Knox County Schools and Board Member Bratton Settle Case With Cash

This from this evenings News-Sentinel website. Knox County Schools have taken nearly 10 months and awarded $21,000.00 to the 24 year old custodian that alleged that she was subjected to sexual harassment from School Board member Robert Bratton.

The school systems reasoning is that the Principal Jeanna Swan Cole was incompetent and didn't follow protocol. Why should we the taxpayers pay for the system having an administrator that ignores board policy?

It is reported that Bratton will pay $3,000.00 to avoid litigation. What?

Preliminary P-Card Audit Released This Morning

This morning in response to an Open Records Request from WBIR, the Knox County Independent Auditor released the preliminary p-card audit on the Knox County Mayor's office. You can locate it and read it here.

The Knox County Mayor's office is expected to have until March 14, 2008 to respond. The Knox County Independent Auditor will have until March 28, 2008 to release the final report with findings and recommendations. By then we all will have the audit committed to memory.

Tennessee's Education Improvement Act of 1992 Was Supposed To Remove The Politics From Schools

Remember the Education Improvement Act of 1992, the one that took away your vote for a Superintendent of Schools. They said when they passed it, that they were removing the politics from the school operations.

This story from Memphis today,doesn't indicate that the law made any difference at all.

The Tennessee Legislature Loses One

Our Sympathy and Prayers to the family of former State Representative Gary Rowe D- Memphis. Yesterday morning he passed away after a battle with cancer. The 56 year old had served in the legislature since 2004. He is survived by his wife Diane and a son and daughter.

Tennesseans Must Take A Stand Against The Pro-Death Legislature

For years our Tennessee Senate has passed legislation asking Tennesseans to vote on a constitutional amendment protecting the innocent lives of pre-born babies. It is time to rid our state of the pro-death members of the Tennessee House of Representatives.

The future of our state is dependent on electing citizens to the legislature that recognize the right of every citizen to be born. If you are pro-life and recognize that the killing of babies is wrong, immoral and unjust, then join with us by volunteering today. You can also join with us by making a financial contribution today.

Michael English The Prodigal Comes Home CD

My friend Michael English released his newest studio project today. The CD is titled The Prodigal Comes Home. I wanted to actually go to a store and pick up a copy on the release day. So this evening, I walked into the Lifeway store in the Turkey Creek development in West Knoxville and there was the new music display and Michael was a part of the display.

He has come full circle. God is a redeeming God. All the music on the CD is Great. But the tracks Sanctuary, The Only Good Thing in Me and Feels Like Redemption are Exceptional.

The CD title mirrors Michael's biography written by Michael and published and released this past fall.

Man, what a journey since I met Michael back in 1982 at the old WNOX auditorium on Whittle Springs Road. He was singing with The Singing Americans.

I have never claimed to be a prophet or the son of a prophet. But, when the christian music radio stations pulled all Michael's music off the air after he returned all his Dove awards for his public fall. I remember telling my friend John Hanna. (who has since gone on to his heavenly reward) John was general manager of Love 89 and Joy 62 I told John that the christian music industry was imposing a standard that they couldn't live with by pulling all Michael's music because of his public fall.

Sure enough, they didn't pull any others that had public falls, rightly so. The problem is that Michael was the first to have a public fall. God is strong, God is Love and his love is Redeeming. Michael is stronger today for the journey. I am stronger for having witnessed and been supportive of Michael's journey.

Go out and buy a copy of Michael's new project to support a man that has come full circle. After all we (Christians) are not perfect, just forgiven. Sounds like an old Hemphill's song. It is so true, we are not perfect, just forgiven. I get emails and see postings from carnal citizens that post on other blog forums about me. They post mocking comments and send emails to me mocking me, my faith and my church. I just ask God to forgive them as they know not what they are saying.

Check out Michael's website here and his myspace page here.

Do We Desire A Representative Form of County Government or a Referendum Form of County Government

With the 9 Charter amendments presented to County Commission last night by the 1996 Knoxville/Knox County Unification Committee (Don Parnell, Kathy Hamilton, et al) the question must be asked.

Do we desire a representative form of government on the County Commission or a referendum form of government that this ole' good ole' boy with a girl or two group wants?

County Commission Doesn't Want Your Opinion Until After The Second Reading

Prior to voting on the Knox County One Question, Commissioner Mike Hammond passed a resolution saying that upon passage on second reading that County Commission will host 9 public forums in all 9 Commission districts.

Wait a dang minute!

You mean to tell me. That County Commission led by Tank Strickland and Mike Hammond doesn't care what you (we) think until they pass the ordinances on second reading. This from Commissioner Mike Hammond, candidate for Knox County Mayor in 2010.

No Public Input. No open and transparent process. You would think he is bought and paid for by Tommy Schumpert.

Law Director John Owings to R. Larry Smith, Know Your Job and Do It

Commissioner R. Larry Smith said tonight "I don't know the Charter, maybe I should." In response Law Director John Owings schooled R. Larry Smith with "Yes, Sir you should know the issues as you are casting votes on them."

With that R. Larry became quiet.

Thank You, Law Director Owings!

Mark Harmon Doesn't Share Knox County Values

During debate tonight, Commissioner Mark Harmon used a verbal description of a visual picture of a newspaper editor expending bodily fluids utilizing indecent exposure. An act that if caught by Knoxville Police Department or Knox County Sheriffs Department would be a misdemeanor.

In the words of WVLT Volunteer TV Consumer Affairs Reporter Shirley Nash Pitts. Mark Harmon "Clean It Up!"

No Real Surprise on County Commission Chairman and Vice-Chairman Elections

Thomas "Tank" Strickland was elected County Commission Chairman unanimously. Commissioner Mark Harmon nominated Commissioner Mike Hammond. Commissioner Elaine Davis attempted to nominate Craig Leuthold. Leuthold declined in order to maintain his Finance Chairman position. Commissioner Greg "Lumpy" Lambert nominated R. Larry Smith. In a surprise move R. Larry declined. Commissioner Paul Pinkston nominated Mark Harmon who declined. County Commissioner Mike Hammond was elected Vice-Chairman.

The comments make you wonder how Smith and Harmon came to endorsement and support for Hammond in less than two minutes without any prior discussion?

The News~Sentinel's Motivation

The following post is a contribution from one of our Brian's Blog contributors concerning this Knoxville News~Sentinel editorial cartoon by R. Daniel Proctor.

How much more of the Knoxville News-Sentinel's self congratulating "news coverage" are we going have to put up with?

If you look at the cartoon by Proctor on this page, it shows that the KNS really doesn't believe it was "the people" who changed things, but the all powerful KNS. This proves that when the KNS's lawyers were claiming their lawsuit was "about the people" they were lying.

It never was about the people, it was always about the KNS and its attempt to control county politics and sell newspapers.

Will the readers begin demanding that the KNS start covering the news instead of its own self important interpretation of events, before they start going somewhere else for their news?

Oh yeah, they're already gone.

What Happened To Sharon? Mark's Wife.

This announcement in the Karns version of the Slopper News caused a few eyebrows to raise.

Lambert, Rountree to meet

Knox County commissioners Greg Lambert and Robert Rountree will meet at Hardee's on Oak Ridge Highway in Karns on Saturday, March 1, at 9 a.m. Rountree was appointed to the 6th District seat formerly held by the term-limited Mark Cawood.

What happened to this being the seat formerly held by appointed wife of term-limited Mark Cawood? Is this an attempt to try and erase history so that Sharon can make a run at Brad Anders or Kathy Bryant in 2010? Or is Sharon going to run for the seat currently held by Greg "Lumpy" Lambert in 2010, while Lambert runs for the State Representative seat in his district?

We all want to try and forget the short tenure of one Sharon Cawood however, it is a little hard to forget the Juvenile Court Clerk employee taking the long lunches, ribbon cuttings and let's not forget the legacy of stationary gate.

Here's hoping that the private citizen Sharon Cawood is doing well. The public official Sharon Cawood didn't fare so well.

"Real" Journalists and The Mistakes They Make

Brian's Blog is criticized regularly for a word that is not spelt correctly or a grammar error on occasion. That is fine, we are open to criticism and will accept it when it is warranted. A lot of times it is our critics just being critical. However, the very same people do not criticize the liberals over at the local liberal blog for their errors. The very same people are not waging war on the KnoxNews commenter's that write worse than a three year old.

But today one of our sources asked if we caught the mistake by a "real" journalist in the News Sentinel. We confessed that we do not buy the paper, we simply view it online. But, we wasted 50 cents and bought one and sure enough a News Sentinel reporter evidently doesn't even know that name of his company or the title of his boss. Look at the scan photo below, check out the fifth paragraph and see what News Sentinel reporter Hayes Hickman referred to his boss as. It seems that Hayes needed to buy an s. Because Jack McElroy is evidently the New Sentinel Editor.

Amy Broyles..Networking The House

This from Metro Pulse.

Good Read

If our e-mail is any indication, the best-read document in Knoxville since the election is Amy Broyles’ campaign disclosure. According to the PDF document on KnoxPolitics.com/broylesCFD.pdf, Broyles, in winning the 2nd District Democratic primary, spent $860 on child care and also bought a laptop, a Palm Pilot, and a Camcorder at Circuit City.

We assume the pizza and beer was for campaign events.


So now every teenage girl needs to start calling the Broyles residence to apply for the babysitting chores. If the campaign spent $860 for a short campaign like this one, think of all the potential between now and August 7, 2008.

A laptop and palm pilot? The campaign is certainly taking every opportunity to network the Broyles residence. Will this computer or palm pilot be used in anyway in the family business? Broyles may have difficulty in raising money for the general election because of her expenditure decisions in the primary.

To view the Broyles Campaign Finance Disclosure, view it here.

Ruthie Kuhlman..If She Can't Win You With Kindess, She Will Beat It Out Of You

This from the Metro Pulse.

Winning Friends

On a recent Sunday morning, Democratic attorney Dennis Francis opined, on WBIR’s Inside Tennessee show, that Democrat Finbarr Saunders would win the 4th District Commission seat over Republican Ruthie Kuhlman.

Francis was having lunch at Long’s Drugstore in Bearden a few days later when he was abruptly slapped on the back and upbraided by Kuhlman for his pick. Kuhlman noted she had handily defeated Richard Cate in the primary and would win the general election as well. Something about kicking Finbarr’s ass.

She slapped a card on the table with her campaign address and instructed Francis to send her a check for $1,000 for her campaign. Francis, who says he had never met the Republican candidate and says the conversation may have been an attempt at humor, does intend to write a check—but will send it to Saunders.

A Great President / Vice-President Ticket

Senator McCain and Myself

The day before Bob Corker was elected as the next United States Senator from Tennessee. Senator John McCain came to Knoxville. At the time, I was the Knox County Republican Party Chairman. My friend County Commissioner Craig Leuthold took this picture of Senator McCain and myself.

"We Tell The Truth"

It is fairly obvious that the man that I supported in 2000 will be our Republican Presidential candidate. He sums it all up in this 20 second interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox. "We Tell The Truth." As a sidebar, I hope that McCain will consider Mike Huckabee as his running mate.

Friday Funny: Nicknames for Commissioners

It was suggested today on the voice (AM 1040 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon) that all County Commissioners needed a nickname. Several Commissioners have nicknames that have been given to them for many years, some earned them through campaigns. Here are the ones that we understand already exist.

Commissioner Greg Lambert = "Lumpy"

Commissioner Scott Moore = "Scooby"

Commissioner Thomas Strickland = "Tank"

Commissioner R. Larry Smith = "Rascal"

Commissioner Paul Pinkston = "Grumpy"
Commissioner Robert Rountree = "Milo"

Here are some suggestions for all the others, feel free to email or post in comments, other possibilities.

Commissioner Sam McKenzie = "Bionic" based on working in Oak Ridge.

Commissioner Mark Campen = "Jr." based on his youth.
Commissioner Mark Harmon = "Frumpy" As close to Lumpy as we could get. Here is a definition. "A person regarded as colorless and primly sedate."

Commissioner Tony Norman = "Dopey" primarily based on some of his comments.
Commissioner Ivan Harmon = "Bugsy" a reference to his connection to a pest control company.

Commissioner Elaine Davis = "Rapunzel" based on the fairy tale of the lady with all the hair.
Commissioner William Daniels = "Bucky" he just kind of looks like a Bucky, and will probably buck the system from time to time.

Commissioner Craig Leuthold = "Stiffy" based on his stiff demeanor at commission meetings and everywhere else he goes.
Commissioner Mike Hammond = "TOV - The Other Voice" A reference to his job as PA announcer and a slight reference to his talk radio competition.
Commissioner Dr. Richard Briggs = "doc" because of his life's work.

Commissioner Phil Ballard = "dr.phil" based on his radio commercial, where he said "No, like Dr. Phil.".
Commissioner Dave Wright = "Wiry" based on his career with the telephone company, Bell South/At&T.

Commissioner Victoria DeFreese - "Class Mom" A reference to her experience as a home school mom and her level of 'class'. This classroom will be tough one, but she is good for the job.