We goofed

... and left something out of the print edition of the Shopper-News. This was online, but if you didn't catch it there here's the "rerun."

Notes from the installation ceremony

With the large assembly room of the City County Building packed to the rafters, seven countywide officials and eight commissioners took their oaths at the Aug. 29 installation ceremony. In a special called meeting following the ceremony, Thomas “Tank” Strickland won reelection to the position of commission chair by a 13-5 vote.

Craig Leuthold, a Republican, won the vice chair position, replacing Mike Hammond. Leuthold received a nomination for chair from Richard Briggs, but the Republican-dominated commission favored the Democrat Strickland.

“Tank has guided us with care and consideration through these difficult days,” Sam McKenzie said.

Briggs and Tony Norman voiced agreement, although Norman nominated Briggs for the chair. Norman said “it would be wise” to nominate someone with no historical connection to Black Wednesday.

Dupes says it ain’t so

For days local blogs have buzzed with rumors about Alison Wagley, former director of Knox County’s Office of Neighborhoods, who resigned in July to accept an offer from UT-Batelle. When that offer was withdrawn without explanation, Wagley apparently was left jobless.

Bloggers have claimed that Wagley has been seen working on the sixth floor of the City County Building. Another rumor had Wagley working for Pratt, Pratt & Rice, the firm whose recent grant writing proposal earned the top score from evaluators Mike Arms, Krissy Gladders and Matt Myers. According to Myers, Pratt, Pratt & Rice submitted a proposal in the amount $19,980 for its services.

Ragsdale spokesperson Susanne Dupes denied both rumors last Friday. Dupes said Wagley is not working on the sixth floor, nor is Wagley an employee of Pratt, Pratt & Rice.

OK, then.

- Larry Van Guilder