News Items

The arrest of Roane County Judge Thomas Austin comes as a surprise to a couple of reporters in our newsroom.. Don Dare was particularly shocked to see the Judge in handcuffs. Don had done a couple of stories on a dui case in Austin's court and been warmly received by the Judge. Don considered him extremely helpful in putting his story together.

Catherine Campbell was also surprised. Austin had been a resource to her and other reporters during the Hyatt's murder case.

Did you watch the President's State of the Union Address? In Knoxville, all four major networks carried the address live, pulling in a 23 rating and a 31 share of the audience.

An interesting column this week by Betty Bean in the Thursday edition of Halls News.

We also filed some new information in a story Thursday. Overtime pay for Assistant Chiefs has doubled in the past year. Half of it going to just 5 Assistant Chiefs.

We're also reviewing o.t. records of Fire Captains and other firefighters. The overtime issue is a real one. Halfway through the fiscal year, and the department has spent 1.2 million dollars..

Chief Carlos Perez has announced his retirement. After just over a year, the Knoxville Fire Chief says its time to begin the next phase of his life.

The Chief has been under tremendous pressure from inside his own department. Six News has chronicled the controversy over the last couple of months. But what we don't know yet, is who made the call? Did the Mayor, someone representing the Mayor or the Chief himself decide it was time to end his tenure.

I wish the Chief well.

Politics are a fact of life, but I thought not on license plates. That changed recently when the Courts said the state can make and sell plates with the "Choose Life" statement on them.

Sandra Clark, editor of the Halls News, has a good idea:

In allowing the state to create a “Choose Life” license plate, the courts have OK’d political statements on plates. All it takes is 50 votes in the House and 17 in the Senate. Will we now see plates that are pro-lottery, pro-lobbyist and pro-tax? Plates that say Arabs stink or Mexicans go home?

To say that Wednesday's ruling by the State Supreme Court on term limits was a shocker and could change Knox County government would be an understatement.

There is alot of confusion among the electorate as to what may or may not happen with County Commission after the May 2nd primary. There is no question, however, about the County Mayor's race.

Incumbent Mike Ragsdale and challenger Steve Hall are waging a heated campaign for the seat. And whoever wins the Republican primary (no Democrats are running) will be the next County Mayor.

The two men, to their credit, have taken part in a number of debates.

Perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of Tuesday's vote was that there wasn't much interest.

Despite weeks of coverage by tv, radio and newspapers, the public, for the most part, stayed home. Of the more than 220,000 registered voters in Knox County..roughly fewer than 30,000 chose to vote.

Some were confused. The issue of term limits and its impact on the August General Election kept many home. Others weren't familiar enough with the write-ins.

We knew this story would generate controversy and it has.

During a routine review of Knox County overtime records, we discovered that the Sheriff had collected nearly $10,000 and his Chief Deputy Tom Spangler nearly $9,000 for their time in the New Orleans area last year.

It surprised us because we had assumed they were volunteers. But of the $43,000 reimbursed to Knox County by FEMA, nearly half of it went to Hutchison and Spangler.

Our Soundoff Forum was pretty negative toward the Sheriff.

Chancellor John Weaver's ruling that Knox County's Charter is invalid because it is "ineffective" and "incomplete" puts - at least for now - an end to term limits talk in Knox County.

The opinion may still be appealed and if that happens it's not certain how a higher court might rule. But for now, those county commissioners who appeared to be term limited will be on the ballot come August 3.

The big question now is, should the Charter process start again?

Melissa Dipane's story on the Charter Mess was incorrect regarding who was the Law Director at the time of the Charter vote and approval. Dale Workman, not Richard Beeler was in office. The mistake was my fault. I reviewed Melissa's story and my memory was incorrect. Beeler took office in 1990 the year the Charter was implemented.

Beeler was in private practice in 1988. Part of that practice involved representing Knox County's Solid Waste Authority. At the time, county officials were convinced a waste incinerator was needed for the county's future.

Andrea Yates, the Houston, Texas woman accused of drowning her five sons has been found not guilty by reason of insanity in her re-trial.
The insanity plea is a tricky issue. Some would argue that the act of committing murder is - in itself - an insane act. You have to be crazy, they would argue, to take another life.
But, of course, we're talking about the legal definition of insanity.

Bad news tonight for East Knoxville's Five Points Plaza. After just three months of operation, its anchor, the IGA grocery store, may be closing.
The development was opened back in May with lots of fanfare from both city, county and federal officials. And with good reason, the governments were funding the six million dollar development. They saw it as an economic engine that would drive additional development and investment in the area.
That apparently has not happened, at least not yet.

Over at Randy Neal's blog Knox Views, he's posted a story about a possible deal involving a convention center hotel at World's Fair Park. Sounded like an interesting story, so we checked it out.

Our story airs tonight.

The proposal is very interesting. It involves a 4-star hotel and a 500 space parking garage.

County Communications Director Dwight Van DeVate makes a point about the possible investigation by County Commission of Tyler Harber's allegations.
Van DeVate points out that the resolution calls for a probe of the activities of Tyler Harber, not County Mayor Mike Ragsdale. Of course, anyone following this story knows that Harber is tied to Ragsdale and any investigation of Harber would include ( I would assume) a review of Ragsdale's role (if any) in Harber's activities.

I've received a couple of calls asking why the Sheriff's department is involved in the investigation of Knoxville attorney Herb Moncier. Moncier was charged with assault over an incident at a Cumberland Avenue McDonald's Restaurant last night.

According to the Sheriff's Office website, Moncier was in the drive-through and became angry over the long wait for his food order.

Renee Kesler, Knoxville's Community Development Director, resigned today.

Rumors were swirling earlier that Kesler had been told she was being demoted. Word is, she found that to be unacceptable, but was told the issue was non-negotiable, leading to her decision to resign.

The Mayor's office had no comment, but quoted Mayor Haslam as saying he "appreciated her past service" to the City of Knoxville.

Kesler had been at the center of an investigation into allegations of favoritism based on race.

So what do you think?
Thursday, TVA's Board is set to vote on restricting leases to its properties, primarily waterfront properties. The public comment period ended today (Wednesday) and it has generated thousands of opinions on both sides of the issue.
WATE 6 Reporter Amelia Daniels talked with a number of folks about the debate and filed our story.

Governor Bredesen's Deputy Governor, Dave Cooley, says he's leaving state government in mid-January.

Cooley resigned today, giving no reason for his departure. Though he has said in the past he planned to serve only during the Governor's first term.

Cooley, who is from Roane County, has been the focus of attention because of last year's THP scandal.

The Tennessean Newspaper uncovered a pattern of what appeared to be favoritism in promotions toward officers who donated to the Governor's campaign.

Despite efforts by Commissioners John Schmid and Mark Harmon to extend the period for nominating, appointing and swearing in new office holders, the Chairman's call for a January 31st special meeting stands.

Schmid proposed a timeline that would've brought about a Commission vote sometime in late February. It failed 15 to 4.

Harmon reiterated his call for a "non-binding" special election. It too failed.

"Let's get this over with as fast as possible," said one of the commissioners.

Congratulations to all the newly appointed officials in Knox County. Of course, not everyone was pleased with all the picks or the process involved in selecting them, but as my father often said, "what's done is done."

I must admit, unlike alot of my friends, I really do enjoy this stuff. Watching the political process play out, to me, is fascinating. It is governance at the retail level. Arms are twisted, promises are made and deals are struck.

I witnessed an interesting exchange between Commissioners Mark Harmon and Greg Lambert during one of the many recesses.

If you've been in West Knoxville today, you've noticed the smoky haze. I wasn't sure what it was at first, but I'm told it's smoke from wildfires burning in Georgia.

How it got all the way to here is an interesting story. Tonight on 6 News we'll explain the phenomenon.

Also, we report on the possibility of constructing a new intake center adjacent to the City-County Building. There's a 100-thousand dolllar item in the new budget proposal for preliminary drawings.

The current intake is out on Maloneyville road.

Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale is standing by his Community Services Director Cynthia Finch, despite calls by at least two Commissioners that she resign.

Finch has been the subject of a number of print and broadcast stories questioning several county grants to organizations that she has ties to and which she approved.

In a letter to Commissioners, Ragsdale described Finch as "..tough, hard-driving and gets things done..."

He also raised concerns about the "attacks" against her saying it reminded him of Mathew 27.

1When the morning was

Coming up next weekend on Tennessee This Week, we'll look back over the past year at the stories that made headlines.

Our panel of pundits - George Korda, Frank Cagle and Mike Cohen - will breakdown the 5 biggest stories of the year and how they impacted our lives and will also look to the future and predict which stories will impact us most in 2008.

My list - not in any particular order - of the biggest stories of the year includes:

*the sunshine lawsuit and the continuing vacancies in 12 county elected positions,
*the

State Senator Tim Burchett is proposing a bill that would make it illegal to smoke in your car if there are children riding in it.

Arkansas, Louisiana, California and Alabama already have such laws in place; and more than a dozen other states are considering such laws.

But many are already questioning the wisdom of such a law, calling it a further infringement on individual privacy.

But Burchett disagrees.

The folks at KCDC have a decision to make regarding Mark Saroff and his properties on Jackson Avenue.

Wednesday was the deadline for Saroff to file a development plan for his McClung Warehouse properties or risk having them taken from him.

But instead of a plan, Saroff - through attorney John Lucas - sent a letter, asking for a 90 day extension.

In his letter, Lucas says Saroff is "presently working with his attorneys, architects, construction engineers, and others to complete a development plan.."

In requesting the extension, Lucas questions the "artificially short ti

The draft audit of the Knox County Mayor's office is on our website here.

The document details nearly five years of p-card spending, from October 2002 to May 2007, by Mayor Mike Ragsdale and his staff.

In all, the auditor found about $40,000 in questionable spending by the Mayor, Chief-of-Staff Mike Arms, Communications Director Dwight Van de Vate, former Finance Director John Werner, former assistant Margie Loyd, former Community Services Director Cynthia Finch and former assistant Req

The battle over changes to the Knox County Charter is heating up.

Last night at a forum at South Doyle High School -- hosted by Commissioners Victoria Defreese and Paul Pinkston - about a 100 folks showed up to learn about the proposed changes. They also heard criticism of the motivations of those who are pushing the changes.

That group - KnoxCharterPetition.com - is the offspring of Knox County One Question - an organization formed in the Spring of 2007.

Why is Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale demanding that 9th District Commissioner Victoria DeFreese turn over correspondences, e-mails and phone logs from constituents who've complained to her, regarding the Mayor's P-Card Audit response?

In requesting the material, the Mayor - though his spokesman Dwight Van DeVate - cited the Tennessee Open Records Act, to suggest that she has no choice in the matter.

This material could be subject to public disclosure through the Act, though Frank Gibson of the Tennessee Coalitio

An interesting observation made today by Commissioner Craig Leuthold and Finance Director John Troyer during Commission's budget hearing.

Leuthold asked Troyer what the cost of the Sheriff's Office's defined pension plan was on an annual basis.

Troyer answered by saying the promise made by Knox County voters when they approved the defined plan, amounted to 131 million dollars.

To cover the cost, Mayor Ragsdale opted to take out a 20 year bond of 57 million dollars and absorb the Sheriff's Office employees existing plan of 30 million dollars.

But that still left the county more tha

Knox County Commissioner Mike Hammond says he'll propose a half-cent increase in the sales tax as a way to generate additional revenue.

In exchange for the increase, Hammond says, the wheel tax would be eliminated.

He'll ask Commissioners to place the question on the November ballot for the voters to decide.

He says a half-cent increase would generate more than 30 million dollars each year.

Hammond's proposal would not affect this year's budget.

Hammond is the second Commissioner to call for the elimination of the wheel tax.

Earlier, Commissioner Paul Pinkston proposed elimin

Many of us - until recently - had assumed that the current economic crisis was a Wall Street problem and not a Main Street problem?

We all assumed that the markets would eventually correct, and life, as we know it, would continue.

Our politicians fed that belief by painting - an often - too optimistic picture of what was really happening.

I can't imagine the pain the families of those four Scott High cheerleaders are feeling today. One family lost two daughters in the late Friday night car accident.

It's devastated the community. It's devastated us all.

And let us not forget the travelers in the other car. A woman who was looking forward to a new grandchild is gone; and so is the unborn child.

Every parent, who ever handed over car keys to a child, understands that there but for the grace of God could be any of us.

We tell our kids to be careful drivers. They usually say something like, don't worry.

A new survey out by the Josephson Institute reveals what it describes as "entrenched habits of dishonesty in today's young people."

The survey of 29,000 high school students shows rates of kids stealing, lying and cheating on the rise in America.

Examples:

Stealing - more than one in three boys (35%) and one-fourth of girls (26%) - a total of 30% overall - admitted "stealing from a store within the past year."

They're also admitting to stealing from friends and family members.

And it's not just the "bad kids" who are doing the stealing.

Phillip Fulmer will be paid $12,500 a month for three months, according to a news release from the University of Tennessee.

That money will come from "private dollars." He will, however, receive employment benefits as provided to all full-time University employees.
"Phillip Fulmer is a UT icon and a wonderful ambassador.

Our newsroom could use a new carpet.

If you've ever been around reporters for any time at all, you know that we can be a messy bunch. After years of wear and tear, the carpet in the six newsroom has lots of stains from spilled coffee, soft drinks and food.

I doubt though that our managers are too worried right now about the carpet. They're more concerned about putting a good news product on the air. And they're worried about the economy, about ad revenues and about not laying off people.

That's the difference between private business and government.

Like herding cats.

That's all you can say about the vote today in Nashville, electing the state's first Republican House Speaker in 40 years.

Representative Kent Williams of Elizabethton - won the post 50-49, by voting for himself and picking up every Democrat vote.

Williams upset Jason Mumpower of Bristol, who the Republicans had united behind to take the Speaker's position.

Republicans booed the vote.

While the country moves forward with a new President, Alan Lowe, director of the Baker Center for Public Policy, is looking backward with the former.

As of April 12, Lowe will be the new director of the George W. Bush Presidential Library. He will oversee the gathering and cataloging of the President's papers.

The Library will be built on 25 acres on the campus of SMU in Dallas, Texas.

Former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe - the current U.S. Ambassador to Poland - has been asked to extend his stay in Warsaw.

The Ambassador had planned to leave his post on February 6, but now says he'll be staying until his successor is confirmed.

Mr. Ashe, who served four terms as Knoxville's Mayor, was appointed by President Bush.

Bill Haslam is off and running in his race for governor. Tonight the two-term Knoxville Mayor, held his first fundraiser - a $1,000 a person affair - and picked up a cool 1-point-4 million dollars.

According his campaign guy, Jeremy Harrell, it is the biggest single hometown fundraiser for a state-wide candidate in Tennessee history.

The host list was a who's who of Knoxville Republicans. A few Democrats showed up on the list as well. Perhaps the most prominent was former State Representative Wayne Ritchie.

Council didn't vote on a Vice-Mayor tonight. Instead, decided to set a date to appoint a 6th District representative first. It makes sense. Why leave out the 6th on a decision as important as Vice-Mayor?

Watching Council tonight reminded me how plodding government can be. Necessarily so, I should add.

Here's what Council decided tonight:

A deadline was set for next Tuesday for candidates applying for the 6th District seat.

A date was set - February 12 - for candidates to appear before Council and present their qualifications.

Here you go. This from StimulusWatch.org -- there are $74,510,000 worth of "shovel-ready" Knoxville projects seeking a piece of the stimulus pie.

The top 5 - by cost - include:

More speculation about UT President John Petersen and whether he will be retained by the Board of Trustees.

The Tennessean ran this story today. It offers nothing new, but allows the newspaper to stay out in front of the story - should it actually become a story.

We've been musing about the issue for weeks. Our sources say the decision has already been made, but so far Board Vice Chair Jim Murphy is keeping his cards close to his vest, saying no decision has been made.

Interesting study on media bias out of Indiana University. We've heard about the "liberal" bias for so long that many take it for fact.

Maybe it's not. Here's a quote from an article by IU about the study: