By Tom Mattingly Does anybody in the reading audience remember the first time they went to a game at Shields-Watkins Field or, after the 1962 Alabama game, Neyland Stadium? For me, the day was Oct. 5, 1957, when the Vols squared off against Mississippi State. Kickoff time was 2 p.m. The game started an 8-year […]
By Steve Williams Six years ago, Nick Craney was a budding defensive coach on Bryson Rosser’s first Central team and former McMinn County High quarterback Nathan Simbeck was assisting the Bobcats as a volunteer coach while finishing his undergraduate studies at UT. Simbeck was only at Central that 2014 season, returning home to coach quarterbacks […]
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 […]
Haslam family gift will support insurance for student laptops A generous gift from the Haslam family will help economically disadvantaged families obtain insurance for new Chromebooks that will be provided to all K-12 students in Knox County Schools. Earlier this year, the Knox County Board of Education and Knox County Commission approved a 1:1 plan […]
Clerk’s Loan Needed I don’t think there’s any doubt our county, state, country and world have changed a lot since the advent of the COVID-19 virus. It’s almost impossible to find anyone or anything left untouched by the coronavirus. Charlie Susano, Clerk of the Circuit, Civil Sessions and Juvenile Courts, is asking the county […]