NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ

IN THIS ISSUE

Price at Pete’sWhat’s that they say in real

estate? Location, location, location.

Leland Price had his campaign kickoff reception at Pete’s Coffee Shop on Union Avenue downtown, which proves he is a man of good judgment. He’s going to run for Circuit Court, Division III judge, hoping to win the seat long held by Mary Beth Lei-bowitz, who is retiring.

➤ Read Betsy Pickle on page 2

VOL. 1 NO. 16 December 2, 2013www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

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By Betty BeanThe city’s plan to alleviate

Prosser Road fl ooding could pro-duce a big bonus next September – keeping the Tennessee Valley Fair above water.

The plan is contingent upon the state accepting the city’s $1.7 mil-lion proposal to elevate Prosser Road and set up a permanent pumping station to drain water from the sinkholes underlying the area and release it into a drainage ditch on Rutledge Pike. Knoxville’s chief civil engineer, Tom Clabo, will meet with Tennessee Depart-ment of Transportation offi cials this month to get fi nal approval.

At a recent meeting between city offi cials and fair staff, Cla-bo said work should begin next spring, but he couldn’t promise that it will be done by the time the fair opens in September.

“We’ve tried to convince the city: we know all three of those areas are connected, so we can fi x fl ooding not only on Prosser, but for Chilhowee Park, too. Why don’t we try to fi x it all at one time?” said Scott Suchomski, the fair’s execu-tive director.

“In 2011, we were fl ooded at very beginning of fair, which always opens the fi rst Friday after Labor Day. We had to bring in pumps at our own cost to pump the wa-ter out, and the whole Kiddieland area was fl ooded and wasn’t fully operational until Sunday.

“In 2012, it fl ooded two days after the fair. We knew it was com-

Prosser Road project will help Chilhowee Park

View from the Chilhowee Park offi ce of fl ooding last winter. Photo submitted

ing, and told every-body to get out of the low area and they pretty much did. It would have fl ooded us out completely. We think it’s going to be fi ne, but we hope they’ll fi nish it be-fore the fair starts.”

The fair organiza-tion takes responsi-bility for Chilhowee Park for three weeks of the year. The rest of the time, city di-rector of public as-sembly facilities Greg Mackay is in charge of the 81-acre property. Does he consider fl ooding a major problem at the park?

“Only when it rains,” he said.“The fi rst week I was here (last

January) we had a record fl ood. People said the water was the highest they’d ever seen – almost up to our building; it covered the lower parking lot and fl ooded the tunnel (under Magnolia Avenue).

Mackay describes the park as “the jewel of East Knoxville,” and says it has a bigger economic im-pact on the local economy than most people realize. The 40th an-nual Street Rod Nationals South Plus, one of the biggest street road and custom car shows in the coun-try will happen in May, for exam-ple, as well as a lineup of events in

the Jacob Building.“We’re not really a park – no

swing sets, no ball fi elds. We’re an exposition center. We do get peo-

ple who walk over here and people who fi sh. You’d be surprised at the people who fi sh here,” h e said.

By Sandra ClarkHere’s a neat break from the

norm this holiday season. Join Friends of the Smokies for a half-day holiday hike in Sugarlands.

Danny Bernstein, author and legendary hiker, will join the group Tuesday, Dec. 17, for a 5-mile walk along Little Pigeon River. The hike

is (relatively) easy with a total el-evation gain of 800 feet.

The hike is $10 for current Friends of the Smokies members and $35 for non-members, who will receive a complimentary membership.

Members who bring a friend hike for free. All registration do-

nations are tax-deductible and benefi t the Smokies Trails Forever program. Meeting locations for the hike will be in Asheville, Mag-gie Valley and the Sugarlands Visi-tor Center.

Register at outreach.nc@friendsofthesmokies.org or 828-452-0720.

Holiday hike in the Smokies

By Betsy PickleReality-television stars

are big these days, but few of them are 2,100 square feet.

That’s something that sets Cullen and Mary

Wojcik’s Cornelia Street house apart. Their home was the subject of the re-cent DIY network show “Uncondemned,” which followed the progress of the home’s renovations by

a team of neighbors who may have lacked in skills but made up for that in passion.

Their vision, combined with that of the Wojciks, will be on display during

Visit Victorian homes in Old North

Mary and Cullen Wojcik stand at the door of their Cornelia Street home, which is part of the

25th annual Historic Old North Knoxville Victorian Holiday Home Tour. To page 3

City director of public assembly facilities Greg Mackay and Tennes-

see Valley Fair executive director Scott Suchomski are hoping the

park stays dry. Photo by Betty Bean

the 25th annual Historic Old North Knoxville Vic-torian Holiday Home Tour. The tour runs 4-9 p.m. Sat-urday, Dec. 7, and 12:30-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8.

There will be 10 other homes and one church, First Lutheran, on the tour. Advance tickets are $10 and are available at all area Kroger stores. On the day of the tour, tickets will be $15 at the ticket booth in the Woodland Avenue parking lot of Tennova/St. Mary’s.

All participants should start at the Woodland Av-enue lot to get their calen-dar maps and catch buses for the tour.

The Wojciks moved to Knoxville from San Fran-cisco in June 2011 and fi rst lived downtown.

“We were very inter-ested in living close to downtown,” says Cullen, a lawyer.

“And in a real neighbor-hood,” adds Mary, an art history teacher at UT.

Each found about the house in fall 2011 when it was still a work in prog-ress.

“We had the sense that it wouldn’t be too long be-fore other people could see what they (the neighbors renovating the house) saw and what we saw, and that we’d better get moving be-fore it became clear how wonderful it was going to be,” says Mary Wojcik. “We saw it on a Sunday and got a Realtor the next day. We really wanted the house.”

It has more than lived up to their expectations.

“You get this perfect combination of historic home shell with a brand-new interior with historic accents, and then the LEED certifi cation,” says Cullen Wojcik.

“Our utility bills are ri-diculously low,” she adds.

The couple knew that eventually their neighbors would want them to put the house on the Decem-

Christmas tours at Mabry-Hazen

The Mabry-Hazen House invites you to a free Christ-mas tour with rooms and other areas decorated by local decorators including Samuel Franklin, The Flower Pot, Scott Morrell of Flowers, as well as volunteers and museum staff. Light refreshments will be served. Christmas Tours are scheduled 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, and 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15. Donations are wel-comed. Info: 865-522-8661 or www.mabryhazen.com.

Five Points Knoxville’s Community

Development Corporation (KCDC) will hold its next pub-lic workshop for the Five Points Master Plan process at the Walter P. Taylor Boys and Girls Club, 317 McConnell St., from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5. All interested persons are invited.

Seuss-a-plazooaSeymour High School foren-

sics team will present Seuss-a-plazooa at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, in the school audito-rium. The show breaks at 7 p.m. for a Christmas dinner by Buddy’s Bar-B-Q. Prices are $15 with discounts for stu-dents. Info: 865-577-7040 or daniellesmallwood@sevier.org.

Tea & Treasures to host cash mob

ORNL Federal Credit Union will host a “small business counts” cash mob from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at Tea & Treasures, 4104 Martin Mill Pike. The fi rst 30 customers will receive a $20 gift card for store purchases (limit one per family).

Tea & Treasures is a shop in an old country home. It is run by Jenny Wolf and resident artist Bobbye Edwards. It fea-tures handmade and vintage items such as jewelry, hand-bags, pottery, crafts and orna-ments from over 40 artists.

2 • DECEMBER 2, 2013 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

Nicole White, occupational therapist and driving rehabilitation

therapist at Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center, is excited the

Adaptive Driving Program is back. “We can determine whether

folks are still safe to drive or whether it’s time to hang up the

keys,” White said.

Helping drivers get back in controlOn the road again,Goin’ places that I’ve never been,Seein’ things that I may never see again,And I can’t wait to get on the road again. – Willie Nelson

Americans love their cars, and for most adults, driving is essen-tial to freedom and independence.

At the Patricia Neal Rehabili-tation Center, the Adaptive Driv-ing Program has returned to help older adults and others with dis-abilities receive the training and support they need to drive safely.

“We assess each patient re-garding their vision, cognition, physical movement and road knowledge,” said Nicole White, an occupational therapist and driving rehabilitation therapist who runs the program. “And we can deter-mine whether folks are still safe to drive or whether it’s time to hang up the keys and look at alternative transportation options.”

Some clients are referred to the Adaptive Driving Program for age-related illnesses like early demen-tia or arthritis, while others are relearning to drive after amputa-tions or spinal cord injuries.

Depending on each client’s needs, White tailors a program individually. First, she performs a number of clinical assessments in-side the clinic to determine range of motion and strength in the cli-ent’s arms and legs, peripheral vision and depth perception, and information processing and deci-sion making skills.

If White determines the client has the ability to drive, the sec-

Is it safe for me to hit the road?The American Occupational Therapy Association

(AOTA) recognizes Dec. 2-6 as Older Driver Safety Awareness Week, focusing on how occupational therapists can perform professional assessments to determine whether seniors can safely drive, and help fi nd assistive technologies to make driving possible.

AOTA’s “aim is to promote an understanding of the importance of mobility and transportation, and to ensure that older adults remain active in the com-munity – shopping, working or volunteering – with the confi dence that transportation will not be the bar-rier to strand them at home.”

Here are some reasons to consider having a pro-fessional driving assessment done:

■ If you’re feeling less fl exible, not seeing as well or your refl exes have slowed.

■ If you have a medical condition like arthritis, pe-ripheral neuropathy or early stage dementia.

■ If your vision has worsened. ■ If others say you’re not driving safely. ■ If it’s been a long time since you have driven be-

cause of a medical reason. ■ If you’ve moved and are not familiar with your

surroundings.

Senior driving statsAccording to a survey done earlier this year by

AAA, the American Occupational Therapy Asso-ciation and AARP, here are some interesting facts about drivers 65 and older.

■ Nine out of 10 older drivers buckle up when behind the wheel.

■ One-third have taken driver improvement courses.

■ 52 percent drive seven days a week. ■ Drivers in their mid-to-late 80s have ap-

proximately half the crash rate of teenagers.

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ond evaluation is completed on the road in one of the program’s vehicles.

“We offer two vehicles, a sedan and minivan, that can be adapted depending on the person’s disabil-ity and what they need to be a safe driver,” said White.

Gas and brake pedals can be op-erated by the use of adaptive hand controls if the patient is unable to use their legs, for example. Turn signals, windshield wipers and the emergency brake can all have

extenders or switches in-stalled to make them easier to reach. Wide-angle mirrors can be attached to assist patients with limited neck movement.

Once she modifi es the vehicle to suit the client, White takes him or her out on the road.

“We start out in the parking lot to introduce the client to the equipment. Then we move onto residential roads, going under 25 miles per hour, then the patient can progress to moderate and

heavy travelled roads, and fi nally they move onto the highways, if appropriate.”

White is right there with them, with her own set of gas and brake pedals on her side of the car in case there’s a problem. “If things get hairy I can take control of the car,” White said with a laugh.

At the end of the program, each client receives a prescription of

equipment to buy for his or herown car to drive safely.

“Once we fi nd out what type of equipment is going to work well for the patient, we provide them with a list of mobility equipmentdealers in the area who can install the prescribed equipment for the patient,” said White. “We go with the client to ensure the equipment is installed and fi ts the client ap-propriately. Then we make sure the client feels comfortable with their newly adapted vehicle.”

“We can do anything that’s con-sidered ‘low-tech,’ ” she added.“Hand controls, left foot accelera-tor and pedal extenders, that kindof thing. If a person requires high-tech equipment (i.e. joystick driv-ing controls, electronic voice scansand touch pad screens) to drive,we can refer them to other drivingprograms that have the expertise to assist the client”

Many of the center’s clientsare older adults whose fami-lies are not certain they’re stillsafe on the road. “For the olderdriver, we can do education ses-sions while they are in the pro-gram about how to compensatefor any deficits they may haveand a review of the rules of theroad. Everyone develops a fewbad habits, like a rolling stop at astop sign, so we can review thingslike that,” said White.

The Adaptive Driving Programis open to anyone with a referralfrom a physician and it is a self-pay program.

“Some people may only need one to two training sessions after the evaluations; others may need more as each client is different,” said White.

For more information about the

Adaptive Driving Program and the

Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center,

visit www.patneal.org

or call 865-541-1446.

Shopper news • DECEMBER 2, 2013 • 3

ber home tour, and now that they’ve lived in it for nearly two year, it seemed a good time.

“I think we kind of fi g-ured it would happen at some point,” says Cullen Wojcik.

Along with the historic homes on the tour, two of the houses featured will be in-fi ll homes – contempo-rary homes built to fi t with the architectural styles of the neighborhood. Tour committee member Ernie Roberts thinks the pair will prove appealing to visitors and will show what can be done in the neighborhood.

Last year’s tour drew 1,700 people, and the neigh-bors hope – weather per-mitting – that this year will be as successful.

“It’s become a part of the Christmas in the City festiv-ities, and people seem to re-ally enjoy it,” says Roberts. “It makes them feel good; it gets them started in the Christmas spirit.”

He recommends allow-ing about three hours for the tour.

Victorian homes From page 1

What’s that they say in real estate? Location, loca-tion, location.

Leland Price had his campaign kickoff reception at Pete’s Coffee Shop on Union Avenue downtown, which proves he is a man of good judgment. He’s go-ing to run for Circuit Court, Division III judge, hoping to win the seat long held by Mary Beth Leibowitz, who is retiring.

Between Pete’s tasty treats and the after-work timing, longtime prosecutor Price lured a great mix of Democrats and Republicans to his Nov. 21 event.

There were public ser-vants and lawyers aplenty, including Randy Nichols, John Gill, Samyah Jubran, Stephanie Welch and Greg Isaacs. The big draw was former UT head football coach John Majors, whose remarks made it clear he’s pulling for Price.

Price admitted that he hasn’t been as faithful about visiting Pete’s as in the past.

“I’ve been trying to lose weight,” he said. “I come here every now and then. You can’t diet all the time.”

Price said one of the rea-sons he decided to run was his experience as a JAG offi cer with the 278th Ar-mored Cavalry Regiment,

which was deployed to Iraq in 2004-2005. Seeing the corruption among Iraqi offi -cials made him realize how important it is for elected offi cials to be “good, honest leaders,” he said.

■ Union of the snacksTo get to and from Leland

Price’s event at Pete’s, you had to go through a party of another sort. Union Avenue business owners had their monthly third Thursday block party, Daylight Night, at the same time.

The block between Wal-nut and Locust was busy with people getting food-truck suppers and visiting the various retailers. The aromas were so appealing, it was hard not to stop.

Just Ripe co-owner Charlotte Tolley had a trea-sure trove of baked goods made by her business part-ner, Kristen Faerber, but they were going fast. Tolley said the monthly block par-ty takes place year-round, weather permitting.

Price at Pete’s

Betsy Pickle

Several members have toured the facility and rec-ommended it for a group tour soon.

A few attendees seemed overdressed for the usually relaxed meeting. Turned out they were all GOP can-didates running for judge-ships. Former Knox County GOP chair Ray Jenkins, Scott Green and Greg Mc-Millan all got a chance to in-troduce themselves, explain the duties of the positions they’re seeking and discuss their priorities.

The club also showed its giving spirit, collecting an impressive number of items for the Toys for Tots cam-paign. The meeting was a good balance of words and action.

Randy and Laura Nichol

Stephanie Welch and John

Gill catch up on things.KPD Sgt. Todd Foster tries a pie made by Kristen Faerber as Just

Ripe co-owner Charlotte Tolley looks on.

South Knox Republican Club offi cers president Barry Neal, vice president Kevin Teeters, trea-

surer Carson Dailey, and secretary Louis Cortina stand behind the Toys for Tots collected at their

November meeting.

Campaign kickoff Former UT football head coach John Majors (center) poses with

Leland Price and his wife, Niki (right), and their daughters Olivia

and Lexi. Leland Price is a candidate for Criminal Court judge.

Niki Humphrey Price is a Knoxville attorney who wrote movie

reviews for Shopper-News while in high school and college. Photo by Betsy Pickle

■ South Knox GOPWhile downtown was

popping – the “Remote Area Medical” documentary debuted at the Tennessee Theatre on the same night as the Price reception and the Union block party – the

South Knox Republican Club was a one-stop destination for all kinds of community service and politicking.

At the club’s Nov. 21 meeting, Knox County Sheriff’s Offi ce Capt. Terry Wilshire was the featured speaker. He told club mem-

bers everything they want-ed to know about the deten-tion center on Maloneyville Road.

Bottom line: The inmates eat well, and it’s effi cient-ly run, but it isn’t a place where most people would want to spend a lot of time.

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pist, left last month’s s c h o o l board meet-ing, she con-grat u lated him for de-fending his teachers.

He told her he felt

a huge weight off his chest, and the next day he up-loaded his 5-minute speech on YouTube to share with his teachers, fi guring that would be the end of it.

But within days, his phone was ringing with requests to appear on television and Internet shows. He went on “Fox and Friends” and some local shows, but has avoided national talking heads.

He says he’s read every comment on his YouTube page and is frustrated by those who have misinter-preted his message.

“I never said we should not have evaluations. I said it’s important not to quan-tify a teacher. ...

“My hope is at least there are some people in this con-versation that weren’t be-fore.”

The fi rst time the Knox County Board of Education heard from Ethan Young, he was a 7th-grader writ-ing them a letter to explain what was wrong with the TCAP test.

“I was in the middle of the test, and I was like, ‘This is so ridiculous.’ Poorly-worded questions, multiple correct answers, questions that didn’t evaluate student knowledge or achievement, and also just the concept that we’re going to give a 7th grader a high stakes exam that takes up two to three days of class time,” he said.

So he memorized the questions and wrote a six-page critique.

No response.“In the 8th grade, I did

the same thing, with the same result. In the 9th grade, I wrote them about ACT assessments. No reply.

“Given my experience with this, I never expected a response (when he ad-dressed the school board Nov. 6), but when I saw I’d got almost 2 million You-Tube hits, I thought it’s in-credible that the people I was talking to haven’t had anything to say. I want them to tell me where I’m wrong.”

Ethan, now a Farragut High School senior and president of the student body, has a 4.44 grade-point average. He started disagreeing with Superin-tendent Jim McIntyre back

4 • DECEMBER 2, 2013 • Shopper news government

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Marvin West

Vols in summation: Ouch! Tennessee football fans

are again divided. They can’t agree on what they have seen. Was this a con-tinuation of crumbling? Was this season as bad as it appeared or just the deep darkness before dawn?

Team 117 was not what we thought it would be. It was confusing. It pulled one upset but failed to build on it. It got hit with basketball scores, 58 by Oregon, 55 by Auburn. It never learned how to hem up running quarterbacks.

You have heard the Vols were sleepy slow. They were fast enough to run with Georgia, all the way to over-time.

As great philosophers have declared, you are what your record says. Optimists are crushed. Pessimists are

just disappointed. They ex-pected to snicker at a minor bowl bid, infl ated to sound like a signifi cant accom-plishment.

Here’s where it hurts: Re-alists are beginning to real-ize 2013 results were worse than the talent.

Oh no, you say, don’t go there. That might lead to a discussion of Butch Jones and how much tougher is the Southeastern Conference than anywhere he has been. It might even include what he said about the best coach-ing staff in the country.

Let it cool. This is no time to evaluate coordinators and schemes and decide what we got for our money, whether the team improved from week to week. Such talk might take a radical turn and conclude that go-ing gray doesn’t win games. It doesn’t even win the fi rst quarter.

One of the great fan bases in the world feels the same pain but has differing opin-ions about treatment and rehabilitation.

Shopper readers are

mixed up, too. A week ago one said all I am is old, that I don’t know the fi rst thing about football. Now I hear, from an ex-Vol no less, that I have seen it all, going back to General Robert R. Neyland. Was this the worst ever?

Well, it was bad enough.Fans are deeply divided

about who to blame. A few still focus on my good friend Phillip Fulmer. He let it slip. Far more critics point at for-mer athletic director Mike Hamilton, he who fi red Ful-mer on homecoming week without a replacement plan. Fulmer might have won eight and earned an extension.

Some now understand that if Lane Kiffi n couldn’t cut it at Southern Cal, he was a doomed failure-to-be at Tennessee. Trojans play softer schedules.

Much of the load is dumped at Derek Dooley’s doorstep. He had three years to improve recruit-ing and restore order. Fuad Reveiz calls him Doofus. We got the orange dog and shower etiquette but his football program regressed.

Four consecutive losing seasons is a risky pattern with Tennessee’s heavy indebted-ness and almost no rainy day fund. Who would pay the in-terest if faithful fans lost in-terest? Donations are critical. Ticket sales are important. Souvenir discounts can only go so low. Leftover popcorn is a total loss.

Butch is the immediate future but it doesn’t look all that hot. The coach will push winter workouts. He will look to spring practice with unbridled optimism. He will fi ght on to improve the recruiting class. He and his helpers will scramble to hold most of what is committed.

There is less to sell than there was. Tradition is slip-ping away, overcome by los-ing, replaced by whims.

A year ago, for a few mil-lion and loose change, Dr. Jones accepted the chal-lenge of curing the negative culture. It hasn’t happened. The vaccination against de-feat didn’t take. What to do? Stronger medicine and an-other shot. Ouch!Marvin West invites reader reaction. His address is westwest6@netzero.com.

VictorAshe

Betty Bean

Mayor Rogero goes to Washington on Dec. 10 to attend the White House meeting on climate change for the task force to which she was named by President Obama. This task force, composed entirely of elected state, territorial and local offi cials (no scientists or scholars), falls under the Council on Environmental Quality and was created by executive order of the president.

It is not clear whether the meeting is actually at the White House or if city or federal government will pay for airfare, according to city spokesperson Jesse Mayshark. Also not clear is whether the president will address the group.

Recently, when the may-or travele d to Washington for a different WH meeting city taxpayers paid over $1,500 for a same-day roundtrip ticket on US Air-ways. Normally roundtrip tickets can be purchased for $310 or less if a Saturday night stay is involved.

The composition of the group is overwhelm-ingly Democratic with not a single Republican governor serving.

However, there is Eddie Calvo who is the governor of Guam which advertises itself as where America’s Day begins (across the in-ternational dateline). Guam has 162,000 residents which is less than Knox-ville. Guam has a nonvoting member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Airfare for him to reach Washington is actually only $1,800 economy (over 8,200 air miles) which is astonishing given the high cost of air travel from Knoxville to Washington (less than 470 air miles).

The Democratic gov-ernors are much better known, including Jerry Brown of California and Martin O’Malley of Mary-land who wants to run for president in 2016. A major-ity of the 50 state governors are Republican, and not one is on this task force.

It is unclear wheth-er Gov. Calvo was the only Republican Governor asked or if others were asked and declined to participate as the issue is toxic (no pun intended) with some conservative groups. It is disappointing this task force is so thin on GOP representation. The task

force composition comes across as an adjunct of the Democratic National Com-mittee and not a serious effort to bring both parties together.

On the mayoral front, Jim Brainard, the mayor of Carmel, Ind., is the best known (and perhaps only) Republican of the 18 city and county offi cials. Why does this matter?

Any recommendations from this task force must be taken seriously by Repub-licans in Congress if they require legislative support. Climate change should not be a partisan issue but the composition of this task force makes it such which weakens the reception the fi nal report will receive.

Cities and states with GOP leaders should not be bypassed.

■ TVA Director Neil McBride of Oak Ridge has not been renominated to the TVA board and his term expired six months ago. The White House has failed to act either in reap-pointing McBride or nam-ing a replacement which means that McBride goes off the board in less than 30 days.

It shows how much the WH thinks of TVA. But then this WH is considering selling TVA which has not been a current idea since Barry Goldwater’s 1964 presidential campaign.

It is obvious the WH is not thrilled with McBride (for whatever reason) or he would have been reap-pointed.

It is also true McBride has disappointed many of his more progressive supporters by not be-ing vocal over the several TVA actions including tree cutting issues, efforts to curtail First Amendment rights through a dress code at public hearings (later dropped), opening up board committee meetings and the $5.9 million salary for only nine months for CEO Bill Johnson which is insulting to working ratepayers.

Prior to his appointment, McBride was a clear favor-ite of progressive groups and seen as a leader. Today that is unclear.

■ TVA’s Bill John-son has brought a condo on State Street downtown for $850,000 from former deputy mayor Eddie Man-nis. When you make $5.9 million in a nine-month pe-riod, $850,000 must seem like small change. Johnson plans major renovations of the condo. Mannis is mov-ing back into his old home on Kingston Pike, just six houses from this writer, having made a tidy profi t on his condo sale.

The high cost of air fareA s tudent speaks out

“Why don’t we just manufacture robots instead of students? They last longer and always do what they are told. But education is unlike every other bureaucratic institute in our government. The task of teaching is never quantifi able. If everything I learned in high school is a measurable objective, I have not learned anything.” – Ethan Young

Ethan Young

GOP judicial candidates Ray Jenkins (Circuit Court, Division 1), Scott Green (Criminal Court, Divi-sion 3) and Greg McMillan (Fourth Circuit Court) are all smiles during a visit to the South Knox-ville Republican Club. Photo by Betsy Pickle

when McIntyre made a push to privatize school custo-dians. This struck a nerve with Ethan, who had an “unquantifi able” experience with Farragut Middle head custodian Gene McKissic.

“I volunteered with him, polishing fl oors, mopping, emptying trash. And of all the people I’ve met and worked with, he is one of the most infl uential teachers I ever had. He taught me you can do the toughest jobs and live with joy and gratitude. If I hadn’t met him, what a huge experience I would

have missed out on…”He says McIntyre is “a data

guy. Been one since birth.”Common Core: The

case Ethan made against the Common Core State Standards has been praised by rightwing talker Glenn Beck and progressive edu-cational policy analyst Di-ane Ravitch. Even those who disagree with him call him “that brilliant kid from Tennessee.” He’s working hard to resist the gravita-tional pull of either side.

When he and his mother, Cheryl, a physical thera-

Shopper news • DECEMBER 2, 2013 • 5

West Knoxville resident Mary Ann Fennell remembers going to the Knoxville Nativ-ity Pageant as a little girl.

“It used to be outside, in the courtyard of the Civic Coliseum,” she says. “There was always a soloist. One year it was Mary Costa!”

Now Fennell is the or-chestra contractor for the pageant. In a season when musicians are scurrying all around town from church to concert hall to private party, Fennell is the one who makes sure a select group is there when music director Eugene Hattaway begins rehearsals.

“She always gets me the best people in town,” says Hattaway, “so things go very smoothly.”

Hattaway, who’s been music-directing the pageant for the past nine years, has already been rehearsing the 150-voice “angel choir” for the spectacular show.

“It’s pretty thrilling to put a program like this together as a gift to the community.”

A retired minister of music, he led the choir at Knoxville’s First Baptist Church for 25 years, and continues his music ministry now at Tellico Village Baptist Church. But the sheer scale of the pageant is some-thing special to Hattaway.

“I enjoy having that huge choir and a full orchestra. I look forward to it every year.”

The Knoxville Nativity Pageant has been a local fi x-ture for 44 years, having been established as a nonprofi t corporation in 1969. Volun-teers from age 8 and older are invited each year to make up the 120-member cast. Lo-cal farmers lend live animals to enhance the realism of the setting. The 22-member board of directors, which in-cludes many local business leaders, oversees around 10

Carol Zinavage

Carol’s Corner

at Knoxville’s Civic Coliseum 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, and 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16. Info: www.knoxvillenativity.com or 865-258-9985.

■ Mandolin work-shopMandolin enthusiasts:

mark your calendars for a special event. Guitarist Steve Kaufman, three-time winner of the National Flatpicking Championships, will offer an all-level mandolin workshop in Alcoa/Maryville on Jan. 24 and 25. The workshop will be held at MainStay Suites, 361 Fountain View Circle, in Alcoa. The event begins Fri-day with a session from 7-9 p.m. and will cover core pick-ing skills and techniques, rep-ertoire and building blocks for improvement. On Satur-day from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Kaufman will address right- and left-hand technique, drills and skills, and other valuable aspects of the man-dolin. Small groups and some individual attention make this workshop a must-attend for all levels of experience.

The fee is $90. A nonre-fundable deposit of $45 is required to hold a space, with the remainder due the day of the workshop. Preregistra-tion is required, and seating is limited. Info: 865-982-3808 or steve@fl atpik.com.

professionals in the fi elds of music, orchestra, theater tech, drama and set design.

The family-friendly event is free to all, but there is a $5 parking fee. The doors open one hour prior to perfor-mance. Because the show be-gins in total darkness, audi-ence members are requested to allow plenty of time to get in, fi nd seats and get settled. Each performance lasts ap-proximately one hour.

Spanish translation is provided by the Rev. Alfonso Marquez. Those wishing to hear the translation are asked to bring a radio with headset. In addition, the Sunday and Monday performances will reserve part of Section N in the coliseum for the deaf and hearing impaired.

Performances take place

Odd Fellows honor veterans

A gift to the community

The chefs at work and play: Bill Emmert, Janie Emmert, Mildred Russell, Harry Thomas, Gracie

Fawver, Ruby Kaskuske and Doug Lane. Photos by N. Whittaker

Monnie and Roy Johnson enjoying not only dinner but also

their 70th wedding anniversary.

Claude Patterson, with son Craig, entertains by playing the

harmonica before dinner.

Vietnam veteran Fred Hart

thoroughly enjoys dinner and

the thanks he received from

his neighbors.

Jerry Hackler and James Oakes look sharp in their Navy uni-

forms.

Pastor Ronnie White’s key-

board skills and vocals are

defi nitely a crowd pleaser.

4104 Martin Mill Pike (South Knoxville)

Thursday, December 5th 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.First 30 people will receive a $20 gift card courtesy of ORNL Federal Credit Union.

Other special discounts and offers available THIS NIGHT ONLY.

6 • DECEMBER 2, 2013 • Shopper news kids

Harry Willis-Becker and Judah Goodall survey the Greek-style fare.

By Betsy PickleThe kids at Mead Mon-

tessori School have gone Greek in a big way this fall.

To wrap up their em-phasis on Ancient Greece, the students gave reports on their research to faculty and parents in a program at the Miller Education Build-ing at nearby Ijams Nature Center.

Clad in 21st century ver-sions of such clothing items as the chiton, peplos and himation, about 15 young-sters shared what they had learned about every-thing from the fundamen-tal needs of the Greeks to Greek mythology.

Various sections of the room were labeled with Greek place names, and af-ter the presentation, chil-dren and adults feasted on foods appropriate to the an-cient era.

Kids go Greek Teaching assistant Zach White and teacher Erin Salter get into

the spirit with attire patterned after clothing of the ancient

Greeks. Photos by Betsy Pickle

Emma Denney and Sophiea Roberts chow down after giving

their reports.

Going Greek gives Sebastian

Phillips a dignifi ed demeanor.

Chase Wilson proudly poses with the Parthenon model he and

other students built.

Members of Theatre Ful-ton put on a series of one-act plays called AbstrACTions during a weekend perfor-mance, and the student ac-tors showed great impro-visational skills and pulled off some lines that left the crowd laughing.

RuthWhite

Delicia Ragland performs a

one-act play titled “Shasta

Rue.” Photos by Ruth White

Simmone Smith comforts her

childhood friend who gave up

her baby, portrayed by Dani-

elle Humphrey in “A Whole

House Full of Babies.”

Mona Lucio is

“Stuck” on an

elevator during

Theatre Fulton’s

AbstrACTions.

Ethan Williams (right) discusses a plan for an intervention as

Blake Booker, Sarah Trejo and Indya Daggs listen to his idea.

Theatre Fulton presents AbstrACTions

Teacher Erin Salter seemed pleased with the students’ work and their en-thusiasm for the program.

“I think they really love the dramatic aspect of dressing up,” she said.

The production was a collaborative art of many disciplines, including lighting, set, sound, mar-keting and direction. More than 60 students focused their efforts in the areas of acting, design, stage man-agement, props, construc-tion, electrical and sound to make the show a true success.

Scenes of the day in-cluded “Intervention,” “The Road to Ruin,” “Four Boy-friends” and “Duet for Bear and Dog.”

The Drama Club got into the act and performed scenes titled “Creative Writing,” “Stuck,” “A Whole House Full of Babies” and closed out with “Shasta Rue.”

■ L&N STEM Academy setsstudent showcaseThe academy will host a

student showcase 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3. Anyone in-terested in the STEM Acad-emy is invited to attend. This student-led, student-

centered evening is an op-portunity for the students to show what they do at the school. Literature and applications for the acad-emy will be available at the showcase.

■ Sherry Witt is state prezKnox County Register of

Deeds Sher-ry Witt has been elected president of the Tennes-see Regis-ter’s Asso-ciation.

Witt is a gradu-ate of Ful-

ton High School and UT. She began her career in the Register’s offi ce in 1984, and was elected Register of Deeds in 2008. Witt resides in Fountain City. She has two daughters, Shay and Chelsey, and two grandsons.

■ Brinkley honoredJohn Brinkley was named

Region II EMS Di-rectors As-sociat ion’s “Paramedic of the Year” at the orga-n i z a t i o n ’s annual con-ference in Gatlinburg

for his exemplary service as a Knox County and U.S. Army combat medic.

Brinkley, who lives in the Farragut area, has been a paramedic with Rural/Met-ro for more than 20 years.

■ Big sale Who knew what a hotel is

worth? The Embassy Suites Memphis sold last week for $24.8 million, according to a story by Eric Smith in Memphis Daily News. Buy-er South Shady Grove LLC took a loan of $22.6 for the purchase. The hotel has 220 rooms on four acres. It was built in 1989 and contains 173,019 square feet.

Shopper news • DECEMBER 2, 2013 • 7

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Nursing program brings caring

News from Pellissippi State - Magnolia

Caring. Nurturing. Com-passionate. Wise.

These are words that could describe the nursing students at Pellissippi State Community College, includ-ing the 40 prospective nurses attending classes at the Mag-nolia Avenue Campus.

“In 2010, our fi rst nursing classes were offered at the Magnolia Avenue and Blount County campuses,” said Bev-erly Rogers, interim dean of nursing.

“The program includes classroom time as well as state-of-the art laboratories – with the best technology available – and clinicals at local hospitals, in areas like obstetrics, pediatrics, sur-gery, adult medical-surgery and mental health.”

The Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree program at Magnolia Av-enue is a cohort, meaning students begin and prog-ress through their courses together, as a united group. Cohorts encourage greater community and teamwork among students, as well as greater individualized at-tention from faculty.

“Our faculty members are not only experienced in the nursing fi eld, but they are well-versed in teach-ing nursing,” said Rogers. “They’re caring and are able to recognize the needs of the students.”

Hiring experienced, qualifi ed faculty is one way to guarantee that Pellissippi

State nursing graduates are top-notch.

“We want our gradu-ates to be safe, competent medical practitioners in our community,” Rogers said.

Pellissippi State’s nurs-ing program is accredited by the Accreditation Com-mission for Education in Nursing. The program is offered at the Magnolia Av-enue, Strawberry Plains and Blount County campuses, and many classes, includ-ing most general courses, are available at all fi ve cam-puses.

A summer “Bridge to Registered Nurse” program allows students who are already licensed practical nurses, or LPNs, to enter Pellissippi State’s nursing program with the success-ful completion of only one transitional course – es-sentially bypassing the fi rst year of the traditional nurs-ing courses.

Students who graduate from Pellissippi State’s two-year A.A.S.N. program are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Exami-nation, or NCLEX, to be-come a registered nurse.

“We encourage our stu-dents to continue their edu-cation and earn a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s in nursing,” Rogers said.

Info: www.pstcc.edu/magnolia or 329-3100. For more about the nursing pro-gram, visit www.pstcc.edu or call 694-6400.

John Brinkley

If you haven’t been to Stanley’s Greenhouse lately, you are missing a real treat. More than 40,000 poinset-tias in every color and size imaginable are waiting for people to take them home.

Lisa Stanley took time from her busy schedule to give me a tour and a histo-ry lesson. Poinsettias were fi rst introduced to the Unit-ed States in 1825 by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the fi rst U.S. ambassador to Mexico. Poinsett was fascinated by these “Mexican fi re plants” and brought one back to South Carolina. Their popu-larity quickly spread and in 1851 the plant was named in honor of Poinsett after his death.

Even if your decorating preference leans toward the traditional red or white poinsettias, take time at Stanley’s to check the va-riety of new colors such as Jingle Bells, Sparkling

Ice cubes are secret to vibrant

poinsettias

Nancy Whittaker

Lisa Stanley among the beautiful poinsettias at Stanley’s Greenhouse

Desserts are delicious at Cancun – if you still have room.

Sherry Witt

Punch and White Winter Rose. If you purchase “more than a car full,” Lisa says they will deliver.

Every plant was rooted in the store and the larger ones have been growing since June. Lisa shared her secret to making poinsettias last. It is important to keep the plants moist but not sit-ting in water, she said. Plac-ing a few ice cubes on top of the soil will slowly give the plant what it needs. Three ice cubes twice a week for a 6-inch pot is her recommen-dation. Lisa also wanted to make sure people know that contrary to what some peo-ple think, poinsettias are defi nitely not poisonous.

Stanley’s is holding a Wreath Making Workshop 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. Participants can bring their own greenery and berries or items can be purchased that day. Registration is not nec-essary.

In addition to poinset-tias, beautiful European Christmas fl owers, fi ve colors of Christmas cactus and 6- to 8-feet Frasier Fir Christmas trees are avail-able. Hours are weekdays, 8-5:30; Saturdays, 9-5; and Sundays, 1-5. Info: 573-9591.

Great food, fun at CancunBe sure and take your ap-

petite with you when visit-ing Cancun Mexican Grill and Bar. The South Knox-ville location in Chapman Square was opened more than 20 years ago and has become a local favorite. The location in Halls is just over two years old and the owners are proud of their growth. In addition to the two Cancun locations, they also own Señor Taco on Broadway.

Catering has become pop-ular with many of Cancun’s customers. When planning an event for a group of 25 or more, Cancun will come to you and set up a buffet bar. Their taco and nacho bar is a favorite, but their catering team will work to make sure

they prepare exactly what your group prefers.

Daily lunch and dinner specials plus drink spe-cials from their full bar are always available. Cancun will accept not only their coupons but coupons from other restaurants as well. The owners also want you to keep Cancun in mind when you are looking for a fun place for a party. The Halls location has a private banquet room that holds up to 50 people and has a few openings for last minute Christmas parties.

Hours are Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Info: South, 577-8881 or Halls, 377-3675.

■ Home Federal donates rockersHome Federal Bank has donated fi ve red

rocking chairs to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at UT Medical Center. The chairs were placed in the “rooming-in” rooms where fami-lies stay overnight with their infant in a private room in preparation for taking their little one home for the fi rst time. In addition, Home Federal will donate $50,000 over fi ve years to the program.

■ Metro Drug honors WrightA local leader has been recognized for his commitment

to reducing underage drinking and impaired driving.Tim Wright, president of AAA Tennessee, was the sec-

ond recipient of the John W. Gill Jr. Substance Abuse Pre-vention Advocacy Award at the Metropolitan Drug Com-mission’s (MDC) legislative luncheon on Nov. 19.

Wright has been involved with prevention efforts since the 1980s. MDC and AAA prevention projects include Tow-To-Go, which offers drivers for imparied motorists on New Year’s Eve, and the AAA PROM-ise to raise awareness about impaired driving on prom night.

The MDC Community Champion Awards will hon-or fi ve people who are mak-ing Knoxville safer at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 2, at The Foundry.

Mayor Madeline Rogero will speak.

Honorees are:Kim Pouncey, TopShelf

Responsible Beverage Ser-vice;

Commitment to Service, Sheri Smith, East Tennes-see Children’s Hospital;

Innovations In Pre-vention, Magistrate Dirk Weddington, Knox Coun-ty Juvenile Court;

Media Advocacy, Kent Stephens, WIVK; and

Recovery Services Dr. Suzanne Bailey, Chero-kee Health Systems.

■ Union Ave. BooksDecember events at

Union Ave. Books include:Friday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m.,

Joe Moore, author of “Faith, Hope and Reindeer;”

Friday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m., Reception and book sign-ing with Elizabeth Gentry, author of “Housebound at John Black Photography;”

Saturday, Dec. 7, 11 a.m., Children’s Story Time with Miss Caryn; and

Saturday, Dec. 7, 2 p.m., Lisa Soland, author of “The Christmas Tree An-gel,” illustrated by Bethany Badeaux.

Other local books avail-able for sale include:

“Tellin’ It for the Truth, by Bill Landry; Massacre at Cavett’s Station, by Charles Faulkner; and a collection of poetry by Tony Reevy.

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