By Mike Steely steelym@knoxfocus.com Here and there around Knox County are several noted buildings that many people pass without knowing the story behind the structures. There are lots of early structures that have a unique beginning and have survived the years to be...

By Steve Williams Sam Springer had a baseball summer to remember in 2014. The National Amateur Baseball Federation recognized it too by naming the West pitcher to its 2015 high school preseason All-America team. Springer, a left-hander who will be a junior for the...

By Mike Steely steelym@knoxfocus.com An event Thursday evening at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center topped off 2014’s Knoxville’s Civil Rights series that began last February. 2014 marks 50 years since President Lyndon Johnson signed the 1964 Voting Rights Act. 1964...

By Ray Hill Robert Marion LaFollette, Jr. came into this world with just about every advantage one could hope for; yet, he suffered from depression and eventually ended his own life. “Young Bob” LaFollette was born January 6, 1895, the son of Robert M. and Belle...

By Ken Lay Bearden High School soccer coach Ryan Radcliffe saw his dream come true Tuesday night at Bruce Allender Field. “I always set my goals high,” Radcliffe said before Bearden High School unveiled its new locker room facilities. “These kids come here and take...

By Mike Steely steelym@knoxfocus.com Tennessee historian and co-chair of the Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, Dr. Carroll Van West, could not have said it better: “This is a great day, a kick off to several months of programs, projects, events and...

By Ken Lay A 6-6 tie left both the Farragut High School hockey club and the Knoxville Knights feeling a little disappointed Thursday night. Neither team was happy with the draw but Farragut coach Jeff Lindsay was especially dejected. “We had too many stupid penalties...

By Ray Hill For decades, one of the most politically and socially prominent families in Alabama were the Bankheads.  John H. Bankhead was both a Congressman and senator from Alabama; his children would all occupy important posts in the state.  His son and namesake,...