FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011 Maury County Getting Second Sekisui Plastics Facility (TN Report)

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty recently joined with Sekisui Plastics officials to announce the companys decision to locate a second manufacturing facility in Mt. Pleasant, Tenn. The Japan-based company will invest $3 million and create 25 new jobs over a four year period. We continue to focus on helping existing Tennessee businesses expand and remain competitive in our state as part of our Jobs4TN plan, and we appreciate Sekisui Plastics commitment to and investment in Maury County, Haslam said. Sekisui Plastics expansion in Mt. Pleasant is a testament to the states economic development efforts to both recruit new companies and serve our existing businesses, Hagerty said. Our department is committed to reaching Governor Haslams goal of making Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. http://www.tnreport.com/2011/09/maury-county-getting-second-sekisui-plastics-facility/

Haslam says new project helps fossil site (Associated Press)

Gov. Bill Haslam says a new project completes a "monumental effort" to preserve the Gray Fossil Site in Washington County. In a statement released in Nashville, Haslam said a recent $145,000 enhancement grant for the site helps create a unique educational opportunity for those who visit it. The site was unearthed in 2000 by a state crew cutting a road through the property. It has since produced a rich supply of animal fossils, including dozens of tapirs. Haslam said the site's visitor center in its three years of operation has welcomed more than 250,000 visitors from all 50 states and several foreign countries. The latest project represents the completion of the grounds and visitor amenities for the visitor center. East Tennessee State University operates the site. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37361115.story

State, Local Leaders Tout New ED Direction (Memphis Daily News)

Local economic development leaders told Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam this week that they are ready to make the transition from one five-year economic development to another. And state economic development commissioner Bill Hagerty said the state will remain able to respond to out-of-state prospects for jobs, but will double down on its ability to assist existing businesses in the state to expand. The doubling down represents a shift in economic development planning from former Gov. Phil Bredesens administration to the Haslam administration with Nashville-based links to local economic development efforts being phased out in favor of direct local involvement by the state. Every time I come to Memphis the news is better and better, Hagerty said as he reviewed the localization of economic development efforts into nine regions. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/sep/2/state-local-leaders-tout-new-ed-direction/

DoH encourages emergency readiness during National Preparedness Month (S-G)

Gov. Bill Haslam has declared September National Preparedness Month in Tennessee, a reminder of the priority the Volunteer State has placed on emergency preparedness. The month marking the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States offers greater significance for the observance and renews the focus on individual and family planning for emergency situations. This year's observance theme is, "A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare," with the Tennessee Department of Health issuing a call to residents to take specific steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. Through the initiative, residents are encouraged to get a kit, make a plan and be informed. Detailed information is available online at www.ready.gov"Ten years . ago, our country changed forever," said Haslam. "As a nation we promised never to forget and vowed to be prepared for the unthinkable. Recent natural disasters throughout the state are a reminder of how we need to remember to be prepared for the unpredictable events that may impact our families and communities." http://www.stategazette.com/story/1758540.html

Nashville Preps For National Preparedness Month (W TVF-TV Nashville)

The Volunteer State has been hit hard in the last 15 months by flooding, tornadoes and severe storms. That is all putting a new focus on making sure people are prepared in an emergency. W ith National Preparedness Month kicking off Thursday, Governor Bill Haslam wants Tennesseans to get onboard. This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, so the year's theme is, "A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare." This year alone, the governor sites two new federal disaster declarations in response to violent storms and more severe flooding, which now brings the total of presidential declarations to eight in a 15 month period. http://www.newschannel5.com/story/15375842/nashville-preps-for-national-preparedness-month

Local attorney named to Commission on Youth (Daily News Journal)

The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth welcomes Christy C. Sigler, a new member appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam representing the Mid-Cumberland region. Sigler, a native Knoxvillian, practices law in Murfreesboro, specializing in representing juveniles and families in juvenile court. She is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, where her accomplishments included receiving the Dean's Distinguished Service Award and writing for the Tennessee Journal of Practice and Procedure. Prior to attending law school, Sigler served in the U.S. Army as a Signals Intelligence analyst, earning two Army Commendation Medals, three Army Achievement Medals and a Good Conduct Medal. The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth is an independent state agency created by the Tennessee General Assembly. Its primary mission is to advocate for improvements in the quality of life for Tennessee children and families. http://www.dnj.com/article/20110902/NEW S01/109020323

Murfreesboro attorney joins youth board (Tennessean/Young)

Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed Christy C. Sigler to the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth in the Mid-Cumberland region. The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth was created by the Tennessee General Assembly with a primary mission to advocate for improvements in the quality of life for Tennessee children and families. Sigler, a native Knoxvillian, is a Juvenile Court attorney in Murfreesboro. Before attending law school in Memphis, she served in the U.S. Army as a signals intelligence analyst, earning two Army commendation medals, three Army achievement medals and a good conduct medal. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110902/NEWS01/309020093/Murfreesboro-attorney-joins-youth-board

Chris Barbic leaps at chance to help Tenns lowest-performing schools (TN/Young)

Chris Barbic cant sit still as he talks about his plans for Tennessees worst-performing schools. He bounces lightly in his seat, trying to explain the plan he sees so clearly in his mind before he finally grabs a marker and heads to the whiteboard in his office. As the new superintendent of the states Achievement School District, Barbic is co-managing five of the states lowest-performing schools in Memphis and Chattanooga this year. Next year, he will have to decide if he wants to continue the co-management working with the schools current districts turn the schools into charters or take them over completely. If you had asked me a year ago if I thought the state running a school was a good idea, Id have laughed, said Barbic, an Atlanta native who graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1992. The state is often seen as a big bureaucracy, basically a did we fill out the right paperwork and check all the right boxes operation. There is a lot of skepticism in the work we do. We have to gain street cred if were going to do this well. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110902/NEWS04/309020078/Chris-Barbic-leaps-chance-help-Tennessees-lowest-performing-schools?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Getting around (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Benton)

Three Southeast Tennessee towns are divvying up more than $1 million for nontraditional downtown transportation improvement projects for pedestrians and cyclists, according to officials. Benton, Decatur and Pikeville ewere awarded funding through the Tennessee Department of Transportation this week for projects to make it easier to get around by foot and on bike, officials said. The grants, which also will help pay for other downtown beautification projects, require a 20 percent local match. PIKEVILLE Pikeville received the lion's share of funding regionally -- $596,056 -- for work to extend a major ongoing downtown facelift and eventually connect 2

the courthouse square with the state Highway 30 bypass on the west side of town, Mayor Greg Johnson said. The money will fund work from Grove Street, two blocks from the courthouse, to Wheeler Avenue to total about 1,600 linear feet of sidewalk, new lighting, landscaping and signs, Johnson said. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/02/getting-around/?local

TennCare expands (Tennessean/Williams)

coverage

of

smoking

cessation

products

The Bureau of TennCare decided Thursday to follow a TennCare Pharmacy Advisory Committee recommendation to expand its preferred drug list for smoking cessation products and ease the burden some doctors have contended existed prior to the move.TennCare will now expand of its enrollees the preferred drug list to include all unique chemical entities of smoking cessation products, including varenicline, which the pubic recognizes as Chantix. The chemical entities join bupropion sustained release (generic for Zyban) and all generic nicotine products (gums, lozenges, and patches) on the preferred drug list for smoking cessation. Also, now that the Bureau of TennCare has acted, a physician will be able to prescribe to TennCare enrollees the smoking cessation drugs without going through prior authorization or step therapy (a.k.a. fail first). In addition, smokingcessation medications will not count against TennCares five-drugs-a-month restriction. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/tenncare-expands-coverage-smoking-cessation-products

Flu shots are out there already (Tennessean/Wilemon)

Should people prepare for flu season while its still flip-flop weather? Pharmacies are advertising flu shots even as temperatures near 100. Metro will begin offering them on Wednesday, before summer has ended. And the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants people to get vaccinated as soon as possible. But Dr. Scott Major with Summit Primary Care advises his patients to wait a bit. It has caused a slight degree of panic in people to see Walgreens is already giving out flu shots, Major said. The top level of immunity occurs about two weeks after vaccination, and protection lasts throughout a typical flu season. Because flu season in Tennessee does not usually peak until late January or early February, Major said he doesnt plan to start urging his patients to get the shots until later this month or early October. It is incredibly rare to see the flu before October generally, in Tennessee, not until November or December, he said. Even though this years vaccine protects against the same strains as last years, skipping the vaccine is not a risk worth taking, said Dr. Kelly Moore, medical director of immunizations for the Tennessee Department of Health. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110902/NEWS07/309010103/Flu-shots-out-there-already?odyssey=tab| topnews|text|News

Schools get grants to help storm victims (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)

Chattanooga State Community College and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga are among 30 colleges in five states to receive grants to help college students affected by the tornado outbreaks this spring, a news release stated. USA Funds, a nonprofit organization that helps Americans benefit from higher education, awarded $387,000 to higher education institutions in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. The money, available through the Disaster Relief Fund for Postsecondary Education Students, will assist lowerincome students who suffered financial hardships as a result of the tornado outbreaks in the Southeastern states from April 15 to April 28 and the May 22 tornado in Joplin, Mo. Chattanooga State received $30,000 and UTC received $8,000 to support supplemental financial aid of up to $1,000 per student to help them pay educationrelated expenses. These grants will help ensure students are not forced to drop out or interrupt their education because of financial hardships created by these natural disasters, Denise B. Feser, a USA Funds senior vice president, said in a news release. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/02/schools-get-grants-helpstorm-victims/?local

Labor Day weekend to put thousands on road (Times Free-Press/ONeil)

Chattanooga hotels are almost fully booked in preparation for the flood of motorists hopping in their cars and heading toward the Scenic City for Labor Day weekend. Its kind of a last hurrah for the season and typically its a busy time, said Bob Doak, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Convention & Visitors Bureau. It has a significant impact on the community. The Tennessee Department of Transportation is helping traffic move as smoothly as possible this weekend by putting lane closures for construction on hold from noon today until 6 a.m. Tuesday. The $2 million repair of the Loudon County Interstate 75 bridge is included in that construction suspension. Two lanes will be open in both directions to accommodate for holiday travelers and fans driving to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville for the Vols home opener Saturday against Montana. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/02/labor-day-weekend-put-thousands-road/?local 3

Harwell Forecasts Cuts to Budget, Business Regulations in 2012 (TN Report)

With four months to go before she gavels the House of Representatives back into session, Speaker Beth Harwell says she expects the Legislature to spend next year reining in the state budget and easing regulations on small businesses. Earlier this week, the Haslam administration finished drafting a contingency plan of $4.5 billion in budget cuts the state could make if federal funds to Tennessee were reduced by as much as 30 percent. Theyre never pleasant. I dont want to see them come, but everybodys got to step up to the plate, said Harwell, R-Nashville. They do give us that opportunity to take a critical look at what were doing with our money, with the taxpayers money. Gov. Bill Haslam will use the contingency plan to make the case to the three major credit bureaus that the state can weather federal budget reductions and should keep a high bond rating. The plan outlines scenarios for 15 percent and 30 percent reductions in federal funding. A Congressional super committee is brainstorming ways to save $1.2 trillion over 10 years, with a deadline of Nov. 23. http://www.tnreport.com/2011/09/harwell-forecasts-cuts-to-budget-business-regulations/

Redistricting maps may be under wraps until January (News-Sentinel/Humphrey)

While other states have completed redistricting, leaders of the process in Tennessee are just now opening the door to public input and say they may not unveil their plans for new congressional and legislative borders until January. Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester says Republicans are being slow and secretive, counter to their boasts of being efficient and transparent. Republicans in charge of election redistricting, which takes place after every census to account for population shifts, say Democrats have operated the same way for decades. They also say they haven't even really begun to work on congressional districts and that various hypothetical reapportionment plans by bloggers now getting attention should be given little credence. U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, both Democrats, were concerned enough about one such plan last week that they publicly urged state House Speaker Beth Harwell, a Republican, to block it. Harwell said the Legislature's website soon after Labor Day will provide a spot for citizens to offer comments and suggestions on reapportionment. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/02/redistricting-maps-may-be-under-wraps-until/

Jackson voters split on ID law (Jackson Sun)

Would require photo ID's in 2012 Jackson voters rendered split opinions on a new law requiring voters to bring valid photo identification to the polls in 2012. Some say the new law has been a long time coming, but others say added requirements will further discourage minority and other voters from casting ballots on election day. "I'm sure we're going to have some problems getting all our people qualified," said Norma R. Bundy, a long-time voter and community organizer. Bundy said she has been voting for about 54 years. She has also volunteered to register residents to vote. She said the new law would especially require active voters to make sure they follow through with informing residents. "It's going to weed out any of those that don't feel the responsibility is important," she said. Gayle Crocker, a District 6 city resident, said she has been voting for about 55 years and has a passport and photo identification. "It's the people that don't have a photo ID that I worry about," she said. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20110902/NEWS01/109020308/Jackson-voters-split-ID-law

Shelby County's infant mortality rate stirs plea (Commercial Appeal/Warren)

Luttrell calls on churches to help save babies; 63 have died this year, 22 in Frayser Sixty-three babies have died before reaching the age of 1 so far this year in Shelby County. At a news conference Thursday, county Mayor Mark Luttrell said the area's infant-mortality rate is an ongoing crisis. Local health officials, hospitals and nonprofit organizations have been working to save at-risk babies, but the mayor is tapping another resource -the city's churches. He's asking the faith-based community to help alert expectant mothers to the possible dangers to their babies' health and refer them to resources. "It's vital we help save the lives of babies, especially those less than a year old," the mayor's statement said. "Shelby County has one of the highest infant death rates in the country. In many cases, the young mothers did not receive or have knowledge of health services designed to help them and their babies." Luttrell said 22, or one-third, of this year's deaths have been in the Frayser area, and he issued his battle cry Thursday at Union Grove Baptist Church-James E. Smith Resource Center on Frayser Boulevard. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/02/infant-mortality-stirs-plea/

Sullivan County explores electronic monitoring of some inmates (Times-News)

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Sullivan County Sheriff Wayne Anderson and District Attorney Barry Staubus, along with others from their offices, got a glimpse Thursday of how an electronic monitoring system could be used to track inmates ordered to serve sentences at home rather than in the county jail. Afterward, Anderson said the concept of house arrest for nonviolent offenders definitely has merit. "Im very interested in it," Anderson said, but noted county prosecutors and judges are in charge of sentencing decisions and options. Staubus said electronic monitoring, as explained in a presentation by a private company that produces the technology involved, is certainly something to talk about implementing locally. Staubus said major factors would be development of a protocol for using the monitoring as an alternative to jail time, and that he would see it as needing to be developed with a target group in mind, a select group and under certain circumstances. http://www.timesnews.net/article/9035424/sullivan-county-explores-electronic-monitoring-of-some-inmates

Rep. Fleischmann quizzed about votes (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Carroll)

As U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann wrapped up the day's third "town hall" meeting and opened the floor to questions, two generations challenged their congressman. The older man began with a little praise. Bob Strange, a 79-year-old Lookout Valley man whose business card says "retired," identified himself as a conservative Republican and said he voted for Fleischmann in last year's elections. "However," he said, "unless you become reasonable, I'll be one of those who will vote against you." At Thursday's four Chattanooga meetings, Fleischmann, R-Tenn., trumpeted his votes for legislation that cleared the GOP-controlled House, but never had a prayer of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate. Specifically, Fleischmann emphasized his vote for U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan's "Path to Prosperity," which would have turned Medicare into a voucher program within 10 years. The Senate rejected Ryan's plan in a 57-40 vote. "Voting on a bill which has no chance to pass and bragging about it doesn't accomplish anything," Strange told Fleischmann. The congressman was undeterred, saying Washington endured "too many compromises over too long a period of time." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/02/rep-fleischmann-quizzed-about-votes/?local

Protesters picket local delegation offices (Knoxville News-Sentinel/Flory)

A group of protesters brought their pro-jobs message to U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. and other Republican politicians on Thursday. Approximately two dozen people gathered outside the Howard H. Baker Jr. Courthouse building, where they wielded posters and chanted slogans, urging the GOP to focus on creating jobs rather than helping corporations. Tom Anderson, who helped distribute signs reading "Hands Off Medicare!," said one purpose of the event was to fight against cuts in the federal budget. "Budget cuts have never created jobs," said Anderson. The Knoxville man cited a need for investments in priorities like infrastructure, roads and repairs, which he said create jobs. While politicians on both sides of the aisle have warned about the dangers of federal budget deficits, Anderson said he sees that issue as a red herring. "A recession is not when you work on bringing down the deficit," he said. "You work on bringing down the deficit when there's a lot of money flowing in the economy." http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/01/protesters-picket-local-delegation-offices/

FEMA freezes $30.4 million in Nashville buyouts (Nashville Business Journal)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is withholding $30.4 million in buyout packages stemming from the May 2010 flood. FEMA notified Nashville Mayor Karl Dean of the indefinite hold Thursday. According to a news release from the city, the funds will be delayed until Congress restores FEMAs funding, which has been hit by several recent natural disasters, most recently Hurricane Irene. I urge Congress to give FEMA the funds it needs so that flood victims in Nashville can get the money they have rightfully been anticipating for months now, Dean said in a release. I understand homeowners deep frustrations, and I call on Congress to act quickly. Nashvillians have already been victims of the flood. They should not also have to be victims of congressional delay. According to the release, the remaining buyout package includes 119 homes that were part of Metros Hazard Mitigation Home Buyout. A total of 225 homes were scheduled to be part of the program; Metro has closed on 94 of them and a remaining 12 are not impacted by FEMAs freeze. http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2011/09/01/fema-freezes-304-million-in.html

Dean to Congress: Restore $30M in frozen FEMA flood dollars (City Paper)
With the Federal Emergency Management Agency freezing previously approved funds following Hurricane Irene, Mayor Karl Dean is urging congress to restore $30.4 million in dollars that had been designated for Nashvilles flood buyout program. On Thursday, FEMA officials notified Dean that $30.4 million in federal funds are on hold indefinitely for the citys three remaining federal home buyout packages, a plan implemented following Nashvilles May 2010 flood. Under the buyout plan, flood-damaged residential properties in Nashvilles most 5

flood-prone areas are in the process of being purchased before homes are to be torn town to clear the way for green space. I urge Congress to give FEMA the funds it needs so that flood victims in Nashville can get the money they have rightfully been anticipating for months now, Dean said in a statement. I understand homeowners deep frustrations, and I call on Congress to act quickly, he added. Nashvillians have already been victims of the flood. They should not also have to be victims of congressional delay. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/dean-congress-restore-30m-frozen-fema-flood-dollars

Claims Flood Insurance Fund (Wall Street Journal)

Repeated Losses by Some Homeowners Erode Finances of Expiring FEMA Program Connie Rose bought a house on North Carolina's Outer Banks in 2002 that she knew had been flooded before. So she purchased flood insurance from a government program to cover damages from future storms. W hen Hurricane Irene inundated her property in Manteo, she joined thousands of other Eastern homeowners filing claims with the National Flood Insurance Program. She falls into a special subset: people whose properties have been the subject of one or more prior claims. Across the nation, program officials refer to tens of thousands of houses, mostly older ones, as "repetitive-loss properties"and some others as "severe repetitive-loss properties." In the 43-year history of the flood-insurance program, they account for a disproportionately large share of flood claims157,000 properties with 462,000 claims totaling $11.1 billion since 1978, according to a report this summer by the Congressional Research Service. Repetitive-loss properties account for about 16% of all claims, said a spokeswoman Thursday for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which runs the flood-insurance program all. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904583204576544663612530654.html?mod=ITP_pageone_1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

U.S. Is Set to Sue a Dozen Big Banks Over Mortgages (New York Times)
The federal agency that oversees the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is set to file suits against more than a dozen big banks, accusing them of misrepresenting the quality of mortgage securities they assembled and sold at the height of the housing bubble, and seeking billions of dollars in compensation. The Federal Housing Finance Agency suits, which are expected to be filed in the coming days in federal court, are aimed at Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank, among others, according to three individuals briefed on the matter. The suits stem from subpoenas the finance agency issued to banks a year ago. If the case is not filed Friday, they said, it will come Tuesday, shortly before a deadline expires for the housing agency to file claims. The suits will argue the banks, which assembled the mortgages and marketed them as securities to investors, failed to perform the due diligence required under securities law and missed evidence that borrowers incomes were inflated or falsified. When many borrowers were unable to pay their mortgages, the securities backed by the mortgages quickly lost value. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/business/us-is-set-to-sue-dozen-big-banks-over-mortgages.html? _r=1&ref=todayspaper (SUBSCRIPTION)

New rules mean big changes for coal plants (Tennessean/Groppe, Bewley)
Some predict higher electric bills, job losses Some say Tennesseans could face higher electric bills, power shortages and job losses when a series of new or anticipated federal regulations hits coal-fired power plants in the coming months and years. Others argue the changes could lead to a cleaner environment, fewer health problems and small increases in power rates. Those are the outcomes being touted as power companies warn of a regulatory train wreck a combination of Environmental Protection Agency rules restricting the toxins and other pollutants they can send in the air, how their cooling systems use water and how they must dispose of waste. One of those rules, finalized in July, requires Tennessee and 26 other states to cut power plant emissions that cause air quality problems in downwind states. Other proposed rules, most due next year, are expected to reduce pollutants that cause cancer, neurological defects, heart and lung disease and other health problems while reducing damage to animals, water systems and the air. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110902/NEWS11/309020091/New-rules-mean-big-changes-coal-plants? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

TVA makes 'top utilities' list (Tennessean/McClain)

Site Selection magazine has named its annual Top Utilities in Economic Development and the Tennessee Valley Authority made the list. Top utilities in alphabetical order were: Alabama Power, Birmingham, Ala.; Ameren, St. Louis; Duke Energy, Plainfield, Ind., and Charlotte, N.C.; Entergy Corp., New Orleans; FirstEnergy, Akron, Ohio; 6

Georgia Power, Atlanta; Hoosier Energy, Bloomington, Ind.; Hydro-Qubec, Montral, Qubec, Canada; and the TVA. The magazine said the utilities help create jobs through innovative programs for businesses, collaboration with community partners and their own investment in generation, transmission and other assets. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110902/BUSINESS01/309010097/Business-briefs-TVA-makes-top-utilitieslist?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

MemphisED expanding team (Commercial Appeal/Bailey)

New name, new approach for job-creating initiative The public/private initiative that has helped create 13,316 jobs the past four years in Memphis and Shelby County is changing names and greatly expanding its leadership team. The new Memphis Shelby Growth Alliance is replacing MemphisED, the economic development arm of Memphis Fast Forward's four-part strategy for making Memphis and Shelby County more prosperous. (The other initiatives are Operation Safe Community for public safety, People First for education and workforce training, and a government efficiency plan.) MemphisED's five-year plan ends next June, but the transition to the Growth Alliance has already begun. The Memphis Fast Forward Steering Committee "instructed us to come forth with a plan for the continuation of a broad-based economic development program taking advantage of the things we learned in four years of running MemphisED," said Reid DulBerger, vice president of MemphisEd. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/02/memphised-expanding-team/

Teacher eval steps sparking complaint (Daily News Journal)

Board to ask state to rethink process The Rutherford County Board of Education will be asking the state to reevaluate and make modifications to a new teacher performance evaluation adopted earlier this year. Board members said they have heard complaints from teachers and administrators alike over the process. They voted unanimously to formally submit a letter to that effect to state Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffmann. Part of Tennessee's promise in its application for $500 million in federal Race to the Top funds was to develop a new teacher evaluation system using student test scores, called the Tennessee Teacher Acceleration Model. Former Oakland High principal and first-year board member Tim Tackett drafted the letter. He said he's talked the matter over with several principals and teachers who are stressed out about the process. "No one's against the idea of the evaluation, it's just not an effective use of time," he said. "Principals are telling me that they're so caught up in the process that they don't have time to do the things they feel makes their school a good place." This school year, 50 percent of teacher evaluation scores will come from a minimum of four classroom observations totaling at least 60 minutes each school year. Half of the visits will be unannounced. http://www.dnj.com/article/20110902/NEW S07/109020309/Teacher-eval-steps-sparking-complaint-? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Some parents leery of Memphis City Schools transfer options (C. Appeal/Roberts)
Say alternate schools often aren't an improvement One reason few Memphis City Schools families are not transferring out of failing schools is because the options look worse. Five of the seven school choices that parent Tom Brown received last week from MCS have lower test scores than Cordova Middle, the high-priority school that federal law says his child shouldn't have to attend. "My first thought was, 'This can't be what this means,'" Brown said. "Then I realized, yes it is." Luanne Payne, also a Cordova Middle parent, called the choices "pretty crappy." "That letter went right to my out file, which is my garbage," Payne said. Tharon Seay, a Ridgeway Middle parent, was "astounded" when she looked at her son's transfer possibilities, which included "several extremely low-performing charters, other schools I had never heard of and Snowden, which was higher, but not that much higher." Under the No Child Left Behind federal law, school districts must provide students options out of schools that fail to make "adequate yearly progress" two years in a row. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/02/some-leery-of-transfer-options/

Schools Consolidation Opponents Differ on Next Step (Memphis Daily News)

Shelby County Schools board members meet Thursday, Sept. 8, to make selections to a schools consolidation planning commission and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam expected to announce his selection by the end of this week. The move to bring the planning commission to life ended another week in the evolving discussion about schools consolidation. State Senate Republican leader Mark Norris of Collierville said the settlement of the schools consolidation lawsuit agreed to by all sides in the lawsuit is not a conflict with the state law he coauthored that establishes the 21-member planning commission. In voting against the settlement Monday, Shelby County Commissioner Wyatt Bunker said the planning commission had been turned into an advisory body with the settlement. The (federal) judge ruled that the Norris-Todd bill was legal and in effect they didnt 7

follow it, Bunker said. I dont think its consistent. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/sep/2/schools-consolidation-opponents-differ-on-next-step/

Luttrell makes picks to school merger transition panel (C. Appeal/McMillin)

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell chose three Memphians and two suburban residents as his five picks to serve on the commission that will create a transition plan for merging the county's two school systems. His picks, pending approval by the Shelby County Commission, mean that more than half of the members have been selected for the 21-member team charged by the new Norris-Todd state law with developing a plan for consolidating Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools by the 2013-14 school year. "I knew I wanted a good mix, some who lived outside the city, some who lived in the city. I wanted racial balance and gender balance and certainly professional balance," Luttrell said. His picks: Christine P. Richards, executive vice president, general counsel and secretary at FedEx Corporation. She handles international and domestic legal, security and government affairs for all FedEx operating companies and subsidiaries. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/01/shelby-county-mayor-mark-luttrell-makes-picks-scho/

Luttrell Makes Picks for Consolidation Planning Group (Memphis Daily News)
Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell has picked his five choices for the schools consolidation planning commission: two higher-education officials, a corporate attorney, an Episcopal priest heading BRIDGES USA and an elementary school principal. Luttrell announced his choices Thursday, Sept. 1. John Smarrelli Jr. is president of Christian Brothers University. Barbara Roseborough is associate vice president of academic affairs for Southwest Tennessee Community College. Christine P. Richards is general counsel for FedEx Corp. Jim Boyd is president of BRIDGES USA and an ordained Episcopal priest. Louis Padgett III is Northaven Elementary School principal. He has been with Northaven for seven years and the county schools system for 24 years. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/sep/2/luttrell-makes-picks-for-consolidation-planning-group/

Luttrell Names Appointees to Norris-Todd Planning Commission (Memphis Flyer)

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell has named his five designees to the Norris-Todd Planning Commission that will serve in an advisory status to the newly constituted all-county school board as the merger of Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools proceeds. The designees are Christine P. Richards, executive vice president of FedEx; John Smarrelli, president of Christian Brothers University; Barbara Roseborough, associate vice president for Academic Affairs at Southwest Tennessee Community College; Jim Boyd, president of Bridges USA; and Louis Padgett, principal of Northaven Elemengary School. Luttrell's announcement, in the wake of five members named last week by the Memphis City Schools board, brings the total named so far to 10. David Pickler, president of the Shelby Coungty Schools Board, has received a list of prospective nominees from each of his colleages on the SCS Board, and has said that, in conjunction with the Boad, will name the five appointees allotted to SCS next Thursday at a special Board meeting. http://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2011/09/01/luttrell-names-appointees-to-norris-toddplanning-commission

Hamilton County Schools are growing (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Hardy)

Hamilton County Schools have about 42,250 students enrolled this year -- the highest figure in nearly a decade. The number is one of the largest enrollment counts ever, Superintendent Rick Smith told a group of business leaders Thursday morning. In 1999, the district counted 42,773 students, said Smith, who took over as superintendent on July 7. Addressing the downtown council of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Smith said the county school system is continuing its recent trend of student growth. This year's count is up from a nine-year low of 40,461 four years ago. W hat once was a shift from urban to suburban areas is now sustained growth in the county, said Smith, especially on the east side. East Hamilton School, a combination middle and high school, and elementary schools in that area are at or over capacity, he said. The district needs to build an elementary school on the county's east side, as well as replace the undersized Ooltewah Elementary School, he said. He said he hopes a new school could be completed in three to four years. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/02/schools-growing-superintendent-says/?local

Commissioners raise final questions on redistricting (Times Free-Press/Haman)

Hamilton County Commissioner Warren Mackey said Thursday he wants to amend a redistricting plan to move two schools from his district to Commissioner Joe Grahams. Theres 12 schools in my district and then he had 8

six, Mackey said at the commissions agenda session. This would create a little bit more equity. Commissioners have been working for several months to draw new district lines based on 2010 census population figures and minority concentrations. A plan is due to the state by Jan. 1, 2012. Mackey, who represents District 4, requested to have Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences and Battle Academy for Teaching and Learning moved to Grahams District 6. The move would not affect the population totals of the proposed districts, Mackey said. Largely, it has to do with being able to fight for resources for the schools, he said. Graham said he would have to talk to the District 6 school board member before he decides how to vote on the amendment at next weeks commission meeting. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/02/commissioners-raise-final-questions-redistricting/?local

Virtual school hits enrollment hiccup (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Sher)

As many as half of the more than 2,000 students applying to attend the states first public online academy have yet to be enrolled some three weeks into the beginning of the privately-operated institutions school year, officials say. Union County Schools Director Wayne Goforth and officials at K12 Inc., a Herndon, Va., for-profit virtual school company that runs Union Countys Tennessee Virtual Academy, blame problems on a variety of factors. They range from more students than expected applying to issues some parents face in gathering and submitting by e-mail or fax documents establishing state residency, birth certificates and proof of immunization. This whole concept here has just really surprised us all in Tennessee in terms of enrollment and demand, Goforth said. But another issue involved, Goforth said, is the refusal by some school districts to approve the transfer of their students who did not meet the July 24 deadline on such transfers between school districts. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/02/virtual-school-hits-enrollment-hiccup/?local

Man with gun near Smyrna school broke no laws (Gannett)

A man spotted Thursday morning carrying a gun near Stewarts Creek schools in Smyrna was taking his morning walk and broke no laws, Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold said. Two parents and a crossing guard first saw the man walking along Poplar Wood Road between 7 and 7:30 a.m. and reported to a school resource office he was carrying a flashlight and gun on his hip, the sheriff said. Sheriffs personnel and Smyrna Police Department responded to the scene, set up a perimeter around the campuses and put the elementary and middle schools on a code red lockdown at 7:30 a.m. as they searched for the man. Sheriffs officers got a description of the man and found him at his home off Poplar Wood, where they interviewed him and determined that he was only taking a walk. Arnold did not have the mans identity but said he had a valid handgun carry permit. The sheriff said the man recently had shoulder surgery and might have been carrying the weapon for protection. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110902/NEWS01/309020092/Man-gun-near-Smyrna-school-broke-nolaws?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Football game security comes at high cost for Middle TN schools (TN/Hubbard)
Gang threat forces beefed-up security An intimidating, 6-foot-4 Metro police officer stands at the edge of Whites Creek High Schools football field, the Friday night lights glaring down on the crowd. A graduate in a White Sox cap now a known Disciples gang leader catches his eye in the bleachers. He keeps glancing at the man, looking for sign of trouble, but theres none, and archrival Stratford High ultimately takes the win. With a big rivalry like this, when you have gangs from both sides of town, you have to be on heightened alert, said officer Donald Black, who has worked 19 years securing Metro Nashville football games. When I first got here, we didnt have that many gangs. One or two. Theyve now developed into maybe 15. Security at high school football games has ramped up across Middle Tennessee over the years because of that issue, and its costing. Twenty years ago, big schools hired one or two off-duty officers to monitor crowds. Today, its routinely five or six and up to eight for rivalry games that could attract neighborhood gangs. Schools take preventative measures to keep fans safe. The contentious Overton High at Glencliff High game today was moved up to 6 p.m. to get students home earlier. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110902/NEWS04/309020082/Football-game-security-comes-high-costMiddle-TN-schools-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Metro principals ask district to pay for game security (Tennessean/Hubbard)

Ticket sales to high school football games used to cover expenses not only for that sport, but for less popular ones as well. But Metro Nashville high school principals recently asked the school district to pay for football game security this season, as fewer fans are willing to pay the $6 admission to attend. The recession has had an 9

impact, Metro Athletic Director Roosevelt Sanders said. He didnt immediately have gate admission figures. Families of four and five would come to ball games, and now its a strain, he said. This season, Metro will amend its 2011-12 general operating budget to spend $310,000 to cover four officers and rent a police car per high school home game, said Olivia Brown, Metro schools spokeswoman. Schools that require more than four officers must pay for them from gate receipts. McGavock High Principal Robbin Wall said teams with strong records dont usually have problems attracting fans, but others struggle to sustain their programs, and game security was too much of a drain. McGavocks recent game against Mt. Juliet raked in about $6,000 at the gate, but most intra-district games bring in about $2,000 per game. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110902/NEWS04/309020084/Metro-principals-ask-district-pay-gamesecurity?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

Sparse rain, searing heat left Tennessee bone dry in August (AP/Dickerson)
For Nashville and most of Tennessee, the blistering month of August has left residents pretty parched. At the National Weather Service office in Nashville, meteorologist Bobby Boyd compiled figures that show the capital city got about half the usual August rainfall: 1.78 inches compared with its usual 3.17 inches. Boyd also found in perusing 141 years of temperature records that August was the 25th-hottest in Nashville, averaging 1.8 degrees above average. But nowhere was the lack of August rainfall as pronounced as in Chattanooga. There has never been a drier month in Chattanooga. Not in any year since records started in 1928 or on any page of the calendar. For August, the city received just a meager 0.01 inch of rain. Some people probably perspired more than that. National Weather Service forecaster Sam Roberts in Morristown said he watched the same weather pattern play out repeatedly. A cold front would push in from the northwest, hit dry air in place over Tennessee and start dropping rain some in the Tri-Cities, less in Knoxville, precious little in Chattanooga. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110902/NEWS21/309020038/Sparse-rain-searing-heat-left-Tennesseebone-dry-August?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Meth lab discovered in woods (Times-Gazette)

In years past if an illegal substance was being manfactured in the woods, it was probably moonshine. But in today's world, it's likely meth. Two men allegedly operating what police call a "clandestine methamphetamine lab" in woods off Sims Road were arrested by Shelbyville police and the 17th Judicial District Drug Task Force during pre-dawn hours Tuesday. Bobby Joe Price, 45, of Fairway Green Drive, and Gary Thomas Lynn, 23, Collier Avenue, appeared to be mixing chemicals when officers Gregg Loyd and Todd Sanders followed a strong smell to the site. Price attempted to run but fell into a ditch and surrendered after being told a taser would be used if he fled again, Loyd said. Officers were investigating a report of a man parking a truck in front of an unoccupied residence and running to the house, then into the woods. Loyd said the officers followed a trail of pressed-down grass and weeds behind the home. "As we were nearing a densely wooded area I began to smell a strong chemical smell, what seemed to be an odor of lithium batteries," Loyd said in his report. "I then observed a green water bottle placed in the middle of the trail with what appeared to be condensation dripping from it. http://www.t-g.com/story/1758608.html

Texas: For Disabled, Cuts Could Affect Lifelong Improvement (New York Times)
For Milla Powell, a 12-year-old from Austin with cerebral palsy, the little things make all the difference. Massage therapy to ease her tightened muscles. Recreational programs, in which therapists take her into the community to help her build her social skills. Music therapy to help Milla, who cannot speak, connect without words. But services like these are on the chopping block for thousands of Texans with disabilities another casualty of the significant budget cuts that state lawmakers passed in May. Directed to find $31 million in savings, the Department of Aging and Disability Services will by Dec. 1 put new caps on services provided to people enrolled in four state disability programs. The programs, designed to keep people with profound disabilities out of nursing homes and institutions, enroll nearly 48,000 people combined, roughly a fifth of whom are under 21. The department estimates that the new service caps could affect up to 12,000 people. The limits will not affect lifesaving services like nursing care, emergency response systems and meal delivery. But they will slash services that advocates for disability rights say are essential to clients and their families, from speech and physical therapy to respite hours that give caregivers a brief break. So-called specialized therapies, like aquatic and horseback therapy, will see the biggest cuts. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/us/02ttdisabled.html?ref=todayspaper (SUBSCRIPTION)

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Vermont: For Governor of Vermont, a Crash Course in Disaster Management (NYT)

After helicoptering into this flood-ravaged town and delivering a pep talk to residents who had been stranded for three days and counting, Gov. Peter Shumlin asked if anyone had questions for him. It took a minute for anyone to speak up, and even then, the queries were polite to the point of apologetic. I keep pushing for generators, said Peter Borden, the towns emergency management coordinator. Im sorry, Governor. He may be lucky, skillful or both, but so far, Mr. Shumlin, the relatively new governor of a state unaccustomed to disasters, has encountered almost nothing but geniality as he has traveled the hardest-hit parts of Vermont, doling out hugs and reminding residents that Vermonters are tough. Eight months into a two-year term he expected to be dominated by health care and economic issues, Mr. Shumlin, a 55-year-old Democrat, now faces a complicated and costly recovery effort that could well be the defining issue of his governorship. Dozens of homes were destroyed or badly damaged across the state on Sunday by the flash flooding, which also closed a state office complex and left roads and bridges in tatters. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/us/02vermont.html? ref=todayspaper (SUBSCRIPTION)

OPINION Greg Johnson: Tenn. among Barron's best-run states (Knoxville News-Sentinel)
As pandemic fiscal prudence sweeps the globe or most of it, save Illinois, California, the left side of Congress and 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Gov. Bill Haslam affirmed his austerity bona fides when he asked state agencies to prepare a plan for a potential 30 percent cut in federal funding. Such budgetary realism helped Tennessee earn a "best" spot in the Aug. 27 cover story "Best and Worst Run States" in Barron's magazine, the weekly bible of Wall Street. "For most states, fiscal 2012 is shaping up as a brutal year," Barron's wrote. "They've already had to close a collective gap of more than $100 billion between their projected revenues and previously budgeted expenses. And all this comes after three years of large budget shortfalls." No doubt, Tennessee experienced budgetary brutality more than three years ago. Former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen reformed TennCare to arrest the stifling growth of Tennessee's Medicaid program. Still, in the Barron's rankings, Tennessee, with its AA-plus credit rating, spends more of its outlays 26 percent on Medicaid than AAA-rated states like Georgia, Virginia and Maryland. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/02/tenn-among-barrons-best-run-states/

James Bassham: Responders review turbulent 2010-2011 (Tennessean)

Tennessee has experienced two years of unprecedented natural disasters. Despite an institutional memory reaching back more than 40 years, the states emergency management agencies have never faced the series of emergencies as large as those that transpired between May 2010 and May 2011. In 2011, the state was struck by a series of tornadoes, severe storms and record flooding that resulted in five presidential declarations. These disasters followed on the heels of the May 2010 flood and the much smaller, but no less devastating August 2010 flood. A total of 62 Tennesseans lost their lives in these disasters. The five declared major disasters affected 66 of Tennessees 95 counties, and illustrate the widespread geographic impact of disasters overall. The May 2010 flood was one of the largest disasters in modern U.S. history, and it affected just 49 counties. As you can tell, many of the states counties have been repeatedly impacted by disasters, often back to back. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110902/OPINION03/309020047/Responders-review-turbulent-2010-2011? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

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Susan Cooper: Be ready for next big emergency (Tennessean)

Tennessee has seen plenty of disasters in past 10 years Emergencies can happen without warning in communities just like yours, to people like you. Disasters like floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, disease outbreaks, water-main breaks and power outages may affect people for days at a time. The Tennessee Department of Health has responded to a wide variety of public health emergencies since 2001. This includes white powder incidents, which have occurred sporadically since 2002; sheltering of hurricane evacuees from partner states in 2005 and 2008; the coal fly-ash spill in 2008; the Kentucky ice storm of 2009; the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic; and more recently, severe flooding in both 2010 and 2011. This September marks the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. September is National Preparedness Month, and the observance was founded after 9/11 to help increase preparedness in the United States. It offers a time to prepare yourself and those in your care for an unexpected emergency. It is my hope that all Tennessee residents not only take time to remember those lost on 9/11 but also take steps now to prepare for future emergencies. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110902/OPINION03/309020046/Be-ready-next-big-emergency? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

Editorial: Keeping HOPE alive (Commercial Appeal)

The state Senate Lottery Stabilization Task Force has until Dec. 1 to recommend a plan for shoring up the fund that provides scholarships to thousands of Tennessee students. That's plenty of time to reflect on the reason Tennesseans decided to get into the state lottery business in the first place. That was to help as many students as possible get into college, finish their education and raise the education attainment rate in Tennessee. Cutting the ranks of HOPE scholarship recipients with tighter restrictions on who can qualify for them might help maintain the program's bulging reserve fund, but it would be counterproductive. Reserve funds are built during times when revenues are plentiful so that programs can weather harsh economic conditions like those that persist in Tennessee today. State Senate Minority Leader Jim Kyle of Memphis is right. "People need jobs today, and they need education to get jobs," Kyle said this week as the task force held its first meeting and began reviewing proposals.http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/02/keeping-hope-alive/

Guest columnist: Postal Service profitable if Congress acts (Tennessean)

Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night ... will stay us from the swift completion of our appointed rounds. For more than 235 years, the U.S. Postal Service has adhered to this unofficial creed. But now, the agency that is responsible for delivering mail to every resident of the nation at affordable rates is facing a financial crisis. Absent congressional action this year, the Postal Service will experience a cash shortfall and be forced to default on a payment to the federal government. The increased use of the Internet, combined with a continuing recession, has had a dramatic and unprecedented impact on our countrys mail volume and on the Postal Services bottom line. We have responded by pursuing every available option under our control to aggressively cut costs and raise revenues, including slashing annual operating expenses by more than $12 billion and reducing our size by 110,000 career positions during the past four years. We also continue to consolidate our processing facilities to reduce personnel and transportation costs and right-size our expansive retail network by conducting studies of approximately 3,700 retail offices for possible closure. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110902/OPINION03/309020049/Postal-Service-profitable-Congress-acts? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

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