SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2011 Spring Hill awaits its ride (Tennessean/W illiams)

The promise of a new vehicle for General Motors Spring Hill auto plant, with up to 2,000 new jobs, raised community and workers hopes Saturday. But questions remain about when the work will return, and at what cost to the state. The plan to return work to Spring Hill for the first time in nearly two years was part of a landmark four-year labor contract agreed to late Friday by GM and the national leadership of the United Auto Workers union. Rank-and-file members of the union, including those in Spring Hill, are to vote on the tentative pact in seven to 10 days. State and local economic development officials said after their meeting with GM executives Thursday in Detroit that the automaker had not yet asked for any additional state or local financial incentives, but that such a request would be expected if the company were to reopen the assembly line. Also in the delegation was Bill Hagerty, the states commissioner of economic and community development. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110918/BUSINESS/309180055/Spring-Hill-awaits-its-ride?odyssey=tab| topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

GM plant to reopen (Columbia Daily Herald)

General Motors will reopen its idled Spring Hill plant, a move that could potentially bring back hundreds of laid-off workers and create thousands of new jobs. A new product for the Spring Hill facility is part of a historic, four-year contract agreement reached Friday night between the United Auto Workers and GM. While that product is likely to be a new car or truck, Mike Herron, bargaining chairman for the Local UAW 1853, said that local union leaders havent been told that officially. He could not confirm speculation that the in-demand Chevrolet Equinox would be built in Spring Hill, and said its still unclear when assembly lines would once again start running. We dont know what it is specifically; we dont know what the timing of it is, Herron said. Thats one of the products that makes sense, but we havent been told that yet. http://www.columbiadailyherald.com/articles/2011/09/18/top_stories/01gmplant.txt

Haslam Applauds Dems on TN Job-Development Trek (TN Report)

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam put a personal stamp of approval Friday on legislative Democrats plans to launch a jobs tour across the state, which begins Monday, although Republicans and Democrats have held divergent views on how to approach job creation. I think its great. I think its where we all need to be focused, the GOP governor said of the tour that begins with a business roundtable in Memphis on Monday. So I certainly dont have a problem with them doing that. Obviously, an important thing is I hope theyre talking to folks who are making capital investments, because at the end of the day thats who creates jobs. We can talk about all the programs we want, but at the end of the day we need individuals and companies who are willing to put their capital at risk to grow. Democrats from the House and Senate have outlined a six-day tour that moves primarily west-to-east across the state. http://www.tnreport.com/2011/09/haslam-applauds-dems-on-tn-job-developmenttrek/

Haslam defends system for picking judges (Tennessean/Gee)

At Fridays swearing-in of new Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Jeff Bivins, both the judge and Gov. Bill Haslam took the opportunity to criticize pending efforts by state lawmakers to reform the judiciary. Haslam reiterated his support for the Tennessee Plan for selecting appellate judges in Tennessee, in which he appoints Supreme Court justices and appeals judges, who later stand in yes-no retention elections. Selections are made from a list of recommendations submitted by the Judicial Nominating Commission, which reviews applications and interviews candidates. Theres been some controversy around the whole judicial selection process, Haslam said, referring to claims by some fellow Republicans that the state constitution requires all judges to be popularly elected. I have nothing but good things to say about it.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110918/NEWS02/309180032/Political-Notebook-Haslam-defends-systempicking-judges?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

Bikers Who Care celebrate successful Toy Run (Leaf Chronicle)

Bill Langford, director of Bikers Who Care, was in a good mood, beaming a smile as big as his bear-like frame as he contemplated the success of this year's Toy Run. "W ell, I'll tell you," he said, "the weather was beautiful, the temperature was perfect. We had a record crowd, not one incident, and the cooperation from the Clarksville Police was great." The turnout was so big that it took almost an hour just to get the bikes lined up coming out of Clarksville Speedway onto Needmore Road. The Clarksville biker community includes many veterans of all services, many of them combat veterans. They listened intently and many gave the "thumbs-up" sign as Perrone read the proclamation issued this week Gov. Bill Haslam enacting a POW/MIA Recognition Week in by , Tennessee. http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20110918/NEWS01/109180326/Bikers-Who-Care-celebrate-successfulToy-Run?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Reversal of lifetime alimony will shape divorce awards (Tennessean/Gee)

Judge says lifetime award inappropriate for wife earning $72K In a highly anticipated opinion that will shape how money is allocated in divorce cases across the state, the Tennessee Supreme Court overturned the awarding of $15,000 a year in alimony until death or remarriage to a Sumner County woman earning $72,000 a year. In a unanimous opinion, the court ruled that lifetime alimony, also known as alimony in futuro, is inappropriate when the receiving spouse is healthy, makes good money and has received substantial assets in the division of marital property. That was the situation for Johanna and Craig Gonsewski, who divorced in 2009. Johanna Gonsewski made $72,000 a year working in information technology for the state. Craig Gonsewski made $137,000, including a $38,000 bonus, in the previous year as a controller for a major corporation. Sumner County Judge Tom Gray ruled Johanna Gonsewski did not deserve alimony, but the state Court of Appeals overruled him and ordered Craig Gonsewski to pay his ex-wife $1,250 a month. Chief Justice Cornelia A. Clark determined that the Court of Appeals erred in trying to hold Johanna Gonsewski economically harmless because it is impossible for two people living apart to enjoy the same standard of living they had while they were married and sharing assets and income. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110918/NEWS21/309180051/Reversal-lifetime-alimony-will-shape-divorceawards?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Some THP evidence, testimony barred from trial (Times-Gazette)

A judge has ruled in a vehicular homicide case that certain evidence and testimony by several Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers will not be allowed because he said THP has been reluctant to turn over the evidence. Meanwhile, prosecutors are trying to decide how to proceed in the case, which is set to be heard by a jury in two weeks. John David Haynes, 51, of Murfreesboro, is scheduled to stand trial Oct. 3-4 on charges stemming from a June 2010 motorcycle accident in which his wife, Pamela Haynes, 49, was killed on State Highway 82 at a sharp curve just east of the Bell Buckle town limits. Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell ruled Friday that any testimony from state troopers about the speed in which Haynes was allegedly traveling at the time of the accident can not come from data from a GPS unit on his motorcycle since it had not been provided to the defense. Any evidence about the speed that is derived from GPS data, or any opinion based on the data would also not be allowed to be entered into evidence. A hearing over evidence was also held Friday in which several state troopers did not appear as ordered, therefore those officers will be excluded from testifying next month, Russell ruled. http://www.t-g.com/story/1764418.html

Website feedback could help cut through red tape (Bristol Herald-Courier)
Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey once met with a farmer who had been cited by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation because he dug a drainage pond on his land without first getting the proper permit. But while Ramsey said he agreed with the state environmental agencys decision to cite the farmer because he broke the law, the state senator from Blountville said Friday that he disagrees with how the matter was handled. The first contact he had with the agency was a letter in the mail, Ramsey said, adding that the letter not only informed the farmer he was in violation of the law but also threatened to fine him up to $10,000 a day if he did not immediately correct the situation. Ramsey said TDEC should have sent one of its staff members to the farmers house so they could talk about the violation and come up with ways to fix it. This would have created a more pleasant experience for everyone involved, he added, and made the farmer willing to work with the state again. We need 2

to change the state governments mindset, Ramsey said during a joint news conference he and Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty held Friday at Northeast State Community College. http://www2.tricities.com/news/2011/sep/17/website-feedback-could-help-cut-through-red-tape-ar-1315935/

ACLU says library ban on sex offenders too broad (Associated Press)
The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee has asked Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett to rescind his new policy banning sex offenders from county libraries. Executive Director Hedy Weinberg said the policy was "overly broad and raises a host of constitutional issues," according to the letter sent on Friday and posted online by the Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/peY18U ). Burchett on Monday said that sex offenders are no longer welcome in county libraries, but said they could use the system's online services and have someone else check out and return materials on their behalf. He said they could face misdemeanor criminal trespassing charges. The county's policy is based on a new state law that gives public library directors the authority to "reasonably restrict the access of any person listed on the sexual offender registry." The letter from the ACLU said some material cannot be checked out online, like reference books. The ACLU also said that a federal court in Albuquerque struck down a similar ban. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37478827.story

Tennessee's obesity epidemic: Fighting the big fight (Tennessean/DeVille)

Trazana Staples was an unlikely candidate to lead North Nashvilles vegetable revolution. Four years ago, she tipped the scale at more than 300 pounds. She steeled herself against the inevitable diabetes or high blood pressure diagnoses that awaited. But Staples had her reasons. Its much easier to get a super-sized, fast-food meal in her food-desert neighborhood than a bunch of broccoli. Exercise didnt fit into her daily schedule. But her frustration at being constantly out of breath, even after a few steps, was the catalyst for a lifestyle change. Now 140 pounds lighter, Staples has applied for nonprofit status for her Another Avenue Cultural Resource Center. The center includes 15 garden beds in her backyard open to neighbors for the picking a gathering space in her living room and cooking demonstrations in her kitchen. This is my passion, and Im doing what I love to do by helping others enjoy their life, she said. Local organizations as small as Staples and as large as Vanderbilt University are fighting the states obesity crisis, moved by personal experiences or grim statistics. Theyre reaching out to obese Tennesseans where they live, trying to prompt lifesaving changes. But they find clients facing a variety of challenges with money and access to programs. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110918/NEWS01/309180079/Tennessee-s-obesity-epidemic-Fighting-bigfight?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Tenn. fire departments lacking in volunteers (Associated Press)

While calls to volunteer fire departments are on the rise, the ranks of these volunteers are dwindling in Middle Tennessee and officials hope a younger generation will step up to the service. Volunteer fire departments account for about 80 percent of all fire stations and 70 percent of all Tennessee's firefighters are volunteers. But fire officials say departments face more intensive training requirements than ever before and demands of work keep people from making a commitment to the community, the Tennessean reported ( http://bit.ly/oGkqAx "Now ). with everyone going to college . and people working out of town, and the generation we're in, it's a tough thing to work with," said P.J. Duncan, assistant chief for the Pleasant View Volunteer Fire Department. "The recruit rate is low. The retention rate is lower." In growing Pleasant View, calls have increased from 300 to 1,500 annually during Duncan's 22 years with the department. Officials are looking to reverse the trend and entice young people to help support volunteer fire stations. They see some promise in recapturing childhood imagination about being a firefighter in the launch in 2007 of a National Volunteer Fire Council junior firefighter program that gives teenagers a chance to see the equipment, fire trucks and emergency scenes. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37480495.story

GOP plan puts Brown, Favors in same district (Associated Press/Sher)

The number of black Hamilton County Democrats in the state House will drop from two to one during 2012 redistricting by the Republican-controlled General Assembly, GOP leaders have confirmed to the Times Free Press. House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, said plans call for combining the majorityblack 28th Legislative District held by Rep. Tommie Brown with a large portion of the 29th Legislative District represented by Rep. JoAnne Favors. Both are black Democrats. "I don't think the numbers would allow us to make two Democratic districts," McCormick said. "W e've got to expand Tommie Brown's district, and we cannot 3

expand it into the suburbs because it would become less of a [black] majority." Brown's district is currently 50.3 percent black while Favors' district is 39.7 percent, according to information provided by the Public Mapping Project, a nonpartisan website aimed at bringing more transparency to redistricting. Because Hamilton County's population failed to keep up with growth elsewhere in the state, the number of House districts is going from 51/2 to five. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/18/gop-plan-puts-brown-favors-in-same-district/?local

Alexander, 71, not planning to slow down (Associated Press/Schelzig)

Lamar Alexander said Friday that a new exhibit at Vanderbilt University featuring the Republicans pre-U.S. Senate papers and memorabilia does not signal that his political career is nearing an end. I do plan to run for the Senate again, Alexander said after touring the exhibit. Im enjoying what Im doing, and I think Im making a contribution. The 71-year-old former governor, U.S. education secretary and presidential candidate, is next up for re-election in 2014. Alexander said the materials donated to his alma mater had been sitting in storage in downtown Nashville for 25 years. Theyve taken those boxes and found amazing things, Alexander said. Alexander said the items he finds most fascinating were related to the events that led to his being sworn in as governor three days early in 1979 amid a clemency-for-cash scandal that sent some of his predecessors aides to prison. It wasnt something I wanted to do, nor had ever been done in history, but we did it, he said. And I remember thinking at the time about how things could go wrong and how 99 things probably would. But they didnt. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110918/NEWS02/309180077/Alexander-71-not-planning-slow-down? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Blackburn approved bill behind Gibson raid (Tennessean/Sisk)

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn may be a backer of Gibson Guitar and its CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz, but she voted for after initially opposing the 2008 bill that led to last months raids on the company. Blackburn sided with the majority in overriding a veto by then-President George W. Bush of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, a massive agriculture bill that mainly dealt with farm subsidies but also expanded the trade law that Gibson allegedly violated. Blackburn has criticized the Obama administration for raiding Gibsons facilities in Memphis and Nashville in search of rare imported woods, and she had Juszkiewicz join her at President Barack Obamas jobs speech to Congress on Sept. 8. Blackburn did oppose the farm bill when it first went through the House of Representatives. But her stated reasons for doing so did not include the bills expansions of the Lacey Act, which bans the importation of endangered species. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110918/NEWS02/309180032/Political-Notebook-Haslam-defends-systempicking-judges?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

Freeze wont halt disaster recovery (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Martin)

Even though more than $50 million in federal funding to repair and rebuild in the tri-state area after the April storms is frozen while Congress wrangles about budget details, local officials say that suspension hasnt been felt at the local level. However, a tight budget for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the high number of national disasters this year may mean future projects may not be approved, officials say. If there is anything we are not going to get, we wont know it for a very long time, said Bill Tittle, head of the Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency. We are just now getting final paperwork for the February tornado and still in the process of working on the April storms. It will likely be several months before that is finished. FEMA froze public disaster assistance for previous disasters, including the April storms, after spending for Hurricane Irene depleted its funds to less than $1 billion. Their funds have now fallen to below $400 million and are expected to be exhausted by the end of September, as immediate relief costs rise for Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. The freeze does not apply to individual assistance or immediate cleanup after a storm, but is for public assistance in rebuilding roads, water control facilities, building, utilities and parks. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/18/freeze-wont-halt-disaster-recovery/?local

Smokies tornado (NS/Simmons)

damage:

'Nobody

has

ever

seen

anything

like

this'

They call it the peaceful side of the Smokies, but on April 27, this was where all hell broke loose. At 7:30 p.m., a tornado part of the massive storm system that tore through seven Southern U.S. states and killed more than 350 people swept through the western tip of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Blount County. Traveling northeast, the twister hugged the ground for 11.5 miles, clearing a quarter-mile to a mile-wide path through the forest that missed Cades Cove by only three miles. On a clear day from the Look Rock tower on the 4

Foothills Parkway, the tornado damage looks like a power line cut through the mountains. Up close, the impacts are mind-boggling. Some of the worst damage occurred along the Beard Cane Trail just north of the Cooper Road-Hatcher Mountain trails junction. Here, roughly four miles from the park's western border, the only trees still standing are a few yellow pines that were already dead and had no canopy to catch the wind. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/17/smokies-tornado-damage-nobody-has-ever-seen-like/

Amazon offers 1,500 jobs so far for Tenn. centers (Associated Press)
Internet retailer Amazon has offered jobs to about 1,500 people so far as they prepare to open new distribution centers in Hamilton and Bradley counties. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports the company began taking applications in mid-May and has worked quickly to staff its two facilities in time for the busy Christmas season (http://bit.ly/p5lwHT ). Samantha Cermark, Amazon's senior human resources manager locally, said the company has interviewed 5,000 applicants so far and was thrilled with the number and quality of applicants. Amazon has said it plans to hire 1,600 full-time employees and as many as 2,000 part-timers during the holiday season. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37479265.story

TN's solar industry faces clouded future (Tennessean/Sisk)

Turmoil, price drop come as billions spent on plants Hemlock Semiconductors $1.2 billion plant rises up like a new city over the trees and fields near Clarksville, Tenn. More than a dozen cranes dot the skyline of towering arc furnaces and industrial buildings, linked by a network of pipes that grows by more than a mile each week. The sprawling facility, which opens late next year, is the first tangible evidence of Tennessees push to become a major player in the solar power industry. And it has come at a cost. The state has committed to build roads and a railroad spur to serve the plant, upgrade water and electrical service, and even train the 500 workers who will eventually be employed there. Hemlock Clarksville and a similar plant that Wacker Chemie AG is building near Cleveland, Tenn., are supposed to be the first steps toward the development of a vibrant solar industry in Tennessee, one in which solar panels and all of their components could be made within the state. But the odds that will happen in the near future are slim, despite the tens of millions the state has committed toward the solar industrys success. When the Hemlock project was announced in December 2008, then-Gov. Phil Bredesen described it as a project with the potential to catapult Tennessee to the front of the emerging solar technology industry. It and Wacker will make the raw material used in most solar cells, and the hope was that other companies would follow. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110918/NEWS01/309180054/TN-s-solar-industry-faces-clouded-future? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Electrolux project has high price, big risks for Memphis (CA/Connolly, Maki)
When appliance maker Electrolux gave Memphis the chance to land a new factory, state and local governments scrambled to offer the company an unprecedented package of money and perks. The incentives they put together are the most generous in modern Memphis history, and they appear to have worked -- Electrolux breaks ground Oct. 5 on a $190 million oven and stove factory in Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park. The new plant, along with a regional headquarters and distribution center, is expected to employ 1,240 workers within five years of the start of production, the company has said. Electrolux means even more to the struggling Memphis economy, say proponents of the project like the Greater Memphis Chamber: Millions of dollars will flow to companies involved in construction of the plant; supplier jobs and new cash circulating through the economy could bring the total of new jobs to 8,000, they say. As they see it, Electrolux represents a wave of blue-collar jobs at a time of few opportunities for people without college degrees. But a close examination of the Electrolux deal by The Commercial Appeal shows the project carries hidden costs while creating big risks for taxpayers. The decision to give public resources to Electrolux was made by a handful of people working in secret. They emerged from closed-door talks with a signed contract and convinced various boards to ratify it. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/18/electrolux-project-high-price-big-risks-memphis/

Straberg's Strategy: cutting costs led Electrolux to Memphis (C. Appeal/Connolly)

Hans Straberg had fired hundreds of people before. But shutting down the Electrolux vacuum cleaner factory at Vastervik in southern Sweden was different -- it was Straberg's hometown. He was born in Vastervik and grew up on a farm nearby. And he had worked as the plant's manager. Now, as worldwide CEO of AB Electrolux, 5

Straberg was leading the process of eliminating about 500 jobs in high-wage Vastervik and moving production to low-wage Hungary. Electrolux has cut thousands of workers around the world in recent years as it searches for low-cost manufacturing sites. Even though the company is based in Sweden, it has shown no more attachment to its workers there than anywhere else on the globe. Shutting down the Vastervik plant wasn't an easy choice, Straberg said, but Electrolux had to face facts -- wages in poor countries were in many cases less than a tenth what they are in the industrialized West, competitors were making cheap products in China and other countries, and ordinary customers wouldn't pay extra for a product just because of where it's made. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/18/straberg-strategy-cutting-costs-electrolux-memphis/

Studies didnt count full cost to taxpayers of Electrolux deal (CA/Connolly)

The only due diligence report Tennessee completed for the Electrolux project was a six-page document that celebrated the benefits and didn't consider the costs of subsidies. Reports paid for by the Greater Memphis Chamber didn't consider all the costs, either. None of the reports addressed the possibility that the company would leave early or fail to meet job creation goals. "The research on the performance of PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) in Memphis has always been very weak," said David H. Ciscel, retired professor of economics at the University of Memphis. "That is, not everybody actually wants to know if there's a payoff. Because I fear in many cases, there isn't." Ciscel worked on economic impact studies while at the university, but didn't review the Electrolux reports. To be sure, the Electrolux project is likely to help some people. The construction phase alone is expected to create work for many contractors and laborers, and if the factory opens as planned, the company would buy some supplies locally. People who are hired by the company will no doubt count themselves lucky. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/18/cost-memphis-tennessee-taxpayers-electrolux-deal/

Greater Memphis Chamber took driver's seat in Electrolux deal (C. Appeal/Maki)
In 2004, the Greater Memphis Chamber waged a very public battle against a proposed city of Memphis payroll tax. In 2005, Memphis officials, some still smarting from the opposition, responded by cutting the chambers funding. It would be almost two years before the city contributed funds to the chamber. How times have changed. Today, no other outside organization is linked as closely to city and county governments particularly the mayors as the chamber, which has received millions of public dollars the last few years and is the de facto economic development engine for the area. Ive dealt with chambers of commerce all over the world, said Memphis Mayor A C Wharton. Id put our chamber up against anyones chamber anywhere, any time. While city and county governments have been forced to cut salaries and lay off employees, the chamber has been given millions by both governments. Between fiscal years 2008 and 2011, the city and county have given the chamber a combined $7.5 million for MemphisED, the economic development portion of Memphis Fast Forward, a four-part economic growth strategy that focuses on crime, economic development, government efficiency, and education and workforce development. Overall, MemphisED has received $10.9 million in funding. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/18/memphis-chamber-took-drivers-seat-electrolux-deal/

Calculating the costs and benefits of Electrolux (C. Appeal/Connolly)

How did The Commercial Appeal calculate the amount of subsidies to Electrolux? The newspaper interviewed representatives of many agencies: the Greater Memphis Chamber, city, county and state governments, the Delta Regional Authority, Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division, the Tennessee Valley Authority and professionals involved in bond deals. The newspaper used open records requests to obtain e-mails, letters and other documents related to the subsidies, including many documents that had not been made public previously. How certain are you that your estimate of $188.3 million in subsidies for Electrolux is correct? This figure is a conservative estimate based on limited information. The true number is likely much higher. First, Tennessee government would not release information about the tax breaks that it is giving Electrolux. In a Nov. 17 proposal, the state offered the company tax breaks worth a combined $41.3 million. But its not clear that the company will qualify for all of them. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/18/calculating-costs-benefits-electrolux-memphis/

Wanted: schools close to home (Tennessean/Gonzalez)

Rapid growth brings calls to build neighborhood facilities Around 8:15 a.m. each school day, students and their parents pad onto the grounds of Nolensville Elementary School on a walking path connected to their nearby neighborhood. The path, also popular for scooters and bikes, is a source of pride for school and town officials who worked together to get funds for it. About the same time the walkers are arriving, a line of cars forms, and 6

school staffers wave their arms to coax parents along. Children know to exit their minivans quickly. How many kids walk and how many ride buses and cars is just one consequence of school placement decisions that Middle Tennessee schools have been making rapidly. Williamson and Rutherford counties have led the way by opening 12 new schools since 2007, with more construction under way and scheduled. The pace of building has increased the urgency of transportation, health, environmental and historic preservation groups seeking changes in where schools are built. Theyre pushing back against the trend of putting big schools on large land plots far from students homes. Instead, they see long-term cost savings, health benefits and reduced burdens on infrastructure and roads if schools can be anchored to neighborhoods where more students can walk to them. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110918/NEWS04/309180026/Wanted-schools-close-home?odyssey=tab| topnews|text|News

Knox leaders Sentinel/McCoy)

tour

turnaround

Cincinnati

schools

(Knoxville

News-

One of the first things that Craig Hockenberry noticed when he took over as principal of Oyler School was the number of high-school age students in the community who weren't in school. "What happened is our kids left us after sixth grade and 86 percent of them never made it to a 10th grade seat," Hockenberry told a group of Knox County leaders on Friday. "They would leave our school and they might make it a week or two at one of the high schools, but they just didn't feel comfortable outside of their neighborhood." Then school officials sat down with supporters and partners to answer the question: "W hat can we do?" The ultimate answer would turn into the model the school is using today. As a community learning center, with the help of community partners, the school has become the hub of its neighborhood from its full-service health clinic and an eye care center to serving three meals daily. "We had to partner with other organizations and other folks to help us meet all of the needs. It was a grassroots effort," Hockenberry said. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/18/knox-leaders-tour-turnaround-cincinnati-schools/

OPINION Free-Press Editorial: Facing economic crisis realistically (Times Free-Press)

The contrast between Tennessee's and Washington's handling of the economic crisis could not be any clearer. Faced with high unemployment and a $14.7 trillion federal debt, the president and many in Congress think the solution is to borrow more money, raise taxes and try to spend and "stimulate" our way to job creation. The failure of the last stimulus to boost employment does not deter them in the least. But in Tennessee, Gov. Bill Haslam is taking a different approach. He recognizes that Washington is not a limitless source of money, and he realizes that federal funds which are given can be taken away. So he ordered state agencies to take a hard look at their budgets and prepare for the possibility that federal funds coming to Tennessee may be cut by as much as 30 percent in coming months and years. Unlike the president and Democrats in Congress, Haslam is not looking to have state lawmakers impose huge tax increases. Also unlike the federal government, Tennessee is bound by its constitution to balance its budget. So our state will not be piling up deficits year after year the way Washington has. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/18/0918-f5-fp2-facing-economic-crisis-realistically/? opinionfreepress 7

Editorial: Pass new NCLB (Jackson Sun)

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and three Republican colleagues introduced legislation to update and improve the No Child Left Behind Act. The proposal is similar to one put forth by Democrats and closely resembles recommendations from the Obama administration. It is past time to update NCLB. We finally appear to have important legislation that all sides can agree on. The proposals should be debated, open to compromise and passed as quickly as possible. For the past 10 years, education has been changing faster than the federal legislation that governs it. Alexander is the former governor of Tennessee, former president of the University of Tennessee and a former U.S. secretary of education. He knows a thing or two about education. He is the ideal national leader to push for changes to NCLB. He is joined in the legislation by Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.). Democrats filing similar legislation include Sen. Tom Harkin (DIowa) and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.). The Obama administration and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan also support updating NCLB. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20110918/OPINION01/109180309/Pass-new-NCLB

Editorial: Commission turns effort to redistrict into sham (Daily News Journal)
The process for drawing new Rutherford County Commission districts was flawed from the beginning, and the actions of county commissioners proved it, especially the rush to judgment. Instead of allowing the County Election Commission to formulate new districts as required by federal law following the 2010 census, county commissioners opted to set up their own panel to complete the task for the next decade with them in control. This turned redistricting into a political game in which maps and seats were tossed around like a worn-out football. Most disappointing is the fact that the 11-member Redistricting Committee, which was made up of seven commissioners, two election commissioners, a citizen-at-large and the election administrator, failed to take a thorough look at any option other than a 21-district plan instead of looking at proposals for 14 or 24 seats. That left the full commission with little choice Thursday and Rutherford County voters with the status quo, based largely on the desire of county commissioners to hold on to their seats. http://www.dnj.com/article/20110918/OPINION01/109180307/Commission-turns-effort-redistrict-into-sham

Gail Kerr: Here goes the judge, but she'll still be colorful (Tennessean)
Circuit Court judge and flamboyant local character Barbara Haynes was quoted in 1997 that her work on the bench feeds my soul. The day it does not is the day I leave. That day will be Nov. 15, when she will retire, Haynes announced last week. It shocked the Metro Courthouse crowd and sparked a flood of speculation: Will she run for mayor in four years? Try to take control of the state Democratic Party? Is she facing a health challenge? Is she rebelling at plans to convert her court to hear only divorce cases? The outspoken judge whos been roasted, toasted and lauded says none of the above. Its just time, said Haynes, 74. I am anxious to see what the new Barbara wants to do. She plans to restore her Gallatin farm, putter around her Goodlettsville home, and write a book. And thats all she will say. But the timing is curious. By retiring now, she gives a sitting Republican governor his first crack at appointing someone to the Nashville judiciary. Why? Haynes is known to be rooting for her friend, attorney Marsh Nichols, to succeed her. Have Gov. Bill Haslam and Haynes talked? The judge wouldnt comment. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110918/COLUMNIST0101/309180034/Gail-Kerr-Here-goes-judge-she-llstill-colorful?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|p

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