Steve Ahillen

• Introducing the Haslam-O-Meter Published 01/22/2012 at 1:42 p.m.

  With the economy tanking and unemployment in double digits, Bill Haslam built his 2010 gubernatorial campaign around jobs.

• Longtime Western Plaza barbers retiring on Christmas Eve Published 12/24/2011 at 4 a.m.

  After a combined 76 years, barrels of laughter, a little bowl of tears and more haircuts than either of them can count, Junior and Phyllis Manis are retiring at Western Plaza Barber Shop. Today, Christmas Eve, is their last shift.

• Knoxville's diversity gives candidates plenty of needs to meet Published 09/04/2011 at 4 a.m.

  Dealing with Knoxville's diversity a big part of getting votes for Knoxville's mayoral candidates.

• Census shows Knox County's vacancy rate up slightly Published 08/25/2011 at 4 a.m.

  If you're looking for a ray of sunshine from the U.S. Census Bureau on the bleak housing picture well, the picture is still plenty foggy.

• Big bear terrorizing Townsend woman Published 08/19/2011 at 2:35 p.m.

  Kerry Shibley says she's been around the Smoky Mountains too long to be concerned about black bears, but this one really has her rattled

• UT, City of Knoxville defend lobbying system Published 07/30/2011 at 9 p.m.

  The University of Tennessee and the city of Knoxville say using lobbyists has worked well in getting their agenda to Washington, and the taxpayers who help foot the bill should consider it money well spent.

• Sewage oversight left to individual facilities Published 05/01/2011 at midnight

  From his office in downtown Clinton, Dan Hawkins can monitor what's going in the bottom of a basin at the wastewater treatment plant several miles away.

• Legislation has cut down on metal thefts at East Tennessee cemeteries Published 04/15/2011 at midnight

  Bobby Norton Jr. once had a promising career as a cemetery metal thief. In January 2008, Norton, a Newport resident, stole as many as 200 bronze vases from several East Tennessee cemeteries to sell for their scrap metal, Pigeon Forge ...

• Census: Westward population shift slows down in Knox County Published 03/28/2011 at 12:57 a.m.

  To a layman, looking for a county's central population point seems a lot like an urban planner's version of Trivial Pursuit.

• Census shows net gain of more than 2,000 residential units in downtown Knoxville area Published 03/28/2011 at 12:41 a.m.

  Chyna Brackeen always wanted to move downtown; it just took a while to convince the dog.

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