When asked about weakening toxic coal ash regulations, Scott Pruitt just testified in a Congressional hearing that he was not aware of the health effects suffered by workers cleaning up the coal ash spill at Kingston and another site in North Carolina.

The state legislature passed a bill allowing natural gas companies to fund chamber of commerce "economic development" programs. Knox and the three other "big four" counties are exempted.

Man, we have so much taxpayer and ratepayer funded economic development in our state that unemployment ought to be zero along with the sales tax rate.

French President Macron addressed Congress.

He appealed to the U.S. to rejoin the Paris climate accord and create a "low-carbon economy" because "there is no Planet B."

He said remaining with America's allies in the Iran nuclear deal, at least until some replacement is negotiated, is the best path for fighting terrorism, preserving peace and avoiding nuclear proliferation.

Surprised Trump isn't in a tweeting frenzy against Macron.

Mark Harmon's column in the News Sentinel

Opinion | Far-right ideas come to Knox mayoral race

"We even have an extremist InfoWars guest in our election for Knox County mayor. Glenn Jacobs, Republican candidate and former wrestler, once popped up on Jones’ program for a chummy and bizarre 22-minute chat about “the state’s monopoly on currency,” police state tyranny of the Transportation Security Administration, persecution of homeschoolers, and globalist monetary scheming."

Politico: "HUD Secretary Ben Carson on Wednesday unveiled a major overhaul of the rental-housing system, proposing to increase the share of rent that low-income households must pay without assistance and give public housing authorities the option to impose work requirements."

The Guardian: "Late last month, Hannity’s mortgages were replaced with loans for $22.9m that were rewritten with Carson’s Hud and a new bank. There was no indication that Carson was personally involved in the process. Carson does, however, have the authority to allow Hannity from 2019 to convert the rental complexes into condominiums for sale, which could be lucrative for the television host."

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signed into law on Tuesday an array of bills ushering in one of the most comprehensive packages of gun-violence legislation passed by any state this year.

The legislation includes a ban on bump stocks and other similar devices that allow semi-automatic firearms to simulate automatic fire. Another bill expands law enforcement’s ability to confiscate guns from individuals labeled an “extreme risk,” a measure known as a “red flag” law.

This second bill includes the ability for families as well as law enforcement to ask courts for an order to temporarily restrict a person’s access to firearms, if they are found to be a risk to themselves or others.

State by state, it's a start.

Hospitals may soon have to post their standard prices for patients online, under a proposed rule unveiled Tuesday by the Trump administration.

Also, the administration is seeking comments on how to stop so-called surprise billing -- when patients are charged after unknowingly being seen by out-of-network providers -- and how to give patients better information about the out-of-pocket costs they will face.

Hospitals may soon have to post prices for patients online

2018 is a major year for elections in Tennessee. Early voting in the county-level primary election has kicked off, and will end on April 26. You can also vote on the day of the May 1 primary election. Here's what you need to know before heading to the polls.

Time running out to vote early: Here's what you need to know in Knox County

(Click image for bigger/slideshow...)

We've driven up and down I-75 probably a hundred times and kept meaning to stop over in Macon to visit The Big House, where the Allman Bros. lived and rehearsed in their early years and that is now a museum. We finally stopped on our way back from Florida this past weekend. It was definitely worth it.

There's an amazing amount of memorabilia that tells the story of the Allman Bros. Band. The photos above are just a small sampling. The staff is wonderful, and the gift shop has some cool stuff including CDs of everything the band ever recorded.

Here's their website, and here's a page with history of the Big House.

I asked if they had any ticket stubs, posters, etc. from the Knoxville Coliseum show that I attended sometime in the early 70s when they opened for B. J. Thomas. The guy in the gift shop said no, but pulled out a notebook with a catalog of every date they played. He located the listing. It was Jan. 9, 1971. Duane died in October that year.

We got there when it opened, and expected we'd be the only ones there. By the time we left, the parking lot was full and there were people from all over the U.S. This is a must see venue for Allman Bros. fans.

Photo notes after the break...

A Tennessee 2nd Congressional district candidate forum was hosted Monday, Apr. 23, 2018, by the American Association of University Women, Maryville Branch, the League of Women Voters of Blount County and The Daily Times.

A couple of responses to one of the questions are unbelievable.

Question: If elected, how would you support proposed legislation aimed at closing the gender pay gap?

Independent candidate Greg Samples response: “Women often work less hours, oftentimes part time, or take time off. The actual pay gap is really like 3 cents,” said Independent candidate Greg Samples, who then was heckled by the nearly 130 audience members. “But with more women in medical school and law school, these things are going to change.”

Republican candidate Jason Frederick Emert's response: “I’m a business person, and this is not something the government needs to be involved in,” said Republican candidate Jason Frederick Emert. “It’s a slippery slope.”

Progress? Not so much.

UPDATE: Captured, in custody.

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has a new addition to its ‘Top 10 Most Wanted’ list, Travis Reinking.

Reinking (DOB 2-1-89) is wanted by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and the TBI to face charges, including three counts of Criminal Homicide, in connection to a shooting that occurred at a Waffle House in Antioch early yesterday morning. The shooting incident remains under investigation by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Reinking should be considered armed and dangerous.

Reinking is a white man, who stands 6’4” and weighs approximately 180 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes. There is a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.

Wanted poster/photo...

The building at Western Plaza looks taller than 35 ft. Who introduced the legislation to remove the 35 ft height restriction on that section of Kingston Pike?

Last week, Sequoyah Hills and Bearden residents learned to their surprise that legislation to remove the height restrictions on new buildings (35 feet above the street) on the scenic route portion of Kingston Pike (at Western Plaza to be precise) was about to repealed by the state legislature. Most never knew legislation to do this had even been introduced. In fact, it had already passed the state Senate, was out of committee and was on the floor of the House.

Victor Ashe: Despite city maneuver, Western Plaza plans blocked

The company offers a crowdsourced shuttle bus service called Chariot that considers feedback from riders and determines where to route shuttles. Passengers book a $4 seat through an app, and Chariot's algorithms map out routes based on demand and where riders are going. Similarly, startup Via operates a crowdsourced commuting service in New York City, Washington DC and Chicago.

DTV Host Michael Davis, Tex Pasley and Rebecca Parr discuss the Face to Face Knox Program to ensure that those detained in the Knox County Detention Center can receive family visits in person and see their family Face to Face.

Tune in tonight at 7:30 PM for a discussion on the limitation of live visits to those detained in the Knox County Detention Center. DTV streams live on the Community TV web site or on cable/satellite at:
Comcast Channel 12
Charter Channel 193
Wow! Channel 6
ATT U-verse Channel 99

Or stream DTV on line (here!)

The Democratic National Committee filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit Friday against the Russian government, the Trump campaign and the WikiLeaks organization alleging a far-reaching conspiracy to disrupt the 2016 campaign and tilt the election to Donald Trump.

The complaint, filed in federal district court in Manhattan, alleges that top Trump campaign officials conspired with the Russian government and its military spy agency to hurt Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and help Trump by hacking the computer networks of the Democratic Party and disseminating stolen material found there.

The lawsuit alleges that Trump's campaign "gleefully welcomed Russia's help" in the 2016 election.

The Knoxville News Sentinel has sunk to new lows in their bizarre crusade to discredit Tim Burchett.

A stinking trainload of human waste from New York City is stranded in a tiny Alabama town, spreading a stench like a giant backed-up toilet — and the "poop train" is just the latest example of the South being used as a dumping ground for other states' waste.
...
In Parrish, the mayor hopes the material in the train cars is removed before the weather warms up.

"We're moving into the summer, and the summer in the South is not forgiving when it comes to stuff like this," she said.

And, oh by the way...

Each year, U.S. coal plants produce about 100 million tons of coal ash and other waste; more than 4 million tons of it wound up in an Alabama landfill following a 2008 spill in Tennessee.

What can be said? As beautiful and desirable as it is to live in the South, our own politicians are money grubbing idiots unless, of course, accepting money for better healthcare.

Washington is on track to become the first place in the country to allow people as young as 16 to vote in federal elections, including for president, as the nation glimpses the emerging political power of the generation that follows millennials.

DC May give 16 year olds right to vote

Everytime I log into Facebook, I get this animated ad. What's curious is that the Comments are almost all negative.

Knox County Public Library invites the public to join Join Dr. Nick Geidner for a discussion of Whiplash: How to Survive Our Faster Future by Joi Ito and Jeff Howe. Bring your lunch or pick up something downtown. Drinks are available for fifty cents. Reading the book is optional.

In Whiplash, Ito and Howe lay out the unprecedented changes in a world that is more complex and volatile today than at any other time in our history. The tools of our modern existence are getting faster, cheaper, and smaller at an exponential rate, just as billions of strangers around the world are suddenly just one click or tweet or post away from each other. When these two revolutions joined, an explosive force was unleashed that is transforming every aspect of society, from business to culture and from the public sphere to our most private moments.