After sorting through all the reporting and letters and findings, this is my synopsis of events in the Blount Co Circuit Court.

What seems strange to me is that none of the Republicans seem to care that Young falsely charged Meares with being behind on his caseload. Has Hatcher or Young apologized, and I just missed it? In David Black's long letter, I see no concern for whether Meares had been falsely accused.

Random fact that didn't fit: Duggan wrote last August that the Local Rules should be revisited. The bar could have resolved the matter long before election season if they took it up when Meares and Duggan were saying they should, but they dragged it in instead.

Knoxville News Sentinel

Rock great Leon Russell will perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4, at the Shed in Maryville.

Russell's album "Carney" was one of the best-selling discs of the 1970s and he has remained one of rock's enigmatic figures. Tickets are $25, advance, and $30, day of the show, and are on sale at Tickets Unlimited outlets, by phone at 865-656-4444, or at Link.... Blue Mother Tupelo will open the show.

Can't wait! Seen him seven or eight times, mostly intimate venues. Not to be missed.

The Maryville Daily Times has an editorial today warning about the dangers of golf carts on local streets. We're not sure why this is a concern all of a sudden. It may be related to a new Tennessee law that went into effect July 1st which allows "neighborhood electric vehicles" on public streets. These are not golf carts.

Here's some background on the new law from The Tennessean

...medium-speed electric- or gasoline-powered vehicles with four wheels can travel up to 35 mph, and can use roads where the speed limit is 40. Golf carts are excluded.

Tennessee joins Montana and Washington as the only states with such a law. Most of the rest follow a 1998 federal law that allows the low-speed vehicles to travel up to 25 mph.

The article also says the vehicles "must meet federal safety standards that require headlights and taillights, turn signals, seat belts, a rearview mirror, a parking brake and a windshield."