What a game! The entire community should be proud of these two teams and their fans. They put on a show last night and it was well worth the $6.

Check out KnoxViews for more.

A report with some photos over at KnoxViews...

We attended the TDOT meeting yesterday regarding the DEIS report. There was a large turnout, with, it appeared, half of the attendees in opposition to the PPE.

Twenty citizens of the community were able to speak and give their comments as to why the PPE should not (or should) be completed. Nineteen of the twenty citizens were opposed to the completion of the PPE. The citizen speakers did a very good job, many with facts, figures, and reasonable arguments as to why the PPE should not be completed. The one gentleman who spoke as a proponent for the PPE seemed to be just giving up, if you're going to do it, just do it, he said.

Kudos to Nina Gregg for her hard work and persistence.

Go to KnoxViews for the full report.

Something needs to be done about semi-trucks passing through our fair county. With all of the growth, it appears truck drivers have no concern for others around them. They only have a concern for getting to their destination as quickly as possible.

I had quite the scare the other day while traveling in Maryville. I and a passenger were sitting in a turn lane on 129 waiting to go left on Lamar Alexander Pkwy. towards downtown.

This is a good sized intersection with four lanes in all four directions and a traffic signal. We were quietly waiting for our turn, when the main light for people to go straight was turning yellow, then red.

As the light turned yellow we heard a very loud truck horn blasting frantically. The truck was hauling cut trees and did appear to be carrying a full load. The truck driver was attempting to warn everyone at the intersection that he was coming through no matter the color of the traffic light. Lucky for us and everyone else at the intersection, not one driver started to move upon receiving the green light. The truck came barreling through and anyone accidentally getting in his way would have been toast.

It's time to slow these big trucks down through our fair county before someone gets hurt.

Acts of kindness are worth the effort.

4th Annual Smoky Mountain Critter Fest

Bring your family and pets!!

Paw'ty in the Park!
Benefits the Blount County Humane Society's "No-Kill Shelter Effort" and Animal Welfare Programs.

Sunday May 23rd, 2010

Pearson Springs Park, Maryville Tennessee (Directions)

Hours: 12pm-5pm Admission is FREE!

Pet contests and games, childrens games, food, rescue groups, and service groups.

TDOT has scheduled a public meeting for Tuesday, July 20, from 5-7pm in the Heritage High School Auditorium.

According to the TDOT Notice of Public Hearing:

This is a notice regarding the "Availability of the Approved Pellissippi Parkway Extension (SR162) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

The purpose of the hearing is to provide the public an opportunity to comment on the findings of the EIS and the proposed project prior to completion of the final environmental document.

A formal presentation will be followed by a question and answer period.

Update: This will provide a TDOT 10/08 newsletter with a map of the proposed PPE routes. I'm not positive, but I believe route B is no longer a consideration.

Pictures in the park...

Recently I was driving down Hunt Road (East bound) and was closing in on the Hunt Road and Alcoa Hwy access ramps. I was definitely going the speed limit, which is 40 mph. There was a Blount County sheriff's deputy in the West bound side getting ready to turn left onto the Alcoa Hwy access ramp to go South bound. There was also a large black pickup truck that had exited Alcoa Hwy and was waiting to turn left (West bound) on Hunt Road. As I got much closer to the intersection, the black pickup decided to go ahead and pull out right in front of me, forcing me to put on my brakes. Luckily I was going the speed limit, thus no need to do any heavy duty swerving to avoid hitting the truck. I thought for sure the deputy sheriff would go after the offender for pulling out in front of me, but alas, it did not happen. Even if the driver of the large pickup truck did not deserve a ticket, the driver did deserve a lecture from authority. I was surprised and disappointed.

Message to the Sheriff's department, it would be nice if you would give at least a warning of possible dangers to bad driving habits when they occur right in front of you.

A $50,000 donation from Don and Carol Story, a $200,000 donation from the Charles and Sue Fouche Charitable Trust, and a $250,000 donation from PetSafe to be announced today complete phase 2.

The Maryville Daily Times has more...

Joe Hultquist will be the featured guest speaker at the 2010 Annual Meeting of CAPPE (Citizens Against the Pellissippi Parkway Extension, Inc.). The meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 22, from 6:30-8:30pm in the Sharon Lawson Room at the Blount County Library.

"For several years we have designed our Annual Meeting as a community education event, featuring speakers who are knowledgeable about transportation issues relevant to our region," said Nina Gregg of CAPPE's Board of Directors. "We saw a need for education and civil discussion about transportation issues and decided to devote a portion of each year's Annual Meeting to fulfilling this need."

"This year we are pleased to welcome Joe Hultquist, Interim Executive Director of East Tennessee Quality Growth (ETQG) as our featured speaker," Gregg said.

Mr. Hultquist, who was born and raised in Blount County, will be speaking about the future of transit in the greater Knoxville area, including the upcoming Regional Corridor and Opportunity Area Study; options for transit between the airport and Knoxville; the role of independent advocacy groups; and ETQG's perspective on transit as a component of quality growth in the region.

Mr. Hultquist is currently serving as Interim Executive Director of East Tennessee Quality Growth, a new organization with representation from 16 counties of middle East Tennessee. ETQG's mission is to "create a vision for quality growth through dialogue, research, and education," and to "promote and facilitate implementation of this vision through regional cooperation and local action."

Previous speakers at CAPPE Annual Meetings have included Rees Shearer from RailSolution, Cindy McGinnis from Knox Area Transit (KAT), Jeff Welch from the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) and Bill Dunlap from the Blount County Highway Department.

The public is invited to come hear Mr. Hultquist's presentation, which will begin at 7pm. Refreshments will be served at 6:30pm. CAPPE's annual business meeting will follow the speaker.

For more information, call Nina Gregg, CAPPE Communication Committee Chair at 977 7399.

We are excited! It's happening.

The City of Alcoa held the groundbreaking ceremony today to start the Alcoa Highway pedestrian bridge. It should be complete in September, 2010 (eight months)!

Yeah! Kudos to the City of Alcoa for continuing the legacy of parks, greenways, greenbelts, and walkability!

EIGHT ANNUAL CHILI FEST set for Saturday, February 6, 2010

CAPPE's Eighth Annual ChiliFest, which is both a contest and a tasting opportunity, is set for Saturday, February 6 from 4-7pm at Stovall Family Life Center beside First Church of the Nazarene, 1608 E. Broadway, Maryville.

The event begins at 4pm, with tasting and judging continuing until the winners are announced at 6:30pm. In addition to the different chilis and a variety of beverages, tortillas and quesadillas will be available along with a bake sale of delicious home-made treats. Everyone will be eligible to win door prizes.

Several contestants from area businesses will challenge previous winners who are defending their titles. Judges will select the winning chefs in three categories: beef, other meats and vegetarian chili. The general public will vote for the People's Choice winner. Four $50 prizes will be awarded.

To enter the contest, submit an entry form and the $20 entry fee by February 2. Each contestant is asked to bring a minimum of four quarts of warm prepared chili in a crockpot, and to provide a ladle and someone to serve.

Entry forms and advance tickets are available at Southland Books (601 East Broadway) and Waste Not, Want Not (1505 East Broadway).

Suggested donation for admission is $5 in advance and $6 at the door (children under 10 admitted free). Admission includes tastes of entries and one bowl of chili and one vote for the People's Choice winner.

For more information, call Mike Cook, CAPPE President 984 9003 or Susan Keller 982 4267.

The City of Alcoa offers electronics recycling for City of Alcoa residents.

Residential electronic scrap items such as computers, monitors, TVs, printers, keyboards and mice, scanners, fax machines, VCRs and other small consumer electronics can be dropped off at:

City of Alcoa Service Center (new building near Springbrook)
725 Universal Street, Alcoa, TN

Alcoa/Maryville/Blount County Landfill
240 Long Powers Road, Maryville, TN

Contact the City of Alcoa Public Works Department (865-380-4800) with any questions or for additional information,

There is a Health Coverage Tax Credit program that will pay 80% of health insurance premiums for workers that are receiving Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) benefits or receiving pension payments from Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC) and over the age of 55.

The IRS is holding an education session to assist eligible individuals through the process.

Crowne Plaza
401 W. Summit Hill Drive
Knoxville, TN
9 AM to 3 PM

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) is a benefit for individuals who have lost their jobs because of trade with foreign countries. Employers and unions file a petition with the Department of Labor (DOL) to have their employees TAA certified.

Area companies that are Trade Adjustment Assistance certified include:
Alcoa, Inc., Alcoa, TN
Newell Rubbermaid, Maryville, TN
Ceramaspeed, Inc., Maryville, TN
Key Safety Restraint Systems, Knoxville, TN
Panasonic Electronic Devices Corp. of America, Knoxville, TN
DeRoyal Industries, Inc., Powell, TN
La-Z-Boy, Dayton, TN
Bos Automotive, Morristown, TN
Berkline/BenchCraft, LLC, Morristown, TN
The Mazer Corporation, Johnson City, TN

Use the US Dept. of Labor web-site to search for TAA certified companies.