Island Home Ave.

reopens, fi nallyA section of Island Home

Avenue that has been closed since April reopened last week. Asphalt was laid Wednesday, and the road was striped and signs installed Thursday.

A temporary stop sign is in place at the intersection of westbound Maplewood Drive and Island Home Avenue. Motorists are reminded that this section of Island Home Avenue is still a construction zone, to exercise due caution and to follow the signs posted within the construction zone, according to a city press release.

Island Home Avenue was closed to allow a contractor to relocate utilities and the roadbed as part of the con-struction of the River’s Edge 134-unit apartment complex, a $14 million private invest-ment on the South Water-front. The project includes a new 800-foot-long public riverwalk and a new public road, Splendid View Circle.

Rainy weather over the past few months has ham-pered some work at the site and delayed the road’s re-opening. The contractor, Em-pire Construction, had been given extensions to reopen the section of Island Home Avenue between 1650 Island Home Ave. and Maplewood Drive.

Work will continue on the apartment complex, realign-ment of Island Home Avenue and the Riverwalk with one-lane closures permitted as needed.

It’s only moneySome mistakes cost more

than others.My primary political con-

sultant veered from e-mail research, replacement health care and risky immigrants to report that the feds have begun surveillance of Tennessee.

It seems the university has discovered ways to spend money that Washington had not previously considered. That is very unsettling, border-line traumatic.

➤ Read Marvin West on page 4

7049 Maynardville Pike 37918(865) 922-4136

NEWS

news@ShopperNewsNow.comSandra Clark | Betsy Pickle

ADVERTISING SALESads@ShopperNewsNow.com

Patty Fecco | Tony Cranmore

Beverly Holland | Amy Lutheran

VOL. 2 NO. 1 July 29, 2013www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNowVOL. 4 NO. 2 January 13, 2016www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

SOUTH KNOX

BUZZ

By Betsy PickleGetting through to middle-

schoolers is a challenge, but for-mer Tennessee football player Inky Johnson has faced tougher ones.

His most famous was surviving a life-threatening injury at Ney-land Stadium that left his right arm and hand paralyzed. While tackling an Air Force Academy op-ponent on Sept. 9, 2006, Johnson tore the nerves in his right shoul-der, and only quick action by doc-tors at the University of Tennessee Medical Center kept him from dy-ing from internal bleeding.

Obviously, Johnson’s life changed at that point. But the di-rection it has taken him – as an inspirational speaker and mentor to young people – doesn’t surprise the Atlanta native at all.

McIntyre supporter comes after Armstrong

Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum has received all of the funding needed to begin the $370,000 conversion of an exist-ing structure, known as the Mule Barn, to an indoor food market, community meeting space and education kitchen.

Construction should begin by early spring, according to Robert Hodge, who heads KBGA’s Cen-ter for Urban Agriculture. “This initiative will be a model for per-maculture and sustainable living practices that will provide both economic and ecological bene-fi ts to our city and its residents,” Hodge said in a city press release.

Mayor Madeline Rogero and City Council allocated $250,000 for this facility in the city’s FY 2015 budget. This investment lev-eraged two more recent donations – $50,000 from the Siddiqi Chari-table Foundation and another $70,000 from the Tennessee De-partment of Agriculture.

The Center is leasing plots of land for family and market gardens and since food is grown on site, gardeners will be able to sell their produce locally at the new facility.

By Betty BeanThere are no exclamation points

on the email that went out to sev-eral dozen A-list recipients the day after James Mc-Intyre announced his resignation as sup er i ntendent of Knox County Schools. But its author, Corner-stone Foundation president Laurens

Tulloch, conveyed a clear sense of urgency via the not-for-profi t foundation’s email account.

The subject line reads:“Crisis Regarding School Board

– Request for Your Attention.”

Tulloch praised McIntyre, whom he said is taking this selfl ess action for the good of the children.

“Yet, as Dr. McIntyre said in his resignation, ‘We stand today at a strange place where educationally we are more successful than ever, yet politically there seems to be more negativity and noise.’

“Dr. McIntyre resigned rather than to remain the lightning rod for that negativity, so that hope-fully the focus can be put back on what is best for the future of all of our children.”

Then Tulloch turned his atten-tion to the race for law director in the March 1 Knox County Republi-can primary.

“We also have the opportunity

to do something about removing some of that negativity and noise from decisions surrounding our school system. There is a crucial election coming up on March 1 where the Knox County Law Di-rector will be chosen. The choice is between the incumbent, Bud Armstrong, and the challenger, Nathan Rowell.

“One of the biggest reasons that drove Dr. McIntyre to resign was the politics being played on school board issues by the current law di-rector.”

Tulloch urged his recipients to compare the credentials of both candidates, describing Rowell as “a professional not a politician,” and Armstrong as “a continual

Tulloch

thorn in the side of the current school board majority.”

“I ask you to examine the profes-sional credentials and experience of each candidate, and I hope you conclude to help do anything with-in your power to elect Nathan Row-ell. The timing of contributions is crucial for success right now, and if you are so inclined, the details of how to contribute are at the bottom of this message. Feel free to adapt this message to inform other folks in your own networks.”

Early voting starts Feb. 10. Tulloch urged his recipients to act quickly, and to send checks to Rowell’s home address.

To page 3

Lilly McAmis poses with Inky Johnson as Ella Rader takes their picture. Photos by Betsy Pickle

Johnson gives a Message of hope… to South-Doyle

students

To page 3

Botanical Gardens to house indoor food market

Knoxville Botanical Gardens executive director Jim Richards stands at the

back door of the mule barn which will be renovated into a food market,

community meeting space and education kitchen. Photos by Ruth White

Area farmers can also use the fa-cility to sell their goods. When not used for produce sales, the space can be leased by art and theater groups, along with other cultural

activities, for special events.The on-site educational kitchen

will be available for gardeners to use and will be available for rent to entrepreneurs.

“We are excited about the job creation that comes from having a rentable commercial kitchen avail-able to people wanting to make money through food. This will be a jobs and business incubator.”

The Center is talking with com-munity-based organizations that are working to improve access to and knowledge of healthy foods.

Some of the groups include Nourish Knoxville, publisher of a local food guide and organizer of the Market Square Farmers’ Market; Slow Food Tennessee Val-ley, which stages the annual Pesto Festo; and the Knoxville Chapter of National Women in Agriculture, which addresses needs of women without access to healthy food.

Hodge says the space for the produce market will be open by late spring and the kitchen will be ready by late summer. There is a small waiting list for the 4x12 family garden plots, but larger plots are available for someone who wishes to market the produce.

Info: 865-591-8677 or www.farmingurbanknoxville@gmail.com Knoxville Botanical Gardens is located at 2743 Wimpole Ave.

Signing bonusRural/Metro has unveiled

a recruitment campaign for paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs).

In addition to a signing bonus of $15,000 for paramed-ics and $7,500 for EMTs, the company will fund EMT train-ing courses through Roane State Community College up to $8,000 per student.

➤ Read Sara Barrett on page 8

2 • JANUARY 13, 2016 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

There’s more than a bit of wistfulness in Paula Minhinnett’s voice as she talks about the scores of college students who volunteer at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center.

“They are like stardust,” Paula Minhinnett is saying. “They come in like a whirlwind, do all these great things and then they’re gone. But while they are here, they are fabulous. They’re digitally gifted, they’ll accept any job, they’re quick and they’re energetic. They are great but, unlike our retiree volunteers who sign on for the rest of their life, the students are gone after a little while.”

That’s why Minhinnett, the coordinator of Fort Sanders’ army of 200 volunteers, says she would love to have even more students from the nearby University of Tennessee campus to

help add consistency to the daily operation of Covenant Health’s fl agship 541-bed facility.

Currently, the main areas she is trying to fi ll are front desk volunteers who meet, greet and escort visitors, surgery lounge volunteers who work not only with patients and family, but physicians as well, and discharge call volun-teers who follow-up a patient’s progress via a phone call soon after their discharge.

“Those are the three main places I’m recruit-ing for and it isn’t easy to do and remain consis-tent,” said Minhinnett. “The students are great at it because there is some computer training involved.”

Of course, there are plenty of other possibili-ties not only for college students but also retir-ees, workers looking to transition into a new ca-

reer, former patients and those with a passion for music, ministry or animals, including:

Heartstrings: A musical group that enter-tains patients and visitors each month.

Fellowship Center: Volunteers who as-sist those staying in Fort Sanders’ hospitality house for the families of patients from outside the region.

HABIT (Human Animal Bonding In Tennessee): Pet owners who share the un-conditional love of a pet with patients and care-givers.

Stephen Ministers: Lay ministers who provide spiritual support to patients and care-givers.

Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center Peers: Former patients help current patients

by reading to them, helping them write letters,and providing conversation and friendly com-pany.

Openings are not always available for theservice areas in which you are most interested.The Volunteer Service Coordinator will workwith you in selecting an alternative service areabased on your preferred schedule. From time totime it may be necessary for a prospective vol-unteer to wait until an appropriate service areais vacated.

Want to lend a hand or “give back” the way Larry and Lisa Beel-er do? Call Fort Sanders VolunteerAuxiliary at 865-541-1249 or visitwww.fsregional.com/volunteers toapply online.

Five years apart, Larry and Lisa Beeler continue to remember. Wearing green, they returned to Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center on March

17, 2015, to acknowledge the fi fth anniversary of Larry’s admission to rehab and refl ect on what that time meant for their family. In 2010, Larry and Lisa were smiling as he was discharged from Pa-tricia Neal. Presently they continue to come back to PNRC and Fort Sanders Regional, as a way to serve fellow patients and relay the experiences they once had.

Larry and LisaGuillain-Barre ordeal prompts couple to volunteer

The Allspice Café at Fort Sand-ers Regional may seem like an un-usual place for a family gathering, but for Larry and Lisa Beeler, it’s a “second home.”

It’s where they came that St. Patrick’s Day 2010 when Larry was stricken with Miller Fisher Syn-drome, a rare variant of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) that left him paralyzed, on a ventilator and in an induced coma. It’s where a wor-ried Lisa, “not knowing whether he would be the ‘Larry’ he was when he came in or if he would ever be again,” waited in the lounge of the Critical Care Unit for weeks on end.

But it’s also where Larry and Lisa found so much hope, heal-ing and caring that they now serve as volunteers for others who fi nd themselves in similar situations. It’s also why the Beelers – complete with the four children, in-laws, grandkids and parents – have re-turned every St. Patrick’s Day for the past fi ve years to remember.

“Our family meets here every year on March 17 because we’re so thankful,” said Lisa. “We can look back and see where we were and where we got back to. People say, ‘Could you not fi nd a better place to go celebrate?’ We ate here three times a day for three months!”

“We’ll eat and walk around a little bit,” said Larry. “Sometimes, we’ll all go upstairs on the terrace because I loved to be wheeled out-side. We refl ect on what happened and thank God that we’re not here. Sometimes, we go up to Patricia Neal (Rehabilitation Center) and a nurse will say, ‘Can I help you?’ and I’ll say, ‘No, I was a Guillain-Barre patient here fi ve years ago and I was in this room, and I am just here refl ecting on what happened. They’ll ask me a lot of questions. A lot of times, I will tell them my story of what I went through.”

What Larry “went through” be-gan March 16, 2010, on his drive home from work when he noticed his vision wasn’t quite right but brushed it off, thinking it was a side effect of the antibiotics he was tak-ing for a sore throat.

“Within 24 hours, he went from

being as healthy as could be to be-ing on life support,” Lisa recalled. “He couldn’t move his arms, his legs, he couldn’t open his eyes. He was paralyzed from head to toe.”

Fort Sanders neurologist Dr. Darrell Thomas determined that Larry had been stricken with Miller Fisher Syndrome, a variant of GBS that is characterized by abnormal muscle coordination, paralysis of the eye muscles and absence of the tendon refl exes.

“We didn’t know what Guillain-Barre was, never heard of it,” said Larry. “We didn’t know if I was going to be paralyzed for the rest of my life. We didn’t know what the next step was. We didn’t know whether I would be a vegetable for the rest of my life. I could tell a little bit of what was going on around me if people talked to me. I could wiggle my toes a little bit for ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ I lost 30-something pounds. I was skin and bone.”

After being in ICU for four weeks, Larry spent four weeks in Patricia Neal where therapists and Dr. Sharon Glass were fi nally able to send him home in a wheelchair and walker. Another six or seven months of outpatient therapy fol-lowed before Larry was able to return his job as a buyer at a hard-ware wholesaler.

“I’m living proof and a testament to a lot of people that you CAN beat this if you work hard at it,” says Larry. “Because of this hospital – the doctors and the nurses and nutritionists and therapists and the spirit of God and my belief – they got me to walk again, to talk again, got me to eat again and they helped me pull through it.”

Now, Larry and Lisa are “giving back” as Fort Sanders volunteers. Lisa serves once a week in the same ICU lounge where she spent so many weeks during Larry’s ill-ness. “Waiting in the ICU lounge was bad – it’s not an easy seat to sit in – but the people they had working in the ICU lounge helped me get through it,” said Lisa. “That’s why I wanted to give back. I always say I come to volunteer hoping to be a blessing to some-

Student volunteers lend hand at Fort Sanders

body else, but usually I am the one who leaves with all the blessings. I always do. I love it.”

While Lisa helps with all types of patients in ICU, Larry serves on an as-needed basis whenever there is a family dealing with Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

“What we’re trying to do is give a little bit of hope and inspiration to people,” he said. “We just try to

meet with families and people in the hospital who have that and try to help them through it. We don’t diagnose them by any means or tell them what’s going to happen. We just try to give them a little bit of hope and say, ‘You are not alone.’ If I can show that I am there and I am strong and – I hate to use the words ‘beat it’ – but if we have a positive mental attitude about it then maybe I can give them some inspiration that might change the

way they look at things. When wewalk out of the room, we hope thatwe have left something with them.They are lying there in bed, theycan’t walk but maybe they will say,‘He was completely paralyzed buthe was able to walk in and walk outand maybe I can do that too – if notfor myself then for my family.’ ”

The couple received the 2015“Volunteer of the Year” award inMay at Fort Sanders Regional’sVolunteer Appreciation Luncheon.

For more than 50 years, members of the Fort Sanders Regional Volunteer Auxiliary have helped support the mission of Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center.

Want to know more about volunteering at Fort Sanders Regional? Call (865) 541-1249 or go to fsregional.com.

TO ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS - THANK YOU!

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SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • JANUARY 13, 2016 • 3 community

Betsy Pickle

McIntyre supporter From page 1

“Each individual can contribute up to $1,500, which means $3,000 per couple, per election. An online donation button hasn’t been added yet. Sending a check saves over three percent in transac-tion fees, and does not

have the transferring limi-tations that online options provide.”

Tulloch also endorsed District 2 school board can-didate Grant Standefer and District 5 candidate Buddy Pelot and gave their home addresses.

Nathan Rowell, who is a partner at Watson, Roach, Batson, Rowell & Lauder-back, a fi rm that specializes in government work, said he had no involvement in, or advance knowledge of Tull-och’s email.

Coach Matt Ternes and South-Doyle Middle basketball players line up with Inky Johnson.

Message of hope From page 1

He spent 30 minutes passionately sharing his message with South-Doyle Middle School students last Thursday and was rewarded by the students bombard-ing him with questions and then requests for photos and autographs for another half hour.

It was “Interactive Inky” at his best.

Johnson, who lives in Atlanta with his wife and their young daughter and son, spends a lot of time in Knoxville and has visited SDMS before. He spoke in fall 2013 to assemblies in the school’s auditorium.

This time, the entire stu-dent population of nearly 1,200 gathered in the gym with him. There was some restlessness, but Johnson took care of that with a brief observation about respect and listening.

“A lot of people never ful-fi ll their potential simply because they don’t listen,” he told them. “Most people listen with the intent to re-ply, and not with the intent to understand.”

Listening helps you un-derstand how people oper-ate, where they come from and why they think the way they do, he said. From that point on, the students seemed mesmerized.

Johnson’s visit came as

Knox County students are still dealing with the De-cember shooting of 15-year-old Fulton High student Zaevion Dobson, who died while shielding two friends from gunfi re that police be-lieve was intended for an-other household.

Johnson referenced the “sad” event and warned, “Nobody promised you to-morrow.” He told the teens and tweens to make sure they could look in the mir-ror every night and be proud of themselves.

“Life is not so much about what happens to you as it is about how you respond to what happens to you.”

Johnson talked about growing up in southeast Atlanta in a home with 14 relatives, sleeping on the fl oor with rats and roaches, and watching his uncles sell drugs down on the corner. He fell in love with football at age 7 and became deter-mined to make it to the NFL and change his family’s life.

Though his parents made him transfer for a time to a good school in a safe neigh-borhood, he insisted on graduating from Crim (aka “Crime”) High School so that his young cousins could see that they could make it from there.

Then-coach Philip Ful-mer offered him a scholar-

ship to UT, and he seemed poised for his dream to come true – until the sec-ond game of his junior year, the Air Force game.

The truth of Johnson’s encouraging words ap-peared to hit home with the students. Although he will turn 30 on Feb. 12, he seemed more like a big brother, one who knows the score.

Early on, “I had to un-derstand that my situation in life was not my fi nal des-tination,” he said. “I had to lift up in my mind pretty quick that I would never let a circumstance defi ne my life because that was not who I am.”

When a doctor talked to him after surgery and said he was sorry Johnson wouldn’t be able to play football again, Johnson told him not to be.

“Every day I’ve got three choices, and that’s to give up, to give in or to give ev-erything I’ve got,” he said.

Although he can’t “use” his right arm or hand, he uses them every day to im-pact people’s lives. Nothing can stop him, he said, and he said the same was true for his listeners.

“You have something on the inside of you that’s greater than anything that life can try to throw at you, and if you want it bad enough you can make it happen.”

SOUP supports trail project

Kloi Blue and her mom, Stephanie, enjoy the Knoxville SOUP

dinner at their church, Vestal United Methodist.

Knoxville SOUP kicked off 2016 with a hugely suc-cessful visit to Vestal.

The quarterly micro-funding event – launched last year by the South Knox-ville Alliance – raised more than $500 for the Outdoor Environmental Education Center and Nature Trail connecting Dogwood El-ementary School to Stanley Lippencott Ridge Park.

Nearly 100 people turned out for SOUP, held last Thursday at Vestal United Methodist Church. At-tendees – who came from throughout Knox County and even Oak Ridge – heard four proposals for commu-nity-focused projects, then discussed the ideas during a dinner that included soup, chili and desserts.

People voted secretly for their favorite project, and master of ceremonies Alan Williams of WVLT an-nounced the winner. Dona-tions from the door, totaling $506, went to the Dogwood Outdoor Coalition’s project.

Coalition member Ariel Allen presented the plan for the trail and education center in a fi ve-acre wooded area behind Dogwood El-

ementary, 705 Tipton Ave. The project will revital-ize a trail created several years ago by CAC Ameri-Corps members and extend it while also developing an outdoor learning center.

The trail and center will be available for both school and community use. The coalition’s long-term vision is for the trail to be a link in the Urban Wilderness system as it extends to Fort Dickerson Park and the Bat-tlefi eld Loop.

SOUP winnings will be used to help purchase sup-plies such as tools, lumber, herbicides for invasive-spe-cies removal and interpre-tive signage for the trail. The coalition organized work-days this past weekend and

will do more cleanup dur-ing the Martin Luther King holiday weekend, weather permitting. Further work will be done this spring.

Two art projects were presented at SOUP. Potter Bill Lee sought funding to help prepare his studio for the April 16-17 Dogwood Art DeTour, a series of open houses in which area artists welcome guests to visit and learn about their work. Lee’s studio is in the old Vestal El-ementary School, 1600 Wil-loughby Road.

Lee, who has been hand-throwing pottery for 30 years – professionally for 23 years, is a member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild and the Foothills Craft Guild. He noted that

the DVD of the Tim Wise fi lm “White Like Me: Race, Racism and White Privilege in America” and use it as a starting point for discussion at a series of public screen-ings. Info: riversidecommu-nitycw@gmail.com

Food was provided by King Tut’s Grill, Neubert Springs Gardens, Roundup Restaurant, Village Bakery, Nancy Campbell, Carson Dailey, Janice Tocher and Vestal UMC members.

Raffl e drawings that included donations from Lowe’s, Vestal UMC, the Herald News, Stanley’s Greenhouse, King Tut’s Grill, the Village Bakery, Mr. Cool, Bobbye Edwards and Carl Hensley raised money to help offset the costs for the event.

The next Knoxville SOUP will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 7, at Dara’s Garden, 2637 Maryville Pike. Info: knoxvillesoup.org

The Outdoor Environmental Education Center and Nature Trail adjacent to Dogwood Elemen-

tary School, spearheaded by the Dogwood Outdoor Coalition, got the most votes at January’s

Knoxville SOUP event. Members of the coalition include Amber Ford, Nicole Lewis, Janine Al-

Aseer, Ariel Allen, Adam Fritts, Mac Post and Sammi Stoklosa. Photos by Betsy Pickle

the Art DeTour is a great promotional event for the neighborhood. Info: billlee-art@yahoo.com

Patty Rose presented the RiverHill Gateway Art Proj-ect for the RiverHill Neigh-borhood Association. Local artist Derek White has de-signed a kinetic sculpture to be installed at the corner of Volunteer Landing and East Hill Avenue.

Rose said the project will create beauty and interest as it shines a light on the outdoor activities available downtown and in adjacent neighborhoods. The city of Knoxville and the Public Arts Council already have approved the project, which is estimated to cost around $19,000. Info: psrose31@comcast.net

Shelley Wascom of the Riverside Community Catholic Worker presented the fourth project, Creating Community Conversation, in which the Vestal-based group plans to create op-portunities for discussion on racial justice in East Ten-nessee.

Their goal is to purchase

Ronnie Thompson gets a ladle full from SOUP volunteer Val-

erie Akerblom (with husband David to her right).

4 • JANUARY 13, 2016 • Shopper news

and she thinks the school board needs to work with the state to make changes. The same goes for teachers being evaluated based on test scores.

“We want teachers to be excited about teaching. Kids will feed off of that.”

Asked her opinion about charter schools, Horn said they may be appropriate for some areas, but she agreed with the school board’s De-cember decision to deny Emerald Academy’s request for an additional 10 stu-dents.

She doesn’t think Knox County needs vouchers. The magnet system and transfer process allow for enough school choice, she says.

“Everyone needs to be concerned with public

schools, and the money needs to go there.”

When it comes to elec-tion vs. appointment for the school superintendent, Horn thinks the board should appoint. But after four years, there should be a referendum on the ballot so voters can decide if he or she stays.

She’s been studying com-munity schools and thinks they may be the most effec-tive way to meet the needs of low income students and families. There are current-ly 10 Great Schools Partner-ship Community Schools and two University of Ten-nessee-assisted Community Schools.

Horn’s opponents are Buddy Pelot and Lori Bou-dreaux.

■ John Whitehead is a life-long Republican with

over 30 years of ex-perience as a property assessor.

H e l e a r n e d r e s p o n s i -bility and a c c o u n t -ability in

the Marine Corps, he says. He began working for the county immediately after his service. As a Marine, he made $400 per month. His fi rst county job paid $350 per month.

“I didn’t know you could go downhill from the Ma-rine Corps.”

His opponent wants to spend money to replace

technology purchased for the assessor’s offi ce four years ago, but Whitehead says he can fi x the system. He also says he’ll listen to and respect citizens.

“If you don’t get a fair ap-praisal, you can call me.”

■ Farragut Vice May-or Dot LaMarche attend-ed the meeting, and she’s getting excited about Knox-ville hosting the Women in Municipal Government Summer Conference, May 18-21. As president of the national group, she’s busy raising funds and plan-ning fun events, like dinner at the Sunsphere, a river cruise and a visit to the Far-ragut Folklife Museum.

The conference will be held at the downtown Holi-day Inn.

Wendy Smith

Marvin West

Some mistakes cost more than others.

My primary political consultant veered from e-mail research, replacement health care and risky im-migrants to report that the feds have begun surveil-lance of Tennessee.

It seems the univer-sity has discovered ways to spend money that Washing-ton had not previously con-sidered. That is very unset-tling, borderline traumatic.

The UT diversity depart-ment started it with the quirky lesson on pronouns. That generated world-wide attention and several snick-ers. Feds fl inched. Who would have thought the public would pay for that?

Next came the putdown of Santa Claus and the ban on Christmas parties. Oh my.

The chancellor’s reaction hinted that he was surprised

It’s just money

to learn he had a diversity department and that it said and did things without se-nior supervision. Surely he didn’t know millions were spilling down that drain.

A state senator has prom-ised to stop the leak.

The UT athletic depart-ment, never known for total thrift, took up the spending spotlight initiative. It will pay at least $1.05 million to a trio of former athletic trainers in a settlement of a pay discrimination lawsuit.

This does not constitute admission of guilt. Oh no. This is just legal gymnastics to make an inconvenient

situation go away.Spending is often conta-

gious.Butch Jones sent old

friend and defensive coordi-nator John Jancek packing. Cost projection is in excess of $600,000, counting bowl bonus. The shocking part was Jancek had been part of the best coaching staff in America. So said Butch himself.

Suddenly, the head coach needed better than best. And he got it.

Dave Hart, who prefers to be identifi ed by his full ti-tle, Vice Chancellor and Di-rector of Athletics, handed Butch the keys to the vault. Just a few minutes ago, there wasn’t much in there but now it is apparently overfl owing. Amazing what the SEC Network has done.

The purchase of Bob Shoop from Penn State is going to cost something

more than $1.3 million per year.

“Whatever it takes,” said Hart, more or less. “Football is very important.”

Shoop’s pay will more than double the previous high Tennessee has spent for an assistant coach. No, this is not excess. It is a market adjustment. Defen-sive coordinators cost more than they used to cost, lots more than Sal Sunseri was paid four years ago.

Some are better.Paying Shoop what he is

worth means raises for oth-er assistants to encourage cooperation and harmony. No, there was no mention of Butch covering part of the increase from his new $4-million contract and other gains. That only hap-pens in the movies.

Tennessee athletics spends, on occasions, other dollars without signifi cant returns. Recruiting is very expensive. Recruiting errors damage the balance sheet. Pressing for early commit-

The good (community schools), the bad (teacher morale) and the ugly (an overload of standardized testing) in Knox County Schools are some of the rea-sons Susan Horn is running for District 5 school board representative.

She spoke last week at the C o n c o r d /F a r r a g u t Republican Club meet-ing, as did property as-sessor can-didate John Whitehead.

Horn was PTA presi-

dent at Farragut Primary and Intermediate schools and currently serves on Far-ragut Middle and Farragut

Schools a hot topic at GOP Club

Susan Horn

Whitehead

High schools PTSO boards. Her daughters are in 7th and 9th grades.

She’s excited about the opportunity to be a voice for parents, students and taxpayers. Teachers are the school system’s great-est resource, and there’s a problem with morale. Fifty-eight percent of the county’s teachers have been teaching 10 years or less, she says.

One of her biggest beefs is a lack of instructional time due to standardized testing,

ments that will eventually be thrown back for commit-ments with more stars adds to the ineffi ciency.

Sometimes spending just doesn’t work out. Think what it cost to lure spec-tacular prep quarterback Sheriron Jones from Perris, Calif., to downtown Knox-ville, how many fl ights, how many meals, how many nights of lodging.

It turned out Tennessee had no need for Sheriron. It had too many quarterbacks

and another good one com-ing in. Jones was a redshirt Volunteer for a few months but you never saw him. Af-ter that, he went away.

Enormous losses are pos-sible if you hire the wrong basketball coach.

Stop right there! Surveil-lance cancelled. My con-sultant says the feds want no part of hiring the wrong guy.

Been there and done that.Marvin West invites reader reaction. His address is westwest6@netzero.com

GOSSIP AND LIES ■ Bud Armstrong is drawing

fi re from supporters of Dr. Jim McIntyre. We’re recommend-ing Bud snip the criticisms for his campaign brochure.

■ Jim Weaver, candidate for property assessor, should tell voters whether he will employ current assessor Phil Ballard.

■ Term limits are great for restricting political fi efdoms, but not if the previous offi ce-

holders pile up like cordwood (to lift a phrase from Sheriff Jimmy Jones, who will prob-ably take a job from Sheriff -in-waiting Lee Tramel).

■ Early voting starts Feb. 10.

■ Eager to serve the public? Apply today to Gov. Bill Haslam for a spot on the Board of Parole. Pay is $95K.Preference to those who favor smaller government.

– S. Clark

Shopper news • JANUARY 13, 2016 • 5 government

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While signifi cant at-tention is focused on the March 1 Republican presi-dential primaries, also on the same ballot are several county races including law director, property assessor, school board and county commission.

VictorAshe

One yard, two signs

law director since defeating the incumbent in the 2012 GOP primary. If re-elected, this will be his second and fi nal term due to term lim-its. Armstrong is the strong favorite to win in six weeks.

Since Mayor Burchett leaves offi ce Aug. 31, 2018, whoever wins this election will work with two county mayors as the term goes to end of August 2020.

■ District 4: The Nystrom, Ownby, Tes-terman GOP contest for county commission in the West Knoxville-West Knox County district has many voter confl icted, especially between Testerman and Nystrom. Yard signs have gone up everywhere start-ing in early December. The district goes from Sequoyah Hills to Bluegrass.

However, no one seems more confl icted than Realtor John Trotter, who lives in the former Dulin Art Gallery House at 3106 Kingston Pike. He has both a Nystrom and Testerman sign at opposite ends of his spacious yard on the heav-ily traveled Pike.

When contacted, Trotter said he is childhood friends with both candidates and liked them both. He gave each permission to erect a sign but declined to say, for the record, how he plans to vote on March 1. Nystrom and Testerman will each run a strong campaign, es-pecially in the city portion of the district.

Waiting to take on the winner is former UT Art and Architecture School Dean Marleen Davis, run-ning as a Democrat. She is a credible candidate. She favors restoring the Lady Vols name to UT women’s sports.

■ Democrat Cheri Siler has withdrawn from the county commission race for the seat now held by Amy Broyles. This is a surprise as she was favored to win the primary and perhaps the general elec-tion after a credible race for state Senate in 2014.

Dr. Laura Kildare is the remaining Democratic candidate who will face the Republican winner in August.

University of Tennessee Athletic Director Dave Hart barely had time to savor the Vols’ Outback Bowl blowout before UT announced it had settled the pay discrimina-tion cases fi led by Jenny Moshak, Heather Mason and Collin Schlosser at a cost of up to $1.225 million.

Add that to the $320,000 already awarded to former women’s sports information director Debby Jennings, who was forced to retire in 2012, and Hart’s actions to-ward employees of the now defunct Women’s Athletic Department have cost UT more than $1.5 million. Now that the merger of the two departments is complete, only two of the 10 members of Hart’s executive staff are women, one of whom is his secretary/administrative assistant.

Moshak, the former as-sociate director of sports medicine, and Mason and Schlosser, strength coach-es for women’s athletics, were originally hired by the Women’s Athletics Depart-ment. Jennings was the WAD’s sports information director since before there was a WAD, and was an as-sociate athletic director.

Jennings has authored two books, Moshak, one;

Betty Bean

Playing the ‘what if’ game

and since no gag orders were imposed on any of the plaintiffs, we have probably not heard the last word on this.

On Jan. 6, UT trouble-shooter Margie Nichols had to clarify a story about a complaint charging UT with mishandling sexual violence cases. Nichols explained that the second complaint was actually related to the one that put UT on a list of schools whose handling of such cases is under investi-gation by the feds.

Nichols is good at her job, but still, the case couldn’t help but highlight the mul-tiple recent sexual assault al-legations against UT athletes.

And then Hart must watch out for those pesky “Save Lady Vols” folks, who have gotten a bill to rein-state the name fi led in the General Assembly, which opens for business this week and is generally irritated at the university for a host of offenses, both real and imagined.

Once upon a time the University of Tennessee was a national leader in women’s college athletics, a role model of gender equity that confounded precon-ceived notions of backward hillbilly ways. UT wasn’t doing half bad on the men’s side, either, and winning the 1998 national champion-ships in football and wom-en’s basketball pretty much made Tennessee the envy of the NCAA.

It was common wisdom that the Lady Vol brand, which former Women’s AD Joan Cronan often com-pared to the McDonald’s arches, was the most rec-ognized brand in women’s athletics, and the separate men’s and women’s athletics departments coexisted ami-cably, probably because of Cronan’s tact and Pat Sum-mitt’s rock star persona.

And there’s where the “what if” game comes in.

Despite Cronan’s protes-tations, by 2010, UT was hell bent to combine the two athletics departments – long before Dave Hart came on the scene, and be-fore Summitt announced that she has early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Chan-cellor Jimmy Cheek would have had to channel Car-

nac the Magnifi cent to have foreseen the mess that was coming his way.

But it didn’t have to hap-pen.

If Summitt had been well, she would have been deeply involved in the AD search.

She would surely have picked up the phone and called some people who worked for Hart when he was AD at Florida State – her friend Chris Gobrecht, the former women’s basket-ball coach whom Hart called “unladylike” and suspended for getting a technical foul.

Or maybe volleyball coach Cecile Reynaud, who decided, rather suddenly, to retire during Hart’s tenure. And maybe she would have called Gobrecht’s predeces-sor Marynell Meadors, an old-time rival from the days when Meadors coached at Middle Tennessee State.

No doubt Summitt would have found out about the ac-cusation that Hart mishan-dled a sexual assault case.

Better vetting would have led to a better AD, and this Monday, Alabama guy Dave Hart would have been wearing crimson and hol-lering “Roll Tide” instead of worrying about what those women are going to do next.

Sandra Clark

Zane Duncan

Look locally to fi ll Knox jobKnox County school

board will take a year and hire a search fi rm to fi nd a director of schools, follow-ing the surprise announce-ment by Dr. Jim McIntyre that he’s stepping down in July.

But board members should look fi rst at sur-rounding counties, espe-cially Blount and Union where Dr. Mike Winstead (Maryville) and Dr. Jimmy Carter are doing great work to manage local school dis-tricts. A third choice is Dr. Donna Wright, director of

schools in Wilson County.These are just three

people I know and admire. There are other appointed directors with proven re-sults. Many would view the Knox County job as a grand opportunity. Those interested in the job should

be vetted.Carter’s Union County

record is impressive: ■ He operates the school

system within its budget and has healed wounds with the county commission.

■ He has implemented state and federal standards without the all-out revolt we’ve had in Knox County. That’s because he treats professionals with the re-spect each deserves.

■ He has empowered principals and teachers to work collaboratively to tar-get test results and improve

scores. The most recent state tests showed marked improvement in value add-ed assessments, and two schools were ranked as “re-wards schools.”

Sure, Union County has a ways to go in both fund-ing and academic achieve-ment. But Carter and the school board have the sys-tem on the right track, and kids will benefi t from their efforts. Knox County educa-tors could learn from Union County – at least those who don’t think they already know everything.

Here comes ZaneBy Sandra Clark

When Gov. Bill Haslam announced appointments to

state boards and com-m i s s i o n s last week, one name jumped out. That’s the y o u n g e r son of U.S. Rep. Jimmy and Lynn

Duncan, Zane Duncan, age 30-something.

He was named to the state Board of Parole – one of seven members to serve a 6-year term at annual pay of $95,136 plus full benefi ts.

Duncan graduated from Lincoln Memorial Univer-

sity in 2008 with a degree in kinesiology, according to the college’s website. He took a job in public rela-tions with the R.J. Corman Railroad Group, a short-line fi rm based in Nicholasville, Ky., where he works as a lob-byist in six states and Wash-ington, D.C.

Melissa McDonald, pa-role board spokesperson, said members are expected to work full time. After several weeks of extensive training, new members will start hearing cases.

“We hear 17,000 cases a year, as the law makes peo-ple eligible for parole. Tradi-tionally, the board paroles about one-third of those eligible.”

The board itself is bud-geted for $7.3 million which includes expenses for the seven board members. Each has an offi ce in his/her home county and one assistant.

“Board members formerly traveled to prisons,” said Mc-Donald. “Now we hold hear-ings by webcam. They’re live and face-to-face.”

An online check shows how Haslam is reshaping the board. He appointed former state Rep. Richard Montgomery in January 2013 and named him chair in July 2013. Also in 2013, Haslam appointed former Bradley County Sheriff (2006-10) Tim Gobble and retired Nashville police of-fi cer Gary Faulcon.

In 2014, Haslam appoint-ed Barrett Rich, a three-term state representative and former state trooper who did not seek re-election to take the job.

Remaining on the board is Gay Gregson, a special education teacher who ran a HoneyBaked Ham café in Jackson.

Now Duncan and Rober-ta Kustoff, a former Bush-appointed prosecutor from Memphis, have joined the board. It’s a job somebody’s got to do, but with the sal-ary and benefi ts package it’s more than just another vol-unteer opportunity.

“We’ve got all ages and walks of life,” said McDonald.

With a tilt toward former cops and Republican politi-cians, it seems.

Armstrong Rowell

The cast of 14 candidates on the ballot (which may be reduced by March 1) will attract a record turnout for Trump, Rubio, Bush, Cruz, Kasich, Christie, Paul and others. The Knox GOP primary, which normally might be 30,000, may ex-ceed 75,000 this year. Deci-sions made on these other contests will impact Knox County for many years.

How will these new vot-ers vote on the offi ces down the ballot? No one has a clue. How do county com-mission candidates appeal to Trump, Rubio and/or Cruz voters?

One of the two county-wide races is for law direc-tor between incumbent Bud Armstrong and chal-lenger Nathan Rowell. No Democrat has fi led for the August general election so the March 1 winner be-comes the odds-on favorite in the August general election.

Over coffee at Star-bucks, Rowell met with this writer a few weeks ago. Rowell, 46, lives downtown on the waterfront where he is on the board of City People and is a member of the Watson Roach law fi rm. He has practiced law 20 years having graduated from West High School in 1987.

He is active at Church Street Methodist Church where he chairs the board of trustees. He is immedi-ate past president of the Wesley House Community Center in Lonsdale where he oversaw its growth from 6,000 to a 26,000 square feet facility. He is president-elect of the Community School of the Arts.

He clerked for the late appellate judge and Repub-lican state Senate leader Houston Goddard before going into private practice.

Armstrong is well versed and liked in Knox GOP politics having served on county commission and as

6 • JANUARY 13, 2016 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news

SENIOR NOTES ■ South Knox Senior

Center:6729 Martel Lane573-5843knoxcounty.org/seniorsMonday-Friday7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Off erings include: dulcimer and guitar lessons; arts and crafts classes; dance classes; exercise programs; Tai Chi; card games; Joymakers practice; free swim 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; Senior Meals program noon each Wednesday and Friday. The Center will be closed Mon-day, Jan. 18. Knox County Veterans Services, 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 21.

Register for: Toenail trimming appointments available Wednesday, Jan. 20; $12. Field trip: Healthy Living Expo Free Senior Day, 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 22; regis-ter by Thursday, Jan. 21.

■ South Knox Commu-nity Center522 Old Maryville Pike573-3575Monday-FridayHours vary

■ John T. O’Connor Senior Center611 Winona St.523-1135knoxseniors.org/oconnor.htmlMonday-Friday8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Off erings include: Card games, billiards, senior fi tness, computer classes, bingo, blood pressure checks 10:30-11:30 a.m. Monday-Friday. The Center will be closed Monday, Jan. 18.

Register for: Toenail clipping by appointment, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20; $12. AARP Driver Safety Program, noon Wednesday-Thursday, Jan. 20-21; info/registration: Carolyn Rambo, 388-9627.

■ CAC Offi ce on Aging2247 Western Ave.524-2786

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 13“Branding Yourself as an Artist” professional

development seminar, 5:30-7:30 p.m., the Emporium, 100 S. Gay St. Cost: $8 members of Arts & Culture Al-liance/$12 nonmembers. Info/registration: 523-7543; sc@knoxalliance.com.

Brown Bag Lecture: “An Inside Look at Lloyd Branson” by Adam Alfrey, noon, East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Info: 215-8824 or EastTNHistory.org.

WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY, JAN. 13-14KSO Merchant & Gould Concertmaster Se-

ries: Gabriel Lefkowitz & Friends, 7 p.m., Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Dr. Tickets: $20. Info/tickets: 291-3310 or knoxvillesymphony.com.

THURSDAY, JAN. 14AAA Driver Improvement Course, 5:30-9:30

p.m., AAA Offi ce, 100 W. Fifth Ave. Four-hour course helps reduce points for traffi c offenders and teaches how to reduce risk while driving. Cost: $30 mem-bers/$35 nonmembers. Must preregister. Info/regis-tration: Kate, 862-9254, or Stephanie, 862-9252.

How to Use Facebook for Seniors, 1-3 p.m., Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive. Presented by Social Media 4 Seniors. Cost: $30. Reg-istration/payment deadline: Thursday, Jan. 14. Info/registration: 218-3375; townoffarragut.org/register; in person at Town Hall.

Knoxville Christian Women’s Connection luncheon, 10:45 a.m., Bearden Banquet Hall, 5806 Kingston Pike. Special feature: “Renewing Your Body and Soul through Movement.” Inspirational speaker: Cindy Leihkauff. Cost: $12. Complimentary child care by reservation only. Info/reservations: 315-8182 or knoxvillechristianwomen@gmail.com.

FRIDAY, JAN. 15Alive after Five: Wallace Coleman Band,

6-8:30 p.m., Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive. Tickets: $10; $5 for members/stu-

dents. Info: 934-2039. Knox Heritage Lost & Found lunch, 11:30 a.m.,

Historic Westwood, 3425 Kingston Pike. Speaker: Jen-nifer Montgomery. Topic: a look at the life of business-man and neighborhood developer C.B. Atkin. Reserva-tions required for free lunch buffet. Info/reservations: Hollie Cook, 523-8008 or hcook@knoxheritage.

Steep Canyon Rangers in concert, 8 p.m., Bijou Theater, 803 S. Gay St. Info/tickets: knoxbijou.com.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JAN. 15-16“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream-

coat,” 8 p.m. Friday and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Tennes-see Theatre, 604 S. Gay St. Info/tickets: all Ticketmaster outlets, Tennessee Theatre box offi ce and 800-745-3000.

Monster Jam, 7:30 p.m., Thompson-Boling Arena. Saturday Pit Party, 5 p.m. Info/tickets: tbarena.com; knoxvilletickets.com.

SATURDAY, JAN. 16AAA Driver Improvement Course, 8 a.m.-4:30

p.m., AAA Offi ce, 100 W. Fifth Ave. Eight-hour course helps reduce points for traffi c offenders and teaches how to reduce risk while driving. Cost: $40 members/$50 nonmembers. Must preregister. Info/registration: Kate, 862-9254, or Stephanie, 862-9252.

“Fantasia, Live!” presented by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, 8 p.m., Knoxville Civic Auditorium, 500 Howard Baker Jr. Ave. Info/tickets: knoxvillesymphony.com.

Financial Education Series: “Get Out Of Debt,” 10:30 a.m., Farragut Branch Library, 417 N. Campbell Station Road. Info: 777-1750.

Kitten and cat adoption fair, noon-6 p.m., West Town PetSmart adoption center, 214 Morrell Road. Sponsored by Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee. Info: www.feralfelinefriends.org.

Roux du Bayou Cajun Dance Music, 8 p.m., Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave. Tickets: $12, some discounts available. Info/tickets: www.jubileearts.org.

Saturday Stories and Songs: David Blivens, 11 a.m., Cedar Bluff Branch Library, 9045 Cross Park Drive. Info: 470-7033.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Kindermusik, 11 a.m., Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave. For ages birth to 5. Info: 215-8750.

SUNDAY JAN. 17Winter Indoor Drum Circle, 3:30-5 p.m., Ijams

Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave. All ages welcome. Free. Info/registration: 577-471 ext. 110.

TUESDAY, JAN. 19Computer Workshop: Introducing the Computer,

2 p.m., East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St.

Preregistration required. Info/registration: 215-8700.Old College Monthly Harp Singing, 6 p.m., Mc-

Minn County Living Heritage Museum, 522 W. Madison Ave., Athens. Info: Cora Sweatt, 423 745-0248.

Sevier County Monthly Old Harp Singing, 7 p.m., Middle Creek UMC, 1828 Middle Creek Road, Pigeon Forge. Info: David Sarten, 428-0874.

Tribute Show honoring Dolly Parton’s 70th birthday, 7 pm., Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay St. Tickets: $25. Proceeds will benefi t Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Knox County. Info/tickets: knoxbijou.com.

TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY, JAN. 19-20Samsung Galaxy Phone/Tablet Basics for Se-

niors, 1-3 p.m., Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive. Presented by Social Media 4 Seniors. Cost: $45. Registration/payment deadline: Tuesday, Jan. 19. Info/registration: 218-3375; townoffarragut.org/regis-ter; in person at Town Hall.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 20Greensky Bluegrass in concert, 8 p.m., Bijou

Theater, 803 S. Gay St. Info/tickets: knoxbijou.com.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 20, 27“Beautiful, Vibrant Alcohol Inks” class, 10

a.m.-1 p.m., Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive. Cost: KMA members $50/nonmembers $65. Info/registration: knoxart.org.

“Mosaics Keepsake Box” class, 2-4 p.m., Knox-ville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive. Cost: KMA members $50/nonmembers $65. Info/registra-tion: knoxart.org.

WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY, JAN. 20-21AARP Driver Safety class, noon-4 p.m., O’Connor

Senior Center, 611 Winona St. Info/registration: Carolyn Rambo, 382-5822.

THURSDAY, JAN. 21Pinterest/Instagram/Twitter for Seniors,

1-3 p.m., Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive. Presented by Social Media 4 Seniors. Cost: $30. Registration/payment deadline: Thursday, Jan. 21. Info/registration: 218-3375; townoffarragut.org/register; in person at Town Hall.

THURSDAY-FRIDAY, JAN. 21-22Knoxville Symphony Orchestra presents

Beethoven & Bruch, 7:30 p.m., Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay St. Info/tickets: tennesseetheatre.com; knoxvilletickets.com; 656-4444.

Send items to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

ShoppernewseVents

Jean Stuckey, third place for most unique hat, with Jackque Jenkins

Jackie Jenkins with Anne Crumpton, second place winner for most festive outfi t at Shannondale.

Kristie Marlow with Hal Randles, fi rst place winner of most unique hat at Shannondale.

Residents of the Independent Living side of Shannondale Retirement Home also had compe-titions for most festive outfi t and unique hat. The winners are pictured on this page. The event was sponsored by the therapy department. A highlight was that group of therapists singing carols.

For those who serveEmergency responders in North Knox County

will be recognized from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 29, at a “Thank You, With Love” breakfast at Morning Pointe of Powell. Invited are fi re, police, deputies, EMTs and ambulance personnel to pick up a “bag of love” breakfast to go. UT Medi-cal Center Home Care Services is co-sponsoring. The event is coordinated by Lynda E. Rose, Lantern program coordinator at Morning Pointe.

The truth about dementiaMaple Court, a Blue Harbor Se-

nior Living facility at 7545 Thunder Lane off Emory Road near I-75, sponsors a monthly discussion on dementia. Meetings are 6-7 p.m. each second Tuesday. Info: 362-5398.

Upcoming: Department of Labor Division of Energy Employees Occu-pational Illness Compensation - Tal-bott Fields Professional Case Manage-ment, Feb. 9.Joanie Sitton, second place for most unique hat,

with Lauren Poston

Paige Hackler with Ernestine Cob-ble, third place winner for most fes-tive outfi t

Shannondale wraps up decoration competitions

June Young won fi rst place for most festive Christmas outfi t.

Shopper news • JANUARY 13, 2016 • 7 faith

I am very much a school kid when it comes to snow. At the fi rst fl ake (or the fi rst threatening clouds) I am at the win-dow, watching, waiting, heart beating faster.

Time was that snow meant a day off from school. Now, it just means a day at home, a good book, a pot of soup on the stove. Even so, there is a wonder about snow. That is because it is rare in our climate, unlike places like Buffalo, NY. (I have a friend who grew up in Buffalo; she lives in West Virginia now – where snow is frequent enough! – but she says vehement-ly, “I don’t need snow; I can visit snow.”

There are other levels of wonder in snow.

The structure of snow-fl akes is such that no two are alike. Snow crystals differ in shape, but they all have six sides. Some look like six-pointed stars; others, like starfi sh

For to the snow he says, “Fall on the earth;” and the shower of rain, his heavy shower of rain, serves as a sign on everyone’s hand, so that all whom he has made may know it.

(Job 37: 6-7 NRSV)

The fi rst snow

CrossCurrents

LynnPitts

with six arms.My mother once re-

marked to a transplanted Yankee that it was “too cold to snow.” He laughed, but she was right. In the South, it gets very cold only when the air is spar-klingly clear.

In March 1993, two fellows set out to hike a trail in the Smokies. It was spring; they were in their shirt sleeves. Then the snow started in ear-nest, and they had to be rescued by helicopter.

There was also one af-ternoon it took me four hours to drive home after work – normally a 25- minute trip.

It pays to have a healthy respect for the snow!

Last year was a big year for Christian fi lms with the release of “Faith of our Fa-thers,” “Do You Believe,” “War Room,” “Woodlawn” and “When the Game Stands Tall” among others.

It was a similar year to 2014, which had a compa-rable number of Christian theatrical releases.

2016 will see fewer faith-based fi lms, although “God’s Not Dead 2” will surely be one of the most anticipated releases of the spring. Hol-lywood seems to be cash-ing in on what they see as a

Zach Wishart

Christian fi lms in review

prime opportunity to make some dough on Christians.

With that being said, the movies with a genuine biblical message such as “War Room” or the oth-ers mentioned previously have youth groups, small groups and in some cases entire churches attending

together.Movies that claim to be

faith-based yet have a strong Hollywood secular spin, (such as “Noah” or Nicho-las Cage’s “Left Behind”) do not have the same solid faith community backing.

At the end of the day Hol-lywood can’t fool true be-lievers on something that claims to be biblical ver-sus something that truly is (think Joel Osteen vs. Charles Stanley).

The Kendrick Brothers did an outstanding job on this year’s release of “War

Room.” A must-see for ev-eryone, it is an inspiring message on the power of prayer.

This movie shows how God will work in our lives through the power prayer and seeking Him in all that we do! If you missed it in theaters and don’t want to buy it, you can see it at Buf-fat Heights Baptist Church on Sunday, Jan. 17.

It is a movie with a sol-id biblical message that could make a big impact on your life as you continue throughout this new year.

FAITH NOTES ■ First Comforter Church, 5516 Old Tazewell Pike, hosts MAPS

(Mothers At Prayer Service) noon each Friday. Info: Edna Hensley,

771-7788.

Volunteers fi nd rewards in refugee ministryVolunteers at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church conduct a camp for refugee children. Photo submitted

By Carolyn EvansKay Autry, a member of

Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church, says a new venture has become one of the most rewarding things she has ever done. The mother of two grown sons and lifelong volunteer is now an English teacher to refugees from the Middle East.

Autry says she had been hearing “amazing” things about the refugee ministry at her church and knew that director Almaz Gemechu was looking for volunteers.

“What brought it home for me was hearing that not only were they persecuted and in danger, but some of them had sacrifi ced their safety for our military,” Au-try says. “I concluded very quickly that if someone could risk their life for me, I certainly could teach them English.”

The defi nition of a refu-gee is very important, she says.

“A true refugee has been endangered or persecuted, has fl ed to a second country, applied to the United Na-tions for refugee status, has had the persecution or dan-ger verifi ed, gone through the paper process, had a medical exam and has been assigned a country.”

Twenty-seven countries take refugees, she says. The U.S. takes about half of those given refugee status. In the U.S., the Federal gov-ernment provides $925 per refugee to cover the costs of housing, household goods, food and pocket money for the fi rst 30 days.

“It is then that the non-profi ts such as Bridge Refu-gee Services help these folks get settled, learn English and fi nd jobs, etc.,” she says. “Some are highly-educated; some are illiterate in their own language and un-skilled.”

Autry was given a num-ber of ways she could help

in the refugee ministry: pick up people from the air-port, drive them to appoint-ments, help with paperwork and teach them English. She teaches English lessons in the family’s apartment.

“The compassion comes very easily,” she says. “I have the possibility of bringing them from their broken background to a place where they can enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

There’s a religious com-ponent to the lessons she uses, she says. “I have tre-mendous gratitude for what’s been given to me by God my father, so I share that love and gratitude.”

Phil and Cindy Ownby have been involved in the refugee program at Ce-dar Springs Presbyterian for several years. They’ve helped with the sum-mer camp for kids and the Thanksgiving celebration.

“There are a number of

other churches in the area that minister to interna-tionals and refugees,” Phil Ownby says. “Cedar Springs is working now to fi nd a way to coordinate with those churches.”

The church’s mission is to help them become self-supporting and productive members of society. Some of that includes trying to help them fi nd the appropri-ate services for health care, language skills and trans-portation.

“With the political climate changing daily, they may be facing threats and persecu-tion of one sort or another,” says Ownby. “It’s a very re-warding experience to try and help families improve their way of life and share with them the love of Christ.”

Pastor Ron Stewart to retire at Grace Baptist Church

By Nancy AndersonDr. Ron Stewart plans to

step down from the pulpit as pastor of Grace Baptist Church on June 1, 2016, opting for a more leisurely life of retirement and fam-ily fun.

“God told me it’s time,” said Stewart.

“My years at Grace have been an amazing and in-credible journey that has far exceeded the initial vision God gave me when he called me here in 1988.”

When Stewart, who holds both a master’s degree and doctorate from Southern Baptist Theological Semi-nary in Louisville, Ky., fi rst stepped into the pulpit at

Grace Baptist he gave his message to around 200 peo-ple in an unassuming sanc-tuary built in 1957.

Now, under Stewart’s leadership and theology of change, there is a 2,200 seat

worship center, a multi-func-tional family life center and a Christian school accredited by both the Southern Associ-ation of Colleges and Schools and the Association of Chris-tian Schools International for grades K-12.

Stewart plans to continue to preach in other venues as guest speaker, teach Bible at Grace Christian Academy, write books and coach mid-dle school basketball.

In his spare time, he’ll ride bicycles with Becky, his high school sweetheart and wife of over 50 years.

The Stewarts plan to re-main in the Karns area to be close to their nine grand-children.

Becky and Ron Stewart

Celebrating an event?Share your family’s milestones with us!

Send announcements to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

8 • JANUARY 13, 2016 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news

Blach

kids

business

By Sara BarrettChristopher Blach, Rural/Metro’s

vice president of operations for Knox County, unveiled a recruitment cam-paign for paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) last week at Rural/Metro’s local headquarters in Hardin Valley.

In addition to a signing bonus of $15,000 for paramedics and $7,500 for EMTs, American Medical Re-sponse, which acquired Rural/Metro in October, will fund EMT training courses through Roane State Commu-nity College up to $8,000 per student.

AMR hopes to sign 30 paramedics and 30 EMTs with the new campaign

and several courses are already being held for those in training.

“This is one of the largest investments I’m aware of nationwide,” said Blach of AMR’ s hiring campaign.

A new pay scale was also introduced for current Rural/Metro

paramedics and EMTs giving each a pay raise, and fi ve older model am-

bulances were replaced with fi ve new ones worth more than $100,000 each.

Blach said Rural/Metro has experi-enced staffi ng challenges recently but has continued to meet all contractual agreements with Knox County.

A paramedic prior to his role as VP of operations, Blach added that although he hasn’t worked with a pa-tient in a long time, he understands the challenges of the job. The time away from one’s family can be diffi -cult, he said, but knowing you’re help-ing someone in need is one of its big-gest benefi ts. Info: ruralmetro.com

BIZ NOTES ■ Drake’s, a new restaur ant concept featuring a diverse menu and

craft beers on tap,  is opening its fi rst restaurant in Knoxville in early February at the Centre at Deane Hill near West Town Mall. The menu features traditional American-style pub food, includ-ing hand-pressed burgers and Sriracha wings, with a twist that includes build-your-own tacos and an extensive sushi menu.

Undergraduate students at UT Knoxville can now earn both a bachelor’s de-gree and law degree in six years, one year less than what is normally required.

UT 3+3 is a new acceler-ated degree program offered by UT’s College of Law and College of Arts and Sci-ences. In the program, stu-dents complete three years of approved undergraduate coursework in the College of Arts and Sciences. Following their third year, participat-ing students admitted to the College of Law become full-time, fi rst-year law students.

The fi rst year of law study will count toward a student’s law degree and also toward the completion of his or her bachelor’s degree. Two addi-tional years of law study fol-low, after which the student earns a Juris Doctor degree.

“UT Law offers an ex-cellent legal education at a great value, and our 3+3 program will make law school an even more afford-able option for UT students by saving them a full year of tuition,” said Melanie D. Wilson, dean of the College

of Law. “We’re excited to welcome some of UT’s most talented undergraduates to our community of future at-torneys and leaders.”

UT’s College of Arts and Sciences has long offered preprofessional programs for undergraduate students who plan to continue their education in the fi elds of health, law, teaching and veterinary medicine.

“The new UT 3+3 pro-gram creates the fi rst pre-professional major in the college with a concentra-tion in law,” said Theresa Lee, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “We’re delighted to partner on this accelerated program, which graduates students sooner from UT Law and gets them into the workforce earlier – a benefi t for the students, their families, the university and the state of Tennessee.”

In addition, during their fi rst year of law school, UT 3+3 students will be eligible for undergraduate fi nancial awards, including the Ten-nessee HOPE Scholarship or a federal Pell grant.

Info: law.utk.edu/3plus3

3+3 is six-year law school program

Rural Metro to increase staff , off er signing bonuses

News from the Rotary Guy

By Tom KingThis past Friday the Ro-

tary Club of Bearden began its 16th year of deliver-ing Mobile Meals to the elderly and shut-ins at Cagle Ter-race Apart-

ments and Westview Tower Apartments. Approximate-ly 20 members alternate working on this Community Service project each Friday.

On the fi fth Friday of the months with a fi fth Friday the club also delivers 35 meals to residents of West-view behind West Town Mall.

But they do more than just deliver meals. They

make connections and make friends.

“We talk with the resi-dents and check to see how they are doing and if they are having any problems,” says Janice Mitchell, who coordinates this com-munity service proj-ect for the club.

“I think they ap-preciate that contact and conversation as much as they do the meals. They really do.”

When she delivered last Friday, a couple of people held her hand and told her over and over how much it means to them to get the meals and visit. “It’s pretty heart-warming to do this. I can’t tell you how rewarding it is,” she said. “It is a joy to see each person every week. We never tire of hearing ‘God

bless you’ and perhaps, for the third time, the story of their service in the war, their childhood, or their most re-cent trip to the doctor.”

The club also donates anywhere from $1,000

to $1,500 annually to Mobile Meals.

One team of Bearden Rotarians

that works together each week is known as

“The Fabulous Four” – Jean Baird, Jim Coffi n, Phil Par-key and Dr. Walt Beahm. “They were the Three Mus-keteers but then Jean joined them and they changed their name.”

This past fall Mobile Meals was one of four or-ganizations chosen by Con-solidated Nuclear Secu-rity at Y-12 in recognition of America Recycles Day

(Nov.15) and that recogni-tion resulted with a $200 award to Mobile Meals.

“It’s not a lot, but it buys a few meals and they really appreciated it,” said Tom Daughtrey, Bearden presi-dent who works at CNS Y-12.

■ Rotarians at RidgedaleRotarians from the seven

clubs in Knoxville will be working together on Satur-day, Feb. 27, at the Ridge-dale Alternative School for a workday to celebrate World Rotary Day. They will be do-ing interior painting, work-ing on an outside pavilion, yard work and mulching and some other general repairs.Tom King is a retired newspaper editor, a Rotarian for 27 years and past president of the Rotary Club of Farragut. He can be reached at tking535@gmail.com

Bearden Rotary begins 16th year of delivering Mobile Meals

Tom King

Learning to giveMount Olive Elementary

School fourth grade teacher Cynthia Thornburg wanted to teach her students there is more to the holidays than “getting.”

Each student was given some play money and a check book, and they were asked to research various organizations to donate money to. In the process of “donating,” students learned how to write checks, manage money and balance a check book.

During the classroom Christmas party on the last

Sara Barrett

Mount Olive Elementary School fourth graders Sierra Randles; (middle row) Dakota Kidd, Sarah Hagey, Emily Child, Landon Walker, Christian Candino; and (back) Shalyn Cox arrive at Young-Williams Animal Center to deliver donations of good-ies. Photo submitted

day before winter break, Thornburg taught the class how to create no-sew blan-kets for animals. Several were made to donate to Young-Williams Animal Center.

Students brought in cans of dog or cat food, addi-tional blankets and gently used toys to donate as well. Some students also created cat toys out of household supplies and catnip. After school, a group of parents drove the students to YWAC so they could deliver the goods in person.

Turning dollars to sense South Knoxville Elementary School students Connor Bothe, Anderson Hill and Christopher Summerour learn to count play money during an after-school activity.

Making friends through pensA handful of students in

the after-school program at South Knoxville Elementa-ry School have new friends in Jamaica thanks to a pen pal program organized by community school site coor-dinator Susan Martin.

Martin has visited The Jamaica Deaf Village, de-veloped by the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf, many times on mis-sion trips with her church. Most of the adults living there are deaf and are learn-ing skills to help them fi nd jobs. Their children can hear but they don’t have many friends close by.

Martin thought students

at SKES might be interested in learning more about chil-dren their own age in other parts of the world. When she pitched the pen pal idea to them, they were very excited.

Martin says the kids in Jamaica enjoy it, too, to say the least.

“Those kids eat it up,” she says of the students at the vil-lage. “They are waiting by the mailbox for these letters.”

Students correspond monthly with fi ll-in-the-blank type letters that prompt them with themes including sharing names of family members, places they enjoy going around town and what holidays they celebrate. They are also encouraged to draw a pic-ture for their pen pal.

SKES student Trey Cox said he’s really enjoyed be-coming pen pals with Caleb, a boy his age in the village. “I like the fact that we both have boy role models,” he says. “And we both like soc-cer.”

Martin is planning a Skype session between the

Kaliyah Cox explains to friend Makayla Clark and her brother, Trey Cox, what she plans to draw on the letter to her pen pal. Photos by S. Barrett

Classmates Verniyah Hodge and Iyonna Green hold the letters and drawings they received from pen pals.

Janashia Waters carefully uses good penmanship in her next letter to her pen pal.

American and Jamaican students soon. A plan to create pen pals between students at SKES and Dog-wood Elementary School is also in the works.

Kennel Club donates animals to ETCH

During the last fewmonths of 2015, members ofthe Tennessee Valley Ken-nel Club collected over 100stuffed animals for deliv-ery to East Tennessee Chil-dren’s Hospital right beforethe Christmas holiday.

Tamara Adkisson withvolunteer services ex-plained that children re-ceive a great deal of comfortfrom a stuffed animal andoften a child who received agift as a patient will returnwith a new stuffed animalfor another child in need.

A list of guidelines andsuggested gift items can befound at etch.com

Info: 541-¬8136Tamara Adkisson with East Tennessee Children’s Hospital accepts a large donation of new stuff ed animals from Madeline Lonas on behalf of the Tennessee Valley Kennel Club. Photo submitted

Shopper news • JANUARY 13, 2016 • 9 weekender

Then you'll love the

Shopper's take on both

the local fi lmmaking scene

and Hollywood releases.

Love movies?

Betsy Pickle, East Tennessee's premier fi lm critic,

keeps you in the know in Weekender.

By Betsy PickleReality TV in Knoxville

is nothing new. Between fi -nalists on “Survivor,” “The Voice” and “American Idol” and the plethora of un-scripted shows produced in Knoxvegas, we have been amply represented on small-screen competitions.

Knoxville has also fared well in the big-time act-ing world, producing tal-ents as diverse as Patricia Neal, John Cullum, Jerome Courtland, Polly Bergen, David Keith, Dale Dickey, Brad Renfro, Elaine Hen-drix, Jake Thomas, Johnny Knoxville and Cylk Cozart.

It’s Cozart who’s trying to turn all that talent and cre-ativity into a locally based project with national appeal through “Acting Up … with Cylk Cozart.”

Cozart, a Knoxville na-tive who has appeared in such movies as “White Men Can’t Jump,” “Conspiracy Theory” and “16 Blocks” as well as TV shows includ-ing “Gabriel’s Fire,” “Sis-ter, Sister” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” was a standout athlete in high school and at King College. After an injury dashed his dream of playing profes-sional sports, he turned to modeling and then acting, making his debut in the baseball film “Blue Skies Again.”

Throughout his career, he has taken on a host of charitable endeavors both

By Carol ShaneIt’s a given that everyone

loves Dolly Parton. Even in this age of relentless snarki-ness, one would be hard-pressed to fi nd anything bad to say about her. Showbiz icon, razor-sharp business entrepreneur, big-hearted

hometown girl – Dolly fi ts into all of these categories.

But mostly, she’s a musi-cian. And among those who practice the art and craft of music, Dolly Parton’s great-ness as a songwriter cannot be denied.

That’s why a whole bunch

Cylk Cozart discusses acting with the crowd at Open Chord.

Michael Bay gets realCIA contractors Jack Silva (John Krasinski) and Kris “Tanto” Paronto (Pablo Schreiber) check out the neighborhood around the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, in “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.” Director Michael Bay helmed the true story shared by those who fought to protect the Americans attacked in Benghazi in 2012. The fi lm also stars Max Martini, James Badge Dale, David Denman, Dominic Fumusa and Toby Stephens. The action fi lm is rated R for strong combat violence through-out, bloody images and language.

Princess Clinkscales and Tony Delmonico do a scene for the crowd and the camera.

Dancer, storyteller and Dolly Parton fan Mark Lamb poses with “fl at Dolly” at the Knox County Public Library. Proceeds from her birthday party at the Bijou will go to benefi t Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Knox Count. Photo by Mary Pom Claiborne

Everyone loves Dolly

Finding, fl aunting talent in6 • 99

Knoxville

nationally and on his home turf. In 2012, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Knoxville Area Urban League.

A combination of acting workshop, talent showcase and elimination-style com-petition, “Acting Up” got its fi rst taste of reality by drawing a crowd of about 90 to the Open Chord, 8502 Kingston Pike, last Wednes-day. The entire evening was fi lmed – as future events will be – to be edited and pitched to networks as a re-ality show.

Attendees included expe-

rienced and budding actors along with people curious about getting into acting. Cozart recruited friends such as radio personal-ity Hallerin Hilton Hill, actor/94Z DJ Mike How-ard, and Charlotte Denni-son and Juanell Walker of Talent Trek Agency to par-ticipate as both performers and advisers.

Musical interludes were provided by a talented teen-age singer-songwriter who goes by the name “Val-lie” and is from Karns. She credited Cozart with “dis-covering” her.

As a steady stream of ac-tors hopped onto the stage, fi rst to do monologues and then short scenes, Cozart gave critiques both positive and negative. His directions included everything from basics, such as projecting and fi nding the “sweet spot” on the stage, to eliminat-ing imitation, staying in the moment and tapping into the truth of the scene.

He encouraged them to get used to the distractions of the club – live theater is full of those, he said, and once an actor is accustomed to such things, working in

the protective atmosphere of a big-budget fi lm set will be a piece of cake.

Cozart also had actors do improv exercises, many of which were impres-sive. When the tables were turned and professionals Hill, Howard, Dennison and Walker did their bit, the re-sults were hilarious.

The evening wrapped up with a question-and-answer period fi lled with great advice.

Howard said that actors should learn everything they can about the project and their character – and

know their lines backward and forward – before going into an audition. “You can’t be too prepared.”

Hill encouraged attend-ees to be “optimistic” about their craft and to take care of themselves.

“Use your strength,” Co-zart said. “I don’t believe you can teach somebody how to act. I believe you can teach somebody how to get in touch with their emotions.”

The Facebook page for “Acting Up … with Cylk Co-zart” will have info on the next event.

of local musicians will be getting together next Tues-day night at the Bijou The-atre to celebrate Dolly’s birthday. Led by New York dancer and storyteller Mark Lamb, the event will feature music, fi lm clips and home movies from the star’s early years in Knoxville, pre-sented by the Knox County Public Library’s Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound.

There will even be a fi lm clip sent by Dolly herself to greet the audience at the be-ginning of the show.

The evening’s center-piece is Lamb’s multiple-prizewinning story “A Boy and His Dolly.”

“As a young boy, when I fi rst saw her on TV I thought she was an angel,” says Lamb. “I love her music and her genius as a songwriter. I love her tolerance and the way she celebrates being yourself and being unique.”

Lamb’s story about his adoration of Dolly has won not only the Moth Sto-rySLAM but also the Moth GrandSLAM Champion-ship, both featured in NPR podcasts. Though he is the force behind the birthday celebration, he’ll have plen-

ty of help onstage. Knoxville musicians led

by Nancy Brennan Strange will play Dolly’s most popu-lar songs. “We plug in the music,” says Strange, who has performed the story with Lamb before. She ad-mires not only Parton’s songwriting but her sunny nature. “She seems like one

of those people who lifts ev-eryone up.”

Strange will perform “Here You Come Again,” “My Tennessee Mountain Home” and “Coat of Many Colors.” Joining her will be a veritable “who’s who” of local talent: Robin Ella Bai-ley, Nathan Barrett, Angel Collins, Michael Crawley,

Mischa Goldman, Chris-tina Horn, Kelle Jolly, Laith Keilany, Ben Maney, Jodie Manross, Sean McCollough and Sarah Pirkle.

Lamb is particularly thrilled about the venue be-cause it looms large in Dol-ly’s legend. “She got her pro-fessional start at the Bijou when she was nine on the ‘Cas Walker Show,’” he says.

Event sponsor Magpies Bakery will provide the birthday cake. Other spon-sors are Knoxville News Sentinel, WVLT, WDVX, US Cellular and Visit Knox-ville. Proceeds will benefi t Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Knox County.

“I am so honored to pay tribute to the living legend Dolly Parton on her 70th birthday at the Bijou The-atre. My story is not only a personal take on her posi-tive infl uence on my life, but has a universal message told through Dolly’s lyrics about love, kindness and accep-tance,” said Lamb.

The Dolly Parton Birth-day Tribute Show happens Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. on the US Cellular Stage at the Bijou Theatre on Gay Street in downtown Knox-ville. Info/tickets: Infor-mation/tickets: 684-1200, www.knoxbijou.com, www.ticketmaster.com

10 • JANUARY 13, 2016 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news