Posted on

In the KNS Today…

There is some pretty good stuff.

More of the same from Knox County Government with dissolved entities being funded by the County.

The state’s Charitable Solicitations Act mandates that all nonprofit organizations register — or file for a state-approved exemption — before seeking donations or grants, including government grants.

According to state records, there is no history of Knoxville Neighborhood Housing and Commercial Services Inc. registering or seeking an exemption to solicit donations or grants in the state of Tennessee, said Todd Kelley, director of the Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming.

Did the KNS have to dig through records to find this story, or do they have a source? Interesting. Like sands in an hour glass…

Illegal Immigrants are being unlawfully evicted from an apartment complex in Blount County.

Ramirez is pastor of the Church of God, Mountain Assembly in Maryville and a member of an ecumenical group of clergymen who minister to Blount County’s growing Latino community.

Hmm. Word on the street is that this may be only a partial job description. I’ll leave that up to the investigative reporters.

Someone is lobbying the federal government to save the penny for all of us who love it so.

Weller also said past polls have shown a majority of Americans favor the coin, which was first produced in the United States in the 1790s.

And just who does he happen to work for? A company with merely a passing interest…

The nation’s sole supplier of zinc “penny blanks,” Greeneville, Tenn.-based Jarden Zinc Products, is lobbying the federal government to protect its interests.

Posted on

Patriot Act Keeps Us Safe From Fighting Cocks

Whew! Good thing we have the Patriot Act to keep us safe from those radical Islamic…chickens?

Just after midnight on May 13, 2004, a small team of FBI agents crept into the legendary Del Rio Cockfighting Pit in Cocke County.
…
Acting under the authority of the Patriot Act, the agents had obtained a search warrant that allowed them to clandestinely enter the property, search for evidence and not tell anyone about it until the government or a judge was ready to let the owners know they’d been there.

This is unreal. It is bad enough that this is what our law enforcement stays busy with this, but the Patriot Act? C’mon. Guys involved in a cock fighting ring may have a lot of undesirable traits, but being unpatriotic probably isn’t one of them.

The full story is in the KNS. by way of Michael Silence

*** UPDATE ***
More on this important national security issue from Knoxviews and
Tam,

Posted on

Deputy Fired for Stealing $10 in Gas

From the KNS:

A Knox County sheriff’s deputy was terminated today after being charged with stealing less than $10 worth of gasoline.

I think it is more newsworthy that all of the other incidents involving county employees and greater sums of money haven’t ended in termination. That’s exactly what would happen at my job, and I’m not open to public scrutiny like these jobronis are.

See, it doesn’t matter how much you steal. All that matters is that you are a thief.

Posted on

Margie Loyd on Medical Leave

KNS has the full story. Of course, the details of a medical leave are privileged. I’d guess that she’s claiming some emotional distress due to the spending scandal that’s been brewing lately.

That, or it could be that lunches in the Mayor’s office have been downgraded from lobster at Regas to bean burritos at Taco Bell, and the extra onions didn’t sit well with her.

Posted on

Half Full in Knoxville, Half Empty in Nashville

A report called Kids Count was released today that ranks states on child welfare, infant mortality, etc. There were headlines about the report in both the Knoxville News Sentinel and The Tennessean, but they put opposing spins on the story.

According to the KNS:
Report shows state improving on health of children, teenagers

But The Tennessean says:
Tennessee ranks low in well-being of kids

Oddly enough, these stories seem to be working towards the same end, glorifying the use of state funds to improve the well being of our children. It’s always about the children, isn’t it?

Minnesota ranked at the top. It will be interesting to see how the papers there spin this, won’t it?

Posted on

Smoking Era Ends in Neyland Stadium

The KNS reports that smoking will no longer be allowed inside the gates of Neyland Stadium. For a long while, it has been allowed in the concourse only.

This is the most limiting, err progressive, step forward for the University of Tennessee since it became a dry campus back in 19whenever. Based on the success of limiting alcohol on campus and inside the stadium, I’m sure this new ban on smoking will be a success as well.

Is this just a ploy by the athletic department to raise the value of the luxury boxes? As a result of the ban, those who watch the game from luxury boxes will now be forced to tote their Marlboros and Macanudos into the stadium on Friday afternoons along with their SoCo and cold beer.

Posted on

Lobster for Lunch in Knox County

KNS has the story about our mayor’s executive administrative assistant, a commissioner, and an unknown third party feasting on $37.98 each lobster tails, then grabbing a couple more to go, for pre-tip bill of $198.56, Luckily for the taxpayers (I guess), they basically stiffed the waiter, only tipping him $29 (14.6%).

Frugality and class! So the total bill was $227.56–FOR LUNCH.

Good thing we had a 100% increase in our wheel tax a couple of years ago (hope you are enjoying the new library).

“Clearly, while we consider business meals legitimate expenses, we certainly feel that expense was excessive,” Norwood said.

See, that’s the problem. County government is not a business. Businesses sell products and services to customers on the free market. In business, customers have a choice to buy from someone else or not to buy at all. The business then has a choice on how it spends this money and is accountable to shareholders.

“While we can’t tell our guests what to order,” Norwood said, “we discourage people from ordering unusually expensive meals.”

Obviously.

Posted on

So It’s the Oil Companies That Are Price Gouging?

I’ve had more arguments than I can count with people about this. They always claim that the oil companies (and Bush) are fixing the prices, there is nothing the common man can do about it, blah blah blah, waa waa waa.

Today in the KNS, Glen Eastes made a point that I think is utterly brilliant about the cost of education. The University of Tennessee is trying to justify another tuition increase, and I hope people will remember this the next time they feel like they’re getting gouged at the pump:

I attended a Big 10 university in 1948. The tuition was $75 a semester. Gasoline was about 25 cents a gallon. Today the tuition at UT will be about $3,000 a semester. Today, gas is $3 a gallon. So, if the oil companies are taking advantage of the public, I don’t know the word to describe the tuition cost.

Beautiful. I could write pages and pages on yet another gouging by the gov’ment, but you get the idea.

Posted on

KPD Prostitution Sting Wildly Successful

The KNS reports that a sting ending at 6 am in the Magnolia area caught eleven “criminals”. Apparently ten women and one man were engaged in swapping services one party was willing to provide for money the other party was willing to pay.

Stay tuned to the KNS. I’m sure they’ll have a follow up story once the victims of these crimes are found and identified.

In (somewhat) related news, the former Highway Patrolman involved in the Barbie Cummings traffic stop is under further investigation for other traffic stops he made involving women. Not sure if they are looking for evidence of him disposing of drugs or receiving sexual favors from the women he has stopped. Based on the photo I saw of him, I’d say the former is more likely than the latter.

Again, they should let this die. Cummings herself says there was no exchange of services involved and he still gave her the ticket. The guy has already been fired, and I think that’s enough–not because of what he did, but because he was stupid enough to tell everybody about it. We should expect our Highway Patrolmen to be at least a tad bit brighter than former presidents.

Posted on

The Barbie Cummings Saga Continues

It’s odd that this latest KNS article releases her real name (it’s Justis Ellen Richert by the way). It’s odd that in their first article they stated that she asked not to be named out of safety concerns–not sure who she was afraid of, or whether she’s okay with it at this point, but the cat’s out of the bag now.

The officer, James Randy Moss, has been fired and may face criminal charges for destroying the drugs she had on her. Continue reading “The Barbie Cummings Saga Continues”