Ten Year Plan director Robert Finley announced in comments here today:

The TYP's nonprofit affordable housing development partner, Southeastern Housing Foundation, discovered today in the process of conducting a geotech study that the Teaberry site is not viable for the PSH [permanent supportive housing] development previously under consideration there. The sinkhole system at the site is extensive, and development there would be cost prohibitive.

The previously-scheduled meeting for 7pm, March 18 at the Arnstein Jewish Community Center is still scheduled. The City and the TYP are committed to an ongoing public dialog about site suitability, case management programming, service delivery, and other components of PSH. The questions prompted by the earlier announcement of the proposed development are germane to PSH in general. We look forward to a candid discussion this Thursday.

Mayor's office point man Bill Lyons added:

The Teaberry Lane location has been eliminated from consideration due to soil conditions and sinkhole issues. The developer decided not to pursue building on the site after reviewing materials from his geotech analysis. The City and the TYP have been aware of possible soil issues since late last week and concur with the developer's decision.

The community has requested that the meeting planned for Thursday evening at 7pm at the Arnstein Jewish Community Center take place as scheduled. Representatives of the City and the Ten Year Plan will attend to discuss the program and answer questions from citizens. Despite the fact that this site has not proved to be suitable, this is a good opportunity to make clear what the program is and explain our commitment to the scattered site approach. It is also a great opportunity to listen to citizen concerns about supportive housing and the siting process.

It seems the latest proposed site and neighborhood reaction have generated quite a bit of discussion, and created an opportunity for public education and involvement regarding the siting process and the plan to end chronic homelessness in general.

UPDATE: Gleason Rd. Homeowners released the following statement:

A Mar. 15 KNS headline says gas prices are lower ("Knoxville gasoline prices edge lower"). Whereas, a WVLT headline says gas prices are up ("Knox gas prices up more than 4 cents per gallon").

Is it all in the interpretation? Or the headlines writers? Or the sources?

That's one problem with the Internets. There is a lot of information and it is up to the reader to determine what source to use.

The state Finance, Ways & Means Committee will vote Wednesday on the latest effort by Campbell County developer Steve Pemberton to cash in on public land. Pemberton owns a marina on Norris Lake and wishes to build a lodge on state-park land adjacent to the marina.

And seems quite proud of himself. Does this mean Burchett endorses Campfield? Or did Campfield just put him on the spot?

http://tfninsider.org/2010/03/11/blogging-the-social-studies-debate-iv/

The board is taking up remaining amendments on the high school world history course....Board member Cynthia Dunbar wants to change a standard having students study the impact of Enlightenment ideas on political revolutions from 1750 to the present. She wants to drop the reference to Enlightenment ideas (replacing with “the writings of”) and to Thomas Jefferson. She adds Thomas Aquinas and others. Jefferson’s ideas, she argues, were based on other political philosophers listed in the standards. We don’t buy her argument at all. Board member Bob Craig of Lubbock points out that the curriculum writers clearly wanted to students to study Enlightenment ideas and Jefferson. Could Dunbar’s problem be that Jefferson was a Deist? The board approves the amendment, taking Thomas Jefferson OUT of the world history standards.

And it could happen here.

AP Exclusive: Pentagon gun was from TN police:

Two guns used in high-profile shootings this year at the Pentagon and a Las Vegas courthouse both came from the same unlikely place: the police and court system of Memphis, Tenn.

As the article notes, the Tennessee legislature passed a law requiring law enforcement agencies to sell confiscated guns. Seems to me that if a gun is taken off the street because it was involved in a crime it ought to stay off the street.

The article also says one of the killers, who was prohibited from owning a gun, bought his at a gun show by way of a "private sale" which doesn't require a background check. The new Tennessee law only allows law enforcemnt to sell to a licensed firearm dealer, but this weapon apparently found it's way to a private owner, presumably through legitimate channels. Seems to me "private sales" (which many times aren't) should be banned at gun shows. (Related)

Beyond that, maybe any "private sale" should be subject to a title transfer, similar to the private sale of a car or a boat. The state then could perform a background check at the time of transfer (and bonus: tax it!) without infringing on anyone's legitimate rights. Not sure why there would be any objection to that.

We've all heard the political spin..Rinos & Dinos.

Today,Nashville,is NINO..Neutral in Name Only.

At 1pm EST..Nashville becomes Rupp South.

The Big Blue have invaded the Music City to claim their birthright..The SEC Tournament Championship.The Cats have won the damn thing 25 times..26 you if count '88..when the Cats won it on the floor but were stripped of the title because of NC2A violations.Thats over 1/2 of the Tournaments held.

I don't know what you think,but,IMO,the Blizzard of '93 was two fold..1st,the 101-40 SEC Tourney drubbing the Cats put on the Vols..then the foot or two of snow.

Just like this year,the '93 SEC Tournament,was the rubber game in the historic hardwood rivalry between the Vols & the Cats.

But this Vol quintet..is ready to rumble!

And,no doubt,though outnumbered..our fans will be vocal.

Bruce Almighty in his Ray Mears ORANGE jacket? Hope so.

GO VOLS!!!!!!!!

The Metro Pulse Best of Knoxville survey is underway.

And yes, there is a "best blog" category, hint hint. You'll find it under "online exclusives" in the "national chains" category.

Just because you cover your eyes doesn't mean it's not still happening. Democrats are pushing to ban earmarks that go to for-profit entities while Republicans are trying to upstage that by calling for an outright ban. If the word "earmark" makes you think of pork and makes your blood pressure rise you're in the majority, but you've been fooled. Since your confidence in "them" is near an all-time low they want to fool you some more to get you off their ass.* Tell them to stop toying with your emotions and get back to work

if earmarks are banned and more lobbyists instead go straight to working with federal departments and agencies, all of the transparency progress that has been made in recent years gets lost. Plus, the federal-money-securing game goes from elected lawmakers to anonymous federal officials who are wholly unaccountable.

One more thing. In 2007, Congress rolled 9 of their 11 annual appropriations bills into one big continuing resolution, which they said they would be banning earmarks for. Technically, they stayed true to their word — the bill had no earmarks in it. But here’s what really happened — after they passed the resolution, members of Congress immediately started lobbying federal agencies and departments themselves to pressure them into directing funds to interests in their states and districts who have lobbied them. Investigative reporting canalert us to some of this activity, but this kind of insider Washington game will never be held to account the way congressional earmarks that are published online on a single website before there’s a vote, like President Obama called on Congress to do in his State of the Union.

*Nashville Public Radio: Lamar! throws something Marsha Blackburn has been "after for a long time" under the bus, and I would like to thank him for it.

For Federal judges, anyway. The House has approved a bill sponsored by Rep. Steve Cohen that adds 13 new Federal bankruptcy judges, including one in Cohen's district.

The bill also converts 22 temporary judges to permanent status and extends two other temporary positions for five years. To pay for the thirteen new judges, the bill raises the filing fees for Chapter 7 and 13 cases by $1 and for Chapter 11 cases by $42.

"In the last year, the number of personal bankruptcy claims increased 32 percent from 2008, in large measure because of job loss, medical bills and home foreclosures," Congressman Cohen said. "Many constituents in the 9th District have been adversely affected and need help. Shelby County has the highest overall bankruptcy filing rate of any county in the nation, and Tennessee had the second-highest filing rate of any state."

This year has been a good year for water so far. Basically nothing has moved - good or bad. I think legislators may be more interested in getting back home to run for office. Either way, it's an improvement from last year.

Thanks to all those folks who have called their legislators and told them what you think about clean water.

Renee

Knoxville News Sentinel reports...

UPDATE: WATE: Hutchison calls timing of lawsuit questionable

Boy, we'd forgotten how much fun it is raising a puppy. They have unlimited energy, lots of curiosity, many needs, and really sharp teeth!

Anyway, it reminded me of something I wrote back in 1998 after the first time around:

A Study of Human Behavior
by Dr. Ranger P. Snufflebutt, PhD.
Dept. of Anthropomorphology,
Great Den of Knowledge Barkiversity

(Click image for bigger.)

Snapshot of a Heron with lunch, Maloney Rd. Park.

Just watching the American Idol eliminations for this week. Are they kidding? As Lilly said, "I don't know what America wants." I guess Crystal will be next, and then I'll be done watching. (Mostly agree with the other eliminations, though.)

Two scientists who authored the Science paper "Mountaintop Mining Consequences", Dr. Dennis Lemly and Dr. Orie Loucks, testified before the Senate and House Environment committees on Tuesday. It was amazing.

Bernie Sanders (I-Sanity) shows the character that can get this done.

Previously: Grayson's Public Option Act .

The Civil Rights legislation of the 1960s didn't happen with unconstitutional Senate rules and neither should a seminal to our times legislation such as health care be stopped with the "supermajority."

Per KNS:

Davis also argues that in 2008, when a group of citizens filed petitions with the Election Commission to put several Knox County charter changes on the August ballot, that the Election Commission allowed non-registered individuals to sign voter registration applications forms and sign the charter amendment petitions "simultaneously."

So did Davis turn in voter registeration apps for her unregistered petition signers, "simultaneous" with her candidate qualifying petition? The article doesn't say she did..

Also per KNS:

When those individuals signed the charter petition, some became registered voters after the deadline for turning in the charter amendment petitions, Davis argues.

The relevant question here would seem to be whether the Election Commission certified the charter amendment petitions before registering some of the new voters who signed it. Again, the article doesn't comment on whether this happened (but I never before read anything to indicate that it did)...

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/mar/11/commission-candidate-wannabe-el...

It is my theory that outrage passes for foreplay in most Republican homes. They watch Glen Beck and then get frisky. How else could you explain his popularity? - Juanita Jean Herownself or Susan DuQuesnay Bankston, one t'other.

Sen. Majority Leader Reid has announced that the Senate will move forward with reconciliation to approve health care reform.

The letter...

Pelosi: "It is not something that we are going to drag out, because the decisions are made."