VOL. 52 NO. 51
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December 23, 2013
Making a list, checking it twice …
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Severance won’t seek re-election
Kim Sepesi Severance will serve out her term on the school board but will not seek re-election, she said Friday. She has taken a job with March of Dimes as community director. Severance, who lives in Powell, represents District 7 where county commissioner R. Larry Smith is term-limited and might seek the school board seat. Severance said she has been looking for employment since losing her job in reorganization at Rural/Metro. “I have enjoyed serving, but my new job responsibilities won’t allow it,” she said. “I never intended to be a career politician.” – S.Clark
IN THIS ISSUE
Miracle Maker John Derek Faulconer’s new job has a lot of unknowns, but he’s certain that he’s in the right place because he’s with the right students – the students who will be coming to the Career Magnet Academy at Pellissippi State.
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See Betsy Pickle’s story on A-9
Let ‘em eat cookies
For one brief, shining moment during the Dec. 9 school board meeting called to discuss Dr. James McIntyre’s request to extend his contract for an additional year (through the end of 2017), he gave teachers a reason to believe that he’d heard them.
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See Betty Bean’s story on A-4
Kentucky school to honor ex-Vol
Nothing like this has ever happened before. A high school in Kentucky will name the basketball court and gymnasium for a former Tennessee guard. OK, there is more to the story: Rodney Woods was a shooting star at Lone Jack High in Fourmile, Ky., before he ran the floor for Ray Mears’ Volunteers.
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See Marvin West’s story on A-5
7049 Maynardville Pike 37918 (865) 922-4136 NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark | Jake Mabe ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Shannon Carey Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore Brandi Davis | Patty Fecco
Bill “Santa” Larson (right) asks Charles Goan if he’s been a good boy this year at the Northside Kiwanis Club meeting last week. Pianist Goan and violinist Mary Ann Fennell, both of whom are club members, played Christmas and holiday music at what turned into an old-fashioned Christmas show, with great music, jokes, food and fun. See more photos and Jake Mabe’s story on page A-3
Haslam, legislature fund $30 million for Halls cess of $30 million. Jim Snowden, engineer in Knox County’s public works department, said TDOT and Blalock have agreed to repave and repair potBy Sandra Clark and Jake Mabe holes in the existing road as part of this contract before commencTennessee Department of Transing new construction. portation (TDOT) has awarded the Sidewalks are included on both contract to five-lane Hwy. 33 (Maysides from Ledgerwood to Quarry nardville Highway) from LedgerRoad, along with 10 foot shoulwood Road to the Union County ders. Past Quarry Road to the line. The award went to Charles county line the road will have 10 Blalock & Sons Inc. foot shoulders on both sides and The 6.241 mile project is exno sidewalks. pected to be complete by May When finished, the road will 31, 2016. Blalock’s bid was include drainage and a center turn $29,986,969.69. Four other conlane, completing a project that’s tractors submitted bids, all in ex-
Hwy. 33 to be five lanes to Union County line
been a long time on the drawing board.
KCS assesses tennis courts
Knox County Schools spokesperson Melissa Ogden says that the school system’s maintenance and operations department is assessing the status of the Halls tennis courts – located next to Halls Elementary School and in front of the Halls High baseball field – for inclusion in future physical plant upgrades. The tennis courts have fallen into disrepair. It was unclear ear-
lier this fall whether the courts were owned by the school system or Knox County government, thereby determining whether the school system or county parks and recreation would be responsible for maintenance. The Halls High tennis team has expressed interest in using the courts as a practice facility if possible. Several community members have also expressed interest in using the tennis courts. Ogden says PPUs will be developed for the next fiscal year later this winter.
Alexander must step up on Reeves confirmation By Betty Bean pronounced her A-OK. She has Who is Lamar Alexander hurt- an unblemished reputation and ing by blocking the confirmation the American Bar Association’s of a new judge to sit in United unqualified stamp of approval. States District Court, Eastern DisShe was the first trict of Tennessee? woman president The answer is that Alexander’s of the Tennessee petulant political ploy is hurtBar Association ing the people of East Tennessee, and would become who, if asked, would probably say the first woman to they’d like to see justice served in sit in the Eastern a timely manner and their tax dolDistrict. lars used efficiently. The federal court docket in Alexander Knoxville consists of about 80 percent criminal Alexander’s blocking of Knox- cases that can only be tried by Arville lawyer Pam Reeves’ appoint- ticle III judges (so named because ment to the federal bench doesn’t they are empowered under Article serve justice and is costing tax- III of the constitution to wield payer money. “the judicial power of the United Reeves, who was nominated States”). Phillips’ retirement has May 16 to fill the seat vacated by left Chief Judge Tom Varlan as Tom Phillips, who formally retired the only Article III judge sitting in Aug. 1, is an utterly non-controver- Knoxville, although he is ably assial candidate who has the respect sisted by Judge Leon Jordan, who of Republicans and Democrats retired and assumed senior status alike. Both Tennessee senators in 2001. The backlog of criminal met with her earlier this year and cases is ballooning, and civil cases
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are being held up by criminal proceedings, which by law must be resolved speedily. Attorney Don Bosch does a great deal of work in federal court. He is a Democrat whose name was among those originally mentioned to fill the Phillips vacancy (speculation is that he couldn’t take the pay cut). He wishes that Congress would quit playing politics with the judgeships and traces origins of the current state of gridlock back to the fight over the nomination of Robert Bork to the United States Supreme Court in 1987. He says the practice of holding judgeships for ransom, particularly at the district level, needs to stop. “This is an exceptionally overworked judiciary in our district. The backlog of work is staggering and the need for a judge is real and immediate. When our politicians, irrespective of party stripe, fail to see things like this, it’s time for a change,” he said. Article III judges from other jurisdictions, mostly from the
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Eastern District of Kentucky, have been filling in the gaps. One judge, Tena Campbell, flies in from Utah. The visiting judges have their choice of accommodations, and most of them stay at the Hilton Hotel, two blocks away from the courthouse. Executive floor rooms at the Hilton are $183.28 per day ($145 with discount). Add three squares a day and round trip airfare, all multiplied by a factor of at least two (judges typically bring clerks and/or assistants), and costs begin to mount. No matter how judiciously the money is spent, bringing in visiting judges is expensive and (should be) unnecessary. Lamar Alexander’s campaign slogan is “Conservative. Solving problems. Standing up for Tennessee.” It’s on him to demonstrate that these are not just empty words. It’s time for the guy who first got elected to public office by hiking across the state to walk the walk on an issue that matters.
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