Farragut Shopper-News 112316

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VOL. 10 NO. 47

BUZZ

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November 23, 2016

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‘Nobody ever survives this’ Wallen family gives special thanks

By Carolyn Evans

Christmas notes

■The 2016 Mission of Hope Christmas Campaign Big Blue Barrel Collection runs through Monday, Dec. 5. Collection barrels can be found throughout the Knoxville area at: Chick-fil-A, Food City, Kmart, Home Federal, TVA Employees Credit Union, Fisher Tire. To donate, volunteer or for more info: 584-7571; info@ missionofhope.org; missionofhope.org; mail to: Mission of Hope, P. O Box 51824, Knoxville, TN 37950. ■Christmas in the City: Regal Celebration of Lights, 6-9 p.m., Friday, Nov. 25, Market Square, Market Street and Krutch Park Extension. Includes: lighting of the Christmas tree, pictures with Santa, train rides, vendors and more. Info knoxvilletn.gov/ christmas. ■Knoxville’s Holiday on Ice, Friday-Sunday, Nov. 25-Jan. 8, Market Square. Admission: $10 adults, $7 children 12 and younger; includes skate rental and tax. Info: knoxvillesholidaysonice.com or 215-4423. ■WIVK Christmas Parade, 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, Gay Street. Info knoxvilletn. gov/christmas. ■Joy of Music festive fundraiser, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, Cherokee Country Club. Tickets $125. RSVP by Nov. 29: 525-6806 or info@ joyofmusicschool.org. ■Christmas in Chilhowee, 6-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, Chilhowee Park and Exposition Center. Includes: forest of lighted trees floating on the lake, pictures with Santa, marshmallow roasting, hot cocoa, face painting, train rides and more. Info knoxvilletn.gov/christmas. ■Christmas in the City: Tour de Lights, Friday, Dec. 16, starts at Market Square. Judging, 6 p.m.; the bike ride, 7 p.m. Info: ibikeknx.com. ■New Year’s Eve on the Square, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, Market Square. Includes live music and Ball Drop at midnight. Info knoxvilletn. gov/christmas.

As in thousands of other kitchens in Farragut, orange and red finger-painted turkeys adorn Sam and Amber Wallen’s refrigerator. But this is a Thanksgiving unlike any other. The family that attends First Baptist Concord are thankful that Sam is alive after suffering two collapsed lungs, seven broken ribs, a broken sternum and two subjunctival hemorrhages. This year they want to celebrate with extended family. “Our family is kind of spread out,� Sam says. “We’re going to try to get everybody together. I’ve looked back and realized that as a kid I used to enjoy that big family time. I want to live in the old days when the community got together and there was music and stuff. I think it would be great if you knew your neighbors and it wasn’t just ‘my family’ and ‘your family’ and ‘I don’t have time because of work.’� Sam, an employee of Knox Auto Glass, was working underneath his Suburban on Oct. 1. Amber; Leah, 15; Corbin, 4; and Camdyn, 2, were inside, but thanks to a relative, Leah was drawn back outside. She was talking when she heard “a car crash� – the tire-less machine falling first off one stand, then the other. Suddenly, Sam lay under the 6,895-pound SUV.

The Wallen family rearranges some toddler-created Thanksgiving decorations on their refrigerator. From left to right are Camdyn, 2, Corbin, 4, Leah, 15, and Amber and Sam Wallen. Amber frantically ran inside life!� she says, “but I’d seen Sam compressed. He was bleeding from to find a jack tangled in extension do it.� his eyes, ears, mouth and nose. cords. When she pulled him out, there “I’ve never jacked a car up in my was no sign of life and his body was To page A-3

New telecommunications regulations require guesswork By Wendy Smith Last week, the Farragut Municipal Planning Commission (MPC) discussed an update to the town’s telecommunications regulations, in spite of unknowns about what will be needed to support the next stage of telecommunications technology. The town has been working with a consultant, Larry Perry, to ensure that ordinances are in line with current legal requirements. Some modifications, like the removal of a required zoning change for a Telecom-

munications Tower Overlay Zone, are clear. Because of a recent court decision, applications for cell towers must be acted on within 60 days, which doesn’t leave time for a zoning change. Other modifications, such as a new subdivision requirement that would compel developers to show potential buyers where small cell/distributed antenna systems (DAS) would be located, are less clear. The commission discussed what could be prohibited − new monopole towers within

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By Betty Bean For anybody who didn’t get enough politics this fall, here’s an interesting scenario developing on the state scene. Three of the folks who’d like for Bill Haslam to hand them the keys to the governor’s residence when he leaves office in January 2018 are all Republicans, all from Middle Tennessee, all women. Black

Blackburn

Harwell

McCain as she moved up through the ranks. As Republicans gained ground, so did Harwell, who has never been shy about exploring House Speaker Beth Harwell and two mem- her options. She’s been criticized as indecisive in her hanbers of the state’s congressional delegation – Marsha Blackburn and Diane Black – are dling of a House sexual harassment scandal prime contenders to succeed Haslam. Despite and has been caught between her party’s Tea similarities of party, locality, age, race, marital Party faction and Haslam’s more traditional apstatus and gender, the three couldn’t be more proach. She recently survived as Speaker by a too-close-for-comfort 40-30 secret ballot vote, different, say those who know them. Harwell, 59, the first woman to wield the and will be tested often over the next two years. Black, 65, was elected to Congress in 2011, gavel in the state House, has been a state representative since 1989. She holds a doctorate the year Harwell became Speaker. Before that, from Vanderbilt and has taught political sci- she served in the state Senate. She has an imence at Belmont. She is an intellectual and a pressive back-story – grew up in public housmainstream Republican who has served as ing, became the first member of her family to state party chair and was a strong supporter go to college and is a registered nurse by proof the candidacies of George W. Bush and John fession. Her conservative credentials are solid

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Is Tennessee ready for a woman governor?

Analysis

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the Mixed Use Town Center − and what couldn’t − small cell/DAS antenna systems in residential neighborhoods. But there are still many unknowns, like how the technology will be brought into existing neighborhoods with underground utilities. “It will be interesting to see where this evolves. I think there will be a lot of small cells soon,� said Community Development director Mark Shipley.

– anti-abortion, pro-gun rights, anti-state income tax – but she brings something different to the mix, a record of work in health care policy, particularly focused on nursing home care. Black and her husband, David Black, have the additional advantage of being immensely wealthy, which means she could self-fund a gubernatorial campaign. She has won numerous awards from conservative organizations. If Black is a workhorse, Blackburn, 64, is a show pony. A Mississippi native, Blackburn faced similar early life adversities as Black, and established herself as a specialist in sales and marketing. Elected to the state Senate in 1998, she came to public attention when she called a talk radio station to rally the troops against a state income tax bill and rode that wave to Washington in 2002, when she was elected to Congress. She’s a frequent flier on Fox News. Black, who is the least known in East Tennessee, could be the most solid choice for Republican primary voters. Harwell, who is best known locally, could wait too long to make her intentions known. The publicity-seeking Blackburn could overplay her hand. It will be an interesting year.

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