Well, this past week I was looking down into the holler toward Webb’s Creek thinking about birthday “kaka” and a bowl of extra long Chinese noodles. The word “cake” is from the ancient Viking word “kaka,” a sweetened patty made with flour and honey. Our fancy birthday cakes have come a long way since a piece of kaka in Norseland. Bakery shelves now offer a carnival parade of birthday cakes complete with icing artwork, miniature plastic people, ornamental toys, edible decorations and personal messages. I’m not sure that the Viking, Eric the Red, would even recognize a kaka if he saw one today. Chinese folks celebrate birthdays with bowls of extra long noodles rather than kaka. The long noodles symbolize best wishes for a long life, but they don’t blend well with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Old fashioned American made birthday kaka wins the gold. It is curious how most of our special days and holidays are linked to food. Thanksgiving without a turkey would be like... (more...)

 Read More →

Gatlinburg, TN   February 22, 2010 – The second annual Screenfest Film Festival in Gatlinburg is approaching, and many Tennessee films and actors are nominated for awards.  Screenfest, Sevier County’s only film festival, has expanded their pool of prizes by including actors, actresses, supporting actors, and supporting actresses.  The festival will add the performance awards alongside the Grand Prize, Second Place, Third Place, and Viewer’s Choice Awards.  Overall fifteen films and fourteen actors are nominated, with the majority being from the East Tennessee area. The performance nominees range from theater students at area high schools and universities to... (more...)

SBA Fact Sheet  Read More →

February 26, 2010 – Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam and Police Chief Sterling Owen named Lance Halseth the November Officer of the Month for the Knoxville Police Department. Officer Halseth has been with KPD since August 2005. On Tuesday, November 3, 2009, at approximately 8:30 a.m., Officer Halseth responded to a call of a suspicious package at a freight shipping company located on Texas Avenue. Officer Halseth inspected the freight which consisted of office furniture. According to employees of the freight company, they had received similar deliveries in each of the past three months. Each month the shipments were paid for with cash by a Hispanic male that did not have a valid Tennessee identification. Chief Owen said, “Officer Halseth began his investigation by reviewing paperwork from the previous shipments. He noticed that one month a specific Hispanic male sent the... (more...)

February 26, 2010 – Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam and Police Chief Sterling Owen named Officer Robert Cook the December 2009 Officer of the Month. Officer Cook has been with the Knoxville Police Department since August 2008. Chief Owen said that on December 26, 2009, Officer Cook responded to an attempted rape call in the parking lot of a department store on Clinton Highway. According to the victim, she had walked her shopping cart to her vehicle where she placed her bags into the trunk before returning the cart to the store. While returning to her vehicle she noticed the suspect had pulled his truck extremely close to her vehicle. The victim indicated she had to turn sideways to try to enter her door. Chief Owen said, “When the victim turned sideways, the suspect reached out the window with one hand and pinned the victim against her car while fondling her with his other... (more...)

February 26, 2010 – Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam and Police Chief Sterling Owen named Officer Justin Ruth and Officer Jeff Damewood the January Officers of the Month for the Knoxville Police Department. Officer Ruth has been with KPD since December 2002 while Officer Damewood has been with the department since January 1997. Chief Owen said that on January 13, 2010, Officer Ruth and Officer Damewood responded to a robbery of a delivery person at an apartment complex on Flennwood Way. The victim indicated he had received an order to deliver three pizzas to an apartment in the Flennwood Way complex. When the victim arrived he knocked on the door of the apartment several times in an attempt to deliver the pizzas. After getting no response, the victim returned to his vehicle. Chief Owen said, “Just prior to reaching his car, a suspect armed with a handgun and wearing all... (more...)

February 25, 2010 – The City of Knoxville is hosting the 5th Annual Premiere Teen Step Show at the Civic Auditorium, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 6, 2010. Teams from local area schools as well as teams from out of town will compete to see who has the most creative step routine. Awards and prizes will be presented to the top three teams. Radio personality Joey Tack, of HOT 104.5, will be on the scene to kick off the show with an audience participation contest. The purpose of this event is to give high school students an opportunity to obtain college connections. College fraternities and sororities will judge the step show and meet with the students. Participating fraternities include: Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Alpha Phi Alpha, and Phi Beta Sigma. Participating sororities include: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Zeta Phi Beta. All students competing in the step show will also be given the... (more...)

February 25, 2010 – There will be a Fort Sanders Stakeholders Meeting at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 4 in Ballroom B, University of Tennessee Visitor Center, 2704 Kingston Pike. PLEASE NOTE that this is a different location than that of previous Fort Sanders meetings hosted by the city. There will be presentations by City of Knoxville and Metropolitan Planning Commission staff members and a presentation on the conversion of Laurel Avenue by Wilbur Smith Associates and Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center. The meeting will also offer participants an opportunity to review a draft of the long range planning document for Fort Sanders, developed through a series of public meetings last year. The draft plan updates the 2000 Fort Sanders Neighborhood Forum Plan. Thursday’s meeting is the first of what will be quarterly meetings aimed at continuing communication between the stakeholders in the Fort Sanders Neighborhood including... (more...)

Veteran safety Donnie Nickey led the Titans with 17 special teams tackles in 2009. NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans have agreed to terms on a new contract with veteran safety and special teams ace Donnie Nickey. A seasoned special teams leader and valuable defensive reserve, Nickey has played in 108 career games with seven starts, posting 42 tackles with a sack and a pass defensed on defense, while totaling 84 career special teams stops. “This is my home and I love the organization,” Nickey said. “I wasn’t really looking to go anywhere else, so it just made sense.” Voted a team captain by his teammates in 2009, the Ohio State product has been a durable player over the years having played in 95 consecutive games, including all 16 contests the last five seasons (2005-2009). Last season, Nickey finished first on the team with 17 special teams tackles, leading or tying for the team lead in six games. Nickey finished third on the team in special teams... (more...)