Hillcrest-West, located on Middlebrook Pike, has been ordered not to admit new patients after violations were reported including violations of resident protection, administration, records and reporting, and nursing services standards.” Administrators were quick to point out that they don’t really care, because most of the patients are old anyway, and they just don’t really want…

Fresh off controversy for investing in IdleAire in conjunction with passing federal funds to boost the company, Mayor Ragsdale may be under review for another business interest. Although Knoxpatch reporters have been off-duty for quite some time, and clearly rusty, our sources tell us that Ragsdale used County influence to strong-arm Food City to carry…

Governor Bredesen is expected to sign legislation this week that will drastically cut down on the number of people moving to Tennessee from out-of-state, especially those from California. This bill is hailed as a triumph for anti-inter-state-immigration lobbyists who have been pushing for tighter control of Tennessee borders. “This is truly a great day for…

Burning up the campaign trail, including three stops in as many weeks, Fred Thompson was just about to ramp up his campaign earlier today. Instead of making his way to the Rotund Room where he was scheduled to speak, he stopped to smell some roses that were left for a guest at the hotel front…

University of Tennessee professor Marvin Valazquez received federal funding last year to study the working habits of Mexican blue collar workers in the United States to see how they compare to U.S. citizens. The controversial study will be released next week, and published in the scholarly journal “Work It.” At his press conference yesterday, Valazquez…

While Catholics the world over are celebrating the spectacle of Pope John Paul II waving from beyond the grave in flames of a brush fire, farmer Bubba C. Gaines swears he saw the Great Pumpkin rising from his recent leaf fire. Experts say the photo he snapped with his iPhone is inconclusive, but pumpkin-o-philes are…

Sore at being outdone by current Knoxville mayor Bill Haslam, Victor Ashe is rumored to be using his ties with President Bush to lure a new attraction to downtown Knoxville. According to an anonymous contact familiar with the negotiations, Ashe is in talks with President Bush to locate the Bush Presidential Library in downtown Knoxville.…

This is Bjorn here, your trusty useless reporter in the field, covering the blog convention at Ray’s ESG sitting right next to Brehd and some other folks. I am using a Mac, which more or less goes against everything I believe in, so what does that tell us? That I have reached my limit on…

Well, the first Ray’s blog night is here. Due to late notice, the turnout isn’t huge but it’s high class. So far, things are great. The Knoxville News Sentinel is here to cover the festivities, so I wish we had more folks around the table. At this point, the food and service have been great….

What: “Blog Night @ Ray’s”; a kick off event for the conversion of Kingston Alley to Ray’s Entertainment Sports Grille (Ray’s ESG) with free appetizers and happy hour priced drinks for all bloggers. When: Tuesday, September 4, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Where: 7355 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, Tennessee. Why: All bloggers are welcome, RSVP by…

A former male radio personality, Vietnam veteran, former car salesman, four-time divorcee gets breast augmentation, becomes a woman, and gets lengthy coverage in the press. Go figure.

It appears that The University of Tennessee and Phillip Fulmer have settled out of court in regards to the poor performance of the UT Football program over the past few years. Coach Fulmer is making a $1 million payment, which will hopefully be used as a bonus to keep Coach Bruce Pearl on-board for the…

The largest lead manufacturer in China rocked the Shanghai stock exchange today when it announced a full recall of all materials produced over the past three years. Reports indicate that an unacceptable number of toys have been found mixed within the lead, causing unacceptable danger to those responsible for smelting. It is possible that the…

NASA announced earlier today that the Space Shuttle Endeavour cannot be made safe for a return flight home, and will be left in orbit indefinitely. “An emergency mission has been scheduled for October to place a series of cinder blocks underneath the disable shuttled,” says Mission Control PR spokesperson Bubba Spacely. “I’ve had my ’87…

In a new development, U.S. border patrol agents are baffled by a rare wormhole they have found dug under the U.S.-Mexico border fence. The wormhole was discovered by agents patrolling the Arizona border early Thursday in the Coronado National Forest. Reports say it was covered by brush, but agents spotted flashes of light coming from…