sun., june 3 news summary

7/31/2019 Sun., June 3 News Summary

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SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 2012

New Tennessee law may aid pain pill epidemic (Times Free-Press/Martin)Last year, the top 10 medical prescribers in Tennessee wrote prescriptions for more than 20 million dosesrestricted pain medication, with the top prescriber in the state doling out more than one-quarter of those. Thamore than three pills for each of the state's 6 million-plus residents, but it's only a small fraction of the doshanded out by more than 30,000 medical prescribers statewide. Together, all prescribers in the state wronearly 18 million prescriptions for controlled substances such as Oxycontin and hydrocodone, according to April report to the Tennessee General Assembly. Excluding certain drugs that were added in 2011, the numbof prescriptions written increased about 23 percent from 2010 to 2011. The numbers put Tennessee among top states in the nation for so many things -- prescriptions written, oxycodone and hydrocodone sales and doverdose deaths. But officials say a new law puts Tennessee in the top spot for something else -- being one

the first states to require doctors to check a drug monitoring database before they prescribe pain medicationpart of a new treatment.http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/03/new-law-may-aid-pain-pill-epidemic/?local

Tennessee better than most at maintaining bridges (News-Sentinel/Ahilen)The short Jackson Avenue ramps up to Gay Street and down again hold equal parts fascination adecrepitation. Built in 1919, the tee-beamed concrete structures seem holdovers from another era. Only smtorn-up patches of asphalt dot the red brick pavement. Cement railings are crumbling in spots but oarchitectural design not seen in m ost bridges. Underneath, more large cracks, a tunnel to an alley, an iron fento discourage vagrants and a musty, mysterious aura. It's easy to envision Cornelius Suttree the mcharacter in 1950s-based Cormac M cCarthy's novel based in Knoxville trudging up and down the ramps wfish to sell. The structures' disappearance would be sad, but they definitely need some major work. How maj

The Tennessee Department of Transportation uses a "sufficiency rating" to judge the state of bridges. Below80 on a scale of 100 m akes the bridge eligible for renovation. Below a 50 makes the bridge eligible replacement. The Henley Bridge which is essentially being rebuilt was rated a 24.5. The Jackson Avenue ramgot a rating of 2.http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/tennessee-better-than-most-at-maintaining/

Tennessee Republican lawmakers face challenges from within (TFP/Sher)After winning a decades-long struggle for control of the Tennessee General Assembly in 2010, many R epublicincumbents are discovering a downside to their success this year. Twenty-three lawmakers are fending election challenges -- not so much from Democrats as from fellow Republicans. Twenty of the 64 HouRepublicans -- almost a third -- face intra-party challenges from opponents of varying degrees of ability, suppand financial resources. In Southeast Tennessee, Republican Reps. Richard Floyd, of Chattanooga; Jim Co

of Spring City; and Kevin B rooks and Eric W atson, both of Cleveland, face contests in the Aug. 2 primary. In Senate, three of the 20 incumbent Republicans face GOP challengers. None is in Southeast Tennessealthough there is a free-for-all in Senate D istrict 10 in Hamilton and B radley counties. The scramble was setwhen Republicans drew new district lines to favor their party and incumbent Sen. Andy Berke, a ChattanooDemocrat, decided to give up the seat and run for Chattanooga m ayor. The House leadership's top priorities tyear are keeping their already-elected colleagues in office and picking up more seats for the GOP.http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/03/republican-lawmakers-face-challenges-from/?local

Tennessee state election fights to stay in parties this year (N-S/Humphrey)Republican domination of the state Legislature and the redistricting plans enacted earlier this year ha
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apparently combined with intra-party philosophical and personal disputes to produce an unprecedented surgechallenges to incumbent state legislators in this summer. Twenty-three incumbent Republican legislators faopposition in the Aug. 2 primary election. That compares to just five primary challenges to GOP incumbentsboth 2010 and 2008. On the Democratic side, seven incumbents face primary challengers this year comparedjus t three in 2010 and five in 2008 primaries. The upsurge in Democrat primary contests may be attribudirectly to the Republican-controlled redistricting, which is forcing Democratic incumbents to run against oanother in the three House districts and one Senate district. Setting aside those four incumbent-versincumbent races, only three sitting Democratic legislators have primary challenges on Aug. 2. Redistrictappears to have had a less direct impact on the surge in challenges to Republican incumbents. In several casa redrawing of district lines has left incumbents with new constituents, perhaps making them appear mvulnerable.http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/tennessee-state-election-fights-to-sta y-in-this/

Opponents of property tax increase use email to tell Dean what they thi

(TN/Cass)Emails to Dean may signal fireworks at next council meeting Theres passion: Im OUTRAGED over possibility of you raising taxes, Patricia Martin writes. Theres economic insecurity: I cannot take on any mexpense without it being a heavy burden at this time, especially at this time, writes Kelly Evans. And sometimtheres a glimmer of support: I place my trust and confidence in your vision and fully support your efforts to ma

Nashville one of the best places in America to live, work and play, Kenneth Wilson writes. Those are excerpfrom three of the 296 emails Mayor Karl Deans office says it has received since Dean a nnounced on May 1 proposal for a 53-cent property tax increase to help fund a $1.71 billion operating budget plan. The vast m ajoof the missives express opposition to the mayors plan, perhaps signaling whats to come when the MeCouncil holds a public hearing and takes its second of three votes on the budget Tuesday, starting at 6:30 pBut Deans adm inistration, which called the volume of emails a modest number for an issue like this, said it sbelieves the balance of public opinion tilts toward the tax increase.http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/NEWS0202/306030070/Opponents-property-tax-increase-use-email-tell-Dean-what-they-think?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1(SUB)

Chattanooga mayoral races pricey; Berke is off and running (TFP/Hightower)If history repeats itself, it will take hundreds of thousands of dollars to even be considered a candidate

Chattanooga mayor. And state Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga, is firing the first shot on fundraising. "We knwe'll need the resources to compete," Berke said last week. "W e think we'll be able to do that." Election recoover the last decade show it has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars to be noticed. Bob Corker, nTennessee's junior U.S. senator, holds the record for fundraising in a Chattanooga mayoral race. Running ipack of 12 candidates, Corker raised about $646,000 for his 2001 campaign. In a runoff, he garnered 16,5votes against Irvin Overton, who raised almost $161,000 and ended with 9,200 votes. But raising the momoney still does not guarantee a win. In 2005, eight candidates wore themselves out before Ann Coulter, wit$587,000 warchest, lost a runoff to Ron Littlefield, who rang up $359,000. Littlefield raised $202,000 in 2009 aoverwhelmed sole opponent Rob Healy, whose financial reports could not be accessed Friday on the electcommission website.http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/03/mayoral-races-pricey-berke-is-off-a nd/?local

Murfreesboro mosque ruling stirs confusion (Tennessean/Sisk)A Rutherford County judges ambiguous ruling in a high-profile mosque case has left him open to chargesdiscrimination from religious freedom and F irst Amendment experts, who say the local Muslims and a communnewspaper are being treated unfairly. Chancellor Robert Corlews decision last week that county officials violaTennessees Open M eetings Act has thrown open the issue of whether government officials have a special dto tell constituents about matters that might upset them even if there have not yet been any complaints. Truling also could fan an ongoing debate in the state legislature over whether paid advertisements in newspapeparticularly those w ith low circulations, should continue to be the main way local governments tell the public wtheyre doing. Corlews ruling offers mixed messages, religious and good-government groups say. On the ohand, it upholds public notice and religious freedom laws. But the decision does so in a way that suggests notreligious organizations and newspapers are created equal. Its problematic from a number of perspectives, sLarry Crain, senior counsel for the Church Law Institute, a Brentwood organization that advises churches
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/tennessee-state-election-fights-to-stay-in-this/http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/NEWS0202/306030070/Opponents-property-tax-increase-use-email-tell-Dean-what-they-think?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/NEWS0202/306030070/Opponents-property-tax-increase-use-email-tell-Dean-what-they-think?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/03/mayoral-races-pricey-berke-is-off-and/?localhttp://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/tennessee-state-election-fights-to-stay-in-this/http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/NEWS0202/306030070/Opponents-property-tax-increase-use-email-tell-Dean-what-they-think?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/NEWS0202/306030070/Opponents-property-tax-increase-use-email-tell-Dean-what-they-think?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/03/mayoral-races-pricey-berke-is-off-and/?local


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legal issues. If that ruling is allowed ultimately to set precedent, it will affect a cross section of religiocommunities nationwide. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030078/Murfreesboro-mosque-ruling-stirs-confusion?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1(SUBSCRIPTION)

Shelby County Election Commission reclassifies 180,000 voters (CA/McMillin)In the 2008 presidential election, when Shelby County counted a record 401,081 votes cast on the Nov. 4 balthe final turnout of 66.9 percent was considered strong but still meant some 33 percent of the nearly 600,0

people on the county's voter rolls chose not to participate. Was it apathy? Or, as recent aggressive moves by county Election Commission suggest, was it something more simple -- absence. A spring cleaning of county's voter rolls, based on identifying names o f people who had not cast ballots in any federal election sin2006, has resulted in voting rolls that as recently as March showed 611,937 voters now listing just 431,0names. The commission says there is a simple explanation for how some 180,000 names vanished from publicly available voting rolls. The most substantial change involved moving 151,826 people who have not voin any of the two most recent federal election cycles to "inactive" status. Those voters remain eligible to vote, bsince they have not voted in any federal election over a four-year stretch, they are no longer considered "activoters, and the com mission, under the control of county Republicans since 2010, has decided to include only "active" voters on its registered voting statistics.http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/03/panel-moves-inactive-voters/(SUBSCRIPTION)

Whose money is it, anyway? (State Gazette)It has been a tumu ltuous week for the Dyer County Budget Committee, which finalized the 2012-2013 budgetWednesday and recommended a 9-cent reallocation of revenue from education into the debt service fund. Tmove has been met with mixed reviews, as the county could not continue to ignore the debt service fund, whwould be out of money by 2015, but the fund was made solvent through 2017 at the expense of education. was it? That was the question posed by Commissioner Jim Horner during the budget meeting on Tuesday, M29. Horner's critique titled, "Whose money is it and are we hurting the education of our children?" was presento a room full of spectators as the committee was still mulling over the decision whether to divert funds awfrom education. Horner outlined 12 points: * Dyer County total debt is approximately $49,455,539 as of 6/30/12Dyer County Schools debt is approximately $42,288,013 as of 6/30/12 which m eans approximately 85 percenDyer County's debt goes to education. * We owe approximately $14.5 million on the new Millsfield and NewbElementary schools in which the property taxes were raised 11 cents almost two years ago and expected to paid off in 2025/2026.http://www.stategazette.com/story/1855962.html

High-end fundraisers becoming norm for Tennessee lawmakers (Gannett/BewleyAs summ er heats up and Election Day draws near, opportunities to hobnob with Tennessee lawmakers won thard to find. Supporters can go shooting with Rep. Stephen Fincher, spend a weekend in Nashville with SLamar Alexander, cheer on the Nashville Sounds with Rep. Jim Cooper, dine at Ruths Chris Steak House wRep. Scott DesJarlais, or head to the Honors Course in Ooltewah for a golf weekend w ith Sen. Bob Corker. Bthe price tag isnt cheap. In exchange for some time with the lawmakers, individual backers must contribuanywhere from $250 to more than $1,000. Political action committees are asked to hand over at least $1,000. not cheap for lawmakers, either. Unless such events are hosted by companies, party committees or otsponsors as many are the expenses come out of a lawmakers campaign coffers. Political experts say cost of putting on fundraising events has shot up over the last two decades as lawmakers feel pressured to hincreasingly glamorous or unusual events. Races are more expensive today, said Steven Livingstonprofessor of political science at Middle Tennessee State University. If youre going to ask someone for a husum of money, you cant do it over a ham sandwichttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030007/High-end-fundraisers-becoming-norm-Tennessee-lawmakers

Cohen Opens HQ, P ledges Support to Other Democrats (Memphis Flyer)Cohen cast himself not only as a candidate for reelection but, in both subtle and overt ways, as an organizifigure in local Democratic politics. We want to have a ballot this year that takes the best people into office, sCohen in words that echoed the longtime practice of one of his predecessors, former congressman Harold FSr., who published sample ballots at election time indicating his preferences for various positions. In the m an
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030078/Murfreesboro-mosque-ruling-stirs-confusion?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030078/Murfreesboro-mosque-ruling-stirs-confusion?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030078/Murfreesboro-mosque-ruling-stirs-confusion?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/03/panel-moves-inactive-voters/http://www.stategazette.com/story/1855962.htmlhttp://www.stategazette.com/story/1855962.htmlhttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030007/High-end-fundraisers-becoming-norm-Tennessee-lawmakershttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030007/High-end-fundraisers-becoming-norm-Tennessee-lawmakershttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030078/Murfreesboro-mosque-ruling-stirs-confusion?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030078/Murfreesboro-mosque-ruling-stirs-confusion?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/03/panel-moves-inactive-voters/http://www.stategazette.com/story/1855962.htmlhttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030007/High-end-fundraisers-becoming-norm-Tennessee-lawmakershttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030007/High-end-fundraisers-becoming-norm-Tennessee-lawmakers


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of the senior congressman Ford, Cohen indicated he would not shy away from taking sides in a Democraprimary, and he did just that w ith respect to the race between his longtime Friend and ally, state Senator BeveMarrero, and another incumbent Democratic senator, Jim Kyle, currently the leader of the state SenatDemocrats. Cohen described Marrero as my good friend, my successor, the lady who stands up when peoneed to stand up, the person with courage, the person with the right voice for the City of Mem phis and for SenDistrict 30, while he referred to Kyle, a longtime party rival, as someone who in redistricting took Senate Dist30 and made it into something differehttp://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2012/06/03/cohen-opens-hq-pledges-support-to-other-demcorats

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Zach Poskevich visits Jackson (Jackson Sun)U.S. Senate candidate Zach Poskevich said he will take the servant-leader approach toward the people if heelected to office. Poskevich, of Hendersonville, is running in the Republican primary against U.S. Sen. BCorker on Aug. 2. He stopped in Jackson on Saturday morning at the Madison County Courthouse for a meand-greet as part of his tour of the 8th District in W est Tennessee. Poskevich is a veteran of the U.S. Army. has worked in finance, information technology and m anagement. Poskevich said he has traveled to about counties in the state since August. This is his first time running for office. He said he is affiliated with the TParty and that his goal is to restore the government principles of Americas founding fathers. This race is about me, he said. Its about restoring biblical truths in America. There are no longer consequences for actions. Poskevich said a major issue is the tax system in the United States. He said he is a supporter of the9-9 tax plan endorsed by former presidential candidate Herman Cain and the fair tax plan. If our tax system wbuilt on transparency and equality, people would know what their tax burden is, he said.http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030014/Republican-U-S-Senate-candidate-Zach-Poskevich-visits-Jackson

MORE
http://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2012/06/03/cohen-opens-hq-pledges-support-to-other-demcoratshttp://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2012/06/03/cohen-opens-hq-pledges-support-to-other-demcoratshttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030014/Republican-U-S-Senate-candidate-Zach-Poskevich-visits-Jacksonhttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030014/Republican-U-S-Senate-candidate-Zach-Poskevich-visits-Jacksonhttp://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2012/06/03/cohen-opens-hq-pledges-support-to-other-demcoratshttp://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2012/06/03/cohen-opens-hq-pledges-support-to-other-demcoratshttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030014/Republican-U-S-Senate-candidate-Zach-Poskevich-visits-Jacksonhttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030014/Republican-U-S-Senate-candidate-Zach-Poskevich-visits-Jackson


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OPINION

Editorial: Bureaucracy reforms will improve state government (Jackson Sun)One of the qualities Bill Haslam brought to the table when he was elected governor of Tennessee was business experience. Haslam has used his business skills to better organize the state governments sprawlbureaucracy. In addition to making inroads to smaller government, his reorganization plan should make stagovernment m ore efficient and accountable. H aslam recently signed bills passed during the 2012 GeneAssembly making major changes to the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, merging numerous boarcommission and licensing programs and transferring oversight of prison parolees from the Board of Probatiand Parole to the Department of Corrections. The bills were part of Haslams legislative agenda for the recesession. Successful business owners rely heavily on organizational efficiency to ensure success. They operwith a constant eye toward getting the job done in the most economical way while still delivering quality aservice. Wisely allocating team members, responsibility and accountability are hallmarks of business succeGovernment bureaucracies tend to multiply like rabbits. Each new administration and leadership team wantsleave its stamp on government. This is a natural result of a democratic system that sees regular changesleadership. But m anaging what essentially is a $31 billion business with transient leadership is bound to overlothe many nooks and crannies of government put into place over the yeahttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/OPINION/306020009/Our-View-Bureaucracy-reforms-will-improvstate-government

Free-Press Editorial: A 'rigorous' outlook (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)The Chattanooga area, and the state of Tennessee overall, are a great showcase of the global community thaexpanding business to include this region and our tremendous resources. Competition in the business world

longer stops at your county. Every business is touched by markets from every direction of the compass roOne of Italy's leading universities has announced a plan to "kit out its students with the right stuff to gain acceto the global jobs market," a Reuters story from Milan reported. Politecnico di Milano, a 149-year-old universestablished in Milan, Italy's business capital, will kick off its 2014 academic year teaching all its graduate coursin English. It will be the nation's first institution of higher learning to do so and will join Italy's "most prestigiobusiness school, Bocconi" that began offering undergraduate classes in English in 2001. "We need to prepareour graduates for a professional world that demands a rigorous international outlook," Politecnico rector GiovaAzzone noted of his university's transition. This trend in the global community was summed up by Fulvio Orthe dean of international affairs at Bocconi: "The lingua franca for business is English and you need to know it.http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/03/0603f-fp1-a-rigorous-outlook-chattanooga/?opinio nfreepress
http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/OPINION/306020009/Our-View-Bureaucracy-reforms-will-improve-state-governmenthttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/OPINION/306020009/Our-View-Bureaucracy-reforms-will-improve-state-governmenthttp://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/03/0603f-fp1-a-rigorous-outlook-chattanooga/?opinionfreepresshttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/OPINION/306020009/Our-View-Bureaucracy-reforms-will-improve-state-governmenthttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120603/OPINION/306020009/Our-View-Bureaucracy-reforms-will-improve-state-governmenthttp://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/03/0603f-fp1-a-rigorous-outlook-chattanooga/?opinionfreepress


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Clay Bennett Political Cartoon: Third District (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)http://media.timesfreepress.com/img/news/tease/2012/06/03/120603_The_3rd_District_t618.jpg?ba5b5b122dd3d37cc13d83e92a6a0ec0d5bfa32a

Tom Humphrey: Poll indicates Democrats tend to suppress own vote (N-S)A recent Vanderbilt University poll found that, if you count people who don't bother to register for voting, M

Romney and Barack Obam a are locked in a dead heat for carrying Tennessee in this year's presidential electiThe pollsters reported to the noted wonder of various political bloggers that a survey of 1,002 people livin Tennessee with a telephone showed that 42 percent supported Republican Romney and 41 percent favorDemocrat Obam a, with the remnant undecided or refusing to answer the question. If you narrowed that samplto those who are registered to vote, however, the margin widened to 47 percent Romney and 40 percent Obamthe pollsters duly reported. And, though the pollsters didn't so report, one suspects that if you narrowed sampling to "likely voters" that's when you ask the polled person whether he or she actually plans to votethe election the gap would widen to something a bit closer to the 57 percent vote that John M cCain hadcarrying Tennessee over Obama in 2008. The flip side of this is that Obama appears to be positioned to caour red state by a comfortable margin among non-voters.http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/tom-humphrey/

Editorial: We m ust lighten college students' burden of debt (Tennessean)U.S. total approaches $1 trillion, threatens standard of living for generations Today, perhaps more than at atime in our nations history, the generations who control most of Am ericas wealth and run most of its institutio generally , those age 30 and older appear will ing to let younger Americans twist in the wind. Th is in sp itetheir own rhetoric, now clichd, proclaiming that w e must adopt this position or reject that policy for the sakeour children and grandchildren. It is almost never we must hear each other out and work toward a consensfor those future generations. No, if we cared enough, wed attach a sense of real urgency to what really mattto the young such as, not burdening them with insurmountable debt for the rest of their lives. You can tell hsuperficial the concerns are over college student loan rates by how suddenly legislation ground to a haltCongress and by how zealously the Obama and Romney campaigns use the loan rates to beat each other ovthe head. As the shouting grows, a very real deadline is looming. Unless lawmakers agree by June 30 to extension of the current 3.4 percent interest rate on federal college loans carried by 7.4 million students, that ra

will double.http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/OPINION01/306030019/We-must-lighten-college-students-burdedebt?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7COpinion%7Cp&nclick_check=1(SUBSCRIPTION)

Times Editorial: TVA's $2 billion mistake (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)TVA's decades-long history of nuclear plant planning debacles, horrendous cost overruns and stunning delaysbringing plant construction to completion has accustomed the agency's ratepayers to mutely accepting just abany new setback related to the nuclear program. Every time a new mind-boggling revelation arises, ratepayearmor of imperturbability just seems to get thicker. The latest TVA inspector general's report on the delays acost overruns at TVA's W atts Bar Unit 2 reactor should at last provoke ratepayers' ire. The reactor was originexpected to be completed by O ctober of this year at a cost of $2.5 billion. Yet on April 5, barely two months athe agency publicly admitted that the work schedule had doubled -- to late 2015 -- and that the cost had doubl

as well. Both the announcement, and the lateness of it so close to the anticipated completion date, weshocking. If the schedule had fallen so deeply off the tracks, and if the cost had risen so phenomenally, why wthe announcement so late coming? D elays and cost overruns of this scope surely had a genesis that shohave been perceived a long time ago. What had the construction managers been doing, or hiding, so lonTVA's inspector general's report doesn't come close to a definitive answer to those riveting questions. Buprovides a synopsis of a record of denial, deceit and inattention by various levels of managemen t that begs tquestion of whether TVA's word on any nuclear issue can be trusted going forward.http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/03/0603f-t2-tvas-2-billion-mistake/?opi niontimes

Editorial: Contract flap was avoidable (Commercial Appeal)The squabble that has arisen over Memphis City Schools Supt. Kriner Cash's contract didn't have to happeBecause of the actions of some Shelby County unified school board members, including chairman Billy Org
http://media.timesfreepress.com/img/news/tease/2012/06/03/120603_The_3rd_District_t618.jpg?ba5b5b122dd3d37cc13d83e92a6a0ec0d5bfa32ahttp://media.timesfreepress.com/img/news/tease/2012/06/03/120603_The_3rd_District_t618.jpg?ba5b5b122dd3d37cc13d83e92a6a0ec0d5bfa32ahttp://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/tom-humphrey/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/tom-humphrey/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/tom-humphrey/http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/OPINION01/306030019/We-must-lighten-college-students-burden-debt?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7COpinion%7Cp&nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/OPINION01/306030019/We-must-lighten-college-students-burden-debt?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7COpinion%7Cp&nclick_check=1http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/03/0603f-t2-tvas-2-billion-mistake/?opiniontimeshttp://media.timesfreepress.com/img/news/tease/2012/06/03/120603_The_3rd_District_t618.jpg?ba5b5b122dd3d37cc13d83e92a6a0ec0d5bfa32ahttp://media.timesfreepress.com/img/news/tease/2012/06/03/120603_The_3rd_District_t618.jpg?ba5b5b122dd3d37cc13d83e92a6a0ec0d5bfa32ahttp://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/tom-humphrey/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/tom-humphrey/http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/OPINION01/306030019/We-must-lighten-college-students-burden-debt?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7COpinion%7Cp&nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120603/OPINION01/306030019/We-must-lighten-college-students-burden-debt?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7COpinion%7Cp&nclick_check=1http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/03/0603f-t2-tvas-2-billion-mistake/?opiniontimes


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the perception has been created that there is a movement within the 23-member board to pave the way county schools Supt. John Aitken to lead the new merged city-county school district. Civil rights leaders aAfrican-American clergy have weighed in with support for Cash, saying the process is unfair and calling Aitkthe shoo-in for the top job. This is a controversy that didn't have to be. For one thing, neither Cash nor Aitken hpublicly or expressly asked for the job, according to some school board members. If that's the case, why hasthe board moved to begin a national search for a superintendent? The group planning the schools merger, Transition Planning Commission, is crafting a school district that members hope will break the mold whecomes to educating children in Memphis and Shelby County. That gives the school board an opportunitysearch for the strongest candidate to head the new district, and that's not necessarily Cash or Aitken.http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/03/editorial-contract-flap-was-a voidable/(SUBSCRIPTION)

Editorial: Com missioners must invest in Knox County's future (News-Sentinel)Tomorrow will be an important day in the future of Knox County. County comm issioners will have the opportunto make a major investment in the school s ystem, an investment that will cost everyone who pays property taxa little extra but should pay big dividends in improved student performance in the years to come. The schsystem is asking for an additional $35 million each year above natural revenue growth. The money wouldtoward renovating some of the most dilapidated school buildings without adding to the county debt, hiring moteachers, establishing a teacher incentive pay plan, expanding the community schools program to increaparticipation of parents and community members in school life, an ambitious technology program and othneeded efforts. The plan comes with a price tag, of course. If funded entirely by a property tax increase, it woadd 35 cents to the property tax rate. That would be an additional $87.50 per year for the owner of a $100,0house less than a quarter a day. We support this bold initiative. Knox County spends less per pupil than hiperforming school systems in the area and its students, by many measures, have fallen behind their peeelsewhere. They need the community's support.http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/editorial-commissioners-must-invest-in-kn ox/

Editorial: Mosque can blame ruling on county governm ent (Daily News Journal)Chancellor Robert Corlews decision to void approval of a mosque construction project is a harsh blow for loMuslims because it infringes on their First Amendment rights to worship freely. Only six weeks or so frcompleting the building on Veals Road just outside Murfreesboro, the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro wprepared to invite the entire community to a grand opening. That date is in limbo now that Corlew ruled tRutherford County violated the O pen M eetings Act by failing to provide adequate notice for the meeting in whthe Regional Planning Commission considered the ICM site plan. Local Muslims are shocked and saddenedthe decision because they see it as singling them out and attacking their rights as Americans. After all, thfollowed the rules the county put before them. But, in the same case, Corlew previously ruled that Islam isreligion and that the local congregation has every right to construct a mosque and worship. Thus, local M uslihave nobody to blame but the county mayor and Rutherford County Commission for failing to adequately nothe public about government meetings and agenda items. Corlew ruled that a small notification of the meetdate at the bottom of a Murfreesboro Post page hardly served as adequate public notice. Rutherford Couswitched its legal notices to the freely distributed Post in December 2006 because it charged less for the athan The Daily News Journal.http://www.dnj.com/article/20120603/OPINION01/306030034/Mosque-can-blame-ruling-county-government

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http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/03/editorial-contract-flap-was-avoidable/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/editorial-commissioners-must-invest-in-knox/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/editorial-commissioners-must-invest-in-knox/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/editorial-commissioners-must-invest-in-knox/http://www.dnj.com/article/20120603/OPINION01/306030034/Mosque-can-blame-ruling-county-governmenthttp://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/03/editorial-contract-flap-was-avoidable/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/editorial-commissioners-must-invest-in-knox/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/03/editorial-commissioners-must-invest-in-knox/http://www.dnj.com/article/20120603/OPINION01/306030034/Mosque-can-blame-ruling-county-government

sun., june 3 news summary

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