Mountain kids grew up with parents stressing it’s not enough to do the right thing. It must be done in the right way. That’s why it’s baffling the way Donald Trump is handling his job after seven weeks.

President Trump had four years in the White House to effect change; he had another four years to think about a second term. So, why is he now thrashing around like a bull on speed, breaking things with no attention to the cleanup?

Reducing the size and scope of the federal government is absolutely the right thing.

I’ve been writing for sport and name recognition since sixth grade or so. You might think I’d improve with time, but I was just as good then as now. Sarah Simpson (for whom the teachers learning center was named) was my English teacher two of three years at Halls High School. She found no humor or irony in my critiques of the Latin/geometry teacher or the pompous school administration. Red slashes bloodied my offerings. And I kept writing.

Maureen Dowd in NYT 12/9/23, The Ivy League Flunks Out.

...
On Tuesday, the presidents of Harvard, M.I.T. and the University of Pennsylvania put on a pathetic display on Capitol Hill when they were asked if calling for genocide against Jews counted as harassment.
...
As James Carville told Bill Maher: “How the hell am I still looking at Netanyahu’s stupid, crooked, ignorant, negligent face? This guy’s still in power after the greatest intelligence failure at least since 9/11?”

Why should I have to make the case that antisemitism is abhorrent?

Early voting starts next week. Who will make the run-off for mayor?
Michael Andrews
Fletcher Burkhardt
Indya Kincannon
Eddie Mannis
Calvin Skinner or
Marshall Stair

Betty Bean again has it first

(link...)

Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre just proposed a budget that eliminates TAP and APEX bonuses and gives certified personnel such as teachers a 3% raise and non-certified personnel a 2% raise.

Elections matter.

Betty Bean has this breaking news ...


The driver who crashed a bus loaded with 26 Green Magnet School second graders on a field trip to Safety City Thursday, March 10, has been arrested and charged with DUI. No children were injured, but the bus crashed into an entrance gate

Knox County Democrats will field a candidate for County Commission in District 4 -- the seat now held by Jeff Ownby.
(link...)

And Tamara is speaking first. She's got five minutes.

A humorous look at the free-content-on-website debate:
(link...)

Enjoy!

Hey, folks. We've resumed posting political columns online on Sundays at 6 p.m. even though the papers don't come out until Wednesday.
We'll see how this works out. (link...)

Just got home from Union County where the board of education voted unanimously to keep those 626 students who had enrolled for their first year in the Virtual Academy. It was the right and honorable thing to do.

Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman penned a bombastic letter to the BOE before caving, but BOE attorney Mary Ann Stackhouse said it best: "He seems to be stating the law."

Yes, it'd an idle threat to close a school next year -- when it's already set to expire without a legislative extension ... and when it's very like that Commissioner Huffman won't be sitting in his swivel chair anyhow.

Background three items deep at (link...)

Former U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr. has died. He birthed the Republican Party in Tennessee and lived long enough to regret what it has become.

Our webmaster, 74, is bicycling across Virginia. Honest. So here are our links until we find her or she finds Wi-Fi.

Bean has produced 1,200 words of the best hard-news story we've ever had. And she's writing a follow-up for July 2.

Betty Bean: (link...)
Sandra Clark: (link...)
Marvin West: (link...)
Victor Ashe: (link...)
Larry Van Guilder: (link...)
Lynn Pitts: (link...)

Shopper-News reporter Jake Mabe is (perhaps the only one) at R. Larry Smith's 10 o'clock press conference. We will update with the thrilling announcement.

UPDATE: Smith is dropping out of the race for school board....

The state Supreme Court has just declined to hear Shelly Breeding's appeal. She can't be on the Knox County ballot. -- s.

Check Wendy Smith's interview with Michael Kaplan at
(link...)

-- s.

Knoxville's first council member with a ponytail. -- s.

Carpe Librum owners announced today that they will not renew their lease in 2011. The wonderful store is closing after 6 years. Bummer. -- s.

Dropped by Tim and Allison Burchett's Christmas event today (looking for GOV art on a slow week). Interesting collection of folks, including Democrats Mark and Mike Padgett (Mark's got a 5-day old baby girl).

Best surprise was Tim's pet, a huge rabbit named Flop, who lives in a cage in the living room.

It got me to wondering about the pets of other county mayor types.

Somehow I don't see Tim Hutchison with a rabbit ... unless perhaps he trapped it in the woods and is skinning it for dinner.  -- s.