by design | Dec 15, 2014 | Columnist, Ferguson
By Dr. Jim Ferguson Christmas came early for me this year, though I’m not sure why. Some years I wait and wait and wonder if I’ll ever get the Christmas spirit. But, it eventually comes, though sometimes prompted by the Christmas movies Becky and I love and watch...
by Joe Rector | Dec 15, 2014 | Columnist, Rector
By Joe Rector It’s that time of year again when folks are spread too thin. So many events pull at them—school programs, shopping, get-togethers, and parties. For many, Christmas pageants or performances by children are staples for a complete holiday season. I remember...
by design | Dec 15, 2014 | Columnist, Moore
By Rosie Moore “One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. and sixty-six cents of it was in pennies.” So begins O’Henry’s short story, “The Gift of the Magi,” about a young couple and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each...
by Ralphine Major | Dec 15, 2014 | Columnist, Major
By Ralphine Major It was a perfect day for a parade! The December air was brisk, but the sun made an appearance—quite a contrast to last year’s downpour. Watching the flurry of activity before the parade was almost as much fun as the parade itself: children...
by design | Dec 15, 2014 | Absher, Columnist
By Sally Absher By Sally Absher sallyabsher@knoxfocus.com It is said that as California goes, so goes the nation. What is it with the migration of bad policies from west to east? In Tennessee, one might say as Memphis goes, so goes the state. Regarding education, that...
by design | Dec 15, 2014 | Absher, Columnist
By Sally Absher Two weeks ago, The Focus wrote about KCS superintendent Jim McIntyre ending the very successful Reading Recovery® program in Knox County in 2011. We highlighted Mayor Burchett’s literacy grant funds, used primarily to hire coaches, many of whom have no...
by design | Dec 14, 2014 | Dan Andrews, The Daily Focus
This week we have two high profile bid deadlines. Market Square public restrooms. http://www.cityofknoxville.org/purchasing/bids/1215_marketsquare.pdf Alert, please see updates for this bid. http://www.cityofknoxville.org/purchasing/ Parking meters....
by design | Dec 14, 2014 | Archived Editions, Archives, Stories In This Week's Focus:
Police Review Meeting Draws A Crowd By Focus Staff The Police Advisory and Review Committee, the city mayor and the city police department were praised and criticized last Monday evening in a public forum held at Vine Middle School. PARC meetings normally draw a very...
by design | Dec 14, 2014 | Stories In This Week's Focus:
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 design | Dec 14, 2014 | Stories In This Week's Focus:
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...
