GOVERNMENT/POLITICS A4 | OUR COLUMNISTS A6-7 | YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS A10-15 | BUSINESS A17 | HEALTH & LIFESTYLES SECTION B
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VOL. 50, NO. 48
halls / fountain city
NOVEMBER 28, 2011
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Fun at Fantasy of Trees Christmas events Fountain City Christmas Parade sponsored by the Optimist Club of Knoxville is Saturday, Dec. 3. Lineup begins at 9 a.m. in the parking lot in front of CiCi’s Pizza and the parade steps off at 10. Info: Bill Gentry, 523-2796. Gibbs Christmas Parade, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, sponsored by the Gibbs Ruritan Club. To preregister email gibbschristmasparade@gmail.com or call Eddie Jones, 789-4681, or Larry Dougherty, 898-3532. Halls Christmas Parade, steps off from Halls High School at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3. Registration open. Info: Shannon Carey at 922-4136. Halls B&P Christmas Banquet is Friday, Dec. 2, at Beaver Brook Country Club. Meet and greet begins at 6:30 p.m. and the buffet opens at 7. Keynote speaker is WATE news anchor Gene Patterson. The event includes music, a silent auction and the announcement of the 2011 Halls Man and Woman of the Year. Tickets at $50 are available from Sue Walker, 925-9200 or swalker@tindells.com.
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4509 Doris Circle 37918 (865) 922-4136 news@ShopperNewsNow.com ads@ShopperNewsNow.com EDITOR Larry Van Guilder lvgknox@mindspring.com ADVERTISING SALES Patty Fecco fecco@ShopperNewsNow.com Brandi Davis davisb@ShopperNewsNow.com Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly at 4509 Doris Circle, Knoxville, TN, and distributed to 27,825 homes in Halls, Gibbs and Fountain City.
TITAN A SELF-STORAGE
Katie Ann Evans enjoys riding the carousel during Fantasy of Trees last week at the Knoxville Convention Center. The event benefits Children’s Hospital of East Tennessee. Photo by Ruth White
See more photos on A-9
Johnson to lead FC parade By Jake Mabe Hardy Johnson figures it was meant to be for him to go into the shoe repair business. “My dad was in it and his dad was, so I thought I might as well pick it up!” Johnson has been named the grand marshal of the Fountain City Christmas Parade, which is sponsored by the Optimist Club of Knoxville. “I’m going to be a marshal, but I don’t know how grand I am,” Johnson said, smiling. He has operated Custom Shoe Rebuilders in Fountain City since 1953. Now 83 years old, Johnson still comes to work every day, six days a week. His son,
Jim, who works with him, says the longest his dad ever stayed away from work was when he had a heart attack about five years ago. He was out for three weeks. “He works harder than anyone,” Jim says. “He’d say, ‘Can I come over for one hour?’ Then he wanted to come in for two hours. He came back way too early, but that’s what makes him happy. “Very few people get to be with their dad every day. He’s just a pleasure to be around.” Jim says he and his dad do regular shoe repair, orthopedic buildups, leather repairs and, yep, still shine
The best laid plans? Commission neuters Hillside/ Ridge Top Plan By Larry Van Guilder After more than 3 1/2 years, County Commission’s debate on the Hillside and Ridge Top Protection Plan ended last week as that body accepted an amendment which declared the plan “advisory.”
Richard Briggs Tony Norman
Briggs’ amendment was supported by the Knoxville Chamber and mollified developers. It allowed commissioners who had never supported the plan Commissioners voted 7-3 to declare victory. R. Larry for the amended plan, with Smith said later Monday at Dave Wright abstaining. the Halls Republican Club, Only Tony Norman, Amy “both sides won.” Broyles and Sam McKenzie Despite Briggs’ declarastood against the amend- tion that the amendment ment that gutted the plan. was “not intended to subCommissioner Richard vert anything,” it’s a frank
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shoes. The phone number is 689-6486. “We can fix anything but a broken heart,” Hardy says. Hardy was born and raised “right above the lake,” and he attends Bethel Baptist Church in Corryton. Jim says his dad used to take him to watch the Christmas parade when Jim was a kid. Now, Hardy takes Jim’s son with him to watch the parade most years. “The parade has always been important to him.” The parade will be held Saturday, Dec. 3. Lineup begins in the Cici’s Pizza parking lot at 9 a.m. Step off is at Hardy Johnson, who runs Custom Shoe Rebuilders with his 10. Info/to register: Bill Gen- son, Jim, will be the grand marshal of the Fountain City Christtry, 523-2796. mas Parade, 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 3. Photo by Jake Mabe
betrayal to homeowners and businesses that endorsed the plan that had emerged from the facilitated joint meetings of commission and City Council. Plan opponents have habitually engaged in bluster and threat, and last week was no exception. Speaking for the Chamber, attorney Tom McAdams said, “There are lawsuits waiting to be had if you make this binding.” “All you want to do is kick us in the teeth when we’re down,” developer Scott Davis said, alluding to the depressed construction industry. County Law Director Joe Jarret said a property owner’s right to appeal an MPC decision was not affected by the plan. “Regardless of what language you put in the plan, there’s still redress for the landowner,” Jarret said.
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“It’s raining again,” said Norman, as discussion wound down. The vote is about water issues and Briggs’ amendment “is a Trojan horse, he added. “City Council walked away (from the joint facilitated meetings) and we were in agreement. “Water knows no boundary between city and county. … We need to stay parallel with the city.” “The Briggs amendment,” Norman concluded, “is muddying the water metaphorically and practically.” But Briggs said his amendment “un-muddies” the water. “People may say I’m taking one side or another, but I’m not,” he said, without a trace of irony. What are those who expected more left with? First, a plan for the county that is unlikely to pass – or even be presented – at City
Council. If council members sign off on the plan approved at the joint meetings, city and county policies on slope protection diverge. That outcome brings to mind the city/county divide on stormwater ordinances in 2007 which resulted in the city threatening to sue the county. Because of Briggs’ amendment, developers in the county may feel less constrained in continuing the practices that resulted in the Dawson Hollow disaster a few months ago or the hillside stripping at Watt Road which Norman aptly called “an abomination.” “How do you have a ‘nonbinding’ map?” Norman asked. With Briggs’ “advisory” amendment tacked on, that self-contradicting, limbo-dwelling creation is precisely what we have.