Bill Dunn's bill to use chat rooms to offer "sunshined" discussion between officials covered by the Open Meetings Act is moving forward.

However, it's always good to think out the details. What specifics should this bill include?

1. Archive of all conversations for elected term + 1 year (e.g., 9 years for Knox County Commissioners)
2. All posts must be keyword searchable, with complex queries allowed (e.g., show all posts by Commissioner X, with keyword "TIF" and keyword "Halls" in the same post)

If we choose to allow public comments, I would recommend a blog engine like Scoop, that allows registered users to build rating points based on comments other users find useful or, on the other side, lose points by 'trolling.' Other users can then filter comments from users below a certain rating value (it's not censorship, since it's the choice of each individual user to set the viewing threshold).

I would also suggest how KNS uses "suggest removal" to allow a county administrator to remove potentially libelous posts.

Other thoughts?

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Pileated Woodpecker, a male, I believe. Taken at Lake Ashby Park in Volusia Co. FL, which is an excellent county run park that we discovered by accident. This was the first time I've been able to get photos of one of these fellows. He came right up near us on the trail, making a lot of noise like maybe he was being all territorial and stuff.

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A reader sends this page from the latest Tennessee Blue Book, noting that it's a "slice of East Tennessee people, and elected officials." Note the political party affiliation: "Independent NASCAR Fan". (Here's a better photo of Sen. Williams' NASCAR getup.) Coincidentally, there's some news from the TN 4th Senate District today.

Protein Discovery, Inc. Completes $10 Million Private Equity Financing:

Protein Discovery, Inc., a developer and marketer of products that simplify biological sample preparation for mass spectrometry applications, today announced that the company has closed a $10 million Series C round of equity financing.

The company's product is used to "prepare biological samples for mass spectrometry analysis in common life science R&D applications such as protein biomarker discovery and small molecule quantification," whatever that means, and is said to reduce the time required for the process from days to hours.

Apparently it has nothing to do, however, with sports, trucking, or strip mall development.

The DOE has selected Knoxville as one of twelve cities to receive solar energy grants:

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today announced that DOE will make available up to $2.4 million to 12 cities across the country selected as Solar America Cities, chosen for their commitment and comprehensive approach to the deployment of solar technologies and the development of sustainable solar infrastructures.

[..]

Cities designated as Solar America Cities, which will each receive $200,000 from DOE to integrate a variety of solar energy technologies throughout the city, include: Denver, CO; Houston, TX; Knoxville, TN; Milwaukee, WI; Minneapolis & St. Paul, MN; Orlando, FL; Philadelphia, PA; Sacramento, CA; San Antonio, TX; San Jose, CA; Santa Rosa, CA; and Seattle, WA.

According to the DOE press release, the selected cities will also receive hands-on technical assistance with integrating solar technology into energy planning, zoning, local regulations, best practices, solar financing options, and incentive programs. The grants are part of the DOE Solar American Cities program.

$200K ($2.4 million overall) is a rounding error in terms of federal funding for alternative energy technology research and programs, but we should be happy they are doing anything at all and take what we can get.

(Here's a previous report on Florida's solar incentive program and some others around the South along with a discussion of some of the issues involved. Some interesting comments, too.)

UPDATE: Here's the City of Knoxville's Solar Cities grant application, courtesy of Bill Lyons. There are some interesting ideas, such as integrating solar technology into the new transit center, solar powered affordable housing development projects (as mentioned yesterday), education/outreach programs at the Ijams nature center, and lots more.

Had lunch with a friend who feels pretty strongly that a good location for a new, consolidated downtown hospital would be the site of the current safety building and coliseum. Both buildings being decrepit (and city owned), doing this would:

1. reduce the problem of the current landlocked state of Baptist
2. keep the hospital closer to south Knoxville than "somewhere else"
3. utilize Hall of Fame Drive to remain connected to north Knoxville
4. use TIFs to get a new coliseum out of the deal

other pros, cons?

1. also closer to Interstate than both current hospitals

WBIR reports (by way of KT) that the new citizen's grant review panel declined grant funding for Dr. Kim's Free Clinic. According to the report, the clinic has received funding for the past three years, and was hoping to get funding for a new nurse position this year.

Personally, this seems like a bad start for the citizen's grant review panel. But I suppose there are a lot of tough decisions that have to be made. Maybe some of them are better left to pros. (I also wonder if this has anything to do with the St. Mary's/Baptist merger? Does that affect future plans for the clinic?)

Anyway, if you'd like to help Dr. Kim's Free Clinic fund a new nurse position, you can make a donation:

Make checks payable to Free Medical Clinic and mail to:

Baptist Health System Foundation
Free Medical Clinic Fund
101 Blount Avenue, Suite 530
Knoxville, TN 37920

Watching CC last night on tube I saw the South-Doyle homeowners doing another good job. Bob Dykes has been impressive the couple times I have seen him in action. That is the sort of person we would all benefit from as mayor, County Commissioner, MPC, IDB, etc. If you know more folks like Mr. Dykes seems to be lets encourage them to take positions of leadership.

The Tennessee Senate Environment and Conservation Committee had a somewhat confrontational hearing Wednesday on the bill to ban mountaintop removal. Chair Tommy Kilby blocked a vote on the measure.

There was some good news, though. See the LEAF update after the jump. Also see this report at Facing South.

Illumination: Works of Vibrant Imagination, a new exhibition featuring the works of Katie Gamble, Jessica Gregory, and Zophia Kneiss. It closes today at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, downtown Knoxville. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9-5. You can see other work from the exhibition on the Emporium page on Art Museum Touring.com (Link...)

"Emma Rides a Flying Pig" by Jessica Gregory

Gamble's impressionistic oils and Gregory's colorful acrylics, coupled with Kneiss' metal art, create an elaborate garden on the first floor of the Emporium through which visitors can wander. The artists hope to inspire imagination and personal interpretation of works in everyone who views the exhibit.

Support your local galleries and museums! They are economic engines for your community.

Sherrie

The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization is seeking input for its 2035 Knoxville Regional Mobility Plan.

You can fill out a short survey here.

Public meetings are being scheduled over the next few months. Check the KRTPO website for details as they become available.