April 2009

Selling the President's House

Submitted by Gene Patterson on April 28, 2009 - 4:21pm

A UT Board of Trustees committee will discuss the possibility of selling the President's House at a meeting in Nashville on May 5.

The home, in Sequoyah Hills, was sold to UT back in 1960 for $60,000. At the time, it was appraised at $90,000. It's value is considerably higher today.

It's also a very expensive perk. It's annual budget for maintanance and staff is $180,000.

UT's Gina Stafford says the idea of selling the house actually came up in 2007.

Talking Heads and the Language We Use

Submitted by Gene Patterson on April 27, 2009 - 9:00pm

So, I get an e-mail today asking why Larry Van Gilder had slammed me in his weekly Halls Shopper News column?

I hadn't - at that point - read the column. I quickly read the column.

Larry was complaining about the use of the word "drastic" in describing Knox County Commissioner Mark Harmon's proposal to reduce the Knox County fleet, by a "local news anchor."

He didn't think it was an appropriate descriptor.

He may be right, though some surely will argue the point.

Knox County's Lincoln Day Dinner

Submitted by Gene Patterson on April 14, 2009 - 10:18pm

-- It was a who's who of Republicans at tonight's Lincoln Day Dinner. And why not, not one but all four of the major GOP candidates for governor were on the program.

Bill Gibbons, Bill Haslam, Ron Ramsey and Zach Wamp each had 7 minutes to make their appeal to the gathered crowd.

I asked newly elected Knox County GOP chairman Ray Jenkins who was responsible for letting the candidates know when their time was up - he said Judge Dale Workman had that duty.

Tennessee This Week

Submitted by Gene Patterson on April 10, 2009 - 8:42pm

We talk with Speaker of the Senate, Ron Ramsey this Sunday on Tennessee This Week. The Republican State Senator from Blountville talks about his run for Governor and if the legislature is focused on the budget.

Also on our program is the newly elected Mayor of Farragut, Ralph McGill. McGill talks about his agenda of being more "business-friendly" to developers.

And in the Final Word, it's George Korda and Cortney Piper.

Tennessee This Week airs Sunday at noon on WATE.

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No Hi-Speed Dollars for Tennessee

Submitted by Gene Patterson on April 6, 2009 - 4:35pm

A viewer from Maryville is upset over the Obama Administration's High Speed Rail Corridor Designations.

Here's the map. Gary Wynn points out that the President leaves Tennessee out of the mix for any targeted stimulus money regarding light rail.

"A lot of Tennesseeans are angry, he said. "And those that don't know about it should be angry. However; without media attention, I'm afraid that we'll be left out in the cold on this one, and the problem will fade away."