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news@ShopperNewsNow.comSandra Clark | Bill Dockery

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Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore

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VOL. 2 NO. 49 December 10, 2014www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

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Let’s pitch in to help families

Seraya GlasperZykia Burns

By Sandra ClarkIt’s impossible to know the

emptiness felt by three Knox County families this Christmas.

Two children and an adult were killed and several others injured Dec. 2 when two school buses col-lided on Asheville Highway.

When the news came, my thoughts went fi rst to the kids at Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy, where some of us volun-teer each Wednesday to launch a newspaper club.

News trickled out slowly. Can you imagine the anxiety of those parents and grandparents who gathered at the old Food Lion store to await information about their child?

Finally, the names were re-leased. Dead were Zykia Burns, 6; Seraya Glasper, 7; and teacher’s aide Kimberly Riddle, 46, who left a husband and two young children.

Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre said, “Our families and community suffered an unspeak-able tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families and staff members at Chilhowee Intermediate School and Sunny-view Primary School.”

Both schools were closed on Wednesday, and Church Street United Methodist Church held a candlelight vigil.

TVA Employees Credit Union opened funds to receive dona-

tions to help the families of Se-raya Glasper and Zykia Burns. Simply call or visit any branch location and refer to your contri-bution as “For the benefit of Se-raya Glasper” or “For the benefit of Zykia Burns.”

Those making contributions will receive a receipt for their do-nation.

For questions or more informa-tion, call 865-544-5400 or email justask@tvacreditunion.com.

Additionally, contributions to the family of Zykia Burns can be made at www.gofundme.com/uke-nniaarinze.

There is also a gofundme ac-count for the family of Kimberly Riddle.

Others wishing to help can con-tact Stephanie Jeffreys with KCS at 865-594-1621.

Money can’t replace their loss, but it’s a tangible way to show the families our sympathy and sup-port.

Winter Wonderland in Five Points

Five Points Up, a communi-ty-led group designed to beau-tify and unify Five Points and East Knoxville, is hosting the inaugural Winter Wonderland event 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, at Dr. Walter Hardy Park, 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

The event is free and open to all in the Five Points community.

“This event is for Five Points community members to come out, enjoy themselves and real-ize that there are positive things happening right here where they live,” said Tanisha Baker, Five Points Up member and Project Grad Austin-East team leader.

The Five Points Up Winter Wonderland will feature local church choirs, performers and holiday treats including hot chocolate and apple cider.

Campbell to speak at UMCs

Humorist Phil Campbell will speak at New Life and

Hopewell churches on Sunday, Dec. 14. He will be at Hopewell United Meth-odist Church at 9:30 a.m. and at New Life UMC at 10:45 a.m. during

Sunday morning worship.Campbell will lead in wor-

ship with his harmonica and guitar. Pastor Teresa McClure says Campbell carries on a family tradition as the son of the late Archie Campbell. “He also carries on the tradition with a God-given talent to entertain with his own brand of music and humor.”

New Life is located at 7921 Millertown Pike and Hopewell is at 9300 Millertown Pike.

Northeast County Sector Plan

The Metropolitan Planning Commission will launch discus-sions in 2015 to update the Northeast County Sector Plan. Research associate Bryan Berry is seeking contact information for groups and individuals who might want to participate in the process.

The Northeast is one of 12 sectors in Knoxville and Knox County. Focus is on physical de-velopment: land use, transpor-tation and community facilities. The Northeast County Sector is approximately 58,000 acres (90 square miles). The boundaries are the Union and Grainger county lines to the north and east, the Holston River to the south, and Bell and Brown Gap roads and I-640 on the west. Info: 865-215-3743or www.knoxmpc.org/.

Phil Campbell

Rick Coff ey, son of Sgt. Jesse J. Coff ey, stands by the sign that now marks

a bridge on Rutledge Pike named for his father, who was killed while

serving in Vietnam in April 1966. Coff ey holds a photo of his father from

when he entered the Army. At the bridge’s dedication, state Rep. Roger

Kane presented a proclamation to Coff ey’s family, and Mayor Tim Bur-

chett talked of Sgt. Coff ey’s service to his country, calling him a true

American hero. Photo by R. White

Coff ey honored for service in Vietnam

Put-in below Asheville Highway bridge

By Bill DockeryThere may not be trolls under

the 11E Asheville Highway Bridge, but there are sure to be trolling motors in the future, thanks to a new public boat ramp.

The lower reaches of the Holston from Cherokee Dam near Jeffer-son City to Knoxville have been notoriously inaccessible to boaters. The only public access points have been immediately below the dam, downriver at Nance’s Ferry and in Knoxville’s Holston River Park.

Knox County Mayor Tim Bur-chett joined representatives from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee Valley Au-thority and the Tennessee Depart-ment of Transportation to snip the ceremonial blue ribbon and open the ramp on Nov. 11.

“Water recreation is an impor-tant part of our local economy, and this access area will allow more Knox County recreation-ists to enjoy the water,” Burchett said. Harry Brooks, state legisla-tor from District 19, thanked the three agencies for their coopera-tion in completing the project.

The access area includes a boat

ramp and a generous parking area. The entrance to the area is just west of the intersection of Ashe-ville Highway and Gov. John Se-vier Highway. Users must enter the facility from the westbound lane of Asheville Highway just before it crosses the bridge. Vehicles leaving the area must turn right onto the westbound lane of the bridge.

TWRA offi cial Tommy White-head said that the access area had been planned since about 2007, when land for the access road was donated. The TWRA designed the facility, and its heavy equipment crew did the construction.

“The main use for the area is boating and fi shing from the bank,” Whitehead said.

A fi shing pier is not planned for the site; boats launch directly into the river channel at the ramp. Pic-nicking is allowed, though the site does not include picnic benches or restrooms. Camping is not per-mitted.

“While it was under construc-tion, we had a lot of interest in the access area,” Whitehead said. He said the agencies are surveying other possible river access loca-tions.

TDOT provided land rights un-der the bridge, and TVA provided permitting and funding. Bucky

Joint eff ort creates Holston River access

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has completed construction of an access area under the J. Will Taylor Bridge allowing boaters, anglers and pad-

dlers to put in on the Holston River a few miles upriver of its confl uence with the French Broad. Here, a lone angler tries his luck. Photo by Bill Dockery

Edmondson, TVA’s senior man-ager for public outreach and recre-ation, praised the cooperation that brought the project to completion,

saying, “Partnerships are really what it’s all about. One person, one organization, one agency can’t do it all.”

2 • DECEMBER 10, 2014 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

Third straight year Fort Sanders named Joint Commission Top Performer

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Cen-ter has been recognized as one of the nation’s Top Performers on Key Qual-ity Measures by The Joint Commission, an independent nonprofit organization that accredits more than 3,300 hospi-tals across the country. The honor is based upon accountability measure data reported during 2013 and it’s the third straight year Fort Sanders Regional has garnered the status. The Joint Commis-sion announced the distinction in its an-nual report.

Fort Sanders Regional was recognized

for exemplary performance in using ev-idence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for certain con-ditions. In all four areas – heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care – Fort Sanders Regional met or ex-ceeded target rates of performance.

“The hard work of our employees and leadership team is reflected in this Top Performer status, and I would like to thank everyone who puts our patients first,” says Keith Altshuler, president and CAO of Fort Sanders Regional.

Each of the hospitals named as a Top

Performer must perform at a rate of 95 percent or above in accountability mea-sures. For example, an accountability measures may include giving an aspirin at arrival for heart attack patients or getting that person to the heart cathe-terization lab quickly, both of which are considered evidence-based practices.

“We know our patients expect safe, dependable care,” explains Altshuler. “And we are honored to see our efforts paying off. I am proud to be a part of Fort Sanders Regional.”

The Joint Commission is an indepen-

dent, not-for-profit organization thataccredits and certifies more than 20,500health care organizations and programsin the United States. Joint Commissionaccreditation and certification is recog-nized nationwide as a symbol of qualityand reflects an organization’s commit-ment to meeting certain performancestandards.

For more information about the TopPerformer program, visit http://www.jointcommission.org/accreditation/top_performers.aspx.

Cardiac patients receive consistent, award winning care

Fort Sanders is one of only 256 hospi-tals in the nation to receive the Ameri-can College of Cardiology’s NCDR AC-TION Registry–GWTG Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2014.

The award recognizes Fort Sanders’ commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients. It also signifies that the hospi-tal has reached an aggressive goal of treating their patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiol-ogy/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.

To receive the ACTION Registry–GWTG Platinum Performance Achieve-ment Award, Fort Sanders consistently

followed the treatment guidelines in the ACTION Registry–

GWTG Premier for eight con-secutive quarters and met a performance standard of 90 percent for specific per-formance measures. Full participation in the regis-

try engages hospitals in a robust quality improvement

process using data to drive im-provements in guideline recommen-

dations and overall quality of care pro-vided to heart attack patients.

Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation department receives certifi cation

The Fort Sanders Cardiopulmonary (CROP) department recently received certifi cation of its program by the Amer-ican Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR). CROP was recognized for its commit-ment to improving the quality of life by enhancing standards of care.

Recognized programs help people

with cardiovascular problems (e.g., heart attacks, coronary artery bypass graft surgery) and pulmonary prob-lems (e.g., COPD, respiratory symp-toms,) recover faster and improve their quality of life. Both programs include exercise, education, counsel-ing, and support for patients and their families.

Covenant Health hospitals

leading safety initiativesEach year, teams from throughout

Covenant Health identify projects to improve the care and safety of our pa-tients. Information is gathered, hypoth-eses are formed and new processes are implemented. And when an idea works, we share it with the rest of our health system and within our community.

In an effort to reward those teams who go above and beyond in their quest for excellence, Covenant Health created Performance Excellence Awards.

The following are the Fort Sanders departments/projects recognized at the 2014 Performance Excellence Awards:

PNRC Fall Risk Assessment and Prevention – This project established a fall-risk model specific to the rehabili-tation setting and put processes in place to monitor and reduce all falls. PNRC was recognized as having best practices for fall prevention by The Joint Com-mission and the Center for Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.

Surgical Site Infection Reduc-

tions – Fort Sanders’ physicians andleadership set a goal of reaching top per-formance in reducing SSI rates amongfive patient populations: Coronary Ar-tery Bypass Graft, hip, knee, laminec-tomy and fusion patients.

Expanding Door-to-Balloon Ex-cellence into the Community – Thisphysician-driven project involved col-laboration among multiple depart-ments, facilities and emergency trans-port companies in counties throughoutEast Tennessee to decrease mortal-ity and readmission rates and increasefirst-medical-contact-to-device timesand volumes for patients transferredto Fort Sanders with a STEMI (specifictype of heart attack). Submitted by Neu-roscience and Cardiovascular Services,this project was also given the Innova-tion Award.

Congratulations to our winning teamsand to those whose projects that re-ceived honorable mentions.

Fort Sanders employees recognized for commitmentThe Covenant Health Everest Award

recognizes individual peak performers from throughout Covenant and its af-filiates. Nominations are submitted by employees, physicians or volunteers and recognize the employee’s commitment to ensuring quality patient care.

This year, two Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center employees were recog-nized as finalists for the award: Robert Roebuck (Patient Representative, Pa-tricia Neal Rehabilitation Center) and Doug Young (Engineering and Facility

Services). Both have shown exceptional commitment to our patients and staff and both deserved the honor.

“Both Robert and Doug are great am-bassadors for Fort Sanders and Patricia Neal,” says Keith Altshuler, President of Fort Sanders. “We are fortunate to have them on our staff.”

Only three Everest Awards are given each year and Doug Young of Facili-ties Services was selected as an Everest Award winner. Congratulations Doug!!

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Centerwishes you and your familya wonderful holiday season

and a happ y new year.

fsregional.com • (865) 673-FORT

Covenant Health CEO Tony Spezia congratulates Doug Young, Fort Sanders Engineering and Fa-

cility Services on being named an Everest Award Winner.

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By Wendy SmithLast week, Veta Sprinkle

wasn’t thinking about her to-do list, which is typically fi lled with the management of Hope Central, a ministry that serves the Parkridge community. She was just thinking about a young boy who walked away from Knox County Schools bus No. 57 and the family of a girl who didn’t.

The boy attends Hope Central programs, and the girl’s extended family lives in the neighborhood. Sprinkle knows both families through her longtime investment in the area. She doesn’t just serve there. She loves there.

She got to know Parkridge 20 years ago when a small group from the Farragut Church of Christ served there through Volunteers of Amer-ica. When she had another opportunity to reach out to the neighborhood through the Central Church of Christ at 1932 Woodbine Ave. she jumped at the chance.

Four and a half years ago, that effort evolved into a stand-alone ministry that serves a 50-block area bordered by Hall of Fame Drive, Cherry Street, Mag-nolia Avenue and I-40. The ministry is primarily run from a house next door to the church.

Sisters Breanna and Alexis McClendon make snowfl akes

with help from Paul Phelps, minister of the Farragut Church

of Christ, during Hope Central’s after-school program.

Jacobi Garrett grins as volunteers

cut out circles to make snow art. Photos by Wendy Smith

Hope Central − where God shows up

Hope Central’s vision is to be a neighbor like Jesus would be, says Sprinkle.

“There’s no sign in the yard. We want to be seen as just another neighbor on the block. We’re not coming in to save the day.”

When the ministry began, it was primarily about shar-ing resources. But gradu-ally, relationships began to form. Much of the outreach was aimed at kids, but soon, mothers and grandmothers

became part of the mix. A culture of mutual support de-veloped, Sprinkle says, and blessings, as well as diffi cul-ties, were shared both ways.

Now, the goal is to in-volve, include and empower parents and help families to become what God wants them to be.

This philosophy will be evident when Hope Central hosts its annual Christmas shopping event this week-end. Supporting churches have donated new toys at $25, $15 and $10 price points. Parents pay $5 per child to be able to pick a toy from each category, and vol-unteers wrap the gifts. More than 100 children will be served this year.

Sprinkle credits Daniel Watson, executive director of Restoration House, with the idea for the Christmas store. Parents can honestly say they purchased and se-lected the gifts in a process that builds dignity and re-spect, she says.

Family portraits are also part of the tradition, and fathers typically come in order to be in the picture. It creates a lifelong memory they don’t want to miss.

Hope Central offers a three-day-a-week after-school program for kids and a weekly Bible study for moms. Craft events, to help moms

create family “treasures,” are held once a month. The ministry organizes clothing-share events, where neigh-bors choose from donated items and donate their own outgrown items.

Parents also help out with neighborhood parties, like the Spring Fling, when moms hide Easter eggs. The neighbors are planning their fi rst New Year’s Eve party this year.

The ministry even has its own church service on Sun-day afternoons at the Grace and Peace Church on Mag-nolia Avenue.

It’s a ministry that takes time but pays off with heal-ing.

“Many of the neighbors have had lives fi lled with episodes of pain, hopeless-ness, challenges, betrayals and rejection. Those hurts don’t heal easily. Quick-delivery ministry opportu-nities fulfi ll tangible needs and are valuable, but allow-ing God to heal deep, life-long hurt takes time and re-lationships,” Sprinkle says.

The benefi ts go both ways. Because Sprinkle has an abundance of resources, God doesn’t have to “show up” in the same way he does for those in poverty, she says.

“When you are living in parched area, God showing up is spectacular!”

North Knox churches join to battle addictionBy Bill Dockery

As the time for New Year’s resolutions edges ever closer, John Gargis is counting on that life-renewing urge to bring new people into a recently formed fellowship that promotes recovery from addiction.

Gargis is one leader in Celebrate Recovery North Knoxville, a Christian com-munity offering spiritual support to people battling substance abuse and addic-tions of all sorts.

Every Tuesday at 6 p.m., Celebrate Recovery opens for an hour of supper, fol-lowed by a worship celebra-tion and a breakout into small group counseling ses-sions.

“It’s like a funnel,” Gargis said. “We invite everyone to a meal, followed by a high-energy worship service, and we hope that they will stay for small group talks and ul-timately commit to our 12-step program.”

He has helped forge a

Bob Ruth takes the pulpit to

bring a distinctly Christian in-

terpretation to the traditional

12-step recovery program.

Ruth is minister at Norwood

United Methodist Church,

one of the eight churches in-

volved in Celebrate Recovery.

Every Tuesday night service brings together the house band, musicians from several area

churches. Blair and Danny Bright attend the Blount County Community Church. Guitarist Caleb

Ramsey and drummer Jordan Brown come from Parkwest Church of God, and bassist Barry

Rawdon attends Second Baptist Church in Clinton.

In January, Celebrate Recovery will kick off its next 12-step study. Modeled on the iconic 12-step pro-gram developed by Alcohol-ics Anonymous, the North Knox program takes a more Christian approach to re-covery. That approach was

“We hope to help peo-ple make their resolutions stick,” said Fry, who is pas-tor of Fountain City United Methodist Church. “Cele-brate Recovery is one of the most transforming minis-tries we have to offer.

“We hope to see many peo-

ple turn their lives around, but we are focused on getting one person to commit to a better way of living.”

Gargis agrees: “We all struggle. People often get stuck in their efforts to change their lives. We are here to help them under-

stand that ‘Life hurts. Godheals.’ ”

North Knox CelebrateRecovery is held at theNorth Knoxville Fellow-ship Church campus, 3203Tazewell Pike. Info: north-knoxcr.org.

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pioneered by the Saddleback Church in California. Sev-eral other groups have also brought the Celebrate Re-covery ministry to the wider Knoxville community.

Gargis’ enthusiasm for this work has very personal roots.

“My dad died of alcohol-ism when I was 17,” he said. “And I have been sober for 12 years.”

Another Celebrate Recov-ery North Knoxville pastor also is in recovery, he said.

Gargis is a licensed local pastor and for about two and a half years has been at Lincoln Park, where his small congregation focuses on the spiritual needs of its neighborhood. The joint ministry with the other churches has been a way to reach more people. Pastors from each of the churches rotate speaking and teach-ing duties.

Randy Fry, another key leader in the ministry, said he is encouraged by folks’ commitment.

connection among eight mostly United Method-ist congregations in North Knox neighborhoods: Lin-coln Park Community UMC (which he pastors), Norwood, Lonsdale, Foun-tain City, Inskip, Emerald Avenue and Oakwood. The eighth church is Fellowship Church on Middlebrook Pike, which contributes program space at its north campus on Tazewell Pike, in the old Smithwood School building.

Celebrate Recovery North Knoxville began with an August meeting of 21 area churches.

4 • DECEMBER 10, 2014 • Shopper news

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The Gospel of John tells us Jesus was brought be-fore Pontius Pilate, the Ro-man prefect of Judaea, who signed off on his crucifi xion.

After Jesus told Pilate his mission was to bear witness to the truth, Pilate asked, “What is truth?”

I’m not cadging material from Lynn Pitts’ column. Pilate’s words, cynical as they were, are more relevant than ever in the modern world.

The big lie, spoken loudly enough and often enough,

LarryVan

Guilder

The truth hurts(your ratings)

becomes true, especially when embedded in a 24-hour media blitz.

Fox News understands this principle better than its competitors, but none of the major cable news networks

is an unfl inching guardian of the truth.

A PunditFact survey of 83 Fox statements found only 15 to contain some of the truth, and only eight were deemed “completely true.” CNN was truthful 60 percent of the time, and MS-NBC was 31 percent honest.

The hillbilly wisdom of Jed Clampett echoes down the years: “Pitiful.”

Television and the Web shape more opinions today than every teacher, preach-er and newspaper columnist combined.

In “Idiot America,” Charles P. Pierce writes of a panel discussion about the “science” of creationism that aired on “Larry King Live.”

King asked: “All right, hold on, Dr. Forrest, your

concept of how you can out-and-out turn down cre-ationism, since if evolution is true, why are there still monkeys?”

And, as Pierce noted, “Why, dear Lord, do so many of them host televi-sion programs?”

Fueled by lies from Fox, the Tea Party and assorted Obama-haters, congressio-nal Republicans did every-thing but foam at the mouth over Benghazi, the scandal that never was.

In dozens of prime-time segments, Fox commenta-tors claimed Obama gave an order to special forces soldiers at the American embassy in Tripoli to “stand down.”

It never happened.Two Fox News contribu-

tors claimed Hillary Clinton faked a concussion to wea-sel out of testifying about Benghazi.

False and despicable.Why repeat the lie after

it’s been thoroughly de-bunked? The lie sells quick-ly, and the truth is rarely easy to tease out.

Viewers and browsers have little patience for nu-ance. Unless it happens on PBS, no broadcast medium is going to carefully dissect a White House position pa-per.

Reading engages the intel-lect like television will never do, but reading by adults has been in freefall for de-cades. Last January the Pew Research Center released a report showing 23 percent of Americans had not read a

book in the past year.That number was 8 per-

cent in a 1978 Gallup poll. Is it any wonder newspapers are struggling?

No political party or phi-losophy holds a monopoly on expedient lies. Vietnam was the most tragic lie foisted upon 20th-century America, and the deepening and continuation of that war was the work of both Demo-crats and Republicans.

Communism was a monolithic entity, we were told, and North Vietnam a puppet for the ambitions of Red China and the Soviet Union. That lie ground up 58,000 American lives.

The truth is always out there. Turn off the talking heads and take a look for yourself.

Former Knoxvillian, UT graduate and Etowah native Chris Whittle, who left Knoxville after Whittle Communications collapsed in 1992, has rebounded fi nancially from his low point some 22 years ago. According to the Nov. 21 Wall Street Journal, he and his wife, Priscilla Rat-tazzi, have listed their East Hampton home including 11.2 acres on New York’s Long Island for $140 mil-lion.

Chris Whittle thrives in the Big Apple

Named Briar Patch, it’s one of the most expensive residential listings in the history of the affl uent Hamptons. The house is 10,000 square feet with six bedrooms, built in 1931 right after the Great Depression.

According to the WSJ, the Whittles bought the property in 1989 and spent two and a half years reno-vating it to include a three-stories-tall great room in the main house with a sepa-rate four-bedroom guest house.

The house was previ-ously up for sale in 2002-03 for $45 million but did not sell and was taken off the market. The asking price has now jumped almost $100 million in 12 years.

Rattazzi is a photogra-pher who has her own web-site, www.priscillarattazzi.com. Whittle is her third husband, and they are the parents of two daughters.

The Whittles, according to WSJ, “are embarking on a new chapter in their lives as empty nesters.” They plan to spend more time in China, Europe, Palm Beach and New York.

When I was fi rst elected mayor in 1987, Whittle was being mentioned as a can-didate for governor as well as the life raft for economic development in Knoxville. He could do no wrong. He walked on water.

It was in 1989 that he renamed his company, 13-30, to Whittle Com-munications, sold a 50 percent stake to Time Inc. and razed two blocks in downtown Knoxville with city help from the previous city administration.

A few years later it all collapsed, and the city faced the unwanted acquisition of the Whittle building due to the foolish fi nancial agreement that made the city liable in case of collapse. The impossible occurred. I was looking at an unexpected and un-wanted $14 million liability as then-mayor.

Luckily, the notion of making this building the home of the new federal courthouse came into play. The late Judge Jim Jar-vis pushed it, and GSA discovered it was cheaper to acquire the Whittle com-plex than to build a new courthouse.

Just in the nick of time, city taxpayers were saved the surprise gift of a cost-ly building for which the city had no reasonable use. Whittle has emerged from every setback he encounters more nimble and fi nancially enhanced. Just amazing.

Tell homeowners to attend meetings

Knox County is a big, diverse place, and county commissioners are doing their best to represent all of it. That was one of the messages delivered to the Council of West Knox Coun-ty Homeowners (CWKCH) by three new commission-ers and their vice chair last week.

“The four of us all really care, and we love to listen and hear what you have to say,” said at-large member Bob Thomas.

Commission members were invited to speak at the group’s holiday meet-ing. Thomas, along with at-large member Ed Brantley, District 3 member Randy Smith and District 8 mem-ber and vice chair Dave Wright, attended.

Knox County commissioners Randy Smith, Ed Brantley, Bob Thomas and Dave Wright take questions from the Council of West

Knox County Homeowners. Photo by Wendy Smith

County commissioners invite feedback

Brantley said he’d never appreciated the county’s diversity until commission duties required him to tra-verse it. While West Knox-ville is business oriented, other areas, like Washing-ton Pike, are scenic. The Halls community is its own little world, with little traf-fi c, he said.

Thomas has lived in East Knoxville and Fountain City and has family in South and West Knoxville, so he’s fa-miliar with the entire coun-ty.

“We have to take care of it. We want to develop it the way it should be.”

He’s concerned about

West Knoxville’s aging sub-divisions, which are pep-pered with homes that are falling apart as well as rent-als. Neighborhood associa-tions are important because they invoke pride, he said.

Brantley agreed. The se-cret to maintaining good neighborhoods is getting people involved, he said.

All four commissioners expressed a desire to hear from the community. At-tending meetings is one way to be heard, said Brantley.

“When we’re going through zoning, we ask if there is opposition. If there’s not, it gets approved.”

Thomas said he thought commission would have a hard time voting against homeowners if they were opposed to a zoning change. When CWKCH members disagreed, new commis-sioners acknowledged that there’s been little contro-versy in the months since they’ve taken offi ce.

Wendy Smith

Wright explained that commissioners have to take off all the hats they’ve ever worn to work for the coun-ty as a whole, rather than working for those in indi-vidual neighborhoods. De-velopment is ultimately the decision of property own-ers, he said.

Later, he said the county needs new middle schools in Hardin Valley and Gibbs.

The commissioners shared different perspec-tives on a proposed change to Knox County Commis-sion meeting times. Smith said he’s in favor of later meetings that would allow working people to attend. When it was suggested that evening meetings might be less safe for residents to at-tend, commissioners point-ed out that City Council and school board meetings are in the evening.

They asked for feedback on the appointment of a replacement for District 5 member Richard Briggs, now a state senator.

CWKCH president Mar-got Kline asked commis-sioners to support John Schoonmaker, a past presi-dent of the organization. The Board of Zoning Ap-peals chair is a business owner who wants the area to be prosperous and attrac-tive and have good schools, but not at the expense of individuals and neighbor-hoods, she said.

UT issues RFP for former Eugenia Williams estateProposals for restoration,

care, occupancy and leasing of a 23-acre property on Ly-ons View Pike in Knoxville bequeathed to the Universi-ty of Tennessee in 1998 are being sought.

The University’s request for proposals, or RFP, was released Nov. 24 with a

March 6, 2015, deadline to submit proposals.

Prospective bidders are invited to a pre-proposal conference at the UT Pur-chasing Offi ce, 5723 Mid-dlebrook Pike, at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 12.

At 4848 Lyons View Pike, the property’s acreage is

between the street and the Tennessee River and in-cludes a 10,000-square-foot house and two-story horse barn. The three-story brick house has been unoccupied since 1983.

Through the RFP, the University seeks to lease the property to “the

individual(s) with the best plan for restoration and care of the property” and who proposes the highest rental payments.

Shopper-News colum-nist Victor Ashe repeatedly called for attention to this issue.

– S. Clark

Shopper news • DECEMBER 10, 2014 • 5 government

www.ShopperNewsNow.comNorth offi ce: 7049 Maynardville Pike • Knoxville, TN 37918 • (865) 922-4136 • Fax: 922-5275

West offi ce: 10512 Lexington Drive, Suite 500 • Knoxville, TN 37932 • (865) 218-WEST (9378) • Fax: 342-6628

11,000 readers right up the road.

Delivering more …HALLSCROSSROADS

UNIONCOUNTY

TRY ADVERTISING IN THE UNION COUNTY SHOPPER-NEWS!

Betty Bean

Last week, the school board had important business that stretched Monday’s workshop into a three-hour ordeal. At Wednesday’s voting meet-ing, board members burned through the long agenda: approving a contract for teachers, who have been working without one since 2011, appointing one an-other to committees, and discussing board member Karen Carson’s objections to the way the vote to dis-continue the SAT-10 test for grades K-2 was conducted.

Monday workshops ex-ist to allow board members to work out differences in the sunshine and ease the process of coming to agree-ments, so it’s not unusual for the voting meeting to be considerably shorter. But this one was different.

After Tuesday’s school

Marvin West

Any day now Butch Jones will deliver his best bowl pep talk, how almost all of America is focused on the surging Volunteers and maybe millions will be lin-ing up to secure tickets for 50-yard-line seats.

The coach has great enthusiasm for this bowl game. It is the fulfi llment of a yearlong goal. He gets a nifty bonus – $100,000. Assistants get 8.75 percent of their salary. Young play-ers get additional develop-mental time. Everybody gets a free ride for a holiday outing and gifts galore.

There is a chance for a winning season.

The coach talks a lot because he has so much to say: new culture, brick by brick, program growth, academic progress, the end of losing.

Some see Butch as a spin doctor, capable of sticking a smiley face on a red-zone fumble. I and others who really enjoy the rhetoric see him as an exciting orator, a colorful storyteller with an interesting background, an extensive vocabulary and fantastic lung capacity. He seldom pauses for air.

Sometimes he exagger-ates just a little. On rare occasions he soars over the top.

The other day he got off on the subject of national perception of Tennessee football.

“It is at an all-time high right now. The energy, the excitement, we see it every day because of recruiting and talking to high school coaches, not just in this great state, but across the country.

“We have players com-ing in from all over. We are going to have another great, great recruiting class, individuals that fi t our pro-fi le. It is a matter of time. People know that. They see the energy, they see the vision.”

Jones has recruited well. Only four SEC schools did better last year. By Tennes-see’s recent standards, the 6-6 record is modest prog-ress. Kentucky and Vandy were worse.

Peak of perception? All-time high? Maybe not.

Even in the context of a

Butch sometimes exaggerates

sales pitch, suggesting the national view of Tennessee football is atop the moun-tain is a stretch, consider-ing everything that hap-pened in those so-so years from 1989 to 2004. Sorry the national championship run wasn’t more exciting.

Jones speaks of Volun-teer history with great rev-erence. He gets it “each and every” day. I don’t think he was deliberately step-ping on the last third of the John Majors era or the best years of Phillip Fulmer or the pageantry of the Peyton Manning show.

Butch was just talking.Here is a historical

refresher, for evaluating national perception only:

1989: 11-1, SEC champs, AP rank No. 4; 1990: 9-2-2, SEC champs, AP rank 8; 1991: 9-3, 5-2 in SEC; 1992: another 9-3 and 5-3 and the conclusion of the Majors years.

1993: 10-2, 7-1, loss to Florida, symbolic of the Fulmer era; 1994: 8-4, 5-3, romped past Virginia Tech in Gator Bowl; 1995: 11-1, 7-1, AP rank 3, lost to Florida, defeated Ohio State in Citrus Bowl; 1996: 10-2, 7-1, AP rank 9, lost to Florida, beat Northwestern by 20 in Citrus Bowl.

1997: 11-2, 7-1, AP rank 7, SEC champs, lost to Flor-ida, naturally; 1998: 13-0, national champs; 1999: 9-3, 6-2, AP rank 9; 2000:8-4, 5-3, lost to Kansas State in Cotton Bowl; 2001: 11-2, 7-1, lost to Georgia, beat Florida, AP rank 4, mauled Michigan in Citrus.

2002: 8-5, 5-3, lost to Maryland in Peach Bowl; 2003: 10-3, 6-2, AP 15, lost to Clemson in Peach; 2004: 10-3, 7-1, lost to Auburn twice, defeated Texas A&M in Cotton; AP 13.

Ah yes, those were the days and the numbers, with little or no exaggeration.Marvin West invites reader reaction. His

address is westwest6@netzero.com.

Trying week frays tempers, loosens tongues

bus crash that took the lives of two children and a teach-er’s aide and sent more than 20 others to the hospital, the nuts and bolts of school governance somehow didn’t appear quite as urgent. That doesn’t mean that the meet-ing wasn’t emotional. It was memorable for unusual oc-currences:

The fi rst came after the usual non-sectarian mo-ment of silence, in the form of a prayer delivered by Great Schools Partnership CEO Buzz Thomas (also an ordained minister) begging God’s help in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The second came after a

public forum dominated by pleas from parents of spe-cial-education students who say Knox County Schools is not meeting its legally man-dated obligations to their children. A couple of teach-ers spoke, too, hammering home their view that the inherently unfair SAT-10 is not only developmentally inappropriate but produces bad data that is then used to evaluate not only student progress but also teacher effectiveness. Knox Coun-ty Education Association president Tanya Coats cried as she expressed her thanks for the board’s approval of the Memorandum of Un-derstanding that was three years in the making.

The fi nal jolt came from former board chair Lynne Fugate, who acknowledged that board members nor-mally do not respond to

speakers at public forum but said that handing over the gavel to successor Mike McMillan this fall gave her the freedom to say things she couldn’t say when she sat in the big chair.

And then she had a How-ard Beale* “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore” moment:

“This board has been at-tacked for over a year as if we don’t give a darn and we don’t care ... Don’t patronize and treat us like idiots. We have gone through hell in this community … We are all here because we are try-ing to do the right thing, so please.

Do not insult me and as-sume I am a bitch. Thank you.”*Howard Beale was the fi ctional news an-

chor in the 1976 movie “Network” whose

epic on-air rant against his network

struck a chord with the public and won

actor Peter Finch an Oscar.

By Betty BeanPicking out poinsettias

offered by the Future Farm-ers of America at the North Knox CTE Center (they can’t call it a sale) is a tradition for residents of Halls and Foun-tain City, but six months ago, many feared the poinsettias had gone the way of Christ-mas past. Knox County Schools was Scrooge.

The role of Bob Cratchit was admirably fi lled by longtime agriculture teach-er/FFA sponsor Mike Blan-kenship, who had been in-formed that his program was being disbanded be-cause it wasn’t attracting enough students. It was a grim time for the Ag kids and for Blankenship, who found himself facing the possibility of an abrupt end to his award-winning, 37-year career with KCS.

But his students, led by rising seniors Ryan Cox and James Dunn, decided to fi ght for their teacher, their club and their future.

Cox, who will attend UT next year (and is waiting to hear about scholarship money), started bombard-ing administrators with emails. Here’s an excerpt from one he sent to Super-intendent James McIntyre and Halls High School prin-cipal Mark Duff:

“I feel that the Knox County School District should review its policy on teacher cuts. Positions should not only be quali-fi ed to be cut based on stu-dent enrollment, but by the quality and importance of the education received in the course. For instance, a class offered at Halls High consists merely of watching movies, and writing reviews on them. I challenge the fact that this class has a higher educational value than an Agriculture class.”

Ag students are 2014 Persons of the Year

Cox wore out Duff, Mc-Intyre and school board members. He contacted the media. He started an online petition. He and Dunn, a Gibbs High School senior and FFA president, went to the June school board meeting and spoke at the public forum. Dunn recited a partial list of the honors the club has won under Blankenship’s guid-ance.

“We will no longer be able to compete in career devel-opment events,” he said. “We as a class and a chapter are very disappointed. This closure will take away many opportunities.”

What he didn’t say that night is that one of the lost opportunities could be his chance to go to college through an FFA scholarship.

Before long, Blankenship was offered a job at the new Career Magnet Academy on Strawberry Plains Pike, which should have surprised nobody, given his long list of

professional and community accolades, not to mention the fact that CTE supervisor Don Lawson had been one of his fi rst students, back at the old Doyle High School.

Moved by what he’d heard from Cox and Dunn at the school board meeting, Law-son started working on a plan. Would Blankenship be inter-ested in teaching one class a day on the Halls campus so these seniors could fi nish out the credits they needed? Blankenship agreed, and the Ag class was restored.

The FFA crew is having a good year, winning awards and raising nearly $2,000 for homecoming candidate Casey Jo Mitchell. It hasn’t been easy; Blankenship commutes from Halls to Strawberry Plains every day at a time when his family has suffered terrible losses. His son, Mark, developed a brain tumor and died, and his father is under home hospice care, but he stays on the road and keeps on

teaching. His students ap-preciate it and say their fi ght was worthwhile.

“I’m not really positive that Mr. Blankenship will be back at North Knox next year, but they’ve got a biol-ogy teacher who went on the fi eld trip with us who took the test to get Ag cer-tifi ed. She’s hoping to teach biology, Ag and a computer class, and continue FFA. Meanwhile, she’s got the best instructor in Tennessee to learn from,” Cox said.

Dunn concurs.“He’s the same old Mr.

Blankenship. He’s a good one,” said Dunn, who has applied for a Tennessee Promise scholarship and hopes to attend Pellissippi State. “Everything was worth it. Everybody learned a little something from it, and I think it showed some people that we’re more than just farmers with pitch-forks.”Note: Each year reporter Betty Bean

selects her favorite story/people and

names them her POY.

Ryan Cox, James Dunn, Mike Blankenship, Jessica Costner and Jonah McMahan File photo by B.Bean

Got news?Send news to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

6 • DECEMBER 10, 2014 • Shopper news

Rosario Dawson and Chris Rock make a connection in “Top Five.”Christian Bale plays Moses in “Exodus: Gods and Kings.”

Moses vs. Chris Rock: Who will be the winner?By Betsy Pickle

“Exodus: Gods and Kings” has drawn contro-versy for casting Welsh-born Christian Bale and Aussie Joel Edgerton as its leads. I say the biggest issue is, why is Hollywood show-casing an Old Testament story during the Christmas season?

Anybody out there have an infl atable or light-up Moses in their yard? I think not.

Out-of-season thinking aside, “Exodus” is exactly the kind of epic studios like to debut during the holidays, when some people have a little more free time on their hands for longish movies.

It tells the story of Moses defying Pharaoh Ramses and leading 600,000 Jew-ish slaves away from Egypt and some very unpleasant plagues. With Ridley Scott Bard (Luke Evans) prepares for battle in the fantasy adventure “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.”

as the director and Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver, Aaron Paul and John Tur-turro in the cast, the fi lm has a solid pedigree.

“Top Five” promises a whole bunch of funny – and early reports say it delivers that along with some hilari-

ous cameos and great per-formances from the leads.

Chris Rock wrote, direct-ed and stars in this comedy about a comedian turned movie star who’s trying to prove himself as a serious actor. As he prepares for his wedding to a reality-TV star

(Gabrielle Union), he fi nds himself baring his soul to a reporter (Rosario Dawson) who has always trashed his movies.

Part of the story involves revisiting his old neighbor-hood and friends who nur-tured his comedic start. But

the fi lm is about more than comedy and celebrity – it touches on recovery, reality and what’s important in life.

There’s another little movie opening on Wednes-day – actually Tuesday night – that you might have heard of: “The Hobbit: The

Battle of the Five Armies.” To prepare for the epic con-clusion of Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic book, fans are being offered an epic “Hob-bit” marathon on Monday.

The nine-hour program begins with “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” followed by “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” and concluding with “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” a full day be-fore its offi cial opening.

The marathon starts at 1 p.m. at Knoxville Center, Pinnacle, Riviera, Wynn-song, Tinseltown in Oak Ridge and The Forge in Pigeon Forge. It startsat 2 p.m. at Foothills in Maryville. Tickets for the individual movies will not be sold. If you buy tickets on Fandango, you can get a free Nook ebook down load of Tolkien’s book.

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Shopper news • DECEMBER 10, 2014 • 7 weekenderTHROUGH SUNDAY, DEC. 14

■ “The Game’s Afoot” by Ken Ludwig presented by Theatre

Knoxville Downtown, 319 N. Gay St. Performances: 8 p.m.

Thursday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: theatreknoxville.

com or at the door. Info: theatreknoxville.com.

THROUGH SUNDAY, DEC. 21 ■ “A Christmas Carol,” Clarence Brown Theatre Mainstage,

UT campus. Info/tickets/ performances: 974-5161 or

clarencebrowntheatre.com/.

THROUGH SATURDAY, JAN. 3 ■ The Knoxville Watercolor Society exhibit at the Rose

Center, 442 W. Second North St., Morristown. Hours: 9 a.m.-5

p.m. Monday through Friday, Thursday until 7:30 p.m. Info:

www.knxvillewatercolorsociety.com.

FRIDAY, DEC. 12 ■ Alive After Five concert: “Holiday Dance Party” with The

Streamliners Swing Orchestra and The Kayley Farmer Project,

6-9:30 p.m., Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park

Drive. Tickets: $15; $10 for members/students. Info: 934-2039.

■ Holiday Sparkles & Spirits!, an evening to benefi t The Joy

of Music School, 6:30 p.m., Cherokee Mills, 2220 Sutherland

Ave. Music, heavy hors d‘oeuvres and cocktails, live and

silent auctions. Admission: $75. Info/tickets: 525-6806.

■ John McCutcheon in concert, 8 p.m., Laurel Theater, 1538

Laurel Ave. Tickets: $20, some discounts available. Info/tick-

ets: www.jubileearts.org.

SATURDAY, DEC. 13 ■ Candoro Arts and Heritage holiday open house, 4:40-8 p.m.,

Candoro Marble Company, 4450 Candora Ave. Info: 470-9344

or http://candoromarble.org.

■ “The Nutcracker” presented by the Appalachian Ballet

Company with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, 2 p.m.

and 8 p.m., Clayton Center for the Arts, Maryville. Tickets:

982-8463; Clayton Center, 981-8590.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, DEC. 13-14 ■ “The Christmas Song” presented by the Beaver Dam Bap-

tist Church Worship Choir, 6:30 p.m., in the church sanctuary,

4328 E Emory Road. Everyone invited.

■ The Living Christmas Tree, 3 and 6 p.m., Wallace Memorial

Baptist Church, 701 Merchant Drive. For free tickets: WMBC.

NET; from Wallace church members; and at the church dur-

ing offi ce hours.

SUNDAY, DEC. 14 ■ Candlelight Tour of Historic Ramsey House, 6-8 p.m.,

Ramsey House Plantation, 2614 Thorn Grove Pike.

Admission free; donations accepted. Info: 546-0745 or www.

ramseyhouse.org.

www.ShopperNewsNow.comNorth offi ce: 7049 Maynardville Pike • Knoxville, TN 37918 • (865) 922-4136 • Fax: 922-5275

West offi ce: 10512 Lexington Drive, Suite 500 • Knoxville, TN 37932 • (865) 218-WEST (9378) • Fax: 342-6628 wsNow.comNow.commow.comw.com.comcom

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Shopper News =

Ernie Roberts knows the Knoxville Nativity Pageant well, having been its assis-tant director for the past four years.

Carol Shane

Nativity Pageant is a local tradition

The Knoxville Nativity Pageant’s players include David McDaniel, Karen Robinette and J.T.

Sharp. The show opens this Saturday afternoon at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. Photo by Leah Berry

Now he’s in the director’s chair.

It’s a big job, overseeing the cast and crew of this enormous annual produc-tion. There are large sets, many costumes – both humble and opulent – hun-dreds of cast members and singers, an orchestra and quite a few animals.

“I get the best view of all from the ‘crow’s nest’ at the top of the coliseum where I can see the entire fl oor and choir,” Roberts says. “I can see how beautiful the in-teraction is among our cast members. Every villager, shepherd, wise man, soldier and angel has the specifi cs of each role in mind and de-velops the character, telling his or her story as the events leading up to the birth of Je-sus unfold.

“I am in awe,” says Rob-erts, “of the ownership that each individual puts into this production.”

During his time with the pageant, Roberts says, “I have gotten to know the cast, musicians, technical folks and board of direc-tors, which allows me to trust in them as each does a phenomenal job. This is defi nitely a wonderful team production.”

One part of that team is the orchestra, led by Mark Hill. Mary Ann Fennell, who is in charge of con-tacting and securing the talented musicians each year, remembers going to

the very first Nativity Pag-eant, held in the courtyard of the Civic Coliseum. “The animals were outside, and it was cold and muddy – probably just like the real thing would have been!” she laughs.

Fennell has played vio-lin in the pageant for many years, and even she is at a loss to count them. When asked if she can name any enjoyable details about the show, she immediately answers, “ev-eryone loves the donkey. But he’s not always a sweetie.”

“The pageant will have many humorous mo-ments, in many cases cour-tesy of the sheep, goats and the infamous donkey,” Rob-erts says. Having animals in the cast, he feels, adds a touch of realism. “The sheep and goats sometimes like to play, and we use an animal

wrangler dressed as a shep-herd to get them on and off stage on time. The don-key, however, is front and center and many times will have a mind of its own.

“The plan is always to get Mary to come in on the donkey with Joseph lead-ing it to the gate. Sometimes the donkey has been known to tell its side of the story with some braying.” There have been times, continues Roberts, when the animal has “stopped in its tracks or begun to make some side steps to force Mary to walk to the gates of the city alongside Joseph.

“We will get Mary to her destination,” he confi rms with a grin, “but each year with each performance, the trip is never a dull moment!”

In addition to fi ne acting and glorious music, each

performance also includes beautiful lighting, says Rob-erts.

“I am always amazed how everything comes together, but then again I have faith and know that the actors and crew will be ready because they love, cherish and be-lieve in what they are doing.”

The Knoxville Nativity Pageant will be presented at 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, and 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15, at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. Admission is free. All shows begin in darkness, and audi-ence members are request-ed to come early in order to fi nd seats and get settled. Each performance lasts ap-proximately one hour. Info: www.knoxvillenativity.com or 258-9985.Send story suggestions to news@

shoppernewsnow.com.

Swanson’s was famous when I was a child for one reason: chicken pot pies. My mother did not buy many meals that were “heat and eat.” She always felt they were too expensive because the serving sizes were so small, and my mother only knew how to cook for an army. Things that came in individual portions, like TV dinners or chicken pot pies, were considered a luxury.

One of the few exceptions was Swanson’s chicken pot pies. She really liked them and would comment about how good the chicken was and how fl aky the crust was. Kids liked them be-cause they were individual

Plate it

Parkside Grill Mystery

Diner

and came in cute little silver bowls that had a multitude of uses after the meal was fi nished.

Today, chicken pot pies are considered comfort food because they bring back memories of home and hearth and warm dinners on cold nights. Restaurants try a variety of ways to pres-ent pot pies, from gourmet pies where the fi lling is

poured over a puff pastry to more traditional renditions with top and bottom crust holding the creamy chicken and veggies inside.

Parkside Grill, 338 N. Pe-ters Road, slips somewhere in the middle and has one of the best chicken pot pies I have ever eaten. There is no bottom crust, but the top crust is fl aky and delicious. And they serve it in a big skillet so that the crust-to-fi lling ratio is spot-on. Noth-ing is worse than coming to

the end of your pot pie and having fi lling left with no crust to sop it up! There is nothing exotic in the Park-side chicken pot pie, just the basics: chicken, creamy and thick broth, onions, corn, celery, carrots and just a few peas, which is a plus for me because I don’t have to pick them out!

So Parkside has avoided all the pitfalls of taking a comfort food and putting it on a restaurant menu. They haven’t tried to glam it up

A delicious puff -pastry crust tops the old-fashioned yummi-

ness of Parkside Grill’s chicken pot pie.

or deconstruct it or make it something it was never intended to be. It is just an old-fashioned, delicious

chicken pot pie.Just like Swanson’s … I

mean Mom … used to make!

8 • DECEMBER 10, 2014 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news kids

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 10Burlington Lego Club, 2 p.m., Burlington Branch Li-

brary, 4614 Asheville Highway. Grades 1-5. Info: 525-5431.KSO Musical Storytimes for Kids, 10:30

a.m., Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. For preschool-aged children and their caregivers. Free and open to the public. Info: 922-2552.

THURSDAY, DEC. 11Heiskell Seniors meeting, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.,

Heiskell Community Center, 9420 Heiskell Road. In-cludes the annual Christmas Party with gift exchange. Bring a $5-value wrapped gift marked man or woman. Lunch at noon, bingo at 1 p.m. Bring a dessert and a friend. Info: Janice White, 548-0326.

Joy to the World Luncheon, 10:45 a.m., Buddy’s Bearden Banquet Hall, 5806 Kingston Pike. Hosted by Knoxville Christian Women’s Connection. Complimentary child care is by reservation only. Costs: $12 inclusive. Info/reservations: 315-8182 or knoxvillechristianwomen@gmail.com.

KSO Musical Storytimes for Kids, 4 p.m., Norwood Branch Library, 1110 Merchants Drive. For preschool-aged children and their caregivers. Free and open to the public. Info: 688-2454.

Read About It, Talk About It: “Life With Char-ley,” 1 p.m., Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. Info: 922-2552.

VFW meeting, 7 p.m., 140 Veteran St., Maynard-ville. All veterans are invited. Info: 278-3784.

FRIDAY, DEC. 12Holiday Sparkles & Spirits! to benefi t The Joy of

Music School, 6:30 p.m., Cherokee Mills, 2220 Suther-land Ave. Music, heavy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, live and silent auctions. Admission: $75. Info/tickets: 525-6806.

SATURDAY, DEC. 13Holiday Wreath-Making Workshop, 1 p.m.,

Historic Ramsey House, 2614 Thorn Grove Pike. Cost: $35. All materials provided. Info/reservations: 546-0745.

Thunder Road Gospel Jubilee, 7 p.m., 1388 Main St., Maynardville. All gospel singers welcome. Info: Joe, 201-5748.

MONDAY, DEC. 15Luttrell Seniors luncheon, 10:30 a.m., Luttrell

Community Center. Soup by Ted Greene, bring fi nger foods. Bingo and $5 gift exchange. Thank you to Midway IGA for our monthly birthday cakes this whole year.

Merry Merry! Santa’s on His Way, 3 p.m., Norwood Branch Library, 1110 Merchants Drive. Info: 688-2454

TUESDAY, DEC. 16Honor Guard meeting, 7 p.m., 140 Veteran St.,

Maynardville. All veterans invited. Info: 256-5415.Winter Wonderland event, 5-7 p.m., Dr. Walter

Hardy Park, 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. Hosted by Five Points Up community group. The event is free and open to anyone who lives, works and plays in the Five Points community.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 17International Folk Dancing, 7:30-10 p.m., Clax-

ton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road. Spon-sored by the Oak Ridge Folk Dancers. Holiday potluck supper, 6:30 p.m. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724 or www.oakridgefolkdancers.org.

KSO Musical Storytimes for Kids, 11 a.m., Carter Branch Library, 9036 Asheville Highway. For preschool-aged children and their caregivers. Free and open to the public. Info: 933-5438.

Merry Merry! Santa’s on His Way, 3 p.m., Bur-lington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: 525-5431.

THURSDAY, DEC. 18AAA Driver Improvement Course, 5:30-9:30

p.m., Downtown Knoxville AAA Offi ce, 100 W. Fifth Ave. Cost: $30 members; $35 nonmember. Must prereg-ister. Info/to register: Kate, 862-9254, or Don, 862-9250.

Burlington Game Night, 5:30-8 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: 525-5431.

Merry Merry! Santa’s on His Way, 4:30 p.m., Corryton Branch Library, 7733 Corryton Road. Info: 688-1501.

Merry Merry! Santa’s on His Way, 3 p.m., Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. Info: 922-2552.

Merry Merry! Santa’s on His Way, 6 p.m., Powell Branch Library, 330 West Emory Road. Info: 947-6210.

FRIDAY, DEC. 19Merry Merry! Santa’s on His Way, 10:15 a.m.,

Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road. Info: 689-2681.

SATURDAY, DEC. 20Old-Fashioned Gospel Singing, 7:30 p.m., Ridge-

view Heights Baptist Church, 7809 Ridgeview Road in Corryton. Everyone invited. Info/directions: 712-1835.

Thunder Road Gospel Jubilee, 7 p.m., 1388 Main St., Maynardville. All gospel singers welcome. Info: Joe, 201-5748.

SATURDAY, DEC. 27Thunder Road Gospel Jubilee, 7 p.m., 1388 Main

St., Maynardville. All gospel singers welcome. Info: Joe, 201-5748.

MONDAY, DEC. 29Burlington Lego Club, 6 p.m., Burlington Branch Li-

brary, 4614 Asheville Highway. Grades 1-5. Info: 525-5431.

SATURDAY, JAN. 3Thunder Road Gospel Jubilee, 7 p.m., 1388 Main

St., Maynardville. All gospel singers welcome. Info: Joe, 201-5748.

THURSDAY, JAN. 8Knoxville Choral Society auditions for all voice

parts, 6-8 p.m. To schedule an audition time: 312-2440 or membership@knoxvillechoralsociety.org. Once a time is set, location and other details will be provided. Info/ audition form: www.knoxvillechoralsociety.org.

SATURDAY, JAN. 10Presentation of Harold’s Tours available in 2015,

10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Halls Senior Center, Crippen Road. Presentation by Harold Cox. Bring a covered dish. All welcome.

SATURDAYS, JAN. 10, 24, 31, FEB. 7, 14Advanced Beginner Wheel class, 10 a.m.-2

p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Anderson-ville Highway 61 in Norris. Instructor: Katie Cottrell. Registration deadline: Jan. 3. Info: 494-9854 or www.appalachianarts.net.

Send items to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

ShoppernewseVents

Blackburn signs to Carson-Newman

Nicole Blackburn from

Carter High signed a na-

tional letter of intent to

play softball at Carson-

Newman. Pictured in

front are mother Amy

Needham, Nicole Black-

burn and dad Rob Black-

burn; in the back are

coach Ryan Burkhart,

pitching coach Brandon

Carr and coach Tim Lay-

cock.

Scott Bacon was honored at a reception last week marking his

retirement from Knox County Schools. Bacon is pictured with

Ellen Liston, who served with him on the Partners in Education

board. Photos by R. White

Mary Kerr and Alvin Nance share their favorite memories of

Scott Bacon.

Former Sarah Moore Greene

principal Blenza Davis and

Carol Strevel browse through

memorabilia.

Tommy Schumpert

signs a banner at the

reception.

By Ruth WhiteFriends and co-workers

gathered to bid farewell to Scott Bacon, who after 24 years is retiring from Knox County Schools. Bacon has been called many things over the years, including a book peddler, coupon book commander and tireless campaigner.

Bacon is best known for heading up the annual school coupon book cam-paign and has been the driving force for its growth for 20-plus years. He is also the supervisor of Partners in Education (PIE), a pro-gram designed to create working relationships be-

tween community organiza-tions, schools and programs in Knox County Schools.

He is also known for his ear-to-ear grin and bound-less energy. Mary Kerr, who worked closely with Bacon on the coupon book cam-paign until her retirement last year, commented that he was “wonderful to work with” and that he had a keen sense of humor. “We worked as a team and complement-ed each other. I was never comfortable talking in front of a crowd, but Scott could. He always wanted to help kids have a better educa-tion.”

Anita Loy said she knows

Farewell to the book peddler

that he will be successful at whatever he does in the fu-ture. “He is the same every day. He always has a smile on his face and is very ener-getic.”

Blenza Davis, former principal at Sarah Moore Greene, recalls how Bacon always got her ready for the challenge of selling coupon books. “He was hilarious and perfect for the cam-paign.”

Carol Strevel called him energetic, fun and depend-able. “He’s a good one,” she said.

“Scott had a great ability

connecting with the chil-dren, and he gave parents opportunities to give back to the community,” said Alvin Nance, who has known Ba-con since his children were at Spring Hill Elementary. When Nance fi rst met him, he thought Bacon was the P.E. teacher. “He was this young, energetic guy that seemed to be everywhere at the school, so I thought he was a teacher.”

PIE board member Ellen Liston called Bacon a great friend to the community. “It’s a loss that he won’t be here to continue to cultivate

partnerships, but he has left a legacy that will continue. He’s a good man and a good friend.”

Whatever Bacon chooses to do during retirement, rest assured it will be with enthusiasm and success.

Shopper news • DECEMBER 10, 2014 • 9 business

Nancy Whittaker

Murphy-Boutwell

Megan Murphy-Boutwell has a background in food

s e r v i c e and safety. While work-ing for Bush B r o t h e r s , she also w o r k e d part time as an in-dependent Mary Kay

consultant. After some seri-ous soul-searching, Megan made the decision to quit her job and jump into her Mary Kay career full time.

Megan says, “I believe in Mary Kay’s philosophy. You should be able to fully live your life by putting faith fi rst, family second and career third. My priori-ties were out of order.” She decided the best way to live the life she wanted was to become her own boss.

In the past year, Megan has worked her way up to independent sales director and rose to the top 3 percent in the company. She is fol-lowing her passion for help-ing people and describes herself as a “coach, mentor and cheerleader.”

Changing one’s fi nancial structure is one reason to start your own Mary Kay business. However, Megan says a bonus is making new friends. Also, young moms enjoy the opportunity to get out of the house for a while.

With more than seven years’ experience, Megan says she has learned how to make husbands look like heroes when it comes to gift-giving. She also of-fers executive shopping for business owners and bosses who want special gifts for their employees. She enjoys customizing gifts and offers all price levels for every age group. Free gift wrapping, free shipping and free gifts

By Nancy WhittakerJustin Sterling, president

of the East Towne Business Alliance, welcomed mem-bers, guests, several politi-cians and local residents to the Dec. 3 meeting.

Keith Edmonds with Clayton Bank and Trust treated everyone to a deli-cious breakfast of Richy Kreme Donuts. Edmonds spoke about the importance of giving back to the com-munity.

“Community involve-ment is most important,” he said, announcing that Clay-ton Bank was recently rated the No. 1 community bank in East Tennessee.

Knox County law director Bud Armstrong delivered an informative and entertain-ing talk. Armstrong spoke primarily about education, economics and legal issues that affect groups such as the ETBA.

Jack Neely’s book details

the history of the Tennessee

Theatre. It will be available in

January. Photo by Bonny C. Millard Hancock Neely

By Bonny C. MillardTennessee Theatre Exec-

utive Director Becky Han-cock and local historian and writer Jack Neely offered a glimpse inside Neely’s most recent book, due out in Jan-uary, that documents the history of the theater.

The theater celebrated its 86th anniversary in Oc-tober.

Hancock and Neely shared details and photographs of the theatre’s history at the Rotary Club of Knoxville. As the theatre approached its 85th anni-versary in 2013, the board of directors of the Historic Tennessee Theatre Founda-tion wanted something spe-cial to commemorate the milestone.

The result is Neely’s book, “The Tennessee The-atre: A Grand Entertain-ment Palace.” Hancock said the book won’t be out in time for Christmas, but people can preorder it.

Hancock showed some old photos of the construc-tion of the theater from November 1927, when the builders broke ground. It opened in October 1928.

The building, which has seen ups and downs over

the years, was renovated in 2005 and now serves as a performing arts center.

Neely told stories about legendary performers who appeared at the theatre, many times for standing-room-only crowds.

“This project was es-pecially gratifying to me,”

Neely said. “Like a lot of people, I grew up at the Tennessee The-atre.”

In the course of writing the book,

Knoxville’s historian dug through records, pho-tographs, news accounts and other documentation to bring the theatre’s history to life. The theatre offered performances that catered to many tastes, most of them family oriented, but occasionally a risqué act that opened late at night. The Ziegfeld Follies, Helen Hayes, the legendary Glenn Miller and Desi Arnaz all made appearances. Tom Mix performed with several live horses on the stage, a show that Neely was able to verify.

“It’s really fascinating to research these things,” he said.

Info: www.tennesseetheatre.com/.

Neely pens book on the Tennessee Theatre

By Sherry WittWhile real estate sales

experienced a typical s l o w d o w n in Novem-ber, a spike in mortgage lending and r e f i n a n c -ing led to a healthy m o n t h

overall. An aggregate $313 million was loaned against real estate in Knox County. That bested last November by nearly $80 million and easily surpassed October’s $288 million.

Mortgage type loans in Knox County lagged during the fi rst half of 2014, but the market has been play-ing catch-up since the end of summer. Mortgage lend-ing had been nearly $1 bil-lion behind the 2013 pace, but that defi cit has been cut recently.

Property sales showed 735 transfers in Novem-

ber, compared to 889 in October. Some 809 parcels changed hands last Novem-ber. The total value of prop-erty sold for the month was $173.8 million, about $34 million short of the October aggregate but only slightly behind last November.

The largest property transfer of the month in-volved parcels located in the 6700 block of Clinton Highway, comprising much of the development known as Northwest Crossing. The property sold to DFG-Knoxville for $15.5 mil-lion. The largest mortgage transaction was the fi nanc-ing of multiple properties in the Fort Sanders area near White Avenue and 17th Street for $46.4 million.

I sincerely hope each of you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends, family and loved ones, and from all of us at the Regis-ter’s offi ce I want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas.

Mortgage lending surge drives November markets

Witt

News from Offi ce of Register of Deeds

Debbie Bell, administra-tor of UT Day Surgery, has received the Certifi ed Ad-ministrator Surgery Center (CASC) credential.

Bell began her career with UT Medical Center in 1991 as a nurse manager in the Endoscopy and Short Stay Nursing Unit. She later served as director for spe-cial projects at the medical center including the startup of an outpatient healthcare facility and network devel-opment, where she served

as a physician liaison re-sponsible for referral de-

velopment with refer-ring physi-cians and f a c i l i t i e s throughout the East T e n n e s -see service area. In 2008, she

was named as administra-tor of UT Day Surgery.

Debbie Bell

Debbie Bell earns surgery management credential

Fountain City resident Michelle Ironside Henry

has penned “My Anchor Holds,” an inspiration-al account of her bat-tle against Stage IV c o lor e c t a l cancer.

H e n r y chronicles her four-year journey from diagnosis to restoration of health, in-cluding journal entries made during her illness and present-day refl ections on those passages written while in the throes of tests

and treatment.Henry is a writer with

Moxley Carmichael public relations fi rm and executive director of Executive Wom-en’s Association.

She will sign books from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 13, at Advanced Con-cepts II, 4852 Harvest Mill Way in Fountain City and is scheduling book sign-ings and speaking engage-ments.

“My Anchor Holds” is published by WestBow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan. Info: www.Michel leIronsideHenr y.com/.

Henry

Michelle Henry’s book details cancer battle

Bud Armstrong speaks to the East Towne Business Alliance. Photo by Nancy Whittaker

Knox law director shares vision with ETBA

With ties to East Knox-ville, Armstrong was help-ful in explaining some is-sues he feels people don’t really understand. “Knox County government doesn’t

have a school system,” said Armstrong. “The state con-stitution states it belongs to the state Legislature. Local people are elected to admin-ister the state’s schools.

“Compared to years ago, education is different. Ev-erything is different,” he said. His analysis of the ex-tent to which technical jobs have changed helped lis-teners understand why the success rate is low on many automated jobs.

Armstrong is proud of what his offi ce has accom-plished. The settlement rate for lawsuits has dropped from $1.8 million to less than $200,000. “We don’t settle very many cases un-less it is in the best interest of Knox County. I am kind of like your watchdog,” said Armstrong.

Armstrong shared sev-eral tips on making a busi-ness successful. He closed by stating, “The dreams are yours to capture.”

The group will meet next at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7, at New Harvest Park Com-munity Center.

Murphy-Boutwell is coach, mentor, cheerleader

with purchases are bonuses.A fun 12 days of Christ-

mas promotion is plannedDec. 12-23. A differentproduct will be discountedeach day. Just text “12 days”to 865-313-6399 and opt in.You will automatically get atext each morning with thespecial of the day.

Mary Kay also offersmen’s skin-care products.Many of them are fragrancefree, and Megan says theseare hugely popular with hermale clients. Her teenageclients enjoy learning aboutskin care and how to prop-erly use the color line for theyounger generation.

Megan says she usesMary Kay from head to toe.“I couldn’t sell a product Idon’t believe in. I stand be-hind my products becauseMary Kay stands behindme.”

Megan is currently book-ing her popular “New Year– New You” makeoversfor January. She explains,“Women give of themselvesso much this time of year.We need to be pamperedand rejuvenated in a relax-ing atmosphere.”

Megan welcomes anyonewho doesn’t currently havea Mary Kay consultant tocontact her. She has her own“store” where all productsare kept in stock. Internetshopping is available 24/7.Just go to www.marykay.com/mmurphy07 andplace your order. You canalso contact Megan at 865-313-6399 or email her atm mu r phy07@m a r yk ay.com/.

CHRISTMAS EVENTSAnnual Clayton Holiday Concert pre-

sented by the Knoxville Symphony Or-

chestra, the Knoxville Civic Auditorium.

Performances: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19;

3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20; 3 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 21. Info/tickets: 521-2337.

■ Brunch with Santa for ages toddler

through 12 years old, 10:30 a.m.

Saturday, Dec. 20, Christ UMC gym,

7535 Maynardville Highway. $5 per

person or $20 for family of fi ve. Res-

ervations required by Friday, Dec.

12, to 922-1412.

■ Christmas Candlelight Tours,

4-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, Marble

Springs State Historic Site, 1220

West Governor John Sevier High-

way. Suggested donation: $2. Info:

573-5508 or info@marblesprings.

net.

■ Christmas drive-thru exhibit: “The

Life of Christ,” 7-9 p.m. Friday and

Saturday, Dec. 12-13, Fellowship

Christian Church, 746 Tazewell Pike

in Luttrell. All are welcome.

■ Christmas in Old Appalachia

through Wednesday, Dec. 24, at

the Museum of Appalachia, 2819

Andersonville Highway. Info/sched-

ule of events: 494-7680 or www.

museumofappalachia.org.

■ Christmas Lantern Express Trains

will run Fridays through Sundays

through Sunday, Dec. 21. Reserva-

tions now available. Features holi-

day treats, storytime with celebrity

readers and a visit with Santa. Info/

schedule/reservations: www.Three-

RiversRambler.com.

■ Christmas Tours of Mabry-Hazen

House, 1711 Dandridge Ave., will be

held 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, and

2-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. Light re-

freshments will be served. The tours

are free; donations are encouraged.

Info: 522-8661 or www.mabryhazen.

com.

■ Corryton Christmas Parade, 2 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 13. Stepping off from

Corryton ball fi eld. Lineup at 1 p.m.

Info: Joyce Harrell, 705-7684, or Joe

Longmire, 898-9097.

■ East Tennessee History Center Holiday Open House, 11 a.m.-3

p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. Holiday

music, refreshments, craft demon-

strations, storytelling, ornament-

making for kids, book signings and

free museum admission. Info: www.

eastTNhistory.org or 215-8824.

■ A Family Christmas at Dowell Springs, 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11,

Provision Center for Proton Therapy,

6450 Provision Cares Way. Free and

open to the public. Performances

by Halls High School Madrigals,

Holston Middle School Show Choir,

Clear Springs Baptist Church Chil-

dren’s Choir and Brickey-McCloud

Elementary School; refreshments;

visit with Santa. Info: Gretchen

Church Crawley, 321-4554 or gretch-

en.crawley@provisionhp.com.

■ Free pictures with Santa, 2-4 p.m.

Wednesdays, Dec. 10 and 17, the

Frontier Offi ce, 2104 W. Emory Road.

■ Historic Cherokee Caverns, 8524

Oak Ridge Highway, will be open

for public tours 5:30-9 p.m. Friday

through Sunday, Dec. 12-14 and

Dec. 19-21, during “Christmas in the

Cave.” Admission: $8, ages 5 and up.

Photos with Santa: $10. Wheelchair

and stroller accessible. Includes

music, vendors, kids’ activities. Info:

www.cherokeecaverns.com.

■ Holidays on Ice presented by

Home Federal Bank through

Sunday, Jan. 4, on Market Square.

Hours: 4-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday

through Dec. 18; 1-9 p.m. Monday-

Thursday, Dec. 19-Jan. 4; 10 a.m.-10

p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 1-9 p.m.

Sundays. Info: www.knoxvillesholi-

daysonice.com.

■ “It’s a Wonderful Life,” 1 and

5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, Tennes-

see Theatre, 604 S. Gay St. Free,

but seating is limited. Info: www.

homefederalbanktn.com.

■ Knoxville Chamber Chorale Christmas Concert, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 11, First UMC, 1350

Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

Free.

■ “A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christ-mas” will be presented by The

WordPlayers, Clayton Perform-

ing Arts Center, Pellissippi State

Community College, 10915 Hardin

Valley Road. Performances: 7:30

p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, and 2:30 and

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. Tickets:

539-7529, www.wordplayers.org, or

at the door.

■ The Living Christmas Tree, 3 and

6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Dec.

13-14, Wallace Memorial Baptist

Church, 701 Merchant Drive. For

free tickets: WMBC.NET; from Wal-

lace church members; and at the

church during offi ce hours.

■ Living Nativity, 6-8 p.m. Monday

and Tuesday, Dec. 22-23, Christ

UMC, 7535 Maynardville Highway.

Everyone welcome.

■ The Nativity Pageant of Knoxville,

3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec.

13-14 and 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15,

Knoxville Civic Coliseum. Free perfor-

mances. Info: www.KnoxvilleNativity.

com or 579-5323.

■ Pictures with Santa Claus at Cool

Sports, 110 S. Watt Road. Sched-

ule: 2-6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14; 8-10

p.m. Friday, Dec. 19; 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec 20. Photos by No

Dud Photography. Info: 218-4500 or

www.coolsportstn.com.

■ Santa’s Workshop Ice Show, 2:30

p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec.

20, Cool Sports, 110 S. Watt Road.

Info/tickets: 218-4500 or www.

coolsportstn.com.

■ Share Your Sweater holiday contest is being hosted by Goodwill

Industries-Knoxville. To enter for a

chance to win a $50 Goodwill shop-

ping spree, purchase a Christmas

sweater at any Goodwill store and

submit a photo of the sweater

with info naming the store where

purchased by Sunday, Dec. 28, by

posting to Goodwill Industries-Knox-

ville’s Facebook Page, facebook.

com/gwiktn; Twitter and tag @

GWIKTN; on Instagram and tag @

goodwillknoxville; or emailing to

marketing@gwiktn.org. Info: www.

gwiktn.org/events.

■ “Sounds of the Season/ Christmas Time Is Here” production by the

Central High School Choral Depart-

ment, 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, Cen-

tral High auditorium. Tickets: Adult/

general admission, $8; student/

senior citizen, $6.

■ Union County Christmas parade,

2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, starting at

Union County High School and go-

ing north on Highway 33.

■ Xfi nity Christmas in Chilhowee Park, 6-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, Chil-

howee Park. Live music, lighting of

the tree, kids’ activities, and more.

Info: www.cityofknoxville.org/

Christmas.

10 • DECEMBER 10, 2014 • Shopper news

TVACREDITUNION.COM • (865) 544-5400

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and services that help our members grow financially.

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that meet your needs and online banking options to fit today’s busy lifestyles.

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