Remembering Bob Booker

Remembering Bob Booker By Mike Steely Senior Writer steelym@knoxfocus.com One of the first people I met after I moved to Knoxville about 30 years ago was Bob Booker. I got to know him somewhat from his history within the community and as the first African American...

Our odd little towns

Our odd little towns A Day Away By Mike Steely I’ve lived in a lot of places around the nation, but I always end up returning to East Tennessee because it’s my home. I’ve been in most East Tennessee counties, all the large cities, many of the county seats, and much of...

Remembering Memphis visits

Remembering Memphis visits A Day Away By Mike Steely My wife and I have visited Memphis several times in the past. Sometimes it was on business and sometimes we were there on vacation. The drive from Knoxville to Memphis is almost 400 miles, but there’s lots to see...

My encounters with the homeless

My encounters with the homeless By Mike Steely Senior Writer steelym@knoxfocus.com A homeless man lay on the sidewalk recently one block from the City-County Building right next to the busy Main Street and Walnut Street intersection. I noticed him when I left the...

Central City and the Everly Brothers

Central City and the Everly Brothers A Day Away By Mike Steely Knoxville’s Everly Brothers Park is but one of many places across the country that claim the famous musicians, who attended West High School briefly and appeared on the Cas Walker Television Show as...