University of Tennessee sophomore guard Trae Golden goes in for a dunk during the Pilot Rocky Top League Championship in which his team, Choice Spine, beat the Knoxville News-Sentinel 128-105. 

Former UT basketball coach Bruce Pearl was in attendance, and signed autographs and took pictures with fans.

Choice Spine finished undefeated in the league with a 6-0 record. (Photos by J.J. Kindred) 

By J.J. KINDRED

J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com 

If Trae Golden is trying to make a name for himself with new Tennessee basketball coach Cuonzo Martin and the rest of the team, he is off to a great start.

Golden and his UT roommate and teammate, Jordan McRae, led Choice Spine to a 128-105 victory over the Knoxville News-Sentinel to win the Pilot Rocky Top League championship June 29 at Bearden High School.

Golden scored 21 points and had eight assists, but McRae did a little better with 36 points. 

The victory sealed an undefeated record of 6-0 for the team. 

“It feels great to win. I am really proud of my team,” said Golden, who will be a sophomore this fall. “I enjoy being in the point guard role and making sure everyone is happy. I’ve been working on my ball handling and my shooting.” 

Golden, a combination guard from Powder Springs, Ga., who at one time had committed to Ohio State, said he has been talking to Martin on almost a daily basis.

“His expectations for me are pretty high,” Golden said. “He told me he thinks that I can be an elite guard in the country, and that’s what I’m shooting for and working hard every day for.

“I’m not even worried about (starting this year),” Golden continued. “I’m just going to go in and work hard every day, and hopefully I’ll earn my spot. This summer, I will continue to work out, do drills and make sure that I work hard enough to make sure everything will be fine.”

UT junior Jeronne Maymon scored 30 points for Choice Spine, while former UT star Wayne Chism  scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a losing effort with the News-Sentinel.

Chism already has two Rocky Top championships under his belt, but failed to get a third. Now, after a stint in Europe last season, he hopes to be either playing there or somewhere else next season. 

“This has helped me stay in shape, stay consistent and keep running up and down the court,” Chism said after the game. “I am trying to go back to Europe or maybe play in the D-League (NBA’s developmental league), but that’s up to my agent to find something for me.”

Chism said it was great to play with some of his old UT teammates, and shared fond memories of his playing days. 

“Beating Kentucky when they were No. 1, going to the Elite Eight and the Sweet 16, I’ve accomplished a lot and got a degree, so it’s been great,” Chism said. 

Former UT basketball coach Bruce Pearl was also in attendance to see his son and his former player, Steven, play for the winning team.

Steven Pearl entertained the crowd during the last minute of the game by missing a dunk at first, but then made up for it with a successful one. 

“It’s my second Rocky Top championship, and it’s good to win this one,” said Pearl, who has been working for two months as a sales representative for Stryker, a medical supply company. 

He said that his fondest memories were playing for his father, beating Ohio State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, beating Kansas when they were No. 1 in the country, and winning an SEC championship. 

“I will always remember all the wonderful friends that I’ve had here. It’s always good to come back and play with these guys,” Pearl said. 

Former Carson-Newman star Andy Tipton, who played professionally in Australia last year, scored 29 for Choice Spine, and former UT player Jon Higgins added 15.

Grainger County’s Skylar McBee, who will be a junior this fall at UT, finished with 21 points for the News Sentinel.

Rocky Top League commissioner Andre Whitehead, who also works as a recruiter with Tennessee Prep Hoops, said it was one of the best seasons the league has experienced in his tenure. 

“I thought the season went fantastic,” Whitehead told The Knoxville Journal after the game. “It’s some of the best talent we’ve had in five years from top to bottom. Everyone showed up on every given night. The attendance was better than I thought it would be with the transition of coaches. I thought it went great.”

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, left, listens to advice from his chief of staff, Dean Rice, during the Knox County Commission meeting June 27. (Photo by J.J. Kindred) 

By J.J. KINDRED

J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com 

Tim Burchett is doing whatever it takes for the Carter community to have its brand new elementary school. 

As he approaches his one-year anniversary of being elected as Knox County Mayor, Burchett has proposed selling several properties to fund the building of a new Carter Elementary School, which has been an ongoing issue in the Knox County School System for quite sometime.

Burchett has proposed selling properties such as golf courses and the Solway Greenwaste Facility, among others that cannot be named at this time. 

Burchett will present his plan to the Knox County School Board during its July 5 work session, and board members will vote on the plan during its August meeting.

The board and the Knox County Commission must give their approval before anything is finalized.

Board members approved $2.5 million to go toward renovations of the school, but that wasn’t good enough for the parents of Carter Elementary students. They demanded a brand new facility rather than putting that money towards renovations. 

The mayor will ask the school system to put that $2.5 million towards the new facility, bringing the total costs to approximately $13.6 million.

Towards the end of last year, Burchett got the approval from the board to find out if a private developer could build the school for a cheaper price, and in turn, the developer would lease the school to Knox County through a public-private partnership.

The Devon Group in Knoxville won the bid to build the new school, and would also hold the note for the school for two years. After that, the county would purchase it.

Once the mayor’s proposal gets approved by all parties, construction of the school could begin this fall. 

“I realize that the final decision rests with the school board,” Burchett told The Knoxville Journal June 29. “All we’re doing is providing the mechanism to get folks in a new Carter school. To reduce debt in the county, with this proposal we can do just that. We own a bunch of property. 

“What we would like to do is in two years pay for cost of the new school, then write a check to the builders and then they will hand us the keys,” Burchett reiterated. “We will work with  the board along the way.”

Burchett said a plan like his has reportedly never been done in Knox County before, and has rarely been done in other parts of the country. 

“I was asked why we don’t get a bond and go into debt?” Burchett said. “It would be about $22 million if we went into debt, but you can buy two and a half schools in 20 years and could use that money for other things.”

Burchett said he has met with school superintendent Jim McIntyre and board members on an individual basis to discuss his plan.  

“The board has been good about giving us time with this plan,” he said.

If he is not successful in selling the properties, which Burchett does not anticipate happening, he has other financial situations he can come up with. 

“We hold the note on one piece of property up for bid, and we can do other options out there,” Burchett said. “It gives us two years to do it and can easily be done.”

Burchett said he is optimistic that the board will accept his plan. 

“They’ve been very good to work with,” he said. “I realize something like this goes against a lot of people’s grain and way of thinking, but with the financial situation, who knows if we will ever be able to take advantage of a situation like this. It’s a good proposal. 

A document for the final plan has not been finalized and has not yet been made public. 

The Sequoyah Branch Library celebrated its 50-year anniversary this week. (Photo by J.J. Kindred) 

By J.J. KINDRED

J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com 

If the Sequoyah Hills neighborhood in Bearden had any history behind it, it is even stronger now.

Thats because the Sequoyah Branch Library just celebrated its 50-year anniversary as one of the oldest standing libraries in Knox County.

The library was built in June of 1961 in its current location at 1140 Southgate Road. Since 1950, before it’s construction, the library used a room in the Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church called Sequoyah Station.

As long as the church provided the room, the library would provide the books. A book mobile was also seen in the neighborhood.

Jan Miller, branch manager of the Sequoyah Library, said the library system has seen a lot of technological and social changes over the years. The branch serves approximately 35,000 patrons annually.

“There are more computers in the system than when I first began to work, which was a part-time status,” said Miller, who has been with the library system now for 13 years. “We had fewer computers for internet access, and we have acquired so many more. That is one big change.

“Another change is we offer system-wide holds on library materials that we can place for patrons or via internet, so they have more ways to access their account, even from home,” Miller added.  

The summer library program has grown a lot over the years, according to Miller, featuring a Children’s Festival of Reading that is held at the Worlds Fair Park in May, featuring activities for children such as face painting, crafts tents, and children’s programs with magicians, dance troupes and storytellers.

Miller said in the future the library and the whole system in general will offer more electronic media. Since February, the library has offered downloadable E-reading books that can be put into the Nook and I-Pad. Downloadable audio books are also available for patrons to put on MP3 players and I-Pads.

“I see that growing, but we are still in the paper book business, and still growing that as well,” Miller said.

The library system’s website, www.knoxlib.org, will be undergoing more changes over next few months.

“People are oriented now when they look for initial information, they Google it,” Miller said. “But they can access our website — they go there and that’s a good way to go ahead and find out things about the library from home, and see if there’s a book, movie or CD available. There is a link to children’s programs and homework help. Those are some ways we attract users when they need to do projects at home and access the calendar to see what events are going on at the libraries. There are new events added all the time.”

The Knox County Commission and the Knoxville City Council acknowledged the Sequoyah branch for its 50 years of service during their respective meetings this week.

“I want to thank the council for recognizing the success of the Sequoyah branch,” Miller said during the June 28 city council meeting. “We do have 50 years of service under our belt and hope to continue that, serving seniors, children and working adults. Thank you so much for your encouragement in our endeavors.”

Seymour Middle School teacher Michele Ballard, left, and University of Tennessee professor Mike McKinney, right, study the mechanics of composting. (Photo submitted) 

From Knoxville Journal staff reports

News@theknoxvillejournal.com 

Michele Ballard, an eighth-grade teacher at Seymour Middle School, was announced as this year’s winner of the Marian E. Oates Teacher Enrichment Award from the University of Tennessee.

The award, which includes a scholarship for professional development, will allow Ballard to spend the summer collaborating with professor Mike McKinney, Director of Environmental Studies at UT’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. They will study the mechanics of composting and recycling. Ballard plans to implement composting and recycling programs at her school this fall to use as educational vehicles for teaching environmental science.

Now in its fourth year, the Marian E. Oates Teacher Enrichment Award provides outstanding East Tennessee middle-school science teachers opportunities to make new discoveries in the environmental sciences so they can impart their knowledge to students and ensure others continue advocating for environmental conservation.

Throughout her life, Oates, a UT alumna, championed the stewardship and conservation of natural resources. She lived on Bluff Mountain in Sevier County and aggressively campaigned to restore the area’s ecosystem. When she died, she donated her 510-acre backyard as permanent easement to the Foothills Land Conservatory, ensuring the east end of the Chilhowee Mountains would remain untouched.

Oates, who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in mathematics from UT and subsequently served on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Arts and Sciences, established the Marian E. Oates Teacher Enrichment Award as a gift to the College of Arts and Sciences in 2007.

“Now and in the future, the study and practice of environmental sciences are going to become more and more important,” Oates said when announcing the gift two years before she died. “Through this award, I hope to enable middle school teachers to enrich their knowledge, which will, in turn, equip them to boost their students’ interest in taking care of the natural world.”

Ballard, who was selected from a number of nominees, said she is excited to have this opportunity.

“For many years, I have been talking to my students about composting and recycling as a way of helping the environment, but we never did anything about it,” she said in a press release. “It has been a dream of mine to start these programs at my school, but I didn’t know where to begin. With support from the Marian Oates award and instruction from Dr. McKinney, I will now be able to realize this dream.”

“Composting is a way to recycle food waste from cafeterias, and it can be used as high quality fertilizer in landscaping and plant and vegetable gardens,” McKinney said. “I have found composting is a great way to promote student involvement and instill a sense of social responsibility in students, a value they will carry with them throughout their lives. The school will benefit from lower costs to landfills, and gain an educational ‘laboratory’ for the study of decomposition and recycling.”

Ballard has been a teacher at Seymour Middle School for 17 years and also serves as a cheer coach and Beta Club sponsor. Ballard earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UT Knoxville and an educational specialist degree from Lincoln Memorial University. This year, she was selected as the Sevier County Schools Middle Grades Teacher of the Year.

By J.J. KINDRED

J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com 

After a citywide ban on fireworks was approved during the Knoxville City Council’s last meeting on the first reading, backyard fireworks celebrations this Fourth of July will be illegal within Knoxville city limits.

By an 8-1 vote, the council voted during its June 28 meeting to approve a ban on all but professional fireworks displays such as the 4th of July or Boomsday, correcting an unintended oversight in the local fire code that was allowed for several years.

Vice Mayor Joe Bailey cast the lone vote against the ordinance.

“I have voiced my opposition against this and I realize that the council supports it, so I will not take it any further,” Bailey said when the motion was made.

Knoxville Fire Chief Stan Sharp said that when an updated city fire code was adopted five years ago, it omitted the language found in the previous code that had outlawed the personal use of fireworks in the city for decades.

Councilman Nick Della Volpe recommended there be some exemptions in the code.

“I think we might want to have a safety valve that says this is exempted by the chief of police or the chief of the fire department,” Della Volpe said. “There may be occasions where they may want to do this and I don’t know if they have authority that they must file the bond. It would give some discretion if there were a minor issuance permit. It is very difficult for a bond to get issued, and I will leave it to my fellow council members to consider it.”

Council attorney Charles Swanson responded, “Anytime you put discretion to an official with regard to something like this, you run the risk that it is unenforceable with the regard to the requirement, because then comes the issue of what conditions do you not require or require. That’s a court battle, and a lot of times you end up with your ordinance being deprived of that provision. I would refer it to the law director.”

Della Volpe expressed concern that the ordinance would affect the private holiday plans of residents.

“It troubles me because I know we are going to have citizens that are going to want to celebrate the 4th of July, and I know that we’ve had a standard that made that conduct unlawful in Knoxville,” Della Volpe said, “but if we’re going to have a permit process for a minor use like (someone) standing with his kids with a few firecrackers in the daytime and he goes to get a permit, I don’t know he’s going to  get this bond issue, and it’s going to be hard for our citizens to get an exemption. That may be the will of this council.”

The new ordinance on fireworks goes into effect immediately, and violations are punishable by a $50 fine.

In other business, the council approved more funding for the ongoing Streetscape project on Union Avenue between Gay Street and Market Street.

The plan had to be changed because the basement of a building extends further than expected. The change added more than $200,000 to the project’s cost.

Bob Whetsel, director of redevelopment for the city of Knoxville, gave an update on the project’s construction, saying that everything was going smoothly, and some landscaping is set to be done in the fall, as well as placing in new utilities.

The City of Knoxville asks for any homeowner or business owner that suffered uninsured damge totaling more than half of the value of their property during the recent series of violent storms from June 21-25, 2011 should report this damage.

Report Storm Damage to 311 for KEMA Data Collection June 27, 2011.

The Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency is collecting information - for that level of damage - that it will forward to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to determine if the city is eligible for certain types of federal disaster assistance.

The agency will be gathering the information - using 311 - through Thursday June 29.

By J.J. KINDRED

J.Kindred@theknoxvilejournal.com 

The Knox County Commission announced June 28 that July 14 is the deadline to receive resumes from those interested in the office of State Senator District 6 in Knoxville.

The seat is being vacated by Jamie Woodson, who announced during the spring that she is stepping down to become the president and CEO of Tennessee SCORE (State Collaborative on Reforming Education). 

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, at least 30 years old, be three-year residents of the state of Tennessee and one-year residency in the county or district upon appointment. 

Applicants may not be serving in public office during the time of appointment. 

The commission will hold a public hearing to interview the candidates on Monday, July 18, at 3:30 p.m. in the Main Assembly Room of the City-County building, with the appointment to be decided during the regular commission meeting on July 25. 

Resumes may be mailed, faxed, e-mailed or hand delivered to the Office of the Knox County Commission, 400 Main Ave., Knoxville, TN 37902, phone (865) 215-2534, fax (865) 215-2038, e-mail: commission@knoxcounty.org. 

From Knoxville Journal staff reports

News@theknoxvillejournal.com 

Knox County was one of 15 counties across the state that were designated as natural disasters for agriculture as a result of the storms and flooding that occurred over the spring.

Gov. Bill Haslam announced June 28 that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made the declaration, as he requested the secretarial designation earlier this month.

Other counties designated as primary natural disaster areas include Dyer, Giles, Greene, Hancock, Hardeman, Hardin, Hawkins, Henderson, Lake, Madison, Obion, Shelby, Tipton and Washington.

“Agriculture is an important industry in this state and contributes significantly to our rural economy. I’m pleased that USDA has acted on my request so promptly,” Haslam said in a press release. “This assistance helps eligible farmers get back into business after what has been a very difficult spring.”

The secretarial disaster designation allows farmers in primary and adjoining counties to apply for the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program to help recover lost income. Other assistance such as low-interest loans and livestock loss assistance may already be available through local USDA Farm Service Agency offices.

Adjoining counties where farmers can also apply for assistance include Anderson, Blount, Carroll, Carter, Chester, Claiborne, Cocke, Crockett, Decatur, Fayette, Gibson, Grainger, Hamblen, Haywood, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lincoln, Loudon, Marshall, Maury, McNairy, Roane, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Wayne and Weakley.

Farmers in affected counties reported crop losses ranging from 30 to 60 percent, and higher in some cases, primarily for corn and wheat, but also for hay, pastures and specialty crops such as fruits and vegetables and nursery stock. Farmers also reported widespread debris, livestock losses and extensive damage to buildings, equipment and conservation structures.

From Knoxville Journal staff reports

News@theknoxvillejournal.com

The city of Knoxville announced that its offices will be closed July 4 for the Independence Day holiday.

Waste Connections, the city’s household garbage collector will also be closed.  Each day’s collections will be postponed one day beginning with July 4’s collections on July 5, and ending with the July 8 collections on July 9.

The downtown trash collections will run on July 4.

The city’s recycling centers will be open.

The city’s Solid Waste Management Facility, located at 1033 Elm St., will be closed July 2 and July 4 for the holiday.

From Knoxville Journal staff reports

News@theknoxvillejournal.com 

Officials with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office discovered what was allegedly a methamphetamine lab at a home on 301 Wooddale St. in Maryville June 28.

According to officials with the Blount County E-911 Center, the incident was reported at approximately 5:30 a.m. A 36-year-old man was taken into custody, but has not been charged, officials said. 

The suspicious materials were found in a bag at the residence.

Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Marian O’Briant said the unnamed suspect may have cooked some meth, but there was no evidence that any was made at the residence. The suspect had to be decontaminated at the Blount County Jail to remove any potential chemical residue on him and his clothing, officials said, adding that a hazardous materials crew will dispose of the alleged meth-making materials found. 

Knox County resident Bradley Mayes speaks to the Knox County Commission June 27, encouraging them not to extend a contract with the Natural Resources Recovery of Tennessee’s Solway Greenwaste plant. Mayes has been an outspoken critic of the issue. (Photo by J.J. Kindred) 

By J.J. KINDRED

J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com 

After a lengthy debate, Knox County Commission voted with heavy reluctance during its June 27 meeting to extend a contract with Natural Resources Recovery of Tennessee (NRRT) by a 6-1-1 margin.

Commissioner Jeff Ownby declined to vote.

NRRT handles mulch operations as the greenwaste facility manager of the county’s Solway plant, which has been the topic of controversy for a long time.

The vote means that the commission will extend the company’s contract for a minimum of 30 days, and no more than 60 days. NRRT’s contract expires July 31, and the county expects to auction the property a few weeks beforehand on July 13.

The contract would be extended beginning Aug. 1 and continue through Aug. 31, with the option of one additional month, from Sept. 1-30.

However, the sale won’t be approved until the end of the month, and then the county will need time to close the deal and ensure the property is of good use.

County resident Bradley Mayes, an outspoken critic of NRRT who has confronted the commission many times on the Solway plant issue, pleaded with them not to extend the contract.

“Do you really want to take a gamble with this company again after we have been embarrassed by them so many times, so taxpayers can take it in the end again?” Mayes said.

In recent weeks and months, Mayes has brought up to the commission an investigation into the Solid Waste Department by the county’s internal auditing department, which claimed a series of misuse of funds, including double billing and underbilling.

Mayes had read excerpts from a deposition by some solid waste officials, who acknowledged there were some issues with the funding. He also alleged that NRRT submitted an invoice for work performed by a subcontractor and withheld more than $300,000 in shared revenue.

Local attorney John King, who represents NRRT, told commissioners if someone bid on the property and wanted to run a mulch operation, it would be a seamless transition.

“There should be some leeway,” King said.

It would also give the company and the county plenty of time to get the property cleaned, and if any potential bidder didn’t want to use the property for that purpose, then the contract wouldn’t need to be extended any longer than 30 days, he added.

“But what guarantee do we have that we will get the stuff out of there?” said commissioner Larry Smith. “I am going to be voting for this at this point, and at this point in time it’s the right thing to do.”

Commissioners said they wanted some type of active recycling operation between the end of NRRT’s contract and when a potential bidder buys the property. The recent storms have made the plant busier, and more time was needed for people to drop off their waste before the company’s contract expired.

Once the contract does end, county officials say they want to part ways with the mulch business, but first they have to sell the property.

Mayes said he has not made a decision as to bid on the property, but Kenneth Frazier, owner of KMF III Services, told commissioners that he and some investors have expressed interest in bidding on the property and operating it as a mulch facility.

“Do you want the option to delay the time in moving in?” Frazier asked the commissioners.

Meanwhile, the commission delayed a vote on whether to order an audit of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, because commission chairman Mike Hammond, who is leading the move, and commissioner Sam McKenzie, who represents the district that includes the center, were out of town, and commissioner Amy Broyles was under the weather and also did not attend.

The vote will be delayed until next month’s meeting. Commissioners wanted a full overview of the center’s financial situation before making a decision to contribute financially.

From Knoxville Journal staff reports

News@theknoxvillejournal.com 

City of Knoxville Police, Fire and Public Service resources have been working around the clock in response to last week’s storms, according to a press release.  

City personnel will continue to work in order to protect the health and safety of the public, clear roads and remove tree and brush debris from neighborhoods.

Knoxville Mayor Daniel Brown expressed concern for all those affected by down trees, flooding and utility outages and is receiving regular updates on the response effort from his leadership team.

“The city of Knoxville has been hit very hard by storms, and I am thankful that there has been no loss of life but am very concerned about the damage to property,” Brown said. “Our public safety and public service employees are doing a terrific job working tirelessly in dealing with the challenge, responding to emergencies, clearing debris and directing traffic. I also appreciate the tireless efforts of KUB crews as they work to restore power throughout our community. We are all doing everything we can to deal with the impact of these storms.”

David Brace, deputy director for the city’s Public Service Department, said the department has been actively clearing roads and removing debris since approximately 8 p.m. June 21, when the first round of storms hit Knoxville.  

By June 23, most roads were passable and crews were starting to focus on removing debris when a second weather event caused significant road closures throughout Knoxville.

“We have received over 403 requests for limbs or downed trees across roadways and in neighborhoods since (June 21), not including downed trees within parks or across greenways,” Brace said. “Based on our initial assessment, the debris volumes will surpass those experienced in April.”

Due to the volume of storm debris, the Public Service Department is suspending its normal two-week brush collection schedules and will focus solely on clean-up and removal of trees, limbs and other debris. Crews will be working overtime and on the weekends over the next several weeks in an effort to remove as much damaged tree material as possible.  Schedules will be suspended for at least two weeks.

Officials said that residents should stack/place organic debris at the edge of their property for collection. They suggested keeping stacked debris out of the street and off of sidewalks. Large trees and limbs should be cut into manageable sections if at all possible. Extremely large tree sections may require the use of different collection equipment and may not be collected immediately for several weeks. The standard collection limits will be suspended at this time. 

The Knoxville Police and Fire Departments as well as the Traffic Engineering and Stormwater Divisions have also been actively involved in the effort responding emergencies, directing traffic due to power outages and responding to flood complaints.

The city has also announced that homeowners and business owners that suffered uninsured damage totaling more than half the value of their property during the storms are encouraged to contact the city of Knoxville’s 311 with an estimate of the uninsured damage.

The Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency is collecting information – for that level of damage – that it will forward to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to determine if the city is eligible for certain types of federal disaster assistance.

The agency will be gathering the information – using 311 – through June 29.

Any calls to the city of Knoxville’s 311 are not considered to be official reports nor formal claims. The city is accepting information and will forward it to the emergency management agency.

From Knoxville Journal staff reports

News@theknoxvillejournal.com 

Those who are planning to travel for the 4th of July weekend can expect to pay less for gas than they have been.

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.63, falling approximately 11 cents in the last two weeks, according to the Lunberg Survey, an independent market research company offering local and national coverage of fuel prices, fuel taxes, station population studies, and market shares.

Chicago had the highest average price in the country at $4.06, while Jackson, Miss., had the lowest at $3.17.

The Knoxville average for June 27 was at $3.39, according to AAA.

According to Brian’s Blog, Hubert Smith has withdrawn from the city council race. Brian Hornback wrote:

This morning, Hubert Smith withdrew from the Knoxville City Council At-Large Seat A race. He will continue his Friday night Community Television show, “One on One with Hubert Smith” and his Sunday call-in radio talk show, “The Hubert Smith Show.”

Sunspherebook@aol.com

Mayor Burchett gets the budget right. Mayor Tim Burchett was elected by 88% of voters to take this county in a new direction—-namely, out of debt and back from ethical and moral decay. Burchett is one political leader who performs in office just like he promised he would while campaigning. That is just one of the many reasons why voters like him so much. Although the mayor has undergone some low blows by others in the local media, he has remained tough and has held firm. The most recent budget battle is a prime example of what one leader can do when he charts the right course and sticks to it.

Mayor Burchett gets it—Knox County is broke. Knox County is way too far in debt and has been for too many years. Even though Mayor Ragsdale was willing to roll debts forward while spending lavishly, Burchett has been determined to take a better path to the high road of fiscal responsibility. The mayor has done something incredible in today’s standards, he has cut across the board both in spending and in new programs.

Mayor Burchett spent hours, days and weeks pouring over every detail of the budget process and made some unpopular decisions to trim the fat and cut in places that needed to be cut. He is to be applauded and praised.

What does your family do when the money you have does not cover everything you want? You learn Life’s Lesson 101: You can’t always get everything you want. You make do, cut spending and do without a lot of things. This is exactly what government should do and we are fortunate that Mayor Burchett is keeping his campaign promise.

Mayor Burchett’s fiscal policies follow an adage my grandmother taught me:

Use it up; Wear it out; Make it do; or do without. I just hope his example spreads to the state and federal government as well.

Union Ave Books, located at 517 Union Avenue, has officially opened in downtown Knoxville.

On Saturday, June 18, the bookstore hosted a grand opening for the public between 5-8 p.m. The Y’Una band performed live music. Refreshments by Just Ripe, a new downtown grocery store that also sells prepared food, served the guests. Door prizes were awarded to lucky winners.

Union Ave Books invites friends, downtown dwellers, book lovers and all Knoxvillians to visit and shop. They love for customers to sit and read and browse through the stacks of special books.

It is great to see that Union Ave Books is bringing the same vibe as Carpre Librum had to downtown Knoxville. For more information, call 865-951-2180.
Check Out Crimes Web Site:

http://www.crimereports.com/

and get the results.

Sunspherebook@aol.com

  Bloom Festival for Daylilies For Peak in Mid-June

Keith Schumacher, owner of Champion Daylilies on McFee Road in West Knoxville, celebrated the peak week for his crop of daylilies with a Bloom Festival at his garden from June 11 to June 20. From the street out front, Schumacher’s yard looks like any other meticulously groomed property. It is not until you pass the small sign on the side of the house that says, “Garden in Rear,” that you see the winding path lined with thousands of blooms of all colors.

Schumacher says he has raised flowers in one way or another all his life. After he retired from his regular career, he began growing lilies and other perennials in a big way. He soon found that no matter how many flowers he potted, all sold. This motivated him to continue tinkering with plants. Schumacher estimates he raised approximately 350 varieties of daylilies this year and possibly owns a few thousand types of flowers. He said there may be well over 20,000 varieties of daylilies in the world as hybridizers are constantly inventing new types. He is a hybridizer, too.

Schumacher’s gardens are open daily for tours, sales, and visitors can even bring a picnic lunch and enjoy having a meal outside while looking at the flowers. Tables and chairs are available under shade trees and he will provide cold water or sodas.

The raised-bed gardens can be easily toured by walking along a mulch-covered pathway. The lilies are aglow with colors ranging in shades from pale to deep in orange, pink, yellow, purple, brown, red, white, and a mixture of a variety of blended shades. Some daylilies appear to be almost black; some are deep red and others look brownish. Some are yellow on top and purple on the bottom with other being orange on top and white on the bottom—-the combinations go on and on. Schumacher says the only colors he has never seen in daylilies blooms are green, blue, and solid white.

Schumacher’s Mission statement says: “Champion Daylilies is dedicated to producing “Collector Grade” daylilies with an emphasis on value. We insist on providing consistent award winning cultivars that have been field tested for quality and performance. Honesty and integrity have been instrumental to our success and is key to building relationships for the future.”

He said that a daylily is a perennial (comes back year after year) plant. It has well defined wide grass like leaves which normally grow about 12 inches tall, then slope down giving it the effect of a fountain. He explained that the leaves stay green from early spring until late fall. A bloom lasts only a day (hence the name day-lily), but their grandeur and beauty are unsurpassed in the garden. The daylily is truly a magnificent plant. The botanical name for daylily is Hemerocallis (hem-er-o-kal-is). In Greek Hemerocallis means “beauty for a day”. Daylilies are reported to have originated in regions of Asia. By the early 20th century, due to their heartiness and beauty, daylilies soon spread throughout the globe.

Schumacher says daylilies are his favorite plant due to the beauty, the variety, the heartiness—meaning they are difficult to kill and their rate of growth.

Call 865 777 2625 to take the tour and check out more information on the web site at

. Daylilies can be transplanted in any season.

Sunspherebook@aol.com

When 83-year-old twin sisters Helen Ashe and Ellen Turner—known as The Love Sisters, make personal appearances or do any kind of business, they are usually accompanied by the president of the Love Kitchen charity, Patrick Riggins.

Riggins began a relationship with the Love Kitchen in 2008 as a part-time volunteer sent to pick up food donated by area restaurants.

Most recently, Riggins was the person chosen to chaperone/provide personal care for the sisters when they were invited to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show last February.

“They were treated like queens,” says Riggins. “The Sisters, as Riggins calls the twins, were uncomfortable with all the money being spent on them because that’s just who they are. But they truly had a good time. They were totally excited. I think it is fair to say that meeting Oprah was one of the highlights of their lives.”

The trip was almost canceled at one point because both sisters were sick at different points. Turner and Ashe rarely fly, so that was a big deal for them. Then bad weather delayed flights, causing Winfrey to even offer to have a car drive the sisters from Knoxville to Chicago so they would be able to make the taping. Riggins said he helped the sisters maneuver in and out of the airports and into cars to make their appointments even though Oprah had staff at their disposal to provide for their every need.

Riggins said they stayed at the Four Seasons hotel, on Winfrey’s dime, of course, but they had very little time for sightseeing. This was their first trip to Chicago and, even though it was an incredible opportunity for them, they had to have their rest.

Riggins said that while the sisters were at Harpo Studios, where the Oprah Show is filmed, they were treated like rock stars. “People were lined up around the corner, taking their pictures,” Riggins said.

Those who have seen the show say that Winfrey appeared to truly fall for the sisters and their spunky attitude. During the show it was revealed to the sisters that Winfrey’s staff had arranged for the local Kroger Food Stores to donate a year’s supply of food for the Love Kitchen—-a $60,000 value. Riggins and other staff members had been told about the surprise but were asked to keep it a secret from the sisters.

At one point in the show, Winfrey asked the sisters to tell the audience the values that had been taught to them by their father. Helen replied, “There is only one father, Our Father in heaven. There is only one race, the human race. And, when you sit at a table, never take the last piece of bread because someone who is hungry may come along and will need it.” This statement brought the audience and Winfrey to tears and to their feet.

With all the media attention brought to the Love Kitchen by the twins, Riggins has been asked to host his own radio program that airs on 100.3 FM-WNOX on Sundays from 3 to 5 p.m. The show, ““The Spotlight on Charity Show” focuses on area non-profit organizations with an emphasis on the smaller agencies that might not get much attention.

Riggins describes himself as one of the happiest people on earth. He has been excited and pleased with the support the Love Kitchen has received from the community.

Two years ago, the Love Kitchen faced the possibility of having to close due to mounting expenses. They turned to WBIR and WIVK and Panera Bread for the “Round Up the Dough” Campaign in hopes of raising a much-needed $40,000; they raised $120,000 when the local community came through in a large way with support.

The Love Kitchen depends fully on volunteers who serve meals to the homeless on Wednesdays and Thursdays at their location on Martin Luther Blvd.. Also on Thursdays, volunteers deliver a week’s worth of food to hundreds of homebound residents in the area. Emergency bags of food are handed out to people on Wednesdays, too, bringing the number of needy people served to around 2,000.

By DAVE FORD

D.Ford@theknoxvillejournal.com

In honor of the 54th NBA draft, I thought I’d put together my all-time 10-man squad. I’ve broken it down by position with a starting five and the next five off the bench.

During a time when debating the game’s best-ever is the trendy thing to do, why not take a different road and debate the best ‘me vs. you’ scenario.

This is not about statistics. This is not about championship rings. This is about the best dude at his position. So without further ado, let’s get down to it shall we?

Running the point position for my team I’ve got Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson. Who else would you want running your team? The man possessed one of the highest basketball IQ’s most of us have ever seen, he passed the ball like a quarterback to a wide receiver and he finished every trip to the rack.

At the two spot I’ve got none other than Michael Jordan. This choice more than any other is bulletproof. 

At the small forward position, I’ve got Larry Bird. The man was a sniper on the basketball court. If you needed to hit a shot in the clutch, you made sure he had the ball. He arrived at the gym before everybody else and he was the last one to leave.

Playing power forward I’ve got Scottie Pippen. He was a lockdown defender and was electric on the fast break and in a half court set. Most of us didn’t know it during his prime in the 1990s, but he was ahead of his time as the prototypical combo guard/forward. Standing 6-foot-7, Pippen had the passing ability of a point man, the shooting savvy of a two-man, the moves for a small forward, the post presence of a four and the shot blocking ability of a center.

Rounding out my staring five is Shaquille O’Neal. Casting a shadow over the court at over 7-feet and 330 pounds, O’Neal was the most dominant force the game has ever seen and was simply unguardable. Once he received the ball on the low block it was all over. And if a player found himself in the paint when Shaq exploded for a two-hand jam, he ran the risk of having his face removed.

That’s just the first wave. When the sweat starts falling and the guys need a rest, the second five are arguably just as good at most every position.

Coming in for ‘Magic’ I’ve got his Finals smooching buddy Isiah Thomas. He was old- street Allen Iverson but much more polished. Behind his happy grin, Thomas was a killer on the floor. So much so, that not even a shredded hamstring in the 1988 NBA Finals kept him from scoring 25 points — in one quarter. At the two spot I’ve got ‘the logo’ Jerry West. One of the best pure shooters in the history of the game, West was a deadly playmaker when it mattered most and possessed the best mid-range game of all time.

At small forward off the bench I’ve got Tim Duncan. No one has ever purposely executed a bank shot better and with more robotic precision. Duncan owns one of the most fundamentally sound games in history. At power forward I’ve got Karl Malone. Although he’s the only member of the team who never took home a ring, Malone played for two. It wasn’t his fault Jordan was still around to stand in his way. A master of the pick-and-roll, there wasn’t a weapon he didn’t have in his arsenal.

The player who slams the door shut in this debate is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the backup center position. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer (38,387) created the most deadly shot in league history, the ‘Skyhook.’ There was no defending the swooping shot, and he rode it all the way to legendary status. 

So there you go. See who you can come up with to shut me down. The problem is, you can’t.