Tabloid Column of December 10, 2006
The role of a tabloid publication in a community is 1) To promote lies. This tabloid owned by E.W. Scripps has and continues to do that with a column called Gossip and Lies. 2) To attempt to create controversy, where controversy doesn't exist. This story in tomorrow's edition of the tabloid fits the bill with Number 2. Enjoy.
County opts to rent new clinic on the east side
Knox County is paying $3,800 a month rent for a new East Knoxville health department clinic in a building that’s valued by the county’s property assessor at $66,800. The rent would purchase the building in 19 months.
The health department closed a county-owned clinic about 3.5 miles east on Asheville Highway in Burlington to facilitate the move. Our request for comment was ignored by the county mayor’s office.
According to the county’s Web site, the new clinic was opened with a ribbon cutting Nov. 28 attended by 100 people and numerous elected officials. It is located at the Hardy Professional Building, which was built by Dr. Walter S.E. Hardy who also served on the county’s legislative body from 1966 until 1980. He died in 1986.
The new clinic’s landlord is the Tennessee Conference of the AME Zion Church Community Development Corp. Records at the city and county tax offices show the property taxes are current at the Hardy Building, but delinquent at the Conference’s headquarters at 2321 Magnolia Ave.
There, city taxes of $7,253.76 are past due, along with $2,843.72 in current taxes, for a total of $10,097. County taxes of $11,329,18 are past due, along with $2,722 in current taxes, for a total of $14,051. The combined tax bill now due is $24,148 (or 6.35 months of rent).
Commissioner Paul Pinkston said he will present a resolution to ensure that property taxes are current before the county enters into a lease or contract with an outside party in the future.
The Rev. David Walker is listed as the agent for the Conference, which also has received money from the city.
Although the new clinic opened to the public on Dec. 4, just in time for flu season, parents wanting to know where to take school-aged children for free FluMist vaccines might have a tough time finding the place, since a Nov. 27 News Sentinel story about the flu immunization program lists the Hardy Clinic address as “Magnolia Avenue.”
The clinic is at 2202 Martin Luther King Avenue in the Five Points community, next door to Walter P. Taylor Homes.
But the News Sentinel probably should be forgiven for the error since the Knox County Health Department Web site lists Magnolia Avenue as the Hardy Clinic address.
The whole address issue is made more curious by an unsigned 11/30 memo from “Administration” to health department employees instructing them not to mention Walter P. Taylor Homes or Five Points when giving directions to the clinic.
“Managers and supervisors, please advise your staff when giving directions to the new Hardy Clinic location, to reference the attached map and use the language given for this location and all other clinic locations listed.
“Please do not reference Walter P. Taylor Homes or Five Points in identifying the location of the Hardy Clinic site; instead, use the directions provided. If someone asks if the clinic is in Five Points or by Walter P. Taylor Homes, please answer this question in the affirmative.”
The author of Knox County’s Web site evidently did not get the memo, because the story there not only mentions the history and correct location of the Hardy Clinic, but boasts that “...the Hardy Professional Building will be the catalyst for community transformation in East Knoxville when it reopens to once again serve the health care needs of the community, thanks to efforts by the Knox County Mayor’s Office, the Knox County Health Department and the Tennessee Conference Community Development.
The Web site lists services that will be provided at the Hardy Clinic, which is just under three miles east of the Knox County Health Department’s main office on Dameron Avenue.
These services include “physical exams for children and adolescents, immunizations, women’s health services, targeted disease management, a communicable disease clinic and health education programs.”
Contact Bean at bbeanster@aol.com
County opts to rent new clinic on the east side
Knox County is paying $3,800 a month rent for a new East Knoxville health department clinic in a building that’s valued by the county’s property assessor at $66,800. The rent would purchase the building in 19 months.
The health department closed a county-owned clinic about 3.5 miles east on Asheville Highway in Burlington to facilitate the move. Our request for comment was ignored by the county mayor’s office.
According to the county’s Web site, the new clinic was opened with a ribbon cutting Nov. 28 attended by 100 people and numerous elected officials. It is located at the Hardy Professional Building, which was built by Dr. Walter S.E. Hardy who also served on the county’s legislative body from 1966 until 1980. He died in 1986.
The new clinic’s landlord is the Tennessee Conference of the AME Zion Church Community Development Corp. Records at the city and county tax offices show the property taxes are current at the Hardy Building, but delinquent at the Conference’s headquarters at 2321 Magnolia Ave.
There, city taxes of $7,253.76 are past due, along with $2,843.72 in current taxes, for a total of $10,097. County taxes of $11,329,18 are past due, along with $2,722 in current taxes, for a total of $14,051. The combined tax bill now due is $24,148 (or 6.35 months of rent).
Commissioner Paul Pinkston said he will present a resolution to ensure that property taxes are current before the county enters into a lease or contract with an outside party in the future.
The Rev. David Walker is listed as the agent for the Conference, which also has received money from the city.
Although the new clinic opened to the public on Dec. 4, just in time for flu season, parents wanting to know where to take school-aged children for free FluMist vaccines might have a tough time finding the place, since a Nov. 27 News Sentinel story about the flu immunization program lists the Hardy Clinic address as “Magnolia Avenue.”
The clinic is at 2202 Martin Luther King Avenue in the Five Points community, next door to Walter P. Taylor Homes.
But the News Sentinel probably should be forgiven for the error since the Knox County Health Department Web site lists Magnolia Avenue as the Hardy Clinic address.
The whole address issue is made more curious by an unsigned 11/30 memo from “Administration” to health department employees instructing them not to mention Walter P. Taylor Homes or Five Points when giving directions to the clinic.
“Managers and supervisors, please advise your staff when giving directions to the new Hardy Clinic location, to reference the attached map and use the language given for this location and all other clinic locations listed.
“Please do not reference Walter P. Taylor Homes or Five Points in identifying the location of the Hardy Clinic site; instead, use the directions provided. If someone asks if the clinic is in Five Points or by Walter P. Taylor Homes, please answer this question in the affirmative.”
The author of Knox County’s Web site evidently did not get the memo, because the story there not only mentions the history and correct location of the Hardy Clinic, but boasts that “...the Hardy Professional Building will be the catalyst for community transformation in East Knoxville when it reopens to once again serve the health care needs of the community, thanks to efforts by the Knox County Mayor’s Office, the Knox County Health Department and the Tennessee Conference Community Development.
The Web site lists services that will be provided at the Hardy Clinic, which is just under three miles east of the Knox County Health Department’s main office on Dameron Avenue.
These services include “physical exams for children and adolescents, immunizations, women’s health services, targeted disease management, a communicable disease clinic and health education programs.”
Contact Bean at bbeanster@aol.com
posted by Brian Hornback at 7:11 PM
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