Gov. Bill Haslam says city council members in Memphis and Nashville trying to decriminalize marijuana possession can put that idea in their pipe and smoke it. Ok, he actually just said “I’m not a fan” of de-illegalizing weed, but that’s kind of the same thing.
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Knoxville could one day, possibly, maybe, (hopefully?), perhaps have a bike-share program similar to other Tennessee cities like Nashville or Chattanooga. At least, that’s what Councilman George Wallace is pushing for. A similar bid failed three years ago.
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Over the past year 600 homes have been updated to be more energy efficient as part of the Knoxville Extreme Energy Makeover program. TVA gave the city and KUB $15 million for the work, and it expects another 600 homes to be upgraded before the program sunsets this time next year.
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The University of Tennessee hired a special spokesman to put spin on–cough cough, sorry, we meant to say it’s to help in “developing communications strategies” around–allegations involving a federal Title IX lawsuit. UT agreed to pay out a maximum of $240,000 during the one-year contract, which is still ongoing despite the school settling that lawsuit in July.
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The new owners of Knoxville Center mall want to turn it into a “thriving retail and residential hub” in the midst of an ocean of asphalt parking lot.
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A Rockwood police officer named in a $1.2 million lawsuit for pepper-spraying a 21-year-old college basketball player has resigned. Officer Chris Kennedy originally claimed the player, Xavier Howard, charged at him while the officer was responding to a reported domestic violence argument. The officer’s body camera footage seems to contradict that claim.
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This one Knoxville band hates this other Knoxville band so much its been messaging venues around the country trying to get shows cancelled. Or at the Scene headlined it: Knoxville Hater Pushes Nationwide Ban on Birdcloud.
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UT’s swim team turned their diving platforms into a slip-and-slide, then made a video:
Former Mercury staff reporter Clay Duda has covered gangs in New York, housing busts in Atlanta, and wildfires in Northern California. And lots of stuff about Knoxville.
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