Tennessee Daily News Clips

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SATURDAY,AUGUST24, 2013 Haslamtalksup his Medicaid'thirdway' in DC, but don't expectan answer(NBJ)
Gov. Bill Haslam is in Washington today to talk with federal officials about his “third way” Medicaid expansion. And although he doesn’t expect to come back with a definitive answer or proposal for the state Legislature, Tennessee’s hospitals are factoring in the decision. When asked in a news briefing whether recent layoffs at Vanderbilt University are weighing on his decision, Haslam said, “It’s something we have to take into account, whether it be Vanderbilt, and a big research hospital, or a small county-owned hospital.” Haslam was quick to point out that the financial troubles at Vanderbilt are more than a factor of expanding Medicaid, listing sequestration, Medicare cuts and a reduction in federal disproportionate share payments as other influences. http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2013/08/haslam-speaking-medicaid-in-dc-but.html

Memphiannamedto statetaskforceon aging(MemphisBusinessJournal)
Mike Carpenter, executive director of the Plough Foundation, has been named to a new Task Force on Aging created by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. The group will be charged with building a plan to improve the lives and care of older Tennesseans and their families through a collaboration of public, private and nonprofit leaders. In addition to Carpenter, the 11-member group will be chaired by Charla Long, dean of the College of Professional Studies and the School of TransformAging at Lipscomb University in Nashville. Other members include Richard Gentzler Jr., former director of the Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries;Rebecca Kelly, state director, AARP Tennessee; Patti Killingsworth, assistant commissioner, chief of long term services and supports with TennCare; Ben Leedle, president and CEO, Healthways; Michelle Long, assistant commissioner of Health Licensure and Regulation, Tennessee Department of Health; Anna-Gene O’Neal, president and CEO, Alive Hospice; Madeline Rogero, mayor of Knoxville; Jim Shulman, executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability; and Beth Tipps, deputy director of policy and research with the Governor’s Office. http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2013/08/23/memphian-named-to-state-task-force-on.html

DormantPlansRevivedTo BuildNewTennesseeStateMuseum,Archives(WPLN)
A fifteen year old master plan for the area calls for a Bicentennial Mall lined with civic structures. One spot is earmarked for a new state library and archives. Next door is a space meant for a freestanding state museum. Currently, the museum is tucked under the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in the bottom of an office building. Curator Jim Hoobler says most of its collection is hidden away in a basement. “The entire twentieth century is in storage here because there isn’t room in this building to do any of it. Tennessee’s 200 years old and half of it is in storage.” After a series of fits and starts, the State Building Commission has now given the go ahead to put together a preliminary plan and potential budget for constructing a new museum. The state library and archives is farther along. A conceptual design for that building was approved in 2007. The 76 million dollar plan was set aside during the recession, but recently revived. http://nashvillepublicradio.org/blog/2013/08/23/dormant-plans-revivedto-build-new-tennessee-state-museum-archives/

MiddleTennesseepostslowestunemploymentratesin statein July (N. Biz Journal)
Unemployment fell in most Tennessee counties, including Davidson County, in July, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced Thursday. Unemployment decreased in 79 counties, increased in 12 and remained flat in four. Middle Tennessee counties ranked among the lowest in the state. Williamson County again posted the state's lowest unemployment rate, at 5.8 percent, down from 6.1 percent in June. The unemployment rate was 6.7 percent for Davidson County, down from 7.1 percent in June. The rate also was 6.7 percent for Sumner, Wilson, Cheatham and Robertson counties. Rutherford County was also in the 10 lowest counties, with 7.2 percent, flat from June. Tennessee's unemployment rate for June was 8.5 percent, unchanged from June. The national unemployment rate for July stood at 7.6 percent, also unchanged from the previous

month. http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/morning_call/2013/08/middle-tennessee-july-unemployment.html

TennFishandWildlifeCommissionapprovessandhill cranehunting(TN/Brown)
The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission voted Friday to allow for the first time a limited amount of hunting of the sandhill crane this fall. The 14-member commission voted unanimously to issue 400 permits for a hunting season scheduled for Nov. 28 through Jan. 1, according to a news release. Each permit holder will be allowed to kill three birds, and permits will be awarded by a drawing. The population of sandhill cranes in Tennessee is estimated to be as high as 87,000, with as many as 650,000 of the birds nationwide. Because the cranes migrate across state and international borders, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must set the term of any hunting season. The agency also sets a limit on the number of birds hunters can kill. The federal service had proposed a 60-day season in Tennessee, and the state agency was barred from enacting a longer season. The number of permits approved Friday is much lower than the 775 permits proposed by the federal agency. The key question in the debate is not whether the sandhill crane population can sustain a level of hunting but whether a hunt is the right thing to do given how they attract bird-watchers to the state. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130824/NEWS01/308240041/Tennessee-Fish-Wildlife-Commissionapproves-sandhill-crane-hunting

TennFishandWildlifeCommissionvotesfor Sandhill cranehunt(TFP/Brogdon)
Forget roast turkey or goose. Sandhill crane might be the holiday fowl of choice for 400 Tennessee hunters this December. The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission voted Friday to approve a sandhill crane hunting season from Nov. 28 to Jan. 1, 2014, in Southeast Tennessee and set other waterfowl rules for the 2014 season. Commission members allowed the sandhill crane hunt despite massive opposition from Tennesseans who answered polls -- and attended the commission's two-day meeting in Knoxville. The commission received more than 1,000 responses from the public about the crane hunt; 888 opposed it. Hunters who get one of the 400 permits, which will be dispensed through a hand-pulled lottery in October, will be allowed to kill three sandhills apiece, according Dan Hicks, spokesman for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. But it's not all for sport. Sandhills are good eating, Hicks said. "They taste very similar to a beef product. They primarily eat grain, like a cow. People have called them sirloin in the sky," he said. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/aug/24/sandhill-crane-hunt-okd/?local

TN collegefreshmenneedto get meningitisvaccination(WSMVTV Nashville)
As students across the state are starting their college careers, freshmen and other new students need to get something else along with their books and backpacks before they head to campus, and it could save their life. New students and other students living in campus housing for the first time at a Tennessee Board of Regents school will have to be vaccinated for meningitis before they can move in. Those are the public universities and community colleges that aren't in the University of Tennessee system. "Meningitis is not that common, but when you do have it, it can be deadly. And we want to protect all our students," said Dr. Eric Clark, medical director at Middle Tennessee State University. Three thousand students are signed up for campus housing at MTSU, and 1,600 had not yet taken the shot when they registered. That number is now down to 400, and the campus health center was packed all day Friday with students trying to get the shot. http://www.wsmv.com/story/23243638/tn-college-freshman-need-to-get-meningitis-vaccination

InterimMemphispresidentsets prioritiesfor newyear (MemphisBiz Journal)
R. Brad Martin, the former CEO of Saks Corp. and current interim president of the University of Memphis, sent out an email Friday to all students, staff and alumni setting his priorities for the coming school year. “The university exists to provide learning, research and service. For those of us on the team at the University of Memphis,” wrote Martin, “it is our responsibility to deliver on this promise.” Martin cites a desire to increase enrollment by 1,000 students in the 2014- 2015 academic year and add another 1,000 the following year as well as increase the completion rate for freshmen to 55 percent. He also wants to put a focus on the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences with a goal of producing, “at least 400 great teachers per year in our core geographic market.” http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2013/08/23/interim-memphis-president-sets.html

OvertonmanchargedwithTennCarefraud(CookevilleHeraldCitizen)
An Overton County man was recently arrested and charged with TennCare Fraud, according to the Office of Inspector General. Roger Bilbrey, 52, of Rickman was arrested Tuesday and is accused of using his  TennCare benefits in order to get a Morphine prescription that he would then sell a part of, the OIG said. The TennCare 2

charge is a Class E Felony and could result in him serving a two-year prison sentence. Jointly investigating the case with OIG was the Livingston Police Department. According to LPD Detective Sgt. Tim Poore, Bilbrey has also been indicted with four different counts in Overton County, including possession of Morphine, with intent to sell and deliver Morphine, possession of Oxycodone and intent to sell and deliver Oxycodone. Both drugs are Schedule II controlled substances. He said an investigation into Bilbrey’s activities began last August after he and several other subjects after an off duty officer spotted several suspicious suspects and someone “sitting in a vehicle snorting a pill” in the Dollar General Market parking lot. http://www.herald-citizen.com/view/full_story/23436022/article-Overton-man-charged-with-TennCare-fraud? instance=crime_log

Metrocouncilmanjailedon TN wildlife agencycitation(WSMVTV Nashville)
A Metro councilman has been booked into the Davidson County jail Friday. Court records show Duane Dominy was jailed on a misdemeanor charge related to a boating or towing safety violation. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency handed down the citation. The agency began issuing warrants several years ago to people who don't pay fines. Details on Dominy's case haven't been released. Channel 4 has reached out to the councilman for comment. http://www.wsmv.com/story/23243798/metro-councilman-jailed-on-tn-wildlife-agency-citation

FiredTennesseeofficial saysshe washarassed(AssociatedPress/Megargee)
Tennessee's former student affairs judicial director says she was harassed and pressured by university administrators before getting fired for refusing to cooperate with an investigation into whether she had inappropriate relationships with student-athletes. Jenny Wright, who was fired in May, discussed the circumstances surrounding her dismissal this week on her personal website. "I withstood a personal nightmare during my last year at the university," Wright wrote. "I experienced a great deal of criticism, harassment and pressure from university administrators and from individuals in the athletic department, and I realized that the University of Tennessee is a culture not exempt from the weight of powerful individuals seeking to exploit and control situations for personal reasons." Her statement was first reported by the Knoxville News-Sentinel. Wright said during the 2012 fall semester she met with an official from the Office of Equity and Diversity to discuss the "pressures, intimidations and even threats directed toward me regarding judicial decisions she had made involving student-athletes." http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/23/fired-tennessee-official-says-she-was-harassed/

Tennessee'sself-defenselaw comesunderfire (Tennessean/Tamburin)
Days after a jury acquitted George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, lawmakers and civic leaders across the country called for a review of “stand your ground” self-defense laws. President Barack Obama called on at least 22 states to reconsider those laws, voicing concerns similar to those of local protesters demanding change. “If we’re sending a message, as a society, in our communities, that someone who is armed potentially has the right to use those firearms, even if there’s a way for them to exit from a situation, is that really going to be contributing to the kind of peace and security and order that we’d like to see?” Obama said in July. The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators agreed, saying lawmakers should revisit the issue when the General Assembly reconvenes in January. “What we want to do is simply look at our law ... to see if we need to make any changes at all,” said Rep. Larry Miller, D-Memphis, the caucus’ chairman. “The ultimate goal is to, No. 1, protect the community, the residents.” Nineteen of the state’s 41 justifiable homicides in 2012 occurred in Memphis, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Some lawmakers say changes to Tennessee’s law are not expected to happen in 2014. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130824/NEWS01/308240028/Tennessee-s-selfdefense-law-comes-under-fire (SUBSCRIPTION)

Harwellcautionsboardin Bebbcomplaint(TimesFree-Press/Walton)
Tennessee's House speaker has joined lawmakers calling for the state's attorney ethics board to investigate 10th Judicial District Attorney General Steve Bebb, and has warned she'll be watching to see what happens. Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, said in a statement she filed a complaint asking the Board of Professional Responsibility to investigate allegations of misconduct uncovered by a House oversight committee. The statement did not report any specific allegations. The Times Free Press reported last week that one member each from the House oversight committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee also filed complaints with the board after reviewing evidence developed by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and other sources. The statement from Harwell's spokeswoman, Kara Owen, noted that the board "was created and funded" to investigate attorney ethical complaints. It called for a "thorough, prompt investigation and appropriate action." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/aug/24/speaker-cautions-board-in-bebb-complaint/?local 3

MNPSattorney:Tennessee'scharterschoollaw is unconstitutional(Tenn/Garrison)
An attorney for Metro Nashville Public Schools says the decade-old state law that allows charter schools to operate in Tennessee is unconstitutional, perhaps giving local school districts a basis for a major legal fight. That conclusion came from Washington, D.C., attorney John Borkowski this month in a legal opinion that argues Tennessee’s 2002 charter law “seems to impose increased costs on local governments with no offsetting subsidy from the state,” which he said violates the Tennessee Constitution. Borkowski, whom the district has previously tapped for high-profile legal cases, outlined his arguments in an Aug. 14 memo to Metro Director of Schools Jesse Register obtained by The Tennessean. The school board sought his advice in April to consider possible legal challenges to a state bill that would have given the state new power to approve charter schools that local boards of the state’s four largest counties, as well as Hardeman County, had denied. The bill, supported by Mayor Karl Dean, Republican House Speaker Beth Harwell and other charter advocates, died on the final day of the legislative session. In his memo, Borkowski cites three “colorable legal arguments” against the bill, which is expected to be introduced again next year. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130823/NEWS04/308230155/MNPS-attorneyTennessee-s-charter-school-law-unconstitutional (SUBSCRIPTION)

Judgeapproveshiring15 jailersto prepfor AndersonCo jail expansion(NS/Fowler)
A special judge has signed an interim order giving Anderson County Sheriff Paul White the go-ahead to begin hiring 15 jailers in anticipation of the opening of a major jail addition early next year. Knox County Circuit Court Judge Dale Workman’s order also authorizes the sheriff to hire a coordinator for the county’s alternatives to incarceration program. The move comes after county commissioners during Monday’s meeting extensively debated a lawsuit filed by White against Mayor Terry Frank after Frank refused to sign the Sheriff’s Separtment’s salary agreement. In dispute: the number of jailers that should be hired to staff the new 212-bed jail addition and the requisite funding for those hires. Frank contends the salary agreement essentially commits the county to a property tax hike next fiscal year. According to a joint news release from the mayor and sheriff, the interim order “effectively narrows the scope of the pending dispute to the additional 21 deputies the sheriff is seeking for the operation of the new jail.” http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/24/judge-approves-hiring-15-jailers-to-prep-for/

DeansaysSoundsstadiummustmakeeconomicsensefor taxpayers(NBJ)
If a Nashville Sounds stadium is built on the Sulphur Dell site, it will have to make sense for taxpayers, Mayor Karl Dean said at a news conference today, declining to offer details on how the project would be financed. "As much as I'd like to see the Sounds in a new home, first and foremost, the deal has to make sense for our taxpayers," he said, adding the city is further along on a new stadium that it has ever been. The city has been in talks with the state about a land transaction that would allow the city to pursue a new stadium and move the team from Greer Stadium. According to presentation documents, Metro would finance a $10 million parking garage and the stadium that would open in 2015 would cost $40 million. Dean said today those numbers are conceptual. Dean emphasized that the city is early in the process, and a number of details still need to be worked out. But he said if a stadium is built under his administration, it will be at Sulphur Dell, as opposed to other sites that have been studied in recent years. http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2013/08/23/dean-says.html

DeansaysSulphurDell is only site for proposedSoundsballpark(Tenn/Cass)
Mayor Karl Dean cautioned Friday that a deal to build a new Nashville Sounds stadium has a way to go but said that if his administration helps to build one, it won’t go anywhere but the historic Sulphur Dell site north of downtown. Two days after The Tennessean reported that Dean has pitched an $80 million ballpark development project to state officials — who control the land where it would be built — the mayor held a news conference to try to manage expectations. Dean might have been expected to make a muscular sales pitch to the public. Instead, the mayor, who might run for statewide office as a Democrat someday, seemed to tread carefully to avoid upsetting the Republican state officials who will decide whether to give the city the title to more than 13 acres of state property. Although a document prepared by the mayor’s office said the state could approve transferring the property to Metro next month, Dean said there’s no “hard timeline” for completing the “complicated” transaction. “We are further along now on this front than we have ever been,” he said. “But we don’t own the land, and we’re not prepared to release the details of a financing plan at this point. “We’re going to continue to work on this. We’re optimistic that it can happen.” http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130824/NEWS0202/308240042/Mayor-Karl4

Dean-says-Sulphur-Dell-only-site-Sounds-ballpark (SUBSCRIPTION)

Knoxvillegolf clubswantgreenbelttax breakback(KnoxvilleNewsSentinel/Witt)
Two Knoxville country clubs want their reduced property tax rate back and have appealed a decision by Knox County’s property assessor to the state Board of Equalization. The hearing in Knoxville could help define how state greenbelt law is interpreted for years to come. If Cherokee and Holston Hills country clubs don’t get the tax break back, the private clubs want the nearly $400,000 they paid in back taxes returned. A special property tax rate for the golf courses was removed after a News Sentinel report showed the clubs had a tax discount under the state’s Agricultural, Forest and Open Space Land Act The hearing before an administrative law judge Sept. 24 will air the sides: the country clubs versus the Knox County property assessor and the Tennessee Division of Property Assessments. “Everything is in the papers,” Charles Sterchi III, Knox County deputy law director, said of the appeal and responses from Knox County and the state. “My understanding is that we will argue based on what we filed.” http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/24/knoxville-golf-clubs-want-greenbelt-tax-break/

Knoxcommissionerfinedmaximumfor missingcampaignfinancereports(NS/Witt)
Knox County Commissioner Amy Broyles is facing a $10,000 fine for failing to file campaign finance information with the state. The fine was assessed Wednesday during a show cause hearing held by the Registry of Election Finance in Nashville. “I was not aware of that,” Broyles told a News Sentinel reporter Friday. “I don’t know anything about that. I haven’t been notified.” Broyles hadn’t filed any updates on her campaign finances since Aug. 15, 2012. According to Knox County Administrator of Elections Cliff Rodgers, elected officials or those who have campaign funds in non-election years are required to file mid-year and end-of-year-updates on their balances. Broyles had $312.58 on hand in her campaign fund as of the last filing. “Nothing has ever changed on my form,” she said, adding that she plans to handle the issue Monday. “First, I’ve got to call the state and find out what happened,” she said, “because no one has notified me. Whatever the problem is, I’ll fix it.” http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/23/knox-commissioner-fined-maximum-for-missing/

KnoxCo. interimtrusteelays out budgetplans(WBIRTV Knoxville)
Knox County's interim trustee filed his first salary suit on Friday. The new budget saves taxpayers thousands of dollars. Craig Leuthold had about a month to put together the salary suit. It cuts spending from his predecessor's plan by more than $70,000 dollars. But since Leuthold hasn't filled three open positions, the savings actually add up to about $350,000. Leuthold also cut one full-time position and one seasonal position. This year's plan doesn't include travel allowances nor any money for County Technical Assistance Services, or CTAS training. That's the program that landed Leuthold's predecessor in trouble. John Duncan III gave $3,000 bonuses to several employees for taking the courses when they hadn't completed the work. He pleaded guilty in July to one count of official misconduct and resigned. County commissioners appointed Leuthold to fill the position until the end of Duncan's term next year. The county commission formed a task force last year to look into whether the CTAS bonus policy should continue, but they haven't made a decision yet. http://www.wbir.com/rss/article/285746/2/Knox-Co-interim-trustee-lays-out-budget-plans

FloodvictimsseekHendersonville'shelpinghand(Gannett/Lee)
Hendersonville resident Sally Millsap won’t soon forget the morning of Aug. 8. That’s when heavy rains saturated her Walton Ferry Road home, forcing her and her 13-year-old granddaughter to squeeze through a kitchen window into the arms of waiting firefighters. In less than an hour, nearly 2 feet of water had seeped inside. Water was bubbling through the floor, sewage brewing in the bathtub. Millsap, 65, had just undergone hip-replacement surgery and was terrified she would get electrocuted as the power strips she used to run dehumidifiers for her allergies slowly became submerged. Millsap went through the same nightmare during the catastrophic flood of May 2010. The homeowner said she has done everything to prevent her home from flooding, and now she wants the city to consider buying it. But that’s not very likely to happen, according to Public Works Director Jerry Horton. He said Millsap’s home sits in a flood plain and it would never have been built in that location if today’s building standards were followed when the home was built in the 1980s. “That was always anticipated to flood there,” he said. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130824/NEWS01/308240026/Flood-victims-seek-Hendersonville-shelping-hand (SUBSCRIPTION)

Exasperatedbusinessownersdesperatefor helpafter flood(WKRNTV Nashville)
Exasperated business owners who were affected by the unexpected flood waters earlier this month remain 5

desperate for answers and help. The Madison, White Creek and Buena Vista area all received more than seven inches of rain in just a few hours on the morning of August 8. The quick rising water forced some families to flee their home, while others lost their businesses. Wayne Upchurch's business, the Madison Decorating Center located on Old Hickory Boulevard, was among those that were flooded by the fast moving waters. "We've lost most of our life savings in work," he said, adding, "[We] never had a drop of water in our business until storm water moved our drains and they did the paving project. Now in the last eight months we've almost been flooded four times and under 21 inches of water." Upchurch, like many others in Madison, is not getting the answers he wants from city officials. "Before there was any development, nature determined where water was going to flow in this county," one resident said. http://www.wkrn.com/story/23244617/exasperated-business-owners-desperate-for-help-after-flood

AlexandergetsHuckabee'ssupport(KnoxvilleNewsSentinel/Humphrey)
In a four-page letter distributed by U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander’s campaign, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee asks Tennesseans to “pray for Lamar, vote for Lamar and fill out the enclosed envelope and send it back with $10 or $15 or whatever amount you can afford. “I don’t get to vote in Tennessee. But if I did, I wouldn’t hesitate, and I wouldn’t listen to any distractions,” says Huckabee in the fundraising solicitation. The mailing comes a couple of days after state Rep. Joe Carr, R-Lascassas, announced Tuesday a challenge to Alexander in the 2014 primary and with tea party groups complaining that Alexander has not signed a pledge to “defund Obamacare.” In the letter, Huckabee praises Alexander at length in many areas. In subject matter, it rambles from Alexander’s early inauguration as governor in 1979 — an event that caused him to seek out Alexander as a “mentor” when Huckabee suddenly became governor following his predecessor’s conviction on felony charges — to Huckabee’s gratitude over winning the state’s GOP presidential primary in 2008 and reflection on what might have been had he won the national contest as well. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/24/alexander-gets-huckabees-support/

Corkerto discusshousingfinancereformin Memphison Monday(M. Biz Journal)
The Memphis Area Home Builders Association will host Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., on Monday, Aug. 26, at the Memphis Marriott East to discuss his legislation to reform the U.S. housing finance system. Corker has introduced legislation — the Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayers Protection Act — that would replace Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with a privately capitalized system. The bipartisan bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., would replace the government sponsored entities with the Federal Mortgage Insurance Corp. The FMIC would provide insurance on mortgage-backed securities and collect premiums from issuers. The Memphis Area Home Builders Association is affiliated with the Home Builders Association of Tennessee and National Association of Home Builders. http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2013/08/23/corker-to-discuss-housing-finance.html

Regulatorsclosesmall banksin Tennessee,Arizona(AssociatedPress)
Regulators have closed small banks in Tennessee and Arizona, bringing the number of U.S. bank failures to 20 this year. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. says it seized Community South Bank, based in Parsons, Tenn., with 15 branches and about $386.9 million in assets and $377.7 million in deposits as of June 30. It also shuttered Phoenix-based Sunrise Bank of Arizona, with six branches, $202.2 million in assets and $196.9 million in deposits. CB&S Bank, based in Russellville, Ala., agreed to assume all of Community South Bank's deposits and to buy about $121.7 million of its loans and other assets. First Fidelity Bank, based in Oklahoma City, agreed to assume all of Sunrise Bank's deposits and to buy all its assets. The failure of Community South Bank is expected to cost the deposit insurance fund $72.5 million; that of Sunrise Bank of Arizona is expected to cost $17 million. U.S. bank failures have been declining since they peaked in 2010 in the wake of the financial crisis and the Great Recession. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/23/regulators-close-small-bank-in-tennessee/

Erlangerhospital boardbalksat gift fromChattanooga(TimesFree-Press/Harrison)
While Lincoln Park residents celebrate Mayor Andy Berke's promise to preserve the neighborhood's park space, Erlanger hospital trustees say they aren't ready to make any promises yet. Berke and Erlanger CEO Kevin Spiegel assured the public Friday that they are committed to going through with plans for the hospital to donate five acres of its land for a city park. But several board members say Erlanger -- a cash-strapped public hospital that has been cut from city funding for two years -- needs more out of the deal. "The city of Chattanooga has not been too friendly to help Erlanger," said trustee Jim Worthington. "The city wants Erlanger to pay for citizens' [indigent care] at a loss. It's our responsibility as trustees to see that Erlanger gets all the help it can get." He and several other trustees said they need more time to study the issue, and that they would like to see some kind of formal land swap with the city. "It would be a land swap or something where we will gift this land to the city, or where we as a 6

hospital would absolutely preserve it as a park instead of just giving away an asset," said trustee Phyllis Miller. "That would satisfy the fiduciary responsibility of the board." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/aug/24/erlanger-board-balks-at-gift/?local

Supplierto Chattanooga'sVolkswagenplantturnsbackUAW(TFP/Pare)
Workers for a Volkswagen, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz supplier in Tuscaloosa, Ala., have turned back a bid to join the United Auto Workers union, which is trying to organize VW's Chattanooga assembly plant. Employees at the Faurecia Interior Systems plant rejected the UAW proposal by a vote of 86-62 on Thursday. But a UAW official said workers were threatened, harassed and intimidated by anti-union lawyers and management. "The workers were bombarded with anti-[union] literature almost daily and forced to attend anti-meetings," said Gary Casteel, a UAW regional director in Lebanon, Tenn., in an email. Casteel said the law was violated by the company, and the UAW plans to help the workers pursue remedies. However, Matt Patterson, a senior fellow at Competitive Enterprise Institute's Center for Economic Freedom in Washington, D.C, and an opponent of the UAW's efforts at Volkswagen, said the vote in Alabama "can only encourage those fighting against unionization elsewhere in the South, including and especially in Chattanooga." A Faurecia spokeswoman said the company has worked for many years with various unions where plant employees choose to be represented, as well as those who don't. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/aug/24/supplier-to-citys-vw-plant-turns-back-uaw/?businesstnvalley

Tengascoclosessale of Tennesseeassets(KnoxvilleNewsSentinel)
Knoxville-based oil and natural gas company Tengasco Inc. announced recently it has closed the sale of its Swan Creek field in Hancock County, all of its other Tennessee oil and natural gas leases and natural gas pipeline system for $1.5 million. The sale to Swan Creek Partners LLC and its affiliate General Gas Pipeline LLC was previously announced March 1, 2013, according to a news release. Assets of Tengasco’s Manufactured Methane Corp. were not included in the sale. The company used proceeds from the sale to pay off debt. Following the sale, Tengasco no longer has any oil or natural gas production or exploration operations in Tennessee. The company has 171 active producing wells in Kansas, according to its website. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/23/tengasco-closes-sale-tennessee-assets/

No chargesafter gungoesoff in Tenn.School(AssociatedPress/Sainz)
No charges have been filed against a Tennessee kindergartner or his mother after a gun discharged inside the child's backpack in a school cafeteria, but the shooting has led to metal-detecting wands being provided to the district's elementary schools, officials said Friday. Memphis police said the 5-year-old and his mother were released from custody late Thursday, hours after the gun went off as students were waiting for the opening bell in the Westside Elementary School cafeteria. No one was hurt, and school security officers quickly took control of the backpack. Officials have not released details, such as how the child was holding the backpack or in which direction the bullet went. Investigators determined the child obtained the gun from a closet at home and placed it in the backpack, police spokeswoman Karen Rudolph said Friday. The information was presented to the district attorney general's office, which decided not to file charges at this time, she said. Rudolph said later Friday that the district attorney's office is still investigating the matter. Police are not releasing the identity of the child and mother. The child could be suspended or expelled under Shelby County Schools policy. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/23/police-no-charges-after-gun-goes-off-in-02/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

ShelbyCounty'selementaryschoolsto get metaldetectors(C. Appeal/Roberts)
The comments didn’t sit well with Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong, who promptly scheduled his own news conference to chastise Hopson and set the record straight. According to Armstrong, in the first call to MPD, logged at 7:53 a.m., a caller named “Williams” said a child was being held in the office because he had brought a gun to school. The caller was “unsure if the gun was a BB gun or cap gun.” All officers in the area were on other calls, Armstrong said, and because MPD did not know it was a “high priority call,” no cars from other precincts were dispatched. But officers were aware of the call, he said, and at 8:19 a.m., one was dispatched to Westside in Frayser. Moments later, at 8:21 a.m., Armstrong said another school employee called from the central school offices, saying an officer was needed because the weapon had discharged in the cafeteria. The caller could not tell the dispatcher if the call was related to the earlier call because he was reporting “secondhand information from his supervisor.” MPD arrived at the school at 8:33 a.m. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/aug/23/shelby-county-schools-placing-metal-detectors-all/ (SUB)

Elevenapplyfor ShelbyCountySchoolBoardseat (CommercialAppeal/Moore)
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Eleven people, including one former Memphis City Schools board member, applied to the Shelby County Commission to take the vacant District 6 seat on the Shelby County School Board. The commission will appoint a replacement for Reginald Porter, who resigned the board seat to accept a job with the school district.. The County Commission’s general government committee will interview candidates on Wednesday, said Commissioner Steve Mulroy. The full commission will vote on the applicants on Sept. 9. “During the vote, any commissioner can nominate any applicant,” Mulroy said. “There is a series of rounds of votes, and the first candidate to get to seven votes becomes the interim school board member.” The applicants are: Shante Avant, 40, deputy director of the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis. She is a graduate of Immaculate Conception High School and has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/aug/23/eleven-apply-for-shelby-county-school-board-seat/ (SUB)

All Partiesto School-MergerCaseAskMaysfor 60-DayExtension(M. Flyer)
And the winner is….nobody just yet. In fact, all the parties in the ongoing school-merger litigation, faced with a Friday deadline for status reports from presiding federal judge Hardy Mays, joined together to seek a 60-day extension. In an August 14 order, Mays had “invited” the parties to respond by today, Friday, August 23, to his inquiry as to what — after Act 256 of 2013 apparently resolved the constitutionality issue for new suburban school districts — the remaining issues were that were moot for further litigation. Subsequent to last week’s order, the parties had at least one go-round of multi-party negotiation, but little headway was made toward an agreement; so their collective answer to Mays’ order was a request for two more months to keep trying. The germ of the response was in this part of the brief, filed for all contending parties by Lori Patterson, special counsel for the Shelby County Commission:: “Since the relevant parties are currently participating in settlement negotiations in good faith and that they expect and hope that these negotiations will result in the settlement of all claims pled in the Third Party Complaint, the Parties request that this Court allow them to have at least another sixty (60) days in which to continue the settlement negotiations before responding to this Court…." http://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2013/08/23/all-parties-to-school-merger-case-ask-mays-for60-day-extension

Partiesgrantedextensionin municipalschoolscasefor furthertalks(CA/Bailey)
A judge on Friday gave the parties in the federal case on municipal schools in Shelby County another 60 days to respond to his question of whether the case is “moot.” Attorneys for the County Commission filed the request Friday on behalf of all the parties. U.S. Dist. Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays granted the extension late Friday afternoon, saying he should be informed if the sides decide they cannot settle the matter before late October. The motion filed by Lori Patterson, one of the attorneys for the County Commission, came on the day Mays had set for the sides to respond to his request of why the case should continue. Mays noted that legislation passed earlier this year raised the question of whether the commission’s argument against the suburbs establishing municipal school systems and holding school board elections in November is necessary. The extension indicates negotiations between the sides could be productive. Commission attorneys have begun meeting separately with individual suburbs to see if issues germane to those particular cities can be addressed. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/aug/23/county-commission-attorneys-request-delay-municipa/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

InternationalBaccalaureatestrategyfor keepingkidsin schools(CA/Roberts)
The International Baccalaureate flag was hoisted Friday at Oak Forest Elementary, a fluttering amusement for students but a stake in the ground for Shelby County Schools. If the plan goes as worked out, Oak Forest and the new IB program at Balmoral Ridgeway will feed students to the also-new IB program at Ridgeway Middle, which in turn will funnel students to the IB Diploma Program at Ridgeway High. “We are one of five IB primary programs in the state of Tennessee,” Oak Forest principal Karen Joyner told the crowd around the flagpole. “Parents, if you have students interested in IB, we encourage you to continue through Ridgeway Middle and Ridgeway High.” IB is a prestigious global curriculum recognized by colleges and universities around the world. It requires that students not only to take a foreign language but be so fluent in it they can speak it, write it, and analyze literature and politics in it. By establishing a K-12 IB pattern in southeast Memphis, the former Memphis City Schools was trying to secure the corner against charter schools and private schools. As a unified district that also has IB programs at Germantown and Bolton high schools, the plan now is to spread the word. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/aug/23/international-baccalaureate-strategy-for-keeping/ (SUB)

GEDseekersurgedto completeexambefore2014formatchange(TimesNews)
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If you’ve been putting off getting your GED exam, now is the time to get it done. That’s the message Adult Education of Lee, Wise and Scott counties and the city of Norton is hoping to communicate to those who have not yet completed their exam before major changes to the tests take effect next year. The GED preparation classes, which are free for adults who are at least 18 or older and not enrolled in public school to prepare, are set to begin Sept. 3 at Adult Education’s 13 class sites located throughout the three counties it serves. Due to the pending changes, Adult Education Regional Specialist Jan Stallard said this fall’s schedule of classes are especially important for those who have begun, but not finished, their GED exams. “Anyone who has taken portions of the GED test and hasn’t completed it will have to start all over after 2014,” Stallard said. “If they don’t get all of those tests completed by the end of December, they really stand to lose. http://www.timesnews.net/article/9066525/ged-seekers-urged-to-complete-exam-before-2014-format-change

Maine:Spotlight:CommonCore(AssociatedPress/Durkin)
Two Maine groups opposed to new educational benchmarks most states are using for reading, writing and math are working toward a statewide vote to repeal them, a step that is believed to be the first in the country. Maine is one of the 45 states that have adopted the Common Core Standards since 2010 with the aim of better preparing students for colleges and careers and allowing them to be compared among states. The majority of Maine teachers will begin using them in their classrooms this fall. But opponents have pushed back against the standards, saying they strip control from local school boards and will lead to a federal takeover of public schools. The Maine Equal Rights Center and No Common Core Maine are planning to submit a ballot measure proposal to the state to repeal the standards, a route no other group has taken, said Heidi Sampson, co-founder of No Common Core Maine and member of Maine's Board of Education. "The people of Maine will be able to have their voices heard," she said. "If this is not repealed, the parents of Maine will have no more voice when it comes to the education of their children. That's the harsh reality. I don't care how it's sugarcoated. When Washington, D.C., pulls the strings on education, there is no more local control." http://www.dnj.com/viewart/20130824/OPINION/308240011/Spotlight-Common-Core (SUBSCRIPTION)

OPINION Guestcolumnist:CommonCoreright to do for children(Daily NewsJournal)
For the past couple of years, Tennessee has been moving toward Common Core, a set of standards that build on each other and are important for children to master for tomorrow’s world. For the past couple of years, there has been a lot of talk about Common Core as a curriculum. It isn’t. There has been a lot of talk about Common Core restricting teaching. It doesn’t. For the past couple of years, there has been a lot of talk. But not a lot of informed talk about why we need Common Core. So here’s the why: • Academic success of the past — being able to memorize information for a test — is not the same as academic success of the future — being able to tackle issues in the real world. Tackling issues means diagramming out possibilities, explaining viable solutions and reaching the best decisions. Those skills are embedded in Common Core. • Today, the abilities/skills/knowledge needed for college and the workplace are the same. In universities and businesses across the nation, practices central to Common Core — the ability to analyze, ask questions, define problems, evaluate possibilities, synthesize ideas and find different ways to “get” the right answer — determine university graduation rates and business profitability. http://www.dnj.com/article/20130824/OPINION/308240012/Common-Core-right-do-children (SUB)

RoyHerron:Republicans'standon Medicaidwill be disastrousfor hospitals(TN)
Recently, a Tennessee Republican leader said he opposes extending health insurance coverage to 330,000 Tennesseans because, “It’s kind of like when my daughter says, ‘Hey Dad, we need to buy this dress, because it’s 50 percent off.’ It’s just the other 50 percent I have to come up with.” He’s a good dad and he’s right about dresses, but on Medicaid expansion, he is 50 percent off and 100 percent wrong. The accurate analogy is, “It’s kind of like when my daughter says, ‘Hey Dad, we need to buy this dress because it’s 100 percent off.’ It’s just the zero percent I have to come up with.” The first three years of Medicaid expansion — to extend health coverage to 330,000 working people — are paid for with 100 percent federal funds. And even if we choose to continue in the 9

fourth year and beyond, the cost is capped at 10 cents on the dollar. Extending Medicaid will bring 1 billion federal dollars a year into Tennessee communities. Payments to hospitals and clinics will then go to doctors, nurses, administrative staff, janitors, medical suppliers, X-ray technicians, therapists, groundskeepers, nursing aides, cafeteria workers, secretaries, administrators, executives, information technologists, clerks, even counselors and chaplains. They in turn will spend their paychecks on goods and services, creating more jobs. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130824/OPINION03/308240019 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Editorial:Thepopularappealof votingon annexation(CommercialAppeal)
It’s hard to argue with the notion of a popular vote on just about any issue. The idea gives us a chance to express a sense of common purpose. Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell’s endorsement of a vote by residents on annexation proposals — related this week to the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations — reflects the feelings of a lot of people in this community and beyond. If Luttrell and other proponents in the General Assembly and elsewhere are successful, thoughtful and well-informed voters will have a lot of factors to weigh, of course, beyond the immediate appeal of independence. Areas targeted for annexation are quite often the product of the core city’s jobs, shopping and recreational opportunities as well as markets for the goods and services produced by suburban residents. Often they have been developed as bedroom communities for those who are dependent on the city for their livelihoods but prefer the suburban lifestyle. This interdependency is amplified when out-migration occurs, the tax base of a core city declines and it is forced to cut services — more potholes, fewer police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians and the like. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/aug/24/editorial-the-popular-appeal-of-voting-on/ (SUBSCRIPTION) ###

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