Blackberry Festival Join us on June 22, as we host our First Annual Blackberry Festival with 5k, food trucks, vendors, games, live music, and more! This year, all money raised will be donated to Family Promise of Knoxville and the Central Plateau Scholarship Fund of Haiti. Where: 2910 W. Emory Road, Powell, TN 37849 When: June 22, 2024, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Vendors can set up beginning at 7 a.m. The 5K will begin at Powell Middle School at 8 a.m., run through Broadacres subdivision, and end at the church. Visit https://www.powellpcusa.org/blackberry-festival/ for more information and to s ..read more

FREE Debt Relief Legal Advice Clinic Scheduled for May 4 Deadline to Register April 26 The Knoxville Bar Association and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, in partnership with Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET), will host a Debt Relief Legal Advice Clinic for pre-screened individuals on Saturday, May 4, beginning at 8:45 a.m. at the Public Defender’s Community Law Office (1101 Liberty Street, Knoxville TN 37919). The advice clinic will be available to qualified individuals in Knox, Blount, Loudon, and Sevier Counties. Attorneys will volunteer to conduct i ..read more

The New Harvest Farmers’ Market Kicks Off on Thursday, April 25 Knox County and Nourish Knoxville will kick off this season’s New Harvest Park Farmers’ Market at 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, with Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs ringing the opening bell. Visitors will have the opportunity to peruse a wide variety of locally grown seasonal produce, meats, eggs, plant and garden starts, prepared foods, and artisan craft products from more than 15 East Tennessee vendors. “Farmers’ Markets are a great way for people to get access to local, delicious, and nutritious homegrown food items,” said Mayor ..read more

What checks and balances? By Dr. Harold A. Black blackh@knoxfocus.com haroldblackphd.com When I was in school, I was taught that the United States had a system of checks and balances where no one branch of the government could devolve into tyranny given the oversight of the other two branches. The three branches (for those who have been “educated” by our current system) are executive, legislative and judicial. Legislative is divided into the House of Representatives and the Senate which must pass identical bills that are signed by the president to become law. The president can veto the bills a ..read more

Sometimes Winners Become Losers Or Losers Become Winners By John J. Duncan Jr. duncanj@knoxfocus.com   “If you are as happy, my dear sir, on entering this house as I am in leaving it and returning home, you are the happiest man in this country.” So said President James Buchanan to President Abraham Lincoln as they got back to the White House after Lincoln’s first inaugural address. Lincoln led a very hard life: poverty, a very difficult wife, loss of two sons, depression, business and professional problems, and lack of a strong faith that could have helped him in his troubles. Probably hi ..read more

How smart are we? By Joe Rector I certainly love this country. So often, I give thanks that I was born here and have had all the opportunities that the United States offers. We are the greatest country in the world at this time, and I hope the same holds true for years to come. This country is the bright beacon to the rest of the world. Presently, troubles have crept up on us, and to many, no escape from them seems possible. However, our country has faced plenty of dire situations, and I hope and pray that we citizens have enough courage and wisdom to face head-on anything that might threaten ..read more

The memorable cemetery in Beaufort A Day Away By Mike Steely Beaufort, North Carolina, is a small, coastal town next to Morehead City with lots of history and some oddities as well. I was stationed nearby for a couple of years and my wife and I have traveled back a few times over the years. Each time I’d visit Fort Macon Coast Guard Base and the large historic fort next to it. We’d also visit places we lived and often made a side trip to Beaufort, just across the bridge. The town, pronounced “Bofort” in North Carolina, should not be confused with Beaufort in South Carolina, which locals call ..read more

What is a First Setting? By Jedidiah McKeehan When we watch courtroom shows on TV, we rarely see the mundane things that go on behind the scenes. Understandably, they skip right to the exciting parts like finding the murder weapon, or intense questioning of the witnesses while they are on the witness stand. However, a lot of little steps have to occur before we get to a trial of a case. One thing is the setting of the case itself. Courts are always busy and because they are, they will set multiple cases for trial on the same day. Why do they do that? Because so many cases settle or get worked ..read more

Spring Practice Complete for Vols By Mark Nagi On Saturday, April 13, spring practice ended for the Tennessee Volunteers. They played the annual Orange & White Game. The game was played in front of approximately 10,000 fans due to renovations taking place at Neyland Stadium. The Orange defeated the White 21-14, but that final score means absolutely nothing. What matters is how much the Vols improved as a team, as the 2024 season draws closer. Coming out of the spring, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel must be happy with what he has seen out of his wide receiving corps, a group he says is de ..read more

‘Earning the Plaudits of History’ By Tom Mattingly Every so often, one of the ESPN cable networks or the SEC Network will air Kenny Chesney’s tribute to Condredge Holloway (“The Color Orange: The Condredge Holloway Story”). The tribute highlights Condredge’s trailblazing college career as the SEC’s first African-American quarterback. Near the end of this very well-assembled documentary, Condredge stepped back from the spotlight, put everything into clear perspective, and paid tribute to former Vol wideout Lester McClain, who had done some significant trailblazing of his own during his career ..read more