The Scruffy Stuff

  We hope you are kicking off July dressed in your finest red, white and blue − the topic of this discussion, though not how you might imagine.   Brianna Paciorka , Keenan Thomas and Ryan Wilusz chat about what makes them red with anger and blue with sadness when it comes to downtown Knoxville. And for the sake of keeping things positive, we decided white should represent happiness (and not surren...

The Tennessee Theatre marquee or the Sunsphere? Market Square or the Old City? This exercise feels a bit like picking your favorite child – or your favorite episode of "The Scruffy Stuff." Hopefully, this week's episode is a candidate.  Growth and development reporter Silas Sloan joins host Ryan Wilusz to pick between a handful of Knoxville essentials, ranging from bars to music festivals to natur...

Believe it or not, there's more to life than work and home. And whether or not you realize it, you probably have a "third place" – that is, a home away from home where you frequently socialize and relax. Hosts Ryan Wilusz and Brenna McDermott are joined by Knox News reporters, who share the bars, restaurants, public spaces and community gathering places where they regularly find community. "The Sc...

Knoxville is full of great bars, restaurants and entertainment venues. Many of them are spread across Knox County, but the Scruffy Stuff team would move a key few of them to downtown. Some of them fill a downtown niche, some just fit the downtown "vibe" and would benefit from operating in the heart of the Scruffy City. Here's our list. "The Scruffy Stuff" is presented by knoxnews.com. Want more do...

Knoxville's poet laureate Rhea Carmon, better known as "RheaSunshine," joins The Scruffy Stuff as she wraps up her term as Knoxville's storyteller-in-chief. Rhea talks to us about the power of spoken word poetry to begin challenging conversations around race, class, gender, ability and all the things that separate us. Rhea shares where she gets inspiration and what she's learned during her time as...

For fun under the sun, downtown Knoxville has plenty of patios to offer. And as the weather keeps getting warmer, our thirst keeps getting stronger for outdoor spaces to enjoy drinks and food.  Host Ryan Wilusz, along with producer Brianna Paciorka and higher education reporter Keenan Thomas, average their individual scores to determine an admittedly unscientific ranking of patios in the Scruffy C...

For fun under the sun, downtown Knoxville has plenty of patios to offer. And as the weather keeps getting warmer, our thirst keeps getting stronger for outdoor spaces to enjoy drinks and food.  Host Ryan Wilusz, along with producer Brianna Paciorka and higher education reporter Keenan Thomas, average their individual scores to determine an admittedly unscientific ranking of patios in the Scruffy C...

One month after inviting Brian Canever and Patrick Teasdale of “Knox Soccer Podcast” to join “The Scruffy Stuff,” Knox News sent higher education reporter Keenan Thomas to Regal Soccer Stadium for his first One Knoxville SC game. Thomas joins this week’s episode to share his experience with co-host Ryan Wilusz. The two chat about atmosphere, concessions, parking and more factors related to the gam...

We're not saying downtown Knoxville businesses need to go; they just need to go somewhere else.  While there are plenty of bars, restaurants, and activities to enjoy in the city's core, co-hosts Brenna McDermott and Ryan Wilusz discuss how these businesses might be better served elsewhere.  From aligning Knoxville's two most notable spheres to bringing the dance party down to Gay Street, this epis...

The Scruffy City has a lot to offer, but downtown Knoxville sometimes relies on an overabundance of certain businesses and amenities. This podcast, part two of last week's episode, features co-host Ryan Wilusz and producer Brianna Paciorka discussing the things downtown could cut back, from certain restaurant offerings to alcohol-forward activities. "The Scruffy Stuff" is presented by knoxnews.com...

Downtown Knoxville has a lot to offer, but sometimes residents and visitors are left wanting more. From tall buildings to family activities to bar and restaurant variety, we came up with some amenities that have great quality in downtown Knoxville but not great quantity — and how this could be addressed. This episode, co-hosted by Brenna McDermott and Ryan Wilusz of Knox News, previews next week's...

A rap about the Sunsphere? A poem about Randy Boyd? With the rise of artificial intelligence software, we fed some downtown Knoxville prompts to ChatGPT and predicted what it would say.  Host Ryan Wilusz is joined on this episode by higher education reporter Keenan Thomas, who has reported on the rise of ChatGPT on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus and how officials are adapting.  Li...

This past weekend, Big Ears Festival, Chalk Walk and the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon all overlapped in downtown Knoxville. Not only that, but the Bassmaster Classic saw record attendance the weekend before.  For some, that meant exploring the city and all it has to offer. For others, it meant navigating road closures and avoiding swarms of locals and out-of-town guests.  Does it make sense...

Rick Emmett has worked for the city more than three decades, including the past 12 years as Knoxville's downtown coordinator. In this role, he helps residents and business navigate the ins and out of government while leading some of the most notable downtown efforts. With Emmett retiring, we invited him on "The Scruffy Stuff" to talk about how downtown has changed and where growth could be going a...

The 60-day waiting period required to  demolish downtown Knoxville's most crumbling building is over, but there's one more hurdle to address before Pryor Brown Garage can come down: pedestrian safety. While the owner of the garage works on that, we at Knox News started thinking about what could replace the historic structure. Listen as co-hosts Ryan Wilusz and Brenna McDermott share their thoughts...

There's not much shopping that happens at coffee shops; they are more like caffeine lounges than anything else. This is especially true for those who prefer tea and other drinks, yet you'll still find these people in coffee shops around Knoxville. That's because coffee shops are about far more than their roasts. Atmosphere, meeting areas, gifts and food all are offered in these spaces around town....

Brian Canever and Patrick Teasdale of the Knox Soccer Podcast join Ryan Wilusz, co-host of "The Scruffy Stuff," to talk about One Knoxville SC's jump to a professional league. As Knoxville's sports culture continues to grow, with a baseball stadium planned just east of downtown, is the Scruffy City ready to become a soccer city? We answer this question and a whole lot more about the first pro socc...

If a bear does cocaine in the woods and no one is around to see it, did it really do cocaine?  The answer is a resounding yes, and "Cocaine Bear" places this far-fetched premise prominently on display during the new film directed by Elizabeth Banks.  With its ties to Knoxville − and Knox News − it was only fitting for two reporters, Ryan Wilusz and Keenan Thomas, to be among the first to see the m...

Just the prospect of a downtown Knoxville stadium was enough for real estate investors to begin buying property left and right in the Old City and Magnolia Warehouse District.  The trend has continued since the stadium was approved, and property values are rising. Areena Arora, Silas Sloan and Ryan Wilusz explore real estate transactions, property trends and the possible future of a stadium distri...

Inspired by Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day," this podcast explores what it would be like to wake up in the same place day after day. The fun part: You get to choose.  Ryan Wilusz, Brianna Paciorka and Keenan Thomas consider food, shopping, nightlife and other amenities to determine which block in the downtown Knoxville area they would select.  "The Scruffy Stuff" is presented by knoxnews.com. Want...

Love is in the air and money is in your wallet. Let's keep it that way! Downtown Knoxville has its fair share of fine dining and fancy cocktails. But when you're with a special someone, memories hold the most value. Brianna Paciorka joins hosts Brenna McDermott and Ryan Wilusz to talk about their ideal Valentine's Day experiences, from the most affordable to the most out-of-the-box ideas that are...

Get your stomach and taste buds ready for another year of babka and matzo ball soup. Potchke is sticking around downtown Knoxville longer than anticipated. Owners Laurence Faber and Emily Williams join "The Scruffy Stuff" to talk renewing their lease on Gay Street, being featured in The New York Times and planning an exciting second year for the New York City-style Jewish deli (with a south Florid...

New year, new you ... and a new member of "The Scruffy Stuff" team!  There's so much to do in downtown Knoxville that it's easy to miss out on experiences, whether that's trying new restaurants, exploring alternative transportation or immersing yourself in the local music scene.  Host Ryan Wilusz is again joined by Keenan Thomas, now a full-time reporter at Knox News, and visual journalist Brianna...

The city of Knoxville is seeking to suspend or revoke the license of Aramark, the company that runs beer sales at Neyland Stadium for the University of Tennessee. City officials say the company served underage adults three times in the 2022 football season and claim beer sales create a "disorderly" environment on game days. But since beer sales began in 2019, the rate of incidents logged by Univer...

The things Adeem the Artist hasn't directly experienced, the Knoxville musician has delicately observed in the struggles of strangers and friends in their 34 years, culminating in 11 sung stories of "White Trash Revelry" released on Dec. 2.  Perhaps, you have seen the album on "best-of" lists by Rolling Stone and Billboard or heard their music praised by Brandi Carlile, a queer country artist in h...