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December 2, 2013 www.knoxfocus.com FREEPAGE A1 Take One! Visit www.knoxfocus.com to access December 2, 2013 Judge Wimberly receives prestigious honor FOCUS By Tasha Mahurin [email protected] Weekly Poll* Knox County Circuit In your opinion, Court Judge Harold Wim- should the berly Jr. received the Bill Williams Service Award for Affordable Care outstanding achievement in the area of adoption ser- Act require vices last week from the companies Department of Child Ser- vices for his commitment, to cover dedication, and service to contraceptives assisting the department in finding adoptive families for their for children in full guardian- ship of the state. employees with Judge Harold Wimberly, health insurance Jr. is a Knoxville native and has been a General Ses- even if the use of sions or Circuit Court judge contraceptives for the past 39 years. He graduated from West High is against the School and attended the University of Tennessee employees’ and the University Tennes- religious beliefs? see College of Law. Wim- berly went on to serve as YES 32.72% a General Sessions judge from 74’-78’. He was later NO 67.28% appointed by former Gov- PHOTO BY JOHN GUSTIN. ernor Ned McWherter to Survey conducted November 26, 2013. circuit court clerk and has Knox County Circuit Court Judge Harold Wimberly received the Bill Williams Service Award for outstanding achieve- ment in the area of adoption services last week. Wimberly received the award for his commitment, dedication, and ser- been re-elected to that * Focus Weekly Polls are conducted position four times. vice to assisting the department in finding adoptive families for children in full guardianship of the state. The award is by an independent, professional polling During his tenure as a presented annually by the Department of Children’s Services. The Honorable Harold Wimberly (left) is pictured with company. Continue on page 2 Bill Williams (right). Parking Garage, Being Lincolns Pensions, Billboards By Mike Steely [email protected] The demolition of the Pryor Brown parking garage, built in the 1920s, to make way for a block-long street level parking lot was rejected by City Council last week. Royal Properties was appealing a Metropolitan Plan- ning Commission rejection. A local petition to save the multi-story garage and objections by Knox Heritage may save the structure. The old parking facility, located on the corner of West Church and Market, may be one of the oldest such buildings in the nation. Arthur Seymour, Jr., and representatives of the owners, Royal Properties, told the council the building is “beyond repair,” citing the age of the building, the concrete deterioration and a hole in the roof. Kim Trent, executive director of Knox Heritage, said the garage is eligible for listing on the National Regis- ter of Historic Sites and developer David Dewhirst said that the garage could be restored and urged the coun- cil to reject the appeal. Councilman Marshall Stair called for no motion after saying the garage’s condition was simply about the “neglect” of keeping up repairs. Councilman Dan Brown said he had visited the garage and wants to see it preserved. The Pryor Brown parking garage was bought by the federal government years ago with the idea of demol- ishing it and building a federal courthouse. When PHOTO BY MIKE STEELY. another site became available it was sold to the pres- Tom and Sue Wright as Abe and Mary Lincoln appeared at Fort Dickerson recently, only one of the many public ent owners in 1995. appearances the couple make locally and around the country. Stair said the multi-story structure fits well within the collection of historic buildings downtown, and offers more parking than a parking lot. By Mike Steely [email protected] company, portrays Mr. Lincoln at area near the birthplace of Lincoln “This building defines that street. There’s something special events, in schools, and just in Kentucky. We used to go to the unique about it,” he said, adding that the demolition of A suggestion from his grandson about anywhere he’s asked. His wife, annual Lincoln Day festival where the building and a block-long lot would be like “missing prompted Thomas Wright to become Sue, thought that Mary Todd Lincoln they have a Lincoln Look-Alike con- teeth in a beautiful smile.” Abraham Lincoln. should be represented also, and now test and he (his grandson) would Councilman Duane Grieve asked how much it would Or at least take on the Lincoln she takes that part. go with us. He assumed that I knew cost to restore the garage and called the condition of character. And now the Oak Ridge Seeing the two of them together at about Lincoln so we started getting the building and the request to remove it “demolition man, who is a facility supervisor for an event is memorable. ready to do what my grandson asked. by neglect.” an engineering and construction “My wife and I are both from the Continue on page 3 Continue on page 2 PAGE A2 The Knoxville Focus December 2, 2013 Focus on the Law Voter Identification Act FOCUS In 2008, the who were either and low-income voters dis- away by election officials. Weekly Poll United States deceased or no proportionately. The trial is The Tennessee Supreme Supreme Court longer lived in taking place in federal court Court heard the case and ,Q\RXURSLQLRQVKRXOGWKH$IIRUGDEOH upheld a voter Indiana. The this month. In Texas, chal- ruled unanimously to uphold &DUH$FWUHTXLUHFRPSDQLHVWRFRYHU identification law Court further lenges to the State’s Voter the Act. In April of this year, passed in Indiana found that the Identification law are work- the General Assembly FRQWUDFHSWLYHVIRUWKHLUHPSOR\HHV requiring voters at burden placed ing their way through the amended the Voter Iden- ZLWKKHDOWKLQVXUDQFHHYHQLIWKHXVHRI the polls to pres- on eligible voters courts. Since 2002, the tification Act to specifical- By Sharon FRQWUDFHSWLYHVLVDJDLQVWWKHHPSOR\HHV· ent either a United Frankenberg, was not sub- Texas Attorney General’s ly exclude cards issued by States-issued or Attorney at Law stantial as the Office has prosecuted 50 municipal libraries as valid UHOLJLRXVEHOLHIV" an Indiana-issued ID cards are free cases of voter fraud which identification. This amend- form of photo iden- and going to the is a tiny number when com- ment codifies the decision <HV tification to vote. The case Bureau of Motor Vehicles, pared to over 13 million eli- by the Tennessee Supreme was Crawford v. Marion gathering required docu- gible voters in 2012. Court and suggests that our County Election Board, 553 ments and posing for a pho- In 2011 the Tennessee Voter Identification Act will 1R U.S. 181 (2008) where the tograph is not a significant General Assembly passed a be enforced by the courts. plaintiff challenged the law’s increase over the usual bur- law requiring voters to pres- The State’s interest in %\$JH Yes No Total constitutionality as restric- dens of voting. ent government- issued pho- ensuring voter confidence tion on the right to vote. In a Currently 34 states have tographic identification at in the electoral process as 6 to 3 decision, the Supreme passed voter identifica- the polls. This new law was well as its compelling inter- Court recognized that there tion laws. Several state challenged after the City est in preventing voter fraud is “no question about the voter identification laws are of Memphis Public Library presently outweigh the 7RWDO legitimacy or importance of being challenged in court. began issuing photo identi- burden imposed on voters the State’s interest in count- Opponents of the laws call fication cards to its patrons. by having to prove their ing only the votes of eligible them racist efforts to sup- While the law allowed the identity at the polls. We will %\'LVWULFW voters.” Indiana had expe- press the votes of minorities acceptance of photo iden- see in the next few months rienced cases of in-person and low-income Americans. tification cards that had if any of the currently pend- voter impersonation at poll- The American Civil Liberties been issued by an entity of ing cases change the status ing places as well as voter Union, among others, is chal- the State of Tennessee, the of voter identification laws registration rolls with a large lenging the law in Wiscon- library-issued photo identi- at the national level. number of names of persons sin as impacting the elderly fication cards were turned Parking Garage, Pensions, Billboards Continued from page 1 would increase the meeting. With no motion to approve or disap- amount paid to retired Councilman Fin- 7RWDO prove, the idea of demolition failed. employees a possible barr Saunders, %\*HQGHU The council also voted to give the $5 to $7 million over the who initially intro- mayor permission to establish rules years. He asked if the duced the motion 8QNQRZQ and regulations for the operation of change in calculation to approve on first )HPDOH mobile food trucks in the city. The pilot was required to meet reading, pulled the 0DOH program would be tweaked as it runs the IRS regulations and motion off the table 7RWDO but could give the vendors expanded Aslinger said, no, but and Wallace moved sites to operate downtown. would keep up with the to postpone until 6XUYH\FRQGXFWHG1RYHPEHU The council also postponed action actual cost and “correct PHOTO BY DAN ANDREWS. the members could amending the employee pension the math.” review it. Judge Wimberly receives system. Kathy Aslinger told them the Stair said he would Councilman Finbarr Saunders The city coun- changes are required to meet Inter- not support that and, at last week’s City Council cil also postponed, prestigious honor nal Revenue requirements and would along with Councilman meeting.