Orange paws bring good luck to Powell Panthers

Emory Road around Powell High School is covered with bright orange pawprints. It’s the work of Laura Bailey and friends young and old who gathered with spray paint and screens to welcome football season to PHS.

We spotted Larry Bailey, Steven Goodpaster, football coach Matt Lowe and an array of parents and students. The whole enterprise was made possible by Sheriff Tom Spangler and two reserve officers pictured in the collage above: Denver Scalff and David Cupp.

Thanks also to the patient motorists who paused for the paws.

Big Orange Pickleball hosts tournament

Gordon Fowler and Steve McRae show gold medals for pickleball excellence.

Steve McRae gave the first shoutout. “Thanks to my partner, Gordon Fowler, for playing with me in the Big Orange Pickleball men’s over 40 tournament. We brought home the gold. Great times with great people. Congratulations to all who played!”

So, we checked the social media of Ellen Bush Fowler. Sure enough, she had also played. “Gordon and I got silver; Sherri and I got bronze; and Gordon and Steve got gold. I am exhausted.”

Located near the new Carter Elementary School at 7729 Strawberry Plains Pike, the Big Orange Pickleball facility is growing. We talked with a staff member named Gavin: “We have six indoor courts – all temperature controlled. You can play during rain or sun, day or night.”

Big Orange Pickleball is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. You don’t have to be a member to play, but members get breaks on court fees, Gavin said.

Just call ahead to reserve a court. The number is 865-465-7920. Better yet, there’s an app for that. Schedule your court on your phone without talking to a soul.

Dr. Richard Briggs stands with Dr. Wendy Long of THA and Matt Schaefer, president/CEO of East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. (Photo submitted by THA)

Richard Briggs kickoff is set; earns hospital award

State Sen. Richard Briggs will kick off his re-election campaign on Sunday, September 21, 2025, 3-5 p.m. at the Marble Hall at Lakeshore Park. Richard and Stephanie will be there along with live entertainment, food trucks and K-9 demonstrations. Briggs says the event is “family friendly and pet friendly.” And he invites everybody to come.

Briggs, 72, is a retired heart and lung surgeon who practiced medicine in the Knoxville area for 30 years. He is a past president of the Knoxville Academy of Medicine and served on the Board of Trustees of the Tennessee Medical Association.

Upon graduation from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in 1978, Dr. Briggs entered active military service and rose through the ranks to full Colonel. He served as a combat trauma surgeon during Operation Desert Storm and in recent years completed combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq as a senior war trauma surgeon.

Dr. Briggs was elected to the Knox County Commission in 2008 and was re-elected in 2010. In 2014, he won election for the Tennessee Senate District 7 in Knox County. He was re-elected to 4-year terms in 2018 and 2022.

In Nashville, he has served on the Finance Committee, the Transportation Committee and the Health Committee as well as chair of the Senate Ethics Committee. In 2020, Sen. Briggs became chair of the Senate State and Local Government Committee.

The Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) honored Sen. Briggs as a 2025 Hospital Hero for his work on behalf of hospitals in Tennessee.

Wendy Long M.D., THA president and CEO, said, “Sen. Briggs has long served his community, his state and his country in so many exceptional ways … and is a dedicated champion for hospitals and access to quality healthcare for Tennesseans.”

Matt Schaefer, president/CEO of East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, welcomed Briggs to the ETCH campus, saying, “His thoughtful leadership, clinical expertise and statewide advocacy have been influential in shaping the future of pediatric healthcare here and across the state.”

Notes & Quotes

Patti Smith, best known as P Smith, is ready for football time in Tennessee. P posted: “You have to wear clothes and does not take any longer to put on orange and white than any other color. … p”

Today at noon: TDOT will update several road projects at the Powell Business & Professional Association’s noon meeting (9/9/25) at Jubilee Banquet Facility. All are invited, but lunch at $16 is not optional.

Tomorrow at noon: Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs will speak to the Fountain City Business & Professional Association meeting at noon (9/10/25) at the Fountain City Lions Club Building. All are invited; entry is $15 which includes lunch and dessert. The president is Charlie Pratt, 865-919-6468.

Halls Car Show: Saturday, September 13, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church, 7535 Maynardville Pike, in Halls. Entry $25 ($30 day of show). Lunch, refreshments, trucks and other vendors. (Rain date, Sept. 20). Info here or 865-922-1412.