Proposed Baseball Stadium Gains City & County
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
PAGE APB The Knoxville Focus February 8, 2021 February 8, 2021 www.knoxfocus.com ONLINE AUCTIONPAGE A1 February 12, 2021 The Knoxville See photos at The Knoxville fountaincityauction.com Fountain City Auction (865)474-9931 OCUS FREETake One! www.knoxfocus.com F February 8, 2021 Phone: 865-686-9970 | PO Box 18377, Knoxville, TN 37928 | Located at 4109 Central Avenue Pike, Knoxville, Tennessee 37912 BE SAFE . WASH YOUR HANDS . WEAR A MASK . SOCIALLY DISTANCE COVID-19 2019 Knox County Total Confirmed % COVID-19 Cases/ Total COVID-19 % COVID-19 Deaths/ Weekly Total Population1 COVID-19 Cases2 Total Population Deaths2 Total Population 470,313 37,872 8.1% 497 .11% Focus SOURCES 1. U.S. Census Bureau 2. Knox County Health Department data from 2/6/2021. Inclement 2/6/2021 470,313 37,872 8.1% 497 0.11% weather policy, bus passes discussed at KCS session By Ken Lay The Knox County Board of Edu- cation’s February work session meeting took just 52 minutes Wednesday night and was fairly uneventful. In his report, KCS Superinten- dent Bob Thomas pleaded for patience as the district deals with inclement winter weather. “The safety of our students, our families and our employees is our No. 1 concern,” Thomas said. “We understand that the winter weather provides challenges for The proposed baseball stadium complex would be financed by a local Sports Authority created by the city and county and leased to Randy our families but we ask that they Boyd’s minor-league baseball team. Questions from the city and county elected officials raised several issues and members of the Authority have an alternative plan in place. will apparently be named soon. “We try to make decisions early and we understand that winter weather can be challenging.” Thomas also announced a Proposed Baseball Stadium Gains recently developed partnership between Knox County Schools, Knoxville Area Transit and the City of Knoxville to provide the City & County Mayors’ Support district’s students in grades 6-12 with KAT’s Youth Freedom By Mike Steely Senior Writer officials heard from Boyd, County the county to compete with other to secure funds, oversee the Pass, which will enable Knox [email protected] Finance Director Chris Caldwell, communities and said, “You design and construction, and County Students to ride on the Knoxville’s Chief Economic & couldn’t find a better partner” own the stadium. The facility city’s public transit system free Randy Boyd’s proposal to have Community Development Offi- than Boyd. might be open daily for people Continued on page 6 the city and county finance a cer Stephanie Welch, and Bond Kincannon called the stadium to visit to walk, exercise, etc., baseball stadium near the Old Counsel Mark Mamantov. Knox idea an investment in our com- but leased for 10 years to Boyd’s City came under several ques- County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and munity and called Boyd “a great Knoxville Smokies minor league tions Thursday when the county Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincan- partner.” baseball team. The lease would 45-foot commission and city council non also spoke on the matter. To kick off the campaign to permit the team to manage the held a joint work session on the Jacobs told the joint meeting fund the stadium both the com- stadium, secure events like con- topic. that he was initially against the mission and council will hear the certs, and profit from such activ- tall cross Knox County Commission stadium proposal because it nominees for a “Sports Author- ities. The city and county might Chair Larsen Jay led the com- would require public funding. He ity” soon. That public body might benefit from taxes and increased Continue on page 2 on council bined virtual meeting and the said such a project would allow eventually issue its own bonds agenda By Mike Steely Ethics to hear Mac’s Pharmacy vaccinates Knox High seniors Senior Writer complaint [email protected] An appeal to have a 45-foot tall Christian cross placed at a busi- against county ness in North Knoxville will be heard by the Knoxville City Coun- chairman cil Tuesday. By Mike Steely Dr. Todd Stinnett, pastor Senior Writer [email protected] of Black Oak Heights Baptist Church, is asking the city for per- When the Knox County Ethics mission to increase “a detached Committee meets on Wednes- accessory structure” from 18 feet day, it will step into a complaint to 45 feet. The “work of art in the that is typical of past political shape of a cross and bearing no charges. In the midst of the Knox advertising” is for 4605 Central County Commission discuss- Avenue Pike. That’s the address ing whether the Ethics group is of Backflow Specialty Inc, a com- needed the committee will hear pany founded by Larry Stinnett a complaint against Knox County in 1995. Chairman Larsen Jay. In recent Dr. Stinnett is the son of the years most complaints going to company’s current owner, Ginny the committee were deemed Stinnett. He is appealing a deci- political in nature and dismissed. PHOTO BY MIKE STEELY. sion by the Department of Plans, The Knox County Law Depart- Reviews and Building Inspections. Excitement was in the air at Knox High Senior Living Friday morning as residents were eager to get ment reviews each complaint The council is also being asked their COVID-19 vaccinations. Three representatives from Mac’s LTC Pharmacy of Powell gave the and, if found possibly credible, by Benjamin C. Mullins for an vaccinations and the pharmacy, according to Morgan Honeycutt, Mac’s director of pharmacy, is ad- the complaint is passed along to appeal of a denial of a zoning ministering vaccines at nursing homes and assisted and senior living facilities in Knox and surround- the ethics committee. change for Acre Kingston Pike T5, ing counties. As of Friday, 49,034 vaccinations in Knox County had been reported to the health de- Local businessman Andrew LLC. Knoxville-Knox County Plan- partment, which means 7.41% of people in the county have had at least one dose of the vaccine. ning voted 7-6 to deny a change Continue on page 4 Continue on page 4 2020 FORD ECOSPORT OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE Stk# T6603 2026 N Charles G Seviers Blvd . Clinton, TN MONTH TO MONTH LEASES 865.457.0704 6515 Clinton Hwy Knoxville, TN 37912 www.rayvarnerford.com Contact FYVE Property at 865-637-9118 PAGE A2 The Knoxville Focus February 8, 2021 Faulty Intelligence From a distance It was done purely for polit- and made some officials Antifa and Black Lives obsessed with hatred for to Trump versus anti-Trump, Publisher’s Positions ical purposes, attempting to feel more powerful and Matter supporters have former President Trump, and the antis won. reinforce the very false, left- important to say that their rioted and looted in cities such as the women on the The theme of President wing narrative that all those intelligence reports indicat- all over this country over the tv show “The view.” Biden’s inaugural address who voted for Trump are ed potentially violent dem- last several months, includ- Obviously, and unfortu- was unity, but his words rang potentially racists. onstrations by Trump sup- ing those cities in just the nately, hatred won the last hollow when he did nothing As I write this, there are porters in Washington or at last few days. Almost none election. There was no to stop the impeachment of still 7,000 Guardsman on state capitols around the of them have been prose- enthusiasm for candidate the former president, which duty there, and the plan is nation. cuted and Vice President Biden as shown by the 50 he could have easily done. to have 5,000 in place until All that was really shown Harris has even praised or 60 cars that would show Victor Davis Hanson By John J. Duncan Jr. March 4th, which was the was that their “intelligence” them. up at his rallies compared wrote; “If Democrats and [email protected] traditional inaugural date was faulty and/or greatly Some in the national to the 30,000 or so that the left wished to reinvig- until it was changed to Jan. exaggerated. media have been trying would come to Trump rallies orate the Trump legacy, The deployment of 20th in 1937. As I wrote in an earlier desperately to stay relevant, in almost every state with they could have done no 26,000 National Guard Extra security was put into column, those who vandal- such as Eugene Robinson very little advanced notice. better than unleashing their troops to Washington for place at most state capitols ized the Capitol on Jan. 6th, on MSNBC, and have even Someone said that most unhinged and often repul- the inauguration was total- too, and nothing happened should and will be prosecut- gone so far left that they said who voted for Biden hated sive hatred of the last two ly unnecessary and was a at any of those places either. ed. However, far less than Trump supporters should be Trump so much that they weeks. waste of many millions of It was and still is very expen- one percent of those who “de-programmed.” would have voted for Kermit Now, the country will go taxpayer dollars that could sive and very boring military attended the Trump rally Actually, the ones who the Frog if he had been the through an impeachment and should have been spent duty. actually went into the Cap- need psychiatric treatment Democratic nominee. that is based on nothing but for better things. It sounded very dramatic itol.