|
Working Together
Ear received the following email this week about a new website of local interest:
"UT is a valuable resource to Knoxville—and to its mayor. Victor Ashe has hired two UT professors to maintain a campaign web site for him. One of them, John Scheb, is using his UT address and UT email account to promote the campaign. Makes you proud to pay the new income tax to keep those two in business."
Attached was the following email from Scheb's university address dated 4/19/99:
"Thought you might like to check out the following web site that Bill Lyons and I are maintaining for Mayor Ashe's reelection campaign: http://www. asheformayor.com/"
The page is a beauty, with a pull-down menu and, topics like "What they're saying about Victor" (consisting of endorsements from three members of City Council—Jean Teague, Gary Underwood,and Ivan Harmon), "Latest news," "email Victor," "Mayor Ashe's Biography," and opportunities to give money.
Contacted about the website, Scheb conceded that he had used the UT email account: "...I guess it didn't really cross my mind [that he shouldn't use the university account for political consulting]. I will certainly refrain from doing that in the future..."
Market Value
The ghost of Cas Walker appears to have possessed the side of the Knox County Farmers Market building formerly devoted to the sale of produce, and the aisles are stacked with paper towels and soap powders. The market, built at taxpayer expense to encourage local farmers and artisans, is run by Chattanooga produce man Roger Dotson, who has a contract with the county. Dotson has leased the space to an Athens, Tennessee operation called Bargain Barn Foods, historically known for selling salvage goods, that will operate as United Grocery Outlet (UGO). County Executive Tommy Schumpert and County Law Director Richard Beeler confirm that Dotson is probably acting within the terms of his contract, although neither expressed enthusiasm for the new plan. Produce sales have been moved outside into the adjoining open-air pavilion, thus begging the question of what will happen in the fall. Market manager Steve Bailey says the plan is to enclose the pavilion and run gas heat in when the weather gets cold. The Knoxville Bargain Barn, located on Chapman Highway, is distinctly not upscale, but UGO representative Ron Spivey says the merchandise at the Farmers Market will be "First quality, name-brand stuff you'd find in any supermarket."
Greyhound Dog
If you'd been downtown at about 2:00 a.m. early last week, you might have spotted a popular actress frantically flagging down a bus whose sole passenger looked a lot like Elvis Presley.
Idols [sic] of the King, a popular touring comedy about Elvis Presley and his fans, has played in several big cities around the country, to rave reviews. It was to play in Knoxville, which is the hometown of Idols leading actress Dale Dickey, but the deal fell through. It was only to take a day off and attend a party at the West Knoxville home of Dale's mother Missy Dickey that the cast converged on Knoxville last week.
On a lark, Lance Zitron, who plays Elvis, chose to take a Greyhound bus up from Atlanta; it was due in at the bus station at Magnolia and Central just after midnight. Dale Dickey and a friend went to greet her costar, and were puzzled that the bus was nearly an hour late. Then, on their cellphone, they received a call from Zitron. The bus was in Knoxville, sure enough, at the corner of State and Main. And it was in good repair, running fine. It's just that the Greyhound driver didn't know where the Greyhound station was. He'd been driving the erstwhile Elvis around downtown Knoxville for over an hour.
It was Dale Dickey herself who located the errant bus, flagged it down at Cumberland, and led it safely to the station.
| 
