south knox shopper-news 030216
DESCRIPTION
A great community newspaper serving South Knoxville and the surrounding areaTRANSCRIPT
Why Trump winsCount me among the
skeptics who thought Donald Trump would blow over as a serious candidate.
But after watching the debates and the early prima-ries, I fi nally get it. Donald J. Trump – casino-building, old-lady-evicting, multimar-ried, bankruptcy-fi ling wild man with three wives and fi ve kids – is headed for the White House.
➤ Read Sandra Clark on page 4
Fort Dickerson
amenties outlinedThe city’s meeting on Fort
Dickerson Park improvements brought out a hardy crowd on a dark and stormy night. It has been several months since a $1.4 million realignment of Fort Dickerson Road and Woodlawn Pike at Chapman Highway was completed and an auto-repair building was razed to create a more aestheti-cally pleasing entrance for the park, and SoKno residents have been wondering how long they would have to look at a blank, 30-foot retaining wall along the roadway.
➤ Read Betsy’s report on page 3
Brantley wants relief on towing
Knox County at-large com-missioner Ed Brantley ap-parently believes that when a citizen comes to public forum, asking for help on an issue, that someone ought to pay at-tention.
This is an odd notion that surely will be squelched. For now Brantley’s trampled on a sacred sheriff’s offi ce pre-rogative. Stand by to learn the outcome.
It started when Paul Johnson appeared at an ear-lier commission meeting to complain that he got a towing/storage bill for more than $500 after a Thanksgiving weekend wreck rendered his car undriv-able.
➤ More on page 4
Spring plantsIt’s March and I cannot keep
from noticing the subtle signs of spring.
My star magnolia has bloomed, but sadly after two days the freeze got it. My Lenten rose is now in bloom, but the plant is freeze hardy, so it is fi ne.
The jonquils will be out in a couple of weeks and hopefully will not get frozen.
➤ Read Bonnie Peters on page 7
(865) 922-4136
NEWS (865) 661-8777
[email protected] Clark | Betsy Pickle
ADVERTISING SALES(865) 342-6084
Patty Fecco | Tony Cranmore
Beverly Holland | Amy Lutheran
CIRCULATION(865) 521-8181
To page 3
VOL. 2 NO. 1 July 29, 2013www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNowVOL. 4 NO. 9 March 2, 2016www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow
SOUTH KNOX
BUZZ
By Marvin WestThe Title IX lawsuit against
the University of Tennessee may bounce around in the courts for three or four years but the prelim-inary trial is already over.
Analysis
Guilty: Even if somehow exoner ated
The university, the athletic de-partment in particular, has lost in the eyes and ears of the general public. The degree of presumed guilt varies. Those who know the least about the case think the transgressions are monumental.
Offi cially, UT has a choice. It can surrender, pay big and make many changes, or counter-attack with hand grenades. Unoffi cially, macho types think they can pre-vail. Could be, but …
The barrage of media blows was staggering but not enough for an absolute knockout at home. The football Volunteers are almost sa-cred. They are also the fi nancial engine of all UT sports, yea, even
women’s sports. The Vols must win.
I say scrub the deck as needed but don’t sink the ship. There is a mortgage.
The university? Another big deal. Even though it seeks to be one of the best in the country, it is not so sacred. It consumes tax dollars, keeps raising tuition and spends big on diversity frivolity.
This Title IX stuff is contagious. Better beware. The U.S. Depart-ment of Education’s Offi ce of Civil Rights is currently investigating 204 cases of sexual violence at 164 colleges and universities.
Even if this sizzling Tennessee lawsuit burns itself out, the heat was awesome. The orange image is scarred. There are alarming numbers of anonymous accusers. There are complications and con-fl icts. That some changed their story between then and now in-creases the smell of smoke.
How bad were the hits? The Tennessean has been having a
party. The New York Daily News went far beyond reporting the news. When a former Vol and a new Vol were arrested in the same week, the New York Post used the word “cesspool” to describe the football program.
There will be a price to pay.Following the Missouri prece-
dent, some “judges and juries” will call for the ouster of Chancellor Jimmy Cheek and athletic director Dave Hart. Their perceived guilt is lack of leadership. They were too quiet too long.
A segment of the population long ago convicted Hart’s sup-posed view of women. Payoffs in gender discrimination suits were proof. Strife over the Lady Vols nickname and logo was the fi nal straw.
Dr. Cheek has been as still as the proverbial church house mouse.
Some critics will call for cultur-al adjustments, no-fault insurance for victims, no more excuses that
“boys will be boys.”Women in men’s bedrooms at 3
in the morning shall be no cause for suspicion. Nobody will retain the right to ask “What was she do-ing there? Was she drinking?”
Butch Jones faces a serious di-lemma. He is praised for promot-ing law and order and even team dignity but is accused, under oath, of calling a player a traitor because he helped an alleged victim. Coach has denied the charge.
Butch and all other coaches ral-lied around the fl ag, cheerleader style. They said UT is safe and sound. Sam Winterbotham, ten-nis coach, said he hopes his four young daughters choose to attend UT.
Football Vols were praised.“I’ve never been around a group
of young men who were so respect-ful,’’ swim coach Matt Kredich said. He was an honorary football coach during the 2013 Orange and
To page 3
By Betsy PickleBecoming part of the story was
never the goal for Knoxville fi lm-makers Michael Samstag and Josh Gildrie. But they were already in the story before they began mak-ing “A Southern Fix.”
A documentary that follows professionals and volunteers try-ing to solve the pet overpopulation problem that plagues the South, “A Southern Fix” will have its debut
screenings at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday at Scruffy City Hall, 32 Market Square. Admission is $10.
Samstag and Gildrie started fi lming in November 2014, but they have been animal advocates since long before that.
It was a previous project that set them on the road to “A South-ern Fix.”
“‘Tails in Flight,’ the fi rst fi lm we worked on, was about Pilots N
Paws,” says Gildrie, who lives in South Knoxville. “They’re a vol-unteer pilot group fl ying dogs and cats … and anything that can fi t on a plane throughout the country to be adopted.
“As we were going through the process of making that fi lm … we thought, ‘How can we fi x this? How can we put Pilots N Paws out of business? That’s where ‘A Southern Fix’ came from.”
Karen Talbot of Animal Aid USA
prepares rescued dogs for trans-
port to the Northeast. Photo submitted
pp
Rescue! Film captures passion for saving animals
After raising more than $20,000 through a Kickstarter campaign, the fi lmmakers started shooting. A two-week road trip took them to Middle Tennessee, southern Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Washington, D.C., and Tampa. They fi lmed at shelters, a shut-down puppy mill, rescue fa-cilities and more.
State Sens. Becky Massey and Doug Overbey are hosting other members of the Tennessee Gen-eral Assembly, local offi cials and volunteers in a major effort to re-stock local food banks. The “Cam-paign Against Hunger” event, which is being held in conjunction with Outreach Inc., will take place from 9:30 a.m. until noon Satur-day, March 5, at the Second Har-vest Food Bank of East Tennessee, 136 Harvest Lane, Maryville.
“Tennessee is the Volunteer
State and we are looking for citi-zens who are willing to partner with us to package food for our neighbors who are in need,” said Massey.
“We have held several packag-ing events at the state capitol with tremendous results. It will be a fun morning, and together we will be making a positive difference in the lives of our fellow Tennes-seans.”
The group will package approx-imately 100,000 meals for food
Massey seeks volunteers to help food bankbanks serving Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Cocke, Cum-berland, Fentress, Grainger, Ham-blen, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon,
Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier and Union counties. The link to volunteer is: http://vols.pt/4YP8hk
The Knoxville Garden Club is the sponsor of Knoxville’s fi rst-ev-er Weed Wrangle Knoxville from 9 a.m. until noon Saturday, March 5, and the public in invited to par-ticipate.
Volunteers will gather at part-
ner sites − Ijams Nature Center, Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum, Legacy Parks/Wood Property and Lakeshore Park − to wrangle non-native invasive plants.
Info: www.weedwrangle.org
Garden clubs join to ‘weed wrangle’
2 • MARCH 2, 2016 • Shopper news
health & lifestyles
Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center is a regional referral hospital where other facilities
REGIONAL EXCELLENCE.
4944009494949444494449499009-007-0070707---777
Much like an-
gioplasty opens
coronary arteries,
balloon sinuplas-
ty utilizes a non-
latex balloon to
open the sinuses.
Once the balloon
is defl ated and re-
moved, the sinus
is clear to drain. Illustration courtesy of
Entellus
Tackling tough sinus problems
Dr. Clyde Mathison performs
both balloon sinuplasty and
endoscopic sinus surgery at
Fort Sanders Regional.
Steriods, nose spray, antibiot-ics and antihistamines – all are used to manage the symptoms of sinus sufferers. But what if these standard treatments are not elim-inating the problem?
Numerous sinus infections lasting longer than four weeks may require a sinus surgery pro-cedure. Successful sinus surgeries clear the natural sinus passage-ways, allowing normal drainage. Restoring normal sinus drainage helps to reduce the number of sinus infections, improve the air-fl ow though the nasal passages, and can even recover a patient’s sense of smell.
Today’s technology allows for a variety of options depending on a patient’s current sinus situation. Two of the most effective proce-dures performed at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center are bal-loon sinuplasty and endoscopic sinus surgery.
Balloon SinuplasyMuch like angioplasty opens
coronary arteries, balloon sinu-plasty utilizes a non-latex balloon to open the sinuses. First ap-
Endoscopic sinus surgery leaves Knoxville woman breathing easyChristie Brooks found herself a victim
of constant sickness. Whether it be a head-ache, cold symptoms, nasal pressure or fatigue she just couldn’t shake her fl u-like symptoms. Brooks suffers from sarcoid-osis, a disease that causes infl ammation of body tissues, particularly the lungs. She was certain that sarcoidosis was the culprit of her sickness but after being admitted to the hospital with an upper respiratory in-fection, a CT scan revealed the problem.
Brooks had developed nasal polyps in her sinuses.
Nasal polyps are soft, painless, noncan-cerous growths on the lining of your na-sal passages or sinuses. They hang down like teardrops or grapes. They result from chronic infl ammation due to asthma, recur-ring infection, allergies, drug sensitivity or certain immune disorders-like sarcoidosis.
These polyps were not allowing Christy’s sinuses to drain normally, causing chronic sinusitis. When her lung doctor saw the CT results, she was promptly referred to Fort Sanders ear, nose, and throat physician Dr. Clyde Mathison.
“Dr. Mathison explained the entire situ-ation to me. He genuinely cared about my health and felt like sinus surgery was the best solution to my problems, “stated Brooks.
In December 2014, Dr. Mathison per-formed endoscopic sinus surgery on Chris-tie Brooks at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center. During the procedure, he removed the polyps, cleared passages, and restored natural drainage pathways in the nose. “I woke up and had instant relief,” recalls Brooks, “The sinus pressure and headaches were gone immediately after the surgery.”
Christie Brooks felt immediate
relief after her endoscopic sinus
surgery
Chronic sinusitis is a common condi-tion in which the cavities around nasal passages (sinuses) become infl amed and swollen – for at least eight weeks, despite treatment attempts.
Also known as chronic rhinosinus-itis, this condition interferes with drain-age and causes mucus to build up. If you have chronic sinusitis, it may be diffi cult to breathe through your nose. The area around your eyes and face may feel swol-len, and you may have throbbing facial pain or a headache.
Chronic sinusitis may be caused by an infection, but it can also be caused by growths in the sinuses (nasal polyps) or by a deviated nasal septum. Chronic sinusitis most commonly affects young and middle-aged adults, but it also can affect children.
Chronic sinusitis and acute sinusitis have similar signs and symptoms, but acute sinusitis is a temporary infection of the sinuses often associated with a cold. At least two of the following signs and symptoms must be present for a diagno-sis of chronic sinusitis:
■ Drainage of a thick, yellow or greenish
discharge from the nose or down the back of
the throat
■ Nasal obstruction or congestion, causing dif-
fi culty breathing through your nose
■ Pain, tenderness and swelling around your
eyes, cheeks, nose or forehead
■ Reduced sense of smell and taste
Other signs and symptoms can include: ■ Ear pain
■ Aching in your upper jaw and teeth
■ Cough, which may be worse at night
■ Sore throat
■ Bad breath (halitosis)
■ Fatigue or irritability
■ Nausea
What is chronic sinusitis?
This image
shows the
diff erence
between
a healthy
sinus and
an infected
sinus
proved by the Food and Drug Ad-ministration in 2005, the balloon is delivered via a small catheter
up the nasal passageway where it is gently infl ated to widen sinuses closed by swelling and infl amma-tion. Once the balloon is defl ated and removed, the sinus is clear to drain without the removal of any bone or tissue.
Fort Sanders ear, nose and throat physician Dr. Clyde Mathi-son explains, “The balloon pro-cedure offers eligible patients an alternative to traditional sinus surgery. By simply opening si-nus pathways without removing any tissue, patients can heal very quickly and reduce the chances of recurring infection.”
Since there is no cutting in-volved with this method, recovery time is substantially shorter than other treatments. Most people can return to work and normal activities within two days post-surgery.
While balloon sinuplasty is very effective for certain sinus is-sues, it is not a solution for every-one. Patients who have chronic infections of the ethmoid sinuses between the eyes and patients with nasal polyps are not eligible for the balloon procedure. A tra-
ditional approach of endoscopicsinus surgery is the solution tothese issues.
Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
During this procedure, a tinycamera and light – called an en-doscope – is inserted throughthe patient’s nostril. This helpsto magnify and increase visibil-ity of the sinus tissues. Once thesinuses are in clear view, specialinstruments are used to rid thesinuses of any blockages causedby sinusitis, nasal polyps or scartissue.
“Often times polyps form inthe sinuses as a result of allergiesor immune disorders. Polyps cancause headaches and sinus pres-sure that is easily relieved oncepolyps are removed in surgery,”states Dr. Mathison.
Since endoscopic sinus sur-gery involves tissue removal, therecovery time can be a bit longerthan that of a balloon sinuplasty.Patients can expect to return totheir normal routines within oneweek after surgery.
The signs and symptoms of chronic si-nusitis are similar to acute sinusitis, ex-cept they last longer and often cause more signifi cant fatigue. Fever isn’t a common sign of chronic sinusitis, as it may be with acute sinusitis.
Aff ected sinusesThere are four types of sinuses – max-
illary (behind the cheek bones), ethmoid (between the eyes), frontal (in the fore-head) and sphenoid (behind the eyes). All of these sinuses can be affected by sinusitis. The majority of cases involve the maxillary and ethmoid sinuses.
When to see a doctorYou may have several episodes of acute
sinusitis, lasting less than four weeks, be-fore developing chronic sinusitis. If you are suffering from chronic sinusitis and need treatment from an ear, nose, and throat physician, visit your primary care doctor and ask for a referral. For more informa-tion about ENT physicians at Fort Sanders Regional visit www.fsregional.com.
SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • MARCH 2, 2016 • 3 community
Betsy Pickle
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Guilty From page 1
White Game.Beth Alford-Sullivan,
director of track and fi eld, said much the same. Her teams share indoor training facilities with football.
“There is a huge amount of respect and a huge amount of care for each other.’’
Holly Warlick, women’s basketball coach, defended the entire athletic depart-ment. Of course some of her players go to parties with football players. They are friends.
“I just tell them, ‘You have to make the right choices.’”
Holly has cautioned her players not to walk alone at night, as if cavemen were hiding in the bushes. The threat, if there is one, is so-cial interaction with loose or no boundaries.
Ah, but the culture is de-scribed as healthy. It will, nevertheless, undergo in-spection.
There will be other stud-ies. One will conclude that criminal accusations should be investigated by real de-tectives, not committees.
Even if a court fi nds the
complaints are exaggerated, no way the university comes completely clean. Title IX is about women’s rights. There is no ceiling. The military front row in ground war-fare, the right to be blown to pieces or captured and tortured unmercifully, was the ultimate victory for women. They, too, are Ma-rines. Equal pay and proper respect are kid stuff.
In the lawsuit, the univer-sity is blamed for enabling an environment of bad be-havior. The disciplinary sys-tem is said to favor athletes. Administrators are accused of deliberate indifference.
The suit seeks to rem-edy all ills, starting with the Tennessee Uniform Ad-ministrative Procedure Act, applicable to many institu-tions. The 1982 legislative idea was to assure due pro-cess. In reality, it is slow.
The suit says protection of football came at any cost, even when the charge was rape.
Rape is bad. So is pre-meditated lynching. Let’s have a real trial. Marvin West invites reader reaction. His
address is [email protected]
Dr. Amanda Dykstra of the University of Tennessee College of
Veterinary Medicine and fi lmmakers Josh Gildrie and Michael
Samstag take a break during the fi lming of “A Southern Fix.”
Rescue! From page 1
“I don’t even know how many hours we shot,” says Samstag, who lives in West Knoxville. The fi lm ended up at about 73 minutes.
Young-Williams Animal Center and the UT Col-lege of Veterinary Medicine fi gure prominently in the story. So does Animal Aid USA, which arranges mass transports of adoptable pets from the Southeast to the Northeast.
The fi lm covers every-thing from the “compas-sion fatigue” that besets animal professionals and volunteers to the causes of pet overpopulation in the South to advocacy for more humane treatment of ani-mals.
One storyline shows Gildrie and Samstag getting involved in the plight of a little dog.
“It was heartbreaking to the point where we were barely able to even capture footage – you’ve got tears in your eyes, you’re trying to
play it off, trying to be pro-fessional as possible,” says Gildrie. “I never like includ-ing myself in anything, but it was an amazing part of the tale.”
“We’re human beings and rescuers and advocates fi rst and fi lmmakers and pro-ducers second,” says Sam-stag.
The screenings planned for Knoxville, Nashville, At-lanta and Philadelphia will benefi t organizations fea-tured in the fi lm. Samstag and Gildrie have submitted to fi lm festivals and hope to present the documentary at some of those in late sum-mer and fall. Other distribu-tion plans are in the works.
Samstag says he hopes the fi lm encourages people to adopt animals from shel-ters rather than buy them from a pet store.
“We could clear out ev-ery shelter in America just by having 20 percent of the people who buy a dog at a pet store go to a shelter.”
The city of Knoxville put the spotlight on SoKno last week. Two meetings held at Flenniken Landing gave residents food for thought and cause for optimism.
COMMUNITY NOTES
■ Colonial Village Neighborhood Association.
Info: Terry Caruthers, 579-
5702, t_caruthers@hotmail.
com.
■ Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Firearms Association meets 6 p.m.
each fi rst Tuesday, Gondolier
Italian Restaurant, Chapman
Highway, 7644 Mountain
Grove Drive. The public is
invited. Info: Liston Matthews,
316-6486.
■ Knoxville Tri-County Lions Club meets 7 p.m.
each second and fourth
Monday, Connie’s Kitchen,
10231 Chapman Highway,
Seymour. Info: facebook.com/
TriCountyLions/info.
■ Lake Forest Neighborhood Association. Info: Molly
Gilbert, 209-1820 or
■ Lindbergh Forest Neighbor-hood Association meets 6:30
p.m. each third Wednesday,
Graystone Presbyterian
Church, 139 Woodlawn Pike.
Info: Kelley DeLuca, 660-4728,
■ Old Sevier Community Group meets 7 p.m. each
third Thursday, South
Knoxville Elementary School
library, 801 Sevier Ave. Info:
Gary E. Deitsch, 573-7355 or
■ South Haven Neighborhood Association meets 10 a.m.
each third Saturday, Hillcrest
UMC, 1615 Price Ave. Info: Pat
Harmon, 591-3958.
■ South Knox Republican Club meets 7 p.m. each
third Thursday, South
Knox Optimist Club, 6135
Moore Road. Kevin Teeters,
■ South of the River Demo-crats (9th District) meet
6:30 p.m. each third Monday,
South Knoxville Community
Center, 522 Maryville Pike.
Info: Debbie Helsley, 789-
8875, or Brandon Hamilton,
809-3685.
■ South Woodlawn Neigh-borhood Association. Info:
Shelley Conklin, 686-6789.
■ South-Doyle Neighbor-hood Association meets
7 p.m. each fi rst Tuesday,
Stock Creek Baptist Church
fellowship hall, 8106 Martin
Mill Pike. Info: Mark Mugford,
609-9226 or marksidea@aol.
com.
■ Vestal Community Orga-nization meets 6 p.m. each
second Monday, South Knox-
ville Community Center, 522
Maryville Pike. Info: Katherine
Johnson, 566-1198.
Fort Dickerson updates win support
The city’s meeting on Fort Dickerson Park improve-ments brought out a hardy crowd on a dark and stormy night. It has been several months since a $1.4 million realignment of Fort Dick-erson Road and Woodlawn Pike at Chapman Highway was completed and an auto-repair building was razed to create a more aesthetically pleasing entrance for the park, and SoKno residents have been wondering how long they would have to look at a blank, 30-foot retaining wall along the roadway.
City Council member Nick Pavlis, Mayor Mad-eline Rogero and Parks and Recreation director Joe Walsh spread thanks and talked about the park’s as-sets before Cliff Brooks of the landscape architecture fi rm Carol R. Johnson As-sociates got down to the nitty-gritty of plans for the entrance.
Brooks had plenty of drawings and photos to il-lustrate the project, which he said would “pay homage to the past” and empha-size the importance of Fort Dickerson’s future.
A stone pillar on each side of the entry will welcome visitors to the park. Brooks said it’s possible some type of arched metal sign will top the pillars. Trees will line the drive, which leads up the hill to an overlook, a picnic pavilion and the Civil War fort’s earthen works.
The landscape architects are focused on the part of the park that can be viewed from Chapman Highway. On the lawn that was formerly the home of G&R Automo-tive, there is to be a circular stone wall at a height that’s comfortable for sitting. The green space inside the circle can be used for casual and more formal purposes.
Brooks said they envi-sioned people picnicking in the circle and on the wall it-self. A staircase will lead to a parking lot.
Trees and plants will be chosen for all-season inter-est and beauty. There will be trees along the driveway
Matthew Kellogg of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club, Terry Caruthers of Colonial Village,
Danny Gray of South Woodlawn and Dave Gartner of Lake Forest come in from a stormy night
to hear about upcoming work at Fort Dickerson. Photos by Betsy Pickle
Jason Stephens, Monte Stan-
ley and Ann Strange check
out a map indicating South
Knoxville properties suggest-
ed for rezoning by MPC staff ,
including Mike Brusseau.
Mayor Madeline Rogero and City Council member Nick Pavlis
are longtime advocates for renovations at Fort Dickerson.
and around the stairs. A new bus stop is planned
for in front of the park, and bicycle racks will be made available.
As for that retaining wall: It will be faced with natural stone.
The question-and-an-swer session after Brooks’ presentation brought out both praise and concern. At-tendees seemed happy with the plans in general. Some were worried about safety as no fencing is planned along Chapman Highway. Suggestions were made for unobtrusive and even his-torical types of barriers.
Brooks addressed ques-tions about accessibility by explaining that there would be sidewalk cut-throughs into the circle. There will not be a ramp along the staircase because the in-cline would be too steep.
Perhaps the biggest point of contention was about sig-nage. For years, many have complained about how hard
it is to fi nd Fort Dickerson. The realignment included an overhead road sign that makes the park hard to miss, but some insisted that was not enough. CRJA may have to go back to the draw-ing board on that one, but at least they’ve made a start.
■ Zoning recommendations The Metropolitan Plan-
ning Commission’s One-Year Plan Update for the South Sector was held the night before the Fort Dick-
erson meeting. Simply put, not much has changed since last year, although meeting attendance was about dou-ble what it was in 2015.
Mike Brusseau of the MPC brought a map that showed general rezoning possibilities suggested by the MPC staff. The proper-ties include everything from a former quarry off Stone Road to land adjacent to Ijams Nature Center.
Unless City Council makes a request, the rezon-ings will not be placed on the MPC agenda.
History award nominations soughtThe East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) invites
nominations from across East Tennessee for Awards of Excellence in the fi eld of history. The annual awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made signifi cant contributions to the preservation, promotion, programming and interpretation of the region’s history. The postmark deadline for award applications is April 8.
Info/nomination form: 215-8824; eastTNhistory.org; East Tennessee Historical Society, PO Box 1629, Knoxville, TN 37901.
Peep Show is FridayBroadway Studios and
Gallery, 1127 N. Broadway, will present “PEEP SHOW!” – an art extravaganza based on the human fi gure – 5-9 p.m. Friday, March 4, with artists from the metro Knoxville area.
Art is tasteful but can contain nudity. Finny B’s food truck will serve gourmet sandwiches to be enjoyed under a heated tent. Winners and awards for artists will be given at 6:30 p.m. The Sandsa-tion Dancers will perform belly dancing starting at 7 p.m. and Cal Lampkin will
Send news to [email protected]
provide music throughout the evening.
Info: Jessica Gregory, [email protected] or 865-556-8676.
4 • MARCH 2, 2016 • Shopper news
Celebrating an event?
Share your family’s milestones with us!Send announcements to [email protected]
When you know a thou-sand former Volunteers, the stack of stories never ends – who they really are, where they have been, what they are doing.
We remember Curt Wat-son as an elite Navy pilot with the Blue Angels. Da-vid Allen remains a famous urologist. Alan Duncan be-came a missionary.
Tim Townes, who chairs the of University of Ala-bama-Birmingham Depart-ment of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, is still chasing a cure for sickle-cell disease.
Vol for Life Jani Tru-povnieks is an international salesman. That is the be-nign tip of an unbelievable trip.
Jani sells high-pressure reverse osmosis equipment
Jani Trupovnieks: International salesman
Marvin West
that changes bad water into good. Since 2010, he has represented Aqua-Chem Global Water Solutions of Knoxville. His customers include major oil compa-nies, cruise lines, munici-palities (city of Vladivostok, Russia, for example), Carib-bean islands and even the government of Kuwait.
Jani works some of the circuit he traveled for 15 years when he sold boats for Sea Ray. Water is the con-necting link.
Before that, Trupovnieks was an offensive tackle, 6-8 and 260, for the Vols, 1980-81. He fi nished his degree, had a very brief fl ing with the Oakland Raiders and faced the real world.
“I sent out 400 resumes. Sea Ray was fi rst to respond. I had a connection. My par-ents had moved to Knoxville and bought a house from a company executive. It just took six months of pester-ing Sea Ray for them to hire me.”
He helped build boats until the company posted an opening in international sales. It just took six more months of “pestering” man-agement for the chance to move up. That job took Jani so many places, he lost count.
“Something more than
50 countries, seeing some of the most unbelievable plac-es, meeting some fascinat-ing people and experiencing some thrills of a lifetime.”
He took a 22-foot speed boat from Marbella, Spain, over to Gibraltar. He walked the streets of Amsterdam. He skied in Norway in sub-zero weather. A stiff breeze somehow turned his lift chair upside down. Excit-ing, very exciting.
Jani made it to Moscow and walked through the Kremlin. In Rome, he saw St. Peters Square and the Vatican. In Berlin he visited Checkpoint Charlie. He was treated like royalty when he introduced Sea Rays into Finland. The boats and the country were a perfect match.
He went boating along
the coast of France, from Cannes to San Tropez. He saw Monaco. He drove on the Autobahn. He visited his father’s birthplace in Latvia, and his mother’s in East Germany. He met rela-tives for the fi rst time. There were none in America.
Jani accumulated many rewards for commercial air miles, enough to fl y his mother’s family to the U.S. (fi rst class) for her 70th birthday party.
Trupovnieks had a pri-vate jet for a three-week sales trip to South America. He didn’t stay long in Ven-ezuela.
“We were awakened by our pilots and told we must depart immediately due to a coup. I remember slipping out the back door of the ho-tel, rushing to the airport and running to the plane. It was already on the runway at 3 a.m.”
Jani was a big man long
before all that. He looks trim enough at 320 but economy airline seats are a tight fi t. He once survived 17 hours in coach, from Chi-cago to Abu Dhabi.
He says hotel beds in Ja-pan are a little problem. So was a dental chair.
“I lost a fi lling. My inter-preter helped fi nd a dentist. The offi ce reminded me of a big doll house. I knew I was in trouble when I sat down and my hands felt the fl oor.
“I was sedated. When I awoke, at least 10 people were looking in my mouth. Obviously I could not un-derstand a word they were saying. My interpreter in-terpreted.
“‘Look at the size of those molars.’”
Next week: The rest of the story, background, time as Vol, bumping into Rhon-da Brimer.Marvin West invites reader reaction. His
address is [email protected]
GOP women’s awardHelen “Tootie” Haskins and JoAnne Skidmore of the
Tennessee Federation of Republican Women ac-
knowledge Haskins’ selection as one of fi ve women
honored by the new GOP committee on Women in
Business, which Skidmore chairs. Recognized in the
inaugural class were Chrissy Haslam, Speaker Beth
Harwell, U.S. Reps. Diane Black and Marsha Black-
burn, and Haskins. Haskins had a 33-year career as
legislative assistant to Sens. Halbert Havill, Bill Baird,
Reagor Motlow, Milton Hamilton and Ben Atchley.
Ed Brantley
Brantley wants relief for towing customersBy Sandra Clark
Knox County at-large commissioner Ed Brantley apparently believes that when a citizen comes to public forum, asking for help on an issue, that some-one ought to pay attention.
This is an odd notion that surely will be squelched. For now Brantley’s trampled on a sacred sheriff’s offi ce pre-rogative. Stand by to learn the outcome.
It started when Paul Johnson appeared at an earlier commission meet-ing to complain that he got a towing/storage bill for more than $500 after a Thanks-giving weekend wreck ren-dered his car undrivable.
“I tried to call my insur-ance agency, but they were closed for the holiday. So the county (deputy) called a wrecker. For a 15-mile tow, the bill was over $500
when I went to get the car on Monday. I had to forfeit my title to the car, the bill was so high. I asked for an itemized bill and the person at the window said no. I fi -nally took a picture of the bill with my phone.
“It was $350 for towing, a $50 gate fee and $50 for cleanup at the site.”
Brantley said the depu-ties should hand the victims a list of wrecker services and their charges. “The con-sumer should know what they’re up against when this happens because they’re not in any position to make a good decision.” He called for discussion.
Commissioner Mike Brown jumped in. “Is there such a list? Who sets the list? Who sets the cost?” He called for someone from the sheriff’s offi ce to respond. No one stepped forward.
B r a n t -ley said he had spoken with Deputy Chief Lee Tramel who said there’s no pro-cedure in place.
Commis-sioner Brad Anders, also a city police offi cer, said the city has a contract wrecker service for each zone with set rates. “We would have to create a committee to in-spect wreckers and it would require cooperation from the sheriff’s offi ce.”
Commissioner Charles Busler said his insurance has a towing rider and he also has AAA. Anders said AAA doesn’t tow wrecks. “They’ll call a towing ser-vice, but you’ll get the full bill.”
“I’m not asking for more regulations,” said Brantley. “The simplest thing would be a written list. ...”
Commissioner Bob Thomas thanked Johnson for coming back to the Feb-ruary meeting. “The No. 1 thing that everyone up here wants is for every citizen to be treated fairly. We should come up with what it would cost (to oversee wreckers and towing).
“It should be fair for citi-zens and fair for wrecker companies. Citizens should be able to get an itemized bill. We need to step into the 20th Century.”
Commission chair Dave Wright asked Brantley to contact the sheriff’s of-fi ce and set up a discussion for the commission’s next workshop meeting, which should be Monday, March 14.
Shopper news • MARCH 2, 2016 • 5 government
Betty Bean
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Library honorState Sen. Randy McNally, who chairs the Senate fi nance com-
mittee and represents a portion of Knox County, has received
the Medallion Award for leadership in fi nancial management
and support of the state’s libraries. Secretary of State Tre
Hargett (left) presented the award to McNally, citing his work
to secure state funding to construct the Briceville Public Li-
brary in 2011. McNally said libraries, especially in rural areas,
give important Internet access for online education programs
and job se arches.
Tom Anderson
Tom Anderson has worked for the University of Tennessee 15 years come August. He’s in Facilities Services (formerly Physi-cal Plant) and is a buyer in
the supply warehouse.
A past p r e s i d e n t of United C a m p u s W o r k -ers (affi li-ated with the Com-m u n i c a -
tion Workers of America), he and his wife have two children, ages 22 and 23, who want to continue their education. They live in the Whittle Springs area. Both he and his wife have pre-existing health conditions, and it took him years to top $30,000 annually at UT.
“There’s a public image of cushy state jobs with great benefi ts where you don’t really work that hard, but that’s far from reality,” Anderson said. “One of the tradeoffs for the ‘good ben-efi ts’ is a lower salary scale.
The human face of outsourcing
Folks who are custodians or in zone maintenance, they make $9.50 an hour – UT’s minimum wage. Almost ev-erybody I know has a side job on weekends. They’re living hand to mouth, and I’m not far from that. We live paycheck to paycheck.”
Nevertheless, he said that he and his colleagues take pride in their work and al-ways fi nd a way to do what needs to be done, regard-less of Nashville-mandated funding cuts and belt tight-ening. He’s proud that Facili-ties Services logged a 94 per-cent approval rating for work orders completed in 2015. A memo prepared by the de-partment says its employees have more than 5,000 years of accumulated service.
“There’s an old saying that applies: ‘Never mind the mule, just load down the cart.’ ” Anderson said.
“And with state employees, that’s what you get. We un-derstand what it takes to maintain campus as a safe and effective learning envi-ronment and we do what-ever it takes to support the university.”
He said life has been hard for campus workers since they found out about Gov. Bill Haslam’s plan to out-source their jobs last August (nobody’s buying Haslam’s claims that he hasn’t yet made up his mind about go-ing forward).
Despite a series of em-barrassments – the failure to attract a single private sector bidder to run the state’s parks, the scandal-plagued handover of state buildings to a Chicago man-agement fi rm (in which, it was later revealed, Haslam had invested) and the poor outcomes logged by the fi rm contracted to provide online elementary school educa-tion, Haslam appears set on outsourcing as many public jobs as he can hand over to private enterprise.
Although he knows the
campus workers have strong support from their adminis-tration and the public, An-derson can’t help but worry.
“If this happens, I’ll al-most certainly lose my job, my income and my benefi ts. The ability to send my kids to college would become very diffi cult. My ability to get insurance will pretty much disappear, and so will my ability to spend money in the community. And we’re talking about 800 people. That’s a lot of money to take out of the local economy.”
If past is prologue, even those who keep their jobs will make less money and see their benefi ts reduced.
“It’s emotionally drain-ing,” Anderson said. “My co-workers really are fam-ily – and not only will that go away, but its going to af-fect their ability to survive. There’s a very clear human cost that the governor and his Offi ce of Customer Focused Government are not talking about – and they don’t want to talk about. They much rather keep it as numbers.
“Never mind us mules.”
standing on an economic sand bar watching good jobs and their standard of living wash away, this Trump’s for you.
Donald Trump in the White House is scary. Very scary. But even scarier is the massive federal debt we’ve piled up by spending money on social programs and wars we haven’t been willing to tax ourselves to fund.
Voters in yesterday’s primary said “Enough. No more. Let’s go.”
Donald Trump, all-American scoundrel, is headed for the White House.
Sandra Clark
I’ve seen the light:Why Trump winsCount me among the
skeptics who thought Don-ald Trump would blow over as a serious candidate.
But after watching the debates and the early primaries, I fi nally get it. Donald J. Trump – casino-building, old-lady-evicting, multimarried, bankrupt-cy-fi ling wild man with three wives and fi ve kids – is headed for the White House.
Trump has caught the wave of outrage that folks across the country are feel-ing. “Let’s make America great again” resonates.
For every Ron Ramsey who got outspent and out-polled by an establishment sort like Bill Haslam, this Trump’s for you.
For every evangelical who dutifully voted for Republican nominees only to see nothing change, this Trump’s for you.
For the middle class,
VictorAshe
What happens to state Rep. Joe Armstrong as he seeks a 15th term in the Legislature this August and November? It is an awk-ward issue for many who like Armstrong. He is un-der federal indictment for income tax evasion and it goes to trial on Aug. 2, just two days before the state primary.
Of course it could be postponed again or settled. But if not, to be in court on election day is not a good situation for a public offi cial running for offi ce. One won-ders if the judge hearing the case will want it to be heard while voters are deciding Armstrong’s future. If he is acquitted, then his prob-lems are resolved.
He has well-known Knoxville criminal defense attorney Greg Isaacs work-ing his case.
However, if he were con-victed, he can still legally continue running for offi ce in November but it would be embarrassing for local and state Democrats. Of course, he could also resign the nomination and allow local Democrats to replace him.
However, if elected, it is unlikely the House would seat him as a convicted felon. Under Tennessee’s Constitution the House or Senate determines the eligibility of its own mem-bers. If Armstrong were not seated then that would trigger a special election in his district in 2017 at con-siderable public expense. County Commission would also name an interim repre-sentative for 100 days until
Timing of Armstrong trial is dilemma
the election was held.However, there is prec-
edent for a lawmaker serv-ing in the state House and drawing a paycheck while in federal prison. That was the late Tommy Burnett who represented Fentress Coun-ty. He was re-elected while in prison.
The Democratic Party faces the dilemma of stick-ing with Armstrong despite the indictment or securing an alternative candidate to oppose him. Right now the Democrats seem to be backing Armstrong or at least not opposing him. The district itself is less than 50 percent African American and includes Holston Hills, the UT campus and much of South Knoxville as well as all of East Knoxville.
It is a Democratic dis-trict but an indictment and certainly a conviction could change voting patterns if the Republicans run a se-rious moderate candidate. New state GOP chair Ryan Haynes has a challenge as the deadline for fi ling is April 7 (a little over one month from now). It falls to him and the House GOP caucus to seek a candidate in case Armstrong falters.
Armstrong is personal-ly liked by members of both parties. The vast majority, including this writer, hope
he is innocent. That is one reason there has not been a rush by political leaders calling for his ouster.
On the other hand, should he be found guilty then there are consequenc-es for both parties and the people of his district whom he has ably served for 28 years.
■ Retiring U.S. Rep. Steve Fincher from West Tennessee who has served only three terms in Con-gress is taking with him a huge campaign war chest of $2.7 million. This can be found at fec.gov for those who wish to check dona-tions to campaign for Con-gress as well as president. This was as of Dec. 31, 2015.
Fincher will be able to give this away to various causes and political activi-ties as long as it lasts. He cannot use it for personal matters.
To place this in com-parison to other Tennes-see House members, Rep. Phil Roe from the upper East Tennessee district has $535,000 in his campaign account. Rep. Jimmy Dun-can has $1 million. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann has $931,000, Rep. Scott Des-Jarlais has $240,000, Rep. Jim Cooper from Nashville has $891,000, Rep. Diane Black has $1.7 million, Rep. Marsha Blackburn has $2.2 million and Rep. Steve Co-hen has $745,000.
■ County Commis-sioner Bob Thomas is contacting lots of folks about a possible 2018 run for county mayor when Tim Burchett is term limited in
2018. Thomas had coffee a few weeks ago with former Mayor Tommy Schumpert at Panera’s in Bearden. He is thinking about a May event at Powell Auction to raise some funds but he has not named a treasurer yet which is a legal requirement to raise money.
■ John Hooker’s death removes a colorful and icon-ic personality from the Ten-nessee political scene. He came close to being elected governor in 1970 but came up against a Memphis den-tist named Winfi eld Dunn who prevailed. Dunn and Hooker later became good friends and Dunn described him as a “giant.
It is hard not to like and admire the tenacity with which Hooker approached the causes he favored. He had character and convic-tion. They are worthy attri-butes.
■ Noted author Erik Larson will speak in Knox-ville at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at the Bijou Theatre. He is the author of “Dead Wake” and previously wrote “In the Garden of Beasts,” and “The Devil in the White City.” Tickets are available from knoxbijou.com
GOV NOTES ■ Thursday 3/3, 7:30 p.m., GOP Concord Farragut, Fruitation Café,
speaker Lee Tramel
■ Saturday 3/5, 9:30-noon, public offi cials assisting Second Harvest,
RSVP 615-741-1648
■ Monday 3/7, 1 p.m., East Knox Community Meeting, Burlington
Library, speaker Charme Allen
■ Monday 3/7, 7 p.m., GOP West Knox, Red Lobster, Kingston Pike
■ Tuesday 3/8, 7 p.m., GOP North Knox/Fountain City, Shoney’s,
Broadway.
Tennessee Highway Patrol hiring cadetsThe Tennessee Highway
Patrol will soon begin ac-cepting applications for the next Trooper Cadet Academy. Men and women interested in a career as a state trooper can begin the
application process online only, beginning at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, March 9, through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, March 15.
Applicants may apply at agency.governmentjobs.com/tennessee/default.cfm
There are currently 884 authorized commissioned trooper positions within the THP.
Trooper cadets will be assigned to vacant positions across the state upon gradu-ation. The starting salary during the training acad-emy is $2,733 per month.
Info: tn.gov/safety or 615-741-4841
6 • MARCH 2, 2016 • Shopper news
SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • MARCH 2, 2016 • 7 faith
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.
AARP Taxaide free income
tax preparation and
electronic fi ling available
Mondays through April 14;
appointment: 521-5569.
■ South Knox Commu-nity Center
522 Old Maryville Pike573-3575Monday-FridayHours vary
Off erings include a vari-
ety of senior programs.
■ John T. O’Connor Senior Center
611 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. Free tax
preparation available 9 a.m.
Wednesdays through April
13. Pancake Fest, 7 a.m.-1
p.m. Friday, March 4.
■ CAC Offi ce on Aging
2247 Western Ave.524-2786knoxooa@knoxseniors.
org
■ Knox County Senior Services
City County Building400 Main St., Suite 615215-4044 Monday-Friday8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
CrossCurrents
LynnPitts
Family is a broad con-cept. There is the family of mankind, which includes all of us. In the midst of a con-tentious political season, that is an important thing to remember!
There are also clans, countries, organizations, political parties, clubs, churches, denominations, sororities, fraternities, and lodges, claiming a special kinship with one another.
What all of those things have in common is connec-tion. We are social animals, and we need each other. And speaking of animals, let us not forget that there are a great many other social animals besides us humans. For example, whales live in pods, fi sh live in schools, female elephants help each other during the process of birthing, male wolves get excited and protective when their mate is giving birth.
When one reaches a cer-tain age, one begins to no-tice that there are holes in the connection. People we have loved die; friends we have cherished move, lose
Connective tissueFor this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.
(Ephesians 3: 14 NRSV)
All that they were he would never have again.– Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good, Jan Karon
touch, disappear from our lives.
As is so often the case, I know the following quote because I heard it sung many, many times when I was in junior high school. I never had a chance to sing it when I moved up to high school, but I remember it fondly, both the lyrics and the tune.
“No man is an island, no man stands alone.
Each man’s joy is joy to me,
Each man’s grief is my own.
We need one another, so I will defend
Each man as my brotherEach man as my friend.”
– Based on a poem
by John Donne
Bonnie Peters
It’s March and I cannot keep from noticing the sub-tle signs of spring. My star magnolia has bloomed, but sadly after two days the freeze got it. My Lenten rose is now in bloom, but the plant is freeze hardy, so it is fi ne. The jonquils will be out in a couple of weeks and hopefully will not get frozen.
Plants of spring
Snow drops
Of course, heart leaf pig is not this plant’s real name. Its real name is bergenia. Another common name for this plant is pigs squeak, so named because when the wet leaves are rubbed to-gether, they squeak. This beautiful little plant was discovered by me when my mother would take my sis-ter and me for walks in the woods. She would let us pick the little pigs and use them in our playhouse. When this plant blooms in the early spring, it has a little fi ve-pet-al white, bell-shaped fl ower. If you have a woodland yard as I do, it is a nice plant for your fl ower bed.
Bergenias are evergreen perennials that form as low clumps of bold, shiny green
leaves in the garden. With some winter sunshine, these glossy green leaves develop shades of pol-ished bronze making them attractive contrasting plants. Bergenias are also frost/freeze hardy. They are happy in mild sun or partial shade and are of-ten seen in established gardens under forests of tall trees. Mine is under a large Yoshino cherry tree.
Yet another encourag-ing attribute is that ber-genias are classifi ed as water-wise plants that re-quire average moisture. It is said they are buck- and rabbit-resistant so are ide-al for farm house or coun-try gardens.
Hearts A-Bustin’ with Love: In mid-summer, this little shrub will form marble-size red berries. In late summer
Lenten rose
Snow Drops: Lest we get too carried away with the thought that spring is here, snow drops are in full bloom.
Heart Leaf Pigs:Plants and their names are always entertaining.
the berries will burst and form the shape of a heart. I have grown one or two into small trees – about seven feet tall and perhaps an inch trunk diameter.
WORSHIP NOTES ■ West Haven Baptist Church, 5651 Matlock Drive, will host VBS
FunShop, a VBS training and networking event, Saturday, March
5. Group Publishing VBS expert will provide hands-on training on
its “Cave Quest VBS.” Registration: group.com/vbsfunshop. Info:
Elizabeth, 237-4090.
St. John’s to presenta generous young pianist
By Carol Z. ShaneSaint John’s Episcopal
Cathedral is well-known in town as a musical destina-tion., with its Cathedral Arts Series regularly presenting high-quality programs fea-turing choirs and soloists of all types performing Chris-tian and secular music.
The church’s director of music, Jason Overall, is ex-cited to be involved a new venture. He’s presenting young pianist Brandon Cof-fer in concert with other area musicians, including Knox-ville Symphony Orchestra players, in a recital meant to encourage excitement about classical music in the next generation. “The thrust of this recital is bringing the pi-ano to a younger audience,” says Overall.
It is indeed an excit-ing program, featuring the chamber piece popularly known as the “Brahms horn trio.” The work includes a
rollicking fi nal movement that evokes images of hunt-ers on horseback cresting the hills, and is a good bet to set young feet a-tapping.
Coffer, a native Knoxvil-lian and Carson-Newman University alumnus, says, “The motivation really stems from me wanting to perform more and market myself as a collaborative pianist. How-ever, so many young people have parents that enroll them in music lessons and sometimes those kids never get to see the result of what could and would happen if they stuck with it. Although not everyone who takes mu-sic lessons will go on to ma-jor in music it doesn’t mean that they can’t be profi cient in their craft.”
As a student at the Com-munity School of the Arts, remembers the school’s ex-ecutive director Jennifer Wil-lard, “Brandon was always a highlight at the annual piano
recitals, and his talent was evident from the start. But
what re-ally made us proud was the fact that as both a high school and college student he was willing to share his k nowledge
by coming back to teach el-ementary school kids!”
Coffer says, “I just want to show the youth that the possibilities in music are endless regardless if it’s their main career or not.”
There will also be solo piano and vocal pieces, and the audience is invited to come early in order to visit with the pianist. “Bran-don is very articulate,” says Overall, “and he will lead a Q&A session in addition to the performance. This would be a great opportu-
nity to see a young African-American music profession-al, and to show kids that the arts are more than just an after-school activity.”
Will there be more pro-grams of this nature? “I’m working on it,” says Coffer. “I have this idea that there are so many of us younger musicians who are trying to establish ourselves and I want to help be a part of that process.”
Saint John’s Episco-pal Cathedral Arts Series presents pianist Brandon Coffer and special guests in performance at 6 p.m., Tuesday, March 8, at Saint John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 413 Cumberland Avenue in downtown Knoxville. A Q&A session with Coffer will precede the recital at 5:15 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Info: stjohnscathedral.org or 525-7347.Send story suggestions to news@
shoppernewsnow.com.
By Nancy AndersonThe Tellico Tappers Shuf-
fl ed off to Buffalo for the last time at Strang Senior Center’s 18-year anniver-sary celebration on Feb. 10.
For 20 years the popular seniors tap dancing troupe from Lenoir City performed four to fi ve shows a month entertaining in nursing homes, veteran’s homes, senior centers, and events
throughout East Tenn.With fi ve numbers includ-
ing “Singing in the Rain,” “The Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “Grand Old Flag,” “I’ve Got Rhythm,” and “Rocky Top” each with a quick cos-tume change, this year’s show was high energy with lots of pizazz. Most would agree that’s impressive for a group of 52 to 76-year-olds.
When founder Marilynn
McKenna passed away in 2015 and four others either moved or went back to work, the group decided to hang up their tap shoes but not be-fore dancing for the Strang Senior Center one last time.
“Last year was tough. Re-ally tough, we lost our direc-tor and several others so we felt it was time,” said dance captain Mary Jane Pope.
“Without Marilynn it’s
just not same, she was the glue that held us together.
“But we had to come to Strang Senior Center today. We wouldn’t miss it. It’s tra-dition.
“I’m going to miss my tapper sisters. We had a lot of fun laughing at ourselves and each other.
“I think that may be the most important thing Mari-lynn taught us.
“No matter what happens or what mistakes you make, just keep smiling. You’ll get through it.”
“We’ve had a wonderful time and we will cherish the memories of all the wonder-ful people we’ve met along the way.
“Today is a bittersweet day, but if Peyton Manning can retire so can we!”
The Tellico Tappers step-ball-changing their way through “Singing in the
Rain.”
Tellico Tappers hang up their dancing shoes
The Tellico Tappers with Strang Senior Center coordinator Lauren Monahan at the
center’s 18-year anniversary celebration Feb. 10. Pictured from left are Amy Covell,
Michel Hamilton, Sharen Bennett, Lauren Monahan, Ku Adams, Mary Jane Pope,
and Gale Montgomery. Photos by Nancy Anderson
Coff er
Jewelry treasures to benefi t India mission workLee Ann Vinson (at left) is a
key organizer of the India
Jewelry Sale, a mission-
minded fundraiser set for
5-7 p.m. Sunday, March 6, at
First Baptist Concord. With
more than 6,000 pieces
available at prices from $1
to $12, the sale features
necklaces, bracelets and
earrings. Tickets must be
purchased in advance at the
church’s website, fbcon-
cord.org/. All profi t is given
to the International Mission
Board and put back into
work in India.Photo by Carolyn Evans
8 • MARCH 2, 2016 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news kids
THROUGH FRIDAY, MARCH 4“Painted Paper Baskets” exhibit, lobby of the
Bagwell Center for Media and Art, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. Admission is free; hours: 7 a.m.-7 p.m. week-days. Info: pstcc.edu or 694-6400.
THROUGH SUNDAY, MARCH 13Knoxville Children’s Theatre presents
“To Kill A Mockingbird,” Knoxville Children’s Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Ave. Performances: 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 1 and 5 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. Info/tickets: 208-3677; knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com; [email protected].
THROUGH FRIDAY, APRIL 15Selected works by artist Kay List on exhibit,
Envision Art Gallery, 4050 Sutherland Ave. Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday. Info: kaylistart.com; envisionartgallery.com; 438-4154.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2Clarence Brown Theatre Family Feast, 6 p.m.,
UT’s Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, 1741 Volunteer Blvd. A performance of “A Lesson Before Dying” and a pre-performance buffet-style dinner. Must attend as a family. Recommended for mature middle schoolers and up. Info: clarencebrowntheatre.com.
Jazz Lunch at the Square Room featuring “Tribute to Ahmad Jamal with Justin Haynes,” noon, 4 Market Square Building. Cost: $15; includes lunch buf-fet by Café 4. Info/tickets: knoxjazz.org or by visiting Café 4 prior to show.
THURSDAY, MARCH 3Flower Lover’s Garden Club meeting, 2 p.m.,
John T. O’Connor Senior Center. Info: 687-0744.Friends Mini Used Book Sale, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.,
Karns Branch Library, 7516 Oak Ridge Highway. Info: 470-8663, knoxfriends.org.
How to Use Facebook for Seniors, 1-3 p.m., Far-ragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive. Presented by Social Media 4 Seniors. Cost: $30. Registration/pay-ment deadline: Thursday, March 3. Info/registration: 218-3375; townoffarragut.org/register; in person at Town Hall.
Sean McCollough, 4-4:45 p.m., Karns Branch Li-brary, 7516 Oak Ridge Highway. Info: 470-8663.
FRIDAY, MARCH 4Clarence Brown Theatre: Season For Youth
Student Matinees, 9:30 a.m., Ula Love Carousel Theatre, UT campus. Performance of “A Lesson Before Dying.” Recommended for mature middle schoolers and up. Info: clarencebrowntheatre/season-for-youth.
Grand opening of “Peep Show” art exhibit, 5-9 p.m., Broadway Studios and Gallery, 1127 N Broadway. Exhibit on display March 4-27. Parental discretion is advised for children under 18. Info: BroadwayStudiosAndGallery.com; Jessica Gregory, 556-8676.
Opening reception for Beth Meadows exhibit, 7-10 p.m., The Central Collective, 923 N. Central St. Free and open to the public. Exhibit on display through Tuesday, March 29. Info: 236-1590 or [email protected].
Opening reception for “Three Views of Reality” exhibit, 5-9 p.m., Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay St. On display March 4-24. Info: 523-7543 or knoxalliance.com.
Opening reception for exhibit of works by painter Lynda Best and pipe maker Ron Smith, 5:30 p.m., Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St. On display through March 27. Info: 525-5265; artmarketgallery.net; Facebook.com/Art.Market.Gallery.
Public reception for Knoxville Watercolor Society exhibit, 5-9 p.m., Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay St. exhibit on display March 4-24. Info: 523-7543 or knoxalliance.com.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 4-5The Appalachian Ballet Company encore
presentation of three ballets, 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday, Clayton Center for the Arts, 502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville. Featuring: “My Mama had a Dancing Heart,” “When Uncle Took the Fiddle” and “Little Lil and the Swing-Singing Sax.” Tickets: ClaytonArtsCenter.com, 981-8590, at the door.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, MARCH 4-20Tennessee Stage Company New Play Festival,
Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 319 N. Gay St. Perfor-mances: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. Info/tickets: 546-4280.
SATURDAY, MARCH 5AARP Driver Safety class, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Farragut
Presbyterian Church, 209 Jamestowne Blvd. Info/regis-
tration: Carolyn Rambo, 382-5822.“Beginning Genealogy,” 1-4 p.m., East Tennes-
see History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Instructor: Ann Blomquist, MEd. Preregistration, valid email address, good Internet searching capabilities required. Free and open to the public. Info/registration: 215-8809.
The Bing Brothers featuring Jake Krack, 8 p.m., Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave. Tickets: $14, some dis-counts available. Info/tickets: www.jubileearts.org.
Friends Mini Used Book Sale, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Karns Branch Library, 7516 Oak Ridge Highway. Info: 470-8663, knoxfriends.org.
Garden Tool Use and Maintenance workshop, 10 a.m.-noon, UT Arboretum Auditorium, 901 S. Illinois Ave., Oak Ridge. The workshop will focus on the use and maintenance of chainsaws, lawnmowers, garden hand tools and sprayers. Free; donations welcome. Info: 483-3571; utarboretumsociety.org.
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.
Mardi Growl, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Market Square. Includes pet-friendly parade and festival. Proceeds benefi t Young-Williams Animal Center. Info/registration: mardigrowl.org; young-williams.org; 215-6599.
Rummage sale/bake sale/concessions, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Macedonia UMC, 4630 Holston Drive.
Saturday Stories and Songs: Kindermusik, 11 a.m., Cedar Bluff Branch Library, 9045 Cross Park Drive. Ages birth to 5 years old. Info: 470-7033.
Saturday Stories and Songs: Miss Lynn, 11 a.m., Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave. Info: 215-8750.
Weed Wrangle, 9 a.m. Volunteers needed to help remove invasive plants in Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness, at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum, Ijams Nature Center, and Lakeshore Park. Info/volun-teer registration: weedwrangle.com and click on the photo of Knoxville.
SATURDAYS, MARCH 5-26Pilates/Yoga Fusion classes, 9-10 a.m., Farragut
Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive. Cost: $40. Registration and payment deadline: Friday, March 4. Info/registration: townoffarragut.org/register; in person at Town Hall; or 218-3375.
SUNDAY, MARCH 6UT’s Love United Gospel Choir concert, 6 p.m.,
Farragut Presbyterian Church Sanctuary, 209 James-town Blvd. Free and open to the public.
MONDAY, MARCH 7Book Discussion: “A Lesson Before Dying,”
6 p.m., Cedar Bluff Branch Library, 9045 Cross Park Drive. Facilitated by Ginny Weatherstone. A light dinner will be served. Info: knoxlib.org.
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ShoppernewseVents
Good vibes rule at Community
Schools Celebration
Dogwood Elementary second-graders Madalynne Mathis
and Chloe Galyon present Superintendent Jim McIntyre with
art created during their Community School art class as Jamey
Dobbs watches. Photos by Betsy Pickle
Bob Kronick receives artwork
from Pond Gap student Rylee
Greaney.
Stephanie Welch of Great Schools Partnership leads a small group, including Karen Holst (in
violet) and Blaine Sample, coordinators of the University-Assisted Community Schools at Pond
Gap and Inskip, respectively, on a tour of the SKES campus.
By Betsy Pickle Beaming faces were ev-
erywhere at the Commu-nity Schools Celebration at South Knoxville Elemen-tary School.
The kids taking part in the program and those help-ing out around the gymna-sium were all smiles as they represented SKES. Visitors from a number of communi-ty schools from throughout the county and members of the League of Women
Voters of Knoxville/Knox County, which sponsored last Thursday’s event with the school, looked happy and interested.
Most upbeat of all were the three “visionaries” hon-ored for their roles in bring-ing the community school initiative to Knoxville: Dr. Bob Kronick of the Universi-ty of Tennessee, Knox Coun-ty Schools Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre and Great Schools Partnership presi-dent Buzz Thomas. Each in turn received a framed piece of artwork created by community school students at Pond Gap, Dogwood and South Knoxville, respec-tively.
After a welcome by LWV president Rynn Dupes and words from Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, LWV board member and past president Jamey Dobbs jumped right into the art presentations. Riley Greaney represent-ed Pond Gap; Madalynne Mathis and Chloe Galy-on, Dogwood; and Alexis Banks, South Knoxville.
Kronick recalled coming up with the idea for commu-nity schools while driving on a two-lane road between Pikeville and Crossville. He stopped to eat at “a chick-en joint” in Crossville and started writing down his ideas about “the school as a human-service agency.”
Kronick founded the University-Assisted Com-munity Schools now at Pond Gap and Inskip. The other 10 local community schools are managed by the Great
Schools Partnership.McIntyre called Kronick
“a very persistent man” and said “we are all the benefi -ciaries of his persistence.” The superintendent spread thanks around generously – to principals, coordinators, people in the community, the school board and the two mayors.
Thomas said the commu-nity schools initiative isn’t a “project – it’s a strategy for
how we build healthy, safe, prosperous communities and schools.”
Stephanie Welch, vice president of operations for the Great Schools Partner-ship, highlighted projects going on at specifi c com-munity schools, including a nature trail, a walking school bus and community dinners.
The evening ended with tours of SKES and snacks.
South Knoxville Elementary students Isahia Rich and Kaylee Galyon, front, along with Chloe
McMillan, Alexis Banks and Natalie Washam served as principal Tanna Nicely’s helpers during
the Community Schools Celebration.
Buzz Thomas is presented
with art created by South
Knoxville Elementary student
Alexis Banks.
Community Schools resource coordinators Adam Fritts of Dog-
wood and Susan Martin of South Knoxville have an enthusias-
tic partner in Ben Epperson of the Knox County Health Depart-
ment.
Call Sara at
919-1102Got school news?
www.ShopperNewsNow.com
Shopper news • MARCH 2, 2016 • 9 business
Women’s Pay Equity
Forum 6:30 to 8 p.m.Tuesday, March 15, at the
Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville
Panelists: Patricia “Pat” Pierce, retired senior director of
Vanderbilt University’s Opportunity Development Center
Dena Wise, professor and chair, Family and Consumer Science,
UT Institute of Agriculture and immediate past-chair of the
Tennessee Economic Council on Women
Christina H. Blanton, regional director of human resources for
Select Medical Corporation
Moderator: Wanda Sobieski, attorney-at-law
In 67% of Tennessee homes with children under
18, women are providers. And in one in four of these
homes, women are the sole providers. This free and
open forum will explore the problem and solution of
unequal pay.
Info: Anne Loy, [email protected] 865-281-9689 or Linda
Murawski, [email protected] 865-607-8032; or
Knoxville-tn.aauw.net
Sponsored by the AAUW branches of Knoxville, Maryville
and Oak Ridge; the League of Women Voters of Knoxville and Oak
Ridge; the YWCA of Knoxville; and the East Tennessee Women’s
Leadership Council.
Ad space donated by Shopper News.
Why it matters and what you can do
By Tom KingEvery school day at Blue
Grass El-e m e n t a r y School the 620 stu-dents recite the core beliefs of Rotary In-ternational – known simply as
“The Four Way Test.” These are the same four principles that Rotarians around the world say at every Rotary meeting.
■ First, Is It the Truth? ■ Second, Is It Fair to All
Concerned? ■ Third, Will It Build
Goodwill and Better Friend-ships?
■ Fourth, Will It Be Ben-efi cial to All Concerned?
■ Reciting the Four Way Test is the result of the Knoxville Breakfast Rotary Club’s
partnership with the school that began in 2013.
“It’s so special when you are in the hallways in the morn-ings during the school’s 10-minute TV show. You stand there and hear The Four Way Test reverberating through the school,” says Scott Taylor, a club member and Knoxville attorney who was instrumental in pulling this partnership together. “It’s very special.”
“The Rotarians have made a great impact at Blue Grass on the students, teachers and on our com-munity. We think of them as part of our family here,” said Blue Grass principal Jaime Cantrill. “They are a regu-lar fi xture around here. The Four Way Test is about char-acter development and it’s an important part of our day.”
Taylor said the club had wanted to take on a ma-jor project. Helping Blue Grass seemed like a perfect fi t. “With the school being so close to where we meet at Gettysvue, approaching Blue Grass seemed a natural
News from the Rotary Guy
Tom King
Six students and two teachers were honored with the February Rotary Good Citizen awards.
Pictured are (front) Ashlynn Murrel, kindergarten; (second row) Izzy Galehouse, 4th grade, Grant
Cross, 2nd grade, Austin Madigan, 1st grade; (back) Molly Dalton, 5th grade, Gianna Hugg, 3rd
grade, Breakfast Rotarian Scott Taylor and teachers Lauren Rosenbush and Phyllis White.
Breakfast Rotary,Blue Grass
build partnershipKayden Segich holds up The
Four Way Test for the camera.
thing to do,” Taylor said.The club meets each
Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. at Gettysvue Country Club. Blue Grass is just down the road on Westland Drive.
This partnership be-gan in August 2013 with a cleanup/beautifi cation day on the school grounds. Each August now club members join parents and staff for the workday. This includes mulching, pressure wash-ing sidewalks and steps and building exteriors, install-
ing new swing sets and new storage sheds, working on the shrubbery and land-scaping, replacing the seats in the outdoor theater, and new picnic tables. “These Rotary guys sometimes work until dark on those cleanup days,” Cantrill said. This coming August will make the fourth straight year for the workday.
Breakfast Rotary also has a hand in the morning TV show. The club raised $8,000 in 2015 to replace
outdated equipment, pur-chasing two video cameras, a teleprompter, a tripod, an electronic media process-ing control box, an iPad and MacBook Pro for a ma-jor upgrade to the school’s broadcast department.
For the past three years the club has sponsored monthly student and staff Rotary Good Citizen Awards. Six students – one from each grade level – and two teachers or staff members are honored. Aubrey’s Res-
taurants donates gift cards. Club mem bers are there each month for the presentations.
Taylor estimates the club has invested about $20,000 in the last three years and this partnership continues. “This has been a great part-nership and it is our signa-ture project,” Taylor said. “For a small club (about 22 members) we’ve done quite a bit and we truly enjoy it and love the school.”
This partnership is lead-ing to another Rotary part-nership as well. In the fall of 2016 the Breakfast Rotary Club will sponsor a new In-teract Club at West Valley Middle School. “This is a natural progression for the Blue Grass students who go on to West Valley,” Tay-lor explained. “When they leave Blue Grass, they know all about Rotary.”Tom King is a retired newspaper editor, a
Rotarian for 28 years and past president
of the Rotary Club of Farragut. He can be
reached p at [email protected]
By Carol Z. ShaneThough he’s presenting
his fi nal recital as a UT faculty member this coming Sunday, Dr. David Northington, the school of music’s Powell Distinguished Professor of Piano, is already excited about his next project.
Northington is founder and artistic director of the East/West International Piano Festival at Shandong University in Weihai, China. And this summer he’ll be headed there to facilitate its inaugural season.
“We have American and Chinese students,” he says. “There will be lessons, master classes and excursions. I hope we will
eventually expand it and have students from everywhere.”
Wo r l d - r e n o w n e d as a concert pianist and educator, Northington will be retiring in July after 39 years at UT. He’s chosen for his fi nal faculty recital a “concert of ‘lasts,’” he says.
“It’s not a long program. I’m playing Beethoven’s last works the opus 126 ‘Bagatelles’ and Schubert’s ‘Piano Sonata in B fl at,’ fi nished a few months before he died.”
Northington says the “Bagatelles” or “trifl es”
are “mini-encapsulations of Beethoven’s style. In six small pieces, everything is there the lyricism, the
dynamic contrasts,
t he classicism, the beginnings of romanticism.” All were written in 1823, four years before the great composer’s death.
Speaking of his students, Northington says, “In so many ways, they keep me young.” He admits that he’ll miss that. But, he says, he just can’t keep up the same schedule and the same intensity of performing and teaching. “If I can’t perform and be an inspiration to my students through performing, I shouldn’t teach; I want to be the kind
‘Mockingbird’The Knoxville Children’s Theatre presents its timely, faithful production of “To
Kill a Mockingbird” this month.“We’re not doing a junior version of this play,” says artistic director Dennis Per-
kins. “That means that the language and issues of the book aren’t diluted. There’s no other way to tell this story.”
The recent death of its author, Harper Lee, will probably be noted, says Perkins, but “It’s the enduring impact of the work that really matters. If we can manage a faithful rendition of the work then that will be the best way that we can pay tribute to her.”
The play runs through March 13. Info: knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com or 208-3677.
After 39 years “on the bench” as professor of piano
at UT, Dr. David Northington will present his fi nal
faculty recital this Sunday. Photos by Carol Z. Shane
A concert of ‘lasts’
of inspiration to them that I feel a student needs.”
He’s got a substantial bucket list. Both he and his wife, Stephanie, are eager to visit New Zealand, where neither has been, as well as other countries new to them. He’ll be returning to some favorites, but “as a tourist, not as a performer
without all the stress and schedule constraints.”
A wine afi cionado, he looks forward to some “tasting tours.” And he’ll have two grandchildren and a stack of books calling his name.
“I think that every person enjoys certain advantages in every stage of life. I have advantages in my life now that I could not previously enjoy.
“I’m looking forward to opening those new doors.”
Dr. David Northington presents his fi nal faculty recital at 2:30 p.m. this Sunday, March 6, in the Sandra Powell Recital Hall in the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center on the UT campus. The event is free and open to the public. Info: 974-3241 or visit www.music.utk.edu.Send story suggestions to news@
shoppernewsnow.com.
10 • MARCH 2, 2016 • Shopper news