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Anderson County students, teachers and administrators are saying goodbye this summer to a man who has helped shape their school system. VL Stonecipher was inspired by his own teachers while growing up in Anderson County, and he began teaching in the county in 1966. In his 43 years as an educator and administrator, Stonecipher has taught and led children of all ages. Chrissy Keuper spoke with him about some of the changes he's seen and his hopes for the future of education... 
This evening at the Grove Theatre in Oak Ridge, two up and coming singer-songwriters perform. Antje Duvekot and Lizanne Knott both say they work in the "acoustic folk" style, but don't consider themselves traditional folk musicians. Even though Duvekot and Knott have known each other for years, they're currently on separate tours. Duvekot says she's pleased to meet up with her friend again, before heading off in different directions...
The new novel The Millionaires provides an alternate universe to Knoxville, Tennessee in the 1970's and 80's. It's the story of two wealthy, brash brothers who wrangle the World's Fair to a mid-sized Southern town. Author Inman Majors spent much of his youth living in Knoxville. Ann Lloyd speaks with Inman, who says he wasn't interested in writing about the legendary Butcher Brothers or the real town they controlled...
Researchers with the University of Tennessee and the US Geological Survey are continuing work on the longest-running study of bears in the world. It began in 1968, when black bear populations all over the US were declining. Now, their numbers and territory are increasing, bringing them into contact with humans more often. Chrissy Keuper has this report...
Comment boxes are those open forums that appear below an on-line news article. Readers can comment about the article, the people in the article or just about anything they want. Some readers say the boxes reveal the worst of humanity and can compromise a news organization's credibility. But others say the news media have a responsibility to provide a forum for free speech. It's a difficult dilemma for cash-strapped newspapers who want to remain relevant in a web-dominated world. WUOT's Matt Shafer Powell reports...
Just a week after the massive Bonnaroo music festival in Middle Tennessee, a new, more intimate gathering gets underway in East Tennessee. Wezoogajam is this Friday through Sunday in Hancock County. The festival features more than two dozen regional and local bands and is affiliated with a world-wide Summer Solstice celebration. Organizer and musician Wesley Teregan says all the bands are friends he's played with at other festivals around the country. Teregan tells WUOT's Ann Lloyd an important part of Wezoogajam is allowing the audience to make music, too...
One of the most massive road projects in state history comes to fruition today, June 12, 2009. In July of 2005, the Tennessee Department of Transportation began work on SmartFix 40 and this afternoon, Interstate 40 through downtown Knoxville will open to traffic once again. WUOT's Chrissy Keuper speaks with Travis Brickey, TDOT's Communications Director...
Recent developments at General Motors are being watched closely in the East Tennessee community of Tellico Village. Tellico Village is home to hundreds of retired auto industry employees--- many from the Detroit area. And while members of Tellico's GM Club admit it's difficult to watch the company's troubles, their loyalty to GM remains unshaken. WUOT's Matt Shafer Powell has this story...
Greghri Love's memoir "There is an Urgency" is a raw, agonizing view of childhood abuse from the perspective of the man who lived it. In startling detail, Love documents the cruelty and neglect he suffered in an apartment he shared with his brother, his heroin-addicted mother and her violent, unpredictable pimp. On this segment of Dialogue, WUOT's Matt Shafer Powell speaks with Greghri Love about how he rose from the ashes of his tortuous childhood to become a candidate for Tennessee Teacher of the Year. And we'll discuss the ways he uses his own life as a guiding force in dealing with students at his alternative school...