Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs' Weekly Update

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs' Weekly Update TRANSCRIPT: It’s Friday. Time for another weekly update. With 160,000 people attending and an economic impact north of $30 million, this year’s BassMaster Classic was once again a tremendous success. Congratulations to Tennessee’s own Dylan Nutt, the winner of the Classic and this year’s Professional Bass Fishing World Champion! And thank you to Visit Knoxville for their work in bringing world class events like the Classic to Knox County! I was proud to speak at the Elevate High School groundbreaking. Elevate High School—which serves students overcoming addiction and substance misuse—is a collaboration among the McNabb Center, Knox County Schools, Knox County government, and others, is Tennessee’s only public recovery high school and one of only 45 such high schools around the state. The expansion will add 13,000 sq. ft. to the high school and triple its capacity. Congratulations to the South-Doyle High School JROTC for winning the first ever Guidon Flag competition. A guidon flag is a military standard signifying the carrier’s unit designation. The South-Doyle JROTC team, which was made up of Bailey Beckner, Emery Hickman, and Will Jacobs, won the contest with a presentation about Medal of Honor recipient Marine Corps Lt Alexander “Sandy” Bonnyman Jr. The South Doyle JROTC will proudly march with the Guidon Flag as they represent the state of Tennessee in the 2026 National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C. Thanks to Sharon Shanks and Brad Hair from my team, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Knox County government is the first local government in the state to provide individuals leaving jail and reentering the community with government-issued IDs. We are very proud of this distinction as having an ID gives those reentering society a much better chance at a productive life by opening doors to stable housing, employment, banking, healthcare, and much more. These individuals are then less likely to reoffend, meaning less crime and fewer victims. Again, a big thank you to everyone who made this possible. I also toured Greenheck’s site at the Midway Business Park with members of their team. As you recall, this is the biggest single manufacturing project in County history. So far, they have two 200,000 sq. ft. buildings under roof and are moving quickly towards completion. Finally, it’s not too late to sign up for tomorrow’s Hero’s Hill Challenge. The event starts at 8 a.m. at Johnson University and benefits Operation Hero’s Hill. To register, go to RunSignUp.com, click “Find a Race,” and type in “Hero’s Hill Challenge” or use the QR code on your screen. Until next Friday, I hope everyone has a great week!