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Knoxville Zoo welcomes twin red panda cubs
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Knoxville Zoo’s world-renowned red panda conservation program has marked another successful breeding season with the arrival of twin cubs, born on June 23 at the Boyd Family Red Panda Village.  The arrival of the two male cubs brings the number of red pandas born at Knoxville Zoo to 108, more than any other zoo in the world for this subspecies.
The cubs are the offspring of mother Scarlett and father Madan, and were born on Madan’s 16th birthday.  For now, the cubs are snug in their nest box, and won’t start venturing outdoors until they are about three months old.  To give people the opportunity to see them in the interim, the zoo has teamed up with the Knoxville News Sentinel to allow an unobtrusive peek into their den via a PandaCam, which allows viewers to watch a live feed online at http://www.knoxnews.com/media/red-panda-cam. 
 Red pandas are endangered, primarily due to destruction of their native habitat, which extends from western Nepal to northern Myanmar.  Knoxville Zoo’s red panda breeding program is part of the Red Panda Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is a multi-national collaboration that manages the breeding and social placement of all red pandas in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in the Western Hemisphere.  Knoxville Zoo’s Curator of Red Pandas Sarah Glass holds the title of Coordinator for the Red Panda SSP.
Knoxville Zoo is Knoxville’s largest year-round attraction.  Located off exit 392 from Interstate 40, the zoo is open every day except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Knoxville Zoo is nationally accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is committed to the highest standards in animal care and well-being, ethics, conservation, and education. Currently, the zoo is open daily from 9:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.  Admission and ticket sales stop one-hour before the zoo closes. Next-day admission is free after 3 p.m. For more information, please call 865.637.5331 ext. 300 or visit www.knoxville-zoo.org.

Christmas spirit on parade
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Rob Nunley photo The Morrison Elementary Cheerleaders won both the school sponsored division and the people's choice award at Saturday's McMinnville Christmas Parade.

The McMinnville Christmas Parade was held Saturday, featuring 107 entries and lasting approximately one hour. Winning in the business category were Ben Lomand Connect, first place; Prater's BBQ, second. 

Church/civic group/community organization/large non-profit winners were Warren County Sheriff's Office, first; The Vine Baptist Church, second; and Smartt Assembly of God, third. 

School sponsored winners were Morrison Cheerleaders, first place and people's choice award winners; Motlow State Community College, second; and F.C. Boyd Christian School, third.

Small club/non-profit winners were Girl Scout Troop 839, first; Ride N Drive Club, second; and McMinnville Saddle Club, third.

Horse rider club/mule or horse and hitch winners were Saddle Club, first; and Bruce Bush, second.

Antique car winners were Ride N Drive Club, first; Ryan J. Moore, second; and Frank Bond, third.

Most Unusual Vehicle winners were Ride N Drive Club, first; Donald Schott, second; and Tom Davis for Congress, third.

Winning the best band category was the Warren County High School Marching Band.