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Seven Days

Wednesday, July 4
Local fireworks audiences are once again tormented by Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." Mass defections to Canada and Mexico ensue.

Thursday, July 5
TVA announces that $1.1 million in new funding will allow it to add eight new staff members. Or pay Norm Zigrossi's retirement bonus, whichever.
The Legislature returns to grapple with the state's budget crisis. The House once again proposes an income tax. In the Senate, Memphis Democrat Steve Cohen presents party leaders with rolls of toilet paper, just in case they ever "get off the pot." Nice gesture, but at this point shovels would be more useful.

Saturday, July 7
The House votes down yet another sales tax increase, leaving only the "Armageddon" budget (i.e. no spending increases) as a standing option. It's funny, we always imagined Armageddon with more convincing bad guys.

Sunday, July 8
In a rare weekend session, the Legislature considers a jerry-rigged budget with a bunch of one-time fixes. Now, there's the Legislature we know.

Monday, July 9
City officials set off fireworks to mark the placing of the final support beam for the convention center! Other exciting celebrations to look forward to: the Decoration of the Door Jambs, the Placing of the Penultimate Window Shade, and (once the plumbing is complete) the Festival of the First Flush!

Tuesday, July 10
UT wraps up its NCAA investigation of athletes' academic performance and reports conclusively that Pamela Reed was never a Vol running back.
The state Senate approves a new motor vehicle tax, at the same time that the House passes a no-new-taxes budget. Boy, this is some fun, ain't it? Good thing these guys aren't doing something important.
City Council denies a rezoning for a new Target store requested by the Holrob Investment group. Oops. Looks like Holrob forgot to hire a Council member to go with their county commissioner—you need the complete set, guys.

Knoxville Found

(Click photo for larger image)

What is this? Every week in "Knoxville Found," we'll print the photo of a local curiosity. If you're the first person to correctly identify this oddity, you'll win a special prize plucked from the desk of the editor (keep in mind that the editor hasn't cleaned his desk in five years). E-mail your guesses, or send 'em to "Knoxville Found" c/o Metro Pulse, 505 Market St., Suite 300, Knoxville, TN 37902.

Last Week's Photo:
Take me to the river. Or the lake. Or whatever that water in the middle of the city is. 'Cause that's where you'll find these stylish V's adorning the architecture of Volunteer Landing. (We're sure it's just a coincidence that they could double as a personal crest for our redoubtable mayor.) The first right answer came from Travis Gray, who writes, "I think this particular shot is on the railings of Volunteer Landing itself. Extra Credit: Tony Brock designed the logo at Robin Easter Design Group. I know this because I work for Robin. Is that cheating?" Hey, we won't tell if you don't. For his quick response and company loyalty, Travis wins Lloyd Dangle's cartoon compilation Troubletown. And special thanks to David Moon for suggesting the location. If you've got "Knoxville Found" ideas of your own, send 'em along.

Meet Your City
A calendar of upcoming public meetings you should attend

METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMISSION
Thursday, July 12
1:30 p.m.
City County Bldg., Large Assembly Room
400 Main St.
MPC's regular monthly meeting, with a host of rezonings, etc. Included is Mayor Victor Ashe's proposal to rename UT Drive as "Todd Helton Drive."

KNOX COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
Monday, July 16 and Tuesday, July 17
8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Best Western Valley View Motel and Convention Center
Townsend, Tenn.
The school board will hold its annual two-day retreat in Townsend. Items on the agenda include the budget, the board's capital plan and the superintendent's performance review. The meetings are open to the public, if you don't mind a drive. Call 594-1902 for information.

KNOX COUNTY COMMISSION
Wednesday, July 18
8 a.m.-5 p.m.
City County Bldg., Large Assembly Room
400 Main St.
Commission's monthly committee meetings will take place at various times during the day, in the following order: Roads, Economic Development, Finance, Vacant Property, Construction Oversight, Human Services, Intergovernmental, and Education. Call 215-2534 for details.

EMPOWERMENT ZONE INVESTMENT SHOP
Thursday, July 19
6:30 p.m
Western Heights Boys and Girls Club
331 W. Oldham Ave
An informational meeting for current or prospective business owners in the city's Empowerment Zone neighborhoods. The Investment Shop is intended to help with technical assistance, consulting, business education, financial management and networking.

Unready Universe

Study delayed until county gets 'more info'

Movement toward the proposed "Universe Knoxville" planetarium and museum complex for downtown Knoxville appears to be stalled by a lack of communication between Knox County government officials and the Knox Area Chamber Partnership's leaders who are advancing the concept and are seeking the county's financial backing.

Both County Executive Tommy Schumpert and Wanda Moody, the county commissioner whose resolution two weeks ago called for a new feasibility study of the project, say they have been waiting for the Chamber to provide them with additional details and descriptions of the project's components before specifying who should conduct the study, which is due to be presented to the Commission by its Sept. 24 meeting.

"It's still pretty nebulous," says Moody, "and I think Tommy is having some problems with the definition and explanation of Universe Knoxville." Schumpert agrees, and says he is waiting to hear more details from the backers.

Chamber President Tom Ingram, however, says he does not believe the county officials "need a more detailed description than exists. There's a pretty full description in the public realm as it is." He says he will contact them soon and "we'll certainly try to provide whatever Wanda and Tommy want."

Ingram says there is a pre-development team that is "continuing to explore the architecture and design, construction and site issues to come up with a maximum cost and determine the 'preferred financing option.'" But he says the information on the table is enough to present for a feasibility study. There have already been two feasibility studies, both favorable, done with the current description, he says. "We've given Tommy several names" of people who could perform the additional study, Ingram says, and he has been expecting to hear back from the county executive at any time.

Schumpert confirms he's been supplied with study options, but he feels no compunction to proceed with the recommendation. "We'll probably get into that in three of four weeks, but I still want to know more about it first.

"I don't think [the study] will take long. I think it will be done by the [meeting at] the end of September," Schumpert says.

—Barry Henderson

Last Call

City Brew closes its doors and seeks new ownership

The third time apparently wasn't the charm for the Gay Street brewpub, first opened in 1994 and most recently operated as City Brew. After closing for the 4th of July week "to let employees have a vacation," and sprucing up its upper floor with new paint during that break, City Brew did not reopen as scheduled Tuesday and is out of business.

Co-owner Grady Regas says the restaurant and brewery, which was formerly the Smoky Mountain Brewing Company and then the Great Southern Brewery, is up for sale again. "It's unfortunate for everyone concerned," Regas says. He says the revenues never grew to the break-even point, but that the decision to close was still a tough one.

He reiterated what Steve Cerne, the senior manager and co-owner, explained was a reluctance to "go into detail" on the reasons for the decision. "It would be easy to blame someone," Regas says, "but that's not what we're about."

"It's ready to go for the lucky group that jumps in there soon," Regas says of the renovated Victorian-era building, which features a handsome, three-sided mahogany bar and a mezzanine level. The restaurant seats about 250. Regas says there has been interest shown, but declined to say who might pursue a reopening. Other sources suggested that the feelers came from other breweries and from a restaurant group who may wish to buy the building outright.

T.L. Adkisson, the brewmaster who produced the high-quality beers and ales served in the pub, says he doesn't know what he's going to do next. "I want to stay in Knoxville," says Adkisson, the last of the former New Knoxville Brewing Co. brewers to practice his craft here. He says he recently turned down a good offer to move to Asheville, N. C., to brew for a microbrewery there.

Adkisson laments the "hundreds of gallons" of beer in the tanks, ready to serve, that represent eight months' work for him. He says he fears it will have to be dumped.

City Brew opened Dec. 1 after a hiatus of several months taken in purchase complications, remodeling, and relicensing the restaurant and pub. During that long down time, many of the previous establishment's hundreds of regulars developed other after-work habits. During its short history, City Brew underwent continual menu tuning, wait-staff training and other efforts to get it up to full capacity. In recent months, the restaurant was rarely full except on Thursday nights, when crowds following the Sundown in the City concerts on Market Square flowed in after the show. The last Sundown concert was June 28, although the series will start up again in August.

—Barry Henderson

Jumping the Track

Local activists fight for protections in trade agreements

Local activists are trying to stop President Bush from getting fast-track power, which would expedite the signing of trade agreements—without, they fear, regard for labor or environmental standards.

Fast-track would keep Congress from tinkering with trade agreements negotiated by the president, giving the legislative bodies only a yes or no vote. Congress has refused to hand over this authority since 1994.

Proponents of fast-track say it would expedite the implementation of trade agreements, which can often be a lengthy and cumbersome process, as each country often must get approval from its legislative bodies. However, the current proposal in the House of Representatives includes no standards for labor and environmental concerns. And, opponents worry it'll keep them from having input on specific trade agreements.

"We're really concerned that some of the trade deals that have come down have not had the kind of labor and environmental protections we need to see in East Tennessee," says Judy Roitman, director of the Tennessee Industrial Renewal Network (TIRN). "And a lot of people have philosophical problems about giving all that authority to the White House."

The trade agreements passed so far have had weak labor and environmental standards, says Roitman, adding that Tennessee has been hit hard. A joint study by the Citizens Trade Campaign and Jobs With Justice found that NAFTA has cost Tennessee 25,000 jobs.

The job loss continues on a global scale, Roitman says. Columbia Specialties Inc. recently decided to relocate its East Tennessee plant, which employed 685 people, to China, Roitman says.

"It's tough to compete with China where they're paying less than a dollar an hour, where the human rights situation is horrible, and where there's child labor," she says.

Lack of any environmental standards is also a concern. "We have worked hard over the years to develop environmental polices where companies can't just pour their toxic chemicals into the sewer," she says. "And it's hard to compete with countries that don't have those policies."

To stop fast-track, TIRN is helping to organize a national call your congressman day on July 17. You can call your Congressman toll-free at 1-800-393-1082. The House Bill in question is 2149. For more information, TIRN's phone number is 637-1576.

A spokesman from Rep. John J. Duncan Jr.'s office says that the congressman has yet to decide how he will vote on the issue. He opposed fast-track in both 1997 and '98, according to TIRN.

"It's not the total solution to stop fast-track. But it does send a message that we want to have better trade deals for Tennessee, and also for workers on the other side of the border," Roitman says. "We've had support from a number of Tennessee congressmen in the past. We hope that continues."

—Joe Tarr