Members of the Hamilton County school board chat prior to the start of a meeting on Monday, March 7, 2016, in Chattanooga.
Jay GreesonThe Hamilton County Board of Education this week discussed the interview process to select a search firm to assist in the hunt for a new superintendent.
If it feels as if this effort is moving at a snail's pace, well, we'd concur.
That said, there are a couple of mitigating factors for which the board deserves a break.
Accuracy, not speed, needs to be the target word on finding Rick Smith's permanent replacement; better to focus on an excellent hire than an expedited choice.
Also, it was a smart move to allow the new board to handle this process.
And it was a telling move, since three of the four school board races produced new board members.
The key word there is "new," something this board should - given that the voting public embraced change - remember when looking for the next superintendent.
The northbound on-ramp from M.L. King Boulevard to U.S. Highway 27 north will close for three months beginning this weekend, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation.Double-checking
The headline on the Times Free Press website was clear and to the point: "M.L. King ramp closing for 3 months."
It's part of the continuing work being done on Highway 27 coming into downtown.
We had to click on that story.
We had to make sure the changes did not include some more bike lanes, for Pete's sake.
FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 14, 2001 file photo, Joseph Esposito, left, chief of department of the New York Police Department, offers help as President George W. Bush steps off of a pile of rubble after speaking at ground zero of the World Trade Center site in New York. Esposito, then the NYPD's top uniformed officer, was struck by "the camaraderie, the unity" of those days. (AP Photo/Doug Mills)15 years and feels like yesterday
Arguably the biggest "where were you' moment for a lot of us happened 15 years ago tomorrow. The Sept. 11 attacks changed life in great and small ways in our country.
We got to see the best we had to offer when faced with the worst our enemies could throw at us.
It's a time for reflection and remembrance.
Unless of course if you are the Children of Abraham of the Southern Tier, which has asked the New York town of Owego to change the wording on its 9/11 memorial to remove the phrase "Islamic terrorist" to simply "terrorist" or "Al Qaeda terrorist," the town's city manager, Donald Castelluci, told Fox News.
His reply was a refreshing rebuke to the overly politically correct world that has become a sea of safe havens and participation trophies.
"I don't live in a politically correct world," Castelluci told local TV affiliate WICZ-TV. "I live in a historical fact world whether it's American, homegrown, Christianity, Islamic, you call it what it is."
Elsewhere, the backbone was not as strong, such as in Panama City, Fla. After getting complaints, Wal-Mart took down a large display of Coke cans that spelled out the words "We will never forget" on a banner with the New York City skyline in the background.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343. His "Right to the Point" column runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays on A2.