KNOX COUNTY, TN - During his Weekly Update, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs talked about the Holiday Festival of Lights, Advance Knox, Knox County Schools, and the Junior Commission program.

Mayor Jacobs kicked off the 27th annual holiday event at the Cove at Concord Park on Monday evening, talking about the Christmas lights, Santa’s Workshop, and train ride. The festival is open every evening from 6-9 p.m. through Dec. 30, excluding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The event is free to the public, but folks can bring non-perishable food items to donate to the Love Kitchen.

During the update, Mayor Jacobs also notes that the county is currently in the final stage of Advance Knox, which involves creating a Unified Development Ordinance that will organize regulations into one document.

“A summary of the feedback from the first round of public meetings is now available online,” Mayor Jacobs said. “Over the next several months, the project team will provide regular updates through the Advance Knox website. Stay up to date on the process and sign up for the newsletter at AdvanceKnox.org/UDO.”

He also gives a shout out to Knox County Schools, which recently moved up to the state’s second highest level in accountability scores.

“What’s really impressive about this feat, is that three years ago, KCS had fallen into the state’s lowest category called ‘In Need of Improvement,’” Mayor Jacobs says. “Thanks to a lot of hard work, they've made outstanding progress in a short time.”

Mayor Jacobs also touches on the Knox County Junior Commission program – local high school juniors and seniors can apply to shadow a commissioner and learn about local government.

Anyone who might be interested, can apply online at www.knoxcounty.org/juniorcommission.