IN THIS ISSUE

Christenberry ball fi elds get a redo

The city-owned Christen-berry ball fi elds – at least the one that is the home fi eld for the Fulton High School softball team – has a whole new look this season, thanks to an outpouring of community co-operation that led to some $30,000 worth of renovations.

The Fulton High School Booster Club, headed by club president Will Gunn, coordi-nated the effort.

➤ Read Betty Bean on page 3

What’s that in my backyard?!

West Knox County home-owners should pay attention to what happens at Thurs-day’s MPC meeting regarding rezoning in Northshore Town Center. The change would al-low Flournoy Development of Columbus, Ga., to build 246 apartment units on 10 acres adjacent to a neighborhood of single-family homes.

➤ Read Wendy Smith on page 4

Fulton’s perfect end to perfect season

Fulton’s football team ended the perfect season in a perfect way – handing out the state championship rings to every member of the team.

Breaking state records, set-ting new school records and the perfect season make coach Rob Black happy, but the fact that his players show good character makes him proud.

➤ See the story on page 6

VOL. 2 NO. 14 April 7, 2014www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

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Legislative disconnect

At a League of Women Voters forum last week, all six candidates for school board pretty much agreed about one thing:

Charter schools – they don’t much like them.

➤ Read Betty Bean on page 4

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By Sandra Clark“You pays your money and you

takes your chances.”Money is tight, but Knox County

Schools is set to open a brand new high school in August. Offi cials toured the construction site last Monday. We’re spending $3.75 million to retrofi t the basement of

the former Panasonic Building on Strawberry Plains Pike for class-rooms and student labs.

The Career Magnet Academy (CMA@PSCC) joins Pellissippi State Community College which has offered classes in the building since 2012 and currently has 300 students enrolled.

By Betty BeanLinda Hill has been cancer-free

for a year now, but she hasn’t forgot-ten how the kids at Green Magnet Math and Science Academy helped her through the hard times by being extra-careful to keep their hands washed and not to sneeze or cough on her, so what they did on Hat Day didn’t surprise her a bit.

“We take care of them, and these babies, they took care of me,” said Hill, an instructional as-sistant for reading intervention. “We take care of each other here.”

The kids at Green Magnet are still doing their part. In March, they honored Hill and speech/language therapist Mary Rhodes (who is un-dergoing cancer treatment) by rais-ing money for the American Cancer Society by holding two “hat days” when students could pay a dollar and wear a hat to class. They raised

School board member Doug Harris and CMA

principal John Derek Faulconer pose for a

Knoxville Chamber promotion, touting the

new Career Magnet Academy. Photos by S. Clark

School board members Pam Trainor, Gloria Deathridge and Lynne

Fugate explore the new school. Board members Indya Kincan-

non, Mike McMillan and Doug Harris (not pictured) also attended.

Green Magnet students display their cer-

tifi cate of appreciation from the Ameri-

can Cancer Society: (front) O’Tavius Har-

ris, Josiah Libby, Mason Tanner, Shawn

Prater, Zea’Quan Hardy, Walter Neal;

(back) Miracle Neal, Mary Rhodes, Matt

Horton, Linda Hill. Photo by Betty Bean

Green Magnet students honor teacherswith ‘hat day’

is huge gamble

Doug Dillingham, supervisor of facilities and construction, said Knox County’s space will contain 13 classrooms, two science labs,

more than $200, and on March 27, they presented a check to a representative of the Amer-ican Cancer Society.

Third grade teacher Matt Hor-ton spearheaded the fundraiser to honor his colleagues and to

educate the children about the disease, which they are seeing so much of these days.

“We’d seen these staffers fi ght-

ing cancer and we thought we could do something positive to an-swer the students’ questions and raise awareness,” Horton said.

To page 3

By Sandra ClarkKnox County Sheriff Jimmy

“J.J.” Jones says he has all the patrol offi cers in neighborhoods that he can afford, that he’s almost doubled the count from January 2007 when he became sheriff, and that Bobby Waggoner knows better than to scare people about home safety.

Waggoner, who is challenging Jones in the May 6 Republican Primary, earlier said neighbor-

hood patrols are thin – fewer than 30 offi cers on a shift – and it’s a question of the sheriff’s priori-ties. The former chief of detectives promised more of-fi cers on patrol if he’s elected.

In an interview last week, Jones

said his offi ce continuously moni-

to rs calls to allocate offi cers to areas of highest crime. “When I took over we had some 17 to 18 of-fi cers on (patrol) duty. Now it’s about 30.”

Knox County outside the city (the Knoxville Police Depart-

ment patrols inside the city) is

Jones Waggoner

Patrols are adequate, says sheriff

divided into 12 zones with a pa-trol car assigned to each. There is overlap during peak times (9 p.m. to midnight) and times of heavy traffic.

Jones says response time is cru-cial, so he has fewer offi cers on pa-trol during the middle of the night

To page A-3

Analysis

media center, wellness center, teacher workrooms, guidance of-fi ces and a cafeteria.

UT footballButch Jones is one fi ne

philosopher. He says things you can print on fancy paper in old English script, trim orange matting to fi t, frame and hang on the wall.

“Your win-loss record starts today,” said the coach before the fi rst practice in pads.

➤ Read Marvin West on page 5

2 • APRIL 7, 2014 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

A life changing night of sleepScott Beverly of Knoxville, 53,

has been taking better care of his health lately, ever since he ex-perienced atrial fibrillation, the most common type of irregular heartbeat.

Working out and losing weight have helped. But Beverly has also visited Dr. Thomas G. Higgins at the Fort Sanders Sleep Disorders Center for an exam and a sleep test in the summer of 2013.

“My wife (Toni) kept saying I was snoring a whole lot at night-time, and she could tell I stopped breathing during the night,” Bev-erly said.

At the sleep center, Beverly was diagnosed with a condition called obstructive sleep apnea. This occurs when a person’s air-way relaxes during sleep and collapses on itself. This causes loud snoring and periodic lapses in breathing, which in turn can strain the heart.

And of course, it makes for a lousy night’s sleep.

At the sleep center, Beverly had a thorough exam by Hig-gins and then was scheduled for a sleep test. He arrived at 7 p.m. to spend the night in one of the center’s suites, complete with a comfortable bed and bathroom.

“It was very nice, almost like home,” Beverly said. Except that patients are connected all night to monitors recording their heart rate, brain activity, breathing

Science of a good night’s restGetting a good night’s rest

is not a luxury but rather a ne-cessity for good health, accord-ing to Dr. Thomas G. Higgins, a neurologist and sleep disorders specialist at Fort Sanders Sleep Disorders Center.

“Most people need at least sev-en or eight hours of sleep,” said Higgins. “There are shorter sleep-ers, but most people getting five hours are not getting enough sleep. Your body temperature, hor-mones and every-thing in the body

functions better if you’re attain-ing enough sleep.”

A lack of sleep can affect the body in many negative ways, Higgins said.

“The immune system is affect-ed,” he said. “People who do not get enough sleep are more likely to become ill. People with insuffi-cient sleep are more likely to put on weight, because a lack of sleep affects metabolism. That can lead to diabetes and heart disease.

“Obtaining good sleep reduces your sensitivity to chronic pain.

Fibromyalgia, for example, can be aggravated by a lack of sleep,” said Higgins.

One of the most common sleep disorders is obstructive sleep ap-nea, in which a patient’s airway relaxes and collapses on itself during sleep, causing loud snor-ing, choking and momentary lapses in breathing. These wake the patient up, and he or she

doesn’t get to a deep stage of sleep.

Sleep apnea is managed by wear-ing a CPAP (continu-ous positive airway pressure) machine at night. This machine forces air through a tube and mask, and into the patient’s air-way to keep it open.

“In one study, they took photos of pa-tients before and two months after using a CPAP machine, and asked other people to rate who was more at-tractive. The people judged most attractive were the ones who had used the CPAP for a couple of months.

“So if you want to be good looking, healthy and feel better, use your CPAP,” said Hig-gins with a laugh.

For more information about

diagnosis and treatment of your

sleep problem, call the

Fort Sanders Sleep Disorders

Center at 865-541-1375.

Myths about sleepMyth: Some people only need 4 to 5 hours per night.

Truth: Everyone needs 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night, and others need up to 9 hours. Sleep is productive time, in which brain and body cells rejuvenate.

Myth: Sleep problems only affect older women.

Truth: Insomnia affects everyone, but is more common in older women. Men in their 30s and 40s are most likely to get sleep apnea. And narcolepsy, a serious sleep disor-der, most often begins in a person’s teens and 20s.

When to call the doctorIf you have a problem getting to sleep, it’s probably a sleep hygiene

issue. Try keeping regular sleep hours, use the bedroom only for sleeping

don’t work on the computer or watch TV just before bed and avoid caf-feine after dinner.

Get exercise every day, but not right before bed. Do something relax-ing before bed, like take a bath or read (as long as it’s not exciting). Keepthe lights low or even off. Before there were electric lights, people regu-larly slept 9 hours per day.

If you keep waking up during the night, that’s more likely a physicaproblem such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome or any one of a num-ber of sleep disorders.

If you’ve tried good sleep hygiene and still can’t fall asleep, call yourdoctor. Or if you’re waking up in the middle of the night repeatedlythat’s a reason to call a doctor as well.

For more information, please call the Fort Sanders

Sleep Disorders Center at (865) 541-1375.

Fort Sanders Professional Building1901 Clinch Avenue, S.W., Suite 303Knoxville, TN 37916

Get Your Life BackChronic sleep deprivation or poor quality sleep can leave you feeling exhausted, irritable and unable to focus. It can also lead to serious health problems.

The professionals at the nationally accredited Fort Sanders Regional Sleep Disorders Center can help you get a refreshing night’s sleep – and get your life back.

rate and limb movements.“They hooked me up to all

those wires, and I slept for two hours,” said Beverly. “And out of that two hours, for every one minute of sleep I got, I stopped breathing for five seconds, and

then I was awake for 15 seconds.” After trying to sleep for two

hours, the staff technician put Beverly in a mask attached to a CPAP (continuous positive air-way pressure) machine. The ma-chine forces air through a tube

and mask and into the patient’s nose to keep the airway open all night.

This time, Beverly slept sound-ly. “When they woke me up, I felt like I had slept way more than five hours,” he said. “I finally

dreamed. I hadn’t done that inforever!”

Today Beverly wears a CPAPmask every night to sleep and hasseen a dramatic improvement inhis energy level. The machine isabout the size of a shoe box andsits beside his bed.

“I’m 100 percent better. Ididn’t feel it at first. But my wifeand even boss and others couldtell the difference. I have morepep and a more normal energylevel,” Beverly said.

Beverly said he would recom-mend the Fort Sanders SleepDisorders Center to anyone whoneeds a better night’s rest. Andthe added bonus of treating hissleep apnea has been a more reg-ular heart beat.

“My atrial fibrillation has gonefrom spells four times a week,to maybe once every two weeks,if that,” he said. “Dr. Higginsthinks maybe when I stoppedbreathing so many times duringthe night, it was triggering the ir-regular heartbeat.

“I had excellent care at FortSanders,” he said. “When youwalk in, you’re not a number,you’re a person. It’s a great place,and I can’t say anything badabout it.”

For more information or to sched-

ule an appointment, call the Fort

Sanders Sleep Disorders Center at

865-541-1375.

Scott Beverly and his wife, Toni, in Annapolis, Md., where their son, Brandon, is a junior at the United States Naval

Academy

Dr. Thomas G.

Higgins

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • APRIL 7, 2014 • 3

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KCS will provide food services and security.

The hook is dual credit for juniors and seniors – up to 33 college credits with no tuition cost.

Don Lawson, CTE su-pervisor, said projected enrollment is 125 freshmen the fi rst year, adding 125 each year for a total of 500. “Forty percent of enrollees are girls and inquiries mir-ror the racial mix of the system,” said Indya Kincan-non.

Mike McMillan is cau-tiously optimistic. “We’re spending almost $4 million here, and it has the poten-tial to be something really great. … I hope it doesn’t hamper the traditional vo-cational programs in other high schools.” He worries that the lack of athletics will restrict enrollment.

Principal Ryan Siebe doesn’t expect the CMA to weaken the nearby Carter High School.

“The special thing about Carter is that it’s a compre-hensive high school with strong programs in aca-demics, athletics, band and the arts. We offer things that are not available in the magnet schools and pro-vide experiences that make Carter special.”

Huge gamble From page A-1

The city-owned Christen-berry ball fi elds – at least the one that is the home fi eld for the Fulton High School softball team – has a whole new look this season, thanks to an outpouring of community co-operation that led to some $30,000 worth of renovations.

The Fulton High School Booster Club, headed by club president Will Gunn, coordinated the effort.

Gunn, whose wife Lydia is the team’s head coach, has a long list of people and businesses to thank for the sparkling new fi eld: The city contributed about $3,000 for supplies to help with the renovations; General Shale donated block; PPG donat-ed paint; the Schaad Road Home Depot and ECB Ma-sonry provided tools; Jeff Pickens, father of fi rst-base standout Kaitlyn Pickens, laid block; and Mike Rogers, owner of Painters & More did the painting.

“The team and its boost-er club have worked nearly every weekend on the fi eld since November,” said Joe Walsh, city parks and rec-reation director. “They ob-tained sponsorships and they did the labor. This project is truly commend-able and something in which the players should take pride.”

■ Dixie chickens at Chilhowee ParkThinking about joining

the ranks of backyard chick-en farmers? The Tennessee Valley Poultry Club’s Dixie Classic Spring Open is com-ing to the Jacob Building at

Fulton softball coaches Brittany Nichols and Lydia Gunn fl ank senior standout Dominique McCue Photo by Betty Bean

Betty Bean

Christenberry ball fi elds get redo

Chilhowee Park Saturday, April 12.

It’s an all-day (9 a.m.-6 p.m.) event, and “Chicken Whisperer” Andy Schneider will announce the show and personally present a copy of his book, “The Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keep-ing Chickens” to the grand champion and junior grand champions.

Aspiring urban chicken-raisers could get lots of questions answered at the event, says club president Eddie Dunlap, who raises standard langshans (a tall, meaty, even-tempered bird that originated in Asia).

“They should come on out to our show and talk to experts that can educate them,” Dunlap said. “These days everybody wants their own eggs. When you buy eggs from the store, you don’t know what those chickens have been fed.”

■ STEM freshman on USA dive team L&N STEM Academy

freshman Jacob Siler is one of 16 divers named to USA Diving’s 2014 Junior Elite Squad.

Jacob claimed fi rst place in the diving event at the Knox-area Interscholastic Swim League earlier this year, and is the son of Cheri and Stanley Siler of Foun-tain City.

Patrols are adequate From page A-1

when traffi c is sparse.South Knox has two

zones, East Knox has two, North has three plus Halls and West has three plus the town of Farragut. There are precinct stations in Halls and Farragut, and “about 44 to 50 square miles in each zone,” Jones said.

In addition to the patrol offi cers, other certifi ed, gun-carrying offi cers are in the fi eld, Jones said, espe-cially during the day when civil and criminal warrants are served. “We have 220 of-fi cers (in addition to patrol) out in neighborhoods and in school zones. The men and women of the sheriff’s offi ce do a great job.”

Jones pegs neighbor-hood safety as “8 to 8.5” on a 1-10 scale. “People feel safe because we work hard,” he said. “People don’t want to live in a neighborhood that’s crawling with cops. What people want is quick response – an offi cer there when they need one.”

As to Waggoner’s criti-cism about “luxury SUVs,” Jones said his 4-wheel drive vehicles were bought “straight off the state bid list and cost about $2,000 to $3,000 more than a regu-lar police car.” He’s glad he had them during the snows of the past winter. “Vehicles

are not a luxury item for lawenforcement.”

Meanwhile, Waggonercontinues to turn up theheat. He’s the most seriousopponent Jones has facedsince he was beaten bythen-Sheriff Tim Hutchi-son in the GOP Primaryin 2002. Jones then re-fused to endorse Hutchisonand worked for AttorneyGeneral Randy Nichols, aDemocrat, before patchingthings up with Hutchisonand returning to the sher-iff’s offi ce. Hutchison hasendorsed Jones in this elec-tion.

Waggoner said last weekthat Jones could spendmore on patrol if he didn’tserve as a “retirement homefor former county commis-sioners.” Waggoner saidsix of them work for Jones,costing the county about$170,000 per year.

The six are: Greg“Lumpy” Lambert, MarkCawood, Ivan Harmon,Larry Clark, Lee Trameland Fred Flenniken. Fourwere on Knox County Com-mission when Jones wasappointed to replace theterm-limited Hutchisonon the day now known asBlack Wednesday. One washired the next day, saidWaggoner.

Broyles selected to lead-ership institute

County Commissioner Amy Broyles will represent Tennessee and Knox County at the National Association of Counties’ Leadership In-stitute next month, and she says she is thrilled to have been chosen through an ex-tremely competitive appli-cation process.

The press release an-nouncing Broyles’ accep-tance says this:

“Of the 233 alumni from this program, only four are from Tennessee. All four are men and were mayors at the time of their participation in the CLI. This is the fi rst time a woman or someone from the legislative branch of county government, has been accepted into the program from the state of Tennessee.”

■ Broyles on leadership groupCounty Commissioner

Amy Broyles will represent Ten ne s s e e and Knox County at the National Association of Counties’ Leadership I n s t i t u t e next month, and she says she is

thrilled to have been chosen through an extremely com-petitive application process.

The press release an-nouncing Broyles’ accep-tance says this:

“Of the 233 alumni from this program, only four are from Tennessee. All four are men and were mayors at the

John Derek Faulconer, CMA principal, has visited every middle school, work-ing to recruit 8th graders for the fall’s freshman class. He explains the four clusters: Advanced Manufacturing, Homeland Security, Sus-tainable Living and Teacher Preparation. Students are not expected to commit to a career path until their soph-omore year, he said.

The promise to parents: “A learning environment like no other … a culture of high expectations and high outcomes … hands-on, project-based learning with a highly trained staff dedi-cated to success.”

Business partnerships with ALCOA, DENSO and Republic Plastics enable job shadowing, fi eld experience and internships. Transpor-tation will be provided from base schools, and the hours of operation are weekdays 9:30 to 4:30, following the KCS calendar. Enrollment information is available at www.knoxschools.org/.

Will this new school work?L&N STEM Academy

made sense from its launch.L&N appeals to the kid whotrades football and pep ral-lies for a tech-based cur-riculum in a unique historicbuilding downtown witheasy access to UT profes-sors and labs. Students haveenrolled from across KnoxCounty and this year’s wait-ing list is almost 200.

CMA is a bigger risk.With windowless class-

rooms on the outskirts ofnowhere, the school is closerto Jefferson or Sevier coun-ty residents than the popu-lation center of Knox Coun-ty. The career magnet seeksthe eighth grader who canvisualize post-high schoolwork-life, not as a chemicalengineer but as a homelandsecurity or sustainabilitytechnician, whatever thateven means.

Anyone who has known(or been) an eighth graderhas cause to cringe.

“You pays your moneyand you takes your chances.”

time of their participation in the CLI. This is the fi rst time a woman or someone from the legislative branch of county government, has been accepted into the pro-gram from the state of Ten-nessee.”

Broyles

bill) much thought.”She was unsure how the

state attor-ney general should be chosen. She is not sure if the state consti-tutional amendment banning a state income

tax is wise and not sure how she would vote on it this November. She was also un-decided on the constitutional amendment changing the ju-dicial selection process. She said she would like to serve on the Education Committee and Government Operations Committee if elected. Gov-ernment Operations is not a major committee.

She says she has never met Gov. Haslam, even when he was mayor. She feels that Haslam “was much more for the regular people of Knoxville” as mayor, but as governor he “is more big-business- and corporate minded, headed in a differ-ent direction.” She does back Haslam’s Drive to 55.

Asked how the race would differ if Briggs defeats Campfi eld, she says, “I have seen nothing to suggest he is different from Campfi eld.”

Her campaign manager joined our interview. He is Andrae McGary, 33, former member of the Chattanooga City Council and unsuccess-ful Democratic nominee for state senator in 2012. He moved to Tennessee in 2005 from Texas and won election in 2009 for one term. He and his wife, Cheryl, have 5 chil-dren. He will spend several days a week here in the Siler campaign. They met recently at a Democratic campaign seminar in Clarksville.

In this writer’s opinion Siler’s electability will de-pend on whether she is seen as a Wayne Ritchie, Tommy Schumpert or Phil Bredesen Democrat in a district that is overwhelmingly Republi-can. She must give Republi-cans a reason to vote for her. She is not there yet.

■ U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will be in Knoxville on April 15 to speak at noon at UT’s Cox Auditorium. It is open to the public. Get there early if you want a seat.

Justice Scalia visited Poland while I was ambas-sador. In fact, he was our last houseguest prior to our leaving. Regardless of one’s views on his ideology, his personality was delightful and given to robust discus-sions on whatever issues arise. The Poles who met him were impressed.

4 • APRIL 7, 2014 • Shopper news government

VictorAshe

Betty Bean

At a League of Women Voters forum last week, all six candidates for school board pretty much agreed about one thing:

While there is focus on the Richard Briggs challenge to state Sen. Stacey Camp-fi eld in the August Republi-can primary, there is also a Democratic candidate, Cheri Siler, an educator who lives in Fountain City.

West Knox County home-owners should pay attention to what happens at Thurs-day’s MPC meeting regard-ing rezoning in Northshore Town Center. The change would allow Flournoy De-velopment of Columbus, Ga., to build 246 apartment units on 10 acres adjacent to a neighborhood of single-family homes.

The Council of West Knox County Homeowners is certainly paying atten-tion. At last week’s meet-ing, president Margot Kline

encouraged m e m b e r s to contact MPC com-missioners to ask them to vote “no” on amend-ments to the K n o x v i l l e O n e - Y e a r

Plan and the Southwest Sector Plan that would al-low for high-density resi-dential zoning.

The progress of this de-velopment, as well as the

John Becker, news anchor of

WBIR-TV, moderates the League

of Women Voters’ forum.

Rosalyn Tillman, dean of the

Pellissippi State Magnolia Avenue

Campus, (right) talks with school

board member Gloria Deathridge

at last week’s forum. Behind them

are Bart Rountree and Tommy

Bounds, husbands of candi-

dates Amber Rountree and Patti

Bounds. Photos by S. Clark

Vote on charter schools shows legislative disconnect

Charter schools – they don’t much like them.

“Troublesome,” said board chair Lynne Fugate, who said the Metro Nash-ville school district loses $9 million to charter schools annually. Incumbent Pam Trainor said she has con-cerns: “I don’t like to see public money going to pri-vate entities.”

Challengers Sally Ab-sher, Scott Clark and Amber Rountree said they don’t like charters (with Absher saying that only half of charter schools outperform public schools). Clark rec-ommended putting teacher/coaches back in the class-

room to lower student/teacher ratios, while Roun-tree said that charters don’t play by the same rules and recommended that Knox County Schools focus on community schools instead.

Patti Bounds, running un-opposed, said she doesn’t like them either and fears that the charter trend will lead to public education for profi t.

The candidates – chal-lengers and incumbents alike – pretty much mir-rored the view of the school board, where only Doug Harris is an outright advo-cate for charter schools.

Bounds is either remark-ably prescient or keeps close tabs on what’s happening in Nashville because the next day after the forum, the House Education Committee – chaired by Knox County’s Harry Brooks – voted 8-7 to approve House Bill 1693, which “removes the present law prohibition against a pub-lic charter school contracting for the management or op-

eration of the charter school by a for-profi t entity.” Brooks and fellow Republicans Bill Dunn and Roger Kane voted yes, and the bill moved on to the Calendar and Rules Com-mittee (chaired by Dunn) to be scheduled for a fl oor vote.

But the for-profi t bill failed in the calendar com-mittee after Speaker Beth Harwell showed up to op-pose it. She said she feared it would hurt non-profi t char-ters, and she doesn’t want Tennessee taxpayer dollars going to out-of-state com-panies. Brooks and Dunn both voted to approve it, but Harwell prevailed, 7-10-1. Dunn hopes the bill can be salvaged and said he would hold it in his committee rather than referring it back to the Education Committee.

When asked why he sup-ported a bill that his school board clearly doesn’t want, he said the bill is set up to allow local school boards to vote on charter applications “which would have the man-

agement arrangement in it.”So who’s got their ear?Maybe those 59 lobbyists

being paid to push vouchers and charters?

“These lobbyists and (edu-cation commissioner Kevin) Huffman’s people are crawl-ing all over. I don’t think (Brooks, Kane and Dunn) are hearing it from their constit-uents,” said Democrat Gloria Johnson, a career teacher who couldn’t get a seat on the Education Committee.

“There’s millions’ worth of outside special-interest mon-ey fl owing into Tennessee elections to infl uence priva-tization policies,” she said. “A family with students in a public school whose funding is getting squeezed more and more has to wonder who is benefi tting. We’ve got to stop taking orders from corporate lobbyists and start listening to educators and parents.”

Or maybe legislators should just let the elected school boards manage the schools.

Cheri Siler

Margot Kline

Wendy Smith

Siler needs Republican votes to win

Local Democrats say she is a credible candidate and a viable alternative to Camp-fi eld if he wins the primary. If Briggs wins, Siler has a much tougher contest in No-vember as he does not have the Campfi eld negatives.

This writer recently met with Siler. She presents an interesting profi le for local Democrats if she manages her campaign well with a compelling message.

She is the mother of six children at age 42. They are Carsten, 21; Tyler and Ryan, 19 (twins); Zachary, 18; Ja-cob, 15; and Kayley, 13. She is an instructional coach for Knox County Schools work-ing at Carter, South-Doyle and L&N STEM Academy and has tenure. She also helps her husband operate Volunteer Paving, a small business.

While raising her chil-dren she was active in the PTA/PTO of the various schools they attended in-cluding president of the PTO at Shannondale Elementary and Gresham Middle. The Silers live on Shannondale Road inside the city.

She comes across as a calm, sincere individual. She said it was this past December that she decided to enter the political arena for the fi rst time “because I was dissatisfi ed with the representation we had” (meaning Campfi eld).

Her website lists educa-tion, jobs and healthcare as her major issues. On some issues she is quite clear while on others she is vague or undecided. For example, she does not favor popular election of the county school superintendent.

She thinks it would be “a great idea” for the Knox leg-islative delegation to hold regular Saturday meetings for the public while the legislature is in session. That practice was discon-tinued some 15 years ago. She thinks the state should participate in Obamacare. She favors a minimum wage of $10.10 an hour over the current $7.70 and thinks it should be enacted in stages.

However, she said she had “not given (her fi rst

‘What’s that in my backyard?!’

nearby Westland Cove de-velopment, should be moni-tored by those who live along the Pellissippi Parkway cor-ridor. City Council’s appar-ent support of the Flournoy project, and County Com-mission’s rezoning in favor of Westland Cove, foretell a multi-story apartment com-plex in your backyard.

Frank Slagle, who repre-sents Northshore Landing at the homeowners coun-cil, reported on a meeting of individuals who oppose Westland Cove, John Hu-ber’s proposed 312-unit complex on Emory Church Road. The meeting was rife with rumors about possible development on properties along Westland Drive and George Williams Road.

“We have to fi ght these,

or they’re going to be every-where,” he said.

That may sound far-fetched, but a perusal of an-nual Development Activity Reports on MPC’s website (www.knoxmpc.org) shows a rise in multi-dwelling residential units built in the county’s southwest sector since 2009.

In each of the four years leading up to ’09, other county sectors saw more units built. In ’09, the only units added in the entire county were in the south sector. In ’10, ’11 and ’12, the southwest sector had more multi-dwelling residential units built than all other sectors combined. Data for 2013 is not yet available on the website. Obviously, Southwest Knox County has become a desirable place to build apartments.

Residents like Becky Benson may suffer because of the trend. Her property is adjacent to the proposed Westland Cove develop-ment, so she is contemplat-ing the view of a four-story

apartment building from her lakeside home.

The development is cur-rently in litigation, but even if it fails, she fears the re-zoning of the property from Agricultural to Planned Residential could open the door for more apartment complexes in areas where single-family homes are currently the norm.

“It sets a precedent for development at fi ve units per acre,” she says. Huber’s plan consolidates allowable units from a 100-acre parcel.

Jim Pryor, an appraiser with Dunn & Metz Apprais-al Group, says that as long as apartments are lucrative for developers, they’ll con-tinue to spring up.

“If Westland Cove works, the likelihood is increased that others will try it.”

The good news is that builders typically tailor their developments to the market, and the market can bear only so many apart-ment buildings, he says.

Until then, keep an eye on your backyard.

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Look at these rascals. There, down in the left-hand corner of the formal band photo. See those guys leaning?

They got into a lot of trou-ble for that.

You won’t recognize any faces in that photo. It’s from a distant land called Waynesville, N.C., and a faraway time known as 1973. Its members are now in their late 50s, though some of them haven’t made it past that.

One of them, in particu-lar, is on my mind. He made his exit recently.

His name was Robert. In the photo, he’s the fourth male from the left, fi ness-ing the prank with just the slightest tilt.

When he was diagnosed with cancer three years ago, he fought it into remission. He, his children and his wife of seven years – soul mates if ever I saw them – were just getting used to breathing easier.

But last November the disease came back in an-other form, and this time it meant business.

It took him down – sav-agely – in four months.

With a remarkable, high-ly decorated Air Force ca-reer, he was possibly, said a colleague at his funeral, “the best attack pilot this country has ever produced.” His receiving line lasted fi ve hours. Every intersection in town was blocked off for his funeral cortege. He received full military honors at the gravesite, including a jet fl yover that was one of the most astounding things I’ve ever experienced – “unrav-eling,” said a friend. One by one, each soldier saluted his

Marvin West

Butch Jones is one fi ne philosopher. He says things you can print on fancy paper in old English script, trim orange matting to fi t, frame and hang on the wall.

Win-loss record starts today

“Your win-loss record starts today,” said the coach before the fi rst practice in pads.

Jones wants the Vols to work very fast, fi nish spring practice in high gear. It ap-pears he is teaching tempo. It could also mean there is still more to do than avail-able working hours.

This time a year ago Ten-nessee football fans were

excited about the new coach and the assumption that se-rious progress was coming soon. The forecast was for at least 7-5 and a small bowl game that Tennessee would obviously win.

Some have conveniently forgotten that 7-5 was the consensus. I tabulated the optimistic outlooks and talked myself into believ-ing enthusiasm was a satis-factory substitute for talent and depth. I am old enough to know better.

Well, you do remember how last season turned out. Tennessee won one game, against South Carolina, that was unexpected. It came close against Georgia. The Vols looked awful losing to a very ordinary Florida. Mis-souri’s second-team quar-terback was considerably better than Tennessee’s No. 2.

South Alabama caused acute indigestion, but win-ning ugly is signifi cantly better than losing. I am still unable to explain how the Jaguars scored the fi nal 17 points.

The gut punch last season was the loss to Vanderbilt – the failure to gain one yard for a necessary fi rst down and standing by as Commo-dores drove 92 yards in the closing minutes, 12 plays, clincher by Patton Robi-nette, Maryville High grad rejected by the home team. Oh my.

Here we are a year later, getting excited about our upbeat coach’s second year. A major reconstruction job in the offensive and defen-sive fronts is ongoing. Butch will eventually identify a quarterback. After that, the honoree must be coached up to a competitive level.

Predictions look much like the past:

1. Florida State; 2. Au-burn; 3. ALABAMA; 4. Or-egon; 5. OKLAHOMA; 6. Michigan State; 7. Stanford; 8. California-Los Angeles; 9. SOUTH CAROLINA; 10. Ohio State.

11. Clemson; 12. Louisi-ana State; 13. Central Flor-ida; 14. Baylor; 15. South-ern Cal; 16. Texas A&M; 17. MISSOURI; 18. GEORGIA; 19. OLE MISS; 20. Notre Dame.

21. Duke; 22. Louisville; 23. FLORIDA; 24. Nebras-ka; 25. Arizona State.

You are no doubt familiar with several on this list. The seven in capital letters are on the UT schedule. Please circle the ones you think the

Vols can beat.The other fi ve foes are

supposedly softer: Utah State, Arkansas State, Chat-tanooga and Kentucky at home and Vandy on the road. Please circle projected victories.

Add up your circles. Does Tennessee qualify for a mi-nor bowl game?

The goal is to get better soon, to become competi-tive with good teams, be relevant again in the SEC, attract more paying cus-tomers (full-price tickets), sell more popcorn, earn more standing ovations.

If all that happens, the great philosopher is coach of the year.(Marvin West invites reader reaction. His

address is westwest6@netzero.com.)

The 1973 Tuscola High School Marching Mountaineers of Waynesville, N.C. Photo by Ray Rouser

This bond was forged early in life. The author is in the center. Photo by Jo Ridge Kelley

Music bondsCarol

Zinavage

Carol’s Cornercoffi n. It took a long time; there were a lot of them. They came from all over the country to honor him. They were his family.

But during his fi nal months, it was his old band-mates who took care of him.

Some of them gave him a last party at home. In his prime, he was one of the fi n-est big-band drummers on the planet. He could have made a career of it. So his pals had brought him a box drum – the kind you sit on and play with the fl at of your palms – along with some in-struments of their own. The jamming went on until he was too weak to continue. By all accounts, he had at least one night late in the game when he was happy, joyous and free.

One of those guys stayed on 24-hour call for months. He did everything from helping Robert to the bath-room, to spelling his ex-hausted wife in her vigil, to holding Robert’s hand late at night when he’d wake up terrifi ed.

In hospice, a former fl ag carrier kept Robert’s family, and everyone else who had come to say goodbye, sup-plied with delicious home-made meals.

When it looked as if the funeral would be sooner rather than later, Robert’s

wife asked for old pictures. I, a former piccolo player, had a treasure trove of newspaper articles and oth-er ephemera. I sent them to a former French horn player who scanned them into his computer, cleaned them up and mounted them for dis-play.

At any time of day or night, a steady stream of

former Marching Moun-taineers entered the quiet, dark room to hold Robert’s hand and tell him how much he meant to them. Every re-quest from his family was instantly gratifi ed by these same people.

The night Robert passed, several were there to hold and comfort his wife.

His funeral featured live

jazz – his favorite music – provided by his friends.

And three of his old drum crew helped to carry his coffi n.

These days, when school music programs are fi ght-ing to survive, you hear a lot about what music does for the brain. It’s all true. Kids who play an instrument do better in school. The study

of music encompasses his-tory, geography, languages and math. It improves eye-hand coordination andteaches perseverance and discipline.

It also gives you friends – true, valiant friends – for life.

Send story suggestions to news@ShopperNewsNow.com.

A spirited website, Na-tionalChamps.net, offers a preview of this fall. It has nine SEC teams in the top 25. It did not include Ten-nessee.

There are fans who just can’t believe our team is still 10th or worse in the confer-ence. How can this be with so many famous recruits?

NationalChamps.net says this is its 13th season of uncanny accuracy. It does not provide a lot of original material but averages the opinions of Athlon, ESPN, USA Today, Fox Sports, CBS – all armed with highly paid people who should know.

Ijams executive director Paul James, Doug McAlister of River Sports Outfi tters, Brian Bain of

Pelican International, Laura Jones of River Sports and Hope Buttitta of Grassroots Outdoor Alli-

ance pose with some of the equipment that will be used by young campers.

6 • APRIL 7, 2014 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news kids

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local stories

Betty Bean

Carter High senior Joe Day has signed to play base-

ball at Hia-wassee Col-lege after graduation.

The left-h a n d e d pitcher was named to the All-District 2A team his

sophomore and junior years and was named District 2A Pitcher of the Year last year. Joe is a four-year starter for the Hornets and has done “a

lot of good things for Cart-er,” according to his coach, Scott Rimmer.

Joe selected Hiawassee because of the smaller cam-pus size. He plans to study liberal arts and major in history, hoping to become a history teacher and a base-ball coach.

Attending the signing were his grandparents, Joe and Dorene Watkins, aunt and uncle Clare and Dar-rell Watkins and many members of the Carter High baseball team.

Fulton’s football team ended the perfect season in a perfect way – handing out the state championship rings to every member of the team.

Breaking state records, setting new school records and the perfect season make coach Rob Black happy, but the fact that his players show good character makes him proud.

The 2013 Falcons are un-

doubtedly the best team in the history of the school and were recently recognized as the top team in the state. Ten players were named to the Class 4A All-State team.

Team members voted for their top picks in vari-ous categories, and awards were handed out to Akeem Cooperwood, best offen-sive lineman; best defen-sive backs Domonique Wil-

liams and Lennox Roper; best linebacker D.J. Camp-bell; special-teams award De’Ontay Tate; most im-proved Sidney Jackson; and 110 percent K.J. Roper.

Daryl Rollins-Davis was named best offensive back and was given the captain award. Xavier Hawkins was named best receiver, received the captain award and was named MVP by

the coaches. Quarterback Penny Smith was given the captain award.

Tyler Stokes was selected best defensive lineman, re-ceived the academic award by the coaches and was given the top honor, the Tony O’Brien Award. The O’Brien Award is voted on by the coaching staff and is given to the member who best exemplifi es being a team player.

Baron Von Shrimp on the sceneL&N STEM Academy robotics team members Nathaniel Heinrich, Alex Walker, Jonathan Bueckman, Eric O’ Reilley, Chris

Colley and Michael Glass huddle around team robot Baron Von Shrimp while preparing for the FIRST Robotics Competition

Smoky Mountains Regional at the Knoxville Convention Center. Photo by S. Barrett

Fulton High football players Zack Bobson, Kalem Blair and

Zach Winston show off their state championship rings during

an unveiling ceremony. Photos by Ruth White

Terry Dailey can’t contain his excitement as he sees his new

ring for the fi rst time.

Day signs with Hiawassee College

Fulton makes perfect ending to perfect season

Jackson Rollins-Davis Roper Stokes Williams Hawkins

Joe Day

Shopper news • APRIL 7, 2014 • 7 business

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Jeff Archer, senior plan-ner with the Knoxville/Knox County Metropoli-tan Planning Commission, shared ideas for improved visibility from I-640, better directional signs, new park-ing standards and enhanced circulation around the in-terchange at last week’s meeting of the East Towne Area Business and Profes-sional Association.

Debbie Reed, affi liate broker

with Hammontree Real Estate Photos by Nancy Whittaker

Jeff Archer, MPC senior plan-

ner, discusses plans for the

East Towne Corridor.

By Cynthia MoxleyAnother beautiful East

Ten ne s s e e spring has a r r i v e d , and we’re anxious to enjoy the s u n s h i n e , admire the d o g w o o d b l o s s o m s and jump in

the lake for a swim.That restless urge to “get

out and do something” may be a familiar feeling for professionals and small-business owners who want to dive deeper into digital media but don’t know where to start.

We recommend the hub-and-spoke model. Just as the spokes on a bicycle wheel all connect to the hub, digital media activities should direct back to one central source of informa-tion – your website. Engage key audiences using digi-tal media, but drive traffi c back to your website, which contains the most and best information about your or-ganization, plus opportuni-ties for sales, registrations and more.

Here are some tips for an effective hub-and-spoke strategy for digital media:

Embrace your blog. Your blog is the heart of your website and therefore part of the hub. Google used to put

an emphasis on keywords – specifi c, competitive words used to market businesses – and how often they ap-peared. Now, search engines have shifted to algorithms that track how frequently websites are updated. The more often fresh, relevant information is posted to your blog, the better your website ranks in search re-sults. When consumers do an Internet search for re-lated goods or services, your website will appear higher on the results page.

Engage using social media. In 2014, digital marketing focuses even more on user-generated content like conversation and images shared by cus-tomers and potential cus-tomers. While blogs allow for commenting, the major-ity of customer-driven con-tent is developed via social media.

Determine which social media best fi t your orga-nization’s needs and audi-ences. Many companies use Facebook and Twitter, but other platforms also can be effective:

■ YouTube is the second-most popular search engine after Google. Provide con-tent where people search for information.

■ Instagram, used to share photos and videos, is growing the fastest of all so-cial-media sites worldwide,

according to 2014 Global-WebIndex research.

■ Pinterest serves to inspire, provide tips and share products for sale. Ap-proximately 25 percent of U.S. social network users made a purchase on a retail website after clicking from a social network in the past year, says Javelin Strategy & Research’s January report. Shoppers clicking from Pin-terest are particularly lucra-tive, with an average order value of $123.50 – 126 per-cent more than Facebook users’ $54.64 average.

■ FourSquare, Google+ and LinkedIn, as well as digital tools like e-newslet-ters and online advertising, also should be considered.

Cross-post. Promo-tion through all digital tools should be complementary. Start with a blog post tell-ing the story of your latest product, new employee, philanthropic activity or special event. Share a link to the blog through tailored posts on each social-media platform, ensuring all the spokes share the same key messages and return people to the hub – your website.

If you’re excited about digital marketing, get orga-nized with a hub-and-spoke model and spring into ac-tion. With a little planning and some practice, you’ll drive traffi c to your website and reap the rewards.

The Moxley Carmichael Method:Spring into action

Moxley

News from Moxley Carmichael

By Phyllis NicholsCarlton Johnson built his

house when he was 29 years old.

“ T h e last thing I wanted to do was lose it,” he said.

However, when John-son was laid

off from his job and out of work for three months, he fell behind on his mortgage payments. Johnson heard a commercial on the radio about the “Keep My Ten-nessee Home” program and called the Knoxville Area Urban League for help.

“I was skeptical at fi rst,” he said. “But the Urban League helped me get ap-proved. I needed help to catch up on my payments, and the Urban League made that happen.”

The Urban League be-lieves every adult in Amer-ica should have access to the fi nancial security that comes from owning a home. The Knoxville Area Urban League helped to relieve the mounting toll of the fi nan-cial stress so Johnson could focus his efforts on fi nding employment. Since his ap-proval with the program, Johnson was able to get a new job.

“If I hadn’t heard that commercial, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Johnson said. “It took a while getting the paperwork fi nished and approved, but everyone at the Urban League was so helpful. They gave me sev-eral options and helped me make a decision on how to get assistance. Once I got them the information they needed, it was good to go.”

Johnson acknowledged he was initially reluctant to

ask for help, but he encour-aged community memberswho may be dealing withanxiety over delinquentmortgage payments to con-tact the Knoxville Area Ur-ban League for assistance assoon as possible.

“The phone call to fi ndout if you qualify doesn’tcost a thing,” he said. “Don’tprocrastinate because if youkeep putting it off, you couldend up worse than where youare now.”

The Knoxville Area Ur-ban League is a Housingand Urban Development(HUD)-approved nonprofi tcounseling agency. Profes-sionally trained and certi-fi ed homeownership coun-selors customize actionplans for every client’s situ-ation. To start the processand see if the Urban Leaguecan help you, call 524-5511.Phyllis Nichols is president and CEO of

Knoxville Area Urban League.

Staying rooted with theUrban League

Nichols

News from The Knoxville Area Urban League

Nancy Whittaker

Maintaining visibility for Knoxville Center merchants

Several new members and guests attended.

Archer also shared other planned improvements for East and North Knoxville through 2033. For more information on the East Towne corridor project, Ar-cher encouraged attendance at the MPC meeting at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10.

Find the agenda at www.knoxmpc.org.

New members were spot-lighted. Barry Brogan, man-ager of Food City, brought a delicious breakfast. Brogan discussed the company’s interesting history, special promotions and community activities.

Robert Elmore with Modern Woodmen of America shared goody bags and encouraged people to check out his website – w w w.modern-woodmen.

org. Elmore also furnished a door prize.

Manager Chris Lane and Jimmie Haynes of Lowe’s attended. Haynes shared tips on home gardening and also furnished door prizes.

Momentum has built in a short time – join the excite-ment at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 7, at New Harvest Park community building.

■ Reed is Realtor with a big heartA wonderful part of my

job is meeting special peo-ple. Debbie Reed, a Realtor with Hammontree Real Es-tate since 2006, is at the top of my list for the week.

Reed worked in real es-tate in the early 1980s just before “the interest rate went crazy.” She says real estate has always called her name. “If a house is empty, it needs a family,” and she loves helping people fi nd exactly what they are look-ing for.

Asked about her special attributes, Reed immedi-

ately says she has found a niche by fi nding properties that are handicap-equipped and accessible. She also en-joys assisting with estate sales in the Knoxville area. Reed makes sure all of the proper steps are taken to avoid excessive travel for out-of-town family mem-bers.

Free market analysis and working with fi rst-time homebuyers are also spe-cial to Reed. Her company’s motto is “making it work for all concerned,” and af-ter talking to Reed for just a short while, I get the feeling this is defi nitely her goal.

Contact Debbie Reed at Hammontree Real Estate, 573-0145, and check out her listings at www.hammontreerealestate.com.

Celebrate jazz at PSCC

News from Pellissippi State - Magnolia Campus

By Heather BeckJazz Appreciation Month

will be celebrated with a mu-sical concert at 6 p.m. Fri-day, April 11, at Pellissippi State Community College’s Magnolia Avenue Campus.

The concert begins with a performance by Pellissippi State’s jazz band and select student and faculty artists. Beginning at 7, jazz pia-

nist Donald Brown pres-ents a short lecture and concert.

“This is the last of our perfor-mances in this year’s The Season

of Music concert series,” said Rosalyn Tillman, dean of the Magnolia Avenue Campus. “We’re celebrating Jazz Appreciation Month with a special performance by the very talented pianist Donald Brown.”

Brown is a renowned composer, pianist and edu-cator. An associate profes-sor of jazz piano at the Uni-versity of Tennessee, the Mississippi native grew up in Memphis and performed early on with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.

Brown has had his com-positions performed and recorded by a wide variety of top modern jazz musicians. Trumpet great Wynton Marsalis earned a Grammy nomination for his recording of Brown’s “Insane Asylum.”

The Jazz Appreciation Month concert is part of The Season of Music at Magnolia Avenue. The Season of Music is a series of musical concerts and presentations that have run throughout the 2014 spring semester. The series introduces music from a his-torical perspective, opening a rich cultural experience to campus students and the lo-cal community.

Media sponsor of The Season of Music is the Shopper-News, which will provide light refreshments for the Jazz Appreciation Month event.

The Magnolia Avenue Campus is at 1610 E. Magno-lia Ave. For more informa-tion about the campus, visit www.pstcc.edu/magnolia or call (865) 329-3100. To re-quest accommodations for a disability, contact the ex-ecutive director of Human Resources at (865) 694-6607 or h umanresources@pstcc.edu.

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8 • APRIL 7, 2014 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news

THROUGH SATURDAY, APRIL 26Registration open for Anderson County Relay

For Life. Event will take place 5 p.m.-5 a.m. Saturday-Sunday, April 26-27, in Clinton on the streets around the courthouse. To register team: www.relayforlife.org/eastandersontn or Kelly Lenz, 457-1649.

THROUGH SUNDAY, JUNE 8Registration open for AMSE Science Explorer

Camp for rising 5th, 6th and 7th graders. Two sessions: June 9-13, June 16-20. Info/to register: http://amse.org/visitors/summer-camps/.

TUESDAY, APRIL 8April in Appalachia cooking class, 6:30-8:30

p.m., Avanti Savoia’s La Cucina, 7610 Maynardville Pike. Cost: $50. Info/reservations: 922-9916 or www.avantisavoia.com.

Springtime Storytime, 6:30 p.m., Carter Branch Library, 9036 Asheville Highway. Info: 933-5438.

THURSDAY, APRIL 10Parent to Parent Support meeting for parents

of children with mental health diagnoses, 6-8 p.m., K-TOWN Youth Empowerment Network, 901 E. Summit Hill Drive. Info: Alicia, 474-6692 or abanks@tnvoices.org.

Seniors program, 10 a.m.-noon, Heiskell Com-munity Center, 9420 Heiskell Road. All seniors invited to wear Easter Bonnets for the Easter Parade. En-tertainment by the Grace Notes from Grace Baptist Church. All seniors over 55 invited. Bring a dessert and a friend. Info: Janice White, 548-0326.

Fontinalis Club meeting, Central Baptist Church, 5364 N. Broadway. Board meeting, 9:30 a.m.; social time, 10; general meeting, 10:30. Program by Honor Awards Committee with presentation of candi-dates and voting to follow. All members should attend.

Living with Diabetes, 2:30-4:30 p.m., Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road. Sponsored by Summit Medical Group. Info: 689-2681.

FRIDAY, APRIL 11Tasting: The World’s Finest Balsamic Vinegars and

Extra Virgin Olive Oils, two seatings: 6:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m., Avanti Savoia’s La Cucina, 7610 Maynard-ville Pike. Cost: $5. Info/reservations: 922-9916 or www.avantisavoia.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 12Thunder Road Gospel Jubilee, 6 p.m., WMRD

94.5 FM, 1388 Main St., Maynardville. All pickers and singers welcome.

Winter Market: an indoor farmers market, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Historic Southern Railway Station, 306 Depot Ave. Hosted by Nourish Knoxville. Info: http://www.marketsquarefarmersmarket.org.

Cades Cove tour with Bill Landry, 9 a.m., departing from the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend. Tickets: $50 per person; includes light snacks and a cold beverage. Reservations required: 448-8838.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, APRIL 12-13Dogwood Art Detour, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Appalachian

Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway in Nor-ris. Free event. Artist demonstrations. Info: 494-9854 or www.appalachianarts.net.

SUNDAY, APRIL 13New Hope Christian School 20-year celebra-

tion, 10:45 a.m., New Hope Baptist Church, 7602 Bud Hawkins Road. Guest speaker: Ralph Waggoner. Lunch at the Pavilion of Washington Pike Presbyterian Church will follow services.

MONDAY, APRIL 14Family Movie Night: “Frozen,” 5:30 p.m., Bur-

lington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: 525-5431.

TUESDAY, APRIL 15Advanced Sushi cooking class, 6-9 p.m., Avanti

Savoia’s La Cucina, 7610 Maynardville Pike. Cost: $75. Info/reservations: 922-9916 or www.avantisavoia.com.

THURSDAY, APRIL 17Parent to Parent Support meeting for parents

of children with mental health diagnoses, 6-8 p.m., K-TOWN Youth Empowerment Network, 901 E. Summit Hill Drive. Info: Alicia, 474-6692 or abanks@tnvoices.org.

FRIDAY, APRIL 18Good Friday Celebration sponsored by Club Sha-

bach, 8 p.m., World For Christ Church Inc., 4611 Central Ave Pike. Info: 249-7214, worldforchrist@bellsouth.net.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, APRIL 18-19“His Life for Mine,” 7 p.m., Cedar Ford Baptist

Church, 3201 Hwy. 61 East, Luttrell. Everyone is invited. Info: 992-0267 or cedarford@bellsouth.net.

SATURDAY, APRIL 19Big Ridge State Park Easter Egg Hunt. Times:

10 a.m., 2-year-olds and younger; 10:30, 3- to 4-year olds; 1 p.m., 5- to 7-year-olds; 1:30 p.m., 8- to 10-year olds. Info: 992-5523.

Sharps Chapel Easter Egg Hunt for children ages 12 and under, Sharps Chapel Community Park. Bring a basket. Meet in front of Sharps Chapel Senior/Commu-

nity Center, 11:15 a.m.; hunt begins 11:30. Sponsored by Sharps Chapel Family and Community Education (FCE) Club.

Luttrell City Easter Egg Hunt, 10 a.m.-noon, Luttrell City Park. Info: Luttrell City Hall, 992-0870.

Thunder Road Gospel Jubilee, 6 p.m., WMRD 94.5 FM, 1388 Main St., Maynardville. All pickers and singers welcome.

Happy Travelers trip to Ciderville Music Barn in Claxton; depart 6:30 p.m., North Acres Baptist Church, 5803 Millertown Pike. Free. A love offering will be taken for the bus driver. Info/to sign up: Derrell Frye, 938-8884.

TUESDAY, APRIL 22UT Extension Open House, 3-6 p.m., 3925 May-

nardville Highway. Refreshments, 4-H photo contest on display. RSVP: apadgett4@utk.edu\.

Happy Travelers Gathering and Luncheon, 10:30 a.m., North Acres Baptist Church fellowship hall, 5803 Millertown Pike. Deeper Faith will sing. No charge, but suggested contribution: $7. Deadline to reg-ister: Thursday, April 17. Info/to register: Derrell Frye, 938-8884.

First Line - First Page - First Chapter writing workshop, 6-8 p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway 61 in Norris. Instructor: Kathleen Fearing. Registration deadline: April 15. Info: 494-9854 or www.appalachianarts.net.

SATURDAY, APRIL 26KUCB Luttrell City Clean up/Beautifi cation

Day. Includes a road cleanup, plant giveaways, food and awards.

Open jam session bluegrass, country, gospel music; 7 p.m.; old Rush Strong School, Leadmine Bend Road in Sharps Chapel. Free admission. Refreshments. Donations appreciated. All invited.

Anderson County Relay For Life opening cer-emonies, 5 p.m., Main Street around the courthouse. To participate: www.relayforlife.org/eastandersonTN.

Thunder Road Gospel Jubilee, 6 p.m., WMRD 94.5 FM, 1388 Main St., Maynardville. All pickers and singers welcome.

Winter Market: an indoor farmers market, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Historic Southern Railway Station, 306 Depot Ave. Hosted by Nourish Knoxville. Info: http://www.marketsquarefarmersmarket.org.

Introduction to Wet Felting, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Ap-palachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville High-way 61 in Norris. Instructor: Tone Haugen-Cogburn. One of the “Featured Tennessee Artist” workshop series. Registration deadline: April 19. Info: 494-9854 or www.appalachianarts.net.

Happy Travelers trip to the Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, Tenn.; depart 8:30 a.m., North Acres Baptist Church, 5803 Millertown Pike. Cost: $25. Info/to register: Derrell Frye, 938-8884.

Franklin Square Spring Garden Festival, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., The Shops at Franklin Square, 9700 Kings-ton Pike. Vendors will be selling annuals, perennials, herbs, garden art, bird houses and more. Info: Linda Wimbrow, 966-2421.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, APRIL 26-272014 Outdoor KnoxFest, The Outdoor Adventure

Center at Knoxville’s Volunteer Landing. Events for all ages. Proceeds to benefi t Legacy Parks Foundation. Info/to register for events: www.OutdoorKnoxville.com.

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ShoppernewseVents

By Cindy TaylorNeil Roberson jokes that

he “stumbled” into his trade because of his love of beer and wine. He quickly adds that he wouldn’t call what he does making a living, but it sure is a job – and it’s one he loves.

Award winner and mas-ter distiller Neil Thomas Roberson, known for mar-keting purposes as the Tiny Hillbilly, manufactures moonshine fl avors for dis-tribution through his com-pany, East Tennessee Dis-tillery. Roberson doesn’t sneak out in the middle of the night to check the still, and he isn’t hiding his brew from revenuers. What he concocts soars as high as 150 proof and is 100 per-cent legal. But this ain’t yer Pappy’s moonshine.

MC’s Wine and Liquor on Strawberry Plains Pike sponsored a premiere tast-ing of East Tennessee Dis-tillery’s newest moonshine fl avor, Honey Ginseng, on a recent Friday.

Folks poured in from all over to get a glimpse of com-pany co-founder “Tiny,” who has made an appearance on the History Channel’s show “Appalachian Outlaws.”

While cuttin’ up with Tiny, folks could sample the new fl avor along with tastes of Mellomoon Original, Peach, Coconut, Caramel, 150 Proof WhiteLightnin’ and Strawberry.

The moonshine business has been booming since it became legal in Tennessee in 2009. Distribution that Tiny and his sales team thought would take three years to establish in this part of the country took less than three months. Look-ing at his history, one could say that Tiny pretty much “sailed” into this line of work.

“My first experience with distilling was in the Navy running the ship’s evaporators to distill fresh water from salt water,” he said. “Out of the Navy I went to school and got a degree in industrial engi-neering, worked in a lab and then discovered my life’s calling.”

There is no suit and tie for this engineer, who pre-fers a cloak of sleeveless T-shirt, felt hat with feather, corncob pipe and overalls. Seems like a long voyage from salt water to moon-shine, but he says not so.

He claims to be the runt of the litter, but Tiny, who is well over 6 feet tall, says he loves to drink, and it was getting way too expen-sive a hobby for a guy his size. Once he discovered that he had a knack for distilling whiskey, it didn’t take much persuasion from friends to get him to

dive into his own business.The roller-coaster ride,

as Tiny calls it, that became East Tennessee Distillery and Roberson’s Tennessee Mellomoon (Fine Tennessee Sippin’ Shine) blossomed into a thriving business in less than two years. The company is located, not hidden, in the hills of Piney Flats, Tenn.,

and distributes from there. Info: www.mellomoon.com or 423-391-0383.

Even if you love the taste, you might not want to know what Tiny says goes into making the distinct fl avors – although he often speaks tongue-in-cheek.

“You know moonshine really is pretty much any-

thing that the government doesn’t have defi ned as a class,” said Tiny. “I’ve heard tell of people putting roost-ers and chickens in there.” He grinned.

“It is classifi ed as spir-its by the government, but most important, moon-shine is an American tradi-tion.”

Neil “Tiny Hillbilly”

Roberson grabs

as many bottles of

Roberson’s Tennessee

Mellomoon as he can

hold. Photos by Cindy Taylor

Tiny (center) autographs a bottle of Mellomoon for Robin and

Mike Nyderek.

This ain’t yer Pappy’smoonshine