11th Knox Asian Festival returns in September The 11th Knox Asian Festival will make its return to World’s Fair Park on September 8, 2024, with a special “Friends of the Festival” VIP event occurring the evening before, on September 7th. Taking place from 6PM until 9PM, the VIP event will be a magical night of ..read more

Mayor Jacobs to Host His Sixth Annual SchoolMania on Friday, July 26 Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, local leaders, members of his staff and volunteers are set to return for the sixth annual School Mania, event, which runs from 3 to 6 p.m. on Friday (July 26) in the parking lot of the Jacob Building ..read more

By Joe Rector On his way home from a family reunion in Pittsburgh with his dad’s parents and uncles and aunts, 16-year-old grandson Madden visited The University of Kentucky. My daughter Lacey said that the trip did what it was supposed to do, but I’m not sure I understand what she was talking about. I ..read more

Final FAFSA Countdown Is On Before August 1 Governor Bill Lee Proclaims FAFSA Frenzy Month State Landmarks to be Lit in Green The final FAFSA countdown is on! There are only 9 days left for students in the Class of 2024 to finish their FAFSA before the August 1 deadline to qualify for Tennessee Promise. Tennessee’s Higher Education Commission (THEC) is partnering with dozens of education and community partners across the state to promote FAFSA Frenzy during July, and to strongly encourage and support students and families in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FA ..read more

Maybe there is not a new Ford pickup in my future By Dr. Harold A. Black blackh@knoxfocus.com haroldblackphd.com Truck owners are famously loyal. I have heard Ram owners heap scorn on GMCs and Fords while those owners ridicule Rams. I am a Ford pickup guy. I bought my first F-150 for a farm truck 50 years ago which morphed into a gas F-250 which then morphed into a diesel F-250 when we started towing toy haulers and going camping. I did not do my usual extensive research when I started buying pickups. Rather I knew that if I did not buy a Ford my father would disown me. I knew that he would ne ..read more

Trump Hatred Has Become Mental Illness In Some By John J. Duncan Jr. duncanj@knoxfocus.com For many years, people used to describe Richard Nixon as the most hated man in American politics. But the hatred for Nixon pales in comparison to the hatred that many millions seem to have for Donald Trump. Nixon did not have to face the 24-hour news cycle and the many channels we have today. I am just 13 months younger than Trump, and both of us are overweight. He has to be the strongest, toughest man I know because I don’t know anyone else who could have withstood the constant public abuse he has had t ..read more

Enjoying a ‘Senior Day’ at the Fair By Steve Williams I took a timeout last week and went to the Anderson County Fair in Clinton, my hometown. This year’s Fair was billed “The 6 Best Days of Summer.” I had driven through Clinton the first of July and saw a sign promoting the Fair and the dates it would be at the fairgrounds (July 15-21). I texted my brother John last Tuesday evening and asked if they still had a Senior Day with free admission. He replied they did on Wednesday starting at 12:30 and free ice cream at 1:30. That sounded good to me, particularly with the hot summer days we were ha ..read more

How long was spring practice in 1938? By Tom Mattingly Tennessee head football coach Robert R. Neyland had returned to Knoxville looking to pick up where he left off in his first tenure as head coach of the University of Tennessee football team. From 1926 through 1934, his Volunteers had amassed a 76-7-5 record (.822) and had reeled off a 14-game winning streak and 33 and 28-game undefeated streaks. He had missed the 1935 season because of a short-lived stint in the Panama Canal Zone that he and his family hated. He “suffered through” 6-2-2 and 6-3-1 seasons in 1936 and 1937, respectively, and ..read more

Turning Point By Dr. Jim Ferguson I’m reading the novel “11/22/63” by Stephen King about the Kennedy assassination. A focal point of the novel is how an event serves as a turning point in someone’s life. King writes beautifully, but his usual macabre oeuvre is not my cup of tea. In recent weeks I’ve been writing about how things are changing which I have described as turning points. There are many similar terms, including watershed events or the original description of a “Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell. I believe the failed assassination of President Trump and the defiant picture of him wi ..read more

Knox County Engineering and Public Works to Host Informational Meetings Knox County Engineering and Public Works will host several public meetings around the county over the next few weeks to provide more information on district projects. The first meeting will take place Tuesday, July 23 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Powell Middle School offering information on upcoming corridor improvements to W. Emory Road and Clinton Highway. The informational meeting discussing improvements in the Hardin Valley community will take place on Tuesday, July 30 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Hardin Valley Middle School. A me ..read more