Knox Health Board mandates masks By Mike Steely Senior Writer steelym@knoxfocus.com Wednesday’s meeting of the Knox County Board of Health saw masks being required in most indoor businesses to flatten the surge of COVID-19 but the effort saw some resistance. The board’s involvement goes back to orders issued by Dr. Martha Buchanan in March instituting […]
By Steve Hunley Reviving Gov. Lee’s ESSA Plan? In May of this year, a Nashville judge ruled Governor Bill Lee’s educational savings account legislation, approved by the Tennessee General Assembly, unconstitutional. A collective “hurrah” went up from teachers’ unions, but the celebration might have been somewhat premature. Last week, the U. S. Supreme Court has […]
By Mike Steely Senior Writer steelym@knoxfocus.com If you are a graduate of any Knox County school you may be interested in the Knox County Museum of Education, next to Old South High School. The volunteer-operated, non-profit museum has just about everything, from high schools annuals to letter sweaters, from current and former county schools. Until […]
By Ray Hill When the Founding Fathers came up with the House of Representatives as a legislative instrument meant to reflect the will of the people, they succeeded perhaps better than they could possibly have known. The body has endured remarkably well since the birth of our nation and it has always interested me to […]
By Ken Lay When the COVID-19 pandemic brought an end to the 2019-2020 school year and the spring sports season in March, Gibbs High School baseball player Spencer Hudson was one of many area seniors to lose his final season. Baseball wasn’t over for Hudson as he had already finalized plans to attend the University […]
By Steve Williams There’s a new excitement in the air for Carter High football. “Communication with my players and culture really are the main things I harp on,” said Justin Pressley, the school’s new head coach, last Wednesday. “One of the reasons I think I got the job at Carter was I’m going to bring […]
$1,500 bonus for deputies in approved Knox budget By Mike Steely Senior Writer steelym@knoxfocus.com Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler’s persistence won out Wednesday with a victorious split vote granting a bonus to his deputies. The county commission also passed the amended budget that included the bonus payments during the special session. The sheriff’s department discovered […]
By Mike Steely Senior Writer steelym@knoxfocus.com The final lease agreement between Knox County and TVA hasn’t been signed yet but last week the county commission voted to complete a deal with the University of Tennessee to sublet part of the TVA East Tower. The pending deal between the county and TVA calls for a […]
By Ray Hill July of 1966 was hot and humid in Tennessee that year. Two veteran campaigners, Governor Frank Clement and Senator Ross Bass, were stumping the state for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate. Both campaigned at a furious pace. The Nashville Tennessean reported one painter busy at work was so startled […]
By Steve Williams Traditionally, The Knoxville Focus likes to check with local head football coaches to see what they will be doing during the annual TSSAA Dead Period before preseason practice really cranks up. For many, it’s a special time of the year to spend with the family. With the coronavirus pandemic, would this […]