2018 Archives for County Government

Tucked away off Middlebrook Pike, a middle-income suburban district leans Republican but not by much. Just ask Marsha Blackburn.

A weekly mystery photo to test your knowledge of the local landscape.

The turnover in county offices was expected, but some of the results were still surprising.

Three months in, Glenn Jacobs is finding his feet -- and his voice -- as chief executive of Knox County.

A crash course in the state’s formula for school funding highlights challenges for Knox County.

Forks of the River is an area of fields and factories and Republicans.

A weekly mystery photo to test your knowledge of the local landscape.

In a pinch, the state confiscated fees from county registers of deeds. County Commission wants the money back.

Teen pregnancy rates have dropped dramatically in the past 25 years, and the Knox County Health Department is trying to make sure they continue falling.

A new state law sends some redevelopment tax incentives to County Commission for approval, even one for a project that’s almost finished.

A weekly mystery photo to test your knowledge of the local landscape.

This suburban West Knox district between I-40 and Middlebrook Pike can serve as a bellwether for countywide election results.

A settlement from an international banking scandal nets Knox County at least $2.6 million.

Growth and infrastructure dominate the discussion in filling a vacancy for the rural East Knox sector. Five applicants made their case Wednesday.

The Inskip neighborhood in North Knoxville leans a little Republican, but voters will opt for Democrats from time to time.

A weekly mystery photo to test your knowledge of the local landscape.

From high-rise condos to subsidized housing, the voters of the district that includes downtown have something in common: They prefer Democrats.

Knox Found again! Every week, we post a photo of something or some place in Knox County, and we ask you to identify it.

With the resignation of Dave Wright, County Commission prepares to fill a vacancy in its 8th District seat.

Reliable Republicans dominate in the rolling farmland of this rural sector of East Knox County.

Knox Found again! Every week, we post a photo of something or some place in Knox County, and we ask you to identify it.

Knox County leaders break ground at the once-controversial Midway Business Park in East Knox County.

Sam Quinones, the bestselling author of ‘Dreamland,’ tells Knoxville leaders the solutions to the opioid epidemic begin with community.

A suburban enclave where polo is possible, golf is assured and the politics are Republican.

Knox Found again! Every week, we post a photo of something or some place in Knox County, and we ask you to identify it.

In a sometimes fractious meeting, County Commission confronts lingering questions and pension tensions.

Mayor Glenn Jacobs has scrapped a contract for a countywide sidewalk master plan, but other efforts to identify needs are underway.

County delays action on proposed BMX track again, pending cost and benefit analysis.

Knox Found again! Every week, we will post a photo of something or some place in Knox County, and we will ask you to identify it. The first person to send a correct answer to info@compassknox.com will be recognized and celebrated in the next day’s email newsletter and the next week’s Knox Found.

Rutledge Pike serves as a transition from urban East Knoxville to rural East Knox County.

Heavy early voting in Knox County and across Tennessee makes election predictions a precarious proposition.

A hearing Monday makes it official -- the county's pension lawsuit is done. What happens next?

As cost estimates climb, Knox County takes a hard look at a proposed BMX track. South Knox representatives say the community wants what it was promised.

A weekly mystery photo to test your knowledge of the local landscape.

How Knox County works to keep failing septic systems from fouling the watersheds.

A hearing in the county’s Byzantine pension lawsuit asks whether the law director can sue on his own behalf.

In a 7-1 vote, County Commission tells Law Director Bud Armstrong to drop his pension lawsuits -- but the final word will be up to the judge.

After months of no movement, Knox County takes another look at TVA’s East Tower as a possible home for the school system’s Central Office.

In its first 7 months, a jail diversion program to address mental health and addiction is running at low occupancy -- but shows some hopeful signs.

Introducing a new weekly photo contest! Every week, we will post a picture of something or some place in Knox County. Will you be this week's winner?

West Haven leans slightly Republican, but its voters have an independent streak.

County Commission approves an unusual contract amendment with the firm that provides video visits for Knox County inmates.

At tonight’s meeting, County Commission considers an amendment to the Sheriff’s video visitation contract and a vacancy on its Ethics Committee.

The Development Corporation of Knox County is employing a TIF in a seldom-used fashion to help pay for a new business park in Karns.

The city and county mayors convene community leaders to talk about a coordinated response to opioids and other drugs.

At a heated hearing, the Knox County Law Department says it can sue whomever it wants, whether the mayor likes it or not.

From Nubbin Ridge to Rocky Hill, a district of single-family subdivisions and middle-class Republicans.

Giving a win to Law Director Bud Armstrong, County Commission refuses to consider Mayor Glenn Jacobs’ proposed pension lawsuit settlement.

MPC approves rezoning for KUB property adjacent to East Knox business park, which could be home to a new data center.

Sheriff Spangler shows the jail’s cramped quarters to county commissioners and makes his case for expansion.

An urban/suburban district includes a depopulated mall and leans Republican.

Sheriff Tom Spangler invites County Commission to talk overcrowding at the county detention center.

Split between Knoxville and Farragut, the affluent suburban precinct is firmly Republican.

A legal maneuver sets up a courtroom confrontation between the county mayor and law director.

In the county's northern reaches, a district full of goats, cows and pickup trucks leans heavily Republican.

Vestal is at the center of one of the city’s most politically mixed precincts.

Glenn Jacobs makes another round of Knox County personnel shifts -- including hiring his chief of staff’s brother.

Another delay for a $6 million deal to redevelop the Andrew Johnson Building, as the new county mayor decides whether to go ahead with it.

A few snapshots from Sunday's legislative picnic.

The Metropolitan Planning Commission voted unanimously over neighbors' objections Thursday to approve a development on a peninsula off Tooles Bend Road.

A first-of-its-kind potluck brings together county, school, city and state officials to chew the fat.

Drug-related deaths in Knox and Anderson counties rose by 41 percent last year, from already record levels. A Forensic Center report details the toll.

A transitional East Knox County district between urban and rural where the entertainment is Cowboy Troy's and the votes are reliably Republican.

Energy efficiency may not be sexy, but it's cutting consumption and costs across Knox County Schools.

Darris Upton is feeling his way into his job as Knox County's first-ever diversity development manager. "This is a brand-new effort," he says.

From college athlete with a blown-out knee to wrestling superstar to chief executive of Knox County government, Glenn Jacobs has always believed in himself.

Bearden Elementary School is the polling place for the 49th precinct. Situated near Homberg Place in the middle of what is traditionally considered Bearden, the school is where a surprisingly diverse segment of the population votes.

As expected, Webb School administrator and 4th District County Commissioner Hugh Nystrom was elected the new Commission chairman by his colleagues Tuesday evening. 2nd District Commissioner Michele Carringer was named vice chair.

The Black Wednesday scandal still reverberates through Knox County political culture, even though most of those involved are no longer in office.

In Knox County politics, the stage was set for this year to be mostly an encore performance, with lots of familiar faces in slightly different roles.

Knox County government has a mayor, a sheriff and a whole bunch of other independently elected officeholders. So who's in charge?