Metro Pulse/Ear to the Ground

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Square Chamber?

The Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership is pointing toward moving out of its present quarters in Old City Hall, and its destination could well be Market Square. Chamber president Mike Edwards confirms discussions about acquiring the second floor of the former Watson's Department Store with the building's owner, David Dewhirst. Dewhirst would retain ownership of the first floor for retail use.

A prerequisite to the move is city construction of a parking garage just to the west of the square for which Mayor Victor Ashe has budgeted $14 million. It's also contingent on completion of space plans that confirm Edwards' preliminary assessment that the 22,000 square feet of space involved would meet the chamber's needs. In addition to the 34 employees of the chamber, the Knox County Development Corp. and the Central Business Improvement District would make the move, and the space must also be able to accommodate chamber-hosted gatherings. The chamber is also considering the Southern Depot as an alternative site, but we get the sense that Edwards would prefer to be located in the Central Business District.

Beer in our Ear

Rumor has it that, after months of agonizing anticipation, the Downtown Grille and Brewery will at last present its first house brew this Friday, May 16. The brew's name remains secret, but it will be an India Pale Ale, according to sources. The restaurant will roll out the rest of its house brew line-up next week.

Hardball Politics

All four mayoral candidates got to show off their pitching skills at a recent UT baseball game when the Diamond Vols invited them to throw out the first pitch. Each of them got a ceremonial toss, and while Madeline Rogero doesn't own up to throwing like a girl, she willingly admits that she came in third, maybe even fourth in the tossathon. "Both Bill (Haslam) and Randy (Tyree) looked like real pitchers. Steve (Hall) and I were just glad to get the ball to the catcher. My ball bounced in the dirt in front of plate," said Rogero, who swears she would have done better playing softball, where her position of choice is first base.

"If you want to elect a pitcher, I'm probably not who you want."

Black (News) Hole

For the past few days, a classified ad has appeared in the News Sentinel— "Seeking business writer and editor, restaurant reviewer, and music/nightclub writer for new Knoxville-based publication covering East Tennessee...." It leads applicants to a blind box at the NS. A poll of the best gossips and newsies around town produced nothing but rumors about who's behind the ad. Of course, we don't print rumors. That might "spark(s)" unnecessary controversy.

Mending Fences

When writer Patricia Cornwell talks about a "fence," you immediately think of some sinister trafficker in stolen goods in one of her popular mystery stories. This time, the author of The Body Farm, who's an acknowledged fan of the forensics work of retired UT professor William Bass, meant a real fence, like wire. On a recent research trip to Knoxville for another novel, she hired a helicopter to get an aerial view of Bass's famous "farm," and the downdraft from the chopper blades blew down part of the fence there. Instead of offering to replaced the damaged section, Cornwell is paying for an entirely new fence around the farm, for which, "We are grateful," says Richard Jantz, director of the university's Forensic Anthropology Research Center.