First, the U.S. military attacked a party balloon in El Paso, TX.

The Pentagon had undertaken extensive planning on the use of military technology near Fort Bliss, a military base that abuts the El Paso International Airport, to practice taking down drones.
...
The anti-drone technology was launched near the southern border to shoot down what appeared to be foreign drones. The flying material turned out to be a party balloon, sources said. One balloon was shot down, several sources said.

Then, two U.S. Navy ships collide in the Caribbean.

Two people reported minor injuries Wednesday when a U.S. warship and a Navy supply vessel assigned to the military buildup in the Caribbean collided during a ship-to-ship refueling, according to a military spokesman.

We have to keep our country safe by shooting down party ballons.

Tennessee is going all out on the public education voucher program, known as the Education Freedom Scholarship program (EFS).

WBIR has requested information (at least 6 times) about demographics like zip code, county of residence, income, for who applied for the EFS and who was accepted... No one from the Tennessee Department of Education has been made available.

Speaker of the House Rep. Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) "That data will come here, I think next year, is what I've been told by the Department of Education."

Representative Sam McKenzie (D-Knoxville) said he is looking for more answers about data. ""We received absolutely no information on 'what areas the vouchers are going to? Is it evenly spread throughout the state?" McKenzie said. "Of the folks who have the vouchers who are the first time applicants? There's just been a black hole and we've made several requests."

Don't worry your pretty little head about this program. The Tennessee government is in control.

We received our new Atmos Energy natural gas bill. I noticed the rate per CCF was 0.7177. I have been very busy for the past six months and had not noticed the change in rates.

The rate for this period last year (ending 2/7/2025) was 0.3925 per CCF. The rate this year (2/6/2026) is 0.7177. That is a 82.9% increase over the past year, nearly double.

2/9/2025 rate - 0.3925
6/6/2025 rate - 0.5328
9/9/2025 rate - 0.486
11/9/2025 rate - 0.6874
1/6/2026 rate - 0.7177

What's the deal? I called Atmos but could not get a definitive answer except that the market demand determines the rates. Well, duh. I would think there is something else. Was there much more demand in November? The 2025 rate was not nearly double the 2024 rate. What gives?

The president "escalated his rhetoric by warning that closer ties between Canada and China would have dire cultural consequences, including the end of professional hockey in Canada."

"He claimed China would “terminate all ice hockey” in the country and permanently eliminate the Stanley Cup, the National Hockey League’s (NHL) championship trophy. Trump offered no evidence for the assertion."

Heh.

Knoxville Preparatory School, an all-boys charter school that first opened in 2024, announced Friday that it will cease operations at the end of the current academic year.

Friday’s announcement cited lower-than-expected enrollment numbers, facility issues, and “academic outcomes that do not meet the standards of excellence promised to the families.”

The Chattanooga version is also having problems that required new leadership. "Nearly half of the teachers...did not have proper licensing." "A former teacher was arrested on charges including solicitation of a child."

Oh, my.

Sunshine Services is working to place employees in new jobs ahead of the closure of its Sunshine Industries program, which provides job training and employment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, at the end of the month.
...
"Due to recent direction and requirements from the U.S. Department of Labor, Sunshine Services is required to discontinue operations at Sunshine Industries,” [Executive Director] Crittendon wrote in a letter to state."

Sunshine Services has been providing these services for approximately 60 years. Wonder what "direction and requirements" the U.S. Dept. of Labor has given them forcing this change.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) on Thursday said she was concerned about Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s ability to remain “above political influence” after seeing her take part in the Grammys, which she deemed a “highly politicized” event.

Above political influence!?!?!?

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was nominated for a Grammy for her narration of the audiobook of her memoir, Lovely One.

Knox County Election Commission
Blount County Election Commission

In May, 2026, there are
Knox County Democratic and Republican Primary Election
Blount County Primary
Rockford City Municipal General

In August, 2026, there is the
Federal/State Democratic and Republican Primary Elections
Knox County General Election
Town of Farragut Municipal Election
Blount County General
Alcoa/Maryville School Board Primary
Friendsville & Townsend City Municipal General

In November, 2026 there are
Federal and State General Elections
Alcoa City Council (3 seats)
Alcoa City School Board (2 seats)
Louisville City Mayor
Louisville City Alderman (2 seats)
Maryville City Council (3 seats)
Maryville City School Board (3 seats)

Although most anyone viewing this site is a registered voter and votes frequently, you might want to confirm you are registered voter. You want to make sure you do not have an "inactive" status.

"Inactive status does not mean ineligible. But it does mean vulnerable. Vulnerable to being flagged at the polls. Vulnerable to provisional ballots. Vulnerable to being told something is wrong on Election Day after making a good-faith effort to participate."

From a BlueSky post, "The Obamas are competent, classy, loving, Harvard and Princeton graduates, loved by many, not on the Epstein files, got the Nobel Peace Prize, and gave us a steady economy to boot."

They make us smile.

You have to hear what's on the video.

* A new synthetic opioid, cychlorphine, has been linked to 16 deaths in East Tennessee since late October (3 months), according to officials with the Knox County Regional Forensic Center. Cychlorphine (10 times more potent than fentanyl) has been found in eight East Tennessee counties including Knox, Roane, Union, Claiborne, Sevier, Anderson, Campbell and McMinn.

* On the morning of Nov. 30, 2019, a convoy of pickup trucks carrying men armed with a heavy machine gun and powerful .50-caliber rifles entered the Mexican town of Villa Unión and opened fire.

In the end, four police officers, two civilians and 19 cartel members were killed. Afterward, as investigators collected evidence from the scene, they gathered at least 45 .50-caliber casings stamped with the initials “L.C.”, meaning the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Kansas.

...the data makes clear that the U.S. Army plant (in Kansas) has been a major source of the destructive ammunition (.50-caliber ammunition) being used to wage military-style battles with Mexican authorities.

* Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asserted on Wednesday, while traveling in Tennessee, that the keto diet could cure schizophrenia — an unfounded claim that experts say vastly overstates preliminary research...

U.S. employers announced 108,435 layoffs for the month, up 118% from the same period a year ago and 205% from December 2025. The total marked the highest for any January since 2009.

At the same time, companies announced just 5,306 new hires, also the lowest January since 2009, which is when Challenger, Gray & Christmas began tracking such data.

The president's "attempt to rebrand the Kennedy Center with his own name on the building caused some artists to cancel performances there and ticket sales to plunge. Now, with the facility facing a dearth of premier events and dwindling revenue, he said it’s curtains for the place, at least in its current form."

The current administration doesn't get the arts. Well, he doesn't get our country. If it can't be done his way, it won't be done. Alas.

Tesla’s nascent robotaxi program is off to a rough start. New NHTSA crash data, combined with Tesla’s new disclosure of robotaxi mileage, reveals Tesla’s autonomous vehicles are crashing at a rate much higher than human drivers, and that’s with a safety monitor in every car.

But, but, but, robots/AI are better than humans!?!?!

“Existing housing, people that own their homes, we’re gonna keep them wealthy,” the president said. “We’re gonna keep those prices up. We’re not gonna destroy the value of their homes so that somebody that didn’t work very hard can buy a home.”

While the president promised his administration would work to lower interest rates and make buying easier, he said he did not want home prices to fall.

I'm not sure a majority will agree with him. I don't appreciate the high property taxes that goes along with higher value. Plus, some of us can't afford to move even if we sell our homes for a lot of money. It's cheaper to stay than to down size.

From Weather.gov, for Alcoa, TN, "A slight chance of rain showers between 11am and 2pm, then a chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 40. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%."

Snow showers. Low around 17. North wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Daytime forecast a little different for SoKno (37920), "A slight chance of snow showers before noon, then a slight chance of rain showers between noon and 2pm, then a chance of snow showers after 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 38. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%."

From the ground to the gutters, the Dogwood Arts House & Garden Show has something for everyone. Our perennial preview of spring invites guests to leave winter at the door, experience over 10,000 sq. ft. of Grand Gardens, and meet the top vendors in home improvement, interior design, appliances, and more—all under one roof. Find unique art, jewelry, and handmade products from local and regional artists at the Maker Market.

Friday, February 6th :10:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday, February 7th: 10:00am – 6:00pm
Sunday, February 8th: 10:00am – 4:00pm

$10 Adults / $8 Seniors 65+ & Military / Free for Children 12 & Under [Get $1 off by purchasing tickets at any ORNL Federal Credit Union branch before the Show!]

Knoxville Convention Center
701 Henley Street
Knoxville, TN 37902, USA

A close friend has been without power since Sunday morning.

Nashville Electric still shows 105,000 without power.

Officials are "raising questions about preparedness" of Nashville Electric.

Besides no power in the area, tree limbs knocked the electrical service panel off the friend's house. The electrician won't come to their neighborhood because of dangerous roads. This is suburban Nashville, not the boonies.

Got a letter from one of Knoxville TVA Employee Credit Union's third-party marketing and communications service providers that the provider had a data breach. They informed me that my name, address, SSN and DOB were leaked. They say it happened in August, and they determined on Dec. 2 that my data was included in the stolen files.

I verified with KTVAECU that the letter was legit. They said (as I expected) that I agreed to allow them to share my data with third-parties when I signed the membership agreement and there is no opt-out.

The third-party company I've never heard of who sent me the letter referred me to another company I've never heard of for free credit monitoring. Yeah, right, we're going to give our SSNs to yet another unknown company? Don't think so. (I realize all our info is probably on the dark web already, but still.)

We never saw the "membership agreement" when we opened the account. In addition, we never saw the "Privacy policy". I went to the TVA CU in person and got copies of these documents. I also went to ORNL CU because we never got those documents from them. The teller/employee was surprised that they shared this information.

It's time to change the laws so that this information cannot be so easily shared. Time to contact Elizabeth Warren.

Heartbreaking tragedy, wake-up call, many of out core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.
...
...every American should support and draw inspiration from the wave of peaceful protesters in Minneapolis and other parts of the country. They are a timely reminder that ultimately it's up to each of us as citizens to speak out against injustice, protect our basic freedoms, and hold our government accountable.