http://metropulse.com/news/stories/ear-to-ground/?partner=RSSMetroPulse Stories: Ear to the Grounden-usstories/ear-to-ground/news/stories/ear-to-ground/?partner=RSShttp://metropulse.com/feeds/headlines/stories/ear-to-ground/2008-11-21T16:35:16.070068Copyright MetroPulse, 2008http://metropulse.com/news/2008/nov/19/ear-ground-2009-take-bus/?partner=RSSWed, 19 Nov 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/nov/19/ear-ground-2009-take-bus/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground140142008-11-19T17:00:002008-11-19T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008The University of Tennessee has already been told to cut its budget and more cuts are expected as the Legislature meets to pass next year’s state budget with an expected $800 million shortfall. The Board of Trustees has advised UT President John Petersen that it is not a good idea for him to be flying to Chattanooga and Nashville.Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: In 2009, Take the Bus?MetroPulseear-ground-2009-take-bushttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/nov/12/ear-ground-term-limits-reset/?partner=RSSWed, 12 Nov 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/nov/12/ear-ground-term-limits-reset/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground139922008-11-12T17:00:002008-11-12T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008The passage of charter amendment #3 (reducing County Commission from 19 members to 11) means County Commission districts will be redrawn for 2010; new districts will be created, occupied by one commissioner instead of two, and two countywide positions will be created.Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Term Limits Reset?MetroPulseear-ground-term-limits-resethttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/nov/05/ear-ground-writing-check/?partner=RSSWed, 05 Nov 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/nov/05/ear-ground-writing-check/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground139462008-11-05T17:00:002008-11-05T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008News that Vol football Coach Phil Fulmer will not return next year did not come as a surprise to campus insiders. Since the Georgia game, one of the big boosters has been texting Athletic Director Mike Hamilton every time a Vol opponent scores a touchdown—and you know that’s a lot of texts—saying, “I’m ready to write the check.”Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: "Writing a Check"MetroPulseear-ground-writing-checkhttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/29/ear-ground-nimby-moment/?partner=RSSWed, 29 Oct 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/29/ear-ground-nimby-moment/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground138752008-10-29T17:00:002008-10-29T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008Residents of North Knoxville view an empty St. Mary’s Hospital as a ticking time bomb, fearing some sort of public low-income housing that will hurt neighborhood property values. Mercy Health plans to relocate the hospital to the newly acquired Baptist Hospital site in South Knoxville.Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: NIMBY MomentMetroPulseear-ground-nimby-momenthttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/22/ear-ground-whos-next/?partner=RSSWed, 22 Oct 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/22/ear-ground-whos-next/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground138602008-10-22T18:00:002008-10-22T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008Scott Moore’s ouster from Knox County Commission removes a frequent critic of County Mayor Mike Ragsdale and reduces the anti-Ragsdale faction by one vote. The recent election removed several critics among the appointed commissioners (Elaine Davis, Victoria DeFreese, William Daniels). So how will commission vote on a replacement for Moore?Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Who's NextMetroPulseear-ground-whos-nexthttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/15/ear-ground-look-who-turned/?partner=RSSWed, 15 Oct 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/15/ear-ground-look-who-turned/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground138362008-10-15T18:00:002008-10-15T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008So there he was after the second presidential debate, sitting on a stool on Fox News debating with actor Ed Begley Jr. Yes, it was “Republican pollster” Tyler Harber, the locally famous/infamous former aide to County Mayor Mike Ragsdale.Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Look Who Turned UpMetroPulseear-ground-look-who-turnedhttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/08/ear-ground-egg-his-face/?partner=RSSWed, 08 Oct 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/08/ear-ground-egg-his-face/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground138132008-10-08T17:00:002008-10-08T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008The best e-mail making the rounds last week was a fake police report about vandalism at Vol football Coach Phil Fulmer’s house. The report said the house was “egged” and two empty egg cartons were found on the front lawnKnoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Egg on His FaceMetroPulseear-ground-egg-his-facehttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/01/ear-gound-shaky-paper/?partner=RSSWed, 01 Oct 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/01/ear-gound-shaky-paper/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground137832008-10-01T18:00:002008-10-01T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008Nervous conversation at Knoxville lunch tables of late has been about who will and who won’t survive the current housing market/development recessionKnoxville, TNEar to the Gound: Shaky PaperMetroPulseear-gound-shaky-paperhttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/24/ear-ground-browns-bedfellows/?partner=RSSWed, 24 Sep 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/24/ear-ground-browns-bedfellows/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground137652008-09-24T18:00:002008-09-24T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008Knoxville Vice Mayor Mark Brown had a strange amalgam of supporters that resulted in his coming in second in the Knox County Commission’s vote on picking a new Sessions Court judge. Brown, a Democrat from East Knoxville, came up only two votes short on the predominately Republican commission.Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Brown's BedfellowsMetroPulseear-ground-browns-bedfellowshttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/17/ear-ground-fed-questions/?partner=RSSWed, 17 Sep 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/17/ear-ground-fed-questions/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground137422008-09-17T18:00:002008-09-17T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008Criminal investigators from the Environmental Protection Agency have been in town in recent weeks, interviewing the principles involved in the controversy over Knox County’s green waste mulch facility.Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Fed QuestionsMetroPulseear-ground-fed-questionshttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/10/ear-ground-whos-first/?partner=RSSWed, 10 Sep 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/10/ear-ground-whos-first/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground137162008-09-10T18:00:002008-09-10T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008Petition drive organizers to get liquor by the drink in unincorporated areas of Knox County turned in signatures last week to get on the ballot. The effort is to take away a city of Knoxville advantage that gets new developments to ask to be annexed into the city in order to get liquor in restaurants.Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Who's on FirstMetroPulseear-ground-whos-firsthttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/03/ear-ground-liberal-examination/?partner=RSSWed, 03 Sep 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/03/ear-ground-liberal-examination/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground136902008-09-03T18:00:002008-09-03T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008The episode should be of particular interest to Moyers, one of the foremost liberals in America, given Adkisson’s manifesto attacking liberalism and stating his desire to kill liberals for “ruining America.” The Unitarian Universalist Association ran a full page ad in The New York Times Aug. 10 re-affirming the church’s commitment to the liberal positions attacked by Adkisson.Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Liberal ExaminationMetroPulseear-ground-liberal-examinationhttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/27/ear-ground-bistro-vs-bijou/?partner=RSSWed, 27 Aug 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/27/ear-ground-bistro-vs-bijou/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground136652008-08-27T18:00:002008-08-27T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008The Bijou Theatre Center board’s decision to request proposals for redeveloping the ancient Bistro space has left several of that venerable restaurant/bar’s many patrons unsettled. The restaurant/bar adjacent to the theater is in one of Knoxville’s oldest buildings, and even by its current name and setup, it’s one of the oldest establishments downtown; it’s also one of the more comprehensively successful. Often packed with attorneys and bankers at lunch hour, it also has a Saturday brunch crowd, and in the last year or so, it seemed to be enhancing its late-night draw with some very interesting live music, offbeat jazz bands of a sort hard to find elsewhere.Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Bistro vs. the BijouMetroPulseear-ground-bistro-vs-bijouhttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/20/ear-ground-hateful-letters/?partner=RSSEar to the Ground: Staff at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church (TVUUC) were sifting through the daily mail when they came across an envelope of three letters containing racial and derogatory comments, according to an Aug. 13 Knoxville Police Department report. The TVUUC complainant said the group felt like the correspondence was intended as a form of intimidation. Police could not identify the sender, according to the report, nor were those the only negative letters received by a house of worship recently. On Aug. 17, police reported a complaint filed by the First Baptist Church on Main St., saying it had received letters with similar content. ]]>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/20/ear-ground-hateful-letters/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground136452008-08-20T18:00:002008-08-20T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008<strong>Ear to the Ground:</strong> Staff at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church (TVUUC) were sifting through the daily mail when they came across an envelope of three letters containing racial and derogatory comments, according to an Aug. 13 Knoxville Police Department report. The TVUUC complainant said the group felt like the correspondence was intended as a form of intimidation. Police could not identify the sender, according to the report, nor were those the only negative letters received by a house of worship recently. On Aug. 17, police reported a complaint filed by the First Baptist Church on Main St., saying it had received letters with similar content.Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Hateful LettersMetroPulseear-ground-hateful-lettershttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/13/ear-ground-advice-and-counsel/?partner=RSSEar to the Ground: Thomas Baer, who was narrowly defeated in a race for state representative last week, lost his son 20 years ago. He was killed at a party on the University of Tennessee campus. The Baer family spent years publicizing campus safety, and their efforts led to legislation improving security and crime statistic reporting on campuses ]]>Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/13/ear-ground-advice-and-counsel/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground136252008-08-13T18:00:002008-08-13T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008<strong>Ear to the Ground:</strong> Thomas Baer, who was narrowly defeated in a race for state representative last week, lost his son 20 years ago. He was killed at a party on the University of Tennessee campus. The Baer family spent years publicizing campus safety, and their efforts led to legislation improving security and crime statistic reporting on campusesKnoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Advice and CounselMetroPulseear-ground-advice-and-counselhttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/06/ear-ground-conventional-wisdom/?partner=RSSEar to the Ground: The Republicans and the Democrats are holding conventions this month to select candidates for Criminal Court Clerk—at least. Some of what happens at the convention will be influenced by what happens today ]]>Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/06/ear-ground-conventional-wisdom/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground135852008-08-06T18:00:002008-08-06T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008<strong>Ear to the Ground:</strong> The Republicans and the Democrats are holding conventions this month to select candidates for Criminal Court Clerk—at least. Some of what happens at the convention will be influenced by what happens todayKnoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Conventional WisdomMetroPulseear-ground-conventional-wisdomhttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/30/ear-ground-familiar-faces/?partner=RSSEar to the Ground: Local media scrambled on a normally quiet Sunday morning to cover the gruesome shooting at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, but most reporters soon found some familiar faces to interview. ]]>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/30/ear-ground-familiar-faces/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground135662008-07-30T18:00:002008-07-30T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008<strong>Ear to the Ground:</strong> Local media scrambled on a normally quiet Sunday morning to cover the gruesome shooting at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, but most reporters soon found some familiar faces to interview.Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Familiar FacesMetroPulseear-ground-familiar-faceshttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/23/ear-ground-lets-have-lunch/?partner=RSSEar to the Ground: They had a fund-raising auction at the Front Page Follies last weekend, and one of the items was a lunch with Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale. Lewis Cosby, the retired CPA and “citizen auditor,” was in the bidding, but lost out in the end to his friend, developer Alex Schubert ]]>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/23/ear-ground-lets-have-lunch/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground135352008-07-23T18:00:002008-07-23T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008<strong>Ear to the Ground:</strong> They had a fund-raising auction at the Front Page Follies last weekend, and one of the items was a lunch with Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale. Lewis Cosby, the retired CPA and “citizen auditor,” was in the bidding, but lost out in the end to his friend, developer Alex SchubertKnoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Let's Have LunchMetroPulseear-ground-lets-have-lunchhttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/16/ear-ground-lets-try-again/?partner=RSSEar to the Ground: Look for a suggestion at a Knox County Commission committee meeting next week that proposed charter amendments be put on the ballot. Confusion over the bundled items in the two charter petitions has prompted re-thinking about putting them on the ballot. There may be a proposal at the Commission Intergovernmental Committee meeting next week to offer each of the items as a separate ballot initiative and put them on the ballot for the November election. ]]>Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/16/ear-ground-lets-try-again/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground135142008-07-16T18:00:002008-07-16T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008<strong>Ear to the Ground:</strong> Look for a suggestion at a Knox County Commission committee meeting next week that proposed charter amendments be put on the ballot. Confusion over the bundled items in the two charter petitions has prompted re-thinking about putting them on the ballot. There may be a proposal at the Commission Intergovernmental Committee meeting next week to offer each of the items as a separate ballot initiative and put them on the ballot for the November election.Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Let's Try AgainMetroPulseear-ground-lets-try-againhttp://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/09/ear-ground-raise-glass/?partner=RSSEar to the Ground: An examination of purchasing card receipts reveals that County Mayor Mike Ragsdale’s favorite wine is called “Stag’s Leap,” $97 a bottle at the Palm restaurant in Nashville. ]]>Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/09/ear-ground-raise-glass/?partner=RSSstories/ear-to-ground134872008-07-09T18:00:002008-07-09T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008<strong>Ear to the Ground:</strong> An examination of purchasing card receipts reveals that County Mayor Mike Ragsdale’s favorite wine is called “Stag’s Leap,” $97 a bottle at the Palm restaurant in Nashville.Knoxville, TNEar to the Ground: Raise a GlassMetroPulseear-ground-raise-glass