TRANSCRIPT:

It’s Friday. Time for another weekly update. This week, I participated in a panel discussion at the Complete Tennessee Leadership Institute conference on community partnerships for career readiness and advancement. I also helped cut the ribbon for Phase Two of the Metro Drug Coalition’s Gateway facility. Knox County Schools SuperintendentJon Rysewyk and I attended a special presentation at Lonsdale Elementary where we unveiled the title of this year’s One Book Read City graphic novel Shelby and Watts: Tide Pool Troubles.

More than 30,000 Knox County elementary students will receive a copy of the book and participate in fun events like a county-wide scavenger hunt. The program is in its third year, and the community has really gotten behind this effort. Plus, it’s a great way to end the school year and kick off a summer of reading. This coming Monday, I will give my State of the County address at 10:30 a.m. in the Large Assembly Room at the City County Building. The event is open to the public, and I encourage you to attend if you can.

Two weeks from tomorrow, I will be putting my unblemished eating challenge record on the line, well, unblemished except for the Trey Smith controversy, at the Ultimate Bologna Showdown at the RecSports Field Complex on Sutherland Ave. Some of the world’s top competitive eaters will be there, including the legendary Joey Chestnut. Again, that’s noon on Saturday, May 18th, 2024, at the RecSports Field Complex. Check it out. Until next Friday, I hope everyone has a great week.