Latest news with #KnoxvilleSmokies
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Knox County lessons about a trustworthy trustee
Several Knox County trustees have run into ethical difficulties over the last 25 years. (Photo of Old Knox County Courthouse: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) At a recent Knoxville Smokies baseball game, I had a brief but nice chat with Ed Shouse, former Knoxville City Council member, former Knox County Commissioner, and former Knox County Trustee. I congratulated him on being one of the few recent trustees not facing scandal. He chuckled, shook his head, and said, 'You've just got to remember it's not your money.' It is sage advice for anyone doing public service, especially in the trustee office, established in Knox County's charter for collecting property taxes, disbursing and accounting for county funds and investing money quickly and wisely to earn interest and profits for the county. We in Knox County like electing all sorts of administrative offices — register of deeds, county clerk, property assessor, even court clerks — but have experienced angst regarding a lot of recent trustees. A Knox News article noted that when current trustee Justin Biggs was elected in 2022, he hired several friends and gave them raises ranging from 30% to 71% — effectively expanding the office payroll from Shouse's time, 2014 to 2022, by nearly $400,000. Knox News also recently revealed how Biggs and his staff ride and travel in style, racking up travel expenses that well exceeded the county rate. In 2023 Biggs leased six new Ford Silverado 1500 pickup trucks equipped with four-wheel drive for which the county paid $397,968, about $200,000 more than what taxpayers pay for vehicles used by other county offices. GPS data, according to Knox News, shows trustee staff using county vehicles for personal use. Biggs says he has reimbursed the county $3,500 for excess expenses, though it is not clear if that is the total owed for all involved. The Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasurer is investigating. Any follow up to that investigation will be handled by Blount County's District Attorney. Biggs, anticipating tough questions from Knox County commissioners, skipped an appearance before the finance committee, instead sending an office legal assistant. He nevertheless is seeking re-election to his $164,904 a year job. Most of the Republican establishment has been keeping some distance from his campaign; many likely prefer his primary opponent, Register of Deeds Nick McBride. Former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe has called on Biggs to resign. Trustee shenanigans also likely affected our congressional delegation. From 2010 to 2013 our trustee was John Duncan, III, son and grandson of longtime congressmen John and Jimmy Duncan from Knox County. Most political wags thought the trustee gig was a stepping-stone to a third-generation run for Congress. Duncan, III, however, got in trouble by awarding bonuses for certification and training programs for himself and others on his staff; many of the courses had not actually been taken. Duncan, III resigned the day he pleaded guilty to felony misconduct in 2013; he received probation with an option for diversion. In 2014, a judge dismissed his case after he completed the diversion terms. The biggest trustee scandal was that surrounding Mike Lowe, serving as trustee from 1994 to 2007. Lowe pleaded guilty to two counts of felony theft related to 'ghost employees' — associates on the payroll who didn't work. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said the scheme robbed county taxpayers of more than $750,000; the TBI also said these associates kicked back some of the money to Lowe. The former trustee, years after leaving office, also admitted to funneling title work to an associate who would overcharge the county, and give Lowe a cut of that, too. Lowe was sentenced to ten years in prison, but was behind bars for roughly seven months before the rest of his sentence was changed to supervised probation. Shouse ended 34 years of public service on Aug. 31, 2022. His eight years of integrity as trustee mirrored similar upstanding behavior in other public offices. When selecting a trustee or other position of trust, one good guide is to look for trustworthy behavior and proven integrity, someone who knows it's not his money, to use Shouse's words. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Minor League Wrap: Smokies sweep a doubleheader in Chattanooga
The Cubs have signed right-hander Tommy Romero to a minor league deal. Romero had been pitching for Guerreros de Oaxaca in the Mexican League this year. He pitched four games in the majors for the Rays and Nationals in 2022. Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs roasted the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers), 3-1. Advertisement Three Iowa pitchers combined on a two-hitter. Peter Solomon pitched the first four innings and surrendered just one unearned run on two hits. Solomon struck out four and walked no one. Keegan Thompson didn't allow a run or a hit over the next three innings and got the win. Thompson did struggle with control. Although he only walked one batter, he hit three of them. Or maybe his control was good and he hit those people intentionally. Thompson struck out four. Riley Martin retired all six batters he faced in the final two frames and collected the save. Martin struck out three. DH Reese McGuire gave the I-Cubs the lead with a two-run home run in the seventh inning. McGuire was 1 for 3 with a walk. Advertisement Second baseman James Triantos went 3 for 4 with a double. He scored on McGuire's home run. Center fielder Christian Franklin was 3 for 4 with a double and a stolen base. Knoxville Smokies The Knoxville Smokies swept a doubleheader from the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 9-2 and 5-1. The doubleheader swept moved the Smokies past the Lookouts and into first place. Grant Kipp started game one and gave up one run on three hits. He walked four and struck out six. Robert Kwiatkowski relieved Kipp and was awarded the win since Kipp didn't go five innings. He allowed one hit but no runs. Kwiatkowski struck out two and walked no one. Advertisement The Smokies exploded for seven runs in the second inning to win this one going away. Center fielder Brett Bateman opened the scoring with a two-run double. Bateman was 3 for 4 with the double and a walk. He had three overall runs batted in and scored once. Later in the second inning, second baseman Corey Joyce hit his first home run in the Cubs organization with two men on. Joyce went 1 for 3 with a walk. Left fielder Jordan Nwogu was 2 for 4 with two steals. He scored one run. Will Sanders started game two and collected the win after going five innings and allowing no runs and two hits. He struck out seven. Advertisement Right fielder Darius Hill added some insurance with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh. Hill was 1 for 4. Center fielder Parker Chavers was 2 for 3 and scored once. Second baseman Pedro Ramirez made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. Ramirez went 2 for 3. He scored one time and had that one RBI. South Bend Cubs The South Bend Cubs were caught hiberating against the Ft. Wayne TinCaps (10-3). Kenten Egbert got rocked for five runs in the first inning, four of which came on a grand slam by Braedon Karpathios. he stayed in the game and gave up three more runs before he was finished. The final line on Egbert was eight runs, seven earned, on six hits over 4+ innings. Egbert struck out six, walked two and hit one batter. Advertisement Shortstop Jefferson Rojas homered with the bases empty in the sixth inning. He left the yard again in the eighth inning to account for all three of South Bend's runs. Rojas went 3 for 4. He now has four home runs this season. Home run number one for Rojas. And number two. Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans took out the Delmarva Shorebirds (Orioles), 11-0. Alfredo Romero started this bullpen game and pitched 2.1 innings, allowing four hits and walking two. He struck out one. Cole Reynolds was awarded the win as the most effective pitcher since Romero didn't go five innings. Reynolds pitched two innings and gave up just one hit. Reynolds walked one and struck out four. Advertisement Yoendris Gonzalez pitched 1.2 innings, Charlie Hurley pitched 2.1 and Luis Martinez-Gomez pitched two-thirds of an inning as five pitchers combined on the shutout. DH Cole Mathis went 2 for 3 with a double and two walks. He drove in two runs. Third baseman Eriandys Ramon was a perfect 2 for 2 with a double and two walks. Ramon scored twice and had one RBI. First baseman Cameron Sisneros was 2 for 4 with a sacrifice fly and three runs batted in total. Left fielder Jose Escobar went 2 for 5 with a stolen base. Escobar scored three runs and drove home two. It's been a rough start to second baseman Ty Southisene's Low-A career, as he went 0 for 11 before he hit an RBI single in the second inning. Southisene was 1 for 4 with a walk. He scored three times. Advertisement Here is Southisene's single. The double by Ramon. A double by Cole Mathis. ACL Cubs Off day. More from
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Minor League Wrap: Kevin Alcantara doubles twice in 10-2 Iowa win
Outfielder Darius Hill was demoted from Triple-A Iowa to Double-A Knoxville. The Cubs released right-hander Trevor Richards. Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs corralled the Buffalo Bison (Blue Jays), 10-2. Connor Noland started and got the win, allowing just one run on four hits over five innings. Noland walked three and struck out two. Advertisement Luke Little pitched two scoreless innings of relief. He gave up one run, walked no one and struck out one. Shortstop Ben Cowles had a four RBI day with an RBI double in the third inning and a three-run home run in the sixth. That was Cowles third home run this year. Cowles went 3 for 4. Catcher Moisés Ballesteros extended his hitting streak to 19 games with an RBI single in the fourth, scoring Owen Caissie. Ballesteros singled again in the sixth inning. He was 2 for 5 and scored twice. Right fielder Caissie went 1 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored twice. Center fielder Kevin Alcántara doubled twice in a 3 for 4 afternoon. Alcántara also walked once. He drove in two runs and scored two. Advertisement DH Jonathon Long was 3 for 5. He had two RBI and two runs scored. Jonny Long's two-run single. Cowles' double. The hit that extended Ballesteros' streak. The Jaguar just missed a home run with the first of his two doubles. Cowles' home run. Knoxville Smokies Rained out at home against Rocket City. The game will not be made up. South Bend Cubs The South Bend Cubs lost to the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins), 8-3. Ryan Gallagher started and took the loss. He gave up two runs on six hits and three walks over 2.2 innings. Gallagher struck out three. Left fielder Andy Garriola hit an RBI double in the sixth inning and then scored on first baseman Brian Kalmer's single. Garriola was 1 for 4 and Kalmer went 1 for 3 with a walk. Advertisement Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were stuck in the Carolina Mudcats (Brewers), 4-3. JP Wheat is in a groove right now, going five innings and giving up just one run on four hits. More importantly, he struck out six and walked just one. Matthew Peters came on to get the save in the bottom of the ninth with the Birds clinging to a 3-2 lead. Peters gave up two runs while failing to retiring a batter, although to be fair his defense didn't help him. The final line on Peters was two runs, one earned, on two hits and a walk over no innings. Center fielder Alex Lumpuy hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning, his second this season. Lumpuy went 1 for 4. Advertisement Left fielder Jose Escobar was 2 for 4 with one run scored. Lumpuy's home run. More from
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘A little traumatizing' Eagle lands on photographer at Smokies game
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A bald eagle landed on a photographer's hip during the opening ceremony of the Knoxville Smokies game. The Smokies played their first game at Covenant Health Park on Tuesday against the Chattanooga Lookouts. During the opening ceremony, a bald eagle named Lincoln, landed on Photographer Ryan Beatty, scratching him as he took pictures of the American flag. Fee-free day in GSMNP celebrates start of National Park Week: What to know 'It was cool, it was scary, a little traumatizing, got my heartrate going, but at the end of the day, it was pretty sick' Beatty said. Opening Day at Covenant Health Park christened with fanfare and fireworks Residential developments around Covenant Health Park bring new life to neighborhood Knoxville breweries, bars anticipate Covenant Health Park will increase business Lincoln is an eagle with the American Eagle Foundation. He has name quite the name for himself in the past, as he flew for the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2024 NFL season. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Photographer suffers a few minor bruises after bald eagle lands on him at Knoxville Smokies game
Photographer suffers a few minor bruises after bald eagle lands on him at Knoxville Smokies game Ryan Beatty, a University of Tennessee Athletics photography intern, likes to keep a low profile when he's on the job. But last night, he was the center of attention. Beatty was shooting photos at the Knoxville Smokies home opener on April 15 when something unexpected happened: He was attacked by a trained bald eagle flying through the stadium. Advertisement As the national anthem boomed through the brand-new Covenant Health Park, Lincoln, a 27-year-old bald eagle, performed one of his famous stadium flyovers. After a few laps around the ballpark, Lincoln swooped down on top of Beatty, who was standing alone in the outfield photographing the patriotic moment. He saw the bird fly closer before Lincoln landed briefly on Beatty's hip. Beatty quickly moved toward the Boy Scouts holding the massive American flag to reduce the likelihood that the bird would come at him again. Lincoln the bald eagle tries to land on photographer Ryan Beatty in the outfield during opening day of the Knoxville Smokies at Covenant Health Park in Downtown Knoxville on April 15, 2025. "It was scary, but it was cool," Beatty said. "I went through a whirlwind of emotions." Advertisement Beatty walked away with only a few bruises and a good story to tell. After the miscue, Lincoln's handlers blew a whistle to get the bird's attention. They safely collected him and brought him to home plate as the crowd cheered. "Lincoln is a total pro. He's never missed his mark before so we believe it may have been the fireworks. Practice was smooth as could be and that was the only variable," Jessica Hall, American Eagle Foundation executive director, told Knox News. Lincoln is a highly trained bird from the American Eagle Foundation in East Tennessee, the operator of the nation's largest bald eagle sanctuary. Last season, he regularly performed flyovers before Philadelphia Eagles games. Advertisement The UT Sophomore is OK, and said representatives from the American Eagle Foundation checked up on him. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Bald eagle lands on photographer at Knoxville Smokies game
