Yep, that's right, beginning yesterday Knoxville, Tennessee is playing host to over 16,000 motorcycles and their rider(s).   The annual Honda Hoot is underway. the Hoot is an annual party for motorcycle enthusiasts from all over. However lest that many bikers in one place conjure up visions of Hell's Angels, wheelies, and reckless driving you need to take another look. The Honda Hoot crowd is more the "born to be mild" set. Their first event of the Hoot last night was an ice cream social instead of a beer bust. This year's Hoot is from June 18 through the 21st and features lots of events centered around riding your motorcycle somewhere from the nearby Smoky Mountains to the finale, a concert by country music star Wynonna Judd. Honda Hoot features planned rides every day for all register... 06/19/2008

That could be because copper theft has reached epidemic proportions in many states including Tennessee.I personally have been witness to two instances. One was a house I was showing and when we walked around back, the basement door had been kicked open, the copper water pipes cut loose with the water still on. Not surprisingly water was all over the basement and flowing out the door into the yard. In my second instance I sold a house in a somewhat remote location. It was a foreclosure so naturally it was vacant. Before the closing thieves again kicked in the door but this time they went up, into the attic and cut all the electrical wiring loose. $8,000 dollars in damages for about 50 bucks worth of scrap copper.Thankfully my Tennessee Association of Realtors is doing something about it ... 03/18/2008