Best Barberian Productions Podcasts (2025)

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Ep. 167 06/22/2025 1:13:57

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20h ago1:13:57

1:13:57

DONT FORGET TO SHARE Compass Points, a free service of CompassKnox.com Cottage courts could soon be allowed in the City of Knoxville. In this week’s installment, Scott looks at the middle housing concept. He also turns his attention to the school system’s response to the West High School football staff’s underage sex accusations, Juneteenth in toda…

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Ep. 8: Watering the Roots 45:08

7d ago45:08

45:08

SYNOPSIS: Well before Robert F. Kennedy Jr. brought his vaccine skepticism to the federal government, many Southern states were already taking steps to weaken immunization mandates. This week, we take a look at recent moves in Florida, Louisiana and Texas to make it easier for parents to opt their children out of vaccines. Florida already leads the…

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Ep. 166 06/15/2025 55:15

8d ago55:15

55:15

Knoxville City Council gave initial approval to putting a sales tax increase referendum on this year’s election ballot. Scott looks at the proposal, detailing the spending plan for $47 million in new revenue annually if voters approve the tax hike. He also looks at Knox County’s plan for the future of the juvenile detention center’s management, the…

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Bonus Episode: More with Adeem the Artist 53:56

12d ago53:56

53:56

SYNOPSIS: Talking Southern History, Gender Identity and Politics With Adeem the Artist. As promised in our regular episode this week, here is an extended edit of our interview with Adeem the Artist. The critically acclaimed, politically engaged, non-binary singer-songwriter talks about their North Carolina childhood, their growing awareness of thei…

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Ep. 7: Songs from Queer Country 37:19

14d ago37:19

37:19

SYNOPSIS: Bruce Springsteen once sang that “a king ain’t satisfied until he rules everything,” and Republican officials in one-party-rule states across the South are doing their best to prove the point. This week, we look at three examples of conservative attacks on the remaining pockets of liberalism in their states: Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackbur…

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Ep. 165 06/08/2025 1:00:40

15d ago1:00:40

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Knoxville City Council is poised to vote on whether to put a sales tax increase referendum on the November ballot. Scott digs into the details of the proposal, which would raise $47 million a year for infrastructure and housing needs. He also looks at the compressed time frame the county has to approve its zoning ordinance overhaul, the school syst…

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Ep. 6: Weed Whackers in the South 48:54

21d ago48:54

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SYNOPSIS: While much of the U.S. has given a green light to cannabis, the South remains mostly hostile to legalization. This week we look at recent moves in three states to restrict hemp-based THC products — and why Virginia still doesn’t have a commercial weed market, even though marijuana is legal. In our conversation, we talk with Ilham Askia, C…

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Ep. 164 06/01/2025 1:20:15

22d ago1:20:15

1:20:15

The best way you can support Scott, Compass Points, and CompassKnox.com is to share this free podcast...text it to some...and tell people about how important good local news coverage is. Richard Bean, who has run the Knox County juvenile detention center that bears his name for 53 years, resigned on Friday amid accusations of retaliation against wh…

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Ep. 5: A "Pragmatic Progressive' in North Carolina 44:26

28d ago44:26

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Conservative legislators in the South have been attacking diversity programs for years, long before President Trump made a national priority of assailing “DEI.” This week, we look at some of this year’s anti-DEI bills in Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas — and why their allegations of anti-white discrimination are mostly bunk. This week’s con…

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Ep. 163 05/25/2025 1:27:51

29d ago1:27:51

1:27:51

Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon has proposed raising the sales tax rate to fund infrastructure and affordable housing efforts. Scott reviews the proposal, which would require voter approval in a referendum, in this week’s installment. He also talks about the County Commission’s spirited discussion surrounding Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs’ budget …

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Ep. 4: A Second Southern 'Redemption'? 45:09

1M ago45:09

45:09

When Reconstruction ended in the South in 1876, white political leaders moved swiftly to establish what they called a “redemption” — the re-establishment of white supremacist rule. Now, 60 years after the Civil Rights Act, white conservative political leaders are again moving to roll back advances toward racial and sexual equality. Are we in a seco…

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Ep. 162 05/18/2025 1:09:22

1M ago1:09:22

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By Barking Shark Media and Barberian Productions

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Ep. 3: A Union Veteran 42:21

1M ago42:21

42:21

Immigration sweeps are picking up steam in states across the South, often with the help of state and local agencies. In this week’s roundup, we look at an unprecedented enforcement action in Florida called Operation Tidal Wave, which led to the arrest of more than 1,000 immigrants, along with operations in Tennessee and along the Interstate 10 corr…

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Ep. 161 05/11/2025 38:33

1M ago38:33

38:33

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs presented his $1.1 billion budget proposal last week. Scott breaks down the spending plan. He then looks at the local impacts of the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the budgets of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the looming effects of tariffs.…

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Ep. 2: Richmond for All 46:48

2M ago46:48

46:48

In our second episode, Jesse offers the first Headlights weekly news round-up: a fight over library books in Arkansas, the rocky tenure of Louisiana’s top environmental official, and an attempt to block undocumented children from Tennessee public schools. He then heads out on the road to Richmond, Va., where he talks to community organizer Quinton …

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Ep. 160 05/04/2025 1:01:17

2M ago1:01:17

1:01:17

The Trump administration's decision to gut Americorps resulted in 52 Knoxville members losing their jobs. Scott takes a look at the impact to nonprofits in the area. He also reports on a rare tie-breaking vote Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon cast at City Council, the city and school system's budgets, the initial effect of the new stadium on Old Cit…

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Ep. 159 04/27/2025 53:02

2M ago53:02

53:02

Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon unveiled her $477.3 million budget proposal last Friday, and Scott breaks it down in this week’s episode. He also talks about philanthropists’ funding of affordable housing projects, the county swapping contractors to guide its zoning ordinance overhaul, and more. Scott also previews meetings of the County Commission…

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Ep. 1: Welcome to Headlights 33:40

2M ago33:40

33:40

Welcome to Headlights! In our first episode, Jesse Mayshark — the founder and publisher of The Progressive South — introduces the podcast and project. What do we mean by “progressive”? What do we mean by “South”? And who are we, anyway? Then he takes to the streets of Knoxville, Tennessee, to hear from some of the thousands who came out earlier thi…

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Ep. 158 04/20/25 1:00:21

2M ago1:00:21

1:00:21

Pro baseball returned to Knoxville last week after a 25-year absence, and Scott has a review of the Knoxville Smokies' opening day at Covenant Health Park. He also looks into a state investigation of extravagant spending in the Knox County Trustee's Office, the proposed Knox County Schools budget for next year, and more. Scott also previews meeting…

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Ep. 157 04/13/2025 56:32

2M ago56:32

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Clayton Home founder and philanthropist Jim Clayton has abandoned plans to build a science museum in East Knoxville. In this week’s installment, Scott looks at the decision and what’s next for the 11-acre site next to the Civic Auditorium and Coliseum. He also talks about the Justice Knox Nehemiah Action Assembly, a “rails to trails” lawsuit stemmi…

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Ep. 156 04/06/2025 42:58

3M ago42:58

42:58

Knox County school board Chair Betsy Henderson confirmed she's running for county mayor in 2026. Scott takes a look at what her entry into the Republican Party primary means in the race. Speaking of the GOP, he also talks about former state Rep. Martin Daniel's election as county Republican chair, as well as current Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs' …

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Ep. 155 03/30/2025 54:22

3M ago54:22

54:22

A group of prominent Democrats is circulating a petition in hopes of persuading Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon to run for Knox County mayor in 2026. In this week's episode, Scott looks at the effort and Kincannon's response. He also talks about Rural Metro's decision to charge a fee to non-subscribers for emergency responses, the regional draft mo…

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Ep. 154 03/23/2025 52:19

3M ago52:19

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The city of Knoxville’s middle housing program is one year old, and in this week’s episode Scott delves into a report from Knoxville-Knox County Planning on its progress. He also looks into a proposal to expand areas where festivals can serve beer in the city, a statewide business survey, and the importance of Black sororities and fraternities to p…

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Ep. 153 03/16/2025 1:03:03

3M ago1:03:03

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The Knoxville Smokies and the City of Knoxville announced the parking plan for baseball games at the Covenant Health Park. In this week's episode, Scott breaks down the plan, which involves dedicated downtown parking garages and free shuttles. He also looks at the Education Department's scrutiny of an antisemitism complaint at UT, County Commission…

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Ep. 152 03/09/2025 58:38

4M ago58:38

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This week Scott breaks down another week of budget hearings for the City of Knoxville and a public meeting of Sheriff Tom Spangler and Commissioner Damon Rawls to discuss Sheriff's Office policies. UT President Randy Boyd goes public on concerns over Federal Funding in the UT system, whileEnergy Secretary Chris White made a quick visit to ORNL. In …

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Ep. 151 03/02/2025 25:02

4M ago25:02

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Knox County is moving to a two-year property tax reappraisal cycle. In this week’s episode of Compass Points, Scott talks about what that means for taxpayers. He also talks about AMR’s performance in the first year of its ambulance contract with Knox County and new KPD Deputy Chief Joe McHale. He also looks ahead to meetings this week of the Board …

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Ep. 150 02/23/2025 1:02:35

4M ago1:02:35

1:02:35

This is a free service of CompassKnox.com spread the word by sharing today! Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon has established a formalized process for reporting waste, fraud and abuse in city government. In this week’s installment of the Compass Points podcast, Scott looks at the details. He also talks about the city’s financial health, a new composi…

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Ep. 149 02/16/2025 1:24:22

4M ago1:24:22

1:24:22

Knoxville officials say the Gay Street Bridge will reopen, but not to motor vehicles, and it will be replaced entirely within a decade. On this week’s episode of Compass Points, Scott talks about the plans for the historic bridge, as well as the dispute that led to the city terminating its contract with Turn Up Knox and the sign plan for the new st…

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Ep. 148 02/09/2025 50:26

4M ago50:26

50:26

This podcast is a FREE service of Compassknox.com The Knox County school board approved a new K-8 school for northwest Knoxville last week, and Scott breaks down the project and its implications in this week's episode of Compass Points. He also talks about the return of the Bassmaster Classic to Knoxville in 2026 and touches on TVA CEO Jeff Lyash's…

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Ep. 147 02/02/2025 1:22:10

5M ago1:22:10

1:22:10

Gov. Bill Lee got everything he wanted out of last week’s special session on school vouchers, immigration enforcement and disaster relief. In this week’s episode of Compass Points, Scott takes a look at the results. He talks about the dispute between the city of Knoxville and a violence interruption nonprofit, funding questions about an eviction pr…

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Ep. 146 01/26/2025 1:04:57

5M ago1:04:57

1:04:57

The Knox County Commission created the county’s first residential infrastructure development district last week. Scott gives details on the district and talks about how it works to fund infrastructure in this week’s episode of Compass Points. He also delves into the expansion of the Knoxville Police Department’s co-response program. Other topics in…

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Ep. 134 01/19/2025 1:24:15

5M ago1:24:15

1:24:15

Share this free service of CompassKnox.com and go there and subscribe! U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn has abruptly decided to run for governor in 2026, automatically becoming the frontrunner in the Republican primary. Scott talks about her intent — she has yet to make a formal announcement — and its ramifications in this week’s installment of the Compa…

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Ep. 144 01/12/2025 1:26:58

5M ago1:26:58

1:26:58

The City of Knoxville’s quest to secure federal funding for the planned pedestrian bridge ended successfully last week with an award of $24.7 million from the Transportation Department. On this week’s episode of Compass Points, Scott goes into the details of the project and the next steps. He also takes a deep dive into a $27.6 million contract for…

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Ep. 143 01/05/2025 1:09:06

6M ago1:09:06

1:09:06

The city of Knoxville will learn the fate of two bridge projects in the coming weeks. In this week's episode of the Compass Points podcast, Scott takes a look at repairs to the closed Gay Street Bridge and a third bite at the federal funding apple for the proposed pedestrian bridge connecting the South Waterfront to UT. Also: We take a look at the …

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Ep. 142 12/29/2024 1:14:01

6M ago1:14:01

1:14:01

Tennessee's economic outlook remains strong, according to an annual report by economists at the University of Tennessee. But both economic and population growth are expected to slow in coming years. In this week's episode of the Compass Points podcast, Scott and Jesse take a look at the reasons. Also: Knox County Schools hears mixed feedback from p…

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Ep. 141 12/22/24 (repair)+ 1:07:57

6M ago1:07:57

1:07:57

Technical error deleted that last 10 min or so of the original episode. This week Scott and Jesse break out the egg nog and sing some Holiday tunes...well at least Jesse does. A brief look at some Planning Commission approvals, they morn the passing of Lillian Bean and discuss the history of the Bean Machine, an overview of the warming center sched…

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Ep. 141 12/22/2024 55:38

6M ago55:38

55:38

This week Scott and Jesse break out the egg nog and sing some Holiday tunes...well at least Jesse does. A brief look at some Planning Commission approvals, they morn the passing of Lillian Bean and discuss the history of the Bean Machine, an overview of the warming center schedlue and the conitned work on the 'master plan' Please have a safe and wo…

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E. 140 12/15/2024 1:24:43

6M ago1:24:43

1:24:43

What leads to a book ban? Knox County Schools recently identified 48 books for removal from library shelves to comply with a new state law. In this week's episode, Jesse and Scott talk about the evaluation process that led to the bans, and why different districts across the state are making different decisions. Also: a farewell to poet and Knoxvill…

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Ep. 139 12/08/2024 1:39:08

7M ago1:39:08

1:39:08

The Knox County school board spent all last week wrestling with changes to its policies on student harassment and discrimination. Specifically, the board's Republican majority wanted to remove all mentions of federally protected classes (sex, race, etc.), while its Democratic minority wanted to keep them. In this week's episode, Jesse and Scott loo…

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Ep. 138 12/01/2024 1:27:46

7M ago1:27:46

1:27:46

A controversial high-rise along Neyland Drive on the north side of the Tennessee River will a tax incentive from the City of Knoxville, after City Council approved a 10-year PILOT worth $12 million. Scott and Jesse emerge from their food comas to review the deal on this week's episode. Also: Knox County Schools receive good and bad marks from the s…

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Ep. 137 11/24/2024 1:26:48

7M ago1:26:48

1:26:48

Knox County Commission once again blocked Commissioner Rhonda Lee's effort to pass a resolution to "protect the innocence of children" — which many people perceived to be aimed at the LGBTQ community. In this week's episode, Jesse and Scott look at the debate and its implications — and hear a snippet of a dance remix of Lee's remarks that was poste…

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Ep. 138 10/17/2024 1:20:04

7M ago1:20:04

1:20:04

Please remember to share this free service of CompassKnox.com Parking, taxes and debt: The week after the election, local attention turned to some of the nitty-gritty issues of governing. Scott and Jesse take a look at new plans for downtown Knoxville parking; an increase in the city's hotel/motel tax; and an alarm bell about Knox County's rising d…

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Ep. 135 11/10/2024 1:46:10

7M ago1:46:10

1:46:10

Now that the elections are over ... what did they mean? In this week's episode, Scott and Jesse take a deep dive into the Knox County results, looking at how the presidential race played out countywide as well as high-profile local races and issues (like the state House District 18 contest, and the City of Knoxville's failed Amendment 2). They are …

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Ep. 134 11/03/2024 1:20:04

8M ago1:20:04

1:20:04

Reminder ELCTION COVERAGE IS FREE AT COMPASSKNOX.COM Early voting ended with a surge last week, easily surpassing early turnout in the 2020 election. In this week's episode, Scott and Jesse look at the available data and also talk about two races in particular: U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett's quest for a fourth term in Congress, facing Democratic candidat…

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Ep. 133 10/27/2024 59:20

8M ago59:20

59:20

Don't forget ELECTION COVERAGE IS FREE TO SHARE FOR FREE at compassknox.com It's election season! On this week's episode, Scott and Jesse take a look at early voting numbers at the halfway point and talk about developments in two state legislative races, for the 15th and 18th districts. Also, some competing endorsements for the City of Knoxville's …

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Ep. 132 10/20/2024 1:40:15

8M ago1:40:15

1:40:15

Early voting kicked off this week in Knox County, with a big first-day turnout. In this week's episode, Jesse and Scott look at a few major items on the ballot, including the race for state Senate District 6. Also: the Knox County Sheriff's Office is hit with a civil rights lawsuit by a Muslim woman. In an interview segment, the guys hear contrasti…

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Ep. 131 10/13/2024 1:16:03

8M ago1:16:03

1:16:03

A citizens' group has come together to push for a climate action plan in Knox County. But the county's leadership under Mayor Glenn Jacobs denies that there's any such thing as climate change. Nevertheless, both the City of Knoxville and Knoxville-Knox County Planning are working on long-term efforts to mitigate East Tennessee's climate impact. Sco…

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Ep. 130 10/06/2024 1:35:29

9M ago1:35:29

1:35:29

The devastating floods from Hurricane Helene that swept through East Tennessee and Western North Carolina dominated the thoughts and efforts of people across the region last week. On this week's episode, Scott and Jesse talk about the local response to our neighbors' suffering, from political leaders to grassroots community groups. Also: City Counc…

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Ep. 129 09/29/2024 1:02:33

9M ago1:02:33

1:02:33

You can still use cash on the bus. After a proposal to move Knoxville Area Transit buses to an all-cashless system drew concern from some riders and transit advocates, KAT decided last week to continue accepting dollars and coins — at least for now. Scott and Jesse look at the cashless controversy on this week's episode. Also: A look at the closely…

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Ep. 128 09/22/2024 1:04:28

9M ago1:04:28

1:04:28

Should County Commission rezone property against the property owners' wishes? That was the question raised last week by new County Commissioner Andy Fox. His attempt to put a proposal to downzone multiple properties in South Knox County did not make it onto the agenda of this month's zoning meeting, but he can bring it back next month. Flying solo …