Both the April 7th Agenda Review and April 9th Planning Commission meetings will take place electronically in accordance with Governor Bill Lee's Executive Order Number 16.

Individuals wanting to speak about a specific agenda item during the Thursday meeting MUST 'pre-register' by sending an email.

More information here:
https://knoxmpc.org

While the Planning Department is doing its best to get this information out, there obviously has not been time to notify all public.

The Office of Neighborhoods will be including this information in their Neighborhood Advisory, but this only goes to city residents. It will be more of a challenge to get the word out to county residents since there is no counterpart to the OON in the county.

Please share widely!

Yesterday was the filing deadline for the Aug. 6 state and federal legislative primary. Sandra Clark has the list of Knox Co. candidates...

There is also a U.S. Senate primary. Here are the candidates that have filed...

The withdrawal deadline is noon on April 9, 2020.

“I applaud the Governor for following through with his convictions and fulfilling his duty to protect the people of Tennessee according to his best judgement. However, I cannot applaud any government monitoring the movements of its people and mandating virtually everything we are allowed to do.

“Governor Bill Lee’s Stay at Home Order is a necessary measure to help protect lives in Tennessee and avoid overloading our medical facilities. Watching the number of COVID-19 cases spread rapidly across the state reinforces that we all need to take every step possible to slow the spread of this virus. Tomorrow Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, Dr. Martha Buchanan and I will be meeting with Governor Lee here in Knoxville, and we will discuss the best ways to enforce this mandate.”

Said to be eying a number of facilities across the state to accommodate an expected surge in demand.

Details forthcoming...

Announcement...

Details coming soon..

Update: the order

Knox County Health Department Announces COVID-19 Drive-Thru Testing Event

The Knox County Health Department (KCHD) is partnering with Kroger Health and the City of Knoxville to facilitate a COVID-19 drive-thru testing opportunity for qualifying individuals in Knox County. The two-day event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4 in the Zoo Knoxville parking lot (3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive).

More info after the break...

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending March 28, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 6,648,000, an increase of 3,341,000 from the previous week's revised level. This marks the highest level of seasonally adjusted initial claims in the history of the seasonally adjusted series. The previous week's level was revised up by 24,000 from 3,283,000 to 3,307,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,612,000, an increase of 1,607,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 6,000 from 998,250 to 1,004,250.

Source: US Dept. of Labor

Tennessee had 94,492 new claims, compared to 39,096 the prior week, and 2702 the week before that.

We don't have a way of figuring out if this year's election system works. There is no dry run. Well, there's this. I think this is a good opportunity to test test mail-in voting. I say, let the primaries reinvent themselves.

CNN reports that "Lee said Monday that he was not issuing a mandated shelter in place order because it is "deeply important to me" to protect personal liberties."

LINK

What good is liberty without life!

To Lee: wake up & smell the coffee!

... our exhalations — even if we’re not coughing or sneezing — can still contain a gas cloud of viral particles. And a particularly powerful sneeze can send these particles, both in droplets and in a puff of gas traveling through the air, flying much farther than six feet. Under the right conditions, they can go 23 to 27 feet, Bourouiba has found.

Six-foot rule to protect against coronavirus may not be enough, MIT professor says

Turbulent Gas Clouds and Respiratory Pathogen Emissions Potential Implications for Reducing Transmission of COVID-19

Bourouiba Research Group

Governor Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday afternoon that the state of Florida is being shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The order mandates that Floridians stay home unless they're going out for "essential services or activities." Details will be released later Wednesday.

UPDATE: Gov. DeSantis executive order

CITY OF KNOXVILLE AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS ESTABLISH HOMELESS SHELTER FOR THOSE SHOWING COVID-19 SYMPTOMS

The City of Knoxville is working with community partners to establish a shelter space for homeless persons who have been tested for COVID-19.

The City has been working with service providers and the Knox County Health Department to identify a space, social supports and medical management for a safe, operational space.

Mayor Indya Kincannon said, “It’s important to note there are no confirmed cases in the homeless community right now in Knoxville, but we felt it was vitally important to have a designated place for those showing symptoms. We are pleased so many community partners are joining forces to help open this shelter.”

The Metro Drug Coalition is providing their building on West 5th Avenue for shelter space, which will be called “The Guest House.” This building is the future home of the Gateway Recovery Community Center and has enough space to accommodate 18 people, following appropriate social distancing and infection control guidelines.

...the U.S. is allowing many types of medical supplies to leave the country even as states and hospital systems are expressing desperate need for masks and other PPE.
...
not the case in countries that have cracked down on exports
...
Buyers from state procurement departments and hospital systems expressed desperate need for masks, but the deals bogged down when it came to providing proof that they could commit and follow through. In the meantime, another buyer provided proof of funds and the masks were gone, sometimes within the hour.
...
At one point he received an update that 43 million masks were available in New Jersey, in the same time-frame that federal and state leaders were saying in press conferences that they were “scouring the globe” for masks. But the masks in New Jersey, along with many million more, didn’t go to any domestic buyer. Instead, according to the broker, they were all purchased by foreign buyers.

Last week, a Trump administration official working to secure much-needed protective gear for doctors and nurses in the United States had a startling encounter with counterparts in Thailand.

The official asked the Thais for help—only to be informed by the puzzled voices on the other side of the line that a U.S. shipment of the same supplies, the second of two so far, was already on its way to Bangkok.

Would someone please take charge?

MAYOR KINCANNON ISSUES SAFER AT HOME ORDER TO HELP ASSIST WITH ENFORCEMENT

Mayor Indya Kincannon has issued a Safer at Home order that will go into effect Wednesday, April 1, 2020. This order directly echoes the order issued last week by the Knox County Health Department.

The order gives City of Knoxville employees who have enforcement and regulatory authority, the ability to take corrective action within Knoxville city limits against those violating Safer at Home orders.

Mayor Kincannon said, “The number of COVID-19 cases in Knox County has doubled in the last few days and is rising daily. Too many people are not taking this seriously. I issued this order so our codes enforcement officers, Parks and Rec employees, KFD inspectors and KPD officers will be empowered to enforce this life-saving order.”

The nicer weather this past weekend seemed to highlight the fact that groups of 10 or more are still gathering, many ignoring the order, closed signs and COVID-19 warnings. A few examples of this are listed below:

Foggy Bottom Flats Set to Open in South Knoxville

Looks like good stuff ...

In the United States, buildings consume approximately 70% of the country's electricity. But a breakthrough in solar glass could offset that demand by converting the windows of every building into solar panels.

This glass could turn skyscrapers into power generators

Knox County says in a press release: "First Utility District, Knox-Chapman Utility District, Knoxville Utilities Board, Lenoir City Utility District, Northeast Knox Utility, Powell-Clinch Utility District and West Knox Utility District are all committed to ensuring no utility services are disconnected for nonpayment as a result of COVID-19." In addition, Alcoa and Maryville utilities in Blount County have adopted similar policies and are also suspending late fees.

Note that the payments due are deferred in some cases, meaning they will have to be paid eventually.

Press release:

The 2020 Dogwood Arts Festival is going virtual after the decision was made to postpone the public event originally scheduled for April 24-26th due to the spread of COVID-19. The virtual festival launched today at https://festival.dogwoodarts.com/ and showcases 109 artists from around the country who were juried in to participate this year. The platform allows visitors to easily browse and support the artists who put so much time, energy, and talent into making the Dogwood Arts Festival such a celebrated event each year.

There will also be a Public Vote component to the Virtual Festival, and cash prizes will be awarded to the three artists with the most votes (First Place: $500, Second Place: $300, Third Place: $200). The public vote will be open March 31st - April 30th with winners announced on May 1st.

Kincannon has already appropriated $100,000 & says there's more to come. I applaud this effort.

LINK