South Knox Shopper-News 033114

SOUTH KNOX VOL. 2 NO. 13 1 NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ

You asked for it; You got it!

With this week’s edition we have differentiated news content in our newest and previously unnamed ShopperNews. The new South Knox Shopper-News will cover all points south. You know who you are!

Betsy Pickle is the community reporter. She loves living in SoKno. The rest of us have a lot to learn, but here we come. We hope you enjoy our newspaper.

– S. Clark

IN THIS ISSUE Chapman Highway Garden Club The Chapman Highway Garden Club installed its new officers at its March meeting, but it wasn’t the usual dry passing of the torch.

June Zachary donned gardening attire to “plant” the new leaders and presented each with a small plant befitting her office during an engaging ceremony at Woodlawn Christian Church.

Betsy Pickle was there and has the details.

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See story on page 3

Teachers honored South Knox teachers who were voted building level teachers of the year are pictured in this week’s edition.

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Read about them on page 6

Three run for county trustee Jake Mabe interviewed the three men who want to be your Knox County Trustee. Meet Barry Hawkins, Craig Leuthold and Ed Shouse.

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See story on pags 4-5

SHOPPER ONLINE ShopperNewsNow.com

■ Sandra Clark interviewed Jared Effler, the 14-year prosecutor who was fired for requesting time off. Of course, he is running against his boss for district attorney general. Union County edition.

■ Jake Mabe interviewed Bo Bennett and Charles Busler, candidates to replace R. Larry Smith as county commissioner from District 7. Halls and Powell editions.

■ Concord Yacht Club is renegotiating its contract with Knox County and feathers are ruffled. Jake Mabe has a piece of the story. Farragut edition.

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March July 29, 31, 2013 2014

Outdoor connection Sertoma Club donates $100k to fund Ijams camps

By Betsy Pickle Ijams Nature Center’s daycamp program will have a huge growth spurt this summer, and kids used to spending their summers indoors will get to experience nature and adventure thanks to the generosity of the West Knoxville Sertoma Club.

No April foolin’: Randy Reagan, president of the club, will present a check for $100,000 to Ijams at a ceremony on Tuesday, April 1. The money will help fund two summers’ worth of day-camp attendance for 8- to 13-year-olds involved in the Boys and Girls Club of the Tennessee Valley.

“The members of the (Sertoma) club felt like … we’d like to make a big splash if we could and help a worthy cause,” says Sertoman Tom Rechenbach.

He says the group has a long history of supporting organizations, such as the Boys Scouts and Big Brothers Big Sisters, that benefit children. For many years, the Sertomans raised money for philanthropy by putting on the annual Greater Tennessee Sportsman Show.

About four years ago, after the show “faded out for various reasons,” the group still had money in

More kids than ever will be getting out on Mead’s Quarry Lake at Ijams Nature Center this summer to learn how to canoe, kayak and paddleboard, thanks to a $100,000 donation from the West Knoxville Sertoma Club. In this photo, Jenny Newby, an Ijams staff member, and Isabel James enjoy canoeing on Mead Quarry Lake. Photo submitted the bank and decided to focus its contributions on education. They have given East Knox County Elementary School $25,000 a year for the past four years, primarily to help purchase technology products.

Last September, the Sertomans

decided to look around for a new One of the club’s members, Henbeneficiary. Rechenbach, along ry McIlwaine, was on the Ijams with fellow committee members board for many years, and they Joe Harrison, Ralph Smith, Rob- knew of the center’s contributions ert Stacey and Gordon Thomas, asked several organizations to To page 3 submit proposals.

Dogwood time in Knoxville

Dogwood Arts Festival will start this week with more than 350 events, exhibits and performances. Here are some highlights at a glance: ■ April 4-6: 86 musical performances and 6 workshops during Rhythm N’ Blooms ■ April 5: 114 artists turning downtown sidewalks into their canvas at Chalkwalk ■ April 9: Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Dogwood trails

with the opening of the Dogwood Trails and Open Gardens ■ April 12-13: 20 artist studios will be open for Dogwood Art DeTour ■ April 25-27: Market Square Art Fair will include 33 performances, 17 interactive entertainment presentations for kids, 9 culinary arts presentations, including a special presentation by Food Network’s Melissa d’Arabian.

Music Man Glenn Kotche, the drummer for Wilco, performed Saturday at the Disc Exchange, performing songs from his new album “Adventureland,” which was released last Tuesday. Photo submitted

Put me in, Coach! Vintage baseball at Ramsey House successful year that they wanted to expand.”

Historic Ramsey House sits on 110 acres, much of it open field, and is well-suited to such an event, she said.

Two additional games are scheduled for the Ramsey House grounds, on May 31 and July 26. A final game will be played at World’s Fair Park as part of the History Fair in August. Traditional baseball fare – hot dogs, popcorn and soft drinks – will be available.

There could be an additional attraction for the May 31 game, if it can be worked out, LaRose said – a trip via rail from Neyland Drive on the River Rambler. Watch for details.

By Betty Bean They’re celebrating spring at Ramsey House with an exhibit of vintage baseball items from the collection of Tracy Martin set to go on display April 1.

The Knoxville Holstons vintage baseball team will co-host the exhibit, which will serve as the lead-in to the opening of Tennessee’s Vintage Baseball League at noon, Saturday, April 12. Admission is free, but spectators should bring lawn chairs or blankets (there are no bleachers), because the game will be played as it was in the beginning – no formal field, no gloves, scratchy uniforms and original rules of play.

“It’s an awful lot of fun,” said Judy LaRose, Ramsey House executive director. “Nashville started two teams last year, Franklin and Nashville, and they want to play the games at historic sites so you get the feel of vintage baseball. They had such a

A vintage baseball player comes to bat.

Photo submitted

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2 • MARCH 31, 2014 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

How a second opinion changed everything Elizabeth Chaubin of Gibbs, 75, always takes a coconut cake to church meals. “Well, I don’t want to brag, but everybody wants me to make my coconut cake,” she said. “I do like to cook.”

Chaubin had plenty of experience cooking when she was the dietary supervisor at a nursing home in Knoxville for years. But since retirement, the kitchen and any kind of work had become a challenge.

“I’ve had back pain for years, I guess since I was in my 30s. But when I retired it got worse and worse, until I could hardly walk and I would fall,” said Chaubin.

“My legs from my hips down went numb about seven years ago.

“I had a walker,” she said. “I could sit down in the kitchen to cook. It got to where I wouldn’t go to the store because it was such a challenge to go. It was really bad.”

Chaubin had a condition called spinal stenosis, in which the spinal canal narrows because of a thickening of the bones and ligaments. Over time, the bones and ligaments begin pushing on the spine, which causes pain and numbness down the legs. She also had spondylolisthesis, a misalignment of the lumbar vertebra, which added to the stenosis.

Chaubin consulted a spine specialist about the pain. He told her that surgery would be a major ordeal, lasting 12 or 13 hours, and have only about a 75 percent chance of being effective.

“He said my spine was closing up and even after surgery I might still be in a wheelchair,” said Chaubin. “My daughter said that’s unacceptable and wanted a second opinion.”

Chaubin’s daughter, Kimberly Lusby, had heard through work friends about Dr. William Reid, a neurosurgeon at Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional and Tennessee Brain and Spine.

She took her mother to see Reid last year.

Elizabeth Chaubin (inset) is grateful to Dr. William Reid and the Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional for taking away the debilitating back and leg pain that threatened to take away many of the things she enjoys.

Reid suggested a minimally invasive laminectomy and lumbar interbody fusion. A laminectomy is a surgical procedure in which overgrown ligaments and extra bone are removed from the back of the spine, reducing pressure on the spinal cord. The Dr. William Reid, Neuro- interbody fusion surgery is performed to correct the vertebral body misalignment.

Reid performs it with minimally in-

vasive techniques, meaning that instead of one long incision, he makes two small ones. He uses special small instruments inserted in the incisions, and he is guided by continuous 3-D imaging during surgery.

The smaller incisions mean less blood loss, less pain and a quicker recovery for the patient compared to surgery with one larger incision.

“I felt like God was right there in the room with us,” said Chaubin. “I thought there was nothing that could be done,

Minimally invasive technique versus traditional surgery for lumbar stenosis For a sufferer of lumbar stenosis, it is common to feel a dull, aching pain in the lower back and legs every time a step is taken.

The cause of this pain is the bones and ligament around the canal of the spine thickening, creating tremendous pressure on the spinal nerves.

Traditionally, the surgery to relieve this tremendous stress on the spine is called a multiplelevel laminectomy and posterolateral fusion with instrumentation (screws and rods). It involves a large incision in the middle of the back to strip muscles away from

the roof of the spinal canal and harvesting of a bone graft from the pelvis.

With this procedure, significant post-operative back pain would occur, along with the threat of infection, spinal fluid leak and other issues. Often times, an extensive hospital stay is required post-surgery and recovery can be anywhere from three to six months.

At the Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional, Dr. William Reid and Dr. Joel Norman utilize a less invasive approach to

the traditional fusion. For treating lumbar stenosis and spondylolisthesis, a minimally invasive approach limits the impact on the muscle around the spine and reduces the amount of bone removal to decompress the nerves.

Using two one-inch incisions, the Center’s neurosurgeons are able to reduce operative blood loss and post-operative infection rate. In most cases, patients undergoing a minimally invasive lumbar fusion are discharged one to three days after surgery and return to activities of daily living in two to four weeks.

but Dr. Reid told me he could help me.”

Chaubin had her surgery March 7, 2013, at Fort Sanders, coming home in just four days.

“When I woke up I had a hard time moving feet and legs, but I could feel my feet,” she said.

“The next day, I got up and walked with a walker.”

She said her stay at Fort Sanders went smoothly. “Fort Sanders was great,” she said. “Everybody from the people who did the paperwork to the nurses were great. It was wonderful. I can’t say enough about them.

I hadn’t been in Fort Sanders since my daughter was born 50 years ago!”

After four days in the hospital, Chaubin went home and began physical therapy three times each week. “I’m going to keep doing it because it does help,” she said.

Chaubin said she took very little pain medication and today is back to doing the things she loves.

“I go to the store and to my daughter’s every day,” she said. “I do all my housework and everything. I had stopped doing a lot of things because I couldn’t, but now I do everything I want to do. I even went to the beach in June last year after I got out of the hospital.”

Chaubin said she would recommend Reid and the Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery to anyone with back and leg pain.

“I tell everybody I know to go to Dr. Reid. I really believe and trust in him, he saved my life,” Chaubin said. “I really thought I wouldn’t be able to walk. So I really thank the hospital and the doctor.

He’s one of the best.”

For more information about the Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional, log on to www.fsregional.com/minimallyinvasive or call 865-541-2835.

Keeping your back healthy Although many back conditions occur because of older age, the National Institutes of Health recommend taking a few steps to slow the process: ■ Stretch before exercise or other strenuous activity ■ Don’t hunch over while sitting or standing ■ Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes ■ Eat a well-balanced diet to maintain a healthy weight and promote bone growth ■ Quit smoking

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SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • MARCH 31, 2014 • 3 ■

Give a hand for Hann

Congratulations are due to Brian Hann, president of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club.

Hann was presented with the Jo Ann Sexton, Jan Brown, Janice Sparkman, Dianne Forry and Carol Cook were installed as the SORBIE new officers of the Chapman Highway Garden Club by June Zachary. Photos by Betsy Pickle award on March 22 at Brian Hann the Southern Mountain Bike Summit in Anniston, Ala. The summit, sponsored by the International Mountain The Chapman Highway are always fun to be around. Bicycling Association, was Garden Club installed its new “Some wonderful ladies held March 21-22. The award officers at its March meeting, have been in this group was presented for outstandbut it wasn’t the usual dry through the years,” she said. ing volunteer work on behalf Betsy passing of the torch.

Nowadays, the widowed of mountain-biking advocacy Pickle June Zachary donned garWiegers lives in North in the Southeast.

Under Hann’s leadership, dening attire to “plant” the Knoxville near two of her new leaders and presented daughters, Cheryl Dykes the AMBC has put in thoueach with a small plant befitand Gayle Wiegers, and they sands of volunteer hours ting her office during an en- Park Flower Bed, Racheff make the meetings a family building and maintaining gaging ceremony at Wood- House and Gardens and outing. (A third daughter bike trails throughout East Tennessee for the enjoyment lawn Christian Church. For Christmas gifts for resi- lives in Virginia.) example, new president Di- dents of Island Home Park Wiegers limits her gar- of everyone. AMBC genernursing home. anne Forry received sage. dening to watching the day ally has two workdays per Ruth DeFriese, who lilies she transplanted from month with at last two dozen The other officers are Jan Brown, vice president; founded the club in 1940, her South Knoxville home participants per event. The Jo Ann Sexton, recording is no longer able to attend to her condo’s small yard group meets at 7 p.m. on the secretary; Carol Cook, cor- meetings. The member of and to the meetings, where fourth Monday of the month responding secretary; and longest standing present she listens to other mem- at Barley’s in the Old City.

Janice Sparkman, treasurer. at the March meeting was bers talk about their efforts.

The Chapman Highway Jo Wiegers, who joined in “A lot of us are past the ■ ‘Batman’ tells of Garden Club has 25 mem- 1970. In an interview, Wieg- gardening point,” she said. true love bers, with a cap of 30. They ers, 97, said the group hasn’t The Chapman Highway Merlin Tuttle has spent participate in a variety of changed much through the Garden Club meets at 10 a.m.

55 years studying and ongoing community proj- years – the activities and the third Thursday of each championing bats, and it all ects such as Keep Knoxville projects are similar to those month (except January) at started when he was a youth Beautiful, the Chilhowee in the past, and the members Woodlawn Christian Church. in East Tennessee.

Garden club blooms anew

“For the past several deFrom page 1 cades, we’ve done a fairly traditional environmentaltime, they didn’t know that education camp, where we were considering the there’s a lot of exploring, Boys and Girls Club as being a lot of hiking and nature study and some crafts,” a recipient of our gift.

“It was a double whammy says Paul James, Ijams’ exas far as we were concerned. ecutive director. “The kids We could support two will do that in the morngroups that are very impor- ing, and in the afternoon we turn them over to the River tant to us.”

The Sertoma dona- Sports Outfitters staff, who tion will help establish the are extremely experienced camps in 2014 and 2015. with recreation.”

The campers will learn After that, Ijams is hoping how to kayak, canoe and that the community will get behind the camps and sup- paddleboard at Mead’s Quarry before getting out port them.

Grassroots Outdoor Alli- on the Tennessee River from ance, Pelican International, the new boat dock that is beHorny Toad Activewear and ing installed this spring.

“Mead’s Quarry Lake is River Sports Outfitters will fl at water; there’s no current,” supply additional funds and equipment. River Sports says James. “It’s a great way will handle the adventure to get on and learn.”

Kids also will get to do activities.

Outdoor connection to the community, so they asked Ijams to participate.

They also were keen on the Boys and Girls Club. When Mary Thom Adams, Ijams’ development officer and assistant director, made her presentation, they sensed they had found their match.

“They had already started this project where they wanted to develop a camp – getting kids outdoors was the theme behind it,” says Rechenbach. “They had some seed money from a few people.

“What they wanted to do, in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Clubs, was to bring about 20 kids a week throughout the summer to expose them to the outdoors, to nature. … At the

some bouldering and climb mobile rock walls.

James says there will be 20 to 25 children from the Boys and Girls Club along with five to 10 paying campers each week for eight weeks, starting in June.

The experience will help the young people “feel a connection with the beautiful world we live in” and, he hopes, “turn them into conservation stewards.”

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero joins her “hero,” bat expert Merlin Tuttle, and Todd Witcher, director of Discover Life in America, prior to Tuttle’s talk at the East Tennessee History Center.

Tuttle, now based in Austin, Texas, grew up in southwest Knox County and had his first bat encounters with the gray bats of the area.

Returning “home” for a conference in Gatlinburg and a presentation at the East Tennessee History Center March 21-22, he chuckled at his warm welcome.

“I never imagined when I was about to be kicked out of UT for bad grades that I would be here tonight with the mayor,” he said, posing for a photograph with Mayor Madeline Rogero before beginning his talk at ETHC. Tutttle’s focus was on “what it takes to do an article on bats for National Geographic.” The short answer is a ton of preparation. Tuttle, however, gave the long answer – accompanied by dozens of breathtaking photos showing his photogra-

phy, along with more photos by his wife and colleague, Paula, capturing Tuttle and collaborators at work.

Tuttle’s fifth National Geographic article on bats is in the March edition of the magazine. His photographs are taken in the field, but due to the involved process of capturing bats and the flora they pollinate he often uses a 10-foot square collapsible studio. The photos are set up to mirror the truth.

“It has to look exactly the way it would in the wild,” he said.

Tuttle has traveled from Costa Rica to Cuba to China to photograph bats. His goal is to protect them and to clear up misunderstandings people have about them. He did a convincing job on his visit here.

Check out his website: www.merlintuttle.com.

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government

Frank Barnett in Knoxville

Frank Barnett with Queen Elizabeth II

When Frank Barnett met the queen Most everyone knows that our current governor, Bill Haslam, lives in West Knoxville on Sherwood Drive. However, very few people know that another governor (now retired) also lives in Knoxville less than a mile from the Haslam home. He is Frank Barnett, 80, former lieutenant governor and then governor of American Samoa (1975 to 1977) who lives on Orleans Drive in the Westlands.

Victor Ashe

Barnett attended Bearden Elementary School when he grew up on Lonas Drive and graduated from old Knoxville High. He graduated from the University of Tennessee undergraduate school and UT College of Law. He was in practice with Howard Baker and Robert Worthington in the original Baker law firm.

He worked for Gov. Winfield Dunn as an administrative aide and later served on the state Board of Regents, appointed by Gov. Don Sundquist.

Barnett was appointed to leadership roles in Ameri-

can Samoa by Interior Secretary Rogers Morton, who worked for President Gerald Ford. He succeeded former North Carolina basketball player Earl Ruth as governor when Ruth was elected to Congress.

American Samoa today has a population of roughly 55,000, according to the 2010 census. It elects its own governors.

Barnett recalls the fourday visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Samoa in February 1977 as the highlight of his tenure. He and his wife, Carolyn, were hosts for the queen and Prince Philip, who arrived on a British Airways flight but departed on the Britannia, the queen’s yacht, which is now decommissioned and berthed near Edinburgh and is open to the public for tours.

The queen also visited Western Samoa, an independent nation. The Barnetts are probably the only residents of Knoxville today who have dined with Queen Elizabeth II on her yacht.

Barnett as governor officially welcomed the queen and prince to American Samoa and rode with her from the airport to the Britannia in the harbor of Pago Pago (capitol of American Samoa). He describes her today “as extremely gra-

4 • MARCH 31, 2014 • Shopper news cious and well informed.”

His wife rode in a separate car with Prince Philip.

Barnett also attended the National Governors’ Conference as governor and was invited to the White House by President Carter, along with other governors.

Tennessee’s governor at that time was Ray Blanton.

■ The Historic Eugenia Williams House on Lyons View Pike continues to occupy top-level UT personnel. Not mentioned at the time but also on a recent tour of the house was Deborah DiPietro, wife of the UT president.

While UT is finally moving to study what the current leadership has inherited, it is unclear to this writer where it is all headed. Meetings will be closed to the public at a time when the university could win points with the public for a more open process.

Butch Peccolo, who chairs the committee, commented that the house was vacant for 17 years before UT acquired it by gift.

However, he failed to mention that UT let the house remain vacant for another 17 years, allowing further downgrading of the house after accepting it. Prior UT administrations have contributed to the deterioration by neglect and even canceled a fundraising effort to be led by Jim and Natalie Haslam to salvage the house.

When this writer asked if the committee plans to invite comments from the adjacent and impacted neighborhood and the community in general, UT spokesperson Gina Stafford said “input will not be sought at this point in the initiative.” Somewhat astonishing that the university would not seek public input from neighbors and groups like Knox Heritage.

This refusal undercuts their mission.

In her email to me, Stafford carefully refers to the “Williams property,” whereas my email referred to the Williams house. One wonders if there is already an unstated desire to demolish the house with the use of this language. She never mentions “house” in her emails to me.

However, anyone wishing to comment on the Williams house and property may write Peccolo at 709 A Andy Holt Tower, Knoxville, TN 37996 or email him at cpeccolo@tennessee.edu.

The university has a chance to shine in this area, and one can only hope the leadership realizes this despite these steps away from transparency, which undercut the credibility they achieved. Ultimately, the board of trustees, which the governor chairs, will decide the matter, along with the state building commission, which the governor also chairs.

Noel Vasquez, Noble Chaney and Olivia Chaney model the Emerald Academy uniforms. Emerald Youth Foundation director Steve Diggs is at right. Photo by Betty Bean

Resistance is futile: Here comes our first charter school

Before the summer is vorable to charters, and it’s over, the school board will gotten hard for local school approve the district’s first districts to say no. charter school.

The signs were there at the formal announcement: The house was packed with enthusiastic parents, Betty kids, suits and neighborBean hood folks. EYF Community Development Director Kevin DuBose said he has Last week, Steve Diggs conducted more than 60 (executive director of the small-group meetings all Emerald Youth Foundation, over the inner city and has an organization that he involved parents, business helped found in 1988 as an leaders and pastors, collectinner-city youth ministry ing letters of support from that has done immense good 29 groups in the process. work with disadvantaged Community buy-in does not children in the years since) appear to be a problem, unformally announced that like unsuccessful charter efEmerald Charter Schools forts in the past. will submit an application Diggs singled out Betty for a tuition-free, K-8 public Sue Sparks, retired Knox school, to be called Emerald County Schools adminisAcademy, on April 1. The trator who is now the Corschool board will vote it up nerstone Principal in Resior down before the start of dence at UT’s Center for next school year.

Educational Leadership, They’ll vote yes. which trains new princiThe school is scheduled pals. He thanked her for the to open in August 2015 with work she’s done in planning 120 kindergarten and first- for academics and special grade students who will be education at the new school called “scholars” and will (yes, Emerald Academy will wear uniforms. The school accept special ed students). day will be from 8 a.m. to He also unveiled three 4 p.m., and the school year groups: the ECS board of will be 190 days (10 more directors, a design team and than other public schools). a parent- and communityThe location has not yet advisory committee, which been determined, but the are packed with the names search is under way, and of all kinds of stakeholders. so is fundraising. It’s going Refreshments were proto happen. State law is fa- vided by the Knox County

Schools Nutrition Department, which Diggs said will also be feeding the charter school kids breakfast and lunch.

On the iffy side, only two school-board members, Gloria Deathridge and Doug Harris, attended the meeting.

But I’m still betting it happens.

■ Pam Trainor gained an opponent and lost the support of many of the teachers who helped elect her to the school board four years ago when she voted to extend Superintendent James McIntyre’s contract in December. Last week, McIntyre took to Twitter to announce: “After examining options & much dialogue w/ Pam Trainor & Dr. (Roy) Miller I’m going to recommend a $1.3 million, 4-classroom addition to Mooreland Heights Elementary School.”

■ School politics spilled over into the sheriff’s race last week when challenger Bobby Waggoner called out incumbent Jimmy “J.J.” Jones for sending his chief deputy to support McIntyre’s contract extension.

Waggoner said he would keep out of other’s business and focus efforts on patrolling neighborhoods.

Three Republicans eye Trustee’s office Three Republicans – Barry Hawkins, Craig Leuthold and Ed Shouse – are running for Knox County Trustee this year.

Barry Hawkins says the office is overstaffed.

He says that current Trustee Craig Leuthold, who was appointed to the position last July after John Duncan III resigned after pleading guilty to a lowlevel felony for paying him-

Jake Mabe

self and staffers more than $18,000 in bonuses he knew they didn’t earn, “has clearly shown disregard for the taxpayers of Knox County.”

Hawk i n s says Knox C ou nt y ’s trustee office employs 40, while Hamilton County’s employs 15 and Metro N a s h v i l l e Hawkins employs 22.

“I promise to staff the trustee’s office comparable To next page

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Hawkins, who worked in the office for 17 years, says he has “a clear understanding of the waste and tax burdens placed on the citizens of Knox County.”

Hawkins came under fire earlier this year by Commissioner Dave Wright for being the only Duncan staffer not to repay the $3,000 bonus for UT County Technical Assistance Services (CTAS) training he did not complete. Hawkins accused Wright of playing politics to help Shouse. Wright said he was reacting to a story in the News Sentinel.

“After receiving payment I questioned (Duncan) about the CTAS payment, and he assured me that it was new office policy and procedure,” Hawkins said. “I (also) spoke with my office manager and

chief of staff. I was in the process of completing my CTAS designation then and soon after my job was eliminated.

Hawkins said he did nothing wrong. “And I don’t appreciate accusations otherwise.”

Craig Leuthold says he is the only candidate who has the experience and knowledge of “the entire property-tax process from beginning to end,” having worked in both the property assessor’s and trustee’s offices.

He is running on his results as interim trustee: “In eight months, we’ve collected more than $7.1 million over the previous year as of the last reporting period in February,” Leuthold said. “I’ve not hired anybody new. And I’ve had two quarterly audits, both showing that we were 100 percent compliant.”

Leuthold at tr ibutes that success to “a lot of hard work.”

He disp u t e s Hawkins’ numbers about Metro Leuthold Nashv ille’s staffing, saying the office staffs 22 full-time employees and 5-6 seasonal employees.

He acknowledges that his office does employ 40 people, “33 full-time employees, six seasonal employees and myself. But Davidson County has no satellite offices. We have five. They don’t have bookkeeping and don’t do all the functions that we do.

“The City County Building is not very accessible.

The satellite offices are very important to keep open, es-

pecially for elderly or handicapped people. You can’t just park and walk right into this building.”

Leuthold closes the satellite offices each summer.

His goals include making online payments easier, working with the city of Knoxville so that city residents receive only one statement and allowing residents to receive tax notices electronically.

“Results matter. I was chosen (as interim) from 25 candidates. They wanted someone to come in here who would bring stability and leadership to the office and collect taxes. I’ve accomplished that and our employees have worked hard.”

Ed Shouse, a current county commissioner and former member of City Council, said he decided to run for the office because

of “all the i n s t abi l it y and problems the office had for many years,” referring not only to Duncan’s trouShouse bles, but to former Trustee Mike Lowe, who was indicted along with four others in 2012 for felony theft and will stand trial later this year.

Shouse says the trustee is “the county banker.”

He said he worked at the old Hamilton National Bank from the mid-1970s until 1990, leaving as vice president and corporate trustee.

“So, I’ve done similar work in the private sector.”

Shouse bought a railroad 16 years ago and says he has a small business

background that “gives me unique qualifications.”

His goals are to make sure all accounts are audited and regularly balanced, take politics out of the office (i.e. not favoring one individual or group over another) and identify efficiencies to save taxpayer money.

“I have talked to personnel in Chattanooga and Memphis, and it appears our staffing is high. Some of it is an apples or oranges comparison, but I’ll look closely at the personnel.

“If the public wants somebody who has been part of that office for the last 20 years, then they can vote for Craig or Barry. If they want someone who has had part-time, elected government service and full-time, real-world business experience, then they should vote for me.”

City pensions: What are others doing?

We recently reviewed the growing pension contributions required to fund the city’s “unsustainable” pension plan. Those have risen from $4.4 million a decade ago to $23.8 million in the new fiscal year and are projected to reach $31.5 million by 2019. We also reviewed the holding of the 1981 Blackwell case. Today, we look at what other cities are doing to head off financial crisis.

The city of Chattanooga recently sat down with its police and firefighters and worked out a shared-cost approach to make their pension plan sustainable.

Workers’ contributions will rise from 7-8 percent a year now to 11 percent of pay, and cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) will be

Nick Della Volpe reduced from 3 percent to 1.5 percent. These and other changes are projected to save Chattanooga an estimated $5 million per year and more than $225 million over the next 25 years.

Chattanooga’s actions demonstrate that Blackwell does not control mutual pension solutions nor freeze COLA. Think about it.

COLA is not earned by time in service, nor is it a part of a core pension benefit formula (which Blackwell said had three elements: benefit

base pay, creditable years of service and the percentageof-pay applied to that service). COLA is essentially a perk that helps address changing inflation.

It need not be extended or can be reduced where inflation subsides or it cannot reasonably be afforded.

Knoxville currently provides an automatic 3 percent COLA increase, even when inflation is tame. That alone costs the taxpayers $1.1 million per year and compounds the future benefit base.

Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke observed, after its city council unanimously approved the revised plan: “Lots of cities are facing these issues, and it’s a rare city that’s actually been able to accomplish what we did

tonight. We put the fund on the right track, we’re able to look retirees in the eye and tell them they’re going to get the benefits they expect, and we did so while saving Chattanooga taxpayers $227 million.”

Memphis is also working to avoid the overwhelming burden of its existing pension.

Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton recently announced a “long-term solution” to Memphis’ underfunded pension. It would substitute a defined contribution plan to cover all employees not vested (less than 10 years’ service) in Memphis’ definedbenefit plan. That would switch some 40 percent of workers (2,428 of the city’s 6,135 employees) to a 401(k)

type plan, under which the employees would contribute 8 percent of pay, and the city would add an 8 percent match. A shared burden.

Nearby cities like Lexington, Ky., and Jacksonville, Fla., have likewise worked out employee accords to salvage high-cost pension plans and their cities from financial ruin. Private industry has found ways to exit open-ended plans, in some cases substituting paid-up annuities for past service and switching to portable contributory savings plans. There are many paths to fiscal soundness.

Change is constant. Survivors must adapt or perish.

Knoxville’s old pension plan places all the market risk on the city. It was hammered

when those markets tanked in 2001-02 and 2008-09. Future market pain cycles will come. The plan has morphed into a $24 million per year albatross. It was found “unsustainable” by a broad-based employee/citizen task force.

There is more than one cause that brought us to this state.

Some point to changes made in the ’90s without proper funding. We can play the blame game or fix it. Kicking the can down the road is not a prudent option.

Everyone wins with a financially sound plan. Public officials and employees need to sit down and work through these issues. Negotiate prudent changes and put a charter amendment on the ballot. Let the people decide.

Mature receiver makes a difference

Long, long ago, just after the turn of the century, a mature athlete came down from the clouds and made a wonderful difference in Tennessee football.

Marvin West

James Kelley Washington, Stephens City, Va., and points south, was 22 when he landed. He thought of himself as The Future. He may have given himself that nickname. He was confident.

This was 13 years ago. Almost overnight, he became the busiest wide receiver on the team. He caught 70 passes for 1,080 yards, more than Donte Stallworth. He was honored as a freshman all-American.

Some whispered behind Washington’s back that he was throw-the-ball-to-me selfish, more interested in individual stats than team success. Never would I or Casey Clausen say such a thing. Kelley helped the Volunteers go 11-2 and finish fourth in the nation. He killed LSU, 11 catches, 256 yards.

Somewhere in a dustcovered file is a mundane question and famous answer that summarizes this man’s perspective: Are you surprised by the receptions and yards?

“I expected it. I’ve always had an unbelievable amount of confidence in myself and my ability. It was just a matter of time and opportunity.”

I don’t recall the context and can’t swear to the precise accuracy but that is at least close.

Washington didn’t do much in an injury-plagued second year and was too soon gone, to the NFL, his second professional adventure. He played minor league baseball before college.

I hadn’t thought of Kelley

Washington in a long time.

New Volunteer receiver Von (or Lavon, if you prefer) Pearson restored the memory. Pearson is also from Virginia (Newport News). He is also mature, soon to be 23.

Just for fun, he calls himself a freak of nature. He is very talented, 6-3 and 185 and can jump and run – higher and faster than Washington.

He is in the process of making an immediate difference in Tennessee football.

Pearson was not a gift from above, but he did come from an unlikely place, Feather River Community College, Quincy, Calif., just a little west of the Nevada border, a small town born during the gold rush, Sierra Nevada Mountains as a backdrop.

Tennessee, some degree of desperate to improve its passing game, found him in a comprehensive video study of America. Butch Jones had everybody looking everywhere for playmakers. “Now” was the operative word.

Wide receiver coach Zach Azzanni’s first contact with Pearson is a good tale.

Coach had to walk a few

MEN'S

miles to make it happen.

Motivation was self defense.

His rental car bogged down in ice and snow coming out of Reno.

The coach was ill equipped for bad-weather hiking – no coat, just gym shoes and a pullover – but he was absolutely determined to see Von Pearson.

Bad trip turned good,

more than worth the effort.

Azzanni got a delightful first impression of the obscure star.

“We went out to see him practice and fell in love with him. He’s humble, he’s hungry and he’ll do anything.”

Von Pearson did a lot for Feather River. He led all junior college receivers with 1,598 yards, was second in

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6 • MARCH 31, 2014 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news

Exiting on a high note

By Betsy Pickle When she leaves SouthDoyle High School in May after 31 years of teaching precalculus and honors pre-calculus in Knox County, Kim Buchanan doesn’t see herself as retiring but as setting out on a “new adventure.”

“I have a poster in my room that says it’s never too late to be what you always wanted to become,” says Buchanan. “That’s kind of my philosophy.”

Her peers named her as Teacher of the Year along with Angela Fowler, Aimee Perry and Chad Hensley.

At the Teachers of the Year banquet at the Crowne Plaza a few weeks ago, Buchanan says, the four realized that they are all Doyle High graduates.

“I taught Chad, and I taught Angela Fowler’s husband,” she says.

Buchanan started out in pre-med in college but switched to education.

“Because I had so much math and biology, I was certified to teach math and biology,” she says. She also was certified for both elementary and secondary teaching, but the school system needed high-school math teachers so badly that she was steered away from elementary.

“They ended up putting me in math in Farragut,” she says. “I really wasn’t that crazy about math, but I found it’s a lot more fun to teach than to be a student in a desk.”

Buchanan had worked with children at church and

thought she would prefer younger students.

“I was pleasantly surprised how much I loved working with high-school kids,” she says. “I’m really a teacher at heart. I’d be happy teaching history or biology.

It’s not like I’m a great mathematician and love math, I just really love teaching.

I love seeing the light bulb come on in their heads.”

Buchanan says highschoolers are an appreciative group to teach. “Highschoolers will gripe and complain, ‘You’re so hard on us. This is so tough. Why are you making us do so much homework?’ And then they’ll come back and thank you and say, ‘Gosh, I learned so much. College is so easy.’”

Teaching math didn’t change much until technology entered the picture.

“We’re beginning to use computers; we’re a 1:1 technology school, so we’re using technology more, and there’s so much more on the Internet that kids can look up and find,” she says.

Buchanan says she tries to make sure that her students aren’t totally dependent on calculators; they’re more focused when they can’t use them, she says.

After Buchanan’s husband, Jimmy, died of cancer two years ago, she had to get her bearings again, but she thinks she’s ready to move on.

“I’ve signed up for a Master Gardener course at UT,” she says. “I want to travel a lot.”

Dogwood Elementary teachers of the year Scarlett Hopkins, preschool; Rita Barrick, instructional assistant; Tammy Lohren, physical education; and Angela Velazquez, kindergarten, pose in front of the school.

Fourth-grade teacher Sherrie Young is New Hopewell Elementary’s Teacher of the Year.

She was surprised that the SDHS faculty named her teacher of the year for the third time.

“It was very sweet of them,” she says. “I was teasing my friends, ‘Oh, it’s because I’m retiring, y’all are being nice.’

“My colleagues are wonderful.”

South-Doyle High School Teachers of the Year Angela Fowler, Kim Buchanan, Aimee Perry and Chad Hensley celebrate at the Crowne Plaza. Photos submitted

South Knoxville Elementary Teacher of the Year Nilda Carrasquillo towers over her kin- Gap Creek Elementary’s teachers of the year are Connie Bohanan, support staff (teacher assistant); Rebecca White, third-grade teacher; and Carrie Brooks, itinerant staff (music). dergarten students.

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Shopper news • MARCH 31, 2014 • 7

KSO cellist Alicia RandisiHooker is excited to present a world-class string quartet to Knoxville classical-music lovers. Photo by Larry Miller

Knoxville audiences can hear the world-class Doric String Quartet – violinist Jonathan Stone, violist Hélène Clément, violinist personal connection with Alex Redington and cellist John Myerscough – at UT’s Powell Recital Hall this Thursday evening. Photo submitted the four. They are all close friends of a former student of hers, Bartholomew LaFollette. “It was through Bart that I first brought the Doric to Doric String Quartet is.

Described by Gramo- Knoxville in January of 2012,” phone Magazine as “one she says.

He’s recorded the Kornof the finest young string quartets” whose members gold Sextet for Strings with are “musicians with fasci- them, a fact that makes his nating things to say,” the former teacher glow with Alicia Randisi-Hooker, plenty of time to catch them. group won first prize in the pride. cellist for the Knoxville They’ll be performing at 2008 Osaka International In addition to maintainSymphony and president of UT’s Sandra G. Powell Re- Chamber Music Competi- ing a busy teaching studio, the Tuesday Morning Musicital Hall at 7 p.m. Thurs- tion in Japan, second prize Randisi-Hooker is tireless Carol cal Club, is so excited about day, April 3. If you’re new at the Premio Paolo Bor- in her promotion of local the Doric String Quarto chamber music or clas- ciani International String classical-music Zinavage perfortet that she can’t think of sical music in general, this Quartet Competition in It- mance and education. She enough superlatives to deconcert is one you’d defi- aly, and the Ensemble Prize is on the board of the Joy scribe them. nitely enjoy, as the program at the Festspiele Mecklen- of Music School and the “These guys are absoincludes works by Haydn burg-Vorpommern in Ger- Oak Ridge Civic Music Aslutely world class!” she exand Beethoven – two titans many. They typically play sociation, a member of the claims. “I mean, they play of the genre – as well as to sold-out houses all over Suzuki Association of the Wigmore Hall and the Philmusic by Erich Korngold, the world. All members cur- Americas, the American Knoxville.” lips Collection, for heaven’s who is considered one of rently live in London.

String Teachers Association By the time you read this sake!” she says, referring the founders of film music.

Randisi-Hooker has a and the National Federathe young quartet, known to two of the “holy shrines” His romantic, tuneful style for their charisma, wit and of chamber-music performakes him a favorite with sparkling style, will have almance, the first located listeners. ready performed one concert in London, the second in And if you’re already a in Oak Ridge at the Pollard Mayor Madeline Rogero The new receptacles will Washington, D.C. “We’re so classical-music fan, you Auditorium. But there’s still lucky to have them come to know what a treasure the and city officials will launch contribute aesthetic, funca recycling program with tionality and safety imnew trash receptacles in provements, Rogero said. parks at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Overall, 430 trash and April 2, in Tyson Park, 2351 recycling receptacles were Knox County Council A light lunch will be the autism spectrum and Kingston Pike. purchased for city parks PTA will present “Light It served at 11:30 a.m. (RSVP post-high school options.

Up Blue,” a discussion of requested), and exhibitors Info and RSVP: Tonya autism, Wednesday, April 2, will be on hand. A discus- Willis at jtcwillis@att. at Bearden United Method- sion from noon to 1:30 p.m. net or Lisa Wilkerson at ist Church, 4407 Sutherland will include parent perspec- l.o.wilkerson@hotmail.com.

Avenue. tives on raising children on

Just spectacular Carol’s Corner

tion of Music Teachers. And she’s dedicated to the Tuesday Morning Musical Club, which, along with ORCMA, is co-sponsoring the Doric’s visit.

Founded in 1897 as Knoxville’s first presenting musical organization, the TMMC was established “for the purpose of performing good music and bringing good music to Knoxville.”

Each month the club’s meetings feature performances by members and guests.

“We are trying to raise our profile in the community and to also raise money for scholarships for high school students who want to continue their studies,” Randisi-Hooker states. If you’d like to support the TMMC, visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/pages/Tuesday-Morning-Musical-Club.

Meanwhile, in addition to their concerts, the Doric String Quartet members are spending lots of time during their East Tennessee visit working with UT string majors and exceptional high school students. RandisiHooker is enjoying not only hearing them, but visiting with them. “They’re charming, they’re lovely,” she says.

“And they so deserve an audience. They’re just spectacular!”

The Doric String Quartet’s performance at the UT School of Music is free and open to the public. The event takes place Thursday, April 3, at 7 p.m. in the Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall.

For more information, visit www.music.utk.edu.

Send story suggestions to news@ShopperNewsNow.com.

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PTA to sponsor free lunch, discussion on autism

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Shopper s t n e V enews

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THROUGH SUNDAY, APRIL 13 “WRENS,” a semi-autobiographical story by Anne V. McGravie, Clarence Brown Theatre’s Lab Theatre.

Performances: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $5 to $15. Info/tickets: 974-5161 or www.clarencebrowntheatre.com.

“The Giver” by Lois Lowry performed by the Children’s Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Ave. Performances: 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 1 and 5 p.m. Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: 208-3677, tickets@childrenstheatreknoxville.com. Info: www. childrenstheatreknoxville.com, 208-3677.

THROUGH TUESDAY, APRIL 15 Registration open for UT-led Wildflower Pilgrimage to be held April 15-19. Tickets: $75 per person for two or more days; $50 for single-day tickets; $15 students with ID. To register: http://www. springwildflowerpilgrimage.org. Info: 436-7318, ext.

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THROUGH SATURDAY, MAY 17 Tickets on sale for Tennessee Theatre’s annual “Stars on Stage” event. Kenny Rogers will headline the event, 8 p.m., Saturday, May 17. Proceeds will benefit the Historic Tennessee Theatre Foundation.

THROUGH SUNDAY, JUNE 8 Registration open for AMSE Science Explorer Camp for rising 5th, 6th and 7th graders. Two sessions: June 9-13, June 16-20. Info/to register: http://amse. org/visitors/summer-camps/.

MONDAY, MARCH 31 The General Shale Lecture presented by Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam, 5:30 p.m., UT Art and Architecture Building, 1715 Volunteer Blvd. Part of the UT Church Memorial Lecture Series. Free and open to the public.

Tennessee Shines featuring The Steel Wheels

and Wordplay guest Dawn Coppock, 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.

Staged reading of Neil Simon’s comedy “God’s Favorite,” 7:30 p.m., Square Room, 4 Market Square.

Presented by the WordPlayers. Rated PG-13. Free admission. Donations welcome. Info: 539-2490 or www. wordplayers.org.

TUESDAY, APRIL 1 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.

Caregiver Support Group meeting, 10 a.m.noon, Room E 224, Concord UMC, Anyone who gives care to an elderly individual is welcome to attend.

Refreshments will be provided by East Tennessee Personal Care. Info: 675-2835.

Registration deadline for Nuestros Niños Charity Play It Forward Golf Tournament to be held Saturday, April 19, at Three Ridges Golf Course. Entry Fee: $300 per team, $75 per individual. Check-in, noon; tee time, 1 p.m. Format: 4 Person Scramble Best Ball.

To register: http://www.nuestrosninoscharity.org/ golf-tournament.html. Info: Angela Grussing, angela@ nuestrosninoscharity.org or 599-4347; Beki Brooks,

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2 “Getting To Know the Walker Sisters” Brown Bag Lecture by Merikay Waldvogel, noon, East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Free. Attendees are encouraged to bring a “brown bag” lunch. Info: 2158830; eths@eastTNhistory.org; www.easttnhistory.org.

Opening reception for Pellissippi State Community College’s Student Juried Art Show and exhibit, 3-5 p.m., Bagwell Center for Media and Art on the Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. Exhibit runs to April 18. Free and open to the public. Info: 694-6400 or www.pstcc.edu/arts.

THURSDAY, APRIL 3 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.

Open house at Pellissippi State Community College Blount County Campus, 4:30-6 p.m. Free and open to all prospective students and their families. Info: www. pstcc.edu or 694-6400.

THURSDAY-SUNDAY, APRIL 3-6 “Assisted Living: The Musical” at The Grove Theatre in Oak Ridge. Various performance times. Admission: $20 advance; $25 day of show. Tickets: www.KnoxvilleTickets.com, 656-4444, 877-995-9961, at the door.

“The Steppin’ Up Cruise!” original children’s theater production, Erin Presbyterian Church, 200 Lockett Road. Showtimes: 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets available at the door. Info: www. erinpresbyterian.org.

FRIDAY, APRIL 4 UT Science Forum speaker: Steven Wise, associate professor of mathematics. Topic: “Simulations for Solutions: Solving Problems Through Scientific Computing,” noon, Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Free and open to the public. Info: http://scienceforum.utk. edu.

Opening reception for Art Market Gallery’s featured artists for April: Diana Scott-Auger of Greenback and Harriet Smith Howell of Rutledge, 5:30-9 p.m., Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St. Info: 525-5265; www. artmarketgallery.net; facebook.com/Art.Market.Gallery.

Art on the Block, 6-9 p.m., 100 block of Gay Street.

Attendees may share their artwork on social media using #100BlockKnox and #FirstFridayKnox. Info: Christine Cinnamond, 646-942-0970 or christine. cinnamond@gmail.com.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, APRIL 4-5 Bowl For Kids’ Sake at Strike & Spare, 5700 Western Ave. Times: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. To register a team: www.

BowlForKidsToday.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 5 Lecture by Peter Hatch, Emeritus Director of Gardens and Grounds at Monticello, 10 a.m.-noon, Knoxville Museum of Art. Topic: Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden. Book signing follows lecture.

Tickets: 862-8717 or dana@knoxgarden.org. Info: Keyes Williamson, 862-8717 or keyes@knoxgarden.org.

Free hip hop/jazz dance lessons, 10 a.m., Connor-Short Center on Walters State Community College Sevier County Campus. Minimum age for participants is 13. To register: Laura Ritter, Laura.Ritter@ws.edu.

Spring Plant Sale, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Ivan Racheff House and Gardens, 1943 Tennessee Ave. Dozens of varieties of plants; birdhouses and feeders by Troy Lawson; handmade hypertufa containers; and gardening tools will be available for sale. Hot dogs and soup available 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Proceeds will be used to develop and maintain the gardens at Racheff.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Kindermusik, 11 a.m. Cedar Bluff Branch Library, 9045 Cross Park Drive.

Info: 470-7033.

Intermediate Genealogy, 1 p.m., East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Preregistration required.

Info/to register: 215-8809.

Dogwood Arts Chalk Walk, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Market Square and Krutch Park. Free event. Info: www. dogwoodarts.com or 637-4561.

Park Day, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., historic Mabry-Hazen House, 1711 Dandridge Ave. Activities will include leaf and brush removal, mulching, planting, and general spring-cleaning. Some tools will be provided, but volunteers are encouraged to bring rakes, pitchforks, tarps, and similar yard tools. Info: www.mabryhazen.com or 522-8661.

SUNDAY, APRIL 6 Hard Knox Roller Girls intraleague bout featuring Lolitas Locas vs Black Bettys, 6 p.m., Smoky Mountain Skate Center, 2801 E. Broadway, Maryville.

Open skate, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Ticket prices include skate rental. Info: www.hardknoxrollergirls.com.

MONDAY, APRIL 7 Tai Chi open house and sample beginner class, 7-8:30 p.m., Peace Lutheran Church, 621 N. Cedar Bluff Road. Presented by the Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA. Info: 482-7761 or www.taoist.org.

Fundraising Night at Chilis to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters sponsored by EdFinancial Services. Mention Big Brothers Big Sisters and10 percent of proceeds go to BBBS.

TUESDAY, APRIL 8 Open house at Pellissippi State Community College Strawberry Plains Campus, 5-7 p.m. Free and open to all prospective students and their families. Info: www. pstcc.edu or 694-6400.

Computer Workshops: Introducing the Computer, 2 p.m., East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Info/to register: 215-8700.

Harvey Broome Group meeting, 7 p.m., Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike. Program: Video Mapping River Systems by Paul Ayers, Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9 UT Film Series: “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry” 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.

THURSDAY, APRIL 10 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.

FRIDAY, APRIL 11 UT Science Forum speaker: Stacy Clark, research forester for the U.S. Forest Service, noon, Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Topic: “American Chestnut Restoration: Can We Bring Back the Mighty Giant?” Free and open to the public. Info: http:// scienceforum.utk.edu.

Opening reception for “Vision of Home: Recent Works by Kathie Odom” exhibit, 5:30-9 p.m., The District Gallery, 5113 Kingston Pike. The show continues through May 3. Info: 200-4452, www.

TheDistrictGallery.com.

Festival of Cultures, 4-8:30 p.m., in the Goins Building of the Pellissippi State Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. The event is free and the community is invited. Info: 539-7160 or www.pstcc.edu/ diversity.

SATURDAY, APRIL 12 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.

business

Shopper news • MARCH 31, 2014 • 9

Emery’s 5 & 10 relocating to Pigeon Forge Meeting with Ron Emery is always a treat, and last week he was beaming from ear to ear. Emery’s 5 & 10 is celebrating its 87th birthday, and the old family business is making a move to The Island in Pigeon Forge.

Emery is partnering with Bob McManus, Darby Campbell and Eddie Campbell on this venture. The new store will be located next to The Island’s $3 million fountain and will open in May or June.

Emery says this new venture will enable him to develop the store he has always dreamed of. Although many in South Knox are saddened by the store’s closing, Emery promises “it will be worth the drive to Pigeon Forge to come to the new store.�

Meanwhile, his Chapman Highway location is holding a huge liquidation sale. Everything in the store is 20 percent off. â–

Lou-Lu’s Corner seeks vendors

A new boutique is coming to South Knoxville. Amy Wilson is opening Lou-Lu’s Corner at 6210 Chapman Highway in the former Horse Emporium.

Wilson grew up working in her family’s restaurant, Ye Olde Steak House. She has been involved with the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble since 1985 and is currently its associate artistic director. She also teaches at Dancers Studio.

She is partnering with other members of her family. Janie Bayless Richards,

Nancy Whittaker

Jeff Archer to speak at ETABPA

School board candidates at PSCC

By Heather Beck

Erin Wilson, Cheryl Wilson and Nancy Ayres decided to open an eclectic boutique that will boast all types of fascinating items, constantly changing. Wilson wants to make it a fun place to shop and eventually wants to offer craft classes for kids and adults.

With booths available for rent, Lou-Lu’s will also take consignment items. For more information, contact Amy at 804-3361. â–

News from Pellissippi State - Magnolia

Ron Emery’s family business is moving to The Island.

Photos by

Nancy Whittaker

The East Towne Area Business and Professional Association will meet at 8 a.m. Wednesday, April 2, at New Harvest Park Community Building.

Jeff Archer, senior planner with the Metropolitan Planning Commission, will present an overview of the North-East Sector Plan.

Discussion will include how I-640 could be restructured to benefit businesses in this area.

Spring brush trimming will also be discussed. The goal of ETABPA is to have all businesses in the East Towne corridor area represented.

Come early and enjoy Amy Wilson has opened Lou-Lu’s Corner, an “eclectic boubreakfast sponsored by tique.�

Food City.

The Magnolia Avenue Campus of Pellissippi State Community College will host a forum for Knox County school board candidates beginning at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, April 1.

The forum will be moderated by John Becker of WBIR-TV. It is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County and the Knox County Teachers Association.

The community is invited to the free event.

At the April 1 forum, the second of two such events, the campus hosts candidates from districts 4, 7 and 9. The audience will be able to submit questions for the candidates to answer. “We hope that citizens

â–

will inform themselves about the substance of the questions and pay careful attention to the candidates’ responses, and that many voters will attend the forums,� said Kim Lauth, area LWV president. “An informed citizen is the best assurance of democracy at work.�

Rosalyn Tillman, dean of the Magnolia Avenue Campus, says the site is proud to be hosting the forum: “This is an exceptionally important opportunity for our students and our community to be engaged in the political decision-making process.�

The Magnolia Avenue Campus is at 1610 E. Magnolia Ave. Info: www.pstcc. edu/magnolia or call 865329-3100.

Company dedicated to saving lives

Deaths from a home fire are preventable. That is Gary Watl i ng ton’s message to the public.

Watlington started FireProof Safety SoluWatlington tions eight months ago, and his top priority is public education.

Lack of properly working equipment or homes with only minimal equipment are what he finds most often while doing assessments.

With more than 20 years’ experience, Watling-

ton has seen devastation and deaths that were entirely preventable. He performs total assessments of homes and advises people on everything from escape plans to the use of equipment. He trains people on the proper way to use a fire extinguisher, what types of detectors are vital to a particular home and what equipment is needed.

After the assessment, Watlington will install needed equipment at his client’s request. He wants people to be proactive, not reactive.

Info: www.fireproofss. com or 804-5189.

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10 • MARCH 31, 2014 • Shopper news