Parks and (Non) Recreation
I had a number of readers and people on the street ask me what is happening on the south side of the river. It appears permanent fences have been erected featuring signs warning against trespassing. According...
Life
Here Come the Guns . . .
Guns are a fact of life in the United States. The U.S. has more guns per capita than any other country in the world at 120.5 per 100 citizens, or almost 400,000,000 guns. Second place is...
COVID-19: 5/28/2021 Update and Final Report
We did not see that coming, did we? Fifteen months ago, COVID-19 was a vague story we’d read about something happening in China. We had no idea that it would be one of the very few...
Friedman’s Loft: One of Downtown’s Most Stunning Homes is Available For Rental
Josh Smith recently purchased the building at 304 South Gay Street. The building, now named “Friedman’s Lofts,” features a basement and three stories, with the dental office of Ethan Long located in the front half of...
COVID-19: 5/21/2021 Update (International, National, State, and Local)
As we approach the end of my COVID-19 reporting, there is much reason to hope the worst of the pandemic is over for the United States, in Tennessee, and in Knoxville. There are ways that statement...
The Family Justice Center Celebrates Fifteen Years (And Could Use Your Help)
Just over the hill from downtown, the Family Justice Center has been helping families in the city since 2006, thanks to an initiative first promoted by the Bush administration. Our center was one of the first...
COVID-19: 5/14/2021 Update (International, National, State, and Local)
Most trends continue to be encouraging this week, though progress fighting the pandemic is uneven across the globe. If nothing else, the contrast, certainly in the U.S., between now and where we were heading last year...
Mayor Kincannon Discusses Downtown
The Downtown Knoxville Alliance invited Mayor Kincannon to address downtown residents via Zoom at their quarterly resident’s meeting. For about an hour she answered questions and shared thoughts about the state and future of downtown. She...
A White Wedding in a Global Pandemic: An Urban Story
Christopher Deal and Brandon Pratt have been together for a decade and they always assumed they would get married and be together forever. That the story of their wedding would ultimately involve a global pandemic,...
COVID-19: 5/7/2021 Update (International, National, State, and Local)
First, we should note that there is good news. Rarely over recent months have I been able to post graphs that show cases and deaths from COVID-19 declining at every level, from International, down to our...