High School, has spent his career in the financial field. He says he wants to re-establish trust in the trustee’s office and put fiduciary principles to work for taxpayers.

Rountree came to Knoxville to attend the University of Tennessee and stayed on because she fell in love with Knoxville. A librarian at Halls Elementary School, the Island Home resident says she’s running for the school board because the board needs to have the

Special friend shock.”

Wilson knew tragedy.

His son, Andy, a corrections officer, was killed in 2008. And yet he carried on, developing a memorial fund and hosting a golf tournament fundraiser in Andy’s memory.

Law enforcement and volunteerism ran in the family. Wilson’s father, Bill, is a former chief of detectives for the Sheriff’s Office. His mother, Peggy, is a longtime volunteer at Hillcrest North.

“He was a prankster,”

Opting out thanks to Knox County Schools.

Knox County Schools Director of Student Support Services Melissa Massie said she cannot comment on Nagel’s daughter’s situation and is not familiar with the Winkler books.

“But we have a number of interventions that look at multi-sensory approaches (for learning disabilities),” Massie said.

Back in December, Nagel, who is PTA president at Amherst Elementary School, fought back tears as she stood at the lectern and told the school board how her youngest daughter is being affected by the

knowledge and experience of educators.

Two others asked for support as they run for the state Democratic executive committee. Current members Cameron Brooks and Sylvia Woods are seeking the posts later this year.

Mission: Successful

Apollo, the H.A.B.I.T. dog, is taking his healing powers to a new location.

The therapy dog and his owner, Tresa Holt, are volunteers with H.A.B.I.T. – Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee – and have been biweekly visitors to the Preston Medical Library at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. They’ve been given a new assignment, so last Wednesday students and faculty got a chance to say goodbye to the beautiful Weimaraner.

The mythological Apollo is associated with – among other things – healing, so the approximately 3-year-old rescue dog is aptly named.

“He volunteers here at the library, and we go to special events at the vet school and UT,” says Holt. “He helps students relax while studying.

“Most of the students are not allowed to have dogs, so having someone to pet and love on is a real stress Apollo, a sweet and friendly reliever for them. Plus, all 80-pound Weimaraner, “nose” three of my kids are away at that change is in the air.

From page 1 Jones said. “He was a big man, and he had this golf cart he would ride around in. At one time, he ran the detention facility on Maloneyville Road. One day he got a little goat in the cart and rode with it down the hill. If you were having a bad day and you saw him, you felt better.”

Wilson loved his community. He was a member at Marbledale Baptist Church and a regular at Carter High athletic events.

“He had his own yellow

From page 1

17 district-mandated tests she has to take during the school year. Once a happy child, she’s now anxious and overwhelmed by her struggles with a yet-undiagnosed reading disorder, Nagel said.

“She hates school because she thinks she is stupid,” Nagel said, calling the K-2 Assessment (formerly known as SAT 10) “a test that is set up for her to fail.”

She expressed frustration at what she sees as the school system’s inflexibility, And because of the difficulties her child had as a 1stgrader, Nagel says she will not subject her to the K-2 Assessment again this year.

“My daughter has been

school, so I know how much they miss him.”

H.A.B.I.T. makes the decisions on assignments for the volunteer animals.

“The H.A.B.I.T. office suggests where he is best suited to go,” says Holt.

“This new assignment, they asked for him because he’s a bigger dog, and people in wheelchairs can pet him easily. He does really well with wheelchairs. But we’re going to miss everybody here.”

Another dog has been alternating with Apollo, so students will still be able to get their dose of doggie love.

“Every Wednesday at 4, there’ll be a dog here,” says Donna Doyle, supervisor of the medical library. She says the H.A.B.I.T. visitors have a big impact on students.

“They see the dogs, and they’re transformed.”

Island Home resident Amber Rountree, librarian at Halls Elementary School, is running for Knox County School Board, District 9.

Current members Cameron Brooks and Sylvia Woods are running for the state party’s executive committee.

Donna Doyle gives Apollo – a H.A.B.I.T. (Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee) dog – a final neck scratching as Apollo’s owner, Tresa Holt, looks on.

Aviation Academy

From page 1

penalty flag that he would throw if the referees didn’t call a penalty.”

Jones said the mold was broken after Roger Wilson entered the world.

“He was a fi xture, and we will make sure he won’t be forgotten. You won’t find anybody who has a bad word to say about Roger Wilson.”

The family requests memorial donations be made to the Andy Wilson Memorial Fund, 455 N. Wooddale Road, Strawberry Plains, TN 37871.

pact it has on the community,” Huckaby says.

Participants have been surprised at “the size of the operation, how in-depth the programming goes here,” says Huckaby.

“People take for granted that the airport is here, and they just come out and they get on a plane, and they go on their business trip or vacation, and they get back, and they pick up their bag and they go home. They don’t think about what it takes to make the airport operate smoothly for them and all the other businesses that spring up in the area because the airport is here.”

The five weekly classes, running from 5:30-8:30 p.m., cover as much of the airport as possible, from its history to current operations; airport security and public safety; cooperation with the military elements at the airport; general aviation and the Civil Air Patrol; and even the cargo facility and regional jet maintenance.

“We have cram-packed those five nights,” says Huckaby. “You don’t sit still.”

To apply for the academy, visit http://flyknoxville.com/tys/programs-at-the-airport/ aviation-academy/.

struggling since kindergarten, saying there’s something wrong. She couldn’t get phonics, and that’s all they taught. I kept saying she needs more help, but they just didn’t get to her.

Up until six months ago, I thought the school system was doing the best they could for her. But I kept saying she needs more help, and they didn’t respond.

Nearly one in five children has some form of dyslexia.

That’s roughly four kids in every class.”

Massie said KCS is vigilant about paying attention to young students who don’t make sufficient progress.

“When we identify those students, we will begin intervention as early as kindergarten,” she said. “We may not have a label on it as

formal as dyslexia, but we have identified it.”

Meanwhile, Nagel said her daughter can’t sleep the night before the test, and cries and doesn’t want to go to school the next morning.

“She yells about little things and gets very stressed.

She worries that she’ll get her teacher in trouble if she messes up,” Nagel said.

Although the K-2 Assessment is not required by the state, KCS officials have told Nagel and other parents that they cannot opt their children out. Nagel says she has been given an unacceptable alternative: “I refuse to let her take the SAT 10 test, so I have to keep my healthy daughter home, just so she won’t have to take a test that will be harmful to her.”

KCS Accountability Officer Nakia Towns said that no one representing KCS tells parents to keep their children at home on test day.

“We don’t advise people to not send their children to school,” Towns said. “For every child that is in attendance, those are included as part in those assessments.”

In a Feb. 17 email exchange with another parent who is considering opting her children out of the highstakes tests, Supervisor of Testing Laurie Driver appeared to hint that skipping school could be a way out of taking the tests.

“Although the SAT 10 is an optional state assessment, it is a required assessment in the Knox County Schools. Like TCAP and End of Course assess-

ments, all students are expected to participate. The only students who are exempt from required testing are those who are not present to take the assessment,” Driver said.

Meanwhile, Nagel says there’s one more option – a private evaluation, which comes with two significant problems: expense and uncertainty about the response she’d get from KCS. “My friend paid $350 to get an evaluation privately,” Nagel said. “It confirmed dyslexia. I was told I could do the same thing, but it doesn’t guarantee they’d recognize the findings.

That’s when I gave up and said this is ridiculous.”

She says she’s thinking about spending the money on a lawyer.

government UT Athletic Board goes silent The UT Athletic Board is meeting behind closed doors after years of being open. The News Sentinel has gone to great lengths to criticize this change.

Victor Ashe

It is apparent that the university went to great lengths to ensure nothing comes out of the meeting that suggests remotely what is happening. No minutes are taken, and no reports are written. Clearly, they have had legal advice on how to avoid disclosure.

It leads to the inescapable conclusion that there must be some heavy discussion going on inside the meeting room for UT to take the media hit for closed sessions with these instructions to board members and staff on how to stiff the media.

This may have been done without Gov. Bill Haslam’s knowledge or approval.

However, he is chair of the board, and a simple word from him to Chancellor Cheek would end this. The board itself, which operates in public, could end it.

We should all remember that the UT board must meet in public to choose a UT president. Why should the Athletic Board be different? UT would not be going to so much trouble to keep it all quiet if there was not something worth hiding. The Athletic Board operated well for many years in public. Why the sudden need to go silent?

■ UT President Joseph DePietro is expected to appoint an internal committee to review the status of the historic Eugenia Williams house on Lyons View Pike. This house was acquired several presidents ago and has languished and deteriorated.

The committee will look at the basic question of what to do with the Staub-designed house and where UT goes from here.

One hopes a sensible use can be found. This needs to be resolved since UT has only been embarrassed by it to date while this historic home simply falls down in front of us.

■ Don’t hold your breath, but TVA might consider opening its committee meetings to the public. That is where all its

real work occurs. Recently the regional advisory committee that TVA named listed open committee meetings as one of its recommendations to the full board (now short one member). TVA has discussed this in the past but opted to keep them closed every time. Current board chair Bill Sansom has opposed going open.

Given that it is TVA’s own advisory group that has pushed this, TVA will have to respond in some way. It cannot be dismissed. Within the group, the effort to highlight this was led by Anne Davis, head of the Tennessee Office of the Southern Environmental Law Institute and wife of Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, and Steve Smith of the Clean Energy group here in Knoxville.

Supporting them was Gov. Haslam’s appointee on the group, Susan Richardson Williams. She is a former TVA board member who unsuccessfully supported open meetings along with former TVA chair Mike Duncan when she served on the board.

■ Almost five years ago in 2009, Knoxvillian Troy Whiteside, who has been active in local politics, was accused of murder. The trial still has not been held.

Knox County District Attorney General Randy Nichols recused himself early in the process, and it was transferred to DA Berkeley Bell of Greeneville. One of his assistants is actually handling the case.

It is now scheduled for trial on April 21 with Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz (who is retiring Sept. 1) to hear it.

It is a first-degree murder case with prominent attorney Greg Isaacs representing Whiteside.

The DA expects it to go to trial. The judicial system has worked very slowly in this case.

Correction Mayor Rogero will not present two budgets to City Council as previously stated in this column, but she has asked department heads to present two budgets to her prior to her single budget going to council on April 24. One will have 6 percent cuts in her internal budget hearings, which are open to the public. The 6 percent cuts are usually designed to alarm citizens into supporting a tax increase.

4 • FEBRUARY 24, 2014 • Shopper news

Solutions in search of problems “Well, we didn’t give you much to work with today,” Tony Norman said after County Commission’s work session last week.

I just grinned.

The meeting was, well, weird.

Discussion over R. Larry Smith’s resolution affirming commission’s support of the End of Forced Annexation in Tennessee Act was downright contentious.

Andy Andrew, who has been fighting annexation nearly as long as I’ve been alive, evoked everything from rugged individualism to the Bill of Rights.

“This is an opportunity to solve a problem that has bothered Knox County as long as I’ve been here,” he said.

Amy Broyles said this resolution is “a solution in search of a problem.”

(I looked around for Stacey Campfield. But I digress.)

Broyles said the city of Knoxville is not allowed to annex outside the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), and those who live within it know annexation can happen.

Smith called Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones, who was trying to get the heck out of Dodge (long day – his department lost the beloved Roger Wilson last week), to the lectern. Jones agreed that finger annexation has caused a problem over lawenforcement jurisdiction.

“We’ve already had this conversation,” Sam McKenzie said, adding that the

Jake Mabe

process is working.

“That’s because there’s been a moratorium on annexation,” Smith said.

“There’s not been a moratorium,” McKenzie said.

“That ended in 2008. This is 2014. This was an issue with one city mayor a long time ago.”

(Paging Victor Ashe.)

“We know what our culture is in Knox County.

We’re pro-property rights.

I’m voting against this because I think we’re already doing this.”

Dave Wright hit his light.

“Well, if there’s no problem, Commissioner McKenzie, if it’s moot, then it would be OK for the state to pass it.”

Wright is upset about finger annexation on Millertown Pike.

“There’s an excellent development at the end of Millertown Pike, but it’s still just a (small) road leading up to it. The suggestion that we had the conversation in 2001 … doesn’t mean we can’t have another discussion before it becomes a problem in search of an answer.”

(I looked around for Stacey Campfield. But I digress.)

“If we want to change

this, let it be homegrown,” McKenzie said. “I don’t want the state telling us what to do.”

(The Republican in me smiled.)

“All we are doing, commissioners, is letting Nashville know where we stand,” Smith said. “I bet less than 3 percent of homeowners know if they live in the (UGB).”

Broyles is sponsoring amendments to ordinances ensuring that county employees are protected when speaking out against employers without risk of termination. She cites both teachers who have spoken up recently and county employees who want to campaign for someone other than their bosses.

“I’m going to use Commissioner Broyles’ earlier words against her. This is a solution waiting on a problem,” McKenzie said.

(I looked around for Stacey Campfield. But I digress.)

Rick Briggs said free speech in this case needs limits. “Tennessee is an atwork employer state,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t be in favor of something that would protect an employee who spoke maliciously, giving the county no resource to stop it.

Broyles said the amendments would include all departments and elected offices and would not protect slander and libel.

Chief deputy law director David Buuck said the only process in place now is a lengthy, costly battle in

federal court.

“This brings it to the local level,” Broyles said. “And the mayor (Tim Burchett) said he is for this, so I don’t want you to miss an opportunity to vote for something that he and I are both in favor of …”

(Maniacal laughter.)

“Retribution occurs,” Norman said, referring to teachers. “There are a variety of ways to do that. This might help the teachers and their position.”

McKenzie mused and changed his position, saying he felt more comfortable that the county wouldn’t have to defend slander or libel. Briggs was the lone “no” vote.

Finally, Barry Hawkins, who is running for Knox County trustee, took exception to Wright adding a discussion item based on a News Sentinel report about his allegedly getting $3,000 that he allegedly wasn’t owed as a former county employee, adding it is a political tactic timed to help his opponent.

Wright said his feelings were hurt at such a charge, “but I’m a sitting commissioner and I have no feelings.”

I have to disagree with you, Tony, my friend. Y’all gave me plenty with which to work. For that, I thank you.

Commission will hold its regular meeting at 1:45 p.m. today (Monday, Feb. 24) in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building.

“Pull Up A Chair” with Jake Mabe at jake mabe.blogspot.com

Dem women prepare to party The oldest Democratic founder Lucy Graham Crowomen’s club in America is zier’s sister Lizzie Crozier French stands on Market throwing itself a party.

Square, commemorating the feminists who worked for women’s suffrage.

Betty The Croziers, both eduBean cators, were smart, fearless and deeply involved in the political fight that The Knox County Demo- made Tennessee the crucratic Women’s Club, estab- cial 36th state to ratify the lished March 28, 1928, will 19th Amendment, which celebrate its 85th anniver- gave women the right to sary 6:30 Saturday, March vote in 1920.

They had three other sis8, at the Southern Depot, in conjunction with Women’s ters, Mary, Anna and CorHistory Month. The public nelia, all described in Coris invited and descendants nelia’s obituary as “women of charter members will be of dominance and individthere. There will be music, uality.” The Crozier home, heavy hors d’oeuvres and a said to house the finest cash bar. It’s not a costume private library in the area, party, but period attire will stood on the corner of Gay Street and Clinch Avenue be welcome.

Club president Kathy now occupied by the former Manning says the event Farragut Hotel. Lucy was will be more of a celebra- born there in 1856. Her fation of the historical con- ther, attorney John Hervey tributions of Knoxville Crozier, a two-term memwomen than a political ber of Congress, sided with event. Tickets are $40. the Confederacy during the A bronze statue of club Civil War and retired from

politics soon thereafter.

Kathy Manning’s grandmother Mary Vance Manning and great-aunt Ann Manning were founding members of the Democratic Women’s Club. She found Lucy Crozier’s obituaries, dated Nov. 30, 1930. One praises her “unquenchable spirit and great heart.” Another begins like this: “A brave and earnest soul passes in the death of Lucy Graham Crozier. An extremist she was, of course. But she was always sincere and often brilliant.”

Kathy Manning never knew her grandmother, but her aunt spent her last years living with her, and Manning says she wishes she’d asked more questions. Since the club’s purpose was to educate women as new voters and encourage them to become involved in politics, and it was chartered the year that Democrat Al Smith, the first Catholic to run for president, took on Republican Herbert Hoover,

Manning believes her Catholic grandmother and aunt were probably involved in that campaign. She wishes she knew more about them.

“My aunt was a World War II veteran and served with the Army Nurse Corps. Later, she was a public-health nurse for the city of Knoxville. I’ve since realized, ‘Gee, I should have asked her all those questions.’ Having the oldest club in the country is something we can all take pride in.”

Knox County Democratic Women’s Club charter members: Lucy Crozier, Mary Crozier, Mrs. J.C. Guinn, Mrs. Frank Haur, Mrs. Sarah Henry Hood, Mrs. J.B. Shinliver, Miss Emma Pate, Mrs. Joe McMillan, Mrs. E.T. Beach, Miss May Leland (Marshall), Mrs. Sam Heiskell, Mrs. J.C. Renfro, Mrs. Herman Schenk Jr., Mrs. Ida Reynolds Lonas, Mrs. Bannister Wilkes, Mrs. J.J. Manning and Miss Ann Manning.

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Shopper news • FEBRUARY 24, 2014 • 5

Excitement is upon us: spring sports!

No doubt you are delighted, perhaps even bubbling over, with the coming of spring sports at the University of Tennessee.

What, you hadn’t even thought of Volunteer track, baseball, tennis or golf?

These are the fun and games funded by football and donations. Please mark your calendar. Enjoy.

I didn’t throw softball into that group. It is a big winner and often draws a crowd. Ellen Renfroe is really good.

Baseball, we are told, will be better this year, weather permitting.

Dave Serrano, baseball coach ($450,000 salary), is not promising championships just yet, but he does foresee significant improvement. That was the plan all along for year three.

It appears he has recruited well. He expects the rewards of growth and development. He thinks he has much better pitching.

He believes the Vols will be-

Marvin West

come relevant in the Southeastern Conference.

That is very good news, a giant jump if it happens.

The team was 8-20 last season, last in the Eastern Division, totally irrelevant.

From mid-April until the bitter end, Serrano’s Vols won three league games.

Other highlights were two rainouts.

Pitching, you ask? Andrew Lee is thought to be recovered from Tommy John surgery.

Kyle Serrano, the coach’s son, chose college over the Colorado Rockies. Bless him.

First baseman Scott Price can hit.

“Probably the best hitter in the SEC,” says the coach.

Third baseman Will Maddox takes the game very seriously. Tough guy.

Dirt on uniform. The oldfashioned description was “hard-nosed.”

Pro scouts will probably make notes about sophomore shortstop A.J. Simcox.

Team characteristics?

Better defense, lots more scoring punch. Coach says he can now compare talent with rivals without feeling handicapped.

If there are positive developments in track, they remain hidden. Old Vols send emails, trying to convince me that a coaching change is necessary. I have reserved comment. Athletic director Dave Hart is on his own in this case. He gets paid most of a million to make such weighty decisions.

Tennis is not really a spring sport. It goes on 10 months a year. For me, it is more fun on a balmy April afternoon.

The Vols are nationally ranked. They have strong leadership with teaching skills. Sam Winterbotham was 2013 national coach of the year. Chris Woodruff is

another head coach in associate disguise. Ben Testerman is volunteer assistant.

Wow! Winterbotham, a native of Stoke on Trent, England, has the proper recruiting phone numbers – Australia, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Webb School.

Tennessee golf, much like cross-country, is for the participants who take pride in their sport and can press on without the cheering multitudes.

It is OK if you skip some matches. You do need to know about the Mack and Jonnie Day practice facility along the Tennessee River.

It is big league. It should be.

The grassy patch cost $4.5 million.

Phase 2 of this project, the Furrow-Blackburn clubhouse, will be special, too.

If you are into spring football, there is one date to circle. The Orange and White game is scheduled for April 12 at Neyland Stadium.

Showing the love Sisters Ellen Turner (left) and Helen Ashe are fascinated with Mayor Tim Burchett’s selfie, a photo taken on his smartphone and transmitted instantly to friends of The Love Kitchen. Burchett and Doug Bataille, senior director of parks and recreation, presented the sisters with $3,400 and several barrels of canned food on Feb. 19. The donations were collected in December at the county-sponsored Holiday Festival of Lights at Concord Park. Photo by

S. Clark

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

County auditor hits the ground running

By Jake Mabe You’d expect an internal auditor to run a lean, mean operation, and new county auditor Andrea Williams is no exception. Her office has a staff of three – herself, another auditor and an administrative assistant who does everything from some audit work to checking grammar.

Williams, who came to Knox County from TVA, started work Dec. 16. She said the timing was perfect, with the laid-back holiday season allowing her to work her way through a massive amount of reading material.

She’s now working on a risk assessment for fiscal

year 2015.

“We’re looking at which areas add the most value,” Williams said, “so we can evaluate not just the financial risk, but the reputational risk and public safety. We should be finished around June.”

Her office also performs some request work, if the county Audit Committee or County Commission requests an audit, or performs reviews on the back end of an external audit. All of her work has to be approved by the Audit Committee.

In January, County Commission requested a procedural review of the criminal-justice system.

“That includes everything, from the time a person enters the system to the time they complete it. It involves multiple players and processes,” she said, not just the office of embattled Criminal Court Clerk Joy McCroskey.

One of Williams’ suggestions has been to digitize the method by which the county performs monthly p-card audits. Currently, that process is manual.

“With technology, you can do queries and push a button. (Manually), it is time intensive and less consistent than a database process.”

Last month, commission discussed at length whether

A tribute to R.C. Harless

By Wayne Roach When I was 16, a new pastor came to my church, New Corinth Baptist in Grainger County.

He was young and full of life with something about him that drew both young and old. The church began to grow.

There was a different spirit of love in the church.

This new pastor was the Rev. R.C. Harless.

I remember when he and his wife, Mary Lou, would take me to meetings and training seminars that helped me grow and become more involved in the work of the church. When I was 19, I was inducted into the U.S. Army. I remember very well the last Sunday before I left for the military.

R.C. called me before the church and told me how much the church appreciated me and how much they loved me and that they would be praying for me.

Then he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a little Bible that he always carried. He said, “Take this with you, read it and it will comfort you.”

Inside he had written: “God and you are a majority.”

To this day I still have that Bible and consider it one of my cherished belongings.

R.C. went on to pastor Cedar Ford Baptist in Luttrell, where he and Mary Lou met a young lady named Sharon DeVault. They asked if she would write to me. She did, and we corresponded by mail for about a year.

When I came home, we dated for three months, and then R.C. married us. He must have done a good job because that marriage has lasted 46 years to date. We have two children, and R.C.

assisted me in their weddings.

O u r f r iend sh ip grew.

He was always helpful in my church work and R. C. Harless r e c o m mended me for several positions. He was the very first person I told that I was being called to preach.

I followed him in my first

pastorate to Fair Havens Baptist Church in Powell.

He was to me as Paul was to Timothy.

R.C. pastored eight or more churches and was director of missions for the Northern Association of Baptists. I still have people telling me how much he meant to them. He had a great impact on many lives.

R.C. passed away Oct. 5, 2013. Many times since then I have wanted to talk

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Williams should be present for the entirety of its meetings like the county law director.

Williams says the consensus

a concentration in taxation from UT. Her first job was working in the Inspector General’s office and the was that she use her discre- compliance office at TVA. tion on when to be present.

She says the best part of Other goals for her first her job is getting to solve year include getting the day- problems. to-day operations of run“You get the bigger picning her office in order and ture, not just the transacmaking sure every county tional details. And you can department knows she has provide information that an open-door policy. can improve something. I “We want to maintain like learning. Every audit is our independence, but that a new experience.” doesn’t mean we’re isolated.

And that also means We’re all on the same team, pointing out both the good working for the people of and the bad.

Knox County.”

“When you’re an auditor, Williams was born in people don’t always want to Michigan and lived all over see you. But I haven’t gotten the Southeast as a child. that feeling here. We want She earned a bachelor’s de- to point out both ways the gree in accounting and a county can improve and the master’s in accounting with things they are doing well.”

with him. I can just hear him asking, “How is your church doing, Buddy?”

He was always interested, even through his illness.

Many times I would see him sitting on the porch, and I

would stop and we’d chat for a while.

Twice he asked me, “How long have we been buddies?”

I would tell him, more than 50 years. He would say, “Boy, that’s a long time.” I

Andrea Williams

miss my buddy, but I know he is in a better place.

Thanks, R.C., for being my friend, my counselor, my pastor and my mentor.

We shall meet again.

The Rev. Wayne G. Roach is pastor of Greenway Baptist Church.

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6 • FEBRUARY 24, 2014 • Shopper news

Treasure hunting over the mountain Dwight Ewart welcomes “pickers” to Sweeten Creek Antiques.

The Tobacco Barn is gigantic and stuffed with fascinating finds.

A life-size nativity set from the ’50s at Sweeten Creek Antiques

Colorful booths and beautiful furniture await the discerning treasure hunter at Sweeten Creek Antiques

A real find at The Tobacco Barn – a stainless steel professional kitchen, complete with overhead pothanger

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The dreary days of February – or the frequently heard complaints about them – traditionally make this time of year a letdown from the gaiety of the previous holiday season.

Well, there’s nothing like a road trip to buoy the spirits. East Tennesseans are lucky to have diverse and affordable options nearby.

Parks – from the Smokies to Big South Fork to Concord Park right here in town – offer hiking on much-lesscrowded-than-in-springtime trails. If you’re in a more urban frame of mind, Nashville and Atlanta are within a few hours’ drive.

This past weekend I was in the mood for a treasure hunt. So I grabbed my best girlfriend and headed for Asheville.

There’s nothing more fun for us than picking through antique malls and secondhand stores. Knoxville has some fine ones – Dutch Valley Antique Mall is one of our favorites, and we’re big fans of KARM and Goodwill. But for a change of pace and some beautiful scenery, you can’t beat Asheville.

Swannanoa River Road

Photos by Carol Zinavage

Carol Zinavage

Carol’s Corner boasts several large collectives. We saw some exceptional mid-century furniture at The Local. The price tags weren’t slight, but this was quality stuff in beautiful condition. Owners Chad and Morgan Baker travel a lot and say of their extraordinary inventory, “we really work for it!” Other stores in the same location are Oddfellows, Nostalgique and Bryant Antiques.

Right next door, we found the Tobacco Barn. Its 70,000 square feet of space is crammed with booths.

The big barn doors were wide open on either end, which, in the 30-degree windy weather, meant some brrrrrrowsing! But we goodnatured “pickers” bundled up in our parkas and made the best of it. Some folks even brought their dogs in!

Beating back the past Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph…Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor.

(Exodus 1:8, 11 NRSV) Working dough. Working, working dough. Nothing better than that to start the day’s serious work of beating back the past. (“Beloved,” Toni Morrison) Toni Morrison’s searing and grace-filled book “Beloved” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. Don’t ask me why I am just now reading it. Maybe because I wasn’t ready.

It is not a book for the faint of heart. It is about the aftermath of slavery, and the long shadows that horror draped across a young nation. It is, quite simply, stunning, heartbreaking and haunting.

In a tale filled with truths I have only read about in history books, Morrison’s words about kneading bread struck a chord with

Cross Currents

Lynn Pitts

me. There was something I could relate to!

I have been baking bread for more than four decades, and every batch is a little miracle of grace. Not to say – far from it – that every loaf of bread was perfect. It takes a while to get the hang

Colorful glassware at The Tobacco Barn

We mostly just look. You know how it is. I’m big on metal lawn furniture and jelly glasses; my friend is obsessed with mid-century lighting fi xtures and divider screens. But our rule is, “It has to be absolutely perfect in every way.”

Not too far from the Tobacco Barn, Sweeten Creek Antiques offers 31,000 square feet of just about anything you can think of. I found a beautiful silver bedside tray from the 103-yearold Taft Hotel in New Haven, Conn. It provides a touchstone to history for me every morning when I reach for my eyeglasses case.

Our last stop was Lexington Park Antiques in downtown Asheville.

Labyrinthine and seemingly endless, it features gorgeous estate jewelry, vintage clothing, movie memorabilia and fine used leather goods. Other Asheville landmarks are within walking distance. We love Tops for Shoes – 30,000 square feet of quality footwear and accessories on three levels – and Malaprop’s Bookstore, where a cup of hot chocolate awaits,

along with every book you’d ever want to read.

It’s a good time of year to get hotel rooms at lower rates, and we chose the Brookstone Lodge. Built only five years ago, it has the atmosphere of a much older place. There’s a cozy lobby with fireplace and a complimentary 24-hour coffee bar. The rooms have large flat-screen TVs, wireless internet, microwaves and refrigerators, cozy beds and mountain views. A complimentary hot breakfast is served each morning.

But the main reason we chose the Brookstone Lodge in the middle of February?

The indoor pool and spa.

Right now the hotel is in the middle of a renovation from water damage caused by a burst pipe during last month’s extreme cold, but the only evidence we saw was the temporary carpeting in the hall. Info: http:// brookstonelodgeasheville. com/.

All the stores mentioned here are open year-round.

Visit http://www.romanticasheville.com/antiques.htm to find out more about them.

And bring your parka!

of making bread, and then, if one is daring enough to try a different kind of loaf, or work at a different altitude, or bake on a rainy day, all bets are off.

Yeast is a living thing and seems to have a temperament. It can’t be hurried, or overheated, or too cold.

But it is the handling of the dough, the kneading of it, the shaping of it that makes the magic work, and at the same time affords such pleasure to the baker.

However, Morrison’s “beating back the past”?

That is harder still.

Admit it. There are things in the past that haunt you. That worry, and nag at and grieve you. It is part of the human condition, this memory of pain or failure or regret or sin.

We may not be enslaved by chains or by those who claim to own us. But slavery still exists in today’s world.

It lives in those who live with terrible memories of pain

and suffering. It thrives in those who will not, cannot, forgive or forget the wrongs done to them. It continues in those who are addicted – to anything! (A good friend made an unforgettable statement to me many years ago.

She said, “Satan is alive and well in Knoxville, and his name is Crack Cocaine!”)

So, how do we throw off the chains and beat back the past?

William Faulkner, who knew something about the South, famously said, “The past isn’t over. It isn’t even past!”

Forgiveness is key, I believe. Forgetfulness is also helpful.

I can’t remember where I first heard the 10 words that will lead to freedom.

But I believe they are true and life-giving. Write them down. Keep them where you can read them when you need to. Remember them.

They are, “Give it up, let it go, and set it free.”

kids

Shopper news • FEBRUARY 24, 2014 • 7

Art students think green – and mean and scary

Isabelle Jackson and Paola Martinez work on painting their projects.

By Betsy Pickle It sounds like “Godzilla.”

Human-generated trash – in the form of nuclear waste – created a monster that wreaked havoc while showing humans the error of their ways.

But 6th- and 7th-grade Elective Art students at South-Doyle Middle School are taking trash and creating monsters that are beautiful – if a bit scary. They’re putting the slogan of the environmental movement – “reduce, reuse, recycle” – into creative action.

Olivia Snapp, Jessica Wilson and Lindsay Maxwell present their murals to the 8th-grade Spanish class.

As the students began their unit on three-dimensional art, art teacher Carol Vinson challenged them to create a “monster sculpture” from items most people would toss away.

“These works began with cardboard pieces gleaned from leftovers from packaging, then used the everpresent plastic garbage bags, straws, wadded-up newsprint, bits of wire, and other assorted ‘trash,’ ” says Vinson. “Once they had created an ‘armature’ or structure for the work, it was cov-

ered in plaster strips, not unlike those used on a cast for a broken limb. As the students added paint and details, the ‘scary monsters’ started to come alive.”

Vinson says the project encouraged creative thinking and involved problem-solving skills such as “thinking abstractly, drawing conclusions, improving their solutions and observing and experimenting.”

“These students seem to be mastering these skills, but mostly they are having fun doing it!”

Meanwhile, in the 8thgrade Elective Art class taught by Vinson, students are wrapping up a unit in which they studied the Mexican-American murals created in Southern California in the 1930s. Students worked in groups of five to

six and did research on the Dante Alvarez shows his scary spider. artists’ lives, the creation of the murals, how they were designed and the messages the artists were trying to send.

The student groups “taught” their mural to the rest of the class and eventually presented their mural to the Spanish class across the hallway. The final project involved creating a mural that represented the cultural, geographic or popular interests of their group.

“We have some super talent representing the many cultures and interests of these students,” says Vinson. “This project focuses on cultural connections, using the elements and principles of design to create and evaluate a design, and working on a large scale in Chloe Hogan, Allie Webb and Angela Hernandez get their plaster strips ready. Photos submitted a group setting.”

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Joida Weatherspoon and Julio Gasper Francisco have fun working on the cat project.

Photos by Betsy Pickle

Kalissa Billingsley fits an entire cat on her drawing paper – piece by piece.

1st-graders ‘feline’ groovy about collage

By Betsy Pickle In the eternal cat-vs.-dog competition, cats seem to be taking the lead – at least among 1st-graders at Dogwood Elementary School.

Last week, art teacher Nicole May had the students making drawings for a collage called “Cool Cats and Hot Dogs,” which will be on display at the school art show on Thursday, March 13. The students were allowed to choose which animal they wanted to draw, but all the children from Renee Morie’s class decided

to depict cats.

To be precise, cat parts.

The kids will later paint their felines, and the parts will be arranged in a collage.

Each grade level will have two to four projects displayed during the show, which will be 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. All levels have their own projects and themes.

In addition to the student art displays, there will be craft stations and guest artists displaying their work and giving mini demonstrations.

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Chest Pain Center Physicians Regional Medical Center Tennova Heart Institute 900 East Oak Hill Avenue Knoxville, TN 37917 Veronica Aldrovandi wears a cat-ear headband for inspiration while drawing.

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business

8 • FEBRUARY 24, 2014 • Shopper news

Hammontree Realty names new broker Pam Hammontree started Hammontree Real Estate in 1984, and this successful company continues to grow.

It currently has three locations in the Knoxville area and a sister firm in Nashville.

Nancy Whittaker

The apple doesn’t fall far from the (hammon) tree.

P a m ’ s d au g ht e r, Tracy Hammontree Griffin, became a Realtor in 1990 after graduating from SeyTracy Griffin mour High School. This month she became the broker at the company’s northeast office at 7465 Crosswood Blvd. in Strawberry Plains. The office, which opened in 2003, is in a beautiful log house that was HGTV’s Dream Home in 1997.

While I was there, the phone was constantly ringing, some of the top producers were stopping by and Tracy loved every minute of it. She is proud of making their customers’ best interest the top priority.

Hammontree Real Estate offers a free market analysis if you would like to learn the worth of your home. Virtual tours of sellers’ homes are on the agency’s website.

Info: www.hammontreerealestate.com or 933-1024.

■

YWCA says Enough!

Knoxville’s YWCA is recruiting volunteers to begin a training course in March.

Enough! was created in 2011 to assist the Y’s Victim Advocacy Program (VAP).

Through Enough! staff and volunteers help victims of domestic violence. Volunteers work closely with VAP advocates to ensure the safety of victims by assisting with a safety plan, filing orders of protection, assessing basic needs and making community referrals.

Volunteers must complete 40 hours of intensive training, which includes 20 classroom hours and 20 hours of hands-on experience. A commitment of 12 hours per month for at least one year is expected.

VAP is the only community-based, non-shelter domestic violence outreach program in Knox County. All services are offered at no charge and are available in English and Spanish. Enough! volunteers play a huge role in making sure this life-saving program continues.

Info: www.ywcaknox.com or Leah Harris at 865-2156851.

and Emily Mathis will present their own talents as they highlight those artists and share something of the periods in which they lived. The event will be held from 10:45 to noon Tuesday, March 4, in the Community Room and is free and open to the public.

■

Priority Ambulance

Several widely known members of the Rural/Metro team have established a new firm. Priority Ambulance has opened its corporate headquarters in Knox County and a branch in Scottsdale, Ariz., which happens to be the home of R/M. Familiar names: Bryan Gibson, CEO; Steve Blackburn,COO; Kristi Ponczak, CFO; Moxley Carmichael, PR firm; John and Charlotte Mills; Gary Morris and Dennis Rowe. Info: 865-688-4999.

■

City hires Ahrens

Peter Ahrens, 38, is the city’s new director of building inspections.

He comes from Virginia and holds a degree from Virginia Tech. He will oversee 29 employees and a Peter Ahrens $2.4 million annual budget. Tom Reynolds will remain deputy director.

Mayor Madeline Rogero has named Jennifer Stone to the Board of Environmental Appeals. She is a licensed professional engineer employed by AMEC Environment & Infrastructure Inc. ■ Jazz program at Liliana Burbano BoPSCC nilla was appointed to March is Women’s His- the board of the Knoxville tory Month, and Pellissippi Transportation Authority.

State’s Magnolia Avenue She is employed by the Knox Campus will celebrate by County Health Department featuring three women who as the project coordinator became prominent through of Healthy Kids Healthy their musical talent as jazz Communities. She holds a musicians or vocalists. master’s degree in sociology Contemporary artists Au- from the Ibero-American brey Baker, Pamela Klicka University in Mexico City.

Back to school, huh?

OK, I’m veering a bit wide on this one, to address attending business school instead of spotlighting local storefronts. But you’ve got to ask yourself: Why would anyone in his right mind go back to school at 65? My wife, of course, challenges the initial premise, but I’ll save that one for the psychiatrist’s couch … or the marriage counselor.

UT’s School of Finance is graciously allowing me to audit finance 425 this semester. It deals with Investments and Portfolio Management.

I need to roll up my sleeves and look under the hood of the city’s underfunded pension plan – we’re short some $200 million – if we are ever to get closer to a solution.

It certainly wouldn’t hurt to understand the lingo and know how to handle a few of the wrenches when you are looking under the hood. You might have to go toe-to-toe with the high-priced, skilled investment managers who guide that system but who also feed from that trough.

First, an aside. In case you didn’t know it, taxpaying Tennesseans of a certain mature age are allowed to audit classes in state colleges … assuming there is room in the classroom and you meet the academic prerequisites.

After all, you have been supporting these schools with

■

Haslam launches transparency website

“Transparent Tennessee,” an overhaul of the state’s transparency website, will offer more userfriendly information online to Tennessee taxpayers, said Gov. Bill Haslam.

It’s a one-stop shop for public data on how state dollars are spent. The site

Business by

Nicky D.

your hard-earned dollars for 40+ years. You should be allowed to dip your beak.

Audit and free, of course, are not quite synonymous.

There are always fees, parking passes and books to pay for. But you knew that.

Back to the main story.

Remember those nightmares of waking up in a cold sweat, wondering how you forgot to read the book until the morning of the exam?

Well, the boogeyman is still out there, even if it’s only a dream. What is different at 65 is that you have decided to tackle something. You actually asked to be in this class, so you are motivated to learn … not just check off another required course on the way out the door. Not that you did that 45 years ago.

The kids are smarter (and a helluva lot younger). Their brains are supple. They are used to homework and quizzes. And the math. Good grief! When’s the last time you curled up with algebra and statistics and integrals, or were reading “Excel for Dummies” in your “spare

time” so you can tackle one of the assignments? Where’s the marbled- or spiralnotebook? What’s this thing about computers? They live on the dern things, while you are flub-a-dubbing to figure out what’s an electronic blackboard and how do I download that assignment?

But don’t despair. The teacher is patient as you shuffle where others stride.

And, you have at least one advantage: you grew up when there were books.

They don’t seem to read the textbooks – it’s so old school.

They will probably find an equivalent online e-book or a YouTube tutorial.

Hell, there probably is a chat room or blog with all the answers you need.

Good luck finding that. The good news: You spend a lot less time tweeting about lunch or Marylou or whatever. (Confession: I don’t even know how to tweet).

And you may have learned a thing or two over the years, out in the real world.

Seriously, it’s interesting to challenge yourself in a way you have forgotten about, or never had time for. Learning is fun, even if painful at times. What did he say is on the next test?!

Yes, dear, I promise, I’ll clean out the garage this weekend. …

Nick Della Volpe represents District 4 on Knoxville City Council.

Healthcare here effective March 3. He’ll replace Mike Garfield, who resigned.

The son of former Parkwest Medical Center administrator Wayne Heatherly, Neil has nearly 20 years of hospital management experience. He graduated from Farragut High School and holds a bachelor’s degree ■ Welcome, Neil from the University of TenHeatherly nessee and a master’s of Knox native Neil Heath- Business Administration erly will head Tennova from Vanderbilt University. includes a searchable checkbook with more interactive data related to state agency expenses, vendor payments and travel reimbursements.

Why doesn’t every local government and utility district have this? Info: http:// tn.gov/opengov/.

NEWS FROM PREMIER SURGICAL

“Life Changing” Surgery Corrects Woman’s Severe Acid Reflux

865-971-1971 • 800-264-1971

UTFCU.ORG

Jamie Wood is eager to explain her life before and after surgery. “I ate Tums like kids eats candy,” she says.

“I took medicine morning and night. I slept sitting straight up for years.”

Wood says since undergoing surgery to treat severe gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), things are very different.

“I can eat anything I want now. I’m sleeping at night and I don’t have to schedule everything around eating and taking medicine,” she explains. “This surgery has made a big difference in my life.”

Wood suffered for years from a hiatal hernia that caused stomach acid to backflow into her esophagus. When medication didn’t control the condition, she underwent esophageal dilation, a procedure to stretch a narrowed area of the esophagus.

“I had my esophagus stretched two or three times,” says Wood. “But, it only helped temporarily. Before long I’d feel like I was going to choke whenever I ate.”

Wood’s niece, who is a physician assistant with Premier Surgical Associates, told her about a procedure called Nissen fundoplication. During fundoplication surgery the upper stomach is wrapped around the esophagus and sewn into place, strengthening the valve between the esophagus and stomach.

“I didn’t know there was a surgery that could help me,” says Wood. “My niece Dr. David Harrell, made me promise Surgeon to make an appointment.”

Wood met with Dr. David Harrell of Premier Surgical Associates, who discovered that her hiatal hernia was more severe than expected. Dr. Harrell explained that laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication is the standard surgical treatment for severe GERD and

hiatal hernia.

It successfully resolves symptoms in more than 80% of people.

“I was nervous about surgery, but Dr. Harrell is a wonderful person and has done surgery on several Jamie Wood, pictured members of during ZUMBA class, is our family, so active and feeling great I knew I was in following surgery for good hands,” severe GERD. says Wood.

Wood, who underwent the surgery in December, was vigilant about being a perfect patient. “The biggest thing is following the doctor’s instructions after surgery and only eating liquids and soft foods for several weeks. It’s hard, but you can do it, and it’s worth it.”

After healing for several weeks, Wood is thrilled with the result. “I’m off the medicines, I feel fortunate – the surgery was wonderful for me.”

Wood hopes others with severe GERD will also learn about their surgical options. “I tell people it’s a “nobrainer.” If you’ve dealt with these symptoms, it’s a life changing surgery.

There is help – you don’t have to suffer.”

For more information about surgical options for treating acid reflux and hiatal hernia, please visit www.premiersurgical.com

Shopper news • FEBRUARY 24, 2014 • 9

Changes for KAT? Mayor Madeline Rogero and Deputy Mayor Bill Lyons talk with members of the Knoxville Transit Authority board at a meeting last week. Shopper-News columnist Victor Ashe had been critical of the city administration for terminating its management contract with Veolia Transportation without consulting with the KAT board. Director Cindy McGinnis was terminated as a result of the cancellation. Rogero said she plans no structural changes now, and Deputy Mayor Christi Branscom said more than 30 people have applied for McGinnis’ job. Photo by Jake Mabe

Standing in front of portraits of the Unity Mortuary founders are Bessie Jackson, secretary; Dr. L.C. Powell, board chair; and James Hawkins. Photo by S. Clark

Unity gets new owner with familiar name

By Sandra Clark In our quest to discover “where the jobs are,” we found a homegrown business that has provided jobs along with compassionate community service for 35 years. We also found an indomitable woman with an inspiring story. Come along.

In 1979, a young man completed his doctoral coursework in Risk and Insurance from The Wharton School of Business in Pennsylvania. A graduate of Harvard University, he moved to Atlanta and started a company that now conducts more than 125 comprehensive ASOP#3 actuarial studies each year.

The firm develops comparative benchmarks for key actuarial, demographic and operating statistics. It’s developed software for the profession and propelled the founder to several highprofile boards and consulting contracts worldwide.

Also in 1979, three

friends launched Unity Mortuary on McCalla Avenue in East Knoxville. They hired an African-American architect (the Rev. Dewitt Dykes) and contractor (Felix Gaiter), kept the jobs community-based and built a solid business over time.

Their aging brought transition to the business. Could it survive? Up stepped a new owner, the Wharton- and Harvard-educated actuary from Atlanta.

Why? Meet Unity’s board chair Dr. L.C. Powell, retired principal, widow of City Council member Bill Powell and mother of A.V. Powell, the mortuary’s new owner.

“It’s my fourth career,” she says with a smile.

Dr. Powell is an East Knox legend, having served as principal of Green Elementary for almost 30 years before retiring in 2001. She continues to live in the neighborhood, near Beck Cultural Center.

“I’ve got a grown son, three

granddaughters and lots of others who call me momma,” she says.

Powell never meant to work at a mortuary in retirement, but she says the work has helped her fill a void since the death of her husband in 2009. “I’m here 24/7,” she said. “Most of our clients are those I’ve taught.” So she’s got a job that enables her to keep in touch with the people she loves.

Powell is an easy interview. We didn’t ask a question until 20 minutes in.

But it was later, after a tour of the facility, that she revealed personal details that left this writer in chills.

“Lula,” as she was called growing up, was one of five kids. Her dad was a minister who often was paid “inkind,” and her mom worked as a maid, earning 50 cents a week. Work was a way of life for the Cooper family.

With just six in her graduating class, the prin-

cipal asked each girl what her students, “Now children she planned to do. “Two of from all over the county are us went to college,” Pow- going to come here.” ell says. “There were no Powell encouraged her scholarships or government students to dress up and atloans. I worked doing clean- tend ballet, thanks to efforts up, babysitting, whatever I by KCS supervisor Lynn could find.”

Miller. She encouraged her She graduated from teachers to aspire to become Knoxville College in 1952, principals. She mentored having earned that degree young principals, and she with “determination.” She taught evenings as an adwent to the University of junct at Knoxville College.

Tennessee for a master’s, “Our children are not education specialist degree born with resources,” she and doctorate. “People asked said. And Green often got me if that doctorate is hon- newly minted teachers, orary,” she says. “No, those straight out of school. Powdegrees are all earned.” ell would put them on a bus Powell’s first job and drive through was as a travelso WHERE neighborhoods ing substitute each could see the teacher in where their s e g r e gate d children schools in lived.

She Knox and organized surroundreport card ing counties. In nights in neigh1959 she was hired borhoods includby the Knoxville City Schools ing Austin Homes. Powell and opened libraries at May- marched in with teachers nard, Sam E. Hill and East- and a police officer to put port schools. She had help report cards directly in the from moms in Sequoyah hands of parents.

Hills who volunteered to “My Fridays extended shelf books. She continued to Saturdays,” she said, as her education while teaching students would knock on fourth and fifth grades. In her door. “Does your mom1960 she became principal ma know you’re here?” she at Green Elementary. would ask. “No,” the kids After the systems merged, would usually say. “Well, Powell worked for Knox come on in,” she answered.

County Schools. She em- She and Bill built a big braced Green’s conversion playroom downstairs. She to a magnet school, telling would feed the kids lunch

JOBS ARE

Getting the Bonnaroo scoop The crowd at Disc Exchange reacts favorably on hearing that Elton John will appear at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival during the Feb. 19 BLAM! 2014 official watch party. (They were less thrilled when Kanye West was named as another headliner.) More than 200 people came to the store to enjoy the Bonnaroo Lineup Announcement Megathon, which included a big-screen music broadcast hosted by Taran Killam and Hannibal Buress and the naming of performers for Bonnaroo. The festival takes place June 12-15 in Manchester, Tenn. Photo by Betsy Pickle

and drive them home.

How did she get her son through Harvard?

“We had to pay, but he had to (have the grades to) get in,” she says. “We taught our children, ‘You can do anything.’ I have never accepted ‘No.’” Alwyn “A.V.” Powell went through public schools at Mountain View and Vine Middle, then in the 7th grade the Powells realized he needed more. Research turned up a prep school in Boca Raton, Fla., which Alwyn and three other boys integrated. “All we thought about was the education. He led the class for three years and came out of there and went to Harvard.”

She recites the family motto (that worked for her granddaughters as well): “You will not stop (school).”

“I came up the hard way.

My parents said I could go to college, but I’d have to work for it. We loved each other and we knew who we were.”

Unity Mortuary Wow. It’s now quite clear why A.V. Powell bought Unity Mortuary. Would you tell Dr. L.C. Powell no?

The staff at Unity Mortuary includes Brandon Willis, manager and chief operating officer. He’s a licensed embalmer, funeral director and notary public. George Tolbert is chief technology officer with more than 20 years as a bereavement coordinator. Bessie Jackson is the secretary and James Hawkins handles details.

The custom-built chapel contains stained glass throughout, including an awesome 23rd Psalm in glass. Clients are memorialized on the walls by year, and each December a reception is held to honor those who have used the services of Unity.

Founders were William V. Powell, Jefferson Davis and Bryant Keese. Mr. Powell was the first African-American social services director for KCDC. He served on Knoxville City Council from 1990-98 and passed away in 2009. Mr. Davis was a retired captain with the Knoxville Police Department and a U.S. Army veteran. He passed away in 2012.

Unity Mortuary is located at 1425 McCalla Avenue. Info: 637-8811 or www.unitymortuary.com/.

Beginning of the end The old Baptist Hospital of East Tennessee, closed in 2008, is coming down at last. Workers from Charlotte-based JW Demolition have started at the Henley Bridge end of the complex, with big bites of glass and brick already taken out of the southand west-facing sides. Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial, a Georgia-based development company, plans a mix of luxury apartments, retail and restaurant space, and a hotel at the site.

Serving buyers and sellers in Knoxville, surrounding counties and across the state

Spring is just around the corner.

SELLERS! Call Rita Neubert, I can help!

Now is the time to list your property.

First-time buyers, stop renting and use that tax refund to get into your own home.

6410 Asheville Highway • Knoxville • 865-919-4141

Space donated by:

10 • FEBRUARY 24, 2014 • Shopper news

Shopper Ve n t s enews

Send items to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

THROUGH SUNDAY, MARCH 2 “The Dixie Swim Club” presented by Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 319 N. Gay St. Performances: 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets: www.theatreknoxville.com or http:// knoxalliance.com/knoxtix.html.

TUESDAYS THROUGH MARCH 11 Living Well with Chronic Conditions, 9:30 a.m.-noon, Knox County Health Department classroom, 140 Dameron Ave. Free. To register: 215-5170.

THROUGH MARCH 9 “The Trip to Bountiful” starring Carol Mayo Jenkins, Clarence Brown Mainstage, UT campus.

Tickets range from $5 to $40. Performances: 7:30 p.m.

Wednesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Info/ tickets: 974-5161 or www.clarencebrowntheatre.com.

“Charlotte’s Web” presented by the 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: 2083677; www.childrenstheatreknoxville.com; info@ childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

MONDAY, FEB. 24 Tennessee Shines featuring The Grassroots Gringos, 7 p.m., WDVX studio, Knoxville Visitor Center, 301 S. Gay St. Broadcast on WDVX-FM, 89.9 Clinton, 102.9 Knoxville. Tickets: $10, at WDVX and www.

BrownPaperTickets.com. Info: www.WDVX.com.

Muslim Journeys: Point of View – “Broken Verses,” 6-8 p.m., Cedar Bluff Branch Library, 9045 Cross Park Drive. Info: Mary Pom Claiborne, 215-8767 or mclaiborne@knoxlib.org.

Ossoli Circle meeting, Ossoli Clubhouse, 2511 Kingston Pike. Refreshments, 9:45 a.m.; “Middle East Dialog” by Susan Dakak, 10:30 a.m.; “Piano Selections” by Slade Trammel, 11:30 a.m. Lunch will follow.

Visitors welcome. Info: 577-4106.

Stroller tour focusing on the “Glass of the Ancient Mediterranean” exhibit, 10-11 a.m., McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Drive. Free and open to the public, but reservations are necessary. Reservations: http:// mcclungmuseumstrollertour.eventbrite.com; 9742144. Info: http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu.

Special Black History Month program, 7 p.m., Tennessee School for the Deaf, 2725 Island Home Blvd.

Keynote speaker: John Sibley, president, founder and CEO of The Literacy Imperative Inc. A reception will immediately follow the presentation.

TUESDAY, FEB. 25 Launch party for Amy Greene’s second East Tennessee novel “Long Man,” 6-8 p.m., at the home of Warren and Annelle Neel. Hosted by the Knoxville Writers’ Guild. Tickets: $90 for members, $100 for nonmembers; includes a signed copy of the book. To order: www.knoxvillewritersguild.org or send your check to KWG Launch Party, P.O. Box 10326, Knoxville TN 37939-0326. Directions will be provided prior to the event.

Computer Workshops: “Excel,” 5:30 p.m., East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Requires “Word 2007 Basics” or equivalent skills. Info/to register: 215- 8700.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 26 UT Film Series: “Exit Through the Gift Shop” documentary, 8 p.m., McCarty Auditorium of the Art and Architecture Building, 1715 Volunteer Blvd. Free and open to the public. Info: http://utk.edu/ go/hf.

Knoxville Writers’ Group meeting, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Naples Italian Restaurant, 5500 Kingston Pike.

Speaker: Bobbi Phelps Wolverton on her book “Behind the Smile.” All-inclusive lunch, $12. RSVP by Monday, Feb. 24: 983-3740.

Bowl For Kids’ Sake, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-9 p.m., Oak Ridge Bowling Center, 246 S. Illinois Ave. To register a team: www.BowlForKidsToday.org.

WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY, FEB. 26-MARCH 2 Pianist Byron Janis will host master classes, discussions, presentations and performances at the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, 1741 Volunteer Blvd.

All events free and open to the public. Registration recommended. Info/schedule/to register: http://www. music.utk.edu/janis.

THURSDAY, FEB. 27 Parent to Parent Support meeting for parents of children with mental health diagnoses, 6-8 p.m., KTOWN Youth Empowerment Network, 901 E. Summit Hill Drive. Info: Alicia, 474-6692 or abanks@tnvoices. org.

“Wild, Ungovernable Young Men: Rethinking the Creek War and the War of 1812” lecture

by Kathryn Braund, the Hollifield Professor of Southern History at Auburn University, 5:30 p.m., Shiloh Room of the Carolyn P. Brown Memorial University Center. Free and open to the public. Info: Daniel Feller, 974-7077 or dfeller@utk.edu.

THURSDAY-FRIDAY, FEB. 27-28 Performances by the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble, 7:30 p.m., Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay St. Features a dozen dances by six different choreographers. Tickets: $30. Tickets/info: 584-9636.

THURSDAY-SATURDAY, FEB. 27-MARCH 1 Virtual conference on augmentative and alternative communication devices for people with speech disabilities hosted by East Tennessee Technology Access Center, 116 Childress St. Registration fee: $10. Register

by Feb. 21 to: Shaynie Gray, 219-0130 or sgray@ettac. org. Info: www.ettac.org or 219-0130.

FRIDAY, FEB. 28 Cafe Noir celebrating the life and work of writer Amiri Baraka, 7 p.m., the Carpetbag Theatre, 1323 N. Broadway. Cost: $3 cover charge.

Annie Sellick and the Hot Club of Nashville in concert, 8 p.m., Palace Theater, 113 W. Broadway, Maryville. Tickets: $13 advance, $15 at the door. Tickets: 983-3330 or Murlin’s Music World, 429 W. Broadway, Maryville. Info: www.palacetheater.com.

Last day to RSVP for Esther Luncheon for women, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Westgate Christian Fellowship, 1110 Lovell Road. Lunch free; includes a chocolate fountain. RSVP to 392-1101 or heather@westgatecf.org.

“A Woman Called Truth” presented by the WordPlayers, 7:30 p.m., Erin Presbyterian Church, 200 Lockett Road. Performance is free and open to the public; no reservations required. Info: 539.2490.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, FEB. 28-MARCH 2 45th Jubilee Festival at the Laurel Theater, located on the corner of 16th and Laurel Avenue. Concerts on Friday and Saturday begin 7 p.m.; Old Harp Singing and potluck, 10 a.m. Sunday. Tickets: Friday or Saturday evening, $12, available http://www.knoxtix.com, 523-7521 and at the door. Sunday singing, dinner on the grounds: no charge. Info: 522-5851 or concerts@ jubileearts.org.

Choreography workshops with Angela Hill, presented by Circle Modern Dance at the Emporium Annex, 100 S. Gay St. Sessions: 6 p.m. Friday; noon Saturday; 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday. To register: http://circlemoderndance.com/choreography/ or at the door. Info: Angela Hill, 255-3834; circlemoderndance@gmail.com; www. circlemoderndance.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 1 2014 Young Classical Musicians Concert, 7:30 p.m., Knoxville Convention Center Lecture Hall. Master of ceremonies: WBIR anchor emeritus Bill Williams Tickets: $15 adults, students $10. For tickets: www.knoxtix. com, Knoxville Choral Society members or at the door.

Dr. E.V. Davidson Teen Step Show, 7 p.m., Knoxville Civic Auditorium. Hosted by the city of Knoxville.

Tickets: $8 in advance, $10 day of show. For advance tickets: 656-4444 or www.knoxvilletickets.com. Info: www.cityofknoxville.org/recreation.

Seventh annual Mardi Growl Parade and Festival. Costume parade for dogs and their owners, 11 a.m., PetSafe Downtown Dog Park. Registration

by Friday, Feb 26, $15 per dog; day-of-event, $20 per dog. Pet-friendly festival, noon-2 p.m., Market Square.

Proceeds benefit Young-Williams Animal Center. Info: www.young-williams.org; www.cityofknoxville.org/ mardigrowl; 215-6599.

Family Oriented Clothing Swap, 8 a.m.-noon, Trinity UMC, 5613 Western Ave. Dad, Mom, kids and nick-knacks. Free. Bring some, take some. Info: Tonya Jelf, 357-6134.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Sean McCollough, 11 a.m. Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave. Info: 215-8750.

Tennessee Stage Company Table Readings: “Found Objects” 11 a.m., “A Cocaine Comedy” 2 p.m., Bearden Branch Library, 100 Golf Club Road. Info: Info: 588-8813.

Concert by the Southern Chorale from the University of Southern Mississippi, 7 p.m., in the sanctuary, Farragut Presbyterian Church, 209 Jamestown Blvd.

Free and open to the public.

lauren.cox@townoffarragut.org or 966-7057.

TUESDAY-SUNDAY, MARCH 4-9 Applications accepted for membership jury, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-4:30 p.m. Sunday, Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St. Prospective members may deliver: four pieces of their work, application form, $30 fee. Application form: www.artmarketgallery.net.

Info: Lil Clinard, watercolorsbylil@charter.net.

THURSDAY, MARCH 6 Parent to Parent Support meeting for parents of children with mental health diagnoses, 6-8 p.m., KTOWN Youth Empowerment Network, 901 E. Summit Hill Drive. Info: Alicia, 474-6692 or abanks@tnvoices. org.

Free “Creating and Maintaining a Home Rain Garden” workshop, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Tusculum College , Room 101, 1305 Centerpoint Blvd. off Lovell Road.

Advanced registration required. To register: 974-9124.

Info: www.tnyards.utk.edu.

THURSDAY-FRIDAY, MARCH 6-7 Bowl For Kids’ Sake at Family Bowl, 213 Hayfield Road. Times: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday; 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. Friday. To register a team: www.BowlForKidsToday.org.

FRIDAY, MARCH 7 “Eat Me Two,” an exhibit of paintings of culinary drama by Denise Stewart-Sanabria, 6-10 p.m., Paulk + Co Alternative Art Space, 510 Williams St. Also features demonstration of the art of sushi making by Sushi Academy of TN; organic produce and artisan baked goods will be available from local vendors.

Opening reception for “Photography by Judge Harold Wimberly Jr.,” 5:30-9 p.m., The District Gallery.

The show continues through March 22.

Community Law School presented by the Knoxville Bar Association at O’Connor Senior Center, 611 Winona St. Sessions: 9-10:45 a.m., “Wills & Estate Planning for Everyone”; 11 a.m.-12:45 p.m., “Consumer Rights & Responsibilities: Protect Yourself and Your Assets.” Free. Preregistration requested: www.knoxbar. org or 522-6522.

First Friday reception for “A Bird in this World” exhibit by the SASS Collective, 5-9 p.m., the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay St. The exhibit is on display March 7-29. Info: 523-7543 or www.knoxalliance. com.

Opening reception for exhibit by Knoxville artist Rick Whitehead, 6-9 p.m., Bliss Home, 29 Market Square. Free. Exhibit open through the month of March.

SATURDAY, MARCH 8 Winter Market: an indoor farmers market, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Historic Southern Railway Station, 306 Depot Ave. Hosted by Nourish Knoxville. Info: http:// www.marketsquarefarmersmarket.org.

“Shamrock Ball - A Father-Daughter Dance,” 7-9 p.m., Farragut High School commons, 11237 Kingston Pike. Proceeds benefit East Tennessee Children’s Hospital and the Kiwanis International Eliminate Project. Info: Lauren Cox, lauren.cox@townoffarragut. org or 966-7057.

Beppe Gambetta in concert, 8 p.m., Palace Theater, 113 W. Broadway, Maryville. Tickets: $13 advance, $15 at the door. Tickets: 983-3330 or Murlin’s Music World, 429 W. Broadway, Maryville. Info: www. palacetheater.com.

Community Law School presented by the Knoxville Bar Association at Fellowship Church, 8000 Middlebrook Pike. Sessions: 9-10:45 a.m., “Wills & Estate Planning for Everyone”; 11 a.m.-12:45 p.m., “Consumer Rights & Responsibilities: Protect Yourself and Your Assets.” Free. Preregistration requested: www.knoxbar. org or 522-6522.

Esther Luncheon for women, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Westgate Christian Fellowship, 1110 Lovell Road. Lunch free; includes a chocolate fountain. RSVP by Feb. 28 to 392-1101 or heather@westgatecf.org.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, MARCH 8-9 “The Last Stop at the End-Of-The-Road Café” mystery dinner theater presented by Beaver Ridge UMC, 7753 Oak Ridge Highway. Performances: 6:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. All proceeds support Hands-On Missions at the church. Info/tickets: Leslie, 804-6642, or the Church office, 690-1060.

MONDAY, MARCH 3

SUNDAY-SUNDAY, MARCH 9-16

Ossoli Circle meeting, Ossoli Clubhouse, 2511 Kingston Pike. Refreshments, 9:45 a.m.; Poetry Contest program by Faye Julian, 10:30 a.m.; Business meeting, 11:30 a.m. Lunch will follow. Visitors welcome. Info: 577-4106.

The 2014 annual Used Book Sale organized by the Friends of the Knox County Public Library, at the Knoxville Convention and Exhibition Center in the Holiday Inn, World’s Fair Park. Preview Day for members of Friends of the Knox County Public Library, Saturday, March 8. Schedule/info: www.knoxfriends.org or 2158775.

TUESDAY, MARCH 4 UT Hospice Adult Grief Support Group meeting, 5-6:30 p.m., UT Hospice office, 2270 Sutherland Ave. A light supper is served. Info/reservation: Brenda Fletcher, 544-6277.

Best-selling author Ron Rash will speak, 7:30 p.m., East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Cosponsored by The Library Society of UT Knoxville and Friends of the Knox County Public Library. Free and open to the public.

Reception for the 2014 Farragut Primary Schools Art Show, 5-6:30 p.m., Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive. The work of young artists from Concord Christian School, Farragut Primary and Intermediate schools, and St. John Newman Catholic School will be on exhibit March 3-14. Info: Lauren Cox,

MONDAY, MARCH 10 Muslim Journeys: Point of View – “Dreams of Trespasses,” 6-8 p.m., Cedar Bluff Branch Library, 9045 Cross Park Drive. Info: Mary Pom Claiborne, 215-8767 or mclaiborne@knoxlib.org.

MONDAY-TUESDAY, MARCH 10-11 Foothills Craft Guild Jury Fest submissions accepted, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Foothills Craft Guild office, Emporium Building, 100 S. Gay St. The Jury Fest will be March 12. Info/application: www.foothillscraftguild.org or Ann Lacava, 938-4180.