Con Hunley helps Blake Shelton open Ole Red in Gatlinburg By Lisa DeMarsico Knoxville native and country icon Con Hunley and his family performed at the Grand Opening of the Blake Shelton-inspired Ole Red Gatlinburg bar, restaurant and music venue Wednesday night....

McMillan Proven Right Career Magnet Academy Enrollment Doubles By Focus Staff Mike McMillan, East Knox County’s member of the board of education, led the fight to keep the Career Magnet Academy open.  McMillan vehemently resisted efforts by the school administration...

City may increase funds for affordable housing   By Mike Steely steelym@knoxfocus.com Plans for two apartment complexes, one at Pond Gap and the other on Young High Pike, were approved to receive development funding by the Knoxville City Council Tuesday. The...

Recode work session raises more questions By Mike Steely steelym@knoxfocus.com As Knoxville’s Recode effort moves into its fifth draft several neighborhood leaders and some city council members are continuing to question the necessity of changing all the zoning...

Governor Bill Lee visits South-Doyle to discuss vocational programs By Amy Box Fellhoelter On his first trip as governor to Knox County, Governor Bill Lee discussed expanding access to vocational, technical, and agricultural Career Technical Education (CTE) programs...

King Collision donates car to Powell teacher   By Mike Steely steelym@knoxfocus.com For the third year King Collision turned a wreck into a wonderful gift for a very worthy person. Thursday the company, at 2707 Old Callahan Road, donated a 2016 Nissan Quest to...

Eddie Mannis kicks off mayoral campaign By Mike Steely steelym@knoxfocus.com “I’m never going to accept that OK is good enough,” promised Eddie Mannis as he kicked off his campaign to become Knoxville’s next mayor. Mannis praised the city’s past three mayors for the...

Rep. Dunn accepts the Champion of Choice Award   Last week school choice advocate Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show presented the Tennessee Federation for Children’s Champion of Choice award to Representative Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville). Accepting the award,...

Commissioners may decide who pays Pension Suit lawyers By Mike Steely steelym@knoxfocus.com The Knox County Commission meets in work session Tuesday to possibly decide which county department pays the $165,000 lawyer fees in the settlement of the suit against the Knox...

City discusses complicated Tennova purchase   By Mike Steely steelym@knoxfocus.com The city’s plans to purchase the Tennova Physicians Regional Medical Center are more complicated than first announced with many variables playing into the proposal. Deputy Mayor...