http://blounttoday.com/news/blounttoday.com Storiesen-ushttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/star-quality/Ask Christina Loveday what she was thinking when she first signed up for the Rising Star of Tennessee competition, and she laughs. It has more to do with what her husband Mike was thinking. Mike Loveday heard the advertisement for the talent competition and fund-raiser for Patch Ministries on radio station Love 89. The only problem was he heard it on the next to last day entries were due from contestants. Thu, 15 May 2008 18:25:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/star-quality/community/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/cathy-cate-chat-room/Leadership Blount Executive Director Cathy Cate has a job that each year allows her to see different people going through similar challenges and growing as individuals and as a group. The Leadership Blount experience allows a group of individuals to come together to learn about the leadership and the opportunities they have to serve in the community. “The fact that every class is very different, and they take on a totally different personality is fun to watch,” Cate says. Thu, 15 May 2008 18:22:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/cathy-cate-chat-room/news/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/bbq-bash-brings-out-best-charity-fun-and-food/Swinos. Blood, Sweat and Gears. Soggy Bottom Smokers. Smoke on the Water. The monikers aren’t rock bands, but barbecue winners in the 2008 Big BBQ Bash, a competition and community party that brought out thousands and helped raise even more thousands for charity on Saturday. Thu, 15 May 2008 18:11:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/bbq-bash-brings-out-best-charity-fun-and-food/community/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/saying-hello-jackson/Alcoa, Inc., invited community leaders and friends to Sullivans recently to welcome Chris Jackson, new operations manager of Alcoa Tennessee Rigid Packaging Division, and his wife, Melbia Jackson, to Blount County. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:59:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/saying-hello-jackson/community/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/crowd-turns-out-welcome-sissy-ferguson-director-ml/Sharon “Sissy” Ferguson is the new director at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Alcoa, and residents turned out April 28 to welcome her. Natasha Hillsman with Denso associate relations, said a committee was put together to find a replacement for the late Anthony Dunnings, who died suddenly in February. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:56:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/crowd-turns-out-welcome-sissy-ferguson-director-ml/news/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/-plus-effort/As publisher of Blount Today, I am honored to attend many events in Blount County. There are parties, barbecues, golf tournaments, meetings, concerts, festivals -- the list goes on and on. So to pick one event as my favorite could be a dangerous thing. But I have one. Those who know me well won’t be surprised. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:47:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/-plus-effort/community/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/gold-rush/Two trends apparent since earlier this year can be seen on convenience store fuel price boards and jewelry store signs throughout the country. Jewelry stores are advertising that they are buying back gold from customers and the practice is becoming more and more popular as the price of gold inflates, the value of the dollar drops and the price of fuel climbs. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:41:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/gold-rush/news/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/dress--day/No one seemed too interested in the stacks of golden pancakes or ice cold juice. It’s a little hard to get excited about breakfast when Cinderella is sweeping through the ballroom. The Junior Service League of Blount County’s first Princesses, Pirates and Pals Pancake Breakfast was not only a twice-over sell-out, it was a happily-ever-after success. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:40:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/dress--day/community/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/mhs-art-show-puts-spotlight-students-artistic-tale/ One of the more difficult questions asked the winners of the Maryville High School Fine Arts Showcase recently was how much the artists would charge for their works. The individuals concerned were asking because people had already made inquiries about prices for the pieces. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:34:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/mhs-art-show-puts-spotlight-students-artistic-tale/community/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/republicans-rally/If U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander has his way, in five years people will be plugging in rather than filling up. During the annual Blount County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner on May 9, Alexander proposed a second “Manhattan Project” to create clean energy and cut the amount of oil the country buys from foreign sources. The original “Manhattan Project” in 1941 was to build the atomic bond to help end World War II. Alexander said gas prices are on everyone’s minds and he pointed to the Democrats as being the party that didn’t allow progress to help alleviate oil dependency. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:30:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/republicans-rally/community/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/kitchen/What could be more refreshing in the heat of the summer than a lemon dessert? The very name evokes images of sunshine and their essence, when added to any recipe, makes a dish pop with flavor. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:25:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/kitchen/columnistshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/townsend-library-holds-summer-reading-program/The Mary E. Tippitt Memorial Library in Townsend is holding its annual Summer Reading Program for children ages 3 to 11. The activities will take place from 1to 3 p.m. on Thursday, July 10, 17, 24 and 31. This year’s theme is “Starship Adventure @ Your Library.” David Fields from the Solar System Ambassador’s Program will be the guest on July 10. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:21:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/townsend-library-holds-summer-reading-program/community/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/south-blount-utility-celebrates-drinking-water-wee/As Drinking Water Week continues, the South Blount County Utility District joins water professionals across North America to highlight the importance of a safe, reliable water supply to our overall quality of life – from public health protection and fire suppression to the critical role it plays in supporting the economy. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:20:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/south-blount-utility-celebrates-drinking-water-wee/community/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/tnt-gymnasts-attend-tennessee-state-championship/TNT gymnasts culminated their successful regular competition season with the Tennessee State Championship held in April in Knoxville. Competing as Level 8’s were Brittany Stinnett, Ashley Thompson, and Lauren Kiningham. Outstanding performances by Optional Level 8 gymnasts Brittany Stinnett and Ashley Thompson enable them to advance to the Southeastern Regional Championship. Brittany was awarded the first place gold medal on beam with a score of 9.425 in the 12 year old division. Ashley won the 13 year old all around division with a 36.825. She received first place on bars with a 9.625, first place on beam with a 9.375, and second place on floor with a 36.825. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:19:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/tnt-gymnasts-attend-tennessee-state-championship/community/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/three-honored-director-schools-good-citizenship/An elementary, middle and high school student took home a special award after the May meeting of the Blount County School Board. The Director of Schools Citizenship Awards were presented to Leah Thomas, Gracie Author and Amy Eastridge by Director of Schools Alvin Hord. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:17:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/three-honored-director-schools-good-citizenship/community/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/bmh-offers-classes-whole-family/The Blount Memorial Family Birthing Center will offer a variety of programs and services for the whole family including parents, parents-to-be, caregivers and siblings. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:12:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/bmh-offers-classes-whole-family/community/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/stylish-fund-raiser/May marks the 81st annual Better Hearing and Speech Month and The Hearing and Speech Foundation is celebrating in style. Since 1927, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association celebrates Better Hearing and Speech Month each May. This year, the association invites the public to enjoy a fashion show and luncheon to familiarize residents with the good works being done for neighbors living in East Tennessee who are afflicted with hearing loss. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:11:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/stylish-fund-raiser/community/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/state-budget-cuts/Gov. Phil Bredesen presented a revised “live within our means” budget Monday night to a joint session of the state legislature and members of the Blount County delegation said, for the most part, they liked what they heard. State Rep. Joe McCord said “conceptually” he agreed with what the governor is trying to accomplish and the manner in which he is doing it. “One quote was that it was a ‘Live within our means’ budget, and that’s how he tried to approach it and that’s how we’re approaching it,” McCord said. “We will find the detail, and there-in lies the Devil.” Thu, 15 May 2008 17:10:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/state-budget-cuts/news/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/maryville-school-board-works-break-even-15-million/The Maryville City School Board is running out of time. The board only has a few weeks to come up with the $1,558,245 to break even on the 2008-2009 school budget proposed expenditures. Director of Schools Stephanie Thompson said the budget will be getting some relief from the growth of Maryville’s population, but the extra students will not bring in enough money to prevent cuts. She said the board should expect an additional $86,000 in funds. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:09:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/maryville-school-board-works-break-even-15-million/news/newshttp://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/community-cites-positives---teachers-passion---and/Setting priorities and making plans - those were the goals the Maryville City School Board set when they started a series of meetings that paired them with leadership teams, faculty and students to create a document that will pose priorities for future endeavors. The meetings began in April and were scheduled to run through June. The May 13 meeting was the first meeting for public input. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:08:00 -0000http://blounttoday.com/news/2008/may/15/community-cites-positives---teachers-passion---and/news/news