072111 News Clips

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2011 State provides battlefield grant to Franklin (Associated Press)
The state has given Franklin a grant to improve access and amenities at the eastern edge of the Battle of Franklin battlefield. The $500,000 grant is provided by the federal government and administered by the Tennessee Department of Transportation through the Transportation Enhancement program. Gov. Bill Haslam was on hand Wednesday as the grant was announced, along with Transportation Commissioner John Schroer. Haslam said Civil War battlefields are educational destinations that draw thousands of visitors to the state each year. The grant will fund an access drive to the eastern flank of the battlefield, visitor center parking, and interpretive trail network, bicycle racks and other pedestrian amenities. Schroer said TDOT has funded more than $259 million in non-traditional transportation projects through Transportation Enhancement grants. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37015993.story

TN grant to fund Civil War park in Franklin (Tennessean/Walters)
Franklin’s Civil W ar-themed city park got a jolt of $500,000 W ednesday, pushing a long-planned project closer to one day becoming the tourist haven its supporters contend it will be. Standing on the Carnton Plantation museum’s porch, Gov. Bill Haslam announced the money as part of a state road enhancement grant, touting its importance to tourism and quality of life. “W e choose these enhancement grants very selectively,” Haslam said. “We always do it with the idea of ‘How can we add to the quality of life?’ We’re confident this project does that.” Franklin will spend a little more than $300,000 beyond the state grant to build an access road off Lewisburg Pike. Officials estimate more than 40,000 visitors annually. Plan put on hold Purchased for $5 million in 2006, the eastern flank of the Battle of Franklin park is a former golf course that adjoins the Carnton Plantation property off Lewisburg Pike. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110721/NEWS01/307210081/TN-grant-to-fund-Civil-W ar-park-in-Franklin

$500k Grant to Franklin Helps Preparations for Battle Anniversary (WPLN-Radio)
State officials today announced half a million dollars in grants to the city of Franklin for improvements at the historic Eastern Flank Battlefield. The work will be done well before the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Franklin in a few years, but Civil War tourism in the area is already picking up. Tennessee’s transportation department administered the federal dollars, which will pay for a new access road, parking, trails and signs. TDOT Commissioner John Schroer, the former mayor of Franklin, says Civil War history is the area’s numberone tourist attraction. Asked what makes the site stand out to visitors, Schroer wasn’t squeamish about answering: “Ten thousand casualties in five hours. Where we’re standing was a field hospital, and the back upper-left room, the body parts were thrown out the window, and it became so tall it was to the second-story window.” With various Civil War milestones already ticking by, officials estimate they’ll mark a 15 to 20 percent increase in visitors this year, with more on the way as the site’s big anniversary draws nearer. http://wpln.org/? p=28985

Judicial appointee Sword (NS/Satterfield)

says he wants to win

voters' support, too

It may be a temporary appointment, but Knox County's newest judge says he's in it for the long haul. "I'll definitely run," said Steve Sword of next year's election for the Criminal Court judgeship to which he was appointed Wednesday. Gov. Bill Haslam announced Wednesday that he had chosen Sword, 41, to take over the bench left vacant when former Judge Richard Baumgartner stepped down earlier this year after pleading guilty to official misconduct for buying prescription painkillers from a felon under his legal thumb. Special Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood has been filling in since Baumgartner stepped down. "He brings the type of character, experience and plan for court administration that Knox County citizens deserve and respect," Haslam said.

Sword, a 16-year veteran child-abuse prosecutor and judge advocate general in the U.S. Army Reserves, was vying for the appointment against two other well-respected Knox County attorneys — former prosecutor Scott Green and defense attorney Chuck Burks. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jul/20/assistant-knox-prosecutor-steve-sword-named/

Haslam selects Knox attorney to replace Baumgartner (W BIR-TV Knoxville)
Governor Bill Haslam has appointed a Knox County prosecutor as Knox County's new criminal court judge. Steve Sword will replace former Judge Richard Baumgartner, the high-profile judge who resigned in March after admitting to a prescription drug addiction. "Steve has served the citizens of Knox County well for more than 15 years as assistant district attorney." Haslam said. He brings the type of character, experience and plan for court administration that Knox County citizens deserve and expect." For the past 15 years, Sword also served as judge advocate general in the United States Army Reserves. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville and a magnum cum laude graduate of King College in Bristol. Sword was one of eight Knoxville attorneys who applied for the position. "I'm honored and humbled by the governor's selection," Sword said. "Chuck Burks and Scott Green are both outstanding attorneys and would be great judges. It was an honor to even be considered along with them. I am committed to ensuring due process for all citizens and the swift administration of justice." http://www.wbir.com/news/article/176917/2/Haslam-selectsKnox-attorney-to-replace-Baumgartner

Governor Haslam Prepares for Less Federal Money in Tennessee (WPLN-Radio)
Governor Haslam expects federal budget cuts will reduce the amount of money sent to states. He said his administration is preparing for less federal money coming to Tennessee. “Regardless of how this plays out, the federal government is going to be sending less money to states. You can just bank that.” The governor listed TennCare and state highway funds as state entities that would lose funding. http://wpln.org/?p=28983

Haslam not 'overly concerned' about possible credit downgrade (CP/Woods)
Gov. Bill Haslam said Wednesday he is “concerned about it but not overly” that the U.S. debt crisis has jeopardized Tennessee’s top-rated AAA credit rating. Moody’s Investors Services told Tennessee and four other states this week that they face downgrades because of their dependence on federal revenue. “Should the U.S. government’s rating be downgraded to Aa1 or lower, these five states’ ratings would likely be downgraded as well,” the bond-rating agency said. Maryland, New Mexico, South Carolina and Virginia also were placed on the list for possible downgrades in credit ratings. All now enjoy AAA ratings. Borrowing costs would increase if their ratings are lowered. Ten other states have the highest bond ratings. A week ago, Moody’s put the U.S. government bond rating on review because of the “rising possibility” that the nation’s debt limit will not be raised on a timely basis. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/haslam-not-overly-concerned-about-possible-credit-downgrade

Haslam downplays possible downgrade of state bond rating (TFP/Sher)
While calling Tennessee's credit rating "very important," Gov. Bill Haslam on W ednesday sought to downplay the "likely" downgrading of the state's AAA credit rating if Congress allows a default on the nation's obligations. On Tuesday, Moody's Investors Service said it would probably would lower top credit ratings for Tennessee and four other states if the U.S. doesn't raise the federal government's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling. "Regardless, the state of Tennessee will be in good shape," Haslam said, speaking to reporters. "I mean, I think we're in maybe one of two or three of the best financial shapes of any state out there. "But that impact on our debt would cause some increased interest costs or could, in some instances," he said. "So we're concerned about it, but not overly, because of the financial condition we're in." The credit agencies' rating of debt affects state and local governments' borrowing costs when issuing bonds. In its news release, Moody's said the Volunteer State has several things going against it. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/21/haslam-downplays-possible-downgrade-of-state/?local

Governor awaiting Press/Johnson)

outcome

of

nurse

licenses'

probe

(Associated

Gov. Bill Haslam said Wednesday that he's awaiting the outcome of an investigation into whether lawmakers improperly intervened with a state board to help three nurse practitioners whose licenses were suspended, but acknowledged he doesn't like it "when people use their leverage to accomplish a personal agenda." The case 2

grew out of a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation probe of fatal overdoses among patients of the now defunct Appalachian Medical Center. Two Republican lawmakers — Reps. Tony Shipley of Kingsport and Dale Ford of Jonesborough — have acknowledged using their legislative positions to some degree to force the Tennessee Board of Nursing to reconsider the suspensions of Bobby Reynolds II, David Stout Jr. and Tina Killebrew. Haslam, a Republican, told reporters after an event in Franklin on W ednesday that he couldn't comment on the specific situation because of the investigation. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37016345.story

Haslam fears ‘personal agenda’ in nurse probe (Times Free-Press/Sher)
Gov. Bill Haslam says he can’t comment on a TBI probe of state lawmakers who acknowledge pressuring a state board that suspended licenses of three nurses accused of overprescribing painkillers. But he did condemn the idea of public officials using their power to carry out a “personal agenda.” “The great thing about democracy [is] when people do things that voters don’t like, they can change those representatives,” Haslam told reporters Wednesday. “And I also don’t like it when people use their leverage to accomplish maybe a personal agenda.” His comments came after officials said the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into whether Rep. Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport, Rep. Dale Ford, R-Jonesborough, and state Health Department officials committed wrongdoing in their dealings with the state Board of Nursing. “I think we should let that play out before we jump to any conclusions about if there’s a good-government principle involved there,” Haslam said. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/21/haslam-fears-personal-agenda-nurse-probe/?local

Haslam Comments On Local Lawmaker Investigation (WCYB-TV Chattanooga)
They say they did nothing wrong and were only fighting for their constituents. "Let these people investigate anything they want. I didn't do anything wrong, I know Tony Shipley didn't, we were just doing our jobs," said State Representative Dale Ford of Jonesborough. "It bespeaks of a political hack job from Nashville," said State Representative Tony Shipley of Kingsport. "Who asked for this and why?" State Representatives Dale Ford and Tony Shipley said Tuesday they are standing firm in their actions surrounding the reinstatement of three nurse practitioner licenses. W ednesday the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation looked into possible criminal activity in the case, catching the attention of Governor Bill Haslam. "Because its an investigation it's not appropriate for me to comment," said Governor Haslam. "We should let that play out before jumping to any conclusions." http://www.wcyb.com/news/28613538/detail.html

Harwell mum on lawmakers under TBI investigation (City Paper/W oods)
State House Speaker Beth Harwell on Wednesday declined to criticize two lawmakers who exerted political pressure against a state regulatory board on behalf of nurse practitioners accused of over-prescribing painkillers. Reps. Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport, and Dale Ford, R-Jonesborough, have boasted about how they compelled the state Board of Nursing to reconsider disciplinary action against the three nurses. Their licenses were suspended last year, but that action was rescinded in May. To force the board to knuckle under, Shipley said he led an effort to block its reauthorization in state law, a move that could have shut down the agency. For his part, Ford said he introduced legislation to create a three-member legislative committee to oversee the board’s major disciplinary actions. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/harwell-mum-lawmakersunder-tbi-investigation

Board of Nursing Investigation Raises ?: How Far Can Politicians Go? (WPLN)
Two state representatives have acknowledged they used legislation to force the state Board of Nursing to reinstate constituents. The case raises the question of how far a politician can go in negotiating with a professional board. The three nurse-practitioners’ licenses were suspended last year after they were accused of over-prescribing medication. Representative Tony Shipley has said he held up a legislative bill that extends the life of the nursing board until the board agreed to re-hear the case. Representative Dale Ford introduced a bill that would have allowed a legislative oversight committee to review any action which stripped a professional license. Ultimately, the nurses’ licenses were re-instated and the disciplinary actions were removed from their on-line profiles. This week, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said it’s investigating the case, but the agency didn’t say whether Shipley and Ford, are targets. http://wpln.org/?p=28990

3

Hacker group Anonymous targets Tennessee over offensive-pictures law (MBJ)
The hacker group Anonymous is targeting Tennessee in retaliation for a new law prohibiting the posting of offensive pictures online. So far, the group has released a file including hundreds of names and addresses obtained through the state’s website, TN.gov. None of the information appears to be sensitive. Alexia Poe, communications director for Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, said officials are aware of the attack but declined to provide further details “due to security issues.” Anonymous rose to prominence through a serious of cyberattacks on government and corporate websites. One such attack targeted PayPal in retaliation for the company’s termination of WikiLeaks’ donation account. Anonyops.com — a website that reports news about Anonymous, its targets and the loose-knit group’s current operations — released a press release July 3 announcing the start of an initiative called Operation Tennessee, claiming the state’s new offensive-pictures law violates the First Amendment’s protection of free speech. They also criticized a Tennessee law governing streaming online content. http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/07/20/hacker-group-anonymous-targets.html

Hackers Shift Attacks to Small Firms (Wall Street Journal)
Recent hacking attacks on Sony Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. grabbed headlines. What happened at City Newsstand Inc. last year did not. Unbeknownst to owner Joe Angelastri, cyber thieves planted a software program on the cash registers at his two Chicago-area magazine shops that sent customer credit-card numbers to Russia. MasterCard Inc. demanded an investigation, at Mr. Angelastri's expense, and the whole ordeal left him out about $22,000. His experience highlights a growing threat to small businesses. Hackers are expanding their sites beyond multinationals to include any business that stores data in electronic form. Small companies, which are making the leap to computerized systems and digital records, have now become hackers' main target. "Who would want to break into us?" asked Mr. Angelastri, who says the breach cut his annual profit in half. "We're not running a bank." With limited budgets and few or no technical experts on staff, small businesses generally have weak security. Cyber criminals have taken notice. In 2010, the U.S. Secret Service and Verizon Communications Inc.'s forensic analysis unit, which investigates attacks, responded to a combined 761 data breaches, up from 141 in 2009. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304567604576454173706460768.html?mod=ITP_pageone_0 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Advocating Parental, Community Engagement in Ed. Priority for First Lady (TNR)
First Lady Crissy Haslam joined approximately 500 educators, administrators, policymakers, and other stakeholders for the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) Summit on Rural Education in Nashville on Tuesday. The purpose of the two-day event is to highlight best practices and influence regional and national policy on education in rural communities. “Our rural communities in Tennessee have specific needs, and I’m so glad that SCORE has organized this summit to discuss how we can continue successful strategies and improve best practices,” Haslam said. Session topics at the Rural Education Summit include using technology to improve student achievement, strategies for improving high school graduation and college completion rates, improving rural community development through education strategies, increasing teacher retention, and improving early childhood education. http://www.tnreport.com/2011/07/advocating-parental-community-engagement-in-education-a-priority-for-tnfirst-lady/

Grant used to Press/Carroll)

shutter

mental

health

treatment

program

(Times

Free-

The executive director of a mental health treatment center in Chattanooga is planning to use a $193,000 state grant to shut down the center's primary therapeutic program rather than finance it for three more months, records show. TEAM Centers Inc. interim Executive Director Peter Charman said he'll use the grant to stop admitting patients, lay off 22 employees and shut down the diagnostic and evaluation program effective Aug. 15. The grant -- which was meant to continue the program, not stop it -- expires at the end of September. Charman said the shutdown is expensive and "has to occur sometime." State officials are baffled "I don't recall him at all saying this money would be used to close the program down," said Debbie Payne, assista commissioner for community services at the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, who helped Charman apply for the grant. "When I was presenting alternative revenue resources, I thought it would help them sustain their program." Records show state officials gave the money to finance therapy and evaluation for residents suffering from mental disabilities, autism, cerebral palsy and other disorders. 4

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/21/grant-used-to-shutter-program/?local

State Supreme Court refuses Cook appeal (State Gazette)
Tennessee's Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from a Bedford County woman found guilty of the 2007 shooting death of a Shelbyville auto salesman. Ashley Mai Cook was convicted for the Feb. 14, 2007 murder of Bill Ross and sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Robert Crigler to life imprisonment for first degree murder, as well as a consecutive sentence of 20 years for conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Cook appealed her case on the grounds that the evidence was insufficient to support her convictions. The Tennessee Criminal Court of Appeals upheld the conviction in February. The 25-year-old Cook contended that Crigler erred in denying her motion for expert services, by charging the jury that Megan Jones was an accomplice, and that her sentence was excessive. However, the high court did grant Cook's motion to proceed "in Forma Pauperis," which means she does not have funds to pursue a defense. A mistrial was declared in Cook's first trial in July 2008 because of a hung jury, but she was later retried and found guilty in October of that year. http://www.tg.com/story/1745804.html

Tenn. agrees to make legislature more accessible (Associated Press)
The state of Tennessee has agreed to make changes to the Legislative Plaza and the War Memorial Building to improve accessibility for people with disabilities after complaints were filed with the Department of Justice. The U.S. Attorney's office in Nashville said in a news release Wednesday that the state had begun making improvements to the plaza and the office building where state legislators have offices and public hearings are held, but not all the necessary changes had been made and some modifications did not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Some of the problems noted in the investigation were a lack of continuous handrails, signs that could not be easily seen and barriers that prevented easy access to restrooms and seating in public hearing rooms. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37016583.story

Legislative Plaza needs ADA changes (Tennessean/Humbles)
Modifications will be made to Legislative Plaza and War Memorial Office Building to ensure the area complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. An investigation, based on three complaints filed with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, revealed handrails for people with certain impairments, including people in wheelchairs, were not continuous, signs were not posted at levels that were easily visible and architectural barriers prohibited easy access to restrooms and public hearing rooms. The federal review noted that the state had made some improvements, but did not fully comply with the law. The state and federal government reached an agreement allowing the state to make the necessary changes no later than two years from June 29, 2011. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110721/NEWS0201/307200147/Legislative-Plaza-needs-ADA-changes? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Deadline Set for Legislative Plaza to Become ADA Compliant (WPLN-Radio Nash.)
Tennessee and the federal government have reached an agreement to make state legislative facilities more accessible to people with disabilities. US Attorney Jerry Martin looked into conditions at Legislative Plaza and the War Memorial Building after three complaints were filed. He found that the buildings do not meet standards set by the Americans With Disabilities Act, even after extensive renovations that were completed in the last five years. House Speaker Beth Harwell says she’s experienced the difficulty of navigating the buildings first-hand. She once spent the day in a wheelchair at the urging of an advocacy group. “One of the things we are looking at is something so simple as opening doors. The doors to our committee rooms are not electronic at all, so if you’re in a wheelchair it’s very difficult to open the doors to the committee rooms.” http://wpln.org/?p=29000

Tennessee among nation's 'most toxic' states (Memphis Business Journal)
Tennessee ranks among states with the most toxic air pollution from coal- and oil-fired power plants, according to a new study. The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Physicians for Social Responsibility analyzed the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory to come up with a "Toxic 20" list of American 5

states with the most industrial pollution. Tennessee ranks 15th on the list. Nearly half of all toxic air pollution reported from industrial sources in the United States comes from coal- and oil-fired power plants. Power plants are the largest industrial source of toxic air pollution in 28 states and the District of Columbia. Tennessee Valley Authority , the nation's largest public power company, operates two Memphis-area power plants. TVA's coal-fired power plant, Allen Fossil Plant, is located on Presidents Island in Memphis. Its Southaven Combined-Cycle Plant, in Southaven, Miss., runs on natural gas. http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/07/20/tennessee-among-nations-most-toxic.html

TN ranks high in toxic pollution from power plants (Tennessean/Bewley)
Top polluters have one thing in common: coal-fired plants Tennessee’s power plants emit more pounds of toxic pollutants than plants in most other states, according to a report released Wednesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Tennessee ranked 15th on the group’s list of the “toxic 20” states whose power plants emit the most harmful pollutants. The toxins measured include mercury, lead, acid gases and other substances deemed hazardous under the Clean Air Act. Leading the list were Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. Other states whose plants release more than Tennessee’s included Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Texas. Most of the report’s top-ranked states have one thing in common: coal. More than half of Tennessee’s energy comes from coal-fired power plants, which are the largest source of mercury, arsenic and other toxins in air pollution. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110721/NEWS11/307210064/TN-ranks-high-toxic-pollution-from-powerplants?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

City of Memphis (CA/Callahan)

weighs

privatization

of

animal

services

operations

City officials are considering privatizing the beleaguered Memphis Animal Services operations. Also, Mayor A C Wharton agreed Wednesday night to a partnership with the Memphis Rotary Club, which will utilize the skills of its various members to prepare an in-depth -- and free -- report on MAS and the shelter. A news conference announcing the partnership is expected today. Beverly King, an animal-rights advocate who has worked with the shelter for years, praised both developments. "(Privatization) is something we've been wanting for years. This would be tremendous. If we get the right people in, it would be great," King said. "(And Rotary) has a lot of members and a lot of resources, and they can tap into that to turn the shelter around." Those announcements come as scandal after scandal continues to plague the shelter. The most recent is the case of Kapone, the 11year-old pit bull that went missing after being picked up by MAS employee Demetria Hogan, who has since been fired. The reward for his safe return now stands at $8,000. Hogan is also facing another investigation involving a dog in her care that died of heatstroke, possibly because she delayed returning to the animal shelter to avoid police seeking to arrest her in the Kapone case. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jul/20/city-memphis-weighs-privatization-animal-services/

Benton County slashing budgets (Jackson Sun)
Library may lose $23,625 in funding Benton County Budget Committee members are working to cut budgets across county department lines, one of the most controversial financial slashes — a $23,625 cut in funding for the Benton County Public Library. Budget committee members voted to cut the local library system’s budget from a proposed $218,625 to $195,000, Wednesday. “I don’t have anything against the library,” Commissioner Don Jordan said. “But this county has reached a point that it can no longer afford the luxuries we are accustomed to.” Library officials say in the 2010-11 fiscal year the county funded $221,025 of the library’s budget. The total budget for the Benton County Public Library, which includes the Big Sandy Branch and Camden Main Library facilities topped $236,025, including $15,000 from the city of Camden. Additional fundraising for special programs, furniture, and other needed items sent that total above $236, 025. After a series of budget committee meetings, committee members are winding down a changing list of budget recommendations to the county commission. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20110721/NEWS01/110720042/Benton-County-slashing-budgets

Rep. Diane Black pushes to fix $13 billion 'glitch' in health-care reform (TN/Bewley)
Social Security income would be excluded Tennessee Rep. Diane Black began a push this week to fix a $13 billion provision of the 2009 health-care reform law that would allow several million middle-class people to receive Medicaid, government-sponsored health insurance intended for the poor. When the law takes effect in 6

2014, roughly 3 million more people could be eligible for Medicaid and for health insurance exchange subsidies, because the law disregards Social Security income when determining who qualifies for the programs. That means a married couple retiring at 62 could still qualify for Medicaid with an annual combined income of $64,000 — roughly four times the federal poverty level, according to Health and Human Services department estimates reported by the Associated Press. Calculating eligibility A bill that Black of Gallatin introduced this week, similar to a Senate bill introduced by Republican Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming, would change the law to exclude Social Security income when calculating eligibility. That’s how eligibility for Medicaid, food stamps, public housing, welfare and other aid programs is currently determined. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110721/NEWS02/307210046/Rep-Diane-Black-pushes-fix-13-billionglitch-health-care-reform?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Black backs 'Cut, Cap and Balance' budget plan (Daily News Journal)
U.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Gallatin, is hailing passage of the “Cut, Cap and Balance” plan that received overwhelming support by House Republicans. The act would cut total spending by $111 billion in fiscal 2012; cap total federal spending over 10 years, eventually leading to spending capped at 19.9 percent of GDP by 2021; and require the passage of a balanced budget amendment before raising the nation’s debt limit. It passed the House by a vote of 234-190. “(Tuesday), the House took another step forward in not only solving our nation’s long-term debt crisis, but presenting yet another solution to the White House in the ongoing debt limit negotiations,” said Black. “For months, the president has failed to put pen to paper with any of his debt reduction proposals, and yet he continues to reject outright the work of the House of Representatives. Our House Budget proposal, the Path to Prosperity, was demagogued by the White House, the president is threatening veto for Cut, Cap and Balance, yet he still has not come forward with a framework of his own. Again, the House continues to lead while the president continues to play games.” Black, a co-sponsor of the Cut, Cap and Balance Plan, is a member of the House Budget Committee, as well as the Committee on Ways and Means. During floor debate, Black spoke in favor of the bill. http://www.dnj.com/article/20110720/NEW S01/110720016/Black-backs-Cut-Cap-Balance-budget-plan

Griffith, Roe split on budget legislation (Times-News)
The two Republican congressmen representing the region split their votes on House-passed legislation to cut, cap and balance the federal budget. U.S. Rep. Phil Roe of Northeast Tennessee voted for, but U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith of Southwest Virginia was one of nine Republicans voting against the so-called “Cut, Cap and Balance Act of 2011” that passed 234-190 on Tuesday night. The House bill would tie a balanced budget amendment to a debt ceiling increase from $14.29 trillion to $16.7 trillion. Passing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution would require approval by two-thirds of both the GOP-majority House and Democratmajority Senate, and then would require ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures. The House bill would also establish discretionary spending limits but exempted Social Security, Medicare, veterans benefits and interest payments from those limits. Matt Wilder of the Kingsport Fire Department spays water from atop a ladder truck at the Andres Johnson Elementary School. Erica Yoon photo. http://www.timesnews.net/article/9034084/griffith-roe-split-on-budget-legislation

Nuke protesters deliver Bellefonte letter to TVA (Associated Press)
Nuclear protesters delivered a letter to the Tennessee Valley Authority in Chattanooga, urging the utility to at least delay construction of a reactor at its mothballed Bellefonte plant in northeast Alabama. Some protesters paraded stiffly across a street pretending to be zombies and others held up "No New Nukes" signs outside the TVA complex. The letter urges the TVA board to remove the Bellefonte reactor from their August agenda "given uncertainties regarding TVA financial status, Bellefonte location, questionable reactor design and the future of the nuclear power industry in general." TVA nuclear spokesman Ray Golden said after the protesters' news conference that they have a right to express their views but the project will be a clean, safe power generator. He said the Aug. 18 agenda has not been released. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37016281.story

Protesters ask TVA to stop building nuclear reactors (Times Free-Press/Sohn)
With deep under-eye shadows and painted-on blood stains, zombies brought a nuclear protest to the TVA headquarters on Market Street on Wednesday. Holding signs that read "No new nukes" and "Bellefonte = Danger + Debt," about 50 protesters ranging from young teens to grandparents crowded the sidewalk at the Tennessee Valley Authority building downtown to ask CEO Tom Kilgore and the TVA board to say no to more nuclear reactors in the Tennessee Valley. "We don't want our children to have to have this kind of test," said 7

Sandy Kurtz, holding up a radiation Geiger counter like those in photographs of Japanese health officials scanning children on the heels of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear meltdowns in March. According to a number of recent polls, Chattanooga's protest may be just the tip of the cooling tower of America's frosty attitude toward nuclear power after an earthquake and tsunami led to multiple meltdowns in Japan. An ABC and Washington Post poll in mid-April found an 11-percentage point increase in the number of Americans opposing the building of new nuclear plants. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/21/plants-vs-zombies/

Tax breaks OK’d for two Nashville companies in return for jobs (C. Paper/Garrison)
In exchange for local job creation, the Metro Council voted Tuesday night to give two Nashville companies tax abatements. In separate votes, on third and final readings, the council unanimously approved special paymentin-lieu-of-tax, or PILOT, deals to Carlex Glass America and Standard Candy Co. Both deals, which involved Mayor Karl Dean’s Office of Economic and Community Development, were approved after no deliberation. Carlex’s PILOT deal comes as the company, a subsidiary of a Japanese auto-glass maker, plans to make capital investments totaling $80 million over the next two years. Carlex, which formerly operated in Detroit, recently purchased the long-running Ford Auto Glass Plant in West Nashville to launch its headquarters there. (The company had earlier said it could invest up to $100 million.) With the investments, the glass plant — located on Centennial Boulevard — has targeted the retention of 400 jobs and the addition of 50 more jobs. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/tax-breaks-ok-d-two-nashville-companies-return-jobs

Home sales on course to reach a 14-year low (Associated Press/Kravitz)
Halfway through 2011, people are buying homes at the weakest pace in 14 years. Sales of previously occupied homes fell in June for a third straight month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.77 million homes, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. Home sales have fallen in four of the past five years. This year’s pace is lagging behind the 4.91 million homes sold last year — the fewest since 1997. In a healthy economy, people buy roughly 6 million homes per year. Fewer first-time homebuyers are entering the market. Many can’t obtain a loan or meet larger down payment requirements. Another problem is that a growing number of contracts are being canceled before sales are finalized, many because of lower appraisals that are scuttling loans. And the slowdown in hiring is making people think twice about taking on extra debt. High unemployment, millions of foreclosures and tighter credit are likely to keep people from buying homes in the second half of the year, economists say. Even low home prices and cheap mortgage rates are unlikely to draw buyers to the market. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110721/BUSINESS02/307210072/Home-sales-course-reach-14-yearlow?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|p

Memphis mayor: City can't pay $55M right now (Associated Press/Sainz)
Memphis Mayor A C Wharton said Wednesday that the city won't be able to immediately pay $55 million in budgeted money being demanded by the city's school board, which intensified a long-running funding fight by voting to delay the start of classes this year until it gets the money. Wharton told a news conference that he is working with the Memphis City Schools board and the City Council to resolve the dispute over the $55 million — which is about 7 percent of the board's overall budget of about $800 million. The Memphis City Schools board has demanded the $55 million in a lump sum, saying the funds are necessary to pay for the beginning of this coming school year. Wharton said the city does not have the money to pay the $55 million all at once because that amount, which comes from projected tax revenue, has not yet entered the city's coffers. The city did pay the board $3 million on Wednesday, but that was money left over from prior school years. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37011849.story

City claims it was 'blindsided' (CA/Maki, Roberts)
Memphis schools say they were shortchanged The city of Memphis sent Memphis City Schools $3 million Wednesday as part of the $8 million it owes the school district from the school year that just ended. A day earlier, MCS board members voted to delay indefinitely the start of the next school year until it gets $55 million from the city on the upcoming year's school bill. The funding is less than 10 percent of the school district's overall budget. The school board's decision to delay the opening shocked city leaders, who say the city traditionally pays the money it owes to schools after Sept. 1 when taxes are collected. Mayor A C Wharton said 8

during a news conference at City Hall on Wednesday that the city doesn't yet have $55 million for this year. "I want to dispel the image being projected that we have the money hidden away somewhere," said Wharton. "That is revenue projected to come in, but we have not got it yet. We don't have the funds until they come in. That's all it is." W harton said the city cannot pay money it has not received. But, the mayor said, "we're going to do what's necessary to make sure the children are in school on time and to get the teachers back in school on time. If they don't, it won't be the fault of the city of Memphis." http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jul/21/trading-punches/

MCS Decision to Postpone Classes “Indefinitely” Casts Shadow on Election (MF)
Even as the Memphis City Council was concluding a meeting whose major item — approval of new district lines in time for the 2011 election season — went through routinely, a fateful decision taken by the Council three years earlier, to cut back on its annual allotment to Memphis City Schools, was producing a truly seismic disturbance elsewhere in the city. Several blocks away, the still very much alive MCS board, which had shaken the entire political infrastructure of Memphis and Shelby County by voting to dissolve itself just seven months ago, created new drama with an 8-1 vote to delay the opening of fall classes “indefinitely” until it receives $55 million owed it by Memphis city government under court order. Unforeseen as it was, and drastic as its consequences could be, the MCS board’s action highlighted several other ongoing circumstances and seemed likely to cast some of them — notably a rumored effort on the City Council to restore pay and benefit cuts for city employees — aside, at least for the time being. http://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2011/07/20/mcs-decision-to-postpone-classesindefinitely-casts-shadow-on-city-election

MCS, City At Odds Over School Year Delay (Memphis Daily News)
The stakes got higher this week in the funding dispute between the city of Memphis and the Memphis City Schools system. MCS board members voted 8-1 Tuesday, July 19, to delay the Aug. 8 start of school until the city pays a disputed amount of money the system says the city owes for the fiscal year that began July 1. MCS officials and Memphis City Council members meanwhile moved up what was to be an Aug. 2 meeting on school funding to Thursday afternoon at City Hall. The full council will still vote Aug. 2 on $3 million in partial funding for the current fiscal year with another $5 million to come when the tax revenue is collected by the city treasurer’s office. The vote this week at a special school board meeting capped a day of action and reaction in a three-year funding dispute between the two bodies that began in 2008 when the then newly elected Memphis City Council cut MCS funding. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/jul/21/mcs-city-at-odds-over-school-year-delay/

Possible delay of school casts wide ripples across Memphis (C. Appeal/Roberts)
The impact of Memphis City Schools as an institution in people's lives and habits loomed large Wednesday as the reality of a possible delayed start to the academic year settled over students, parents and administrators. "I am about to blow up," said Debora Finney, parent of city school children, reacting to the potential result from a funding dispute between the school board and city officials. "To me, a working parent, I now have to spend money for child care. I have to find child care. Not only are we going to be strapped for money, if we get stuck at work, who is going to be there for our children?" The other reality, she said, is that many parents have already spent money that should have gone for utilities or other household expenses on school uniforms and school supplies. "They talk about no child left behind. Well, the children are being left behind now because of a controversy between the mayor and school board," Finney said. She plans to enroll her children in Tennessee Virtual Academy, a new online school the legislature approved to open here this fall. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jul/21/delay-casts-wide-ripples-across-city/

Rhea to fund new high school (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Davis)
Rhea County commissioners voted late Tuesday to fund construction of a new high school but declined to pass a wheel tax to build a jail or a justice center. Commissioners were presented a resolution to authorize selling up to $50 million in bonds to finance both the high school and justice facility or jail — officials have said they’d build one or the other but not both — but they changed the amount to $35 million after the wheel tax resolution failed. A wheel tax is collected when residents register or renew their vehicles in the county. The bond resolution was approved on a 7-1 vote, with one commissioner absent. Financial consultant Tom McAnulty told commissioners that the $35 million bond issue was structured so that the school could be funded without a property tax increase. But on questioning by Commissioner Jim Reed, McAnulty said he “didn’t take into consideration the needs of other funds in the county.” “We’re voting in something we don’t know if we can 9

pay for,” Reed said. “W e don’t know the total cost of maintenance, electricity, staffing at each facility. I’m for a new high school and junior high. But I want everyone to understand where we stand. This is not a free school.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/21/rhea-fund-new-high-school/?local

Knox school board hires private attorney for Carter school issue (NS/Alapo)
The Knox County school board has retained an outside attorney to represent its interests in a potential agreement for a new Carter Elementary School. The board is to vote Aug. 10 on Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett's proposal to build a new facility in East Knox County rather than renovate the existing school. Hiring a private lawyer "is not any indication that anything's changed in the process," school board Vice Chairwoman Karen Carson said Wednesday. "We just felt like for the county law department to try to represent both the county and the school system had a potential conflict of interest." If the school board approves the mayor's plan, it would enter into a four-party agreement that includes the county, the developer the Devon Group, and the Knox County Industrial Development Board, that would assume the risk for the project and ensure all code standards are met. Burchett is proposing that the county pay $11.3 million in cash and has asked the school board to contribute $2.5 million, for a total $13.8 million price tag for a new school. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jul/20/knox-school-board-hires-private-attorney-for/

Training of Teachers Is Flawed, Study Says (New York Times)
The National Council on Teacher Quality, an advocacy group, is to issue a study on Thursday reporting that most student-teaching programs are seriously flawed. The group has already angered the nation’s schools for teachers with its plans to give them letter grades that would appear in U.S. News and World Report. The council’s report, “Student Teaching in the United States,” rated 134 student-teaching programs nationwide — about 10 percent of those preparing elementary school teachers — and found that three-quarters of them did not meet five basic standards for a high-quality student-teaching program. When the U.S. News rankings are published, the student-teaching programs will count for one-fifth to one-third of an education school’s grade, according to Kate W alsh, president of the council. “Many people would say student teaching is the most important piece of teacher preparation,” Ms. W alsh said. “But the field is really barren in the area of standards. The basic accrediting body doesn’t even have a standard for how long a student teacher needs to be in the classroom. And most of the institutions we reviewed do not do enough to screen the quality of the cooperating teacher the student will work with.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/education/21teaching.html? ref=todayspaper (SUBSCRIPTION)

Minnesota: With Signing of Budget, Impasse Ends in Minnesota (New York Times)
After a legislative session that dragged on late into the night, Gov. Mark Dayton of Minnesota signed new spending plans for the state on Wednesday, ending the longest and broadest shutdown in state history. Since July 1, the state’s parks had been barricaded, highway rest stops blocked off and the Capitol closed. About 22,000 state workers had been sent home, the state lottery was suspended and licenses were unavailable (even those for fishing during Minnesota’s treasured warm season). Restarting the state’s operations now will be no small task, state officials said, calling for patience — more patience — from Minnesotans. Road construction projects, about 100 of which were halted, need to be cleaned up for work to begin again. State offices, including licensing services, are weeks behind on mail, applications and requests, and it may be weeks before things are back to normal. Resolution of the impasse came, at last, not as a pure victory for either Republicans (who wanted more cuts to solve the state’s $5 billion deficit) or for Democrats (like Mr. Dayton, who wanted to raise taxes on the wealthiest residents). http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/us/21minnesota.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper (SUBSCRIPTION)

Minnesota: Tobacco bonds to rescue Minnesota, for now (Stateline)
The budget deal that ended a government shutdown in Minnesota this week leans heavily on a strategy that critics deride as a gimmick but supporters view as a lifeline: tapping into money the state expected to get from a legal settlement with tobacco companies. Underneath the debate about Minnesota’s decision to sell $640 million worth of so-called “tobacco bonds” is the question of whether now is a good time to sell them — and 10

what the decision means for Minnesota’s long-term finances. Like other states, Minnesota gets money each year from a 1998 settlement with several large tobacco companies. The exact amount depends on several factors, including how many cigarettes are sold and the tobacco companies’ profitability. Minnesota expected to get some $320 million this year and next from the tobacco settlement. Instead of waiting for those payments, the state will get the money upfront by issuing bonds backed by those future tobacco payments. Minnesota now joins 19 other states that have “securitized” future tobacco payments since 2000 (see sidebar). So it’s hardly a new idea, even for Minnesota. Former Governor and current Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty floated the idea in his 2009 budget. The state legislature, then controlled by Democrats, rejected it. http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=588913

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OPINION Times Editorial: The other economic vision (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)
In a city that grew up as a manufacturing hub and that has proudly revived that heritage with the arrival of advanced new industries, the political and Chamber of Commerce focus on attracting the next big manufacturers on the coattails of Alstom and Volkswagen is understandable. But just as technology is driving smart manufacturing that needs fewer and fewer workers, it also is driving cities to look toward a redefined economic future where mainstay jobs will depend increasingly on innovation and knowledge-based skills, and on the amenities that will attract the entrepreneurs of the future. Small wonder, then, that Mayor Ron Littlefield was at a Wednesday luncheon to introduce Dr. Norm Jacknis, the strategic think tank director of Cisco Systems, a global leader in the sphere of computer networking, communication and collaboration that will create many of the jobs of tomorrow. The occasion at the Loose Cannon wasn't a Chamber event. Most of the crowd were younger, casually dressed advocates and entrepreneurs connected to the start-up tech companies here that are quietly blending innovation, jobs and far-flung clients in precisely the way that Jacknis suggests will become the base for the best future jobs. 11

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/21/the-other-economic-vision/?opiniontimes

Editorial: Students being held hostage (Commercial Appeal)
Using students as pawns to force the city's hand on funding schools was not the best response to the situation. The Memphis Board of Education committed a grave disservice to Memphians Tuesday night when its members voted to delay the start of the school year indefinitely to force a partial settlement of a funding dispute with city government. We understand their frustration with the W harton administration and the City Council, but the 8-1 vote that made students, parents, teachers and other school staff hostages in the dispute was wrong. The City Council and Mayor A C Wharton need to work out a reasonable plan with Supt. Kriner Cash and the school board to pay the schools the money the city owes them. That should take precedence over all the legal and administrative mumbo jumbo being offered by city government to explain why it has not fully met its school funding obligation. Although the City Council started the funding mess by unwisely cutting the school budget by $57 million in 2008, Wharton has taken it upon himself to reach some kind of settlement with MCS. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jul/21/editorial-students-being-held-hostage/

Wendi C. Thomas: Memphis schools stoop to new low for results (C. Appeal)
Welcome to our new normal. Memphis City Schools finds itself in a funding bind with few viable options. So the district does the unthinkable and voila -- MCS gets what it needs. You won't find this method recommended in any MBA program. And it certainly does not befit an institution charged with the education of children. Still, it is getting increasingly hard to argue with results, even if the means reek of a Maury Povich episode. On Tuesday, the MCS board voted to delay the start of school, which was scheduled for Aug. 8, until the city deposits $55 million in MCS' account. The collective cry from the city was deafening, as if the board had also voted to outlaw barbecue, rainbows and mild summer days with a breeze. On Wednesday, the city ponied up $3 million, which is still just a fraction of the $151 million MCS says the city owes it. This, of course, makes the $3 million feel not unlike a derelict baby's daddy throwing his baby's momma a crumpled $20 for Pampers. But $3 million is more than the district had earlier this week, when MCS pulled its latest trump card: public embarrassment. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jul/21/schools-stoop-to-new-low-for-results/

Columnist: Privatizing Public Services Doesn't W ork (Metro Pulse)
Outsourcing public services is in the interest of contractors, not taxpayers Privatization of public services has been a trend in government for a couple decades. It was hatched as a Republican concept, but because it enables graft and does little to limit legislative spending powers, it soon caught on among Democrats as well. Nashville’s Corrections Corporation of America was an early adopter of the public-teat business model. They build and manage prisons, meaning governments are their only client. Gov. Haslam recently revived a CCA prison in Whiteville that his predecessor Phil Bredesen had scheduled for closure, and he has refused to release documents pertaining to negotiations of the $31 million-a-year contract. This mockery of Haslam’s professed support for open government also reveals a flaw in the theory that private firms are more efficient than public agencies: CCA has little competition and little pressure to deliver savings to governments. When private firms get government contracts the result is rising costs, drops in quality of service, and an erosion of civil rights. http://www.metropulse.com/news/2011/jul/20/privatizing-public-services-doesnt-work/

Dwight Lewis: (Tennessean)

Positive

steps

needed

against

health-care

disparities

“Stay positive.” I don’t think I will ever forget those two words a woman uttered to me in the late spring or early summer 2000. They were said not long after I had undergone surgery for colon cancer. “Stay positive.” I have tried to do exactly that with cancer and other things, but sometimes it’s very hard to stay positive or to keep your head up. I remember being over at the Vanderbilt University Medical School in September 2003, listening to a group of Vanderbilt and Meharry Medical College students hearing what I called then one of the most important things they would learn in medical school: disparities in America’s health-care system. “I’m trying to get them to understand this issue and make sure it’s not happening when they start practicing,” Dr. H. Jack Geiger, the Arthur C. Logan professor emeritus of community medicine at the City University of New York Medical School, told me that day. “We talk about health disparities; that means two different things,” Geiger 12

added. “There are disparities in health status, the difference in life expectancy and illness for different population groups by race or ethnicity or social class. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110721/COLUMNIST0107/307210024/Dwight-Lewis-Positive-stepsneeded-against-health-care-disparities?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

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