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Roundup of Knox happenings.
Posted By jake
Here’s a roundup of Knox County happenings this morning, then a few regional happenings.
–Eric McLean headed to trial: McLean said he shot 18-year-old Sean Powell because the teen was having an affair with his wife. She was said to have met Powell while a student teacher at his school. McLean would later talk to Matt Lauer on the Today show. Court TV/TruTV crews are in town to cover this one. Expect a lot of national attention for this one. (Alleged teacher sex–huge draw on the web, which has moved to television. Murder by an allegedly cuckolded husband–a timeless dramatic theme. Mom on the run with the kids–additional family drama.) Jury selection starts today in Judge Liebowitz’s courtroom. Prosecution has expressed concerns over Bruce Poston’s TV appearances and the jury pool; defense has expressed concern over pins being worn by members of victim Sean Powell’s family (no word yet on what those pins say).
–Knox County Election Commission workers are in the process of aggregating all the current voter registration cards to compare them to the signatures on charter amendment petitions. This is one of those things that’s still done old-school: they’ll be comparing signatures on petitions to signatures on voter cards and everything. I’m not sure who has the more arduous task ahead, the signature verifiers or the eventual McLean jurors.
–A hearing over mulch is set to bring Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale to the stand. A citizen has brought suit on behalf of the county to try to collect what he says Natural Resources Recovery owes, in regard to its operation of the Solway Greenwaste Facility. The county’s position is that both NRR and the county have had shortcomings with regards to the prior contract, but that they consider the whole thing squared away. The county and NRR both put aside prior breach of contract allegations with a mediated settlement. Law Director John Owings may also take the stand. The suit may go forward from today’s hearing, or it may end here.
–Tennessee’s first female Supreme Court Chief Justice, Janice Holder, will speak at UT today.
–Gov. Phil Bredesen will speak at Central High School today. Central is where 15-year-old Jamar Siler is accused of shooting and killing 15-year-old Ryan McDonald.
–Up in Scott County, a former deputy is set to appear in court on a laundry list of charges related to official misconduct. He was supposed to be in court for a plea agreement yesterday but said he got caught up in Hurricane Gustav evacuation traffic. Judge E. Shayne Sexton has said Donnie Anderson had better show up today or be prepared to go to jail and have that plea agreement taken away. No details yet on the nature of that plea agreement.
Sep 3rd, 2008
