Compass Points

This week, Scott and Jesse talk about last Friday's anti-ICE protest, discussion of immigration at County Commission, and recent national attention paid to Big Ears founder Ashley Capps and County Mayor Glenn Jacobs.
Looking ahead, they preview multiple meetings of the Knox County school board this week, along with Knoxville City Council and the UT Knoxville campus Advisory Board.
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With Scott out, Jesse (and producer Seth!) talk through the Knoxville Police Department's new drones and cameras; the Legislature's raft of immigration enforcement bills; the new City Council members' delay of some local grants; and the passing of Natalie Haslam. They're joined by Compass correspondent Thomas Fraser, who explains Oak Ridge National Lab's role in a new national fusion energy project.
And they look ahead to this week's County Commission meeting, and a breakfast with state legislators sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

On this week's episode, Scott and Jesse talk about further developments at Knox County's troubled Juvenile Services Center (Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin will apparently be taking charge); the Knoxville Police Department's deployment of the first new camera in its Real Time Information Center system; the opening of a new apartment complex, part of the Transforming Western initiative; a settlement in a lawsuit over the shooting death of teenager Anthony Thompson Jr.; and the Tennessee Legislature's return to session, with a bill aimed at restricting venues that host drag shows.
The guys also look ahead this week to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and meetings of County Commission and City Council.

This week, Jesse fills in for Scott (with help from producer Lord Seth) to talk about ICE's search for a West Knox office, new immigration enforcement proposals at the local and state levels, the possibility of another site for Emerald Youth's sports complex in East Knoxville, ORNL's role in an ambitious scientific AI effort, falling homicide and car fatality rates in Knoxville, and a lawsuit against the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra by a jilted clarinetist.
The guys also look ahead to this week's events leading up to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

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It's 2026, but Scott and Jesse have a little unfinished business with 2025. They take a last look back at the just-finished year and some of the local stories that shaped it: City Council elections, the failed push for a city sales tax hike, the Chilhowee Park controversy, the new downtown stadium, investigations in the property assessor and trustee's offices, problems at the Juvenile Service Center, Betsy Henderson's pro-voucher testimony, and more! Plus, some unvarnished thoughts on downtown parking changes.
The guys also look ahead to meetings this week of the school board, City Council, and the Planning Commission.