A language teacher at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha, Wisconsin has called out her school’s administration after saying that they vetoed the inclusion of a pair of rainbow-themed songs in the spring concert. “My first graders were so excited to sing ‘Rainbowland’ for our spring concert but it has been vetoed by our administration. When will it end?,” she tweeted last week along with hashtags for the school system, Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus...

Pot of gold
Noah's ark
Rainbow bridge
Somewhere over the rainbow...

"Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?"

Three children and three staff members were gunned down at a private Christian school in Tennessee on Monday before the shooter was killed by police, authorities said.

She had two assault style rifles and a hand gun. Waahoo! We need to own assault style rifles WHY? To protect ourselves from school kids and teachers?

Just under a year ago......
Tennessee gov: No restricting firearms after mass shootings

Whatta ya gonna do? For some reason gun nuts rule.

Our first blossoms...

Crews are tearing down decades of history from Cumberland Avenue to the Smoky Mountain Market and Naples Italian Restaurant

Wrecking ball blues: Knoxville landmarks are coming down

The Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee has passed a bill to allow 18-year-olds to carry handguns without a permit?!?!?! Although, they decided not to include long guns.

“It’s for self-defense. That’s not a right we’re given. It’s a right we have,” Sen. John Stevens (R-Huntingdon) said. “We’re given it by God alone.”
...
"At the same time as it moves forward, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti negotiated a deal with a far-right gun rights group in California after the group pressed a lawsuit against the state."

"Skrmetti’s deal blocks the Department Of Safety and Homeland Security from preventing 18- to 20-year-olds from carrying handguns."

So, the Attorney General thinks he will lose a case so he decides to settle while not caring about the remaining citizens of the state?

It seems like it is time to step up and protest the ridiculous changes taking over parts of our country, e.g. anti-abortion, pro gun, anti trans, etc. But, we have to be afraid of getting shot by bumbling idiots that believe they are protecting their freedoms. Do they not understand they are going backwards? We must protect our Democracy. But how? When liars lie and get away with it, what can be done? When an entire news network promotes the lies for profit, what can be done?

Sheesh.

I was at Foothills Mall yesterday during a career fair. I've never attended a career fair. What's the deal? There were about 30 booths where employers were there to attract employees, I guess.

I saw KUB, University of Tennessee maintenance, Arconic, Blackberry Farm, NHC (assisted living), LHC, I think (home health contractor), Newell Rubbermaid, and more.

Amazon was there with about 10 people in line. They are theoretically opening a warehouse in Alcoa/Rockford. Haven’t heard anything definitive locally, but the representative said early fall. I asked how they could be hiring after laying off around 27,000 employees in 2023. He said they are different kinds of jobs. They were pretty much handing out business cards with information on how to go online and apply for employment.

Smith & Wesson was there as well. There is a sign at the mall entrance stating no firearms allowed. Heh. They have a new facility going up in Alcoa/Maryville. There were about 200 people in line. Some of them looked like they came straight from working in the fields and a few wore suits. I heard a representative say they were currently looking for manufacturing employees, not administrative. They too were pretty much telling people how to go online and apply.

I've read that it is beneficial to attend career fairs. Hopefully, some of the other employers gave better expectations to those looking for employment. If nothing else, maybe they provided potential pay rates and benefits and that there are real jobs available.

The City Council will discuss whether to increase the contract price of building a "Real Time Information Center" at the Public Safety Complex. The center would allow the Knoxville Police Department to watch 15 cameras around the city in real time.
The cameras are expected to cover the Market Square area, the Old City and the areas around shelters on West Broadway.

Knoxville City Council to vote on $1 million for Real Time Information Center

Why was this proposed?: Parker told Knox News the 90-day period is needed to allow the council enough time to review the South Waterfront's form-based code and potentially make changes. Those changes would "ensure future developments along the South Waterfront align with the legislative intent of the code," she said.

Construction is booming on the South Waterfront. There's a call to pause the building rush

The first day of spring was yesterday, Monday, March 20, 2023, at 5:24 p.m. EDT. The vernal equinox marks the turning point when daylight begins to win out over darkness.

The flowers and trees are budding out. The Daffodils have been beautiful this year. The Red Buds are in full bloom. Here's to hoping a Spring frost does not damage the new buds.

It will be warmer this week. Enjoy!

It has been 3 years since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic changed our lives. Many of us are still changed and many may never be the same.

Some of the results can be based on where you live and your political beliefs. In fact, political beliefs are still influencing some people on how they want to respond to pandemics.

Currently ongoing in Sarasota, FL, their are right wing MAGAs trying to punish a hospital for treating COVID patients with respect, good medical methods, and science.

"Some people insinuated Sarasota's public hospital prescribed certain medications for "kickbacks" from the pharmaceutical companies."Others touted "alternative treatments" for COVID like hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. Both have been deemed at best ineffective in COVID treatment by medical studies." ... "Michael Flynn, former national security advisor to President Donald Trump and now a Sarasota County resident..."

Tennessee is 7th highest in deaths per 100,000 residents from COVID-19.

If many of you remember, when the pandemic first started, we went through lots of iterations of safety practices to prevent getting COVID-19, e.g disinfecting groceries, leaving mail outside for a few days, stopping paper newspapers, discontinuing any gatherings. The Washington Post has a piece where they interviewed some medical experts to see how they are handling their response to COVID-19 today. Most of them still mask when in public. The majority now eat in at restaurants, but several would prefer patio dining. Several ask for testing if having visitors. Vaccinations are critical to overcoming the pandemic and leading a normal life. "Does life feel back to normal for you?" "Covid has changed what normal is."

Does life feel back to normal for you? Not for me. I don't know if it ever will. One reason, I am over 65. The majority of deaths are of the over 65.

"The Senate Republican Caucus will hold a vote of no confidence in Lt. Gov. Randy McNally Monday..."
...
"The race to replace McNally heated up over the weekend when the Tennessee Firearms Association endorsed Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Sparta, as the next lieutenant governor. "

Lady Vols basketball (4)
NCAA tournament- 1st round
Playing Saint Louis Billikens (13 )
ABC TV
1 pm

Men's Vol basketball (20)
NCAA tournament-2nd round
Playing Duke Blue Devils (12)
CBS TV
2:40 pm

To do this, we analyzed and compared data across the following metrics: federal share of state government revenue, ratio of federal funding to income taxes paid, percentage of workers employed by the federal government and ratio of median earnings for federal workers to median earnings for private workers.

States Most Dependent on the Federal Government – 2022 Edition

"Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton said he plans to introduce legislation that would do away with federal funding for the state’s education system."
...
"The state receives $1.8 billion in funding from the U.S. Department of Education."

He wants to replace it with state tax dollars. It would appear he really, really doesn't want federal standardized testing.

He declared his "his desire to “do things the Tennessee way,”

Heh. Hmmm... Lt. Gov. Randy McNally's way?

"The lion’s share of federal education funding goes to schools that serve disadvantaged students. And there are other programs and grants funded through the U.S. Department of Education that target certain needs ranging from rural education and English language learners to technology and charter schools. There’s also a variety of federal school grants that go through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide free meals to qualifying students.

“This funding lifts up underserved students and rural schools and ensures every kid gets warm meals during the school year..."

Alas. Where did we go wrong?

If you have read any of the stories about women who have lost access to abortion, you should be crying. These women and their doctors are suffering. The women are suffering because they can't get the healthcare they need. The doctors because they can't provide needed healthcare.

Some state governments are making it impossible to receive and give the necessary healthcare during pregnancies.

One woman became septic.

One woman had to leave the state (Texas) to save one of two twins.

"If a pregnant patient is experiencing renal failure, does she have to be on dialysis before a physician may perform an abortion that would otherwise be prohibited by the Ban? If a pregnant patient has a cardiac lesion, does a physician have to wait until she experiences heart failure to intervene? If a pregnant patient has a clogged blood vessel, does a physician have to wait until she experiences chest pain before terminating the pregnancy to prevent pulmonary embolism?”"

Man sues women who help his wife get abortion-inducing medication. Two months before obtaining the medication she filed for divorce. "The lawsuit alleges that assisting a self-managed abortion qualifies as murder under state law..."

Tennessee legislature discussing loosening abortion laws. Currently, "the burden is on the physician to prove that an abortion was medically necessary, instead of requiring the state to prove the opposite." "...a Republican-controlled panel advanced legislation removing the “affirmative defense” element and clarifying situations where abortion is allowed, including adding ectopic pregnancies, “medically futile pregnancies” and lethal fetal anomalies. There is no exception for rape and incest."

For a party that continues to preach less government, they sure do like to use government to control women or anything that they want.

According to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security from February 2022 to January 2023 a crash that involved a distracted driver occurred nearly every 25 minutes.

Bill cracking down on distracted driving may be too severe, some say

My impression is the hands free Distracted driving law isn't enforced much, if any.

The new rule intends to set drinking water standards for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or “forever chemicals.” PFAS are a family of ubiquitous synthetic chemicals that linger in the environment and the human body, where they can cause serious health problems.

The proposal would regulate two chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, at 4 parts per trillion (ppt). For PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and GenX chemicals, the EPA proposes not one standard for each but a limit for a mix of them.

EPA proposes first standards to make drinking water safer from ‘forever chemicals’

Biden-Harris Administration Proposes First-Ever National Standard to Protect Communities from PFAS in Drinking Water

I'm back writing columns. Hope you enjoy this one.

TN Congressional Liars

Saw this sign off Sparks Lane while up in Cades Cove a couple of weeks ago.

WARNING

This water temporarily does not meet water quality standards for bacteria. To prevent illness, avoid swallowing water and wash hands thoroughly before eating.

WATER CONTACT DISCOURAGED.

Maybe the contamination is from the horses?

Hancen Sale posted some data surrounding home prices and showed that the median listing price in the U.S. dropped starting mid-2022 until around the start of 2023. During that time, he said the median price of a Knoxville home rose, passing $450,000, according to an analysis by KAAR of data from realtor.com.

He said that as of February 2023, the city's listing price was around $42,000 higher than the U.S. average.

Knoxville median home prices exceed national median prices for first time