I was born and raised in Knoxville, getting my learnin' at Cedar Bluff, CAK, and graduating from Bearden High. Knoxville is a terrific place to grow up.
I ventured down Interstate 75 to Chattanooga for college at UTC. Watching the downtown development inspired me to return to Knoxville and live in the city that I love. I returned about the time Knoxville's downtown began to turn around. It has been amazing to watch the leadership in this community take action and turn downtown into a vibrant area.
There were always two things I heard about Knoxville growing up. There's nothing to do, and people can't drive in the snow. Well, I can't argue about the snow thing. But there is always some sort of entertainment happening in the Valley. Yeah sure, you might have had to turn a rock over once upon a time to find it, but now there's a seemingly never-ending list of stuff going on. That was the reason for "10 About Town". I wanted to help in any way to get the word out for people in our community.
It's an absolute treat to work at WBIR. The people are as nice as they seem on television. They do care about this community, and "Straight from the Heart" is more than a tag line. Oh, and Todd Howell is the kindest person I've ever met.