Whitehead greets supporters at reception at Calhoun’s on the River By Ken Lay A number of supporters showed up at a fundraising reception for John R. Whitehead late Wednesday afternoon at Calhoun’s on the River. Whitehead, who is seeking a fourth term as Knox County Property Assessor, said that he was pleased with the turnout, […]
By Steve Hunley When Jim McIntyre was at the peak of his power —and he lorded over the Knox County school system like a Byzantine emperor—few members of the board of education lauded or more steadfastly supported McIntyre than did Doug Harris. A wealthy businessman with close ties to the Chamber of Commerce crowd, Harris […]
By Ray Hill Alice Roosevelt Longworth remained the most famous presidential daughter in our country’s history; certainly she was the most enduring. An especially astute observer of politics and things political, Alice Roosevelt Longworth was also known for her elegance, entertaining, and most especially her acid tongue. No insipid child dependent upon a powerful […]
By Mike Steely Senior Writer steelym@knoxfocus.com Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs brought out the big guns last week in his pitch to get the approval of the Knox County Commission for an easement agreement for the TVA East Tower. Jacobs called a special session and lined up people from various agencies and organizations to […]
By Ken Lay Heading into Tuesday night’s District 3-AAA basketball game against Clinton, the Central Lady Bobcats were short-handed as senior forward Ashton Blair was sidelined with an injury so the game against the Lady Dragons was going to be difficult enough. But the Lady Bobcats didn’t make things any easier for themselves as […]
By Steve Williams As high school basketball season moves closer to tournament time, which are the best teams on the local scene? The Knoxville Focus has delved into regular season results going back to November and ranked a First Five for boys’ and girls’ teams based on games played through Thursday (Jan. 16). Catholic, […]
TVA Towers back before commission By Mike Steely Senior Writer steelym@knoxfocus.com Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs has called a special meeting of the Knox County Commission for today at 5 p.m. to speak on the negotiations between the county and TVA toward the lease of the TVA East Tower for use by the Knox County […]
East Tennessee Focus Center can help By Mike Steely Senior Writer steelym@knoxfocus.com There are few things as frustrating and worrisome to a parent than a child who is falling behind in school because of a reading problem. There are several reasons for not reading well and one of them is dyslexia. Nanette Grillone, the Learning […]
By Steve Williams When Bryson Rosser was announced as Central High School’s new head football coach on Feb. 3, 2014, he said what intrigued him the most about the position was “the ability to put my stamp on this program.” It turned out to be a first class stamp and its value was priceless. However, […]
By Ray Hill Despite intense pressure from constituents and his own political party, Senator John Knight Shields of Tennessee remained determined to vote his convictions as the United States Senate considered the Treaty of Versailles. John Knight Shields had been the only Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to break ranks and support the […]