Compass Points

This week Scott and Jesse talk to Buddy Burkhardt, the new chair of the Knox County Republican Party, about his plans and goals for his two-year term. They also talk about KPD's new "standards" chief, further moves by UT and the City of Knoxville on the proposed pedestrian bridge across the Tennessee River, and Farragut's plans for the Campbell Station Inn. Plus, the Legislature passes those bills...

This week, Jesse and Scott talk to leaders of Knox Pride about their efforts to fight pending legislation on drag shows and transgender care. They also discuss a lawsuit against the Knox County Sheriff's immigration enforcement program, the settlement of beer citations at Neyland Stadium, the impact of City of Knoxville pay raises, and Knox County's partnership with a daycare center. Looking ahead...

This week Jesse and Scott talk to Belinda Woodiel-Brill of Knoxville Area Transit about plans to revamp the city's bus system. They also discuss Knox Pride's reaction to the Legislature's anti-drag show bill, plans for a Knox County mental health court, a new development in the Old City and the school board's bill collection policy. In the Q&A segment, they answer reader questions about a Bitcoin...

This week, Scott and Jesse talk to Steve Jenkins of Positively Living about the local impact of Gov. Bill Lee's rejection of federal HIV funding. They also talk about UT's expanding footprint, the county's college-attendance goal and a new charter school application. And they answer a reader question about building heights. Go to CompassKnox.com today to subscribe 

This week Scott and Jesse talk about the county's approval of the massive Belltown development and the city's final version of its dog-tethering ordinance, Knox County Schools' new 865 Academies and the future of the Community Schools program. Also, Weed Watch: What's the Legislature proposing in cannabis regulation? The guys also answer a reader question about the likely impact of rising interest...

This week Scott and Jesse look into "Missing Middle housing" and talk about County Commission's request from state legislators to allow for the addition of 'Impact Fees' for new development, Chief Noel's request to create a new executive position at KPD, and a very unconventional response from Sherif Spangler to a sitting County Commissioner. The guys dig deeper into the KCSO vs. 15yo employee by...

This week Scott and Jesse welcome the state Legislature back to session and talk about dog tethering ordinances in the City of Knoxville, some interesting split votes on the school board, the massive development planned for Cumberland Avenue, and the prospective pedestrian bridge spanning the Tennessee River from the UT campus to the South Waterfront. Also: an update on Knox County's energy-saving...

This week Scott and Jesse talk about Knoxville's 2022 crime statistics, Rep. Tim Burchett's designation as "class clown" of Congress, who's in and who's out in the contest for county GOP chair, and early moves in this year's city elections. They're joined by guest Rusty Odom of Blank Newspaper to talk about the Knoxville Mix, a new weekly entertainment calendar that will be jointly produced by Com...

This week, Jesse and Scott talk TVA and the handling of some record demand days, and a look back at the top stories and themes from 2022. They guys take a reader question involving the record cold and our local unhoused population. From all of us here at Compass Points and  www.compassknox.com we hope this is the start of a great 2023 and want to take this opportunity to thank you for listening an...

This week, Jesse and Scott talk about Aniya Thompson's appearance at Knox County Commission, the City of Knoxville's plans to revise its development process, a planning defection from the city to the county and, yes, the great drag show controversy. Also, the guys answer a reader question about housing in Fountain City, and they make a few holiday music and movie selections. A subscrition to www.c...

This week, Scott and Jesse talk development and planning with attorney Benjamin Mullins, who often represents developers at Planning Commission. They also discuss the county's delay-plagued ambulance service, the un-endorsement of state Sen. Richard Briggs by Tennessee Right to Life, and news on the historic preservation front. In the Q&A portion, they answer a reader's question about the City of...

This week Jesse and Scott check on the KUB's progress on broadband rollout. The guys also discuss the approval of a massive development in north Knox County' called Belltown, and a look at some significant activities at school board this week including third grade reading, playgrounds, and custodial needs. They continue this discussion with this weeks guest, Kristi Kristy. Jesse responds to a read...

This week Jesse and Scott talk about the Knoxville Chamber's new focus on the "Imagination Economy" with Chamber CEO Mike Odom. The guys also discuss Knox County's generous new parental leave benefits, the first-ever formal agreement between the Knoxville Police Department and the Police Advisory and Review Committee, and an upcoming slate of state legislation focused on the LGBTQ community. They...

This week Jesse and Scott talk about the recriminations surrounding an encounter with sheriff's deputies at a local deli, the University of Tennessee's plans to expand its virtual degree programs, Knox County's settlement with its former parks director, and the ongoing saga of Greyhound's changing drop-off locations in Knoxville. Knox County Chief Financial Officer Chris Caldwell joins the guys fo...

This week Scott runs solo as Jesse is under the weather. Scott covers the discussion by City Council about short term rentals, Knox County finances ahead of a looming recession and the city has given KPD permission to seek a grant to assist in violence prevention. Scott and Jesse interview LaKenya Middlebrook about some of the efforts to reduce violence in Knoxville. Scott answers a question from...

This week Scott and Jesse take a look at the local results of the Nov. 8 election, especially the outcomes in state House districts 18 and 90, along with the unexpected surge in Election Day turnout. WBIR's John North joins in for some post-election analysis. Also on the podcast: the Knox County school board wrestles with a state law that could lead to a majority of third-grade students being held...

This week Jesse and Scott size up the political landscape ahead of the Nov. 8 election, with a look at early voting totals and some accusations and recriminations in the House District 18 race. Also up for discussion: the naming of a suspect in the Planned Parenthood arson, the school system's shift in its approach to racial disparities, and UT's food and drink vendor faces possible suspension of...

This week Scott and Jesse look at the trends in early voting so far (spoiler: it skews older), County Commission's request for a new mental health hospital, the expansion plans for UT's College of Business, progress on the downtown stadium, and racial disparities in medical debt. Also a look ahead at next week's City Council meeting. Don't forget ALL campaign coverage is outside the paywall at Com...

This week Jesse and Scott talk about early voting in the Nov. 8 election, an assessment of the culture inside the Knoxville Police Department, and why Republican legislative candidates aren't showing up for public forums. The guest in the interview segment is Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon, who also weighs in on the KPD report, some Planning staff changes, development in South Knoxville, and whet...

This week Scott and Jesse talk about some changes in Knoxville-Knox County Planning, and with early voting starting on Oct. 19 they take a look at interesting races on the ballot as well as those state constitutional amendments. In the interview segment, they talk with Hancen Sale of the Knoxville Area Association of Realtors for an update on how rising interest rates are affecting the local housi...

This week Scott and Jesse talk about restructuring in the Knoxville Police Department, the Republican majority asserting itself on the school board, and a protest by UT professors against the state's "divisive concepts" bill. In this week's interview, county Engineering Director Jim Snowden updates us on the Advance Knox planning process. Also: Property tax bills are out. Why are some of them so h...

This week Scott and Jesse talk about some incentives for local governments in the Inflation Reduction Act, a huge expansion of Axle Logistics in North Knoxville, a zoning reversal for a martial arts academy in South Knoxville, and the persistent hoax about students using litter boxes in schools. The interview guest is Jack Neely of the Knoxville History Project, who talks about a new plaque honori...

This week Scott and Jesse discuss a County Commisson meeting where a lot of discussion on overcrowding at Young-Williams Animal Center, a look at what changed at UT's College of Arts and Sciences, Power Poll results on the changes to abortion law in Tennessee, and a Vanderbilt health clinic is under fire from a newly localized pundit.    compassknox.com Scott and Jesse chat with Holly McCall of th...

This week Scott and Jesse are working after dark to review a very busy week in education, from visit from the First Lady to UT student housing, a survey on dividing UT's College of Arts and Sciences and the annual U.S. News rankings. In Knox County Schools news, the boys chat about school board reorganization and data from the state showing the district at the lower end of its rankings. In non-edu...

This week Scott and Jesse discuss their respective bouts with COVID and check in on some top events from the past weeks. Scott discusses the appointment of fellows for the new Civics Institutes at UT, Jesse covers the unexpected election of Courtney Durrett to Commission Chair, Scott explains the city's tree saving compromise on the Cradle of Country Music Park art project and resolution on aborti...