A new report indicates "Homes in 90% of major metropolitan areas in the U.S. are overvalued..."

The states with the biggest increase of homes being sold at prices over the long-term average were Tennessee, Arkansas and South Carolina...

"The typical existing home in the U.S. was sold for a median price of $381,400 in December..."

While inflation is 10 times higher now than 60 years ago, home prices are 24 times more expensive, a new study found.

"the average price of a new home has risen to $485,000..."

"The average 30-year mortgage rate rose to roughly 6.9 percent this week, according to Freddie Mac. That’s down slightly from highs reached last fall."

I don't understand how people keep paying these prices for houses. With the interest rates high you would think people would slow down on buying and this slow down would result in housing prices going down. Have wages/salaries increased so much that people can afford these high prices? I mean, in South Knoxville and Alcoa there are 800 square foot houses going for $350,000 and more. Both of these area used to be great places to buy starter homes (or downsizing homes).

K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc., the corporate title for Food City, released a statement on Friday saying that one skimming device was found at each of the following locations, Mechanicsville store on Western Avenue in Knoxville, the store in Kodak, and their location in Gatlinburg.

The skimming devices were attached to the credit card reader boxes at the cashier run checkout lane, not the self-checkout lane.

They say the suspected criminals have been arrested.

Seems odd that skimming devices were attached to indoor card reader boxes, especially ones in the cashier run checkout lane.

Have Republicans gone bat s#!# crazy? They want to return to the horse and buggy age. They have a problem with energy efficiency. They don't think there has been a change to our environment since we started using electricity and gas fueled vehicles.

The House on Tuesday passed a bill aimed at making it more difficult for the Energy Department to enact energy efficiency rules for household appliances...

Republican House member have also introduced additional appliance-related acts such as the “Liberty in Laundry Act” (H.R. 7673), the “Clothes Dryers Reliability Act (H.R. 7645), the “Refrigerator Freedom Act” (H.R. 7637), the “Affordable Air Conditioning Act” (H.R. 7626), and the “Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act” (H.R. 7700)...

On this topic, Paul Krugman, New York Times, writes, "Give Me Laundry Liberty or Give Me Death!"

Do they want to destroy the planet while selling horse manure to their constituents?

Was frightened last night by a way loud thunder clap. Then there was nearly continuous lightning for 10+ minutes. Hope nothing was struck. A few years back a neighbor’s house was struck by lightning. Luckily very minor damage.

The thunder this morning shakes the house, feels like an earthquake.

Seems like we've had lots of rain this year.

Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower proposed the legislation to expedite the property reappraisal schedule statewide... from "once every four, five or six years... to every two, three or four years.

Meaning your property taxes could easily rise higher and faster.

Many homeowner residents in the state are already hurting from the 2023 property reappraisal. In Blount County, TN, "it's been reported in the mainstream media and social media that property values have been reappraised up by 60% and in some cases doubled."

A property tax cap had been proposed, e.g. cap property tax increases at 2%. However, "Tennessee’s county mayors fought the measure, arguing it would hamstring their ability to deal with growth."

House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons of Nashville said he believes the proposed bill stemmed from tax cuts for corporations and the state’s wealthiest 1% over the last decade... In addition to a large business tax break in 2023, the Legislature passed a $1.9 billion franchise tax cut and rebate this year...

We have a great governor/snark. It would appear he wants more guns in the hands of the crazies. Maybe? It would appear he wants more money in the hands of business and the rich and powerful. Maybe?

Pretty soon Tennesseans won't be able to afford to live here.

Tornadoes kill more people per year in the U.S. than hurricanes and earthquakes combined. However, for years, American building codes lacked requirements for tornado-resistant design and construction, leading to unnecessary property damage and fatalities.  

Today those codes exist, thanks to Long Phan and Marc Levitan, two structural engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology who led a decade-long effort to create the world’s first tornado design standards. These historic standards will enable builders to construct the nation’s critical facilities, including hospitals and schools, to withstand 97% of the roughly 1,200 tornadoes that occur in the U.S. each year.   

Long Phan and Marc Levitan are finalists for the Service to America medals in Science, Technology, and Environment.

May 5-11 is Public Service Recognition Week, a period when public employees at all governmental levels — federal, state, county, local and tribal — are acknowledged for their work.

For all the good work our government employees do, there are threats to our government workforce from Trump and various Republican officials .

Support the future. Vote for Democrats.

The auditing firm for Trump Media and the auditor’s owner were charged Friday with “massive fraud” by the Securities and Exchange Commission for accounting work that affected more than 1,500 SEC filings, the federal regulator announced.

The auditor, BF Borgers CPA, and its owner, Benjamin Borgers, have agreed to be permanently suspended from practicing as accountants before the SEC, and also agreed to pay a combined $14 million in civil penalties, without admitting or denying the allegations, the SEC said.

They know how to pick'em.

Maybe whoever chose this auditing company was influenced by the man who said the pandemic is totally under control (1/2020), covid will disappear one day (2/2020), for "the vast majority of Americans, the risk is very, very low" (3/2020), encouraged his top health officials to study the injection of bleach into the human body as a means of fighting Covid, suggested we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light, etc.

Nearly 600,000 Americans died that first year of the Covid pandemic. But, heh, doesn't he say he's a great business man?

In March, "Kansas man sues Tim Burchett for defamation over false tweets put out following Chiefs Super Bowl parade."

Denton E. Loudermill lives in Olathe, Kan. Burchett tweeted out a photo of him last month near the downtown Kansas City shooting scene with a false accusation.

Lawyers for the Republican Burchett this week filed the motion in Kansas federal court, where Kansan and Kansas City Chiefs fan Denton Loudermill sued Burchett.

The defense attorneys argue the federal court in Kansas doesn't have jurisdiction and so shouldn't bothered with the complaint. What if anything Burchett did has nothing to do with the state of Kansas, under which the court there could take up the case, they argue in their motion.
...
Burchett,reposted a photo of Loudermill and wrote the message, "One of the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade shooters has been identified as an illegal alien."

Loudermill was neither a shooter nor an "illegal alien."

Traditionally, May Day was the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice! In ancient times, this was one of the Celtic cross-quarter days, which marked the midway points between the (four) solstices and equinoxes of the year.

As with many early holidays, May Day was rooted in agriculture. Springtime festivities filled with song and dance celebrated the sown fields starting to sprout. Cattle were driven to pasture, special bonfires were lit, and the doors of houses and livestock were decorated with yellow May flowers. In the Middle Ages, the Gaelic people celebrated the festival of Beltane, which means “Day of Fire.” People created large bonfires and danced at night to celebrate.

I remember as a youngster at least once dancing around a maypole. Either way, it is absolutely beautiful in East Tennessee right now. Lots of flowers and growth. Let's think happy thoughts.

Walmart, which launched its health centers five years ago, said Tuesday that it's learned through managing the health centers and virtual service that “there is not a sustainable business model for us to continue.”

Walmart had 51 health centers in five states (Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Texas), with the goal of helping people save money on their health care needs. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based company opened its first health center in 2019.

“This is a difficult decision, and like others, the challenging reimbursement environment and escalating operating costs create a lack of profitability that make the care business unsustainable for us at this time,” the company said in a statement.

About half the Walmart Health clinics were located in Florida, and last fall Walmart announced a partnership with Orlando Health, a private, not-for-profit network of community and specialty hospitals. That effort, too, is winding down, CNBC reported.

September 2022, Walmart and healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group
are planning to team [ten year partnership] up to provide preventive care for people aged 65 and up, and virtual healthcare services for all age groups, the companies said on Wednesday.

Yes, healthcare is a "challenging reimbursement environment." It appears there will be quite a few providers looking for jobs.

The closest location to Knoxville is/was Dalton, GA.

An investigation is underway after a woman was shot in the foot at McFee Park Farragut on Sunday around 11:30 a.m. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office shared that the incident is believed to be accidental at this time.

The sheriff’s office said that it is unknown where the bullet came from as the park is near a wooded area.

Negligent not accidental? It's not like the park is in the middle of the boonies. There is a soccer field at the park along with a splash pad and tennis courts. There are neighborhoods next to the park on the north, south and east sides. Should this be taken more seriously?

From the New York Times,

“The 2024 election’s in full swing and yes, age is an issue,” Mr. Biden said in a roughly 10-minute speech. “I’m a grown man running against a 6-year-old.”

“Donald has had a few tough days lately. You might call it ‘stormy’ weather,”
...
“The New York Times issued a statement blasting me for ‘actively and effectively avoiding independent journalists,’” Mr. Biden said. “Hey, if that’s what it takes to get The New York Times to say I’m active and effective, I’m for it.”
...
“Did you hear what Donald said about the major Civil War battle?” Mr. Biden said. “Gettysburg. Wow. Trump’s speech was so embarrassing, the statue of Robert E. Lee surrendered again.”
...
“Age is the only thing we have in common,” Mr. Biden, 81, said of Mr. Trump, 77. “My vice president actually endorses me,”

On. A serious note,

“Focus on what’s actually at stake,” Mr. Biden said. “The stakes couldn’t be higher.”

Waiting on the governor's signature

Under the legislation, the identities of school staffers who sign up to carry guns is known only to those who approve participants. That means parents would not be told whether their school opted into the program, whether anyone at their child’s campus is armed or whether their own child’s teacher has a gun in the classroom, lawmakers said. Parents also would not know whether their child’s teacher might leave the classroom to respond to a shooting during an attack.

“I cannot believe this is the first major piece of legislation that we’ve addressed since the Covenant tragedy,” said state Rep. Bo Mitchell (D). “This is our reaction to students and teachers being murdered in a school? Our reaction is to throw more guns at it. What’s wrong with us?”

Is it time to call in the National Guard or the Marshall's Service to put a stop to the authoritarian government in Tennessee?

Earth Day is an annual, global celebration on April 22nd supporting education and stewardship of our environment. It's a day to get outdoors, learn about our natural world, and volunteer to make our world a happier, healthier place to live.

Tennessee State Parks across the state will be offering educational, recreational, and volunteer events this Earth Day.

ORNL Earth Day Celebration: Planet vs Plastics
Main Event: Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 11:00am-1:00pm
Located on Main Street, Court of Flags and the Quad.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is investigating after a group of people were caught on video pulling two bear cubs from a tree to take a selfie at Berrington Village Apartments in Asheville on April 16.

In a video obtained by the Citizen Times, four people are trying to grab the black bear cubs, which are perched on a tree branch extending over a short fence to the apartment property. One woman successfully snatches a cub and holds it under the belly, screaming in excitement.

After apparently taking pictures holding the cub, an animal shrieking noise is heard, and the bear is seen dropping to the ground. The cub then runs along the inside of the fence and tries to climb the fence a couple of times while the woman chases after it.

It's so hard to watch people act in this manner. Do they not understand real life? Life isn't a tiktok video.

Pot, weed, marijuana, maryjane, cannabis, reefer....

Weed day "falls on the same weekend as National Cold Brew Day and National Record Store Day." Seems appropriate.

There are many stories behind how 420 got started as weed day. I'll just reference Wikipedia.

"Steven Hager of High Times popularized the story of the Waldos.[14] The first High Times mention of 4:20 smoking and a 4/20 holiday appeared in May 1991."

1991 was too late for me to celebrate 420. Had given up ganga long before then in order to make a living. However, I still have a "High Times" t-shirt. It's quite worn and delicate.

Employees at a Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, overwhelmingly voted to join the United Auto Workers union Friday in a historic first test of the UAW’s renewed effort to organize nonunion factories.

The union wound up getting 2,628 votes, or 73% of the ballots cast, compared with only 985 who voted no in an election run by the National Labor Relations Board.

The VW plant will be the first the UAW has represented at a foreign-owned automaking plant in the South. It will not, however, be the first union auto assembly plant in the South. The UAW represents workers at two Ford assembly plants in Kentucky and two GM factories in Tennessee and Texas, as well as some heavy-truck manufacturing plants.

Wow! Guess Tennessee is not a complete non-union state.

When Blount County and others bid to get a gun manufacturer to move to the pastoral community near Louisville, TN, they apparently promised better roads. However, they did not include the City of Louisville Mayor and Aldermen in the plans. Now that the plans are being made open to Louisville residents and administration, they are not finding the plans acceptable.

A resolution condemning the project, passed unanimously by the Louisville Board of Mayor and Aldermen April 9, claims the road work would negatively impact neighboring residential areas and eliminate access to businesses and the Louisville Post Office.
...
Jeff Muir, director of communications for the Blount Partnership [chamber of commerce?], said the proposed work came from planning for trucks from Smith & Wesson to safely share the road with other traffic, and to accommodate the additional stream of employees.
...
The problem, [Mayor Pugh] said, is Louisville has less than 5,000 residents. That means it doesn’t qualify for its own representation when planning transportation projects like this.

Wow, who knew local residents were not being informed of changes to their community? Hah, TDOT knew. Blount County administrators, City of Alcoa administrators, the county chamber of commerce all probably knew. They all seemed to not care how changes affect local citizens and the smaller communities.

There’s further confusion over who requested the improvements.

So far, nobody's admitting to requesting the changes. The Mayor of Louisville has to request a copy of the TDOT project application.

Jeff Muir, director of communications for the Blount Partnership [chamber of commerce?] Said, "TDOT has ownership of Louisville Road and the department can modify the road as it wishes", which is "part of the deal brokered to bring the firearm manufacturer to Blount County." "No one filed an application for the work, he said."

The previous Louisville Mayor apparently knew about some of these road changes.

The current Louisville Mayor, Ms. Pugh, would "like TDOT to conduct a noise pollution study and wants to know if an environmental impact study has taken place. She’d also like to see estimated traffic counts for the road."

Seems reasonable.

Does it seem like the local governments and chamber of commerce ran right over the small town of Louisville and its residents? I guess they really wanted a gun manufacturer in our midst.

Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man,” has died. He was 80.
...
Betts shared lead guitar duties with Duane Allman in the original Allman Brothers Band to help give the group its distinctive sound and create a new genre — Southern rock.

We've seen Dickey Betts many times, with and without the Allman Brothers. Always a great show no matter the venue.

Bob Graham, former Florida governor and U.S. senator with a common touch, dies at 87.

Bob Graham, Former Florida Governor and Senator, Dies at 87.

We lived in Florida when Bob Graham was governor and U.S. Senator. It was a great time to be a Florida resident.