SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011 Ground broken for 160M Olin facility (Cleveland Daily Banner)

Olin Chlor Alkali Products broke ground Friday on a state-of-the-art membrane cell manufacturing facility at its Charleston plant. The $160 million facility is scheduled for completion by the end of 2012. The new plant will have a production capacity of 200,000 tons. It will produce chlorine, caustic soda, potassium hydroxide and related productsTennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said in a press release, Olin is a well-respected corporate citizen in Bradley County, and we appreciate the companys continued commitment to and investment in the community. Established Tennessee companies such as Olin provide a solid foundation on which our states economy will continue to grow. Tennessee Economic Community Development Assistant Commissioner of Existing Industry Kingsley Brock described Olin as a magnet. http://www.clevelandbanner.com/view/full_story/14799787/article-Ground-broken-for--160M-Olin-facility? instance=homesecondleft

Olin breaks ground on new chemical plant in Tenn. (Associated Press)

Chemical manufacturer Olin Chlor Alkali Products broke ground this week on a new manufacturing facility in Charleston valued at $160 million that will allow the company to produce chlorine, caustic soda and other products without mercury. Olin has had a plant in Charleston for almost 50 years, but the presence of mercury created environmental concerns. The company announced last year they would build a new facility at the site to change production techniques. Olin Corp. President Frank Chirumbole told employees, retirees and company officials on Friday during the ground breaking that the time had come to update their manufacturing processes. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports the new facility will expand the plant's production of potassium hydroxide, a component of food processing, fertilizers, herbicides, soaps, detergents and airplane de-icing fluids. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37042783.story

MLK's daughter to speak (Tennessean)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s daughter will speak Thursday at Lipscomb University about at-risk youths achieving success. Bernice A. King will be the keynote speaker for the Youth Life Foundation of Tennessees Women and Girls Benefit Luncheon, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Allen Arena, 1 University Park Drive. Crissy Haslam, first lady of Tennessee, and Anne Davis, first lady of Nashville, also will attend. To purchase tickets, visit www.yllc.org/. All proceeds will benefit Youth Life Learning Centers. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110724/NEWS01/307240049/The-week-ahead-MLK-s-daughter-speak

Pick Tennessee Press/Higgins)

slogan

still

going

strong

(Chattanooga

Times

Free-

This summer is the 25th anniversary of the Tennessee Department of Agricultures Pick Tennessee marketing slogan. The phrase, seen on banners and stickers across the region wherever local produce is on sale, is a reminder to support local growers and eat well, too. To celebrate the anniversary, the state agriculture departments marketers are touring some farmers markets. Last week they were in Athens, Tenn., where a new downtown market is now open. The Athens market was approved through the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Programs Farmers Market Capital Development Grant to receive cost-share funding in the amount of $100,000. That money is for an open-air, covered pavilion. Athens also has received another grant for $2,500 for signs and a community tree planting grant for $9,661. Twenty-five years ago the marketing division was new and looking for a way to brand Tennessee products, said spokeswoman Casey Mahoney. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/24/pick-tennessee-slogan-still-going-strong/?local

Education commission endorses Lambuth transfer (Associated Press)

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission staff is recommending approval for the University of Memphis to use the Lambuth University campus in Jackson as a satellite campus. The 168-year-old United Methodist campus closed in June after years of financial difficulties and the loss of its academic accreditation. Its board of directors accepted a $7.9 million proposal by a coalition of local entities in Jackson to acquire the campus for transfer to the University of Memphis. The recommendation reported Saturday by The Commercial Appeal now goes to the THEC board for expected approval at a meeting on Thursday. The Tennessee Board of Regents will also consider the transfer at a meeting on Friday. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37043761.story

Education Commission recommends transfer of Lambuth (C. Appeal/Locker)

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission staff is recommending approval of the acquisition of the Lambuth University campus in Jackson for use as a branch of the University of Memphis. The recommendation now goes to the THEC board for expected approval at its summer quarterly meeting Thursday, then to a specially called meeting of the Tennessee Board of Regents on Friday. The THEC evaluation and the approval of both higher education governing boards are required steps outlined in the state budget amendment that appropriates $5 million this year and another $6 million over the next three years to help subsidize U of M operating expenses on the Lambuth campus while enrollment gradually builds. The steps underway in Nashville are part of a final round of state and local governmental approvals for the acquisition of the Lambuth campus in central Jackson. The Jackson City Council will vote Aug. 2 and the Madison County Commission on Aug. 4 on their parts of the deal. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jul/23/education-commission-endorses-transfer-lambuth-cam/

UT fee hike to help fund updates (Knoxville News-Sentinel/Boehnke)

Money going toward facility improvements A dilapidated chemistry lab more than 35 years old will greet some 2,000 University of Tennessee students this fall with outdated fume hoods and rundown experiment stations. The lab is one of the only spaces designated for undergraduate chemistry classes and is by far the largest. "You have to have proper facilities to achieve that success," said chemistry department head Chuck Feigerle, referring to the university's goal to become a top 25 school. At an increased charge of $200 per student, the university is creating a pool of money $4.8 million annually to update the labs as well as tackle other classroom upgrades, roof replacements, heating and cooling system repairs, and years of other deferred maintenance on campus buildings. That facilities fee increase and additional $40 per year raise to the programs and services fee bring this year's total mandatory student fees to $1,172. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jul/23/ut-fee-hike-to-help-fund-updates/

McPhee: University 'here to educate' (Daily News Journal)

The notion of paying college athletes was already a hot topic before publicized incidents at Ohio State, Auburn, and yes, even MTSU, sent the debate into another stratosphere. And then came Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive's edict last week that hinted at a division between college football-playing schools that could provide more cost-of-attendance funds to student-athletes and those schools fiscally unable to do so. MTSU President Sidney McPhee, a member of the Division I NCAA Board of Directors the association's rulemaking body will attend a special NCAA presidential retreat on Aug. 9-10 to discuss the pay-for-play debate among other topics. McPhee is vehemently opposed to any idea of paying student-athletes for performance. But he would like to explore adding to NCAA-provided welfare funds to help student-athletes with additional financial needs. http://www.dnj.com/article/20110724/NEW S01/107240324/McPhee-University-here-educate-?odyssey=tab| topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

3,500 TN felons, even killers, have phoned-in oversight (Tennessean/Haas)

He was convicted of manslaughter in the shooting death of a man in a Nashville Kroger parking lot, beating an ex-girlfriend and possessing cocaine. And, when released on parole, he was arrested at least six times in his first 2 years of supervision. Yet somehow, the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole deemed Anthony Ussery, 30, a perfect candidate for a new supervisory system in which criminal offenders are allowed to make a monthly call to a computerized telephone menu instead of dealing directly with a parole officer. To alleviate crushing caseloads that have hurt the agencys ability to supervise criminals, the Tennessee Board of Probation and 2

Parole over the past 19 months has shifted nearly 3,500 felons to the telephone supervision system. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110724/NEWS03/307240093/3-500-TN-felons-even-killers-phonedoversight?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

TEAM results may take time (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Carroll)

The state has answers for the families surprised by the closing of Chattanooga's primary therapeutic program for intellectually and developmentally disabled Tennesseans: Go to the Department of Education if you're a child and apply for TennCare if you're an adult. The obvious question: Are those state agencies prepared to handle thousands of new cases when money and resources are tight? Yes, they say, but not without delay. On July 13, the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities declined to fully fund a $774,000 diagnostic and evaluation program at TEAM Centers Inc., a Chattanooga nonprofit that treats mentally disabled residents. The reduction of the grant was part of a statewide budget cuts. The TEAM program shuts down Aug. 15, officials have said. For parents with young children -- from birth through age 2 -- the Tennessee Early Intervention System might be an option. Run through the Department of Education, the system educates parents and refers them to appropriate providers and vendors, said Amanda Morris, a department spokeswoman. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/24/0724-b1-team-results-may-take-time/?local

Velsicol site plan angers residents (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Sohn)

Two months before completion of a health risk study on Velsicol pollution in South Chattanooga, state regulators say the company doesn't need to do any more cleanup but should put a deeper layer of dirt on its former pesticide and herbicide manufacturing site on Central Avenue. The permit modification by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation angers people who live and work nearby. "I'm very disappointed," said community organizer Elizabeth Tallman-Gazaway. "I don't think the final permit is at all protective of health, and my understanding was that they would slow down the permit while they are still working on the health risk assessment," said Gazaway, executive assistant and development director of Bethlehem Center on 38th Street, about 10 blocks from the plant. "I don't know why Velsicol is in such a hurry to get out of town," she said. The site is known to hold 36 carcinogenic pollutants in amounts above allowable industrial screening levels. Aside from the permit modification, the overall state permit that governs the site is due to expire in September. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/24/velsicol-site-plan-angers-residents/?local

Companies spend big bucks to lobby legislators in Nashville (N-S/Humphrey)

AT&T, cable group top list of big spenders The private interests hiring Tennessee lobbyists are spending more money to influence the state legislature than the public spends to operate it, a News Sentinel analysis indicates. In the five years since state law was changed to require limited reporting of compensation paid to lobbyists and some other expenditures for lobbying, the total of disclosed expenditures is between $88.9 million and $232.1 million. The state's leading spender on lobbying is AT&T, which has spent between $5,650,000 and $6,440,000 over the five-year period. That's just ahead of the runner-up, Tennessee Cable Television Association. A substantial chunk of the telecommunications giant's lobbyist spending came in pushing a bill that allowed AT&T to enter the cable television business, with the cable TV association opposing that effort. The bill passed in 2008 and AT&T had 29 registered lobbyists in that year, compared to 19 for the 2011 legislative session. This year's big lobbying fight for AT&T was the successful push for passage of a bill reducing the fees it pays small, local telephone companies for access to their lines. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jul/23/companies-spend-big-bucks-to-lobby-legislators/

Some advocacy avoids Tennessee lobbying label (News-Sentinel/Humphrey)

Education, not specific bills, stressed After a tentative move in 2008 to require more people advocating positions on legislation to register as lobbyists, the Tennessee Ethics Commission has retreated to interpret state law so that some can avoid disclosure of expenses related to influencing lawmakers. Such interpretations may have further softened the scope of Tennessee's laws on lobbying, which a recent national study found lacking in some respects in disclosure of lobbyist spending. During this year's legislative session, for example, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research staunchly advocated tort reform as Gov. Bill Haslam was pushing the idea in the General Assembly. The group set up a website named focus577.org, based on the premise advanced by a TCRP study declaring that tort reform would produce 577 new jobs per week in Tennessee. It aired radio commercials and erected billboards statewide urging citizens to contact their legislators in support of tort reform. The website asked visitors to sign a petition to lawmakers. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jul/23/some-advocacy-avoids-tennessee-lobbying-label/ 3

Wining, dining: (NS/Humphrey)

Rules

change

but

lobbyists

still

treat

TN

legislators

Lobbyist-linked companies and organizations have spent more than $558,000 on events providing food and drink to state legislators this year, a record since enactment of a law requiring disclosure of free wining and dining for lawmakers. But that total is possibly a pittance compared to lobbyist spending in bygone days when expensive meals and free-flowing liquor were a routine part of the legislative lifestyle. At least until 1975, for example, legislators could drop by a liquor store near the state Capitol, collect all the alcoholic beverages they wanted and have the bill automatically charged to the account of liquor lobbyist Tom "Golden Goose" Hensley, according to multiple reports at the time. Asked about that recently, Hensley, now senior member of the state's lobbyist corps, said: "I don't remember that." But he did recall that Sen. Douglas Henry, D-Nashville, senior member of today's General Assembly, was a lobbyist for an insurance company that owned the Grand Ole Opry before he became a senator in 1971. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jul/23/wining-dining-rules-change-but-lobbyists-still/

Shipley, Ford dismiss claims of misconduct in license dispute (Times-News)

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into whether state lawmakers committed misconduct advocating for three nurses. The licenses of the three nurses Bobby Reynolds II, Tina Killebrew and David Stout Jr. were suspended by the state nursing board on March 11, 2010, for a "pattern of negligence or in competence" related to dispensing drugs and contributing to the deaths of two patients at the now-closed Appalachian Medical Center in Johnson City. On May 5, 2011, the state agreed to a consent order reinstating those licenses. It was signed by a state legal counsel, the acting chair of the state nursing board, and the nurses lawyers. And now the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into whether state lawmakers committed misconduct advocating for those nurses. State Rep. Dale Ford couldnt remember the date, but he recalled a meeting in his Nashville office with two top-level state officials to discuss the fate of three nurses suspended by the Tennessee Board of Nursing. http://www.timesnews.net/article/9034172/shipley-ford-dismiss-claims-of-misconduct-in-license-dispute

Republicans criticized for in-session fundraiser (Associated Press)

A campaign watchdog group and Democrats are criticizing Republicans for accepting thousands of dollars from special interests and lobbying firms at a fundraiser this spring despite a ban on in-session fundraising. The event was held March 31 at the mansion of Republican Gov. Bill Haslam. Drew Rawlins, executive director of the Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance, told the Chattanooga Times Free Press the fundraiser was legal. "You can do that all day long," Rawlins said. W hile lawmakers can't accept contributions during the legislative session, he said political parties can raise funds to pay for party operations and certain political activity, such as rent and salaries as well as get-out-the-vote activities and even television ads, so long as they do not expressly support or oppose a particular candidate. Haslam spokesman David Smith said "the event was not out of the ordinary." State parties, elected state officials and political action committees were required last week to file their disclosures for the first half of the year ending June 30. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37044489.story

Arriola's wedding cash was off book (Tennessean/Rau)

State law requires income disclosure Davidson County Clerk John Arriola did not disclose, as required by state law, thousands of dollars in extra income he pocketed from performing marriages, another misstep by the disgraced politician once viewed as a potential mayoral or congressional candidate. Local elected officials are required by law to list sources of income on disclosure forms filed annually with the Tennessee Ethics Commission. Arriolas forms dating to 2008 list his income from his Metro salary, but not the additional cash he received from conducting wedding ceremonies for couples in Davidson County. The practice of pocketing the cash which Arriola says was a gratuity but critics say was actually an illegal fee was uncovered in a series of stinging reports by WTVF NewsChannel 5 reporter Phil Williams. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation. District Attorney Torry Johnson, who forwarded information to TBI, said he believes the marriage ceremony practice could be part of the TBI probe. The county clerk sells license plates and marriage licenses and does other government business for Metro. 4

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110724/NEWS0202/307240066/Arriola-s-wedding-cash-off-book? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Fincher wrongly reported source of campaign loan (Associated Press)

Members of the Federal Election Commission agreed that West Tennessee U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher improperly reported a loan for his campaign last year, but they deadlocked on whether he should be penalized. Fincher, a first-term Republican, was accused of misreporting the source of a $250,000 loan as coming from his personal funds, rather than from Gates Banking and Trust Co. He later filed new information showing the loan was obtained from the bank. According to documents released last week by the commission, all six commissioners voted to find reason to believe that the Fincher Committee misreported the source of its campaign funds. Republican members of the panel said Fincher, a gospel singer, should just be cautioned, but Democratic members wanted to impose a light penalty. The Commission has a duty to ensure the accurate and complete public disclosure of the source of campaign funds, they wrote. The final vote on whether he should be penalized was 3-3, and members later voted 5-1 to close the case. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110724/NEWS02/307240092/Fincher-wrongly-reported-source-campaignloan?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Park ranger wins Nashville federal gun case (Associated Press)

A federal judge has ruled in favor of a park ranger in Nashville who seized a firearm being carried by a man at a state park in 2009. U.S. District Judge W illiam J. Haynes Jr. found that ranger Steve Ward did not violate Second Amendment rights when he seized a loaded AK-47 pistol from Leonard S. Embody of Brentwood, Tenn. Embody had claimed he had a permit for the weapon, which was a legal handgun. W ard argued that Embody posed a threat to others. Similar issues in the case are still being litigated in state courts. A trial is set for Nov. 9 before Chancellor Russell Perkins unless it's dismissed before then. Embody was carrying the pistol across his chest while walking around Radnor Lake State Park in Nashville. The state eventually took away his permit to carry a firearm. Embody has also been stopped by police at least three other times in similar incidents. Last year police in the suburb of Belle Meade detained him after he walked down the street with a .44-caliber black powder revolver in his hand. Gun rights activists have criticized Embody, saying his provocative style hurts their cause. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37042415.story

Video of a Lethal Injection Reopens Questions on the Privacy of Executions (NYT)

As Andrew Grant DeYoung died by lethal injection in a prison in Jackson, Ga., on Thursday night, a video camera watched silently. The camera recorded his last words Im sorry for everyone Ive hurt and his eyes blinking as the drugs took effect. It registered his last breaths and the time of his death: 8:04 p.m. For decades in the United States, what goes on inside the execution chamber has been largely shrouded from public view, glimpsed only through the accounts of journalists and other witnesses. But the video recording of Mr. DeYoungs death, the first since 1992, has once again raised the possibility that executions might be made available for all to see. In the process, it has reignited a widespread debate about how bright a light to shine on one of the most secretive corners of the criminal justice system. Legal experts say the decision by Judge Bensonetta Tipton Lane of Fulton County Superior Court to allow the taping in Mr. DeYoungs case opens the way for defense lawyers across the country to push for the video documentation of other executions. And it is inevitable, many experts believe, that some of those recordings will make their way onto television or even YouTube, with or without the blessings of a court. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/us/24video.html? _r=1&ref=todayspaper (SUBSCRIPTION)

IQT's demise brings review (Tennessean/Ward)

In eagerness to land jobs, are prospects not being well vetted? W hen IQT Solutions came knocking on Nashvilles door this summer with a promise to create 900 jobs, land high-profile clients and boost the office market near downtown, city leaders jumped to offer incentives worth $1.6 million. W ith the deal unraveling last week, though, critics are raising questions about whether city and state officials do enough to evaluate new business prospects, or whether theyre so hungry to land jobs in hard times that tax money gets committed without a proper financial review. Clearly, if they were dealing with a private investment, they would have vetted it much more thoroughly than they did and it just reinforces our groups position about ending corporate 5

welfare, said Ben Cunningham of Tennessee Tax Revolt, a group that argues against wasteful government spending. But some local leaders who courted the IQT call center and headquarters operations shrug off the fact that the company collapsed just five weeks after announcing it would move here; create 100 jobs as soon as Aug. 1; and bring along Apple, the high-tech giant, as a potential client. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110724/BUSINESS01/307220099/IQT-s-demise-brings-review? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Classrooms could power Hickory Hollow rebirth (Tennessean/DeVille)

Nashville State, charter school look to fill empty retail space A struggling Nashville mall is looking to an unusual savior education to attract traffic to its retail businesses. By next year, Hickory Hollow Mall could be first in the country to house an alternative high school, a community college and a charter school. Its following a national trend of filling vacancies with tenants not typically found in shopping centers. The remaining merchants get foot traffic. The fastest-growing community in Nashville gets an educational center. Its a model Charity Woods hopes will restore the bustling Hickory Hollow Mall she experienced as a teen. She lives in Antioch and works at the mall as a counselor for The Academy at Hickory Hollow, which helps students ages 17-21 finish high school. It was the best mall to come and shop at, she said. It was full of great stores with quality clothes, and you would be able to find pretty much anything. The vibrant mall suffered a major blow in the late 1990s. Crime coupled with competition of suburban retailers left a wave of retail vacancies, and hordes of shoppers left, too. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110724/NEWS04/307240074/Classrooms-could-power-Hickory-Hollowrebirth?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

'Virtual school' in Tennessee may drain taxpayer funds (C. Appeal/Locker)

High enrollment expected for online studies State officials are anxious to see how many students across Tennessee enroll in a public "virtual school" run by a for-profit Virginia company -- and how much state taxpayer money automatically follows them. Sales teams for K12 Inc. on Friday completed a two-week sales blitz, holding information meetings in a dozen towns and cities for families interested in the new Tennessee Virtual Academy. Enrollment deadline for the new school year is today. Corporate spokesman Jeff Kwitowski said Friday he didn't have enrollment numbers yet, but that "interest is high. Demand for online public schools is strong in Tennessee as it is in every state." Critics say K12 Inc., whose lobbyists pushed a virtual-school bill through to passage in the closing minutes of the state legislature in May, doesn't have to pay for school buildings, libraries, buses and ball fields. But for each student enrolled, the state is obligated to send at least $5,387 to Union County Public Schools, the small rural district northeast of Knoxville that rushed to contract with K12 to operate the new virtual school. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jul/24/virtual-school-may-drain-tax-funds/

Despite Mem. schools spat, kids, family come for pre-K orientation (CA/Patterson)
There may be no group of students more devastated by a delayed school start than the 4,000-plus 4-year-olds entering prekindergarten this year in the Memphis City Schools system. And Saturday, thousands of them toddled into Memphis Cook Convention Center for their orientation, a jamboree of face painting, balloon animals, carousels and moon bounces. Including the parents, grandparents and siblings at the event, Downtown easily saw 15,000 Memphians anticipating the new school term. "We had parents here at 5:45 this morning. We had some here on June 23 instead of July -- it's been unbelievable," said Dr. Caroline Harvey, MCS pre-K director. Harvey provided folks with information about curriculum and class size, but she wasn't able to tell the masses when to drop their children off for the first day of classes. The MCS board is deadlocked with the City Council over funding for the 2011-12 academic year, and a threatened postponement has yet to be resolved. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jul/24/rarin-to-go/

Drug sting hits stores selling bath salts (State Gazette)

Dyer County Sheriff Jeff Box has developed a new tool to fight drugs and illegal prescription narcotics abuse in Dyer County. The tool comes in the formation of the new Dyer County Sheriff's Narcotics Unit that will take an additional tough stance and attack drug abuse and trafficking. On Thursday, the unit made a test run as they performed an undercover sting operation on local businesses selling illegal over-the-counter synthetic drugs. Some are marketed as bath salts and others are a form of synthetic marijuana. Box said these products pose a hazard and have been plaguing the county for months. After undercover buys were made from multiple convenience stores throughout Dyer County, newly assigned deputies to the narcotics unit went back to the 6

stores and seized the drugs and charged the business owners and clerks for selling the illegal substances. At the end of the day, three stores were raided and the illegal product and any items deemed as drug paraphernalia were confiscated. http://www.stategazette.com/story/1746494.html

Gibson Co. authorities share meth lab cleanup resources (Jackson Sun)
Several law enforcement agencies in West Tennessee have pooled their resources to handle cleanup of methamphetamine labs after federal funding that had been used for cleanup was depleted suddenly in February. Weakley County Sheriff Mike Wilson and Obion County Sheriff Jerry Vastbinder purchased a hazardous materials container and drafted a memorandum of understanding to allow other law enforcement agencies to make use of it. Under the memorandum, participating agencies were required to send officers to hazardous material handling training to be able to use and process meth labs with a container program. After the training was completed, Dave McGriff, director of the West Tennessee Drug Task Force, met with Gibson County Sheriff Chuck Arnold and the chiefs of police for Milan, Trenton and Humboldt. All agreed to use assets from their drug seizure funds to maintain the supplies needed to process meth labs. In June, all agents and officers of the task force resumed efforts on meth lab enforcement and cleanup, according to a news release. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20110724/NEWS01/107240341/Gibson-Co-authorities-share-meth-labcleanup-resources

OPINION Guest columnist: Teacher evaluations will raise the bar (Commercial Appeal)
This month the National Education Association approved a policy statement on teacher evaluation that is a vital departure from its previous position. Highlighting the importance of teacher evaluations in ensuring teaching quality and student success, the NEA -- of which the Memphis Education Association is an affiliate -- called for thorough, consequential teacher evaluations and cracked open the door to measurements of teachers' impact on student learning. Memphis City Schools is already well on its way. As new, more rigorous evaluation plans are negotiated across the country, districts would be wise to follow its lead. MCS is in the process of implementing a bold new Teacher Effectiveness Measurement -- a plan that was created with teacher involvement in every step of the process. I love teaching, and I hold myself to standards that are as high as my expectations for my students at Craigmont High School. But under Memphis' old evaluation system, I have been observed as part of the evaluation process only once since I earned tenure six years ago. And no one has ever included a measure of my students' learning in my evaluation. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jul/24/my-thoughts-teacher-evaluations-will-raise-the/

Columnist: Rules skew charter schools' reality (Commercial Appeal)

7

Rules. W e refer to them all the time to straighten out problems and to set common standards. Mostly, that's good. We all need to obey signs that tell us when to walk, when to stop or when to take shelter in a storm. Kids stay out too late? Impose the home-by-12 rule, no exceptions. Employee slacking on the job? Instill quotas, check-ins and quarterly evaluations. It all sounds good. Except when the rules don't work. The limitations of rule obedience stand at the center of the messy issue of whether three so-called "failing" Memphis charter schools truly are failing and therefore should be closed in the next three weeks, with the result of putting 1,475 students out of their classrooms and headed God knows where. Let's get one thing straight. The three charter schools aren't failing. In truth, the Promise Academy in North Memphis, the Memphis Business Academy in Frayser and the Memphis Academy of Science and Engineering in the city's Medical Center are getting higher achievement out of their students than dozens of other public schools in Memphis. Three examples: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jul/24/inside-the-newsroom-rules-skew-charter-schools/

Editorial: Addressing unemployment should be job No. 1 for Haslam admin. (J. Sun)
Two things are up in Tennessee in recent months; one is tax revenue, the other is unemployment. The first is good news, the second is disappointing. The relationship between the two statistics is that the Haslam administration should go slow when it comes to spending the extra revenue and work harder to get the governor's Jobs4TN program to generate new jobs. State tax revenue has been above projections for several months. The extra income has attracted interested parties like ants to a summer picnic. Several groups already are looking for ways to spend the extra cash. A group of Democrats submitted a bill for consideration in next year's General Assembly to use the extra funds to increase college scholarships and reduce the state's sales tax on food. Now is not the time to look for more ways for the state to spend money. The economy remains fragile and the latest unemployment numbers are discouraging. We urge lawmakers and the Haslam administration to resist the temptation to spend any extra funds. Instead, they should be added to the state's rainy day fund. The state nearly ran out of unemployment funds last year. The latest unemployment numbers don't reassure us that couldn't happen again. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20110724/OPINION01/107240315/Addressing-unemployment-should-job-No1-Haslam-administration

Times Editorial: Texas, California pinch Amazon (Times Free-Press)

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam may think hes calmed the controversy over Amazons unfair refusal to collect sales taxes on purchases by Tennesseans when it opens its two planned distribution centers here. But he hasnt. That controversy is intensifying in two of the nations largest states Texas and California. Reverberations from events there will ricochet here. Amazon announced less than two weeks ago that it would mount an initiative in California to put a statewide referendum on the ballot to let voters decide whether the state should be allowed to require online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases made by their states residents. The announcement, a month after California adopted a law requiring online retailers to collect sales taxes on in-state purchases, predictably ignited debate at all levels. State and local officials and brick-and-mortar retailers, who reasonably argue that its unfair to allow the soaring online retail business to operate in a sales-tax-free milieu, are outraged by Amazons proposal and threatened by the possibility that it might pass. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/24/texas-california-pinch-amazon/?opiniontimes

Columnist: Uncollected Internet sales tax unfair (Knoxville News-Sentinel)

You may have noticed that the Internet is everywhere. We bank, watch movies and read newspapers on the Web. W e use smartphones to check stock prices and school schedules. We can all agree that the Internet is not a fad. We should also agree it's now time for the Net to grow up. It's time to end the free tax ride that online retailers enjoy. Billions of dollars are at stake. Support for a national solution to make it easier for states to require online retailers to collect sales taxes has grown in recent years. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Congress is inclined to tackle the issue anytime soon, judging from comments from some of Tennessee's delegation. U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., R-Knoxville, is "still studying the issue and wants to look into it further," a spokesman said. U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., "is aware of the complex issues involved with state sales taxes and online commerce. He is currently reviewing options for addressing the problem and will consider legislation when it is introduced in the Senate," according to an email statement. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jul/23/uncollected-internet-sales-tax-unfair/

Editorial: Racial gap hinders academic progress (Tennessean)

Schools can do more to bring minorities into advanced coursework Just the perception of a racial divide existing in politics, athletics, entertainment or even the corporate world can send an ugly message. But its even more troubling when racial and ethnic disparities are found in education. A good education, after all, is what it takes for most people to reach success in life. The U.S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights tracked minority student trends at more than 72,000 schools in 2009-10, to be included in a report known as the Civil Rights Data Collection. The report shows many of Middle Tennessees minorities are in classrooms led by inexperienced teachers, and relatively few of those students seek out high-level courses. It doesnt mean those students are less capable or arent interested in higher achievement. Some individuals in this country still believe that the achievement gap exists because children of certain backgrounds namely, low-income or minority children are inherently less capable than others, Jason Kamras, the 2005 National Teacher of the Year, has written. Nothing could be more false. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110724/OPINION01/307240040/Racial-gap-hinders-academic-progress? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

Guest columnist: More diversity is vital to programs (Tennessean)

The enrollment and growth of numbers of students enrolled in and completing Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses results from establishing a culture in the school of the need and importance for students to enroll in such courses, as well as those students seeing that their peers are successful in the classes. This is true for all students, not just minorities. Fifteen years ago, Williamson County schools enrolled fewer than 500 students in AP classes. Today, that number exceeds 3,000 enrollments. Yes, it is true that the number of students has grown (Williamson County has doubled the student population during those 15 years); however, you can see that while the total school enrollment has doubled, the number of students enrolled in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses has increased sixfold. It is also true that Williamson County needs to increase the numbers of minority students enrolled in those courses. We did not break down the number of minority enrollments 15 years ago, so it is not possible to compare growth in minority enrollments. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110724/OPINION03/307240041/More-diversity-vital-programs? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

Guest columnist: Action steps can close racial gap (Tennessean)

The pervasive achievement gap is the greatest problem facing schools. Racially segregated gifted and Advanced Placement classes contribute to the gap. Nationally, blacks are underrepresented by almost 50 percent (some 250,000 students) in gifted programs and denied an appropriate education. Locally, the percentages are also disturbing. Horace Mann said that education is the greatest equalizer. W hen we open doors to gifted and AP classes, this idea and ideal can be achieved: 1. Increase accountability. Educators and families blame each other for poor student performance; neither takes responsibility. Students are caught in the middle. Honest selfappraisal on how we as educators and parents are failing black and Hispanic students is the first step. 2. Adhere to gifted and AP goals. Both are often used to entice high-income families to districts and to prevent white flight. This is not the purpose of either. Gifted education is designed to meet students needs. AP classes were not designed for gifted students, yet this is the most common way they are used. AP classes are and were designed for students interested in taking college preparation classes regardless of grades, test scores, income and race. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110724/OPINION03/307240042/Action-steps-can-close-racial-gap? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

Guest columnist: Transform rural Tenn. by improving public education (J. Sun)
The recession has hit hard in rural Tennessee. While statewide unemployment hovers at 9.8 percent, in the past year a few of our rural counties have faced jobless rates near 20 percent. Additionally, rural poverty in Tennessee is well above the national median. In today's global economy, Bell Buckle is competing with Shanghai for the jobs of the future. The question is: what can rural communities do to improve their economic outlook and ensure job opportunities and success for their citizens? It all boils down to public education. Strategies to improve K-12 schools and boost student achievement are the key to building thriving communities. And improvement can't stop with high school. Seven of the ten fastest-growing occupations in Tennessee require some form of postsecondary education. Having an educated, skilled, and productive workforce will make it more likely that a new company will invest in Tennessee or an existing business will choose to expand its presence in our state. Yet the connection between education and rural economic health has not received the attention it 9

deserves. One-third of Tennessee's K-12 students attend schools in rural communities. These schools face different challenges than those in Nashville, Memphis, or Knoxville. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20110724/OPINION02/107240314/Transform-rural-Tennessee-by-improvingpublic-education

Gail Kerr: Abuse of power to save nurses' jobs is despicable (Tennessean)

The case of two lawmakers who are under investigation for misusing their political power underscores all that is downright distasteful, if not corrupt, in the Tennessee General Assembly. State Republican leaders make it worse when they are reluctant to spank their own. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has launched a probe into whether state Reps. Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport, and Dale Ford, R-Jonesborough, broke the law in salvaging the licenses of three nurse practitioners. The nurses, Bobby Reynolds II, David Stout Jr. and Tina Killebrew, had their licenses suspended for overprescribing pain pills. The TBI was investigating fatal overdoses at an East Tennessee clinic. They deemed it a pill mill and shuttered the doors. Shipley attended church with one of the nurses. Fords sister worked at a clinic with the nurses. During this last legislative session, the two lawmakers orchestrated a way to shut down the state Board of Nursing or strip it of all power unless the board would reconsider the three suspensions. The nurses were reinstated. The board lived on. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110724/COLUMNIST0101/307240051/Gail-Kerr-Abuse-power-savenurses-jobs-despicable?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

Craig Fitzhugh: GOP, not Dems, off mark on key issues (Daily News Journal)
While I have the utmost respect for my fellow Eagle Scout and Air Force veteran, Rep. Rick Womick, RRockvale, I have to disagree with his accusation that Tennessee Democrats have developed "amnesia." To the contrary, it seems to me that Republicans are the ones who have forgotten last years campaign, choosing instead to focus on four areas: more government mandates, attacking teachers, government salary increases and ignoring the jobs crisis. Republicans say they cut the size of government, but nothing could be further from the truth. On multiple occasions Republicans increased the size of state government through a series of big government mandates. Republicans overruled local ordinances, placed costly mandates on local law enforcement, interfered in local school consolidation efforts, dictated verdicts to juries, took local control of education from school boards, restricted associations to which professional can belong, forced gun policy on college campuses and placed a huge, unfunded burden on senior citizen voters. As you can see, Republican rhetoric simply doesn't mesh with the facts. http://www.dnj.com/article/20110724/OPINION02/107240312/Rep-Fitzhugh-GOP-not-Dems-off-mark-key-issues

Guest columnist: Support effort to repeal judge retention statute (Tennessean)

Let me say to those who do not know me. I am a friend of the U.S. and Tennessee constitutions. I was twice the Democratic nominee for governor of Tennessee. I am a lawyer who over the years has sued various Supreme Court and appellate judges claiming the statute contained in Tennessee Code Annotated 17-4-101, under which they are appointed and subsequently retention elected without opposition, is unconstitutional. The retentionelection statute authorizes the governor to fill a vacancy by appointment, followed by a retention election of all appellate judges. The statute provides: The Governor shall fill the vacancy, appointing, one (1) of the three (3) persons nominated by the judicial selection commissions. The same statute further provides that when an appointed judge runs for election to fill the unexpired term, he or she shall file a declaration of candidacy where only the name of the candidate without party designation shall be submitted to the electorate who shall vote either to retain or replace the appointed judges. However, the statute is in direct conflict with the constitutional provisions contained in Article VI, Section 3 and 4 of the Tennessee Constitution, which mandates that all judges shall be elected by the qualified voters of the state. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110724/OPINION03/307240022/Support-effort-repeal-judge-retentionstatute?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|s

Free-Press Editorial: From D.C. to Tennessee (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)

Tennessee and other states are slowly reaching an unhappy conclusion: W ashington is broke and just cannot do the things that the states are supposed to do for themselves. Nor should it try! With the drying up of the so-called stimulus funds, which were supposed to tide over state budgets until happy days are here again, it is obvious that the stimulus only delayed painful financial decisions that the states needed to make. The stimulus money is mostly gone now, but the economy has not revived. Unemployment remains at a high 9.2 percent and millions more Americans can find only part-time work or have given up seeking work altogether. So the country is deeper 10

in debt thanks to the stimulus, but many people are still unable to get the jobs they need. Gov. Bill Haslam previously noted the ineffectiveness of the stimulus to boost employment. He is clearly correct, since one of Washingtons broken promises about the stimulus was that it would hold down unemployment. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/24/from-dc-to-tennessee/?opinionfreepress

Free-Press Editorial: Bellefonte, Japan and Germany (Times Free-Press)

Suppose you had a theory that a disaster of some type might someday cause a release of radiation at a U.S. nuclear power plant, leading to thousands of deaths. But suppose you also had a historical record showing that similar disasters had not caused deadly releases of radiation. Which should you trust? The theory or the actual history? As a rule, its wiser to go with history. Well, the historical record of nuclear power in the United States shows that it has been produced safely and responsibly. So we believe that TVAs plan to complete an idled reactor at Bellefonte Nuclear Plant, near Scottsboro, Ala., southeast of Chattanooga, is sensible. Assuming TVA gets approval for the project, the Bellefonte reactor will generate enough power to supply 750,000 homes. In addition, it will produce none of the greenhouse gases that environmental activists blame for global warming. Thats important in a time when heavy federal regulation is restricting our nations ability to use coal which releases greenhouse gases to make electricity. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/24/bellefonte-japan-and-germany/?opinionfreepress ###

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