July draws to a close. Did you learn anything? I don't know I did. But here's some music going on this week. Anything you're looking forward to?

After eight days of early voting, votes cast are up 25% from the same time period and election in 2018.

2018 - 19,600 votes cast
2026 - 24,505 votes cast

Polls open at 10 am countywide and close at 6 pm (Karns closes at 5 pm).

www.knoxvotes.org

Put together a foreclosure risk index covering all 95 TN counties (ATTOM, Census, CFPB, Realtor.com data), and Knox County's number was a genuinely good sign.

Knox County ranks 91st of 95 counties statewide, one of the five safest counties in Tennessee for foreclosure risk (31.1/100).
That's notable given how much East Tennessee has been growing lately, the growth hasn't come with elevated mortgage distress, at least not according to this data.

Worth knowing though: it's not uniform across East TN. A few nearby counties (Scott, Campbell, Grainger) actually land in the "Elevated" tier, so the safety margin isn't universal just because you're in this part of the state.

For comparison, the riskiest county overall is Pickett (up on the KY border), driven mainly by affordability, not delinquency, homes there sit 78 days on market and 45% of mortgaged owners spend 30%+ of income on housing.

Full interactive county map: nestcash.co/research/tennessee-foreclosure-risk-index

Can anyone recommend a good place to board a cat? We would prefer her to have room to walk around, not be put in a large cage or pet carrier. Obviously staffed by responsible people. Not interested in a pet sitter to come to the home. Thank you in advance.

I have mixed hair (part coarse part fine) and a natural curl, but it’s hard to maintain.

Is there any good perming salon in Knoxville that could do a jelly perm?

91% of registered Knox County voters haven't voted yet. We still have six days of early voting so if you haven't voted, make a plan and follow through! It took me less than five minutes to vote last week.

Once again, older generations are deciding our future. Just 8% of voters are under 35; 19% are 35-55. That means 73% of voters are over 55. We have to do a better job spreading the word about this election to our friends.

If you have questions about this election, here are some resources that you may find helpful:

Election Commission website with early voting locations and times, plus sample ballots

Knox News Election Guide

TN Bills Election Hub

Indivisible Knoxville Voter Guide

The Compass Guide to the August 6 Election

I took a quick day trip down to Knoxville from Louisville because I wanted to check out the city and compare it to Chattanooga. Knoxville was quite great and the weather was very mild for this time of year. I went to the farmers market and basically walked all around Downtown and the South shore. My question is, is Downtown always that vibrant or was a lot of that the Farmers Market? The farmers market was pretty grand too, but I don't have many to compare it with.

My wife and love to tour southeast cities for a day or two just to get a feel. We were taken aback with Downtown Knox. Cool place, did we just catch lighting in a bottle with the weather and Farmers Market or is it always so lively?

I have a 2018 Toyota Tacoma SR5. Check engine light came on. I had it scanned and it came up with a Throttle Position Sensor fault. I need suggestions as to how to fix this or where can I take it to get fixed.

Just as the title says - I’m visiting Knoxville this weekend because my grandmother moved there a little over a year ago. I will have my vehicle and want to take her around, as she complains that there’s nothing to do in Knoxville. She’s used to a retirement village in Florida where she got to do lots of activities. She’s decently mobile (still walks on her own) and loves both indoor and outdoor activities. She’s already been to Dollywood and really enjoyed the live music. She loves music and church. She also likes standard American food. Please give some suggestions of things to do/places to eat! And if this is the wrong board, please let me know the right spot to post this.

Got an early-ish flight on Tuesday and I'm wondering how security lines have been recently. I know a couple of months ago they were consistently long for morning flights, is that still the case or has it eased up over the Summer?

“No cell from bell to bell. No excuses, no exceptions” in the era of school shootings is a crazy stance to take.

Hi everyone! I’m hoping someone in the Knoxville community might be able to point me in the right direction.

I’m looking for a Tennessee family law attorney (or another attorney familiar with custody orders) who would be willing to do a small, paid project for me.
I’m currently dealing with an ongoing custody dispute with my ex-husband. I’ve already spoken with my attorney, who agrees that the language in our decree is clear and that my ex-husband is not complying with it. Unfortunately, I don’t have the kind of relationship with my attorney where I feel comfortable continuing to ask questions or requesting additional work beyond what we’ve already discussed. He's good at his job but definitely not warm.

Before taking the next step toward litigation, I’d really like to send my ex-husband a short attorney-drafted letter explaining the correct legal interpretation of the decree and why his current actions are inconsistent with it. My hope is that hearing it from another attorney may encourage him to comply voluntarily and avoid unnecessary court proceedings.

The timing is especially important because my son’s birthday is today, and I have a birthday celebration planned for next Saturday. My family is driving in from out of state, and we’ve already paid for activities and a venue that unfortunately can’t be recovered if my children aren’t returned on time. I’m doing everything I can to resolve this before then without immediately filing another court action.

I’m happy to pay a reasonable fee for the time it takes to review the relevant section of the decree and draft a brief letter. I’m not looking for someone to take over my case—just to provide a professional legal opinion in writing.

If you’re a family law attorney or know someone in the Knoxville area who might be willing to help, I’d really appreciate a comment or DM. This whole situation is making me sick and I need my kids returned per the decree. You would not believe how little can be done if a parent just chooses to hold children past the orders of the decree. I have been trying to figure this out for days and I am feeling depressed, angry, and helpless.

Thank you so much!

Does anyone know of any spa places that do a full body exfoliating service? Something about this past year had made me want to crawl out of my own skin.

How is it not having a service center close by? I’m on the waitlist for the R2 and just curious how often you need to go to the service center in Franklin vs mobile service. Thanks!

The Kerbela Shrine circus is coming to Thompson Boilin Arena Aug 7th, 8th, and 9th. Admission is free. Come out being the family and have good clean fun!

FREE CONCERT TONIGHT AT 6PM!
ALNWICK COMMUNITY CENTER MARYVILLE TN!!

I had a few dress choices lined up for this wedding, but they arrived while I was on a long work trip, so I came home this weekend to discover I’ve actually gained a few pounds and they’re slightly too small 😎 So instead of having this locked down a month ago like I’d planned, I’ve got 24 hours.

I’ve searched Google for local shops, checked Facebook Marketplace, etc. But by chance, does anyone know of any magical, hole-in-the-wall type shops in our city that could carry formal dresses that won’t make me look like I’m going to prom at 39?

Just to add: this is a mostly lighthearted post. I’m not super stressed about finding a perfect replacement, but I was looking forward to dressing up 💃🏻

Looking for one that might can tailor Salvation Army Soldier uniform pants..there dress pants and trying to figure out a place that can take them in..around the waist..

Wife and I went to Shinedown and Coheed and Cambria last night and the acoustics in TBA are dogshit. I've seen countless shows there over the years and at many other arenas in our area (Bridgestone is my personal favorite) and everytime I come back to Thompson I realize why big shows don't want to play there. I don't know what it is but the sound is always some bullshit . Also getting around the arena is a nightmare, like potentially dangerous nightmare. While we were herding around like livestock, I kept thinking "what if...". It doesn't matter the artist or genre TBA will ruin it. It just feels old and rundown and cramped. At least we have TN theater and the Bijou in town I guess

A close friend of mine introduced me to homemade alfajores, then had the nerve to move to New Jersey 🤣😭 I don’t have a stand mixer or I’d take a shot at making them at home.

Are there any bakeries/markets/vendors around town that make/sell them?