tennessee daily news clips, sept. 16, 2013

7/29/2019 Tennessee Daily News Clips, Sept. 16, 2013

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MONDAY,SEPTEMBER16, 2013Haslam'sweeklyscheduleincludesWashingtontrip (AssociatedPress)Gov. Bill Haslam has a series of public events scheduled for West Tennessee, and will also make appearances inNashville, Knoxville and Washington, D.C. The governor starts out the week with a grant announcement at theTennessee Colleges of Applied Technology in Memphis on Monday afternoon. Haslam travels to Washington onTuesday for an education and workforce summit hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Later thatday he will be in Dyersburg and Trenton for grant announcements. On Wednesday the governor is scheduled tospeak at a Books from Birth event at a Nashville child care center, followed by a visit to the Unilever plant inCovington on Thursday. Haslam rounds out the week at a luncheon at the Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge inKnoxville on Friday. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/sep/16/haslams-weekly-schedule-includes-washington-trip/(SUBSCRIPTION)

Wildlife sanctuaryto becomenew state park (AssociatedPress)Tennessee could soon have a new state park on a 400-acre wildlife sanctuary along the French Broad River inKnox County. The Knox County commission will consider a measure on Monday to transfer the Seven IslandsWildlife Refuge to the state. The commission is expected to approve the resolution at its next regular meeting onSept. 23. Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation spokeswoman Tisha Calabrese-Benton toldThe Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/1geBSyS) that Gov. Bill Haslam will likely announce the transfer Sept. 20at a luncheon at the Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge hosted by the Legacy Parks Foundation, the nonprofit land trustthat manages the refuge. The Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge features eight miles of trails through a patchwork ofriver bottom fields providing food for quail and songbirds. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett said the transfer ofSeven Islands from Knox County to the state of Tennessee will help secure the property for future generations.http://www.jacksonsun.com/viewart/20130915/NEWS/130915002/Wildlife-sanctuary-become-knew-state-park-(SUBSCRIPTION)

Killing morethan pain (ChattanoogaTimesFree-Press/Phillips)About once every 80 minutes in 2010, an American woman made a fatal mistake. She took medicineIn 2012, inresponse to the increasing rates of prescription drug use, Gov. Bill Haslamsigned the Tennessee Prescription SafetyAct into law, requiring all medical professionals to register with the state's Controlled Substance MonitoringDatabase and to check a patient's history of prescription drug use before issuing new prescriptions. Prior to the act,state law required that prescribers report their data but did not require them to check the database for signs ofabuse. Recently, the State Department of Health has sent letters to the top 50 most prolific prescribers among the30,000 registered with the statewide database to ask for an explanation about their practices. The state is lookingthrough their responses now..http://timesfreepress.com/news/2013/sep/16/killing-more-than-pain/

Motlowkeepsgrowingin Smyrna(Tennessean/Haggard)New facility not a long-term fix for space issues The moment the doors opened on the new building is the momentwe realized wed probably need more space, said Cheryl Hyland, director of Motlow College Smyrna Center. Ournext step is working with the Tennessee Board of Regents and the community to see how much more space weneed. The need for more space has been an ongoing issue for Motlow, which is based in Moore County, eversince opening a site in Rutherford County 15 years ago. Motlow started offering classes in 1998 at Riverdale HighSchool before moving to the Tennessee Army National Guard building in 2000. In 2006, Motlow opened its currentcampus off Sam Ridley Parkway with a 17,500-square-foot building. Campus buildings The addition of the new35,000-square-foot building means Motlows Smyrna campus now includes two buildings with more than 52,000square feet to work with.http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/NEWS04/309160036/Motlow-keeps-growing-Smyrna (SUB)
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/sep/16/haslams-weekly-schedule-includes-washington-trip/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/sep/16/haslams-weekly-schedule-includes-washington-trip/http://www.jacksonsun.com/viewart/20130915/NEWS/130915002/Wildlife-sanctuary-become-knew-state-park-http://timesfreepress.com/news/2013/sep/16/killing-more-than-pain/http://timesfreepress.com/news/2013/sep/16/killing-more-than-pain/http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/NEWS04/309160036/Motlow-keeps-growing-Smyrnahttp://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/sep/16/haslams-weekly-schedule-includes-washington-trip/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/sep/16/haslams-weekly-schedule-includes-washington-trip/http://www.jacksonsun.com/viewart/20130915/NEWS/130915002/Wildlife-sanctuary-become-knew-state-park-http://timesfreepress.com/news/2013/sep/16/killing-more-than-pain/http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/NEWS04/309160036/Motlow-keeps-growing-Smyrna


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Tenn. workingto replace, repair worn-out bridges(AssociatedPress/Johnson)Dozens of Tennessee bridges are among the thousands nationwide that have advanced deterioration or are at riskof collapsing, federal data show. That works out to a small percentage of the state's total number of bridges, but itcould be enough to cause concern among drivers who travel them regularly. The Associated Press analyzed datainvolving 607,380 bridges in the National Bridge Inventory, which are subject to National Bridge InspectionStandards. On a national basis, there are 65,605 structurally deficient bridges and 20,808 fracture critical bridges,

according to the most recently available federal government data. A bridge is deemed "fracture critical" when itdoes not have redundant protections and is at risk of collapse if a single, vital component fails. A bridge is"structurally deficient" when it is in need of rehabilitation or replacement because at least one major component ofthe span has advanced deterioration or other problems that lead inspectors to deem its condition "poor" or worse.Some 7,795 bridges nationwide fall into both categories. Experts call that combination of red flags particularlyproblematic. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/sep/15/tenn-working-to-replace-repair-worn-out-bridges/(SUB)

SouthPittsburgshort of money(ChattanoogaTimesFree-Press/Lewis)South Pittsburg is in one of the worst financial situations it has ever seen, and that was before a massive flashflood struck downtown in July. The City Commission voted unanimously last month to nearly double the propertytax rate, to 99 cents per $100. Mayor Jane Dawkins said the boost was necessary because of "indebtedness andlack of sufficient funds to run the city." The money will repay the city's utilities division more than $800,000 for

money former Mayor Mike Killian transferred from the division to the city's general fund, Dawkins said. Killian didnot seek re-election in 2011, and last week he pleaded guilty to federal gambling charges related to operating anillegal lottery and running video poker machines at his South Pittsburg business. According to city officials,the cityonce had arranged a loan with its utility, Marion Gas Systems. In 2008, the city stopped making payments on theloan. In December 2009, Killian sent a letter to the utility asserting that it owed the town $20,000 per year since1990, which he calculated to be $744,802 with interest.http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/sep/16/south-pittsburg-short-of-money/?local (REGISTRATION)

Lawmakersdisagreeon strengthof U.S. leverageon Syria now(AP/Quaid)Lawmakers assessing the agreement on Syrias chemical weapons argued Sunday about whether PresidentBarack Obama was outfoxed by the Russians and had lost leverage in trying to end the civil war, or whether histhreat of military action had propelled the breakthrough. Obama said the turn to diplomacy had laid a foundationtoward political settlement of the conflict.Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the top Republican on the SenateForeign Relations Committee, said the threat of force is still very much in Russian hands. Thats the mostimportant element, is the veto piece, Corker said. So in many ways, our credibility in the region, and certainlyrelative to the chemical warfare, is very much driven by Russia, which has its hands firmly on the steering wheel.http://www.tennessean.com/viewart/20130916/NEWS08/309160031/Lawmakers-disagree-strength-U-S-leverage-Syria-now(SUBSCRIPTION)

Four companiesin TN offer dental plansin health exchange(Tennessean/Wilemon)Dr. Cherae Farmer-Dixon, dean of dentistry at Meharry Medical College, said better access to dental insurance isan important step toward recognizing oral care as a medical priority. Healthy smiles are far from abundant inTennessee, where almost 36 percent of people have not been to see a dentist in a year and 53 percent of peopleover the age of 65 have lost six or more teeth, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.This is really a major step in providing dental care for adults, Farmer-Dixon said. But it is still just a step. While

the Affordable Care Act designates dental coverage as an essential health benefit for people younger than 18, thatis not the case for adults. The American Dental Association estimates that the federal health law will reduce thenumber of children without dental care nationwide by 55 percent. For adults, the impact is estimated to be just a 5percent reduction. Subsidies to help uninsured and underinsured adults buy medical coverage on the exchange donot apply to dental plans. However, the exchange will make dental coverage more accessible and could lowerpremiums depending upon how many people buy it. Generally, coverage prices range from $20-$40 per monthdepending on age. In Tennessee, four companies are offering dental plans: Delta Dental of Tennessee, BEST Life,Cigna and Humana. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/NEWS07/309160032/Four-companies-TN-offer-dental-plans-health-exchange (SUBSCRIPTION)
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/sep/15/tenn-working-to-replace-repair-worn-out-bridges/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/sep/15/tenn-working-to-replace-repair-worn-out-bridges/http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/sep/16/south-pittsburg-short-of-money/?localhttp://www.tennessean.com/viewart/20130916/NEWS08/309160031/Lawmakers-disagree-strength-U-S-leverage-Syria-nowhttp://www.tennessean.com/viewart/20130916/NEWS08/309160031/Lawmakers-disagree-strength-U-S-leverage-Syria-nowhttp://www.tennessean.com/viewart/20130916/NEWS08/309160031/Lawmakers-disagree-strength-U-S-leverage-Syria-nowhttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/NEWS07/309160032/Four-companies-TN-offer-dental-plans-health-exchangehttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/NEWS07/309160032/Four-companies-TN-offer-dental-plans-health-exchangehttp://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/sep/15/tenn-working-to-replace-repair-worn-out-bridges/http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/sep/16/south-pittsburg-short-of-money/?localhttp://www.tennessean.com/viewart/20130916/NEWS08/309160031/Lawmakers-disagree-strength-U-S-leverage-Syria-nowhttp://www.tennessean.com/viewart/20130916/NEWS08/309160031/Lawmakers-disagree-strength-U-S-leverage-Syria-nowhttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/NEWS07/309160032/Four-companies-TN-offer-dental-plans-health-exchangehttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/NEWS07/309160032/Four-companies-TN-offer-dental-plans-health-exchange


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Health Law FacesSkepticism(Wall Street Journal)New poll results show the depth of the Obama administration's challenge on the eve of the rollout of the federalhealth law's core provisions, as many Americans say they don't understand the law and don't think it will help them.A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that even those lacking health insurance, who are supposed to be thelaw's biggest beneficiaries, generally believe it wouldn't do them much good. Overall, nearly 70% of pollrespondents said they didn't understand the health-care overhaul passed by Democrats in March 2010 or only

understood a part of it. Only 31% said they thought the overhaul was a good idea, with 44% saying it was a badidea and 25% saying they didn't have an opinion or weren't sure. Uncertainty over the law has created a windowfor political groups on both sides to try to shape opinion in advance of midterm elections next year. Conservativeorganizations such as Americans for Prosperity have begun television advertisements criticizing the law, whileOrganizing for Action, the spinoff of President Barack Obama's re-election effort, is running ads in its favor.http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324755104579073442586768058.html?mod=ITP_pageone_0(SUBSCRIPTION)

TVAnames19 to serveon energyadvisorycouncil (AssociatedPress)The Tennessee Valley Authority has appointed 19 people to serve on a new Regional Energy Resource Council.When the TVA board established the council at its April meeting, officials said the council would advise staff onenergy efficiency and renewable energy, among other things. According to the utility, the council members reflect a

broad range of stakeholder views and backgrounds. They represent environmental, industrial, business, consumer,educational and community interests. Council Chairman is Dus Rogers, of Scottsboro, Ala., who is president andCEO of the Jackson County Economic Development Authority in Alabama. Council members will serve withoutcompensation for a two-year term. The council will meet approximately twice a year. The first meeting is tentativelyscheduled for October.http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/sep/16/tva-names-19-to-serve-on-energy-advisory-council/(SUB)

RheaCountyschool boardreviewssecurity (TimesFree-Press/McMillan)Rhea County school board members agree that added safety precautions are needed for Frazier and Rhea Centralelementary schools. "I think we need to do something," board member Chip Pendergrass said at the board'sregular meeting last week. Last month, board members discussed reviewing estimates to make changes, such assecure entrances for school offices from entryways and additional measures at Rhea Central Elementary, with itslarger vestibule and wider doors. Director of Schools Jerry Levengood said an economical, secure option of glass-enclosed entryways to each of the school's offices, similar to that at the new Rhea County High School inEvensville, would create a safer environment for students and teachers. Levengood said school officials hadreceived an estimate of $10,000 for the glass enclosures, but that detailed information was needed to determineexact needs for each school. Board members discussed requesting floor plans from the principal. Some membersworried that enclosing office entrances could get in the way of emergency evacuations.http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/sep/16/rhea-school-board-reviews-security/?local

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OPINION

Guest columnists:Onlineschool best for somestudents(Tennessean)A new school year is upon us with new teachers, new textbooks, and hopefully, many new educational

opportunities for more Tennessee families and students. Going back to school is a big reminder to all parents ofhow quickly our children are growing, and also how the world itself is changing. While all of the new technologiespresent some challenges they also present many new opportunities and options for students, educators andparents alike. Our families are excited to begin another school year of online learning with the Tennessee VirtualAcademy. We recognize that, like those in many other families, our children have very unique learning needs and online learning is helping us meet the educational needs of our children in ways we never thought possible.Our children are learning and thriving inside the Tennessee Virtual Academy, both in their studies and through theindividualized instruction and flexibility that helps with special needs and extracurriculars. We are pleased that theTennessee legislature gave us this option and we could select it for our children, because public education is not aone-size-fits-all proposition. Parents need a wide range of options beyond the traditional brick-and-mortar school,including online education, to help their children succeed.http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/OPINION03/309160008/Tennessee-Voices-Online-school-best-

some-students(SUBSCRIPTION)

TomHumphrey:Beforemorewomenjoin Legislature,they needplace to run (N-S)Insofar as Tennessee goes, theres something of a Catch-22 situation in a national Republican campaign launched last week in Nashville to swell the ranks of women officeholders at the state level. Basically, to swellthe ranks of Republican women in any significant way, youd have to unswell the number of Republican menholding office. House Speaker Beth Harwell is a co-chair of the Republican State Leadership Conference effort,funded at $6 million with the goal of recruiting 300 women candidates nationwide and getting at least half of themelected in the coming year, mostly to state legislatures. It will have to be exclusively state legislative offices inTennessee since we dont elect any state officials except the governor statewide, and that seat is taken by a maleRepublican, endorsed by Harwell for re-election and likely to be unopposed in the primary. Other states may electtheir attorneys general, treasurers, comptrollers, agriculture commissioners and such, but in Tennessee those areall appointed positions and all held by Republican men. And in the Legislature, the speaker said she absolutelysupports Republican incumbents and is not encouraging any women to become challengers in the GOP primaries.After all, those guys in the House are the fellows who elected her as Tennessees first woman House speaker.http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/sep/15/tom-humphrey-before-more-republican-women-join-a/(SUB)

Gail Kerr: MLKmay feel pinchof schools' moneyproblems(Tennessean)Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet School is one of the outstanding jewels in the public school system that is working.But instead of celebrating that, schools director Jesse Register dropped a bombshell last week: He proposesdropping seventh and eighth grades from the school to make room for all the high school students who qualify togo there. The school is such a success, its jam-packed with students and hundreds more are turned away eachyear. To go there, kids have to excel academically in their lower grades, so the magnet school is bound forsuccess once they move up. Nearly 300 students from Head and Rose Park magnet middle schools are on track to

attend MLK next year, but theres no room for them. If they dont do something, those students will be forced into alottery to win any open seats, Register told the school board. So why on earth dont they just build a middle schoolto hold all the seventh- and eighth-graders who are in the MLK pipeline? Money. Plain and simple. Nashvillespublic school system has more than a billion dollars in building projects that need doing but are not funded. Thereare 180 school buildings to take care of, averaging 42 years old, with 14 million square feet of space, according tothe blog put out by Metro Nashville Public Schools.http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/COLUMNIST0101/309160013/Gail-Kerr-MLK-may-feel-pinch-schools-money-problems?nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

RobinSmith: UNIONVOTE:UAWat VW not goodfor local business(TFP)The issue of union representation is front-of-mind after last weeks Volkswagen employee vote. Lets briefly look atthe realities of the job market. Why does a company exist? A company meets a demand and sometimes an unmet
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/OPINION03/309160008/Tennessee-Voices-Online-school-best-some-studentshttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/OPINION03/309160008/Tennessee-Voices-Online-school-best-some-studentshttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/OPINION03/309160008/Tennessee-Voices-Online-school-best-some-studentshttp://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/sep/15/tom-humphrey-before-more-republican-women-join-a/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/sep/15/tom-humphrey-before-more-republican-women-join-a/http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/COLUMNIST0101/309160013/Gail-Kerr-MLK-may-feel-pinch-schools-money-problems?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/COLUMNIST0101/309160013/Gail-Kerr-MLK-may-feel-pinch-schools-money-problems?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/OPINION03/309160008/Tennessee-Voices-Online-school-best-some-studentshttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/OPINION03/309160008/Tennessee-Voices-Online-school-best-some-studentshttp://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/sep/15/tom-humphrey-before-more-republican-women-join-a/http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/COLUMNIST0101/309160013/Gail-Kerr-MLK-may-feel-pinch-schools-money-problems?nclick_check=1http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130916/COLUMNIST0101/309160013/Gail-Kerr-MLK-may-feel-pinch-schools-money-problems?nclick_check=1


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need with a service or product. Ultimately, the company that offers the most desirable product or service at themost competitive price gets the business and creates jobs. Why does a company hire workers? To offer a serviceor product that meets the demand and competes in the market, employees are hired to produce and operate at anagreed-upon wage, often with benefits. Volkswagen was recruited to Tennessee with all sorts of sweeteners andincentives to make Chattanooga home to its only American production facility, with no concern that in an at-willand right-to-work state the United Auto Workers would successfully organize. Yet, as of last week, the UAW wasvoted the advocate for local VW workers. The Detroit News hailed the major victory in the labor unions efforts toaccess the powerful automobile import industry and predicted future opportunities.http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/sep/16/smith-union-vote-uaw-vw-not-good-local-business/?opinioncolumns (REGISTRATION)

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tennessee daily news clips, sept. 16, 2013

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