Victor Ashe| Shopper News columnist
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A few weeks ago, U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty led a group of local Tennessee officials, including Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, to the Texas-Mexico border for a tour.
But after that, Hagerty opposed the bipartisan compromise to upgrade border security – crafted by Sen. James Lankford, Republican from Oklahoma – because Donald Trump opposed it.
Strange and a mistake!
Jennifer Linginfelter will be U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett’s new chief of staff July 1. She previously worked for Burchett when he was county mayor and for former county mayor Mike Ragsdale in solid waste. A replacement for Linginfelter has not been announced.
She currently earns $140,000 a year, but she replaces Michael Grider, who made $212,000 a year. Her new salary has not been disclosed.
Burchett is known for paying several staffers very high salaries with federal tax dollars, which goes against his claims of trying to reduce the national debt.
Burchett, unfortunately, also continues his habit of making embarrassing and inaccurate statements.
Tennessee Journal, in its May 10 issue, reports that Burchett, when asked about former President Trump’s alleged hush money payments to p*rn actress Stormy Daniels, said, “If you want somebody of good character to be president, you need to look back in history at all the dirtbags we’ve elected ... It doesn’t shake me.”
We have had 46 presidents. Who is Burchett talking about? Which one was a “dirtbag”? Because you may strongly disagree with a president does not make him a dirtbag.
Burchett should remember he is a congressman and he looks foolish when he makes these statements.
Surely, we can agree that Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Joe Biden and Barack Obama are not dirtbags, to name some over the past 80 years.
Former Knox County school board member Virginia Babb and her husband, Ned, are hosting a reception for Democratic County Commission candidate Shane Jackson on June 5 at their home in the Riverbend area of West Knox County. Co-hosting with them are Greg and Melissa Isaacs and Jason and Ashley Wade.
Barbara Kelly, 86, longtime respected director of the Community Action Committee, has announced she is retiring June 30, 2025. She succeeded Luke Ross as director and has set a record for leading CAC. The board will need to establish a search committee to choose her successor. Establishing the Beardsley Gardens off Western Avenue has been one of many achievements for Kelly.
Tim Hester, city greenways coordinator who had been city manager for Norris, has retired after seven years with the city. It is up to Sheryl Ely, Parks and Recreation director, to search for a new greenways coordinator. In the meantime, she says she and her deputy, Aaron Browning, will handle Hester’s responsibilities. Hopefully, she will not leave the position vacant for long. Knox County has not had a greenways coordinator for two years, and County Mayor Glenn Jacobs has bypassed the issue.
Former Vice Mayor Duane Grieve was honored May 23 at the Knox Heritage Preservation Awards. He was given the Spirit of Kristopher Award, which recognizes an individual who has made significant achievements in support of historic preservation over the years. For the past 40 years and during his eight years on city council, Grieve and his wife, Marsha, have been active in promoting historic preservation.
The late City Councilman Larry Cox was a dedicated advocate for Fulton High School. Funds are being raised to create the Larry Cox Falcon Legacy Suite, which will establish improvements for Fulton, including a team room. Gifts are tax deductible. Checks should be made to Fulton High School with “Cox Suite” in the memo line and mailed to Fulton High School at 2509 N. Broadway, Knoxville, TN 37917.
Birthdays
May 30: Retired Chancellor David H. Cate is 83. Michael Combs is 81. Elsbeth Freeman is 78. Former councilman Ivan Harmon is 76.
May 31: KUB’s Gabe Bolas is 52. Peyton Drysdale is 45. Clint Eastwood is 94. Retired Rabbi Alon Ferency is 49. David Hatfield is 67. Former state Rep. Dick Krieg is 78. Tim Moore is 79. Samuel Pajcic is 34. Former councilwoman Barbara Pelot is 87. Former Chief Justice Gary Wade is 76. Scott M. Whaley is 53.
June 1: Julie Gautreau is 59. Melissa McAdams is 71. Lynn Vogel is 75. David Wedekind is 69.
June 2: Faith Carpenter is 74. Nathan A. Honeycutt is 45. Clayton S. Wood is 44.
June 3: Hank Ammons is 73. First lady Jill Biden is 73. Jeffrey S. Clark is 61. News Sentinel journalist Allie Feinberg is 23. Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s aide Michael Hensley is 29. Clay Oliver is 33. Scott Schimmel is 52.
June 4: Legislative candidate Amanda Collins is 46. Former county commissioner and Farragut Vice Mayor John Griess is 75. Jenny Hines is 71. Attorney Anne McKinney is 75. Katie Sherrod is 38. Megan Venable is 50.
June 5: Former first lady of Farragut Linda Ford is 85. Kevin Kuban is 39. Mark D. Lampley is 56. Greg Mangan is 68. Andrew Murr is 54. Farragut Vice Mayor Louise Povlin is 59. Stacey Wiseman is 50.
Victor Ashe can be reached at vhashe@aol.com.
Victor Ashe is a former Knoxville mayor and former ambassador to Poland. He is a columnist forShopper News.
Knox News and Shopper News promptly correct all errors. If you think we have published incorrect information, please email accuracy@knoxnews.com. Describe the error, where you saw it, the date, page number or the URL.
