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Online retail giant Amazon.com is kicking off the broad hiring push necessary to fill 1,000 jobs at distribution sites in Murfreesboro and Lebanon, Tenn. The announcement comes on the heels of Amazon beginning to hire management positions for the same locations. This current round of hiring will include various full-time warehouse personnel, with benefits and pay ranging from $11 to $13 per hour. Amazon is planning this fall to open the two distribution centers, in addition to those it already has in Bradley, Wilson and Hamilton counties in East Tennessee. The jobs were originally part of a long-running debate over whether online retailers should have to collect sales taxes. Amazon has agreed to do so in Tennessee starting in 2014 while pushing for national reform in the meantime. http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2012/05/30/amazon-hiring-fully-underway-inmiddle.html
currently poses a threat of imminent and identifiable harm to the public health or safety." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/may/31/tn-bankruptcy-spurs-questions-about-nuclear/?local
Sen.
Kyle
of
Memphis
seeks
state
probe
of
voter
issue
(Commercial
Appeal/Locker)
State Sen. Jim Kyle of Memphis asked the Tennessee secretary of state on Wednesday to conduct a "formal investigation" into allegations that the voting histories of 488 Shelby County registered voters were deleted from Election Commission records. Critics are concerned that such deletions could pave the way for the purging of those voters' names from the official rolls. The Senate Democratic leader's letter follows a similar request by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., for investigations by U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder and Tennessee Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins into the allegations originally made by voting rights activist Bev Harris, whose Black Box Voting website monitors irregularities with voters nationwide. Last week, Harris released a list of 488 Shelby County voters that she said are almost all African-American Democrats whose voting histories were removed. Tennessee law says the names of voters who have not voted in four years can be placed on "inactive" status and later purged from the rolls of registered voters. Kyle's letter to Secretary of State Tr Hargett cites the reports and says "Deliberate alteration of voter records is a serious matter, especially when it occurs on such a large scale." Kyle's letter also suggests that Hargett hold public hearings in Shelby County. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/may/30/sen-kyle-memphis-seeks-state-probe-voter-issue/ (SUB)
reiterated plans to appoint a school planning committee. The campaign activity picked up as representatives from the six suburbs delivered documentation Wednesday to the Election Commission seeking to include referendums on municipal schools on the Aug. 2 ballot. All of the outlying cities -- Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Lakeland and Millington -- passed ordinances Tuesday night to hold municipal schools votes in the respective cities. Information also began appearing on city websites, such as Bartlett, where a new link connected voters to the school feasibility study by Southern Educational Strategies and guided visitors to the Transition Planning Commission and Better Bartlett Schools sites. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/may/31/suburbs-focus-on-schooling-voters/ (SUBSCRIPTION)
for them to handle. They also told commissioners the addition of a third judge would allow them to spend more time with individual court cases. An interim judge will be appointed in the coming weeks and voters will approve the new judge in the next election. http://www2.tricities.com/news/2012/may/30/commission-approves-third-judge-washington-co-tenn-ar-1953834/
New Washington County judge expected to start in January (Johnson City Press)
Washington Countys two Sessions Court judges will spend the next few months developing a schedule and division of duties among themselves and the new judge, who is expected to start work in January. Judge James Nidiffer said he was pleased when the County Commission approved the new position Tuesday night. Nidiffer also said he and Judge Robert Lincoln will need to discuss with Circuit Court Clerk Karen Guinn how the new court will be staffed. Our plan is to get with Karen (Guinn), the DAs and clerks. Well put a calendar out and well divvy up the three courts civil, criminal and juvenile, Nidiffer said Wednesday. Nidiffer and Lincoln share equal duties in those three areas, and the new judge will be included in that same process. Nidiffer said the third court will help ease the heavy load he and Lincoln have carried. Last night we didnt stop until 6:30 p.m. and we still had a preliminary hearing but at the last minute the defendant waived the case, Nidiffer said. http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?id=100572#ixzz1wRg3BX5c
A Gap in College Graduates Leaves Some Cities Behind (New York Times)
As cities like this one try to reinvent themselves after losing large swaths of their manufacturing sectors, they are discovering that one of the most critical ingredients for a successful transformation college graduates is in perilously short supply. Just 24 percent of the adult residents of metropolitan Dayton have four-year degrees, well below the average of 32 percent for American metro areas, and about half the rate of Washington, the countrys most educated metro area, according to a Brookings Institution analysis. Like many Rust Belt cities, it is a captive of its rich manufacturing past, when well-paying jobs were plentiful and landing one without a college degree was easy. Educational attainment lagged as a result, even as it became more critical to success in the national economy. We were so wealthy for so long that we got complacent, said Jane L. Dockery, associate director of the Center for Urban and Public Affairs at Wright State University here. We saw the writing on the wall, but we didnt act. Dayton sits on one side of a growing divide among American cities, in which a small number of metro areas vacuum up a large number of college graduates, and the rest struggle to keep those they have. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/us/as-college-graduates-cluster-some-cities-are-left-behind.html? ref=todayspaper (SUBSCRIPTION)
TVA ignored problems at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, report finds (TFP/Sohn)
A TVA inspector general's report blasts the agency for its failures to act quickly when it became apparent the Watts Bar Unit 2 nuclear reactor construction will have massive cost overruns and take twice as long to complete. The inspector general's staff, which attends all the construction meetings, took concerns to TVA management and to a board committee in August 2011 -- months before the electric utility changed the Watts Bar construction management team and made the problems known publicly. But TVA managers had ample opportunity before that to see the signs of trouble that have increased the new reactor's cost by as much as $2 billion and delayed its completion until late 2015 before that, according to a report from the Inspector General Richard W. Moore made public Tuesday. The managers, since replaced, "ignored data and opinions of the oversight team and others," the report states. During the regular construction meetings that Moore's inspectors attended, issues were characterized by management as "recoverable or normal construction problems. Each project schedule, based on its associated assumptions, showed how everything was on track for meeting the early target finish date." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/may/31/nuclear-tva-ignored-problems-at-watts-bar-report/?local
State says Pilgrim's Pride may lay off 400 (Associated Press)
Pilgrim's Pride may lay off or relocate as many as 400 workers in its two Hamilton County plants by June 15. Officials at the poultry processing company say the job cuts are due to improved plant efficiencies, and there are no plans to scale back production. The company operates two downtown Chattanooga plants that currently employ nearly 1,500 workers. Last week the company announced it would lay off 85 employees in Chattanooga. The Times Free Press (http://goo.gl/NXhhc ) is reporting that the company told state regulators that it plans to lay off another 170 employees next week and an additional 40 workers on June 15. Margaret McDonald, a spokeswoman for Pilgrim's Pride, said the company has not decided how many more workers will be laid off. The company says it will not cut back on orders from contract growers in the Chattanooga area. Officials with the Tennessee Department of Labor and W orkforce Development plan to hold meetings next month to help displaced workers find other work or file unemployment benefits. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/may/30/state-says-pilgrims-pride-may-lay-off-400/
Closed school board talks on Supt. Cash may break law (CA/Kelley, Roberts)
The unified school board might be standing on shaky legal ground if it follows through with plans to meet with attorneys behind closed doors to discuss Memphis City Schools Supt. Kriner Cash, an attorney says. Absent active or pending litigation, said Lucian Pera, an attorney for The Commercial Appeal, a closed meeting of the board would violate the state's open meetings law "If there's threatened litigation, then some very, very limited part of the commission's discussions can be closed -- only those where they are seeking advice from their lawyers about the threatened litigation, but not any discussion about what action the commission might take," said Pera. "If there's no threatened litigation, then I don't know of any basis on which to close these meetings." Following Tuesday night's discussion of board chairman Billy Orgel's decision to call for a special meeting on June 11 to discuss Cash's contract, vice chairman Jeff Warren, on the advice of attorneys for the city and county school districts, scheduled an executive session for 5 p.m. Monday, followed by an open meeting at 5:30. Warren said it makes sense to discuss Cash's contract at this point, particularly since he recently threw his hat in the ring for superintendent in Charlotte, N.C. Cash's contract expires Aug. 1, 2013. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/may/31/closed-talks-may-break-law/ (SUBSCRIPTION) 6
TSU withdraws charter school proposal amid legal concerns (City Paper/Garrison)
A Tennessee State University-led charter school proposal didnt make it on the Metro school board agenda for consideration Tuesday night. The week before, TSU officials withdrew its application. The school board voted on 10 charter school proposals Tuesday, electing to authorize two of the publicly financed, privately led charters. But at no point did board members even mention University Bound Academy, for which TSU officials formally filed an application in April. University leaders had envisioned the school as a science and technology-based charter situated on the TSU campus, with TSU deans and trustees sitting on its board of directors. Portia Shields, interim presidents of TSU, told The City Paper Wednesday that following discussions with Metro Director of Schools Jesse Register the university decided to withdraw its proposal. It appears legal questions arose on whether the universitys board could concurrently serve as the charter schools board. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/tsu-withdraws-charter-school-proposal-amid-legal-concerns
contribution to schools would then be less than what schools received last fiscal year. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/may/31/or-school-officials-say-city-budget-shortchanges/
New York: New York Plans to Ban Sale of Big Sizes of Sugary Drinks (NY Times)
New York City plans to enact a far-reaching ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters and street carts, in the most ambitious effort yet by the Bloomberg administration to combat rising obesity. he proposed ban would affect virtually the entire menu of popular sugary drinks found in delis, fast-food franchises and even sports arenas, from energy drinks to pre-sweetened iced teas. The sale of any cup or bottle of sweetened drink larger than 16 fluid ounces about the size of a medium coffee, and smaller than a common soda bottle would be prohibited under the first-in-the-nation plan, which could take effect as soon as next March. The measure would not apply to diet sodas, fruit juices, dairy-based drinks like milkshakes, or alcoholic beverages; it would not extend to beverages sold in grocery or convenience stores. Obesity is a nationwide problem, and all over the United States, public health officials are wringing their hands saying, Oh, this is terrible, Mr. Bloomberg said in an interview on Wednesday in the Governors Room at City Hall. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/nyregion/bloomberg-plans-a-ban-on-large-sugared-drinks.html? _r=1&ref=todayspaper (SUBSCRIPTION)
Wisconsin: Unions See Ranks Drop Ahead of Recall Vote (Wall Street Journal)
Public-employee unions in Wisconsin have experienced a dramatic drop in membershipby more than half for the second-biggest unionsince a law championed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker sharply curtailed their ability to bargain over wages and working conditions. Now with Mr. Walker facing a recall vote Tuesday, voters will decide whether his policies in the centrist state should continueor whether they have gone too far. The election could mark a pivot point for organized labor. Mr. Walker's ouster would derail the political career of a rising Republican star and send a warning to other elected officials who are battling unions. But a victory for the governor, who has been leading his Democratic opponent in recent polls, would amount to an endorsement of an effort to curtail public-sector unions, which have been a pillar of strength for organized labor while private-sector membership has dwindled. That could mean the sharp losses that some Wisconsin public-worker unions have experienced is a harbinger of similar unions' future nationwide, union leaders fear. Failure to oust Mr. Walker and overturn the Wisconsin law "spells doom," said Bryan Kennedy, the American Federation of Teachers' Wisconsin president. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304821304577436462413999718.html?mod=ITP_pageone_0 (SUBSCRIPTION)
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OPINION Editorial: New state park website is a win for parks, vacationers (Jackson Sun)
Many people are familiar with the ease, advantage and even excitement of investigating and booking travel using the Internet, especially when it comes to vacation planning. Now, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has brought a similar service to life for Tennessee state parks. The new website, at www.tnvacation.com/75, recently was launched to help celebrate the 75th anniversary of Tennessee State Parks. It is a helpful and worthwhile resource that uses the latest Internet and social media technology to help people take full advantage of Tennessee state parks. Tennessees state park system began in 1937 with the creation of Cumberland Mountain State Park. Since then, it has grown to 54 parks and historic areas located throughout the state. From the Mississippi River and Fuller State Park to the Great Smokey Mountains and Roan Mountain State Park, Tennessee offers residents and travelers from across America some of the finest state parks in the nation. With the summer vacation season taking shape, now is the time to begin planning for park visits. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120531/OPINION/305310003/Or-View-New-state-park-website-win-parksvacationers
neighborhoods. But if we are to build a path to a high-quality system for all the residents of the county, the school board should think outside their current box. Metro Schools have been afflicted with white flight for decades; allowing charter schools that would be competition for families currently sending their kids to private school will not hurt our public school system. Many people have expressed the concern that we cannot afford for the better students to leave traditional public schools, but what about attracting students back? http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120531/OPINION01/305310024/Expanding-charter-school-options-wouldhelp-Metro?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CNews%7Cp&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)
means, not an end. The following week, Obama adviser John Podesta released a report that specifically recommended regulation of mercury and other air toxics from power plants as a back-door way to accomplish the cap-and-trade goal of shutting down coal plants. Obama has used his Environmental Protection Agency bureaucrats to move forward on that plan. The linchpin is the Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology rule, also known as Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, and its the most expensive EPA rule in history. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120531/OPINION03/305310026/Alexander-wrong-side-Obama-coal? odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7COpinion%7Cs&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)
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