north/east shopper-news 030216
DESCRIPTION
A great community newspaper serving the northern and eastern communities of Knox CountyTRANSCRIPT
(865) 922-4136
NEWS (865) 661-8777
[email protected] Clark | Ruth White
ADVERTISING SALES(865) 342-6084
Patty Fecco | Tony Cranmore
Beverly Holland | Amy Lutheran
CIRCULATION(865) 521-8181
To page 3
VOL. 4 NO. 9 March 2, 2016www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow
NORTH / EAST
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 Ten-nessean 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 ar-rested 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 supposed 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, tennis 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 White Game.
Beth Alford-Sullivan, direc-tor of track and fi eld, said much the same. Her teams share indoor training facilities with football.
“There is a huge amount of re-
To page 3
Fulton volleyball fundraiser scores bigBy Betty Bean
Fulton High School’s volleyball team desperately needs a new net system, so coach Molly Conaway put together a plan called “Court-ing a new opportunity” and submit-ted it to a non-profi t organization called Donors Choose, which helps public school teachers and coaches raise money for approved projects. Conaway asked for $5,528.24.
She submitted the project on Feb. 10, got it approved and posted online on Valentine’s Day. By Feb
24, the new net system was fully funded, thanks to many small donations and one great big one – $3,000 – from Dick’s Sport-ing Goods Foundation. Conaway made the announcement on her Facebook page:
“My $6,000 grant for a new vol-leyball net system at Fulton was fully funded!! Yay!!! Huge thanks to Dick’s Sporting Goods and those who donated!!”
Fulton is slated to host the dis-trict volleyball tournament, so the
new net system will arrive right on time.
“We only get the money we raise and that goes to things like jerseys, buses, offi cials, so if we want to get new nets, we’ve got to raise the money,” she said.
Conaway is committed to her sport, and she spelled out its value in her Donors Choose application:
“Volleyball is one of the few sports that girls can play without feeling competition against boys. With girls basketball, soccer, soft-
Fulton High volleyball team members: assistant coach Kelsey Reese, Cecily Clevinger, Ashley Faulkner, Kiyah Foster, Alaysia McGee, Baleigh Bates, Keke McKin-
ney, Emily Abbott, Skylar Jones, JaNae Fuqua, Jyrdyn Walker, Indya Daggs, Rihanna Ailor, Kourtney Crutcher, coach Molly Conaway and manager Trinity Gist.
To page 3
After extensive public hearings, KCDC has presented fi nal render-ings for a new affordable living se-nior housing development for the Five Points area of East Knoxville. The meeting was Feb. 29 at the Walter P. Taylor Boys & Girls Club on McConnell St.
The development will be the fi rst units to be built back onto the footprint of Walter P. Taylor Homes and Dr. Lee L. Williams Senior Complex. Construction of The Residences at Five Points is expected to cost approximately $10 million and KCDC plans to
break grou nd on the senior hous-ing development in April 2016.
“This 90-unit senior housing development will put into action the fi rst phase of the master plan,” said Art Cate, KCDC executive di-rector.
“Communicating with stake-
ball, track, etc. there is always a boys counter-team that will al-ways be more athletic than the girls teams simply because they are boys. In our area, volleyball is a women’s sport ONLY. That means girls can feel free to com-pete and not be judged by the boys who also play that sport…
“These resources will provide us a brand new volleyball system so that our court can go the appro-
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
Community honors Mrs. Greene
It’s important for kids to know the woman for whom their school is named. And it’s even more important for them to know Mrs. Sarah Moore Greene as both an inspiring leader and as a regular person who made a difference.
Mrs. Greene, who died in August 2012 at age 102, was the fi rst African-American to serve on the Knoxville city school board. The state-of-the-art elementary school that bears her name was built in the early 1970s by the city – the last new school constructed in East Knoxville.
➤ Story 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
holders and residents throughout this process is a top priority, and the community’s input and ap-proval are critical to the project’s success.”
The master plan team is led by
AffAfAfteteterr r exexextetetensnsnsiivivivee pupupublblblbliicic hhheaea iririringngngss,s, KCDC has presented final render-
ThThThThee ddedevevevellolopmpmpmenentt wiwiwiiwiwiw lllllllllllllll bbbbbbbbeeeee e ththththththheee first units to be buililtt babba kckc oontntoo
bbrbreaeakkk grgrgrouououn nddd ononon ttthhehehe ssseneneniioiorr r hhohohousus-ing development in April 2016.
hhohoholdldldldererss s anananddd rere isisiddedentntntsss ththhhththrororoororougugugugugugughhhhohohohohohoouuututututtthis process is a top prioioriiritytty, anandd
Five Points to get senior housing
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.
NORTH/EAST Shopper news • MARCH 2, 2016 • 3 community
Tennessee
Maud Booth GardensMaud Booth Gardens
Independent Senior HousingIndependent Senior Housing4452 Maud Booth Way • Knoxville, TN 37917
Call (865)546-7090 for application
One-bedroom apartments • Rent based on income62 years or older
Guilty From page 1
spect 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]
By Sandra ClarkIt’s important for kids to
know the woman for whom their school is named. And it’s even more important for them to know Mrs. Sarah Moore Greene as both an inspiring leader and as a regular person who made a difference.
Mrs. Greene, who died in August 2012 at age 102, was the fi rst African-Amer-ican to serve on the Knox-ville city school board. The state-of-the-art elementary school that bears her name was built in the early 1970s by the city – the last new school constructed in East Knoxville.
Mrs. Greene was a local, state and national leader of the NAACP and, perhaps ironically, of the local, state and national Republican Party. She attended several GOP conventions. A student quoted her saying she was a Republican because of Abra-ham Lincoln, but she proud-ly voted Democratic in 2008 to support Barack Obama, the country’s fi rst African-American president.
After dropping out of school to help her family, Mrs. Greene never held a powerful job or made much money. But she was a leader.
Teachers at Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy have adopted the “Leader in Me” program, coordinated by teacher Krista Rines, and want the school’s children to know that they, too, can be leaders.
At last week’s Legends and Legacy Day celebration several girls dressed as Mrs.
COMMUNITY NOTES
Fulton volleyball From page 1
priate way in our gymnasi-um. Our current net system is over 30 years old, goes the wrong direction in the gym, and is expected to break at any moment. By providing a new court for my students, they will now be able to play with confi dence knowing they have a similar court as every other team we play.”
Conaway’s program at-tracted 21 varsity and ju-nior varsity athletes this season, and she credits Emerald Youth Foundation for teaching volleyball to younger kids.
“Thanks to them, vol-leyball is really starting to catch on. To have a primar-ily girls sport is just a really neat thing, which is what I love about it. Our kids are learning to play at the level of other schools out west – and that’s great – but we’re still using old, broken equip-ment and our court goes the
wrong way, so when we go play at other schools, the girls are like, ‘Why isn’t our gym this way?’ When you watch our games, fans are sitting a couple feet right behind the server. As opposed to going length-wise, our court goes width-wise,” she said.
Conaway has coached at Fulton for four years. Her husband, Benjamin, is Ful-ton High School’s athletic trainer, and the Conaways are active in the Oakwood Lincoln Park Neighbor-hood Association, Fulton’s home community. They attend Crossings Church, which meets in the Square Room on Sunday mornings and at Christenberry Ele-mentary School on Sunday nights.
“We are trying to live and work and worship and play all in the same community,” she said. “This is a really ex-citing time.”
Honoring the legacy of Sarah Moore Greene
Welcoming parents and community members to the school
are principal Susan Espiritu and former principal Blenza Davis.
Jamia Cooper stole the show
with her spot-on rendition of
Mrs. Sarah Moore Greene –
down to the heels and fur.
Students at Sarah Moore Greene Elementary reached their goal of $900 to fi ght cancer. Making
a symbolic presentation are: Tammy Sweet, community health coordinator of Thompson Can-
cer Survival Center; the school’s top fundraisers, Katoya Burgins and Trinity Philips; and Teresa
Cooper, imaging manager of Thompson Cancer Survival Center.
The Rev. Renee Kessler, executive director of the Beck
Cultural Exchange Center, talks about the legacy of Sarah
Moore Greene. Photos by S. Clark
Greene and read portions of her biography. Fifth grader Maurice Davis Jr. was mas-ter of ceremonies for the culminating evening event.
Students presented a check for $900 to the Thompson Cancer Survival Center – money raised $1 at a time by selling symbolic cookies that were hung in the school’s main hallway. Teacher Samantha Bolton coordinated this service project.
Principal Susan Espiritu said her fi rst day of teach-ing, back in 1979, was as a substitute at SMG. “I am so proud to return here as your principal.”
She introduced long-time principal Blenza Davis say-ing, “You have left your own legacy on this school.”
The Rev. Renee Kessler presented a traveling ex-hibit honoring Mrs. Greene. Now executive director of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, Kessler said, “All of us are in the story.”
She praised Mrs. Greene as a “servant leader,” and challenged the students to “Come to the Beck. … Make your legacy … Be part of the story.”
The speeches were nice, but the audience was thrilled by the energy and skill level of the West Afri-can Drums corps and the Dance Leaders of Talent. The service ended with a solemn song by the SMG Choir Leaders of Talent, “A Time for Peace,” honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Five Points From page 1
Johnson Architecture. It calls for extensive upgrades to increase walkability in-cluding new sidewalks and connection to the city’s gre-enway system.
The 90-unit develop-ment, which will be ex-clusively for elderly and disabled residents, will be located at the Bethel Avenue and McConnell Street. The three-story building will in-clude 84 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units. The property will have two elevators and community space, including a meeting room, computer stations and laundry facilities. It will also offer a green space, a picnic pavilion and dog park.
KCDC was approved for low-income housing tax credits for construction of the project in June 2015 from the Tennessee Hous-ing and Development As-sociation. The state issues a limited number of tax credits each year through a highly competitive ap-plication process for new construction or substantial renovation of existing units.
In 2011, KCDC opened the Residences at Eastport, an 85-unit, LEED Plati-num-certifi ed senior hous-ing development. Senior housing duplexes also had been added in 2010, plac-ing an additional 20 hous-ing units in the community. These developments are fully leased.
In August 2012, 86 units of Walter P. Taylor Homes and 97 units of Dr. Lee L. Williams Senior Complex were demolished as part of a fi rst phase to replace older public housing with new units.
In November 2013, KCDC completed the next phase of redevelopment when it opened two multi-plex buildings that house 12 Five Points’ families. Two duplexes and a single-fam-ily home already have been constructed and leased. In total, 17 family-style units have been added to the neighborhood.
So far, 122 units of se-
nior and family-style hous-ing have been constructed to replace the demolished units. Residents displaced at Walter P. Taylor Homes received priority placement in the new units in Five Points, priority placement at another KCDC property or a Section 8 voucher.
The total cost of the Five Points revitalization project will be approximately $85 million and is estimated to take place over 10 to 12 years. The city of Knoxville has dedicated $8 million over a 10-year period to the project.
■ Alice Bell Spring Hill Neigh-borhood Association. Info:
Ronnie Collins, 637-9630.
■ Beaumont Community Organization. Info: Natasha
Murphy, 936-0139.
■ Belle Morris Community Action Group meets 7 p.m.
each second Monday, City
View Baptist Church, 2311
Fine Ave. Info: bellemorris.
com or Rick Wilen, 524-5008.
■ Chilhowee Park Neighbor-hood Association meets
6:30 p.m. each last Tuesday,
Administration Building,
Knoxville Zoo. Info: Paul Ruff ,
696-6584.
■ Edgewood Park Neighborhood Association
meets 7 p.m. each third
Tuesday, Larry Cox Senior
Center, 3109 Ocoee Trail. Info:
edgewoodpark.us.
■ Excelsior Lodge No. 342
meets 7:30 p.m. each Thurs-
day, 10103 Thorn Grove Pike.
Info: Bill Emmert, 933-6032 or
■ First District Democrats
meet each fi rst Monday,
Burlington Branch Library,
4614 Asheville Highway.
Info: Harold Middlebrook,
haroldmiddlebrook@
gmail.com; Mary Wilson,
■ Historic Fourth & Gill Neigh-borhood Organization
meets 6:30 p.m. each second
Monday, Central UMC, 201
Third Ave. Info: Liz Upchurch,
898-1809.
■ Inskip Community As-sociation meets 6 p.m.
each fourth Tuesday, Inskip
Baptist Church, 4810 Rowan
Road. Info: Betty Jo Mahan,
679-2748.
■ Oakwood Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association
meets 6:30 p.m. each fi rst
Monday, Community Club
House, 916 Shamrock Ave.
Info: Bill Hutton, 773-5228.
■ Old North Knoxville meets
6:30 p.m. each second
Monday, St. James Episcopal
Church Parish Hall.
■ Parkridge Community Organization meets 6:30
p.m. each fi rst Monday except
holidays, Cansler YMCA,
616 Jessamine St. Info: Jerry
Caldwell, 329-9943.
■ Second District Democrats
meet 6 p.m. each second
Thursday, New Hope Mis-
sionary Baptist Church, 2504
Cecil Ave. Info: Rick Staples,
385-3589 or funnyman1@
comic.com.
■ Thorn Grove Rebekah Lodge No. 13 meets 7:30 p.m.
each second and fourth Mon-
day, 10103 Thorn Grove Pike.
Info: Mary Jo Poole, 599-7698
■ Town Hall East. Info: Eston
Williams, 406-5412 or eston_
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
All donations are tax deductible. Heartland Golden Retriever Rescue is a 501(c)3 organization.
Can’t Adopt?Sponsor a foster!
www.heartlandgoldenrescue.org765-8808
Ad space donated by
For additional information check out:
Jones needs a home Meet Jones! This sweet boy may not be a golden retriever but has a heart of gold! This lovable, crazy-haired goofball wants an active, dedicated owner to have fun adventures with running and hiking, or whatever activities that will keep him moving. Obedience training will help him adjust to family life. He will probably excel in something like agility! Jones is only 2-3 years old. He would prefer a home without small children and while he enjoys playing with some other dogs, he would also prefer to be an only dog where he can have the full attention of his owner as he learns what being part of a family means. Are you the person Jones has been waiting for?
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
Elmcroft community rela-
tions director Samantha
Beals, Halls Elementary
principal Chris Hender-
son and Elmcroft resi-
dent Claudette Hall pose
for pictures during last
week’s Chili Cook-off . Photos by Ruth White
NORTH/EAST Shopper news • MARCH 2, 2016 • 7 faith
SENIOR NOTES ■ Carter Senior Center
9040 Asheville Highway932-2939Monday-Friday8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Off erings include: card
games; exercise programs;
arts and crafts; movie
matinee each Friday; Senior
Meals program noon each
Wednesday.
Register for: Carter
Café and Movie Matinee, 11
a.m. Wednesday, March 2.
Field trip, Mighty Musical
Monday: Jazz Vocalists,
11 a.m. Monday, March 7;
lunch, $5. Free beginner
computer class, 2 p.m.
Tuesday, March 8.
■ Corryton Senior Center
9331 Davis Drive688-5882knoxcounty.org/seniorsMonday-Friday
Off erings include: exercise classes; card
games; crafts, billiards;
Senior Meals program, 11
a.m. each Friday. Veterans
Services, 10 a.m. Tuesday,
March 8.
Register for: Super
Seniors meeting, 10:30 a.m.
Tuesday, March 8; magic
show.
■ Larry Cox Senior Center
3109 Ocoee Trail546-1700Monday-Friday
Off erings include: exercise programs; bingo;
arts and crafts classes.
■ 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.
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
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 polished bronze making them at-tractive contrasting plants. Bergenias are also frost/freeze hardy. They are hap-py in mild sun or partial shade and are often seen in established gardens under forests of tall trees. Mine is under a large Yoshino cherry tree.
Yet another encouraging attribute is that bergenias are classifi ed as water-wise plants that require average moisture. It is said they are buck- and rabbit-resistant so are ideal for farm house or country gardens.
Hearts A-Bustin’ with Love: In mid-sum-mer, this little shrub will form marble-size red ber-
ries. In late summer 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.
Snow Drops: Lest we get too carried away with the thought that spring is here, snow drops are in full bloom.
Lenten rose
Heart Leaf Pigs:Plants and their names are always entertaining. Of course, heart leaf pig
Baylee Cooper takes a break
from the festivities to relax
with her doll.
Elmcroft goeswild, wild west
Elmcroft Assisted Liv-ing of Halls hosted a chili cook-off last Friday. The event was fi lled with pots of freshly made chili, music by Shaun Abbott, corn hole games and many photo op-portunities.
The event raised money for Halls Elementary School which is located across An-dersonville Pike from the center. Over the years Halls students have come to Elm-croft to entertain residents on special occasions. The center wanted to give back to the school and hope to help with events such as fi eld day and other activi-ties.
Winners for the best pots of chili included Jan Sheib-ley (third), Phil Bradford (second) and the grand prize winner was Shelly Leon-ard. Judges for the night
included HES principal Dr. Chris Henderson, John Fu-gate and Sandy Cates from Commercial Bank, Jenni-fer Sheehan from Random Acts of Kindness, and Ryan O’Donnell with Channel 6.
Louise McMahan and Jan
Sheibley enjoy a fun night.
FAITH NOTES ■ West Haven Baptist Church, 5651 Matlock
Drive, will host VBS FunShop, a VBS train-
ing 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. James Episcopal Church, 1101 N. Broad-
way, will host the BucsWorth Men’s Choir from
East Tennessee University in concert 7:30 p.m.
Monday, March 14. The ETSU Swashbucklers,
a student-led a capella ensemble, will also
perform.
■ St. James Episcopal Church, 1101 N.
Broadway, will host Lenten Quiet Day Retreat,
“Mutual Indwelling: Finding Home in Christ” 9
a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 5. Led by Br. David
Butzu, OSB, of Holy Trinity Monastery. Info/
RSVP: 523-5687.
■ First Comforter Church, 5516 Old Tazewell
Pike, hosts MAPS (Mothers At Prayer Service)
noon each Friday. Info: Edna Hensley, 771-
7788.
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 excited to be involved a new venture. He’s present-ing young pianist Brandon Coffer in concert with other area musicians, includ-ing Knoxville Symphony Orchestra players, in a re-cital meant to encourage excitement about classical music in the next genera-tion. “The thrust of this re-cital is bringing the piano 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. However, so many young people have parents that enroll them in mu-sic lessons and sometimes those kids never get to see the result of what could and would happen if they stuck with it. Although not every-one who takes music lessons will go on to major 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 Willard, “Brandon was al-ways a highlight at the an-
nual 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
knowledge by coming back to teach elementary 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.
Coff er
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 provide music throughout the evening.
Info: Jessica Gregory, [email protected] or 865-556-8676.
History award nominations sought
The 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.
8 • MARCH 2, 2016 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news kids
RuthWhite
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2Computer Workshop: “Introducing the Com-
puter,” 2 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, Preregis-tration required. Info/registration: 525-5431.
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss Birthday Party, 11 a.m.-noon, Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. Info: 922-2552.
International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10 p.m., Claxton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road, Clinton. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724; oakridgefolkdancers.org; on Facebook.
THURSDAY, MARCH 3Bee Friends beekeeping group meeting,
6:30 p.m., Walter State University Tazewell Campus. Speaker: Ben Volk; topic: swarms, splits and related issues. All welcome.
Big Ridge 4th District Neighborhood Watch meeting, 7 p.m., Big Ridge Elementary School library. Info: 992-5212.
Book discussion: “A Lesson Before Dying,” 1 p.m., Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. Host-ed by the Halls Book Club. Facilitated by Mary Pom Claiborne. Info: knoxlib.org.
Flower 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.
Sean McCollough, 4-4:45 p.m., Karns Branch Library, 7516 Oak Ridge Highway. Info: 470-8663.
FRIDAY, MARCH 4Adrian Burnett Elementary’s Hoopalooza
basketball game, 7 p.m., Halls High Gym. School staff
vs WBIR Heartbreakers. Info: 689-1474.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, MARCH 4-20“Monty Python’s Spamalot” production,
William H. Inman Humanities Theatre, Walters State Community College Morristown campus. Presented by Encore theatrical company. Performances: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Info/tickets: etc-plays.org or 423-318-8331.
SATURDAY, MARCH 5Eating for Life, 1-4 p.m., Burlington Branch Li-
brary, 4614 Asheville Highway. Free screenings, recipe and menu ideas for simple, fast, healthy meals. Info: 525-5431.
Financial Workshop: “Retirement Income Planning,” 10:30-11:30 a.m., Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. Presented by Darrell Keathley, COFFE. Info: 922-2552.
Free beginning beekeeping class, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m., First Avenue Meeting Hall (across from Duncan Lumber) in New Tazewell. Presented by Bee Friends in Claiborne County. Guest presenter: John Hamrick, UT Extension agent and bee specialist. Lunch provided. Info/registration: Julianne Behn, 617-9013.
Friends Mini Used Book Sale, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Karns Branch Library, 7516 Oak Ridge Highway. Info: 470-8663, knoxfriends.org.
Homemade chili and hot tamale supper, 6-8 p.m., New Pleasant Gap Baptist Church, 9019 Old Andersonville Pike. Also includes silent auction. Info: Denver Griffy, 201-5573.
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. In-cludes pet-friendly parade and festival. Proceeds benefi t Young-Williams Animal Center. Info/registration: mar-digrowl.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: Dancing Spider Yoga, 11 a.m., Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stan-ton Road. Info: 689-2681.
Saturday Stories and Songs: Georgi Schmitt, 11 a.m., Powell Branch Library, 330 W. Emory Road. Info: 947-6210.
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.
SUNDAY, MARCH 6Silent Meditation, 11 a.m.-noon, Narrow Ridge Mac
Smith Resource Center, 1936 Liberty Hill Road, Washburn. Info: Mitzi, 497-2753 or [email protected].
Yoga, 9:30-10:45 a.m., Narrow Ridge Mac Smith Re-source Center, 1936 Liberty Hill Road, Washburn. Bring yoga/Pilates mat, towel and water. Info: Mitzi, 497-2753 or [email protected].
MONDAY, MARCH 7American Legion meeting, 7 p.m., 140 Veteran
St., Maynardville. All veterans are invited. Info: 387-5522.
TUESDAY, MARCH 8Paulette 6th District Neighborhood Watch
meeting, 7 p.m., Paulette Elementary School cafeteria. Info: 992-5212.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9Computer Workshop: “Word Basics,” 2-4:15
p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville High-way. Requires “Introducing the Computer” or equivalent skills. Info/registration: 525-5431.
The Foothills Craft Guild JuryFest. Membership applicants must reside in Tennessee, and crafts must be of original design produced within the past two years. Info: foothillscraftguild.org; Bob Klassen, [email protected], or Ken Shipley, [email protected].
International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10 p.m., Claxton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road, Clin-ton. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724; oakridgefolkdancers.org; on Facebook.
THURSDAY, MARCH 10Computer Workshop: “Introducing the Com-
puter,” 10:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. Preregistration required. Info/registration: 922-2552.
Send items to [email protected]
ShoppernewseVents
The Knox County Council PTA
has awarded scholarships
to area high school seniors.
Pictured are: (front) Court-
ney Blake Hardesty, Paul Kel-
ley Academy (Dr. Paul Kelley
Memorial Scholarship); Kier-
sten Anna Morris, L&N STEM
Academy (PTA scholarship);
Uriah Danielle Richey, Fulton
High (Zaevion Dobson Me-
morial Scholarship); (back)
Noah Fawver, Carter High (Bill
Williams Scholarship); Kaci
Deakins, Farragut High (Diane
Jablonski Memorial Scholar-
ship); Mary Allyson White,
Ritta Elementary selected Jill Gill and Rachel Daugherty as
their school’s Teachers of the Year. Photo by R. White
Gill, Daugherty shareRitta’s Teacher of Year honor
Jill Gill and Rachel Daugherty both had women who infl uenced their deci-sion to become educators.
Gill’s mother was a teach-er at Fountain City Elemen-tary. She grew up in school and loved the environment and what it stands for. “There’s a bone in your body that just says you’re going to be a teacher,” said Gill. She has that bone. She’s been a teacher for 20 years, serving 11 of them at Ritta.
Daugherty remembers a fourth-grade teacher at Sterchi Elementary, Ms. Dance. “She made school fun,” said Daugherty. “She cared about the students and I wanted to be just like her.” She has found her place doing what she loves and has been part of the Ritta family for four of her seven years in teaching.
While Gill teaches fi fth-grade students, Daugherty works with fourth-graders. Gill says that she loves the fi fth grade curriculum, how fun/funny her students can be and the fact that they un-derstand humor. Daugherty loves the age of fourth-grade
students because they are growing independently but they still like their teachers and want to please them.
Both agree that Ritta is a great school and love the size. “It’s not too small or a mega school,” said Gill. “We have a great group of kids here, sweet kids.” Daugh-erty added that she likes how the staff treats one an-other like family, providing support for each other when needed. “We have a good mix of kids here,” she said.
During the dinner to honor the Knox County School winners, Gill was named the Middle School Teacher of the Year. One col-league said of Gill, “Not only is it a pleasure to work with her, but I am challenged to be a better teacher because of her support and dedica-tion.”
When she isn’t busy in the classroom or preparing for the next school day, Gill likes to work in the yard and around her house. She also enjoys spending time with her kids and with church ac-tivities. Daugherty spends a lot of her time running and when she does take a break, enjoys watching Netfl ix.
For both, being named Teacher of the Year for their school was a humbling ex-perience and they believe that the staff is the best in Knox County.
Area students named PTA scholars
East Knox gets groovin’
Third-grade teacher
Walter Westfi eld does the
“Whip and Nae Nae” with
Willow Petroff , Garrett
Lockhart, Ethan Sands,
Cheyanne Dellinger and
other students at the
school dance. East Knox
Elementary hosted a
special dance for families
last month. The event
featured games, Valentine
activities and lots of op-
portunities to get groovin’
on the dance fl oor. Photos submitted
Clay Wyatt, Aubrey Seivers, Peyton Hawkins, Parker Allis and
Grayson Gore stop by the “Write Your Own Valentine Card”
booth with kindergarten teachers Sara Brown and Sarah Gore.
East Knox Elementary third-grade teacher Mike Biggs plays
“Pin the Lips on the Valentine” with pre-K student Alexia Pat-
terson.
Hardin Valley Academy (PTA scholarship)
and Markeesa Stanford, Fulton High (Alice B.
Deeds Memorial Scholarship). Not pictured
are Frenando Blevins, West High and Han-
nah Kidd, Powell High. Both were awarded
the PTA scholarship. Photo by R. White
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