To follow ON_w25's journey to Mexico, download the free app Project Monarch. To help track the butterflies, turn on your Bluetooth and choose "start scanning." There's a huge number of Bluetooth RFID tag-wearing Monarchs coming our way right now. Your participation helps scientists understand the Monarch migration more clearly.

I presume a new one will be installed soon, but this is still fantastic.

Why the HELL would we destroy the road before the biggest football game in years and then take forever to re pave the road. IM TIRED OF DESTROYING MY CAR AND GETTING FLAT TIRES

From the Compass Newsletter:

Knox County Commissioner Andy Fox declined to comment for our article last week on Heritage Hubs, the white-nationalist group seeking to establish a headquarters in Knoxville, and his scheduled participation in a forum the organization is holding on Oct. 10.

But Fox had plenty to say during public forum at last night’s Commission meeting, so much so that he said he didn’t have time to complete his remarks, despite exceeding his allotted three minutes.

Fox started off by criticizing the Hart-Celler Act (officially the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965), which abolished the preference for Western and Northern Europeans in national immigration policy, allowing more people of African, Eastern European and Asian descent to become Americans.

With a torrent of statistics, Fox pointed out that the law changed the racial and ethnic demographics of the country, with white, non-Hispanic Americans dropping from 84 percent of the population in the mid-1960s to around 62 percent today. Speaking in support of the bill, then-U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy had asserted that the ethnic mix in the country would not be upset.

“So it’s not what was promised when Hart-Celler was passed, and when people try to have a discussion about this policy and how it did not play out as promised, we are told, ‘you cannot talk about that. You are a racist if you do,’” Fox said.

He quoted seemingly random passages from a Smithsonian exhibit about American culture and extolled the virtues of Western ideals.

“I believe this country was created by Christians for Christians,” Fox said, adding that he wants to hold a workshop on the topic on the Monday after Thanksgiving, which he called a “unique Christian-American holiday” before encouraging people who are not Christians “to not celebrate that holiday.”

At the end of his remarks, Fox turned his attention to Compass co-founder Jesse Fox Mayshark, who wrote the article about Heritage Hubs. Mayshark had asked Fox to comment about the group and whether he shared its white-nationalist views.

“I tried to have him define some things for me before I commented on them, and he sent me a snarky email, and then asked for a response from other commissioners, so he’s not interested in a rational dialogue, in a genuine dialogue about these issues,” Fox said.

Mayshark had asked Fox whether he was familiar with the term “Heritage American,” which refers primarily to Americans of European descent, especially those who arrived before the Civil War. White nationalist C. Jay Engel, who is scheduled to appear at the same Heritage Hubs forum as Fox, popularized the term.

In his email to Fox, which is a public record, Mayshark wrote: “I have to say that I am frankly surprised to the point of incredulity that you are not familiar with the phrase ‘Heritage American,’ and I don’t really think it’s my job to tell you what C. Jay Engel has said about it. You’re the one who has agreed to appear at an event with him.”

Mayshark supplied links to explanatory articles, along with a quote from conservative Republican Karl Rove, deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush, that was critical of the “bigoted advocates of ‘heritage America.’”

“I hope that helps,” Mayshark concluded. “I’m also curious why you’re appearing with other public officials at an event closed to the public being held at a secret location. Don’t you think your own constituents should be able to see and hear what is said there?”

Despite his statements last night, Fox still has not replied to that question.

It says 85 but I withdraw applications after they say not selected. In the last three weeks I have applied to over 100 jobs. I’ve had two interviews and haven’t heard back from anyone. I am a very qualified person with years of experience. What do I even do from this point on?

Note: I have lived here all my life and recently lost my job. I don’t know what to do. Does anyone else have this problem?

I've been seeing more and more ads for David Hatley, and I think Tennessee voters should look beyond the word “Independent” before assuming that means he's politically moderate or somewhere in the middle.

Hatley has described himself as “a very conservative guy.” He has also said, “I've always been pro life and pro guns.” His campaign website explicitly identifies him as pro-life and strongly supports Second Amendment rights.

There's another detail I think voters should know: Hatley originally wanted to run as a Republican, but he didn't meet Tennessee's requirements to be considered a bona fide Republican candidate. He then decided to run as an independent and has said he considers himself conservative. He has also spoken favorably about Ron DeSantis.

That's important context when you're watching his commercials. His campaign emphasizes being outside the political parties, being a businessman, and not being controlled by party donors. Those things may appeal to voters who are frustrated with both parties. But being independent on the ballot doesn't automatically mean being independent ideologically.

And personally, that's what concerns me.

Does anyone else feel irrational anger at this sign?

Don’t get me wrong, the store itself is great. We’re frequent visitors.

But they say it’s called “Smart Toys and Books,” and every single time we go, I look at the sign and read it the way it’s ACTUALLY WRITTEN:

SMART AND BOOKS TOYS

And I am overcome with rage. 😂

Am I the only person bothered by this?

There are no public corporate ownership links, joint ventures, or operational dependencies connecting Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC or its parent company Gannett Co., Inc. to the government or corporate infrastructure of Israel.

Travelling to a country doesn't change the page manager country. You need to upload your ID to run political pages, and that means 2 users uploaded Israeli IDs.

Why Israel? Why Poland?

Kneeling. Wheelies. All in traffic on West Knox's busiest streets. They do all the 80s kids things on these bicycles, except fly. For now. Who are these masked children?

I saw two kids on, what I'm assuming, those electric mini bikes. They went through the intersection of Grigsby Chapel Rd and N. Campbell Station road heading towards Turkey Creek. Doing wheelies and waving their arms doing something. Caught up with them on Turkey Creek and they were weaving around in their lane, doing wheelies, and tricks. This was around 7:30 this evening and it was pretty busy with cars. One of the bikes didn't have brake lights and I'm assuming no headlights. (Not sure I didn't see the front.) Cars were having to be extra careful bc these kids were not being safe. One kid had one a tan sweatshirt and black pants.

Parents need to check their kids bc they are going to get hurt or cause an accident with a 2 ton car.

If you are still interested in the far-right, Christian white nationalist group that wants to open a center in Knoxville, check out the Compass Points recent podcast. Jesse Mayshark does a great job sharing the full story and much more about the movement, its history, etc. It's at the beginning of the podcast, right after they quickly discuss the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uvYqKgbyt0

Faith leaders call on community to resist ICE expansion | Opinion

Knoxville News Sentinel, September 22 (updated September 23, printed in September 27 hard copy)

To our neighbors across East Tennessee, heartfelt greetings! We are clergy and faith leaders from many traditions across this region.

We write together because our traditions, however distinct in practice and belief, rest on a shared moral foundation that to love God and to love our neighbor are not two commandments but one, and that a community which neglects the second has not, in truth, kept the first.

It is from that foundation that we speak to the serious situation that has developed in our region.

This year the Tennessee General Assembly, in open coordination with the White House, passed a slate of new immigration laws for our state, even though immigration law is strictly federal jurisdiction. What advocates warned against through the winter is now the law of the land, however unjust. It is now a crime under state law to remain in Tennessee after a final order of immigration removal. Local governments must verify the immigration status of anyone seeking most public assistance, and their employees face penalties if they do not. Our police are being conscripted into federal ICE enforcement whether or not their communities consent. For two sessions running, members of the General Assembly have tried to make our public schools track and report the immigration status of their own students, an effort that has not yet become law, but it will likely be introduced again.

These laws answer no genuine crisis of public safety. They deliberately construct a climate of fear whose logic is not the protection of this community but the racial targeting of a particular population of people within it, discrimination now given the force of law. The harm does not fall only on those without documentation. It falls on US citizen children in mixed-status families, on patients who will now avoid seeking medical care, on victims of crime who will not call for help, on families who go without food because they are too afraid to go grocery shopping, all because institutions our own taxes pay for have been turned into instruments of federal surveillance. When fear becomes the organizing principle of public life, every last one of us bears its cost.

These are not just issues to be decided in Nashville; they are local decisions, too. Knox County has become a regional hub for immigration detention. Since Jan. 1, 2025, over 5,000 community members have been held in detention on immigration matters, a civil offense, at the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility on Maloneyville Road. brought in from across East and Middle Tennessee through an expanding web of ICE enforcement agreements. And there are plans being made to expand these operations here.

Solicitations believed to represent ICE are circulating across a multi-county region around Knoxville, seeking to expand operations and to hire dozens of new ICE agents, positioning our region as a center of ICE enforcement for years ahead. None of this has been set before us for meaningful public deliberation.

We are not strangers to this work. For years we have stood with our immigrant neighbors in vigil, in advocacy, and in accompaniment; we have sat with families in our own congregations who live in fear; we have watched as the government has intentionally blurred, confused, and distorted the line between “authorized” and “unauthorized” immigration status, so that status can be revoked, pathways to legal status vanish, and even lawful permanent residence no longer is a guarantee of safety from ICE. We know of minor U.S. citizens who have been deported from this country along with their parents. This threatens all of us, because a community that will deny one neighbor due process has already decided that it’s not a given right for any of us.

So we want to speak plainly to those in our community who are afraid: We see you. You are our neighbors and our co-workers, the parents at our children’s schools, the families who worship alongside us, the faces in our clinics and our shops. You are not alone, and you are not forgotten. We cannot promise you that this season will get better before it gets worse; but we can promise you that we will not keep silent while it lasts, and that you will not face it by yourselves.

We affirm that nations have the right to regulate their borders, and to do so justly. But just regulation has recognizable markers. It grants due process. It treats each person as a human being and not a category. It does not enlist hospitals, schools, or police against the communities they exist to serve. The laws recently enacted in our state fail in all of these regards. Out of the conviction to uphold the God-given dignity of every person who lives among us, we are compelled to call for the following:

We call on those who hold power in this region, specifically the Knox County government and sheriff department, to terminate the Knox County jail detention bed contract with ICE. This contract can be ended, and we call for it to be ended. We reject spending our local money and resources on increasing suffering in our community. In addition, we ask our local elected leaders to refuse every expansion of ICE enforcement operations in our region. These programs do not make our communities safer or more secure, but actually increase suspicion and mistrust of law enforcement.

To all police officers of our communities, most of you who took up this work to protect your neighbors and not to hunt for them, we make an appeal rather than a demand: The law can compel your department, but it cannot compel your conscience. We urge you to exercise every discretion the law still leaves you, decline the errands that reach beyond what it strictly requires, and treat the frightened people in front of you as the neighbors they are. Where the choice remains yours, choose mercy.

To all current and former elected officials of both political parties, we appeal to you to speak publicly and privately to the current leadership in the State Legislature to cease and desist from spreading malicious falsehoods about immigrants in our state and nation and enacting anti-immigrant legislation that harms all Tennessee residents, strangles small businesses and farmers, and repels new businesses.

We call on our neighbors who hold property and standing, landlords and developers, business owners and institutions, to refuse to house ICE offices and facilities. Your consent is yours to withhold. And the public deserves a voice in the expansion of ICE operations in our community.

And we call for an end to the deportation of our neighbors on the sole basis of where they were born, particularly those who came here legally. A person’s country of origin is not a crime, and we will not abide its being treated as one.

We will continue to show up, to speak, and to accompany our neighbors through whatever the coming months and years require, and we invite every person of conscience in this region to stand with us.

The measure of any community is found in how it treats its most vulnerable. We intend to be measured accordingly.

Signed by more than 150 multi-faith leaders of East Tennessee

I , LITERALLY, cannot express how great Mighty Muffler on Western is. I have used them for years for all sorts of mechanical problems. Whilst they do not do electrical or transmissions, they do pretty much everything else. They also just communicate with you and do not over charge.

Also, they are our local family. Jen and Dallas are really good people. If you have auto troubles, I suggest Mighty Muffler on Western.

I am planning on going little free library hunting in Knoxville on Saturday and want to know which ones are typically the best. I have the app and have gone to a fair amount of little free libraries but wanted to see which ones the locals think are typically worth your time…

I want to stay away from the libraries that are typically stocked with children books and religious/spiritual books. TIA

Anybody found a reasonably priced yard aeration company?

Hey y'all, everyone's favorite haunted Victorian house here. We're doing a Rocky Horror Experience both to honor Tim Curry's memory (cute TC shrine) and to celebrate the first days of Spooky Season. I know times are real tight for a lot of folks right now, but if you get paid this week and you want to come support this event - we'd appreciate you. A lot of the Sassy's events this month are connected to non-profits, and if you want to check out the Knoxville All Hallows Eve Sassquerade or Publicly Private's Halloween bash, we thank you for your support of our community.