Tennessee This Week

Knox County’s purchasing card scandal doesn’t seem to want to go away. In the past several days, commission auditor Richard Walls disputed the mayor’s office numbers, saying Mayor Ragsdale and others still owed money. This is after they had written checks for several hundred dollars. By the end of this week, Ragsdale wrote another check, instead of continuing to fight the charges. That was not the case, though, for at least one former staff member. The attorney for Cynthia Finch says that she will not pay and that all of her purchases were for county business.

County Law Director John Owings has said he plans to to sue for collection.

While all this was going on, there is the matter of the county budget. Hearings on the budget begin next week, and there are some who believe the mayor’s revenue growth projections are too optimistic.

Joining Gene Patterson to talk about the budget and other business are commissioners Sam McKenzie, of the First District, and Elaine Davis, of the Fourth District.

Then in The Final Word, Craig Griffith, a former deputy to Mayor Victor Ashe and currently with Mercy Partners, and political columnist and radio host Frank Cagle share thoughts about stories in the news.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [25:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (87)

Knoxville attorney Rick Hollow is considered one of the foremost experts on Tennessee’s Open Records Law. He was also the lead attorney for the Knoxville News Sentinel in its lawsuit against the Knox County Commission in last year’s Sunshine Lawsuit trial.

Then, 6 News political analyst George Korda and political consultant Cortney Piper share their thoughts on the week’s political news in our second segment.

And in the Final Word, Gene Patterson has a conversation with author Ed Hooper about his latest book, “Knoxville During the Viet Nam Era.” It’s a fascinating look back through pictures at a time when the nation was divided over the war.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [25:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (84)

How high will gas go? It’s a question everyone is asking. Many wonder if the federal government can and should step in to do something about it. That’s one of many questions Gene Patterson has for this week’s first guest, Rep. Jimmy Duncan (R-2nd Dist.)

Later, 6 News political analyst George Korda and Ackermann Public Relations executive Mike Cohen share thoughts on some of the events in the news this week.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [24:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (85)

6 News reporter Harlow Sumerford fills in this week for Gene Patterson, who is on vacation.

On April 23, Knox County commissioners will take a look at the purchasing card audit in a special meeting. The audit revealed some questionable spending made by Mayor Mike Ragsdale and members of his staff.

Mayor Ragsdale issued a response to the audit, saying that he believes all of the questionable charges made by him and current staff members Mike Arms and Dwight Van DeVate were justified. Former Community Services Director Cynthia Finch has also responded to the audit and says that if the mayor’s charges are cleared, then hers should be too.

Joining Harlow to talk about this and budgetary issues facing Knox County are commissioners Victoria DeFreese and Larry Smith.

The process and outcome of actions by the Knox County Community Grant Panel met with some criticism recently, including comments from a panelist who quit at the end of the process.

Tamara Shepherd sent a letter to commissioners outlining her concerns, saying there was a lack of documentation for the panel to review and that panel volunteers based decisions largely on anecdotal evidence.

Ms. Shepherd declined our invitation to appear, but two of the panel members, Dona McEvers and Carroll Logan, discuss the funding process.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [25:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (85)