Greg Johnson News for Knoxville, TN from Knoxville News Sentinel

Greg Johnson

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Greg Johnson writes with a worldview shaped by an Appalachian heritage, a global perspective from ministry work in Russia, Kenya and the Caribbean, an eye on economics from years in the financial services industry and a foundation in his faith.

Greg Johnson: Montgomery right on target about teacher evaluations Published 6/13/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 1 comment
A report on Tennessee's innovative teacher evaluation system released this week by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education, an outfit founded by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, came as no surprise to a high-ranking Sevier County legislator.
Greg Johnson: Judge Blackwood must be taken off torture-slaying cases Published 6/6/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 8 comments
When your concerned columnist last week lambasted Special Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood for accepting a plea bargain between 4th Judicial District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn and former Sevier County Clerk Joe Keener that allowed Keener to escape jail time for ...
Greg Johnson: Justice for who in the Joe Keener case? Published 5/30/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 3 comments
A Sevier County district attorney general and Special Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood have struck again.
Greg Johnson: Pigeon Forge leader irks old guard Published 5/23/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 8 comments
The calls come unsolicited and the conversations usually start with a question: "What do you think about Randall Robinson?"
Greg Johnson: Some seek less glitter in golden years Published 5/16/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 0 comments
Friends from out of town dropped by yesterday. These folks used to call Sevier County home. They vacationed here for years, then, when retirement came, they pulled up roots up north and came here to be cradled by the Smokies ...
Greg Johnson: It's a long way from East Tennessee to liberal-minded Amsterdam Published 5/9/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 13 comments
AMSTERDAM — OK, travel bugs, here's a Rorschach of sorts: What is the main attraction of this city below sea level? Canals? Tulips? The Van Gogh Museum, full of masterpieces by the tortured artist who left behind his pastor father ...
Greg Johnson: Pigeon Forge has skin in the car show game Published 5/2/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 4 comments
Topless women were on the agenda of a Monday workshop of Pigeon Forge City Commission.
Greg Johnson: What goes around may come around for developers Published 4/25/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 4 comments
If the plans of a Pigeon Forge businesswoman get off the ground, as in 200 feet off the ground, free enterprise may yet survive in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains — in an "observation wheel" similar to the ...
Greg Johnson: Time to celebrate a little good news in the mountains Published 4/18/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 9 comments
Nuggets of good news mined in the shadows of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park:
Greg Johnson: Libraries are about transformation, not just books Published 4/11/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 1 comment
Some places are sacred, hallowed, even holy.
Greg Johnson: Pigeon Forge plans playing with taxpayer money Published 4/4/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 6 comments
To answer almost any question about a recent bodacious borrowing binge to fund new projects in Pigeon Forge's tourism development zone, city officials have a pat answer. Maybe these politicos hope an easy answer turneth away potential taxpayer wrath.
Greg Johnson: Roe takes right stance on Medicare board Published 3/28/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 4 comments
As the historic battle over President Barack Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act rages for the third day in the Supreme Court, U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-Johnson City, can claim a small victory.
Greg Johnson: Pigeon Forge keeps on spending Published 3/21/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 1 comment
Twenty minutes. Twenty million dollars. Exactly one week after authorizing $25.5 million in new borrowing, the Pigeon Forge City Commission authorized another $20 million in expenditures in a 20-minute called meeting Monday night.
Greg Johnson: Pigeon Forge official asks tough questions Published 3/14/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 7 comments
Pigeon Forge Commissioner Randall Robinson continues to earn the ire of some city officials and, surprisingly, some taxpayers in his tiny (by population, that is) tourist town. Why? He asks reasonable, responsible questions.
Greg Johnson: Dealings with Island developers signal change in times Published 3/7/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 5 comments
On the south end of Pigeon Forge, near the Spur leading to Gatlinburg, sits a business started by a couple of local boys. By the sweat of their brow and the seat of their pants, they hoped their enterprise might ...