By Joe Rector I saw the obituary for a high school friend in the paper. It made me sad and just a bit shocked. The reminder that people my age and I are reaching the last few years of our lives also delivered a jolt. Younger folks are tired of hearing about “Baby Boomers,” and […]
By Ralphine Major This year, they have been sharing “light” in this season of despair. Already, they have connected with women in the church and the Knoxville community with hundreds of cards, blessing bags, and phone calls. Chelsea Murphy is the director of an encouragement ministry called Phoebe’s Closet at Wallace Memorial Baptist Church […]
By Mike Steely Anyone visiting Cumberland Gap National Park may be missing an interesting side trip to the little Kentucky town next door. Middlesboro has a long and very odd history and is well worth a visit. Just beyond the Cumberland Gap highway tunnel going north on Highway 25 W is the main entrance to […]
By Mark Nagi There is so much doom and gloom in the world of sports right now. And I understand those emotions. It’s sad to think about. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t sunshine in the storm. I’m sitting in a vacation rental in Carolina Beach writing this article. My daughters and their friends […]
Anne Crais is Good Neighbor of the Year By Mike Steely Senior Writer steelym@knoxfocus.com The Diana Conn Good Neighbor of the Year for 2020 is Anne Crais, secretary of Wesley Neighborhood Community Association. The announcement was made during an Office of Neighborhoods Recognition Dinner Thursday. Normally the honors are presented in the city’s annual Neighborhood […]
By Steve Hunley Déjà vu All Over Again There is a move by the Charter Review Committee to once again place a referendum on the ballot to make the law director’s office appointed, rather than elected. That reminds me of the last attempt some ten years ago, which was overwhelmingly defeated at the polls. If […]
By Focus Staff Most people in Knox County have no idea of a Tennessee law (HB 2279) that was passed in 2018 that allows cell phone companies to install a 40-foot tall cell tower with multiple cell antennas in the front yard of every person in the state of Tennessee. This law was written by […]
The 1964 Senate Races In Tennessee By Ray Hill Lyndon Baines Johnson was a remarkably able politician. The intricacies of Johnson’s complicated personality have likely best been examined in Robert Caro’s splendid multi-volume biography of Johnson. Much of Johnson’s legacy has been obscured and earned him scorn due to one part of that same legacy: […]
By Mike Steely Senior Writer steelym@knoxfocus.com During the City Council meeting earlier this month the members voted to allot $5,175 in grants to the Fountain City Lions Club to help with the maintenance and upkeep at the Fountain City Park and fund mowing there. During the discussion, the city’s Parks and Recreation Director, Sheryl Ely, […]
By Steve Williams The pandemic has done a number on Kennedy Anne Noe’s scorecards. And with the 2020 high school golf campaign officially starting today (July 27), it will be interesting to see if the Knoxville Catholic senior, one of the state’s top players, can clear her mind and get back to putting up scores […]