When the News Sentinel took flight from downtown Knoxville to the blighted community where it is located today. The received a PILOT which is not a Haslam owned gas and go station or a place to get a free newspaper on Friday’s. But it is/was corporate welfare to locate in a blighted area. It is similar to or is nearly exactly the same as a TIF.

In order to receive the corporate welfare that they received, they are to maintain a certain percentage of employees. It has been speculated that the News Sentinel has been close to violating this agreement. Sources within the News Sentinel family have notified Brian’s Blog that this past Friday (July 18, 2008) the News Sentinel laid off 8 employees within the advertising department of the metal shed on the hill.

It is on time for the Knox County Commissioners to ask the question and force McElroy/Hartmann and Crew to prove their worthiness to maintain the corporate welfare that they have and continue to receive. It is the position of thousands of citizens in Knox County that it is time to rescind the corporate welfare and force the News Sentinel to pay it back.