Come join us for good BBQ and music.

Saturday - Noon until 10 PM.

Springbrook Corporate Center, Alcoa, TN (Directions)

WATE:

The first phase of the project will require the demolition of three apartment buildings that sit adjacent to the east end of the school, across Cedar Street.

...There's also a long term plan that would take an entire block of homes on South Cedar Street, including Jeff Weaver's, but the city still doesn't have enough money to buy them.

Residents express concerns about uncertainties, getting a fair value for their properties, and more.

The new Montessori Middle School in Louisville is hosting their 1st Annual Farm Festival on Saturday, May 10, 2008 from 11AM to 4PM at the school, which is located at 3725 Louisville Rd (map).

This event is open to the public and there is no charge for admission. Tickets for activities and refreshments will be sold at the festival. Click read more for a press release with more details...

The Maryville Farmers' Market starts up again the first Saturday in May.

May 3, 2008
Opens at 9 AM and closes when the produce is gone, usually around noon or 1 PM.

Location: Church Street near CBBC Bank.

There is plenty of parking.

Get ready! Check it out!

Fresh produce is on its way.

Dear friend of quality growth,

As an attendee of last year's Plain Talk on Quality Growth conference, I want to make you aware of an important event that is coming to East Tennessee next week. The Tennessee Department of Tourism has put together a first rate conference on sustainable tourism that will be held next Monday and Tuesday, April 28th and 29th, at the Knoxville Convention Center.

Rick Laney has an article about blogging in today's Maryville Daily Times.

The tradition continues and is growing.

Arts, entertainment, food in downtown Maryville.

Live music later in the evening at Tomato Head.

Maps of participating businesses are available at Fine Arts Blount ArtSpace Gallery, 301 Church St. E, in downtown Maryville (865-982-0898).

Check it out!

Featured speakers: Bob Tuke and Mike Padgett
Both are Democratic candidates for Lamar Alexander's US Senate seat, in Lamar's hometown... Priceless.

Also speaking will be Blount County's favorite son Judge Mike Meares.

Commissioner Wendy Reeves will invoke FDR for us... and don't forget, there's (good) food !!

It should be well worth anyone's time and money ($50.00 per ticket).

Saturday April 26th at the Airport Hilton.
Doors open at 6:30, Dinner at 7:00.

For tickets contact any Blount County Democratic Party member, Democratic Women's Club member or call 865-379-8683. Leave a message, they will call you back.

UPDATE: We have been told that Tuke and Padgett will not be able to attend.

The City of Alcoa Utilities has added a $3 fee to resident's water bills to cover the EPA stormwater Phase II program requirements.

Permit requirements include system-wide erosion and sediment controls, pollution control, and public education initiatives. The stormwater utility will serve as an alternative to increasing taxes to meet the added expense of funding these requirements set by the federal government.

Probably a good thing and I suppose I don't mind paying the extra $3. However, keeping in mind I have not studied this in depth, I hope not that many businesses get credits while I, a resident, am not able to get credits.

Update: I called the City of Alcoa regarding residents that have two water meters, one for the house and one for watering the lawn. It sounds like they made a mistake in charging this fee on the second meter for watering the lawn. It sounds like they should have this handled and not charge this fee next month on the second meter.

Cool new feature found on the City of Alcoa web-site, GIS Mapping.

The City of Alcoa GIS Mapping is currently promoted for businesses to "review your property boundary and mapped impervious area".

However, you can use it to look up individual property information as well. Check it out at this City of Alcoa Stormwater Utility site.

Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22, 2008

In Blount County, the Cities of Alcoa and Maryville along with Maryville College, The Little River Watershed Association, and many others are holding an Earth Round-Up on Saturday, April 19th, 2008.

The events begin at 8AM with a clean up of Little River and Blount County Roadways and culminate with festivities at the Maryville College Campus from 5PM to 8PM

Check out KnoxViews for more Earth Day/Month events in the East Tennessee area.

Daily Times reports that Newell Rubbermaid is cutting 200 Blount Co. jobs. WBIR reports that police cars were stationed outside the plant as workers were called to a company meeting for the announcement. According to news reports, employees were told to take the day off.

UPDATE: KNS has reaction from Mayor Cunningham.

UPDATE: Here's the Daily Times full report. Questions: Rep. Overbey is quoted as saying the IDB recruited Rubbermaid. Wonder what incentives they got from local and state government?

Also, there are several remarks about notice. Companies are required to give employees, local government, and the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development 60 days advance notice about layoffs:

WARN offers protection to workers, their families and communities by requiring employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of plant closings, mass layoffs and/or sale of a business. This notice must be provided to affected employees or their representatives (e.g., a labor union); to the state Dislocated Worker Unit; and to the appropriate unit of local government. (See Public Law 100-379, Sec.3.)

The article says layoffs will be complete by September, so I guess that is 60 days. But it appears the first termination could not occur before June 10th in order to comply with the 60 days notice requirement. I wonder if they have filed the appropriate notices, and who did they file them with in the County?

Saturday, April 19th 10am until 1pm
in the parking lot at Maryville First United Methodist Church at 804 Montvale Station Road (across from Maryville Middle School)

Be sure to bring your family and your pets,there are activities for every one including:

• face painting
• crafts for children
• inflatable
• Daisy the Clown
• Petting Zoo
• Drawings for Prizes
• Sheriff's K-9 Unit
• Animals Works
• ArfNets
• Knoxville Zoo
• Blount CARE
• Smoky Mountain Animal Care Foundation
• Blount County Humane Society
• H.A.B.I.T
• Dog Bite Treats
• And much more.....

Pet items as well as People items will be on sell by the different rescue groups to help their organizations care for the animals.
Also some of the rescues will have adoptable animals.

The Church will be collecting NEW stuffed animals to give to the children at East TN Hospital. If you would like to participate in this mission project please bring those to the event!

Let's Play!

From Joe Gallagher:

We have an unusual opportunity to contribute to the "Foothills Land Conservancy" in a very fun way tomorrow evening (Thursday). You may have seen the story in the Women's Section of last Sunday's Daily-Times about Cathie Golden's Birthday party. Cathie Golden is owner and manager of "Waste Not Want Not," a Recycling Coalition Thrift Shop at 1505 E. Broadway in Maryville.

Cathie is very involved in making Blount County and the Earth a better place. She is known to some of us as a CAPPE member, she has attended Raven Society meetings and she is dedicated to Foothills Land Conservancy.

In a world of givers and takers, Cathie qualifies as a World Class Giver.

April 3 is Cathie's birthday. She came up with the creative idea of "Cathie's Birthday Singing Debut" tomorrow night (April 3) from 7:00PM to 9:30PM at MUSIC ROW of Maryville, 2808 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy. There will be LIVE MUSIC. Bring your instruments to jam along. There will be a CAKE CONTEST. Call 379-1112 for details. There will be a BUCKET AUCTION with chances to win a variety of gift baskets.

This event is FREE! Donations will be accepted at the door. ALL PROCEEDS go to Foothills Land Conservancy.

Friday, April 4 will be a dynamite "First Friday Luncheon."

There will be a roundtable discussion featuring Howard Kerr, one of Blount County's most distinguished citizens. Howard Kerr has served our community in many ways, including terms in the State Legislature. He competed for the Republican nomination for Mayor in 2006, finishing 2nd in the primary to Jerry Cunningham.

Others on the panel will be: Jim Folts, Chair of "Citizens For Better Government." Mr. Folts retired after founding several computer companies; Arnold Klugman, an engineer who retired as head of Worldwide Manufacturing for Motorola. Mr. Klugman is active in community affairs and is trying to bring industry to Blount County; and Commissioner Wendy Pitts Reeves.

The panel will lead a discussion dealing with "Blount County's Future."

The First Friday Luncheon meets at Ryan's Buffet Restaurant, Hunters Crossing, Alcoa--near Wal-Mart. We meet at 11:30AM for lunch. The dynamic program will begin at 12Noon.

Remember--this Friday, April 4 at Ryan's.

Blount County Ethics Committee Meeting

Tuesday, April 1, 2008
6:00PM
Blount County Court House
Room 433 (County Commission Room)

Be there!

Decisions by the Knoxville Regional TPO influence TDOT planning and affect Blount County. They are seeking input for their long range plan. Go fill out this short survey.

WUOT radio is saying they need all blood types.

The League of Women Voters of Blount County is sponsoring a program on "Selecting State and Local Judges: Election, Appointment, or Other Alternatives?" on Monday, March 24 at 7:00 pm in Lawson Auditorium.

Dr. Otis Stephens, U.T. Dept of Political Science, and Professor Penny White, U.T. College of Law and former member of the State Supreme Court, will lead a discussion on this topic.

Come prepared with questions and participate in this important discussion.

Lawson Auditorium is in Fayerweather Hall at Maryville College.

Ruby Tuesday working to avoid loan defaults

Ruby Tuesday Inc.'s lenders have agreed to give the restaurant chain until next month to amend its loan agreements to avoid default, the company said Wednesday.

"With the completion of our remodeling initiative, our repositioning investments and expenditures, and the temporary suspension of new restaurant openings, our focus is firmly on sales and profits with all excess cash flow being used to reduce debt levels. This should allow us to strengthen our financial position over the coming quarters and then focus on our strategy of returning excess capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases," Beall added.

The company, which has 944 company-owned, domestic and international franchised restaurants, warned in January of a possible default on its debt obligations. At the time, Beall described to investment analysts the continuing industry slump and economic downturn, comparing it to a "perfect storm."

It's always sad when a good company goes public and has to focus on "repositioning investments and expenditures" and "reducing debt levels" using "excess cash flow" and "strengthening their financial position" and "returning excess capital to shareholders" instead of just making a good product, food in this case, and providing good service to their customers.

My heroes have always been farmers. My grandfather farmed, my sister married a farmer, the people dearest to me are farmers and by golly- I like to eat!

Over these past few months war has been waged in Blount County and the firing line as been Letters to the Editor of the DT. Today, we finally have a no nonsense and direct accounting of the events which led up to the BZA decision.
Thank you Ms. Campbell!

The letter is here Link...

The Blount County Democrats will hold their monthly First Friday Luncheon meeting on Friday, March 7, 2008, at Ryan's in the Hunter Crossing shopping center, Alcoa.

Blount Democrats, Friends: We have a very special program for next Friday's (March 7) "First Friday Luncheon." Buzz Thomas, well known in our community as a Lawyer, Minister, Educator, Writer and Public Speaker will provide the program.

Buzz is the author of an outstanding book published last year by St. Martin's Press, New York. The title: "10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You (But Can't Because He Needs The Job.)" Oliver "Buzz" Thomas is a Baptist Minister and a constitutional lawyer, qualified to argue cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Buzz currently serves as Executive Director of the Niswonger Foundation at Tusculum College. He also writes columns for U.S.A. Today.

As usual, we meet at Ryan's, Hunters Crossing--near Wal-Mart--in Alcoa. We assemble at 11:30AM for lunch. The program begins at 12Noon and we conclude at 1:00PM for those on a schedule. We also will have an update from Judge Mike Meare's Campaign for Blount County Circuit Court and hopefully, a report from County Commissioner Wendy Pitts-Reeves.

UPDATE: Buz Thomas will not be able to attend the First Friday Luncheon due to an illness in his family.

Professor Justin Green, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Villanova University will be your substitute. Professor Green promises to offer tips on how we can get those who voted in the February 5 Primary to go to the polls on August 7.

Come on! Admit it! Who likes snow?

Does anyone know what this article is about? It seems mostly devoid of information.

Maryville Daily Times

More than 500 people packed the auditorium at Heritage High School Tuesday evening for a public meeting on the proposed extension of the Pellissippi Parkway.

Knoxville News Sentinel

Supporters and opponents of the proposed Pellissippi Parkway Extension jammed the auditorium at Heritage High School Tuesday night for a public hearing on one of the most contentious issues facing Blount County.

WBIR

A standing-room-only crowd of several hundred people flooded Heritage High School's auditorium Tuesday night for the latest details on a proposed Pellissippi Parkway expansion project.

Sounds like Southern Loop reared its ugly head again last night. Here's the proposed route, for any newcomers on the scene: (Link...)

If you did not get to ask your question or submit your comment last night, here is the person to contact at TDOT:

Michael W. Russell, P.E.
TDOT
7345 Region Lane
Knoxville, TN 37914

or

P.O. Box 58
Knoxville, TN 37901

Phone: 865.594.2334
Email: Mike.Russell@state.tn.us

The Pellissippi Parkway Extension is a done deal. The heads of the five families (Blount Co. Mayor, Maryville Mayor, Maryville City Manager, Alcoa Mayor, and Alcoa City Manager) all support it. A massive Chamber of Commerce turnout arrived in Mercedes Benz and wool suits to support it. They are well organized, and shouted down the "antis" at several points.

We're here, will try to live blog if battery and broadband connections hold up and I can work this keyboard all scrunched over.