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With Washington shifting gears from stimulus to cutbacks, pressures are increasing on state governments to take economic recovery into their own hands and Gov. Bill Haslam is traveling Tennessee to try to convince voters that hes on the case. The governor has assumed a dual role part cheerleader and part reassuring family member as he touts his administrations efforts to attract jobs. But he cautions that the road to recovery is long. Since Haslam took office in January, about 9,500 new jobs have been created in Tennessee, either through the expansion of existing businesses or via new companies locating in the state, according to figures the state Department of Economic and Community Development provided to The City Paper. But the unemployment rate remains at a stubborn 9.8 percent statewide 8.5 percent in Davidson County. To the state Department of Labor and W orkforce Development, companies have reported laying off 6,886 workers in the past six months, with the biggest loss coming with the shutdown of Union Citys Goodyear Tire and Rubber plant, where 1,900 were furloughed. And those are just some of the layoffs. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/haslam-travels-state-address-labor-issues-unemployment
later, Fort Oglethorpe Fire and Rescue teams had to evacuate 34 residents by boat from the Battlewood Apartments as the remains of Tropical Storm Lee fell in sheets across the region. More than 8 inches of rain had fallen by Monday night, causing rivers and creeks to flood and water to rise above roads in the Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia regions. Forecasters said the worst of the flooding was expected today. North Georgia counties were under a flash flood watch until this morning, said Nate Mayes, a National W eather Service forecaster in Peachtree City, Ga. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/06/b2-flooding-forcesevacuations/?local
More rain adds to flooding woes for Claiborne County (WATE-TV Knoxville)
Heavy rain caused problems for East Tennessee residents on Labor Day, but for people in Claiborne County, the water was especially worrisome. More than two months after flood waters caused widespread damage across the county, officials were still struggling Monday to find money for road repairs. Flood waters rushed through Claiborne County on June 28. Since then officials have been working to get some assistance from the federal government. They finally got a disaster declaration that makes them eligible for FEMA grants for damage to public property like roadways, but the money won't be available right away. On Labor Day water was rushing through parts of Claiborne County again. Roads damaged in June's floods have made it difficult for even emergency crews to get around. Baldwin Hill Road near Tazewell was covered Monday with ankle deep water and pieces of pavement were washing down a nearby creek. http://www.wate.com/story/15397667/more-rain-adds-to-flooding-woes-for-claiborne-county
the south, forecasters expected rainfall to taper off in Alabama overnight after flooding numerous Birmingham roads. The weather also caused a roof to collapse at Pinson Valley High School outside Birmingham, according to The Birmingham News. No one was injured. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/06/lees-remnants-spawn-ga-twisters-drown-miss-man/
State officials urge motorists to slow down in heavy rain (WATE-TV Knoxville)
In the midst of Monday's downpour, even the colorful Tennessee Department of Transportation HELP truck was less visible. "I would rather have snow than rain," said HELP truck operator Karen Roberts. Roberts says that's because heavy rain creates an immediate mess. No matter what time of the day, traffic was slower than usual on the interstates. Numerous accidents stall traffic as spectators crawl by, slowing down the traffic flow even more. "Sometimes I wish we would pull a curtain around the accident so people couldn't see it," said Roberts. To make things worse, the rain doesn't always wash away bad habits. "People are still texting," said Roberts. They are also speeding. "Most of the accidents that we have on days like today are cars hydroplaning, people have got to realize that you have to slow down when it's rainy," said Roberts. Roberts said she worked several wrecks Monday morning. Most were single-car wrecks, caused by drivers hydroplaning and spinning out of control. http://www.wate.com/story/15397704/state-officials-urge-motorsist-to-slow-down-in-heavy-rain
we hear from Washington these days, is in the throes of pondering a substantial reduction in its expenditures. At first blush, federal cuts might seem to pose serious problems for the states business enhancement endeavors until one looks at its budget history Finance Commissioner Mark Emkes has instructed all state government departments to draft contingencies for a 30 percent reduction in their federal funding. In the 2011-2012 state fiscal year that began July 1, the state Department of Economic and Community Developments budget stood at $258.9 million. Of that, $195 million, or 75 percent, is federal money. Those figures are somewhat higher than what was initially proposed by Gov. Bill Haslam in the budget he presented in March. But, they are significantly down from previous fiscal 2010-11 year, when an extra $100 million in federal stimulus money aimed at job creation flowed through the department. Last years ECD budget ballooned to $365.7 million, according to the state budget document distributed in March. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/05/tom-humphrey-federal-dollars-funding-most-states-b/
TN Court of Criminal Appeals Judge J.C. McLin dies after battle with cancer (AP)
J.C. McLin, the second African-American to sit on Tennessees Court of Criminal Appeals, has died after a bout with cancer. He was 64. McLin was appointed to the appeals court in 2004 after serving as a Shelby County criminal court judge. He had pancreatic cancer and died Saturday, according to a statement from the Tennessee courts system. I will dearly miss his even-handed and wise resolution of the work of the court, said Judge Joseph M. Tipton, presiding judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals. He was a joy to work with, and the justice system has lost a valuable servant of the people. McLin also worked as a criminal prosecutor in Shelby County for 15 years. He received his law degree from the University of Tennessee. He served the Court with great integrity and dignity and we will miss him dearly, said Supreme Court Chief Justice Cornelia A. Clark. McLin was the second African-American on the appeals court after Adolpho A. Birch, who was appointed in the 1980s. Birch died late last month. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110906/NEWS21/309050051/TN-Court-Criminal-Appeals-Judge-J-CMcLin-dies-after-battle-cancer?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News
resolution of the work of the court. Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Cornelia Clark said McLin was a kind man, dedicated jurist and dear friend. He served the court with great integrity and dignity and we will miss him dearly, she added. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/sep/6/criminal-appeals-court-judge-mclin-dies/
2012 for the 2012-13 school year in all public systems in the state if teachers vote to do it. This is nothing more than a way to try to hurt TEA and hurt its members us, Leisa Lusk, a TEA board member and David Crockett High School teacher, told about 35 teachers at a TEA regional meeting held at Dobyns-Bennett High School Wednesday evening. She urged all teachers to ask other teachers and other friends of education to be sure they are registered to vote and starting putting the hoo has who supported the end of negotiations and other changes out of office during the next election. http://www.timesnews.net/article/9035534/tea-39educationreform39-an-attack-upon-teachers
Rutherford redistricting plan divides neighborhood, but lines may change (Gannett)
The Rutherford County Commissions Redistricting Committee has placed Blackman Farm homeowners who live across the street from each other in different commission districts in a proposed district map. The 11-member committee unanimously proposed a plan placing the west side of Blaze Drive in Commissioner Trey Goochs District 20 and the east side of the neighborhood in Commissioner Matthew Youngs District 16. Well take a look at that, Commissioner Steve Sandlin, the committee chairman, said after he became aware of the split neighborhood after the meeting. We dont want to split up subdivisions. Were trying to keep intact subdivisions. Sandlin said he wants all 21 commissioners, seven Road Board members and seven Board of Education members, and interested residents to examine the approved Map 2.0 on the county governments website, www.rutherfordcountytn.gov/index.htm, so they can provide feedback to committee members about needed adjustments. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110905/NEWS01/309020114/Rutherford-redistricting-plan-dividesneighborhood-lines-may-change?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s
Miss. River tried changing course during flooding, leaving huge bill (CA/Charlier)
James Parker steps onto a sandy ledge to get a clearer view of where the Mississippi River almost cut Presidents Island in two, tearing out a half-mile-wide chunk of land and leaving water and flocks of geese on a place where cotton formerly grew. Parker, crew chief for the Memphis and Shelby County Port Commission, says he'll never forget the first time he saw this testament to the raw power of the Mississippi. "I couldn't believe it," he said. "I thought it was going to cut all the way through (the island)." Ever since the historic flood of 2011 receded, officials up and down the Mississippi have identified places where the mighty river sought out new channels and made initial efforts to change course during the high water this spring. The Corps of Engineers' $13billion floodcontrol system along the river largely held, preventing an estimated $62 billion in damage. But from northwest Tennessee to Louisiana, the Mississippi tried to carve shortcuts through bends and shave off parts of islands. It washed out riverbanks, undermined some levees and buckled the concrete revetment installed by the corps to hold banks in place. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/06/channel-surfing/
changed so much it's now a "moving target." Condra said it isn't uncommon for a business to change its plan to follow governmental processes and meet officials' and residents' concerns. But he said the basic premise all along was to pump ethanol through a pipeline from rail cars to fuel distribution centers on Jersey Pike. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/06/b1-ethanol-facility-planner-puzzled-waiting/?local
Deadline today to apply for 7 new school board seats (C. Appeal/McMillin)
When the Shelby County Commission voted last week to move forward with the process of filling seven newly created county school board seats, a small skirmish developed over what kind of questions would be asked of candidates, and in what form. Ultimately, Education Committee chairman Mike Carpenter won out with his preference for dispensing of common questions members say they definitely want answered by including them on a written questionnaire. Others who sat through 12 hours of school board candidate interviews in March agreed with Carpenter that if questions about party affiliation or support/opposition to the school merger are inevitable, they should be addressed before interviews. The application deadline for the seats is noon today, with interviews set for W ednesday. "These are questions that are always relevant to somebody and somebody is going to ask," said Commissioner Steve Mulroy. "It saves so much time if we have them fill it out in advance. 9
When we (interviewed) those 200 people in March, if we hadn't done it that way, we would have been here for several days." Commissioner Terry Roland of Millington was joined by others, including Heidi Shafer and Walter Bailey of Memphis, in objecting to how some of the questions seemed overly political. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/06/first-school-appointments-draw-near/
Victims of meth lab blasts fill burn unit, avoid prosecution (Tennessean/Quinn)
A man in his 60s lies in Vanderbilt University Medical Centers burn unit, being treated for disfiguring burns to his eyes and arms. He denies it, but the doctors and nurses are sure the man was injured when a methamphetamine lab exploded. At any given time, one-third of the 25 beds in Dr. Jeffrey Guys burn unit are occupied by people injured in meth lab accidents. That number hasnt changed much in the last decade. This mans story is very similar to that of other meth lab victims in the unit. He has no insurance. The hospital will pick up the tab, an estimated $10,000 a day. Staff here cant remember treating a single victim of a meth explosion with insurance. His family has long abandoned him. No one sits in the chair by his side. There are no balloons, flowers or get-well cards in his room. He is now homeless. The chemical explosion claimed his home, too. And he has no job. The staff is already calling area homeless shelters, social services anyone who might help a man recovering from a serious burn injury find work and shelter, and take him to the hospital for his lengthy rehabilitation treatments. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110905/NEWS07/308260124/Victims-meth-lab-blasts-fill-burn-unit-avoidprosecution?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s
corporate success and cutting-edge medical procedures, however, a different picture emerges, one that is not so flattering. The states most vulnerable patients infants and expectant mothers are not getting the healthcare services they need, particularly preventive care. Tennessee currently ranks sixth-worst in the nation in infant mortality. On an average day, two infants die somewhere in the state; babies born in Bahrain, Malaysia and Belarus have better odds of blowing out their first birthday candle. Even when they make it, babies in Tennessee are too often born early and underweight, which places them at a higher risk of developing health problems later. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110906/COLUMNIST01/309060004/In-health-care-mecca-infants-risk? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p
Free-Press Editorial: Tax increases, more 'stimulus' won't work (Times FreePress)
It's odd to hear President Barack Obama and his Democrat allies in Congress continue calling for tax increases as the way out of the United States' economic crisis. For one thing, raising taxes during bad economic times is dangerous at best, because it further suppresses whatever limited private investment is taking place. But the other issue is, what exactly does Washington plan to do with any new tax revenue that it gets? Supporters of tax increases say the money could stimulate the economy and create jobs if it were spent by Congress on road, bridge and other infrastructure projects around the country. But we tried that with the first "stimulus," and it failed. Nationwide, the counties that got the most road work money per capita from the $862 billion stimulus created no more jobs for construction workers than counties that got no stimulus money. Other spending from the stimulus has been equally non-stimulating. But even if you think additional stimulus spending is a good idea, it's just not likely to happen. Even if somehow the Republican-run U.S. House of Representatives went along with the Democrat-controlled Senate and approved tax increases, the failure of the last stimulus makes it almost impossible that the House would approve yet another stimulus to eat up the new tax revenue. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/06/0906-b7-fp1-tax-increases-wont-work/?opinionfreepress
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