Metro Pulse/Ear to the Ground

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Man, you're talking a Moving Violation

The flashing red hands at pedestrian crosswalks bear so little connection to the reality of traffic that most of us have gotten into the habit of ignoring them. But no more, we promise, officer. Last week, police were collaring pedestrians for jaywalkingacross Volunteer Boulevard and Andy Holt Drive. The miscreant we know about, a middle-aged downtowner visiting the UT library, crossed the boulevard toward McClung Plaza after waiting at the corner for more than a minute when there was no more visible traffic.

We don't know of any actual tickets issued (Do they say, "Let me see your walker's license?"), but it might be worth getting a citation just to have a look at it. The officer was reportedly very polite, explaining that they were cracking down on rogue strollers for the pedestrians' own safety. But the suspect was informed that next time he might not be so lucky.

So Maybe He Didn't Just Say 'Upset'

Jimmy Hyams, WNOX Sports Talk commentator and former News-Sentinel sportswriter, used to have a spot on the Heisman Trophy panel. He might still if someone hadn't contacted the responsible parties explaining how Hyams was no longer a print journalist and should be ineligible. Hyams says the complaint was registered by Mike Griffith, the N-S sportswriter now covering the football Vols and now the Heisman voter in town. Griffith says he did it because the Heisman panel is a Scripps Howard entity, and he, not Hyams, is now the football writer for the Scripps Howard paper in town. Asked how he responded to the action of Griffith, a regular guest on Sports Talk, Hyams says he's "upset" about it.

Meet Us at the Boathouse—B.Y.O.B

The long-awaited Tennessee Grill opened for business on the top floor of the new Boathouse building on Neyland Drive yesterday. It's a big, airy room with neat decks overlooking the river. Its "members" have paid $20,000 each for a guaranteed reservation for a table for four anytime, including the hallowed hours around Vol football games. The restaurant is open to the public, too, on a space-available basis. Downstairs on the first floor, the Lady Vols rowing team has all the space for sculls, oars and gear. On the second floor, half the space is devoted to a Lady Vols training room. The other half is dedicated to meeting space for UT bigwigs and their guests. The reason for that meeting center location, endorsed by both UT's former President Joe Johnson and current President Wade Gilley? Booze—which is prohibited on campus, just a few yards away.

Pass the Evian, M'Dear

The battle between County Commission and the Knox County school board is heading toward full-blown warfare, with each side looking with a jaundiced eye toward the spending habits of the other. At least one school board member has gone as far as to hint that the Commission is wasting money on the salary of one Ray Hill, its administrative assistant. Such mutterings cause those on the Commission side to point out that Hill's salary and the school board's annual refreshment allowance both hover around the $60,000 mark. "They eat fancy snacks and drink bottled water," one Commission source said. "We eat jail food" (in reference to the baloney on white bread fare provided by Sheriff Tim Hutchison for Commission meetings).

Audit This

One group that isn't happy about being caught in the crossfire between the two elected bodies are members of the county's Commission-appointed efficiency panel. Mike Hammond, who chairs the panel, is furious that school board Chair Jim McClain last week seemingly approved the efficiency panel's choice of McConnell, Jones, Lanier & Murphy to conduct an audit, then reversed himself and rejected it this week.

"It's a slap in the face. We (efficiency panel members) are not up for re-election, we are not getting paid, we are not beholden to anybody. One week, they're on board for it—then all of a sudden the next Monday, the world has changed. I want to know why. Frankly, this really pisses me off and makes me more convinced than ever that this audit is absolutely necessary."