Shopper-News 030314

VOL. 2 NO. 9

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IN THIS ISSUE

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March 3, 2014

Keeping the dream alive

Rountree meets GOP

Betsy Pickle visited the South Knox Republican Club and a meeting of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Association in a bar.

To learn which was more fun ...

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See Betsy’s column on page 3

Women in Jazz The history of women in jazz is the highlight of a musical event Tuesday, March 4, at Pellissippi State Community College’s Magnolia Avenue Campus.

“Transcending Boundaries and Shaping Jazz: The Women Behind America’s Original Art Form” is 10:45 a.m.-noon in the Community Room of the site campus.

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This rowdy group provides the evening’s dazzling entertainment!

Dance troupe DUeX includes (from left) Robby Mathews, parent volunteer Ngina Blair, Camariana Whitaker, Devon Arnold, Damya Blair, Eshanna Houston, Myari Jones, Rayshard Pettway, Chenai Jones, Mkynlei Vaughn, D’Azaria Cain, Annalicia Ellis, director Felicia Outsey-Pettway, Dequann Vaughn and interpreter Rachelle Whittington.

Read Heather Beck on page 7

By Carol Zinavage

Pension surprises The five re-elected members of City Council are in their final four-year term; they’ll have served eight years by 2017, when their new term expires. They will be the next-to-last council members to receive a city pension as the new charter limits pensions to persons who worked 10 years or more. With term limits, no one will serve on the council or as mayor more than eight consecutive years.

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Artist Alan Jones, who paints under the name “Theophilus,” shows off his oil-on-wood painting titled “Reflections.” “It’s a portrait of a young black urban male,” he says. “He’s thinking about his life and what he has to deal with as a black man. He’s highly intelligent and feels ostracized from society.” Jones, who has had lessons in drawing but not painting, currently has a show up at the Blackberry Farm Gallery at Maryville College.

Read Victor Ashe on page 4

City officials tout Farragut Hotel redevelopment

NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ

Holloway art African American Appalachian Arts Inc. will host a First Friday and Open House from 6-8 p.m. Friday, March 7, at 100 South Gay Street, Suite 106. In honor of Women’s History Month during March, the Downtown African American Art will present a visual exhibition of local artist Jacqueline Holloway.

Info: 865-217-6786 or downtownafricamericanart@ gmail.com.

Health insurance Enrollment assistance for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will be offered 3-7 p.m.

Wednesday, March 5, at the South Knoxville Community Center, 522 Maryville Pike.

The help is free and open to all. Those wanting to enroll should bring personal information including address, phone number, birth dates and Social Security numbers for each household member, financial information to establish household income and immigration documentation if required.

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

Knoxville Redevelopment Director Bob Whetsel is bullish on the Farragut Hotel. More precisely, he’s extremely supportive of the Halo Hospitality Group’s proposal to restore the nearly 100-yearold building at the corner of Gay Bob Whetsel Street and Clinch Avenue as a hotel.

Halo hosted an open house at the building last week.

“We’re very excited that developers are exploring the opportunity to restore the Farragut to a full-service hotel with a restaurant, ballroom and a bar on Gay Street,” said Whetsel.

“We have a building that’s been essentially vacant for a couple of decades. This will put more people on the streets. It will help the convention center and bring more economic vitality to the community, potentially,” he said.

Downtown coordinator Rick Emmett sees numerous the benefits of a restored 190-room hotel downtown.

“It could be a catalyst for that next phase of downtown development,” he said, citing its strategic location a short block away from the streetscape project that is soon to begin in the 700 block of Gay Street.

Add that to work underway on the former Baptist Hospital site at the south end of the Gay Street Bridge, and the relatively sluggish revitalization of the south end of Gay Street may soon become a thing of the past.

– B. Bean

The night of Feb. 24 featured dancing, music, art, fellowship, cookies and cake and just allaround celebration when the Tennessee School for the Deaf hosted the Literacy Imperative for a program called “Black History: Art, Dance, Literature – A Valuable Cultural Experience.”

The Literacy Imperative is a national faith-based, not-for-profit initiative providing books and

By Betty Bean Greg Heagerty lives in Atlanta but has a boyhood full of downtown Knoxville memories, many of them entwined with the Farragut Hotel, where his father, Pat Heagerty Sr., was the last Knoxvillian to manage the place.

A round, jovial Greg Heagerty man with an Irish gift of blarney, Pat Sr. was a lifetime hotelier who’d been the accountant at the Andrew Johnson Hotel the day it opened and was the last manager of the Lamar House when it closed.

■ Meeting Merv: Greg’s earliest Farragut recollection was when he was 5 and his father bet him $5 that he couldn’t get Kathryn Grayson’s autograph. She was in town for the world premiere of “The Grace Moore Story” at the Tennessee Theatre.

“Never one to miss a chance to make some cold, hard cash (it was 1950, and $5 was a considerable sum), I took him up on his wager, found out her room number and went up on the elevator and knocked on her door. A young man opened the door and took a minute to look down at the tyke standing there.

“I asked for Miss Grayson’s autograph (I saw her across the room). He closed the door and came back with her name scrawled on the piece of paper and sent me on my way. When I brought my prize back to my father, he tried to wheedle out of the bet with, ‘She didn’t hand it to you. You don’t know that she actually signed it.’

“I didn’t know for years the significance of the young man at the door. It was Kathryn Grayson’s costar, Merv Griffin!”

When he was a little older, Greg was intrigued by the International Visitors Center, a large suite leased by TVA to accommodate foreign visitors. Some were from developing countries, but the majority seemed to be Soviet civil engineers whom locals suspected of being here to spy on Oak Ridge and who in fact were not allowed to enter Anderson County.

“It was eye-opening to my Cold War-era mentality that they weren’t monsters and, on the contrary, presented themselves on a personal level that was anything but the ‘Second World.’ ” ■ Civil Rights: Historian and civil-rights leader Bob Booker, then employed by TVA, lived in the International Visitors Center from 1964 until he was elected to the General Assembly in 1966. He says the Farragut’s address was significant to the city’s AfricanAmerican population because it was once the site of the Hattie Hotel, where famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass stayed when he visited Knoxville in the 1880s.

Booker was surprised by that because he thought a law prohibited African-Americans from staying there.

“The Hattie was replaced by the Imperial Hotel, and when the Imperial burned, they built the Farragut, which was the first hotel we could go to. It was the first hotel where we could go to have dances and parties,” Booker said.

■ Athletes: Greg Heagerty met famous athletes as well as movie stars. He particularly liked

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other tools of literacy to underserved communities. The organization often partners with Habitat for Humanity to provide in-home libraries for new residents.

The evening began with a rousing welcome by DUeX (“Divine Urban Expressions,”) a dance/ spoken-word team led by Felicia Outsey-Pettway, originally from Birmingham, Ala. “I want-

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Ralph “Shug” Jordan, Auburn’s head football coach, who had beautiful manners and demanded the same of his team.

“The staff always looked forward to their visits. It was always a little disconcerting to get ‘Yes, sirs’ from individuals who were older than I was!”

Hockey players weren’t as courtly, he recalls.

“I was standing out front one afternoon along with some hockey players, and a beautiful young woman who had just had lunch in the Dogwood Room was waiting for her ride. One of the more Neanderthal players walked over to her and tossed his room key at her feet.

“Without missing a beat, she picked up the key, walked up to him and, smiling, asked, ‘Is this your key?’

“He smiled and replied, ‘Yes, it is.’

“She handed the key to him and slapped his face so hard his head whipped to the side. As she got in her limo, I told him ‘You’ve just been assaulted by Miss Tennessee, Rita Munsey!’

“There was usually something interesting going on around the Dogwood Room, too. One evening Robert Preston and/or Jean Simmons would be having dinner during the filming of James Agee’s .A Death in the Family,’ or you might turn around to find Peter, Paul and Mary grabbing a bite before a concert at the Knoxville Auditorium.

“And yes, her hair really was that straight and blonde. And she was a BIG lady. To the credit of those scruffy little Knoxvillians, celebrities were always treated with a non-bothering respect.”

2 • MARCH 3, 2014 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

No quick fix for Washburn man’s hernia The surgical community continually looks for less-invasive methods involving smaller incisions, hoping to shorten hospital times and the chance of infection.

However, in some cases, a larger incision is needed for a successful surgical procedure.

That was the case for William “Gary” Stephens of Washburn, Tenn., 61, who had not one, but three surgeries for a hernia before it was finally repaired at Fort Sanders Regional Center.

A hernia is when fat or tissue squeezes through a weak spot in the abdominal wall. Stephens’ hernia began about 10 years ago and grew larger over time, probably the result of his work in construction. Eventually the pain became severe.

“It was just real painful, and I couldn’t do any physical work, because when I did, my hernia would come out. Eventually it kept me at home,” Stephens said.

Stephens had two separate surgeries that attempted to repair the hernia, in 2010 and 2011. Surgeons used small pieces of surgical mesh each time to try to repair the weak spot in the abdominal wall.

Surgical mesh helps bond muscles together, reducing the recurrence of hernias.

“But it kept coming back,” Stephens said. On the recommendation of a friend, Stephens turned to Dr. Michael Kropilak at Fort Sanders.

Kropilak determined that Stephens would need another surgery, this time with a larger inci-

At Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, doctors develop the best approach for each patient in an effort to eliminate the need for multiple surgeries and extended stays in the hospital. sion. “He went more intense on the surgery, he put in a bigger mesh,” said Stephens.

Even though it was more extensive surgery, Stephens spent

only one day at Fort Sanders and went home that night. He said he was fully recovered in three months.

Today, he’s back to tending

cattle on his 100-acre farm and spending time with his family. He said he would recommend Fort Sanders to anyone who needs a surgical repair for hernia.

“I’ve had no problems since,” he said. “I went home the same day. I was in and out, and it was all good. They took care of me real well.”

Latest news in abdominal surgeries Laparoscopic techniques have greatly improved gallbladder removal. Instead of 6-inch scars for open surgery, patients now go home with only four tiny incisions, spots where the slender laparoscopic instruments have been inserted.

“Appendectomies have become preferable, if they can be done. It definitely leads to shorter hospital stays, faster recovery times and, more importantly, a significant decrease in wound infections,” said Kropilak.

Appendix removal

A hernia is a weak spot in the abdominal wall where fat or organs begin to protrude through.

There are many types of hernias and just as many ways to repair them. But almost all surgeons use surgical mesh material. “It’s like patching a hole in a tire. The mesh helps reinforce the repair so much that, in the last 10 years, it’s really cut down on the recurrence rate of hernias,” said Kropilak.

Hernia repairs can either be done with laparoscopic instruments or with an open incision, depending on the location and size of the tear.

Hernia repair

Although its function is unknown, the appendix can cause serious problems if it becomes infected or ruptures. Located between the small and large intestines, surgery is the only way to remove the appendix. In the past five years, surgeons have improved techniques to remove the appendix. First, the infected organ is placed in a small plastic bag called an endobag, before being pulled out of the body. “This means it Gallbladder removal never touches any abdominal wall The gallbladder is a “pouch” tissue, so the wound infection rate that sits below the liver and stores is very low,” Kropilak said. “We’ve bile to be used to help digest fats. been using it for a while, but it’s When a gallbladder stops working helped that surgery a great deal.”

“Generally the outcomes are Also in the last five years, lapa- equal and the recurrence rate is properly, gallstones can develop and are very painful. Removal of roscopic techniques have reduced low. With laparoscopy there’s the gallbladder is the next step. incision size and healing time. slightly less pain and the ability to

get back to work quicker. If open groin hernia surgery can be done with light sedation instead of deep anesthesia, that’s easier on the patient,” Kropilak said.

When choosing a surgical center for any kind of abdominal surgery, it’s most important to find a skilled surgeon and quality center, said Kropilak.

“At Fort Sanders, some of our surgeons have been doing this for 20 years, and they’re very good at what they do. We have a lot of ex-

perience,” said Kropilak.

“We also think we’re a conservative group of surgeons who really only operate when we think it’s necessary. The staff at Fort Sanders treats all our patients as if we were treating our own family.

We’re striving for the best care you can get.”

As with any medical procedure, discuss treatment options with your physician. Together, you can decide the best approach to meet your specific medical needs.

How do you know if your stomachache requires an antacid or a trip to the doctor’s office? Here are a few things to keep in mind: ■ If your pain is sudden and severe, or increases when you move or cough.

■ When pain lasts longer than 24 hours or becomes more severe over several hours or days.

■ When fever accompanies severe stomach pain.

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Laparoscopic techniques have transformed abdominal surgeries in the last 20 years, replacing the need for one long incision with several smaller ones. This means less pain, quicker healing and fewer complications.

Gallbladder removal, appendix removal and hernia repair have all been improved with laparoscopic procedures.

Here’s the latest on three common surgeries, according to Dr. Michael Dr. Michael D. D. Kropilak, a genKropilak eral surgeon with Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center:

Shopper news • MARCH 3, 2014 • 3

Doug Bataille, senior director of the Knox County Parks & Recreation Department, AMBC president Brian Hann and Carol Evans, executive director of Legacy Parks Foundation, relax after a productive meeting.

Attending the South Knox Republican Club meeting are (front row) Ed Shouse, Buddy Burkhardt, Lib Neff, Bob Neff, Amber Rountree, Sam Dailey and Louis Cortina; (back row) Kevin Teeters, Billy Stokes, Mark Mugford, John Hitt, Carson Dailey, Barry Neal and Ray Jenkins. Photos by Betsy Pickle Candidates Ray Jenkins (Circuit Court judge, Division 1), Ed Shouse (Knox County trustee), Amber Rountree (Knox County school board) and Billy Stokes (Circuit Court judge, Division 1) pose after pitching themselves to the South Knox Republican Club.

GOP meets Rountree The South Knox Republican Club is continuing to welcome local candidates to its monthly meetings, but for February, the group gave one candidate a little extra time.

Ray Jenkins and Billy Stokes, both judicial candidates for Circuit Court, Division 1, and Ed Shouse, who’s running for Knox County trustee, all had a few minutes to introduce themselves and discuss their credentials at the Feb. 20 gathering at the Optimist Building at Gary Underwood Park. They were familiar faces to the nine members at the meeting.

However, chapter president Barry Neal scheduled a political newcomer as the guest speaker. Amber Rountree, a South Knox resident who’s running for Knox County school board, brought her five-point plan to the GOP. Rountree, a librarian at Halls Elementary School, says – if elected – she wants to be a voice for Knox County students, ask tough questions, make sure that financial investments are felt in classrooms, support teach-

Betsy Pickle

ers and increase parental involvement.

She said that kids should be top priority and said she’d like to see town halls so that parents can have more input into discussions about schools. She voiced concern about Common Core and about high-stakes testing for children in kindergarten through second grade.

Rountree, who has been with KCS for six years, questioned why the school system needed a six-person public-relations department and why the current board voted on (and extended) Superintendent Jim McIntyre’s contract well before it was up. And she said she decided to enter the nonpartisan race because she felt that teacher input at board meetings was being ignored.

The club members put her through a spirited Q&A at the

end of her talk. Looks like the school board race in South Knox could get exciting.

■

Marcy Souza and Jeremy Walker enjoy refreshing beverages after the AMBC meeting.

Busy season for mountain bikers

Three things seem to top the list of likes for members of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club: riding, fixing trails and having a good time.

They took care of the latter while discussing the first two at the club’s Feb. 24 meeting at Barley’s Pizzeria in the Old City.

President Brian Hann led a discussion of the state of trails in the area, many of which are in poor shape after recent storms. “Winter conditions everywhere,” he warned.

About 30 people put in 116 hours of labor on the group’s Feb. 22 workday at Concord Park; around the same number showed up for the meeting.

Hann said the club is on track to reach its goal of 2,000 work hours by June 7, which is National Trails Day. Six more workdays are planned for spring.

AMBC will celebrate the weekend of National Trails Day with a camping trip to Big South Fork. The weekend will include a cookout and plenty of riding opportunities.

Rachel Montgomery, Ron Englert, Grant Barton, Russ Manning and Chris Martin are among the hard-working Appalachian Mountain Bike Club members who pitch in to build and improve bike trails in the area.

est in the school’s future to get involved with the Long Range Capital Improvement Plan for SDHS. The plan will address needed updates to class■ Long range at rooms, gymnasiums, tennis South-Doyle HS courts and other areas of South-Doyle High School the school. principal Tim Berry is lookThe next meeting is at 4 ing for alumni and commu- p.m. Monday, March 11, at nity members with an inter- the SDHS main campus.

During the March workdays, AMBC will focus on improvements at Sharps Ridge and Marie Myers parks.

■

Cuckoo for cookies

If you need a fix of Girl Scout Cookies, look for sales tables at South Knox’s Food City, Kroger, Lowe’s and Walmart. The scouts will be at most of those locations Fridays-Sundays through March 23. They’ll also be at Food City March 3, 4 and 11 and at Disc Exchange March 15.

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This multimedia piece is titled “Life Flow.” All artworks may be purchased by contacting Jackie Holloway at 382-3599.

Proceeds go to benefit the Literacy Imperative. Photos by Carol Zinavage

John Sibley, president of the Mt. Zion Baptist-based local chapter of the Literacy Imperative, talks about the similarities between Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. “They were both religious,” he says. “They were both family men, both dreamers and both willing to die for their beliefs.”

Keeping the dream alive ed to keep the dream alive in Knoxville by working with disadvantaged youth through dance, poetry, spoken word and art,” she said.

“I am the seed of change!” the kids shouted in rhythm, as they danced and strutted to the beat.

John Sibley, local president of the Literacy Imperative chapter based at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, spoke of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr. and great men and women in general.

Addressing the crowd of over 200, he stressed that

Director of student living Steve Farmer, who is hearing impaired, enthusiastically signs his appreciation for all those who came together to make the event possible. “From the music to the dance to the art to the speech – this has been a very exciting evening!” he says.

From page 1 everyone is capable of greatness.

“We may not impact a nation, but we can impact the community in which we live,” he said. “God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.”

Send story suggestions to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

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government Pension surprises The five re-elected members of City Council are in their final four-year term; they’ll have served eight years by 2017, when their new term expires. They will be the next-to-last council members to receive a city pension as the new charter limits pensions to persons who worked 10 years or more. With term limits, no one will serve on the council or as mayor more than eight consecutive years.

Victor Ashe

This means Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis will be eligible to receive $153.28 a month upon concluding his current term as he will be 63 then.

Brenda Palmer, Duane Grieve and Nick Della Volpe will be eligible for $171.04 a month as each will be 65 or older when their terms end in 2017.

Former mayor and council member Daniel Brown will make out the best due to his 10 months’ service as mayor between Bill Haslam and Madeline Rogero. His city pension is based on $130,000 annual mayor’s salary, while council pay is $19,000 a year. Brown will receive $774.47 a month when he retires in 2017.

Council members Marshall Stair, Mark Campen and George Wallace are much younger than their other colleagues and will not have reached age 62 when they depart council in 2019 (assuming re-election in 2015). When they do reach 62, their council pension will be $145.68 a month. Of course, if one of them runs for mayor and is elected, that pension will increase significantly based on whether he serves four or eight years.

Since the charter provides for an annual 3 percent increase for retirees, each 10 years will have a 30 percent compounded increase in their pensions by 2027 for all of these individuals.

Mayor Rogero (assuming eight years as mayor plus her prior service in the Haslam administration) will earn $2,734.89 per month. This also assumes council does not raise the mayor’s salary, currently at $130,000, which is less than five other current city employees and $23,000 less than the county mayor.

However, Deputy to the Mayor Bill Lyons, if he stays eight years with Rogero plus his eight years with Haslam and Brown, will enjoy a pen-

sion of more than $58,000 a year based on 16 years with his highest two years being $180,000 a year. Right now it is $168,000, but it will increase $3,000 a year compounded for the next six years for an $18,000 total increase or perhaps more due to the 2.5 percent annual pay raise for city employees.

Assuming the four council members who are eligible for a second and final term in 2015 are re-elected, then the city will have two years in which no member of council can seek re-election.

Neighborhood groups and developers will have little influence on them in terms of opposing their re-election as they cannot run for a third term. But some of them may consider a 2019 mayoral bid to follow Rogero.

■ Judith Foltz, city director of special events, deserves high marks for her efforts to revive the Christmas trees on the downtown rooftops in the city for 2013.

Her efforts resulted in 75 new trees, but 60 of them were on the top of the City County Building (actually on the side of the roof). Mayor Rogero issued a statement in strong support.

Unfortunately, two major city buildings in downtown Knoxville apparently did not know about the RogeroFoltz effort as the main fire hall and the city convention center did not have a single lighted Christmas tree on their rooftops despite the mayor’s public backing.

Foltz says this next Christmas will be different.

Certainly, there should be trees on these two cityowned buildings, which are centrally located. It is hard to convince private owners to install Christmas trees on their rooftops at their expense if the city itself is not doing it for its own buildings. The project was started by Sue Clancy and Roseanne Wolf and reached over 400 trees on roofs in downtown Knoxville. It was continued by Mickey Mallonee, who was the next director of special events.

■ Ambassador Cameron Munter will speak at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, at the Toyota Auditorium of the Baker Center on Cumberland Avenue.

He served as ambassador to Pakistan when U.S. Special Forces took out Osama bin Laden. He also was ambassador to Serbia 2007-09 and deputy chief of mission in both Poland and the Czech Republic. The talk is open to the public and should be fascinating. He is a noted authority on international relations.

4 • MARCH 3, 2014 • Shopper news

Why Knox County?

First District County Commissioner Sam McKenzie is one of Schools Superintendent James McIntyre’s most reliable allies. A certifiably smart guy with a master’s degree in physics, McKenzie has supported McIntyre’s budget requests and repeatedly reminded colleagues that running the schools is not their job.

Betty Bean “Let’s stay in our own lane,” he tells them.

But last week when McIntyre spoke to the commission about the onslaught of teacher complaints against his administration and repeated the mantra that the state makes him do all that stuff teachers hate – which is not exactly the case since the state doesn’t mandate SAT10 testing of kindergarteners through second-graders, Discovery Education online testing or two unannounced

teacher evaluations per year – McKenzie said he hasn’t heard of mass teacher uprisings in any other county.

Then he asked the big question: “Why Knox County?”

McIntyre paused and got bailed out by Mike Brown, who jumped into the conversation and drove it down Memory Lane, mentioning teacher complaints as far back as 1963. By the time the others threw in their pet theories, the hijacking was complete, and McIntyre had made a clean getaway.

Asked later if he got a satisfactory answer, McKenzie said not really.

“I just wanted to understand why this doesn’t seem to be such a problem across the state,” McKenzie said.

“Teachers don’t seem to be up in arms in other parts of the state. What I want to know is, why are teachers in Knox County so disgruntled?

“The answers I got were, ‘Let’s don’t say we’re not doing well’; ‘Change is difficult’; ‘The pace of this change has been a lot for everyone to absorb.’

“I’ve been asking Dr. McIntyre a lot of tough questions. As good as the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) scores were, the achievement gap between AfricanMcKenzie A merican and Hispanic students and the rest of the population has not narrowed, and that concerns me.”

State Rep. Gloria Johnson, on leave from her KCS teaching job while the Legislature is in session, didn’t hesitate to answer: “I would say it’s the topdown management style of someone with no teaching experience and not taking any input from the folks on the ground.”

Meanwhile, up in Union County, Director of Schools Dr. Jimmy Carter was presenting a performance pay plan he worked out with a group of teachers that isn’t tied to student testing.

It will involve four annual evaluations and reward selected high-performing teachers for working longer hours directly with students.

Also, stronger teachers will mentor teachers who need help, and there will be extra pay for coordinating the school’s professional learning community.

“The extra pay won’t be based on student test scores or principal evaluations,” Sandra Clark reports.

“Carter said it’s just not fair to evaluate teachers in non-tested areas on other teachers’ work. And he didn’t want to put added pressure on his principals that would come if their evaluations alone put money directly into teachers’ pockets.”

The Union County plan, like all others, must get state approval. Clark’s article is online at www.ShopperNewsNow.com/.

Tony Norman, a retired teacher and one of McIntyre’s toughest critics, is interested in hearing more about the Union County plan.

“So you get paid when you work harder and stay after school? Wow, what a concept!”

What’s next for Larry?

When cable television was relatively new, country-music singer Jim Ed Brown used to host a show from Nashville called “You Can Be a Star!”

Think of it as a lower-budget, Music City version of “American Idol.” Winners got a record contract.

Jake Mabe

Hadn’t thought about it in years until R. Larry Smith made the surprising announcement that he was withdrawing as a candidate for the 7th District Knox County school board race.

No, it wasn’t nostalgia.

It’s my “guestimate,” as the kids say, at where Smith is headed.

Finishing up his second term on County Commission, Smith seemed a lock for the school board seat. He raised $25,000 in three weeks. He campaigns effectively and has great name recognition.

So why the sudden split?

Smith said other candidates (i.e. educator Patti Bounds, who is now unopposed after Andrew Graybeal also dropped out last Thursday) “have educational expertise and professional experience that I do not.”

The stakes are too high, he said, adding that he’s concerned about “unreasonable benchmarks im-

posed by lawmakers who lack a full understanding of educational issues” as well as recent teacher trauma over fear of job loss.

“Knoxville schools are in dire need of school board leadership that has the necessary expertise and insight to find effective solutions.

“Because our children deserve the most qualified school board members that we can elect, I respectfully withdraw my name from consideration.”

Some will say Smith looked at his hand of cards and didn’t see a full house.

The rumor mill (take your grain of salt) swirls and says he was receiving a cool reception when knocking on doors in the district.

My two cents is that Smith saw the proper path and took it.

Bounds will play well among the old Diane Dozier coalition. She does have experience and expertise that Smith lacks. He’s not going to endorse Bounds, says he’s not even met her.

And school board isn’t commission. Larry is a political animal. He can be more effective elsewhere.

He says he’s not ruling out another run for something when the time is right.

He mentioned the City County Building. He even said somebody encouraged him to run for Congress.

But I heard him say “Nashville” twice. Hence my flashback to Jim Ed Brown.

Smith would fit well in the General Assembly. One

of his best friends, Mark Pody, is a state representative.

God knows politics rules the roost with that bunch, probably down to where they choose to eat.

Meanwhile, Smith will pick up trash, rake leaves, battle illegal signs, promote UT basketball history, sell insurance.

Something keeps telling me, though, that we’ll see him in Music City one day.

Larry Smith signs a statement “Pull Up A Chair” with Jake Mabe at withdrawing from the 7th Disjakemabe.blogspot.com trict school board race.

Wow! week in local politics Big winner: Attorney General Randy Nichols who hand picked his successor, Charme Knight, and cleared the field for her to walk into an 8-year term unopposed.

It’s the most powerful office in the courthouse, and if you don’t believe it, remember that Nichols resigned as Criminal Court judge to accept appointment from then-Gov. Ned McWherter.

Bigger winner: Bob Thomas, the radio guy who went to California, came back to do a morning show on a station no one heard, lost his job when the station changed hands, and announced his candidacy for county commission at-large.

Scary Bob is unopposed.

Sandra Clark

Meanwhile, Ed Brantley – who never left town, rose so high in the radio business that he was Mike Hammond’s boss, and also lost his job – is facing Michele Carringer in an all-out brawl for the GOP nomination for the second at-large seat.

Guess nobody’s scared of Ed. Biggest winner: Tim Burchett – unopposed for re-election with the season free to dabble in school board races.

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Shopper news • MARCH 3, 2014 • 5

What comes next is coaching Most of us, even the slow learners, are now convinced Butch Jones and his people can recruit. We’ve been told several times.

Tennessee signing success was pretty good.

Among our friends and neighbors, only Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn had higher quality ratings. Georgia was within a hair of equal.

(I am always suspicious of high-school football player evaluations that go out to three decimal points. What if the analysts are homers?)

Ratings don’t matter at the moment. Of considerable importance is did Ten-

Marvin West

nessee fill voids? Did Butch find playmakers? Let us hope that happened. The Vols got two five-stars and a heaven full of fours.

Some other things really matter. Did winter workouts produce any miracles?

Is the team really ready to start getting better?

What comes next is coaching. Key word is de-

velopment. That covers a multitude of necessities under the subheads of physical and mental.

Without being ugly about it, I didn’t think Tennessee coaching was any better than the talent last season.

It might not have been as good. Some teams exceed expectations because of coaching. The Vols did not.

We think the roster has improved. Let us hope ideas and execution get better.

Some of that is tied directly to developing a satisfactory quarterback. Better receivers and secondary play might make everybody appear smarter.

The earliest birds arrive Polar vortexes, snow and ice, used-up snow days, rain and gloom. By the first week of March, I imagine that there aren’t many of us who wouldn’t love to see spring burst forth. Now.

Dr. Bob Collier

So, how about some warm sunshine, blue skies, green grass, and lots of trees and flowers in bloom?

For the hardy birdwatchers among us, there is one more happening we would really like to see – the arrival of the spring migrants.

It’s our biggest happening of the whole year!

Lately, there have been hints of coming changes.

Our year-round birds, the chickadees, titmice, song sparrows, robins, cardinals and Carolina wrens, have perked up and begun singing on the few but nice recent mild sunny days. That’s a good sign.

But those migrants!

Dressed in their resplendent new spring plumage, they arrive here from their tropical winter homes in the Caribbean, Central America and South America with their hormones flowing. In the bird world, that means being hungry, conspicu-

ous, courting the ladies and challenging rivals, singing for hours on end, being visible and beautiful.

They’ve been gone since September, a long six months, so we’ve been contenting ourselves with our faithful resident birds, plus a few winter visitors from farther north, like the white-throated sparrows and the yellow-bellied sapsuckers, and a few gulls, ducks, loons and grebes on the lakes. We’ve even had a couple of rufous hummingbirds, a western species, wintering at feeders here, and last month enjoyed the amazing appearance of a beautiful male painted bunting, a bird of the Southeast coast and Texas, coming regularly to a feeder in Maryville.

But now the time approaches for the real migrants. Our bird populations will more than double, as will the number of species, as the birds of spring begin to return. First will be a trickle of them in February, more in March and a huge flood of them in April.

Birders have kept lots of records forever, and there has been a notable change in the dates of the spring arrivals over the past several decades. As the climate warms, some birds are arriving on their usual nesting grounds up to three weeks earlier than they did even as recently as the 1950s. Many species are nesting much

farther north now.

But overall the change is slow, and in spite of being subject to problems of local daily weather as they travel, our migrants generally return on a fairly predictable schedule. Thankfully, Mother Nature doesn’t blast us with everything at once.

The spectacular scarlet tanagers, Baltimore orioles, rose-breasted grosbeaks, 25 species of warblers, the vireos and the hummingbirds would be overwhelming if they all showed up at the same time!

But it turns out that instead of some of those more spectacular species, our earliest birds are a bunch of hardworking, perpetualmotion, blue-collar, somewhat less flashy ones – the swallows. Here in the East, we have six species of swallows to look for. The two “mud swallows” build cupor jug-shaped nests of mud, clinging to barn walls and the underside of bridges – the barn swallows and the cliff swallows. Two species tend to nest in burrows in banks and cliffs – the bank and northern roughwinged swallows. And we have two that prefer to live in houses and tree hollows – the purple martins and the tree swallows.

Of all those, the ones that get the most attention are the purple martins. They have an army of dedicated landlords that fuss over their houses and look af-

What matters this spring is teaching and pushing people as hard as possible, as fast as possible, to get ready for the end of August. At best, this will be a young team. At worst, it may need diapers.

Keep in mind that Tennessee plays in a line-ofscrimmage league. Remember that the Vols, on both sides of the ball, will be far less experienced than the dearly departed who helped go 5-7, 5-7, 5-7 and endured some losses by astronomical margins.

There are returning lettermen to help the team get better. A.J. Johnson and Curt Maggitt come to mind.

Perhaps Marlin Lane will become a senior leader.

It is much too early to

guess at a starting lineup, but now is a good time to say Von Pearson and Josh Malone will add excitement to the receiving corps.

No matter what mysterious voices say in the background, running back Jalen Hurd has great potential.

The young tight ends are almost certain to play. Junior college all-American Dontavious Blair, 6-8 and 300, came to claim an offensive tackle position. Hope he is in shape for combat.

At the spring game or perhaps against Utah State, you’ll notice younger, faster, more athletic types in the defensive front. Won’t it be exciting to see a big body come roaring in and run smack over a blocker? OK, I’m ahead of myself but it

could happen.

Those same young people will probably make mistakes. They may lose contain. Oh, you’ve already seen that with adults?

Linebacking might be a team strength, so much that Maggitt could become a variety show. Secondary improvement is almost guaranteed. Alas, it does come with error probabilities. I eagerly await Todd Kelly, Rashaan Gaulden, Evan Berry, Emmanuel Moseley and others.

There is enough optimism to inspire increased ticket sales and perhaps donations. Tennessee needs that, too. Coaching salaries are going up.

ter them as attentively as a bunch of grandparents.

The purple-martin people are experts at the game of watching for the earliest spring bird and getting bragging rights over their neighbors for having the first one.

And early they are; the average earliest arrival is around Feb. 12, with some earlier in some years. But overall, the earliest swallows around here, and thus the earliest spring migrant, are the beautiful tree swallows. They can show up from any time around the first of February. This year we saw our first one on Feb. 18.

Our observation was at that wonderful nearby birding haven called the Eagle Bend Fish Hatchery. Located in the big U-shaped bend of the Clinch River at Clinton, it is one of the 10 state fish hatcheries run by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. There are dozens of huge ponds there, as well as big open fields, bushy fence rows and, of

course, the river.

I have seen around 80 species there myself; others have recorded more than 100. I have seen several life birds there, and there is nearly always something interesting to see – a bald eagle, an unusual goose, a rarely seen migrating shorebird.

We were looking around the hatchery on the morning of Feb. 18, when, zounds! There they were, two tree swallows, with shiny blue-green backs, snow-white bellies, zipping over the fields, presumably catching early spring-flying insects. The first spring migrants of the year cause much rejoicing.

The following Monday, master birder Ron Hoff observed a flock of 150 tree swallows at the fish hatchery, a big flock either arriving to spread out and nest in these parts, or maybe just working their way on north.

They depend on halfway decent weather for their food supply, and they nest as far north as northern Canada

and Alaska, places now still in full-blown deep winter.

Tree swallows like to nest in old, abandoned woodpecker cavities near water.

One of their favorite places around here, and a great place to watch them, is Cove Lake State Park, where they live in hollowed-out dead willow snags standing in the edge of the lake.

But they will also take readily to a bluebird house.

Often, if a string of bluebird houses is too close together to suit the bluebirds, the tree swallows will move into a house between the bluebird-occupied ones.

Like all the swallows, tree swallows feed on the wing.

Masters of speed and agility, they course over fields, ponds and lakes throughout the day, nabbing untold tons of flying insects. They’re beautiful to watch for themselves, and even more so when you know they’re the vanguard of all those feathered friends heading this way.

Good birding!

Marvin West invites reader reaction. His address iswestwest6@netzero.com.

Waggoner for Sheriff fund-raiser set Bobby Waggoner’s campaign for Knox County Sheriff will host a barbecue supper fund-raiser from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 7, at the Karns Community Youth Center. The event is open to the public. Tickets are $25 each and will be available at the door.

Spring Forward!

Council of West Knox County Homeowners

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Council of West Knox County Homeowners will meet 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, at Peace Lutheran Church in Cedar Bluff.

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6 • MARCH 3, 2014 • Shopper news

South-Doyle Science Olympiad leaders Terri LeSueur, Jayne Schultz and Bryan Schultz hold some of their students’ devices.

Members of the South-Doyle Middle School Science Olympiad A, B and C Teams are jubilant after finishing the regional competition in Chattanooga. Photo submitted

South-Doyle students shine at Science Olympiad

By Betsy Pickle As the 2014 Winter Olympic Games were coming to a close in Sochi, Russia, the South-Doyle Middle School Science Olympiad members were collecting medals in Chattanooga.

South-Doyle racked up eight first-place finishes and 30 total medals in 20 of the 23 areas of the regional Science Olympiad competition.

The SDMS A-Team narrowly lost to the Explorer’s Academy A-Team, taking second place, and the SDMS B-Team came in third. The C-Team finished sixth among the 10 teams competing.

The A-Team will advance to the state competition, which will be held at the

University of Tennessee in May. Nationally, Science Olympiad is a program for third- through 12th-graders to explore science far beyond what is taught in the classroom. At South-Doyle Middle, science teacher Bryan Schultz has Science Olympiad enrichment classes, but the bulk of the Olympiad program takes place after school.

More than 75 students in grades six through eight participate, staying more than two hours every day after school to whet their appetites in 23 different areas of science and engineering. Each of the three competition teams has 15

members.

The demanding schedule is necessary.

“It’s the only way for the kids to be at the highest level of competition,” says Schultz. “What’s most important is that the kids are having fun and they’re excited about science, but we want to give them every opportunity to be successful with the competitions as well.”

Schultz runs the program with his wife, Jayne, who teaches English Language Arts at the school. They are aided by science teacher Terri LeSueur, who ran the program on her own several years ago, and by several volunteer coaches.

James Nelson shows the guitar he painted as part of a contest sponsored by the Dogwood Arts Festival. Nelson’s completed work will be sent to the festival committee.

The top three guitars will be on display at the annual event.

Ashley Toepher demonstrates using the pottery wheel during the art show. Photos by

Ruth White

When the Schultzes revived the program three years ago, they had 16 students in the group. The rapid growth of the program shows how much interest there is in science, he says.

Science Olympiad goes far beyond the standards of Common Core.

“This is a very highachieving program,” says Bryan Schultz. “It’s for those students whose aptitude and work ethic will support the curriculum.”

SDMS has made it to the state competition each of the past three years.

Here are the students who participated in the regional competition: A Team: Paige Clark,

Nick Corbitt, Isaac Gibson, Casey Handlos, Marley Harriman, Monet Harriman, Wesley Holt, Rebecca Hunter, Hooper Jerrolds, Gus McAnally, Adam McDaniel, Connor McGinley, Devon McGinley, Kamaya Pendergrass, Caleb Wood.

B Team: Nolan Askew, Noah Brunson, Jessica Burks, Charles Byrd, Eric Fitzpatrick, Stephany Flinn, Mary Kayla Harb, Isabelle Jackson, Justina Luera, Derek McCarley, Michael Redding, Farrell Scott, Elijah Styles, Lily Tibbetts, Megan Trivette.

C Team: Maria Avila, Reuben Burr, Cara Courtney, Freddie Garcia, Katy Gardner, Andrew Graves,

Jacob King, Makenzie Lake, Ashley Martinez, Cierra Mathes, Marisa Richards, Carleen Sedighi, Kassandra Severiano, Grace Wood, Jordan Williams.

Alternate: Sky Parsons.

First-place finishers, with their area of competition, were: Boomilever, Redding and Byrd; Dynamic Planet, McGinley and Pendergrass; Experimental Design, Harriman, Clark and Pendergrass; Helicopters, Harriman and McGinley; Rocks & Minerals, Wood and Harriman; Rotor Egg Drop, Harriman and Corbitt; Solar System, Pendergrass and Gibson; Wheeled Vehicle, McCarley and Tibbetts.

Having fun at the photo booth are Terra Harper, Jenny Heaton (kneeling) and Kiana Chandler.

A-E students show #Diversity Austin-East Magnet High School hosted a student-led art show, #Diversity, which featured work in the forms of many different media.

Guests were encouraged to stop by the photo booth upon arrival. Many props were available, and the crowd enjoyed the lighthearted activity.

Down the corridor were stations with different types of artwork, and guests were encouraged to participate in many of the stations. Creative areas included pottery,

Gerald Smith uses a computer to work on a character model during the show.

Ruth White

relief printing and watercolor painting.

One of the featured items was the guitar painted by student James Nelson. He was selected to bring the instrument to life in hope that his creation will be selected to be displayed at the Dogwood Arts Festival.

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Shopper news • MARCH 3, 2014 • 7 the first closing at her new office while I was there.

Rita loves working with her customers and helping them develop a list of “must haves” in their dream home. Working with firsttime buyers is a specialty.

Donations may be Rita works to get them predropped off at 1218 N. Cen- qualified for financing and tral St., the former Merita walks them through the enBread building. For pickup tire process. of large items such as furWith numerous certificaniture and mattresses, or to tions and designations, Rita learn more about becoming is ready to start on this new a volunteer, call 523-8884 adventure. She invites afor visit www.angelicminis- filiate brokers to join her at tries.com.

Statewide where she offers competitive commissions ■ Statewide Realty and splits.

Check out Rita’s current fulfills a dream listings at www.TnWide.

Real estate has been a com or call her at 919-4141. big part of Rita Neubert’s life ■ ETABPA to meet for 26 years. on Wednesday A graduate of Holston East Towne Area BusiH i g h ness and Professional AsSchool, she sociation will meet at 8 knows her a.m. Wednesday, March 5, way around at the Harvest Park ComNeubert East Ten- munity Center. Early birds nessee and enjoys showing can come at 7:30 for breakoff the area she loves. fast. Talking about stress While working for AT&T, management will be Lisa she obtained a real-estate li- Birnesser, a massage theracense and worked part-time pist. buying and selling houses.

Potential new members After retiring, Rita com- and interested business peopleted her courses to be- ple are invited. Info: Kaelyn come a principal broker in Farmer, 865-329-2455.

2004. She managed another firm’s office for 10 years but ■ Houston on THRC always dreamed of owning Annazette Houston has her own business. been named At the end of 2013 she

by Gov. Bill decided to jump in with Haslam to both feet and “go for it.” She the Tenopened Statewide Realty in nessee HuFebruary and beamed about man Rights

Volunteers needed for Angelic Ministries Visiting Angelic Ministries is uplifting. Meeting the people who make this amazing place run smoothly is off the chart.

Debbie Weddington is a volunteer who coordinates other volunteers and directs the Men’s Recovery Program. Debbie grew up in the Fountain City/ Halls area.

Weddington As a registered nurse, she stayed busy working and raising four children. Then she found herself unemployed and started praying about God’s plan for her.

Angelic founder Betsy Frazier visited her church, and Debbie knew immedi-

IMMEDIATE NEEDS Clothes, shoes, personal hygiene items – everything is needed, but Angelic Ministries is especially in need of: ■ All kitchen items ■ Bed linens and pillows ■ Towels and washcloths ■ Non-perishable food ■ Furniture ■ Mattresses ■ Appliances

Nancy Whittaker

ately that she wanted to be part of Betsy’s team. That was nine years ago.

Debbie’s says her position gives her “the perfect opportunity to demonstrate God’s love.” Clients come for varied reasons. Job loss or some type of disaster brings the majority in for help.

Angelic Ministries helped many who relocated here after Hurricane Katrina.

Debbie welcomes everyone with open arms. More volunteers are needed.

Currently 12 are enrolled in the Men’s Recovery Program. Misuse of drugs or alcohol often brings them to seek help. These men learn job skills while residing in ministry housing. The program lasts for one year, and Debbie is obviously proud of her “graduates,” some of whom now mentor others in the program.

Spring cleaning? It is the perfect time to gather up everything you aren’t using and donate to Angelic. Every item will be given to a family in need.

News from Knoxville Area Urban League

Urban League secures jobs, saves lives

By Phyllis Nichols When

Sophia Brown first contacted the K nox v ille Area Urban League, she was just looking to improve her comPhyllis Nichols puter skills.

Howe ver, she gained much more than that. Working with the Urban League gave her the confidence to realize she could do even better.

“I learned I could have a career beyond working in the fast-food industry,” Brown said.

“The Urban League equipped me to go out into the business world and be successful.”

Brown was part of a pilot program to help women get out of abusive relationships, support themselves financially and get involved in the

community.

The class taught participants business and computer skills, as well as how to deal with their current situations. After graduation, the Urban League placed Brown in an internship at the Appalachian Community Fund and then helped her get a job with a funeral home.

“I was quiet and shy,” Brown said. “Working with the families brought me out of my shell and built my people skills as I helped families cope with their loss.”

Now, Brown works at the University of Tennessee College of Law as a director’s assistant and recently self-published “In the Blink of an Eye,” a book on her journey of surviving and getting away from domestic violence.

“The Urban League saved my life,” Brown said.

“It played a big part in

getting me started on my journey, and for that I will always be thankful. I feel that God sent me there for a reason at that very moment in time.

“I’m proud of where I’ve landed and, when I think back, I know I have come such a long way. The Urban League gave me the chance to make that happen.”

Though the specific program Brown participated in is no longer available, the Urban League provides workforce development and training with computer programs, employment readiness, counseling and job placement, customer service, internships and apprenticeships.

Info: Bill Myers at bmyers@thekaul.org or 5245511, ext. 136; or Jackie Robinson at jrobinson@ thekaul.org or 524-5511, ext. 126. Those phone calls can change lives.

News from Pellissippi State - Magnolia Campus

Women in Jazz is campus event

By Heather Beck The history of women in jazz is the highlight of a musical event Tuesday, March 4, at Pellissippi State Community College’s Magnolia Avenue Campus.

“Transcending Boundaries and Shaping Jazz: The Women Behind America’s Original Art Form” is 10:45 a.m.-noon in the Community Room of the site campus.

The event is free. The community is invited.

“March is Women’s History Month,” said Rosalyn Tillman, dean of the Magnolia Avenue Campus. “At this concert, we celebrate women in history who became prominent through their musical talent as jazz musicians or vocalists.”

Contemporary artists

Free tax assistance through United Way United Way of Greater Knoxville is offering free online tax preparation through April at myfreetaxes.com/knoxtn. The project

Commission, representing East Tennessee.

Houston She currently serves as the director of the Office of Disability Services at UT. She holds a master’s degree in organizational communication from Murray State University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Langston University.

She serves on the boards of the Beck Cultural Center and The Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee.

FISH DAY

It’s time to stock your pond!

Delivery will be:

Monday, March 10 Dandridge: 10:30-11:15 Jefferson Farmer’s Co-op Knoxville: Noon-12:45 Knox Farmer’s Co-op Blaine: 1:15-2:00 Blaine Hardware & Feed Halls Crossroads: 2:45-3:30 Knox Farmer’s Co-op

Clinton: 10:45-11:30 Anderson Farmer’s Co-op Oak Ridge: 1:15-2:00 Willow Ridge Garden Center

11:35am - 12:25pm

“Affordable Healthcare Act” 1:20pm - 2:10pm

Special thanks to our sponsors:

Workshops: • What to look for when eating out • Complementary & alternative medicines for diabetes • Pre-diabetes & metabolic syndrome • Making exercise fun • Coping with the stress of diabetes • Affording diabetes: Panel discussion • Kidney Health & Diabetes • Sleep disorders & diabetes • Foot treatment: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Healthy box lunch & goody bag will be provided

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“Transcending Boundaries” is part of The Season of Music at Magnolia Avenue.

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Catholic School will be on exhibit March 3-14. Info: Lauren Cox, lauren.cox@townoffarragut.org or 966-7057.

Performances by Aubrey Baker, Pamela Klicka and Emily Mathis, 10:45 a.m.-noon, Community Room on Pellissippi State’s Magnolia Avenue Campus, 1610 E. Magnolia Ave. Free and open to the public.

Caregiver Support Group meeting, 10 a.m.noon, Room E 224, Concord UMC, 11020 Roane Drive.

Speaker: Yvonne Marsh, CPA, Independent Financial Advisor with Marsh Professional Group LLC. Info: 6752835.

TUESDAY-SUNDAY, MARCH 4-9

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: 208-3677; www. childrenstheatreknoxville.com; info@childrenstheatre knoxville.com.

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.

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.

MONDAY, MARCH 3

THURSDAY-FRIDAY, MARCH 6-7

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.

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.BowlForKids Today.org.

THURSDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 6-8

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 Neumann

The Picky Chick Spring Consignment Event, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Knoxville Expo Center.

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.

UT Science Forum speaker: Marcy J. Souza, assistant professor of biomedical and diagnostic sciences. Topic: “Epidemics of Less Glamorous Wildlife: What Can We Do to Stop Them?” noon, Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Free and open to the public.

Info: http://scienceforum.utk.edu.

Church Women United meeting, at Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church. Fellowship and food, 10 a.m.; program, 10:30, celebrating World Day of Prayer.

Opening reception for art exhibit “Topology” by Paul Krainak, 5-9 p.m., UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St. On exhibit through March 29. Gallery hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Wednesday through Friday; 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Saturday. Free and open to the public. Info: .673-0802 or http://web.utk.edu/~downtown.

Reception for artist Dina Ruta, 5-9 p.m., The Casa Hola Gallery in the Emporium Center, 100 Gay St. Light refreshments. Free and open to the public. Tribute to Women art exhibit on display through March.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 7-8 Intermediate/Advanced Flatpicking Guitar workshop with Steve Kaufman, 7-9 p.m. Friday and 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday, MainStay Suites, 361 Fountain View Circle, Alcoa. Preregistration required.

Info/registration: 982-3808 or email steve@flatpik.com.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, MARCH 7-9 ArtXtravaganza Art Show and Sale, Webb School of Knoxville’s Lee Athletic Center. Hours: 1-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Sunday. Event is free and open to the public. Info: www. artxtravaganza.org or 291-3846.

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.

East Tennessee Colon & Rectal Surgical Associates

New Patients Welcome

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month James W. Baker MD, FACS Board Certified in Colon & Rectal Surgery

Specializing in: • Screening & Diagnostic Colonoscopy cial Bowel Sphincter, Solesta Injection • Bowel Incontinence (Artifi (artificial bowel sphincter)

Therapy, Interstim-Sacral Nerve Stimulator Implant)

• Colorectal cancer • Crohn’s disease • Ulcerative colitis • Diverticular disease • Anorectal disorders • pph (hemorrhoids stapling ) • Fissures

• Hemorrhoidectomy • Fistula repair

Roboticsurgery Bowel Surgery • Laparoscopic Laparoscopic& bowel

• Newer surgical techniques to avoid colostomy Some minor surgery, endoscopy, ultrasound diagnostics available in office

Jay A.Young MD, FACS Board Certified in Colon & Rectal Surgery

10810 Parkside Drive, Suite G-12, Knoxville • (865) 392-9220