tennessee daily news clips, aug. 26, 2013

7/30/2019 Tennessee Daily News Clips, Aug. 26, 2013

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MONDAY,AUGUST26, 2013

Nashville Area Chamberof Commerceseeksboost in dual enrollment(Tenn/Brown)Now, a coalition of business and education groups is shining light on the issue in a bid to reduce or eliminate thecost for students to participate in the classes, which count both as college and high school credit. Earlier this year,the coalition led by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce commissioned a study to look at how to improve thestates dual enrollment program. The study, performed by the Community College Research Center at ColumbiaUniversity, recommended increasing funding for the program. In Tennessee, the state pays $300 per dualenrollment class, while the cost to attend that class, including books, is more than $450, according to the study.Tuition must be fully covered by state funds if lower-income students are to have genuine access to dualenrollment opportunities, Melinda Mechur Karp, a researcher at Columbia, wrote in the report. For businessgroups, increasing the participation in dual enrollment ultimately leads to more students in college and morequalified workers down the road.http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS04/308260037/Nashville-Area-Chamber-Commerce-seeks-boost-dual-enrollment?gcheck=1(SUBSCRIPTION)

Area teachersdecrylinkinglicenseto studenttest scores(Times-News)The Tennessee Board of Educations recent vote to link student test scores to teacher licensure doesnt sit wellwith some area teachers. The state BOE on Aug. 16 voted 6-3 to approve contentious new rules on teacherlicensure while delaying their implementation until 2015. According to media accounts across the state, TheAssociated Press, the Tennessee Education Association and interviews of local teachers, many teachers opposethe changes because they tie licenses to student test data. Hopefully, they (the state school board) will change it,said Athena Warren, a 21-year Sullivan County kindergarten teacher at Mary Hughes School and the immediatepast Sullivan County Education president. Its not really fair because not all teachers (students) are tested,Warren said. Some grade levels and some subjects are not subject to standardized testing, so those teachers

would be rated based on the performance of students in other subjects or students in other grade levels.http://www.timesnews.net/article/9066608/area-teachers-decry-linking-license-to-student-test-scores

T-DOToffers grant compromiseto save historic limestonesidewalk(T-N)Rogersville can still save a $229,000 grant to build a Safe Route to Schools sidewalk near Rogersville CitySchool, although it will require small property easements from adjacent property owners. In 2009, the TennesseeDepartment of Transportation awarded Rogersville a $229,000 Safe Routes to Schools grant to replace a historiclimestone sidewalk on Broadway Street about 70 feet in length just east of RCS. The sidewalk is uneven, jaggedand, in some places, broken. City and school officials had asked the state to allow the limestone to remain part ofthe project. But because the funds are part of a federal project, the new sidewalk must be constructed undercertain guidelines. For example it must meet all ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements, and it musthave a smooth concrete surface that is at least 5 feet wide.

http://www.timesnews.net/article/9066607/t-dot-offers-grant-compromise-to-save-rogersvilles-historic-limestone-sidewalk

Generatorto be hauledKnoxville to Greeneville (AssociatedPress)A large generator will be slowly moved from Knoxville to Greeneville. The 60-mile trek begins Monday eveningover state roads and will move at 8-25 mph. The rig that will carry the massive generator is 16 feet wide and 175feet long. It will take up at least two lanes of highway. The weight of the load is an estimated 256 tons. The load willbegin moving from the Forks of the River Industrial Park out the John Sevier Highway and will end the first night'stransit in Morristown. For up-to-date travel information, motorists may dial 5-1-1 from any land line or cellphone, orfollow TDOT on Twitter. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/26/generator-to-be-hauled-knoxville-to-
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS04/308260037/Nashville-Area-Chamber-Commerce-seeks-boost-dual-enrollment?gcheck=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS04/308260037/Nashville-Area-Chamber-Commerce-seeks-boost-dual-enrollment?gcheck=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS04/308260037/Nashville-Area-Chamber-Commerce-seeks-boost-dual-enrollment?gcheck=1http://www.timesnews.net/article/9066608/area-teachers-decry-linking-license-to-student-test-scoreshttp://www.timesnews.net/article/9066607/t-dot-offers-grant-compromise-to-save-rogersvilles-historic-limestone-sidewalkhttp://www.timesnews.net/article/9066607/t-dot-offers-grant-compromise-to-save-rogersvilles-historic-limestone-sidewalkhttp://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/26/generator-to-be-hauled-knoxville-to-greeneville/http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS04/308260037/Nashville-Area-Chamber-Commerce-seeks-boost-dual-enrollment?gcheck=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS04/308260037/Nashville-Area-Chamber-Commerce-seeks-boost-dual-enrollment?gcheck=1http://www.timesnews.net/article/9066608/area-teachers-decry-linking-license-to-student-test-scoreshttp://www.timesnews.net/article/9066607/t-dot-offers-grant-compromise-to-save-rogersvilles-historic-limestone-sidewalkhttp://www.timesnews.net/article/9066607/t-dot-offers-grant-compromise-to-save-rogersvilles-historic-limestone-sidewalkhttp://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/26/generator-to-be-hauled-knoxville-to-greeneville/


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greeneville/(SUBSCRIPTION)

Tenn. lawmakersdraftinghempbill (AssociatedPress)Two state lawmakers in Tennessee are pointing to Kentuckys recent approval of hemp farming as they push for asimilar measure. The Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/1cN8kMm) reports Republican Sen. Frank Niceley ofStrawberry Plains is drafting a bill with Republican Rep. Andy Holt of Dresden, and they plan to introduce themeasure in next years legislative session. Nicely said Kentucky and six other states have passed measureslegalizing hemp even though federal law prohibits it. Nicely said there also is support for changing federal laws,

notably from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Rand Paul, both from Kentucky. The utilization ofhemp to produce everything from clothing to paper is real, and if there is a capacity to center a new domesticindustry in Kentucky that will create jobs in these difficult economic times, that sounds like a good thing to me,McConnell said in a statement earlier this year. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker of Tennessee did not takea position on the issue, but said it should be discussed.http://www.dnj.com/article/20130825/NEWS/308250060/Tenn-lawmakers-drafting-hemp-bill(SUBSCRIPTION) \

Ethics boardaskedto investigatedistrict attorney(AssociatedPress)Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell has filed a complaint asking an ethics panel to investigate 10th JudicialDistrict Attorney Steve Bebb. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that Harwell said in a statement onFriday that she asked the Board of Professional Responsibility to conduct a thorough, prompt investigation andappropriate action. Two other lawmakers have filed similar complaints. Bebb did not respond to the newspapers

request for comment. A Times Free Press series published last year detailed wide-ranging allegations ofmisconduct by Bebb and people he supervised. In March, state Attorney General Robert Cooper released a reportsaying Bebb exhibited poor judgment and bad record-keeping, but Cooper did not find any prosecutable violations.Harwell said lawmakers would review the findings of the ethics panel and take appropriate action.http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20130826/NEWS01/308260010/State-briefs-2-rafting-deaths-2-days-Ocoee-River-ethics-board-asked-investigate-10th-Judicial-District-Attorney(SUBSCRIPTION)

Maggartlooksback on guns-in-trunksfight that derailedpolitical career (TN/Hall)No good politician takes her career for granted, but Debra Maggart really didnt expect to see hers die on the issueof gun rights. Her granddaddy was an exhibition shooter for Smith & Wesson. Her familys business, CarterHardware Co., included a gun department. She had a lifetime membership in the National Rifle Association,earning its prize A-plus candidate rating. And Maggart was as enmeshed as anyone could be in TennesseesRepublican Party. Her native Hendersonville elected her to four terms in the House, and her colleagues elected hercaucus chairwoman. The Tennessean called her a rising star in the GOP in 2011. But instead of looking to her nextstep Congress, maybe? she got up every morning considering how to navigate the Republican agendathrough the bogs of state government. And then, as she puts it, the NRA came swooping in and blew her head off.It happened after she expressed her concern about a bill to allow employees to keep guns in locked vehicles atwork dubbed safe commute by proponents but nicknamed guns in trunks. The law is basically unenforceable,a Tennessee Attorney Generals opinion revealed in May, because while employers cant tell folks not to bringguns, they can fire them for doing it.http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS01/308260040/Debra-Maggart-looks-back-guns-trunks-fight-derailed-her-political-career

Sara Kyle supportersset up PAC(Tennessean/Sisk)Sara Kyles supporters say they have set up a political action committee to encourage her to run against Gov. Bill

Haslam next year, amping up the likelihood that the Memphis Democrat will step into the race. The Run Sara RunPAC features some local-level players in Tennessee politics, led by Shelby County Commission Chair DeidreMalone and Chattanooga City Councilman Chris Anderson. The group has put together a news releaseannouncing its formation, a good indication that it is fairly well organized. It says its goal is to demonstrate supportfor Kyle ahead of the Tennessee Democratic Partys annual Jackson Day dinner, scheduled for Sept. 7. More infocan be found at DraftSaraKyle.com. Kyle, a former director at the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, said this monththat she is weighing a run. Democrats are in desperate need of a candidate to stand against Haslam, and Kyle hassome experience with statewide campaigns. She was elected to the TRAs predecessor, the Public ServiceCommission, in 1994, and her husband, Senate Minority Leader Jim Kyle, ran in the Democratic primary forgovernor before the 2010 election.http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1(SUBSCRIPTION)
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/26/generator-to-be-hauled-knoxville-to-greeneville/http://www.dnj.com/article/20130825/NEWS/308250060/Tenn-lawmakers-drafting-hemp-billhttp://www.dnj.com/article/20130825/NEWS/308250060/Tenn-lawmakers-drafting-hemp-billhttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20130826/NEWS01/308260010/State-briefs-2-rafting-deaths-2-days-Ocoee-River-ethics-board-asked-investigate-10th-Judicial-District-Attorneyhttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20130826/NEWS01/308260010/State-briefs-2-rafting-deaths-2-days-Ocoee-River-ethics-board-asked-investigate-10th-Judicial-District-Attorneyhttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20130826/NEWS01/308260010/State-briefs-2-rafting-deaths-2-days-Ocoee-River-ethics-board-asked-investigate-10th-Judicial-District-Attorneyhttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS01/308260040/Debra-Maggart-looks-back-guns-trunks-fight-derailed-her-political-careerhttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS01/308260040/Debra-Maggart-looks-back-guns-trunks-fight-derailed-her-political-careerhttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/26/generator-to-be-hauled-knoxville-to-greeneville/http://www.dnj.com/article/20130825/NEWS/308250060/Tenn-lawmakers-drafting-hemp-billhttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20130826/NEWS01/308260010/State-briefs-2-rafting-deaths-2-days-Ocoee-River-ethics-board-asked-investigate-10th-Judicial-District-Attorneyhttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20130826/NEWS01/308260010/State-briefs-2-rafting-deaths-2-days-Ocoee-River-ethics-board-asked-investigate-10th-Judicial-District-Attorneyhttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS01/308260040/Debra-Maggart-looks-back-guns-trunks-fight-derailed-her-political-careerhttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS01/308260040/Debra-Maggart-looks-back-guns-trunks-fight-derailed-her-political-careerhttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1


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HuckabeethrowsweightbehindSen. Alexander(Tennessean/Cass)Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has written a letter urging conservatives to back U.S. Sen. LamarAlexanders bid for a third term. Over four pages released by the Alexander campaign, Huckabee praises thesenior Tennessee senator profusely, sprinkling in sentences sure to please tea party and religious conservatives.Huckabee says Alexander has opposed Obamacare, tried to reverse the trend toward a national school board,

supported the teaching of American history and civics and is not afraid to stand up to this administration. RonaldReagan is mentioned four times, including in the first and last paragraphs. Huckabee also bolsters his Tennesseecred by mentioning that he won the states 2008 Republican presidential primary. The crux of his pitch is a plea forsmall donations. I hope you will pray for Lamar, vote for Lamar, and fill out the enclosed envelope and send itback with a $10 or $15 (check) or whatever amount you can afford, he urges.http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1(SUBSCRIPTION)

Carr claimsradio endorsements(Tennessean/Cass)Meanwhile, Republican state Rep. Joe Carr, who has jumped into the race to unseat Alexander, called attention toa pair of endorsements hes picked up for his Senate campaign from WTN radio hosts Ralph Bristol and MichaelDelGiorno. The two endorsed Carr shortly after he appeared on Bristols program Tuesday.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1(SUBSCRIPTION)

WisconsingovernorseeksTennesseebucks(Tennessean/Cass)Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a potential Republican presidential candidate, was scheduled to visit MiddleTennessee on Friday for a $2,500-per-couple re-election fund-raiser. An invitation obtained by The Tennesseanshowed Walker planned to attend a privateluncheon at the home of Reba and Willis Johnson at 1301 Moran Roadin Franklin, which was formerly country star Alan Jacksons 135-acre estate. The minimum donation was $2,500,while a $10,000 contribution would get the donor into the Scott Walker Governors Club. Walker was electedgovernor in 2010. After moving aggressively to eliminate the collective bargaining rights of most of Wisconsinspublic employee labor unions, he faced a recall election, which he won by a large margin. Walker will run forelection in 2014 and could be a GOP candidate for the White House a couple of years later. The WashingtonPosts The Fix blog wrote Tuesday about what a Walker candidacy might look like.http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1(SUBSCRIPTION)

CollegesSet to Offer Exit Tests (Wall Street Journal)Next spring, seniors at about 200 U.S. colleges will take a new test that could prove more important to their futurethan final exams: an SAT-like assessment that aims to cut through grade-point averages and judge students' realvalue to employers. The test, called the Collegiate Learning Assessment, "provides an objective, benchmarkedreport card for critical thinking skills," said David Pate, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at St. John FisherCollege, a small liberal-arts school near Rochester, N.Y. "The students will be able to use it to go out and marketthemselves." The test is part of a movement to find new ways to assess the skills of graduates. Employers saygrades can be misleading and that they have grown skeptical of college credentials. "For too long, colleges anduniversities have said to the American public, to students and their parents, 'Trust us, we're professional. If we saythat you're learning and we give you a diploma it means you're prepared,' " said Michael Poliakoff, vice president ofpolicy for the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. "But that's not true." The new voluntary test, which thenonprofit behind it calls CLA +, represents the latest threat to the fraying monopoly that traditional four-yearcolleges have enjoyed in defining what it means to be well educated.http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323980604579029143959843818.html?mod=ITP_pageone_0(SUBSCRIPTION)

After SupremeCourt Ruling, StatesAct on JuvenileSentences(Stateline)In 1980, Henry Hill was convicted of murdering a man in a Saginaw, Mich., park and sentenced to life in prisonwithout parole, the mandatory sentence for the crime. He was 16 years old and functionally illiterate. Last year, theU.S. Supreme Court ruled in Miller v. Alabama that mandatory life sentences for offenders under 18 are cruel and
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323980604579029143959843818.html?mod=ITP_pageone_0http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/NEWS02/308260047/Political-Notebook-Aug-26-Sara-Kyle-supporters-set-up-PAC?nclick_check=1http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323980604579029143959843818.html?mod=ITP_pageone_0


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unusual punishment, and therefore unconstitutional. In the wake of that decision, a federal court this month ruledthat Hill and more than 300 other Michigan juvenile lifers are entitled to a parole hearing. Michigan is one of at least11 states that have revisited their sentencing laws in response to the Supreme Court decision (see Stateline chart).Generally, juvenile killers in those states will be eligible for a parole hearing after serving a mandatory minimumsentence of about 25 years. Still, there are at least 15 states that have not yet eliminated mandatory life withoutparole sentences for juveniles. In many states, legislatures and courts arent sure how the Miller decision shouldapply to offenders such as Hill who are already serving such sentences. Nationwide, there are more than 2,000prisoners in 43 states serving life without parole sentences for crimes they committed as juveniles.http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/after-supreme-court-ruling-states-act-on-juvenile-sentences-85899500111

TVAdonatesto Kentuckycoal minermemorial (AssociatedPress)The Tennessee Valley Authority is donating $5,000 for a coal miner memorial in western Kentucky. The project willbe located at the Muhlenberg County Courthouse and include the names of miners who lost their lives working inthe area. TVA operates a coal burning power plant, Paradise Fossil Plant, on the Green River in the county. Itburns 20,000 tons of coal a day. Muhlenberg County Judge-Executive Rick Newman says the Paradise Plantkeeps the mining industry going in the area. The memorial will have brass statues and a plaque with the names ofthe miners. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/26/tva-donates-to-kentucky-coal-miner-memorial/(SUB)

StartupMemphis:Economicdevelopmentforumto focuson entrepreneurship(CA)Memphis entrepreneurship past, present and future will take center stage this week when the citys history ofinnovation is examined by current business leaders as a template for sustainability and growth. Accelerating theContinuum: Advancing the Growth of Business Ecosystems will be the theme of the sixth annual EconomicDevelopment Forum sponsored by the Mid-South Minority Business Council Continuum that will take placeTuesday through Thursday at the Memphis Cook Convention Center, 255 N. Main. In addition to a round-tablediscussion with some of the most renowned entrepreneurs in Memphis Joseph R. Pitt Hyde, Duncan Williamsand Kemmons Wilson Jr. the program will feature a luncheon presentation by Dr. Ting Ho, former chiefeconomist for FedEx who is now executive director of Symphony Holdings. Seating is limited and registration isrequired. To get your tickets, visit mmbc-memphis.org or call 901-525-6512. If youre Downtown on Monday, checkout Content is Interface, featuring presenter Matt Ladner, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Brass Door, 152 Madison.The event is sponsored by Content Strategy MEM and is open to anyone interested in interactive content. To learnmore, visit meetup.com/Content-Strategy-MEM.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/aug/26/startup-memphis-score-offers-pre-business/(SUB)

WilliamsonCo. schoolofficials see pressingneedfor new campus(TN/Giordano)With Ravenwood High experiencing its largest freshman class to date and a new subdivision likely in the nearfuture, Williamson County school officials are eyeing the growth in the northeastern section of the county andhoping to step up plans for a new high school. The high school was proposed a few years ago to help with steadilyincreasing enrollment numbers at Ravenwood, which has reached record numbers. The high school is designedfor about 1,600 students but has about 2,000 including 500 freshmen this school year, and they use someportable classrooms. The school board last week approved a revised five-year capital outlay plan that includes arequest for about $7.4 million to begin design work and site preparation for the new school. The district alreadyowns the nearly 100 acres near York and Williams roads in Nolensville where the school would be constructed.Because the school board does not have its own taxing authority, it must request funds from the County

Commission. It takes about two years to build a new high school. But its not entirely clear if the school will serveas a traditional ninth-12th grade facility in the beginning. Director of Schools Mike Looney and others appear to betoying with the idea of creating a grade configuration that would help relieve overcrowding at nearby RavenwoodHigh School, Sunset Middle and Elementary and Nolensville Elementary schools.http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/WILLIAMSON/308260045/Williamson-County-school-officials-see-pressing-need-new-campus(SUBSCRIPTION)
http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/after-supreme-court-ruling-states-act-on-juvenile-sentences-85899500111http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/after-supreme-court-ruling-states-act-on-juvenile-sentences-85899500111http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/26/tva-donates-to-kentucky-coal-miner-memorial/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/aug/26/startup-memphis-score-offers-pre-business/http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/WILLIAMSON/308260045/Williamson-County-school-officials-see-pressing-need-new-campushttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/WILLIAMSON/308260045/Williamson-County-school-officials-see-pressing-need-new-campushttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/WILLIAMSON/308260045/Williamson-County-school-officials-see-pressing-need-new-campushttp://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/after-supreme-court-ruling-states-act-on-juvenile-sentences-85899500111http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/after-supreme-court-ruling-states-act-on-juvenile-sentences-85899500111http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/aug/26/tva-donates-to-kentucky-coal-miner-memorial/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/aug/26/startup-memphis-score-offers-pre-business/http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/WILLIAMSON/308260045/Williamson-County-school-officials-see-pressing-need-new-campushttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130826/WILLIAMSON/308260045/Williamson-County-school-officials-see-pressing-need-new-campus


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OPINION

RobinSmith: County'shigh ratinga real braggingpoint (TimesFree-Press)Since 2010, there have been 36 municipal bankruptcy filings in our nation -- a sign of the failing economy. Massivefinancial deficits due to excessive spending, declining revenue, and an ineffectiveness of many local governmentleaders to implement policies that reform and rescue are much too common. Drum roll, please. There's great newsfor us here in Southeast Tennessee. Hamilton County's government is the only county in the entire state ofTennessee recognized by all three major credit ratings agencies -- Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch -- ashaving achieved a AAA rating based on several stringent criteria. Out of 95 Tennessee counties, one stands abovethe rest in meeting the high bar of distinction as having the "Extremely Strong" capacity to meet its financialcommitments -- with the emphasis added by the overseeing agencies. The second county to hold a triple A rating,only by the single agency, Moody's, is Williamson County, home to Franklin, Brentwood, and many of the state'sbusiness leaders and country music stars.http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/aug/26/countys-high-rating-a-real-bragging-point/?opinioncolumns

Editorial: A smart deal for taxpayers,workers(CommercialAppeal)The Memphis City Council is performing its due diligence on the proposal to give Memphis sanitation workers amodest retirement package, but logic and humanitarian concerns are pointing toward eventual approval. When wesay modest, we mean a maximum benefit of $12,000 a year, based on a plan that would give retired sanitationworkers $400 for every year of service up to 30 years. When we say logical we mean a $1.7 million annual cost fora package that would also yield $4.7 million in annual savings, as part of a deal that would cut 80 waste-management positions through attrition and ask the remaining crews to make about 100 more stops per day. Thedeal took the administration of Mayor A C Wharton and the workers 18 months to develop. Council members saidlast week they needed more time and information about the plan before casting their votes. One could argue thatsanitation workers forfeited their right to a pension plan voluntarily after their historic strike in 1968, so why shouldthe public pay for their retirement now? The answer in addition to the aforementioned bargain of significantbenefit to the city and its sanitation services customers would be to give long-past-retirement-age workers a restfrom their back-breaking labor. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/aug/26/editorial-a-smart-deal-for-taxpayers-workers/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

TimesEditorial: Hospitalsand secrecymakea scary prescription(TFP)Erlanger is a public hospital, and Hutcheson Medical Center in Fort Oglethorpe has a public hospital authority withtrustees appointed by Walker, Dade and Catoosa counties. The counties and the authority together ownHutcheson's buildings and assets, and lease them to a private, nonprofit Hutcheson Medical Center. Meanwhile,Hutcheson, on the verge of insolvency for much of the past decade, now owes Erlanger $21.55 million on a line ofcredit issued from the Chattanooga hospital. Confusing as all that may seem, the bottom line is that both entities,no matter how many shell businesses they try to hide behind, are public hospitals that belong to us and spendtaxpayer and patient money. Both Walker and Catoosa counties are in line to have to repay Erlanger if Hutcheson

defaults. So how is it that both hospitals -- most recently Hutcheson -- have closed the door on the public andreporters when it comes to just what their mutual arrangement was? We are left wondering what the $20 millionloan and $1.55 million in already-accrued interest has paid for. On Monday, Hutcheson's board met for about fourhours in a closed session before announcing Tuesday afternoon that the two hospital systems were negotiating toend their partnership. Erlanger took over management of Hutcheson in April 2011 shortly after Hutcheson's then-CEO Charles Stewart resigned.http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/aug/26/hospitals-and-secrecy-make-a-scary-prescription/?opiniontimes

Editorial: MixedSignalson EmployeeHealthInsurance(NewYork Times)It is hard to know whether to rejoice or lament two striking if somewhat conflicting messages last week about thecosts of employer-sponsored health insurance. An authoritative survey found that premiums for family andindividual coverage at work including both the companys and the workers share have gone up only
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/aug/26/countys-high-rating-a-real-bragging-point/?opinioncolumnshttp://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/aug/26/editorial-a-smart-deal-for-taxpayers-workers/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/aug/26/editorial-a-smart-deal-for-taxpayers-workers/http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/aug/26/hospitals-and-secrecy-make-a-scary-prescription/?opiniontimeshttp://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/aug/26/countys-high-rating-a-real-bragging-point/?opinioncolumnshttp://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/aug/26/editorial-a-smart-deal-for-taxpayers-workers/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/aug/26/editorial-a-smart-deal-for-taxpayers-workers/http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/aug/26/hospitals-and-secrecy-make-a-scary-prescription/?opiniontimes


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moderately for the second year in a row, suggesting that health care inflation may finally be abating and thatwhatever costs the presidents health reforms may add will be readily absorbed. On the other hand, United ParcelService told its white-collar workers that in an effort to reduce its health care costs, it will no longer cover some15,000 spouses who can obtain coverage through their own employers. The company said its move was promptedprimarily by projected increases in the amount it would have to pay for employees medical care and secondarily byvarious costs associated with the health care reform law. The annual survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation andthe Health Research and Educational Trust covered more than 2,000 small and large employers. It found that theaverage premium for employer-sponsored health insurance, typically paid mostly by employers and partly byworkers, rose only 4 percent for family plans between 2012 and 2013, the same percentage increase as between2011 and 2012. The premiums for individual policies rose 5 percent for individual workers, up from 3 percent theprevious year. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/opinion/mixed-signals-on-employee-health-insurance.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0 (SUBSCRIPTION)

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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/opinion/mixed-signals-on-employee-health-insurance.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/opinion/mixed-signals-on-employee-health-insurance.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/opinion/mixed-signals-on-employee-health-insurance.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/opinion/mixed-signals-on-employee-health-insurance.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/opinion/mixed-signals-on-employee-health-insurance.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0

tennessee daily news clips, aug. 26, 2013

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