I Went on a Cat Journey & You Can, Too
Some mornings you wake up already feeling like a spent husk of a human. Then your cat sits on your chest, stares into your eyeballs with unsettling intensity, and purrs like a tiny life coach whispering,...
Magnolia Redevelopment & the Fight for Chilhowee Park
It’s 2019, and East Knoxville residents have turned out at the Jacob Building to imagine a future for Chilhowee Park. City staff and a consulting team are on hand to listen. “If you could look into...
Bridges as Battlegrounds: An Update on Gay Street + Bike Lane Sabotage on Henley
A bit of news that slipped out with little media fanfare earlier this month: the City announced that repairs on the Gay Street Bridge are expected to be complete by Dec. 31. The bridge has been...
Jesse Fox Mayshark Puts The Progressive South on the Map
Podcasting is a natural fit for Jesse Fox Mayshark. He’s a talker, but it’s the sort of top-shelf pontification that makes you look down and wonder when your beer got warm. After all, Jesse’s built a...
Knox Heritage’s 2025 ‘Fragile & Fading’ Includes the Usual Suspects + 3 Newcomers
“Before it’s too late” isn’t a cliché. Twice in my adult life I’ve stood on the sidewalk in my pajamas, watching 19th-century Knoxville buildings burn. First was the Pickle Mansion in Fort Sanders, 2003. I lived...
Benvenuti to St. Cugino’s Day, Knoxville’s First Italian-Inspired Summer Feast
The high summer harvest is here: overripe tomatoes are splitting on the vine, that cucumber you meant to pick last week has entered its “blunt object murder weapon” era, and coworkers keep leaving bags of mystery...
Jack Neely’s Desk Is a Perfect Mess
It was spring when Alan and I paid a visit to the 100 block office of Knoxville History Project (KHP), the nonprofit devoted to researching, preserving and promoting Knoxville’s history. We wanted to share our big...
Sushi, Sumo & So Much More: Previewing the 12th Annual Knoxville Asian Festival
I had the pleasure of meeting Kumi Alderman through Alan earlier this summer. We met for lunch at Angry Dumpling on Sevier Avenue—her choice, but perfect, since I already eat there at least once a week....
The U.S. Bank Building Is For Sale & Its Future Could Be Anything
What would you do with a 13-story tower in the heart of downtown? The U.S. Bank building at 607 Market St. and its 43-space surface lot at 413 Clinch Ave. are for sale. And whoever buys...
When Broken Windows Aren’t Just Broken Windows
The owners of French Fried Vintage woke up on Saturday morning to news that one window of their Emory Place shop had been broken. They hoped it was a random act of vandalism. Then they learned...
Meet the Kingpins of Knoxville’s Ice Cream Truck Empire
Helloohhh!! Every time I hear an ice cream truck’s off-key siren song approaching, my mind begins to race—not just about which frozen treat I want, but with questions: Is there just one truck or a hundred?...
Down the Rabbit Hole (& Onto the Stage) With Knoxville Children’s Theatre
Things are getting “curiouser and curiouser” at Knoxville Children’s Theatre. With Alice in Wonderland Jr., KCT puts its own stamp on the Disney musical by handing the reins, er, flamingo mallets to a young cast that...
Cut Off Again: Federal Grant to Reconnect East Knoxville Slashed While Pedestrian Bridge Moves Ahead
It’s a tale of two bridges, and two very different visions of connection in Knoxville. One was a plan to stitch East Knoxville back into the fabric of the city, reversing decades of harm from urban...
You Don’t Have to Break the Law Anymore to Swim at Augusta Quarry
Good news, you little felons: Augusta Quarry is back open for business. No more pretending you “didn’t see the sign.” As of yesterday, you can cannonball into that ice-cold, emerald-green bliss totally legally—with plush amenities like...