January 2012
51 posts
1 tag
Newport Optometry Center's Student Voucher Program
 by Martha Rose Woodward Sunspherebook@aol.com A voucher program that helps disadvantaged youth receive a yearly eye exam and other eye care is in effect due to the efforts of the America’s Promise Alliance founded by General Colin Powell in 1997. America’s Promise Alliance has grown to be the nation’s largest partnership network working to improve the lives of America’s young...
Jan 27th
3 tags
Love Kitchen Sisters Delighted to Receive...
by Martha Rose Woodward Sunspherebook@aol.com Twin sisters, Helen Ashe and Ellen Turner, founders of the Love Kitchen, were on hand on Thursday, January 19 to accept donations of 2,500 pounds of food and $2,582 in cash presented by Mayor Tim Burchett and Knox County Parks and Recreation Director Doug Bataille. The reaction of the 87 year old sisters to the donations could only be described as...
Jan 27th
1 tag
Talk of the Town January 27
by Martha Rose Woodward Sunspherebook@aol.com The Board of Directors for the Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation say they had “no idea that Gloria Ray was being paid” over $405,000 per year, and only Chairman Duncan did know Ray’s salaries,  yet here are the records: For the Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation Fiscal year 2007, July 1, 2007-June 30, 2008 Total...
Jan 27th
2 tags
Poetry of Jason Sturner
submitted y Martha Rose Woodward Sunspherebook@aol.com According to Kerry McDuling, “The poetry of local Knoxville writer Jason Sturner has been selected to appear as part of a banquet of original love stories and poems from uniquely talented writers from around the world, aptly named Speaking of Love.” Jason was born in Harvey, Illinois, and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago. He now...
Jan 27th
2 tags
Talk of the Town, January 20
Talk of the Town—January 20 living longer, a new report shows, with the average life expectancy going from 78.6 years in 2009 to 78.7 years in 2010. by Martha Rose Woodward Sunspherebook@aol.com Ever heard the expression, “Saved by the bell?” Looks like this time instead of being saved by the bell we were saved by Commission R. Larry Smith. It was Commissioner Smith who called for an...
Jan 20th
5 tags
Gary Bickford-Healthy Life Clinics
by Martha Rose Woodward Sunspherebook@aol.com While others continue to ponder how to solve one of the nation’s largest problems— health care, Dr.Gary Bickford is doing something about it. Bickford is the founder of Healthy Life Clinics, a system he developed for offering medical services to the poor and underprivileged. It was at age 56, when Bickford was newly retired from Dupont where...
Jan 20th
Jan 19th
2 tags
Mayor Burchett Delivers Donations to Love Kitchen
by Martha Rose Woodward Sunspherebook@aol.com Mayor Tim Burchett brought joy to Helen Ashe and Ellen Turner, the twin sisters who founded the Love Kitchen, on Thursday, January 19 when he presented them with 2,500 pounds of food and $2,582 in cash. The gifts came from an event sponsored by the Knox County Parks and Recreation Department as a part of the celebrations at The Holiday Festival of...
Jan 19th
2 tags
Writers' Guild President to Speak at Torch Club
by Martha Rose Woodward Sunspherebook@aol.com Stephen Levy, president of Knoxville’s Torch Club, invites everyone to the club’s January 19th meeting at noon at the Orangery Restaurant. The guest speaker for this month is Terry Shaw, president of the Knoxville Wrtiers’ Guild. Shaw will speak about his career as a reporter and author and discuss his activities while president of...
Jan 14th
3 tags
Snow Day at Barley's for Beardsley Farm
by Martha Rose Woodward Sunspherebook@aol.com Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria at 200 East Jackson Avenue will be the location on January 20th at 7pm for Snow Day. Snow Day is CAC Beardsley Community Farm’s largest fundraiser of the year. Admission: $7 | Soup Tickets: $3 According to an announcement from Beardsley Farms, the Snow Day will feature live music, a “soup-off” between local...
Jan 14th
4 tags
Shauhn Caughron Creates Upcycled Love
by Martha Rose Woodward Sunspherebook@aol.com Shauhn Caughron, 2008 graduate from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Studio Arts, has created her own business, Upcycled Love. Caughron does a wide variety of things from her office in Seymour, Tennessee including graphic design, web design, furniture upholstery, sewing, general interior designs, and upcycling. What is upcycling?...
Jan 14th
3 tags
Talk of the Town January 13
by Martha Rose Woodward Sunspherebook@aol.com The “Do Your Park With the Cart Program” that was enacted in the city this year is said to be a total success. The goal of signing up 20,000 individual addresses has been met and the trucks picking up the recyclables are running on schedule. Over 1,200 thousand tons have been kept from the landfill so far. You may call 3ll to sign up for future...
Jan 14th
Designer Paul DiMeo grateful for last run on...
Photo by J.J. Kindred Paul DiMeo, left, chief designer for ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,’ talks on his cell phone to guest designer Jenny McCarthy while taping a segment at the Knoxville Zoo Jan. 12, to get some inspiration for designing a children’s room in a safari theme as the crew rebuilds a home in Knoxville. Pictured right is Allison Swank, director of marketing for...
Jan 12th
Sevierville man arrested on fraudulent credit card...
From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com A Sevierville man was arrested Jan. 10 by Sevierville Police Department (SPD) officers on two charges of fraudulent use of a debit/credit card. According to SPD Detective Ray Brown, 19-year old Gregory D. Mitchem allegedly used the stolen credit card at the Kodak Car Wash and Pilot Oil businesses. The credit card was reportedly...
Jan 12th
Couple involved in knife incident at apartment...
From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com  Two people were taken to the hospital after a knife incident that took place Jan. 11 at an apartment complex in northeast Knoxville. According to a Knoxville Police Department report, officers responded to the incident at the Isabella Towers Apartments at 1515 Isabella Circle at approximately 11:02 p.m. Upon arrival, officers...
Jan 12th
School board approves construction contract for...
Photo by J.J. Kindred Matt Myers, deputy director of purchasing for Knox County, addresses the Knox County School Board on the approved construction bid for the new Southwest Elementary School during their meeting Jan. 11.  By J.J. KINDRED J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com The Knox County School Board approved a $15.5 million contract with Rouse Construction during its Jan. 11 meeting to...
Jan 12th
Burchett making last-ditch effort to save...
Photo by J.J. Kindred Jon Gustin, left, an IT manager for E-Government Solutions and a Knox County photographer, shares his findings with Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, right, as he went through the abandoned Oakwood Elementary School building in North Knoxville. Burchett is making a last-ditch effort to save the building from being torn down. Photo courtesy of Jon Gustin/Knox County The...
Jan 11th
Rogero, new City Council members conduct business...
Photo by J.J. Kindred Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero presides over her first regular City Council meeting Jan. 10.  By J.J. KINDRED J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com  Mayor Madeline Rogero made her Knoxville City Council debut, presiding over her first regular meeting Jan. 10. New council members Mark Campen, Marshall Stair, George Wallace and Finbarr Saunders also made their debuts...
Jan 11th
2 notes
National AMBER Alert Awareness Day is Jan. 13
From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com In recognition of the sixth anniversary of  National AMBER Alert Awareness Day on Jan. 13, U.S. Cellular invites customers to sign up to receive free AMBER alerts via text message. The AMBER Alert program is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement, media, transportation and others to send bulletins about child-abduction...
Jan 11th
Annual Robert E. Lee/Stonewall Jackson dinner Jan....
From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com  The Longstreet/Zollicoffer Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans will host its 19th annual celebration of the birthdays of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson at the Foundry in World’s Fair Park Jan. 28. The event will feature a first-person presentation of Anna Jackson, who was Stonewall Jackson’s...
Jan 11th
Knox residents, businesses can still apply for...
From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com Knoxville residents, businesses, and nonprofit organizations have just a few more months to apply for energy rebates through the city’s Green Building and Incentive Program. According to a press release, about $162,000 remains available to help defray the costs of either solar panels or approved energy-efficient appliances. ...
Jan 11th
Knox County FY 2013 budget planning begins
From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com Planning for Knox County’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget is officially underway, as Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett kicked-off the formal budget season during a meeting with departments’ budget staff Jan. 10. “We have done a lot of good work for the citizens of Knox County in the past year-and-a-half, putting together a fiscally...
Jan 11th
Knoxville couple who helps single mothers revealed...
Photos by J.J. Kindred This home belonging to Daniel and Mandy Watson in West Knoxville will be demolished in favor of a new one built by the crew and volunteers of ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ Jan. 10-18.  Mandy Watson, left, holding her adopted two-year-old son Silas, and Daniel Watson, right, address the media in front of their home about being chosen by the popular ABC...
Jan 11th
4 tags
Talk of the Town M. Woodward Jan. 6
Happy New Year. Will this be the last year on earth? If we are to believe the predictions from the Mayas it will be. Or at least, 2012 is the date when their calendar stopped.   I am not the kind of person to beat other people over the head with religion, but I find peace and security in some of the most widely used verses in the Bible from Ecclesiastes Chapter 3: verses 1-8. No matter what...
Jan 10th
5 tags
Union Ave Books To Host KWG Anthology Reading
submitted by Martha Rose Woodward Sunspherebook@aol.com Union Ave Books To Host KWG Anthology Reading  Several writers will read from  their original poems, stories and essays published in a new book “A Tapestry of Voices: an East Tennessee Anthology” by writers from the Knoxville Writers’ Guild at Union Ave Books from 5 to 7 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 22. This year’s theme of diversity...
Jan 10th
Pilot Flying J announces free 2012 Winter Diesel...
From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com Pilot Flying J has announced its annual winter diesel additive program at participating Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J Travel Plazas in colder climates across the United States The additive program, which is being offered free of charge, helps reduce winter-month breakdowns due to fuel line and filter freezing and...
Jan 10th
Two-vehicle crash in Sevierville sends two to...
From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com  Sevierville Police Department (SPD) officers responded to a two-vehicle crash Jan. 8 at the intersection of Highway 66 (Winfield Dunn Parkway) and Highway 448 (North Parkway). According to SPD Crash Investigator Preston Parrish, the accident occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. A 2003 Hyundai passenger vehicle was traveling north...
Jan 10th
Local students help assemble hard hats for...
Photo by J.J. Kindred Byington-Solway Technology Center students Chris Horton, left, and Michael Loudermilk, right, assemble hard hats for the forthcoming ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ project in Knoxville, as their instructor, Jackie Reed, center, looks on. The students were assembling the hats for the workers and volunteers to wear during their work.  By J.J. KINDRED ...
Jan 10th
Frontier Airlines to offer nonstop flights from...
From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com  McGhee-Tyson Airport announced Jan. 9 that starting March 15, Frontier Airlines will be increasing their presence by offering new nonstop low fare flights three times a week to Orlando, Fla.  “The decision by Frontier Airlines to begin low-fare, nonstop service to Orlando International Airport highlights the airline’s...
Jan 10th
Suspect sought in Exxon robbery on Strawberry...
From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com  Knoxville police are looking for a suspect in the robbery of an Exxon gas station at 7405 Strawberry Plains Pike Jan. 8. According to Sgt. Stanley F. Cash of KPD’s East District Patrol-B Squad, officers responded to the robbery at approximately 7:49 a.m. The cashier told officers that the suspect came into the store around...
Jan 9th
Man stabbed at LaRumba restaurant, suspect...
Maximo Cruz (courtesy of Knox County Sheriff’s Dept.)  By J.J. KINDRED J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com  Knoxville police responded to a stabbing incident at the LaRumba Hispanic restaurant at 4900 Chambliss Ave. in West Knoxville Jan. 8. According to Lt. Savannah Ayub of KPD’s West C Squad, at approximately 1:07 a.m., officers responded to the stabbing call at the...
Jan 9th
Rogero appoints Dawn Michelle Foster Deputy...
Dawn Michelle Foster (courtesy of City of Knoxville) From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com  Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero named Dawn Michelle Foster as deputy director of redevelopment for the city of Knoxville Jan. 6. Foster, a transportation planner and Certified Environmental Professional, will be team leader for redevelopment of the South Waterfront, the...
Jan 9th
3 tags
Teen Challenge's New Thrift Store Doing Well
by Martha Rose Woodward Sunspherebook@aol.com Teen Challenge Thrift Store located at 2017 North Broadway has had a good year since they opened in mid-summer 2011. However, they need more shoppers and more donations. They saw an increase in shoppers after our first review in the KJN and have requested that we write about them again to let shoppers know about the great deals you can find at one...
Jan 8th
Fund-raiser for Beardsley Community Farm
by Martha Rose Woodward Sunspherebook@aol.com Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria at 200 East Jackson Avenue will be the location on January 20th at 7pm for Snow Day. Snow Day is CAC Beardsley Community Farm’s largest fundraiser of the year. Admission: $7 | Soup Tickets: $3 According to an announcement from Beardsley Farms, the Snow Day will feature live music, a “soup-off” between local...
Jan 7th
Man extradited in 2006 kidnapping, rape
Alfredo Ranzahuer (courtesy of Knox County Sheriff’s Dept.)  By J.J. KINDRED J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com  The Knox County Sheriff’s Office extradited a Mexican man, accused in a 2006 kidnapping and rape. The suspect was identified as 30-year-old Alfredo Ranzahuer. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Jan. 27, 2006, but he had escaped to Mexico to avoid prosecution.  ...
Jan 5th
Knox County Sheriff's Office employees file...
By J.J. KINDRED J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com Four Knox County Sheriff’s Office employees are filing a lawsuit against the county to be included in the Uniformed Officers Pension Plan (UOPP). Martha Dooley, director of planning and development, Ashley Haynes, grants manager, Deborah Hodges, administrative services assistant supervisor, and finance director Allison Rogers were denied...
Jan 5th
Female pedestrian struck and killed in Karns...
From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com  A woman died Jan. 4 when she was struck by a car while she walked in a neighborhood in Karns, according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.  The woman, identified as 64-year-old Deborah Olson Lomax, was walking with her husband at Governorwood Drive and Macmont Circle not long after 5 p.m. when she was hit by a Toyota...
Jan 5th
Magnolia Avenue church damaged by early morning...
By J.J. KINDRED J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com  A fire took place at the Universal Church of Deliverance at 2611 Magnolia Ave. in East Knoxville Jan. 5, causing a large amount of damage to the building. According to Knoxville Fire Department spokesperson D.J. Corcoran, the fire occurred at approximately 7:30 a.m. Dispatchers started receiving multiple calls from individuals passing by the...
Jan 5th
Children hit by car in Friendsville
From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com Two children were hit by a car while waiting for the school bus near Friendsville Jan. 5, according to a Blount County Sheriff’s Office report. Officials said it happened on Miser Station, near Denson Road at approximately 7:40 a.m. One of the children was taken to the hospital by the child’s parents, while the...
Jan 5th
District Attorney's office appeals new trials in...
Lemaricus Davidson Letalvis Cobbins George Thomas Vanessa Coleman From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com The Knox County District Attorney’s Office filed an appeal Jan. 5 on Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood’s recent ruling that granted new trials to the four defendants convicted in the 2007 murders of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom. The young...
Jan 5th
Pep rally held for 'Extreme Makeover' building...
Photos by J.J. Kindred The University of Tennessee cheerleading and dance teams, along with mascot Smokey, helped kick off the ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ pep rally at the Tennessee Theatre Jan. 4.  Local musician Logan Murrell, who has released one album and currently working on another with the help of Rascal Flatts, performed two songs during the event.  Scott and...
Jan 5th
UT to open new engineering building next week
Photo courtesy of University of Tennessee From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com The Min H. Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science building is scheduled to open next week at the University of Tennessee when students return from their Christmas break. The building is reportedly the first new engineering building in nearly 50 years. The building cost...
Jan 5th
Man arrested in Cocke County drug raid
Ray Hughes, Jr. (courtesy of Cocke County Sheriff’s Dept.)  By J.J. KINDRED J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com  A raid on a Cocke County home Jan. 2 turned up pounds of suspected marijuana and dozens of pills and lands one man behind bars, according to a Cocke County Sheriff’s Office report. Officers raided the home, located at 939 Alder Road in Bybee, Tenn., at approximately 9...
Jan 5th
Publix, Wal-Mart to be featured at new University...
By J.J. KINDRED J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com  Knoxville’s downtown residents will soon not have to drive several miles to go shopping or get some basic necessities. That’s because an announcement was made that plans were underway for University Commons, reported to be the city’s first urban, vertical retail complex, built over covered parking and featuring new locations of...
Jan 5th
Charity provides vision help for children
  By J.J. KINDRED J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com Almost any teacher would agree that if a student can’t see clearly, they can’t learn. Since 1997, Sight for Students has made sure that those situations never occur. Founded by the Vision Service Plan (VSP), Sight for Students is a charity that provides free vision exams and glasses to low-income, uninsured children. The program operates...
Jan 4th
Wood stove allegedly causes house fire at Woods...
Photo courtesy of Knoxville Fire Department A house fire took place at a residence at 2609 Woods Smith Road Jan. 3. Fire officials said that the fire may have been caused by a burning wood stove. From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com  A house fire took place at a residence at 2609 Woods Smith Road Jan. 3, according to a Knoxville Fire Department report. ...
Jan 4th
Crash at Middlebrook Pike claims life of victim
From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com  A crash at the intersection of Middlebrook Pike and Sutherland Avenue Jan. 2 claimed the life of the driver. According to Lt. David Powell of the Knoxville Police Department’s West District D Squad, the crash was reported at 7:30 p.m.  The driver, identified as 20-year-old Deshaun Okeefe, apparently was traveling east...
Jan 4th
Winter weather hits East Tennessee, surrounding...
By J.J. KINDRED J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com Drivers and emergency responders were dealing with problems with snow and ice on area interstates Jan. 2. North and East Knox County, including interstates, along with Scott, Campbell, Morgan, Union and Claiborne counties reported snowy and icy roads. TDOT had all road crews working to clear interstate routes. Parts of I-640, particularly on...
Jan 4th
Sevierville Fire Chief Mike Rawlings dies
Mike Rawlings  By J.J. KINDRED J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com Sevierville Fire Chief Mike Rawlings died Dec. 31 of complications from a brain tumor that spread to his liver after he was diagnosed in August of last year.  Rawlings was a 40-year veteran of the department.  Local community members remembered Rawlings during a visitation that took place Jan. 2 at First Baptist Church...
Jan 4th
Suspect sought in shooting on East Magnolia Avenue
From Knoxville Journal staff reports News@theknoxvillejournal.com Knoxville police are searching for a suspect in the shooting of a woman in a rear parking lot area of 2733 E. Magnolia Ave. Dec. 31. According to a KPD report, officers who arrived on the scene at approximately 8 p.m. spoke with a witness who was able to give an account of what he had observed.  The witness stated he saw a...
Jan 4th