If you are using the RSS feed of this site, please note that it has moved. Redirect your feed reader to

http://www.genepatterson.com/rss.xml

Tune in Sunday to Tennessee This Week. Among the topics: wine sales in grocery stores. Right now Tennessee is just one of about 17 other states that ban sales of wine in its groceries.

The Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Stores Association - through its campaign called Red, White and Food - is hoping to change that by getting consumers to join their fight in supporting wine sales in stores.

Liquor store owners and others - though - aren’t rolling over. They are also marshaling forces to stop a bill that is currently sitting in committee.

On Tuesday in Nashville - both sides will present their arguments - to the House Local Government Committee.

Jarron Springer, president of the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association, and local liquor store owner, Thad Cox - square off on the subject on Tennessee This Week.

Former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe - the current Ambassador to Poland - is being honored in Nashville next week.

He’s in Nashville March 25 and 26. He’s speaking to the Nashville Council of Foreign Affairs on the 25th. His topic: Poland’s role in today’s Europe.

He’ll be honored with a resolution - sponsored by Senator Douglas Henry - for his service as a U.S. Ambassador on the 26th.

While in Nashville, he’s also scheduled to meet with Governor Bredesen and former U.S. Senator Bill Frist.

Ashe has served as Ambassador to Poland since June 23, 2004. He was appointed by President George W. Bush.

One of the state’s biggest critics of the recently passed federal omnibus bill - is also one of the Tennessee Congressional Delegation’s biggest beneficiaries of the so-called pork contained within it.

Republican Congressman Zach Wamp has been a vocal critic of earmarks. He voted against the 418 billion dollar omnibus bill - in part - because of the more than 5 billion dollars in pork barrel spending.

Yet - the group “Taxpayers for Common Sense” point out that he sponsored 12 projects - totaling more than 6-million dollars.

Those projects ranged from 2.4 million dollars fot TBI’s Statewide Meth Task force to half a million dollars for the Moccasin Bend National Archaeological District to 237,000 dollars for the redevelopment of the Highland View Neighborhood in Oak Ridge.

No one is questioning the need for these particular projects (at least not that I’ve heard), but isn’t it an odd stretch to vote against a spending measure because of the pork and still manage to make sure your district gets its share of it?

Other East Tennessee Congressmen also getting in on the “pork”:

Fourth District Representative Lincoln Davis, a Democrat, sponsored five projects totaling nearly 1.3 million dollars. He voted for the omnibus bill.

Second District Congressman, Republican Jimmy Duncan voted against the bill, but managed to sponsor 8 projects, costing taxpayers just more than 2 million dollars.

And our U.S. Senators also brought home the “bacon.”

Lamar Alexander sponsored 10 projects adding 5.4 million dollars to the bill and Bob Corker sponsored one project totaling 760,000 dollars.

Alexander voted for the omnibus bill, Corker voted no.

Today’s record breaking warm weather reminded me of one of the more crazy times I spent at the University of Tennessee.

It was a three day stretch in early March 1974. Like today - it was unseasonably warm and after months of cold, dreary weather, the warm stretch of days was a great break from the monotony of winter and studying.

It was so warm - especially at night — that it seemed the natural thing to go outside and enjoy ourselves. And boy did we ever.

The Knoxville Police Department helped out by shutting down Cumberland Avenue from around 21st street to 17th street. The only traffic on the strip those 3 nights were people. And the occasional car filled with — naked people.

Streaking had reached Knoxville. And it turned Cumberland Avenue into a spontaneous party.

Those of you old enough to remember streaking know it was a fad that swept the country. It inspired a song by Ray Stevens.

Even the Oscar Awards that year had an unscheduled streaker…prompting presenter David Niven to quip: “Just think: the only laugh that man will probably ever get is for stripping and showing off his shortcomings.”

But it was on college campuses that streaking reached epidemic proportions. So much, that Time Magazine ran a spread on the craziness..

Here’s a part of an article from its March 18, 1974 edition:

“At Stanford University, a fraternity man entertaining a coed in his room responded to a knock at the door and was confronted by seven nude males, each carrying a golf bag. “May we play through?” asked one. In Knoxville, Tenn., vowing that they would not be “outstripped by any state,” scores of University of Tennessee students raced nude down Cumberland Avenue, even taking to the roofs to sit atop a second-story billboard and astride an ornamental bull.”

I remember that billboard and all the guys lined up on it. As I recall it - they mooned the crowd more than once. I remember the bull too and the couple on it. But we won’t get into too many details about that.

Knoxville and UT students embraced streaking so much that America’s most trusted man, then CBS anchor Walter Cronkite tagged Knoxville with a dubious distinction. It’s even on the City of Knoxville website:

In 1974 Walter Cronkite designated Knoxville as the “Streaking Capital of the World.” It was in the spring of that year that an estimated 5,000 people on Cumberland Avenue took their clothes off… stripping on the “strip”.

Streaking was fun. It was silly. It was a great way to take our minds off some serious stuff.

The war in Viet Nam was winding down, but young people were still dying. Richard Nixon was President and in the midst of scandal. We all needed a break.

Thank goodness for streaking.

Knox County Commissioners Mike Hammond and Richard Briggs say they’ll bring legislation that would move all budget functions from the county’s fee offices to County Commission.

The two appeared together on Tennessee This Week, which airs Sunday on WATE at noon.

Commissioner Hammond says he’s had conversations with legal experts who believe an ordinance - approved by County Commission - would be enough to transfer the budget functions and would not require a change in the Knox County Charter.

Amending the Charter would require a vote of the people and could take more than two years to accomplish.

Also appearing on Tennessee This Week is 5th District Councilman Bob Becker. Becker is the city’s new Vice Mayor after being voted in by his fellow Council members last week.

When asked if he would consider a run for Mayor in 2011, he said he would, but wouldn’t because of the potential run by Madeline Rogero.

Rogero, who finished second to Mayor Bill Haslam in his first run, has said she will run in two years.

Becker says he’ll support her and isn’t concerned about his endorsement causing any friction among Council members. Two members, Rob Frost and Marilyn Roddy, are both said to be considering runs.

Interesting study on media bias out of Indiana University. We’ve heard about the “liberal” bias for so long that many take it for fact.

Maybe it’s not. Here’s a quote from an article by IU about the study:

“We don’t think this is journalists conspiring to favor Republicans. We think they’re just so beat up and tired of being accused of a liberal bias that they unknowingly give Republicans the benefit in coverage,” said Maria Elizabeth Grabe, who also is a research associate in political science at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. “It’s self-censorship that journalists might be imposing on themselves.”

Here’s the entire story.

The Knox County School Board’s Ethics Committee has voted to publicly censure fellow Board member Bill Phillips. The measure passed unanimously.

Phillips pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault of his wife. The original complaint filed in the case stated that Phillips drew a gun on his wife and threatened her life.

Both he and his wife now dispute that report. Phillips claims a combination of medicines caused his behavior.

The Ethics Committee also approved a second motion - asking Phillips to voluntarily resign from the Board. Member Rebecca Owens voted against the measure.

Both items now go before the full Board at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

We’ll have more on this story tonight at 5 and 6 on WATE.

UT President Dr. John Petersen is resigning from the University of Tennessee.

In a joint announcement this afternoon, Petersen and Vice Chair of the UT Board of Trustees, Jim Murphy, said Petersen will leave his post effective June 30, and that Dr. Jan Simek, who most recently served as interim chancellor of UTK, will fill the post for up to two years - pending a vote of the Board.

A 4:30 news conference is scheduled at UT. WATE will carry it live.

More speculation about UT President John Petersen and whether he will be retained by the Board of Trustees.

The Tennessean ran this story today. It offers nothing new, but allows the newspaper to stay out in front of the story - should it actually become a story.

We’ve been musing about the issue for weeks. Our sources say the decision has already been made, but so far Board Vice Chair Jim Murphy is keeping his cards close to his vest, saying no decision has been made.