WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2011 Haslam meeting with credit ratings agencies in NY (Associated Press)

Gov. Bill Haslam is wrapping up a series of meetings in New York to make the case for Tennessee to keep its high debt ratings. Finance Commissioner Mark Emkes held preliminary meetings with two of the three major ratings agencies last month after Standard and Poor's downgraded the federal government's credit. Following those meetings, Emkes had each state department draw up how they would respond to federal funding cuts of 15 percent to 30 percent. Under the worst-case scenario, the state would have to shed more than 5,000 jobs. Each agency is also planning for cutting 5 percent in the state funding. Emkes has said the planning for spending cuts should underscore the state's political will to cope with changing economic conditions. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37452907.story

New York rating agencies to hear from Haslam (Nooga)

Facing the possibility of a credit downgrade for the state of Tennessee, Gov. Bill Haslam is optimistic about meetings taking place this week in New York with major bond and credit rating agencies. "En route to NYC to meet with the three bond rating agenciesTN is and will continue to be a low tax state with a great story to tell," read a Twitter post by Haslam on Monday, the only official comment from his office prior to the trip. The meetings, which happen annually, are confidential. But with the state's current credit ratingsa top tier Aaa by both Fitch and Moody's and a second-best AA+ by Standard & Poor'smarked for review after this summer's debt ceiling drama, Tennessee could be forced to adjust to higher borrowing costs and a potential decline in the value of bonds. "We see a complicated credit landscape on the horizon for state and local governments that have weathered several years of difficult economics," reads an August 18 report from S&P. "With an already tepid economic recovery, the additional reduction of federal funds could fuel retrenchment among consumers." http://www.nooga.com/16598_new-york-rating-agencies-to-hear-from-haslam/

TRA Chairman Roberson resigning after 36 years (Associated Press)

Tennessee Regulatory Authority Chairman Eddie Roberson is resigning after 36 years at the agency. Roberson is stepping down on Oct. 1, according to a Tuesday report by the Chattanooga Times Free Press (http://bit.ly/pYfEgz ). Roberson's most recent term expired in July, but he agreed to stay on while Republican Gov. Bill Haslam conducted a review of the panel's operations. The TRA, the successor to the Tennessee Public Service Commission, has members appointed by the governor and the General Assembly. Haslam this year introduced a bill to reduce the number of directors at the TRA from four to three, but the measure did not pass. The governor this summer raised the possibility of doing away with the agency, suggesting that the regulatory responsibilities might better be handled by the executive branch. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37450127.story

Roberson Resigns from TRA (WPLN-Radio Nashville)

The chairman of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, Eddie Roberson, has announced hell resign October 1. His resignation comes at time when the agencys future is uncertain. Eddie Roberson has been with the TRA and its predecessor for more than 30 years. The agency regulates power companies and other large utilities. TRAs role has been the focus of Governor Bill Haslams top-to-bottom review of state regulations. Haslam has said he isnt sure if the agency should still carry out utility regulation, of if that function could be handled by other parts of state government. Asked what the agency might look like a year from now, Roberson says I dont know. I think that the function will be around. But how that function is organized and whos running it, you know, is basically up to the legislative branch and the governor. Robersons appointment to the TRA officially ended in July, but he stayed on with the agency as the Governors office carried out its review. The Haslam administration will present its plans for state regulators in the next few months. http://wpln.org/?p=30227

Roberson resigns from TRA as Haslam reviews agency (Times Free-Press/Sher)

Tennessee Regulatory Authority Chairman Eddie Roberson is resigning effective Oct. 1 as Gov. Bill Haslam contemplates sweeping changes to the agency that oversees dozens of monopoly utilities ranging from Chattanooga Gas to Tennessee American Water Co. The 58-year-old Roberson, who grew up in Chattanooga, submitted his resignation to Haslam on Monday in a letter and posted it Tuesday on the TRA's website. "For over 36 years it has been my distinct honor and high privilege to serve the citizens of our great state on the Public Service Commission and TRA," he wrote. "Over this almost four decades, a sea of change has occurred in the field of utility regulation and I believe the TRA has navigated well through these changing times." Republican Haslam did not reappoint Roberson, a Democratic appointee, to the agency earlier this year. Roberson's term expired July 1. But he continued to serve after Haslam's effort to reduce the agency from four directors to three melted down in the face of opposition from the GOP-led General Assembly. The pushback came after Republican lawmakers discovered the governor's proposed replacement for Roberson had been a supporter of President Barack Obama. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/14/roberson-resigns-from-tra-as-haslam-reviews/?local

TRA chief quits as Haslam contemplates reform of agency (N-S/Humphrey)

Tennessee Regulatory Authority Chairman Eddie Roberson has announced his retirement from the utility oversight agency while Gov. Bill Haslam is planning a second try at overhauling the four-member panel. "Over this almost four decades, a sea of change has occurred in the field of utility regulation and I believe the TRA has navigated well through these changing times," Roberson said in a letter of resignation to Haslam. The resignation is effective Oct 1. Roberson, 58, actually saw his official term expire July 1, but he had agreed to stay on for an indefinite period as the governor's study of the agency continues. Haslam has assigned his senior adviser, Mark Cate, and gubernatorial legal counsel Herbert Slatery to research the TRA with an eye toward revisions. They have interviewed all directors, some staff and representatives of various regulated entities with the goal of drafting legislation for next year's legislative session. Haslam's administration introduced a bill in the Legislature earlier this year that would have reduced the number of TRA directors from four to three while making other changes, but he abandoned attempts at passage. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/13/tra-chief-quits-as-haslam-contemplates-reform-of/

TRA chairman stepping down (Nashville Post)

Eddie Roberson, chairman of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, has informed the agency's staff that he is retiring effective Oct. 1. Roberson was hired by the Public Service Commission, the predecessor to the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, in 1975 and served the commission in Chattanooga. While in Chattanooga, he was also elected twice to the Chattanooga School Board. He was appointed as chief of the Consumer Services Division of the PSC and transferred to Nashville in 1989. He also served as the agency's executive director from 1995 to 1996. He was appointed by Gov. Phil Bredesen in 2006 as director to the TRA and reappointed in 2008. http://nashvillepost.com/news/2011/9/13/tra_chairman_stepping_down

Tennessee first lady lauds Women's Final Four (Associated Press)

Tennessee first lady Crissy Haslam says the Women's Final Four in Nashville in 2014 will leave a historical mark on the city and state. She commented Tuesday as she was named honorary co-chair of the event along with Nashville first lady Anne Davis. There will be a weeklong series of events culminating with the tournament in April at Bridgestone Arena. http://www.chron.com/sports/article/Tennessee-first-lady-lauds-W omen-s-Final-Four-2169186.php

Advocates: TennCare call-in process for aid program isn't fair (Tenn/Wilemon)
Advocates say need for speed is unfair The competitive dialing system for TennCare Standard Spend Down unfairly pits the disabled against people with faster fingers and quicker minds, advocates say. The 2,500 slots for applications were all filled within an hour and a half after the call-in began Monday evening a process made even more confusing because of a technical glitch that kept any calls from getting answered for 20 of those minutes. Advocates believe the states cumbersome application process for the health insurance violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. Did it not occur to anyone that making it like the Oklahoma Land Rush isnt fair? said Michele Johnson, managing attorney for the Tennessee Justice Center, an advocacy organization for the states vulnerable populations. The call-in actually increases accessibility for the disabled, said Susan Sizemore, director of communications for the Tennessee Department of Human Services, which handles the 2

applications. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110914/NEWS07/309140097/Advocates-TennCare-call-process-isn-t-fair-? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

TennCare reaches maximum number of applicants for program (WBIR-TV Knoxville)

Within an around an hour and a half, 2,500 people called TennCare on Monday night hoping to get help for their medical bills. Enrollment in the TennCare standard Spend Down Program gives a limited number of qualified people access to Tenn Care health insurance coverage. Enrollment opened up at 7:00 p.m. on Monday night and a maximum of 2,500 people could call to request an application. The enrollment period was the third since the program started last year. During the first two periods it took about an hour to reach the call limit. http://www.wbir.com/news/article/183948/2/TennCare-reaches-maximum-number-of-applicants-within-hour-anda-half

Tennessee Tech Gets High Marks for Low Student Debt (WPLN-Radio Nashville)
Around 60 percent of Tennessee Techs class of 2010 owes no student debt. Thats according to the annual college rankings from US News and World Report. In a news release, TTU says only 40 percent of its students who graduated in 2010 financed their education with student loans. The debt burden for those students is about 9500 dollars. Thats the lowest of any college or university in the south. Other Middle Tennessee schools also received high marks for financial aid. Nashvilles Free Will Baptist Bible College and Lebanons Cumberland University were ranked in the top ten nationwide for students who receive merit-based aid. Elsewhere, Vanderbilt University ranked number 17 in US News list of best national universities. Down the street, Belmont University is number 7 on its list of best regional universities in the south. http://wpln.org/?p=30208

Busy health clinic in Clarksville getting bigger (Associated Press)

Tennessee's busiest rural Women, Infants and Children clinic is getting bigger. The facility in Montgomery County has broken ground for an 8,000-square-foot wing. It served more than 9,800 patients in the past year, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. It provides support for the sprawling Fort Campbell post nearby; approximately 31 percent of the clinic users in Montgomery County are military families. Officials said the new wing will allow for better nutrition education service and other benefits. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37452911.story

Harwell hits Cooper, Durbin on voter ID comments (Associated Press)

State House Speaker Beth Harwell is hitting back at congressional Democrats who criticized a new Tennessee law requiring a photo ID to vote. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois joined U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper in his Nashville district on Monday to raise concerns that the photo ID law could hamper ballot access. Harwell, a Nashville Republican, in a statement Tuesday said the two Democrats should focus on pressing federal issues and not "come to Tennessee to trample on states' rights." The state estimates 126,000 registered voters don't have current driver's licenses with photos on them. But the Secretary of State's office stresses that expired driver's licenses will qualify, as well as a slew of other government issued IDs, ranging from federal Veteran Identification Cards to state handgun carry permits. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37450661.story

Harwell criticizes Durbin, says state has the right to require photo IDs (CP/W oods)
State House Speaker Beth Harwell shot back at Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin Tuesday for criticizing Republicans in the Tennessee legislature for requiring photo ID for voters beginning with next years elections. Joined by Congressman Jim Cooper in a visit to Nashville on Monday, Durbin, the U.S. Senates No. 2 Democrat, accused Republicans of trying to disenfranchise the poor, minorities, the elderly and other traditional Democratic constituencies by making it more difficult to vote. I would suggest to our federal elected officials that they get their own house in order first, Harwell said in a statement. In an era of rising deficits, ballooning debt, and bloated federal government in Washington, Dick Durbin and Jim Cooper have chosen to ignore those problems and come to Tennessee to trample on states rights. No wonder Congress has an 82 percent disapproval rating. Congressman Cooper has assumed the Washington mentality of not respecting states rights. The Tennessee General Assembly has balanced a budget, kept taxes low and protected our elections. We are doing just fine without W ashingtons help, she said. 3

http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/harwell-criticizes-durbin-says-state-has-right-require-photo-idstennessee-voters

Powerful Senator from Illinois Visits Nashville, Denounces TNs Voter ID Law (TNR)
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said Monday Tennessees new photo ID law could disenfranchise voters, especially the poor, elderly, ethnic minorities or those living in rural areas. Tennessees Republican-led Legislature approved a law last spring that would require voters to bring a government-issued photo identification with them to the polls. Democrats argued that the move created a poll tax and put an unnecessary burden on voters. In a nation that has struggled long and hard to make sure that every American has the right to vote, we cannot allow for new state laws, in any state, that will restrict those Americans who have a legal right to vote from that opportunity. So, were going to pursue this further, said Durbin, assistant Democratic majority leader in the U.S. Senate. Durbin led a Senate subcommittee hearing last week to review state voting laws and their implications for civil rights. The subcommittee reviewed four new Tennessee laws, including one that changes registration notification requirements and two that tinker with early voting periods. http://www.tnreport.com/2011/09/powerful-u-s-senator-from-illinois-visits-nashville-denounces-tns-voter-id-law/

Cash-for-Gold Busts (WPLN-Radio Nashville)

A handful of businesses in Rutherford County are in trouble for allegedly breaking state laws meant to ensure that gold sold for cash actually belongs to the people who sell it. According to the Rutherford County Sheriffs Department, four businesses purchased gold from undercover detectives without asking for identification. All of those plus one more then turned around and sold the gold items within two weeks. The state requires cash-forgold operations to wait at least a month. Theyre also supposed to report sellers names and descriptions of the items they purchased to law enforcement each week, so that authorities can check against reports of stolen jewelry. http://wpln.org/?p=30240

Work at Murfreesboro mosque delayed (Tennessean/Gonzalez)

Contractor bidding is latest obstacle Leaders of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro said this summer that breaking ground on their mosque would bring relief after a tumultuous year. But an August target date slipped past, and a lack of contractor interest led to an extended deadline still open for construction companies to offer bids to build the new center. Its not a secret that we could not get the bids that we would hope to get, said Saleh Sbenaty, a member of the mosque planning committee. That can be for various reasons. Some contractors are busy and sometimes you find a contractor who really would like to get the job who is feeling some pressure from the community. While contractors remain fiercely competitive when most projects crop up, mosque leaders are left wondering why some companies backed out and never returned calls. Its their latest frustration after a year of protests and court hearings over the mosque plans. Rutherford Countys approval of the plan to build a new mosque touched off protests and a lawsuit from a group of residents last year. A judge recently upheld a ruling that the Islamic center has the right to build, giving mosque leaders a brief moment to celebrate. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110914/NEWS01/309130078/Work-Murfreesboro-mosque-delayed-? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Jobs bill won't work, Black says (Times-Gazette)

U.S. Rep. Diane Black, speaking to Tennessee reporters by conference call on Friday, said she was disappointed in President Obama's jobs speech last week. "What I heard was a political speech, frankly," said Black, a Republican from Gallatin. She said many of the ideas discussed are repeats of the stimulus program from 2009, which she said was not effective. "I think that the president missed a golden opportunity ... to do what businesses want us to do," she said, claiming that relief from federal regulations is the key to job growth and that Obama made only brief mention of the issue. She said businesses won't invest in new production if they feel "over-mandated, over-regulated and over-taxed." She specifically cited the Environmental Protection Agency as having "the most regulations that really hurt." She noted regulations on particulate matter that are applied even to farmers. "How do you plow a field without having dust particles?" she asked. Black said she was also 4

disappointed in the tone of Obama's speech. http://www.t-g.com/story/1762044.html

Health coverage surges among young (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Carroll)

Half a million more young Americans signed up for health insurance between 2009 and 2010, leading highranking Democrats to conclude that President Barack Obama's health care reform bill is working. Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 were the only ones to experience a significant increase in health insurance coverage in that time, according to figures issued Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The coverage rate jumped from 70.7 percent to 72.8 percent between 2009 and 2010, translating to about 500,000 newly insured young adults, the bureau said. "We expect even more will gain coverage in 2011 when the policy is fully phased in," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wrote in a blog post. Part of the president's Affordable Care Act allows young adults to be on their parents' plan until age 26. The policy took effect for insurance renewals beginning on Sept. 23, 2010. In her blog post, Sebelius described young adults as a high-risk group that believes itself to be "invincible." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/14/health-coverage-surges-among-young/?local

Democrats See Perils on Path to Health Cuts (New York Times)

As Congress opens a politically charged exploration of ways to pare the deficit, President Obama is expected to seek hundreds of billions of dollars in savings in Medicare and Medicaid, delighting Republicans and dismaying many Democrats who fear that his proposals will become a starting point for bigger cuts in the popular health programs. The president made clear his intentions in his speech to a joint session of Congress last week when, setting forth a plan to create jobs and revive the economy, he said he disagreed with members of his party who dont think we should make any changes at all to Medicare and Medicaid. Few Democrats fit that description. But many say that if, as expected, Mr. Obama next week proposes $300 billion to $500 billion of savings over 10 years in entitlement programs, he will provide political cover for a new bipartisan Congressional committee to cut just as much or more. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/us/politics/obamas-expected-plan-for-entitlement-savings-worriesdemocrats.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper (SUBSCRIPTION)

Consultants share plan for improving Metro schools (Tennessean/Young)

Two representatives from the consulting firm Tribal Group spoke at Tuesdays Metro school board meeting about what they hoped to accomplish in 33 of the districts lowest-performing schools. The United Kingdom-based Tribal Group was awarded a five-year, $6 million contract, to be funded with federal dollars, after Metro Director of Schools Jesse Register and his executive staff spent the better part of last year looking at potential partnerships, Register said. At the core of Tribals program is the idea that change starts from the inside and works its way out, said David Crossley, strategic leader with Tribal. School improvement takes time, but were optimistic about whats in place, he told the board. What makes this work is collaboration, disciplined collaboration. We have to know every student, and what they are capable of. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110914/NEWS/309140080/Consultants-share-plan-improving-Metroschools?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

County Commission Picks Seven Members for Interim School Board (M. Flyer)
It took several hours, but the Shelby County Commission, which began its deliberations in mid-afternoon, finally managed on Monday evening to fill the last seven places on a 23-member interim school board that will guide the development of a unified all-county school system up to the point of completed merger on September 1, 2013. Given the fact that three members of the Commission W yatt Bunker, Chris Thomas, and Terry Roland, all from District 4, which covers the non-Memphis portions of Shelby County have made it clear that they oppose the whole process of merger, everybody seems to have gotten something of what they wanted. At one end of the Commissions political spectrum, Democratic member Steve Mulroy a professed liberal, unabashed supporter of consolidation and representative of the Commissions District 5, an east Memphis-based area, confided that he saw his first choices named to several of the seats being filled, while Republican Thomas, an equally adamant conservative and representative of the suburbs, was able to exult late in the process, We got one! http://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2011/09/13/county-commission-picks-seven-members-forinterim-school-board

Terms of Consolidation Still Taking Shape (Memphis Daily News)

There is still some uncertainty about the exact terms of the transition to a consolidated countywide school board. And that was reflected in questions preceding this weeks appointments to the board that takes office Oct. 1. The appointed board members apparently will have a one-year stay in office that stops about one year short of the schools consolidation target date of August 2013. And the seven board members elected in the August 2012 county elections will take office just weeks later instead of waiting longer than a year to take office on Sept. 1, 2013. Attorney Lori Patterson, representing the Shelby County Commission in the federal lawsuit that led to schools consolidation, said the seven board members elected in the August 2012 elections will begin their service on Sept. 1, 2012 not Sept. 1, 2013, when the other 16 members of the transitional board are phased out. That means the appointees serve about a year before those elected to the districts take over and serve for another year with the 16 Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools board members. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/sep/14/terms-of-consolidation-still-taking-shape/

County moving forward on new Carter developer (Knoxville News-Sentinel/Flory)

The Industrial Development Board of Knox County has authorized negotiations with a new developer for the proposed Carter Elementary School in East Knox County. At a Tuesady meeting, the IDB authorized its staffers to negotiate with Partners Development for the new elementary school in the Carter community to replace an older existing school building. Partners Development is a Knoxville-based firm headed by Ron Watkins that has developed several projects in the Knoxville area. Partners Development finished second in bidding for the Carter school project behind the Devon Group's $13.8 million bid. The county had accepted Devon Group's bid to develop the school, but that development firm withdrew from the project last month. Lawyer Mark Mamantov, representing Knox County, said Tuesday that Devon was concerned there could be glitches in the county's acceptance of the project, which could result in delays in the IDB's payment of the development fee. Mamantov said Devon was worried there might be political pressure to delay or decline acceptance of the school even if it was built according to plans. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/13/county-moving-forward-on-newcarter-developer/

Teacher sues Knox Sentinel/McCoy)

County

school

district

over

suspension

(News-

A Beaumont Elementary School special education teacher has sued the Knox County school district alleging it has violated her rights for due process when she was suspended last school year. According to the lawsuit, filed Monday in Knox County Chancery Court, Jennifer Willoughby alleges she was told in May that she had been placed on administrative leave without pay for 10 days. The suit does not specify the cause of the suspension. "The May 2011 suspension of (Willoughby) was not preceded by a notice of charges pursuant to (state law) or an opportunity for a hearing," according to court documents. Willoughby said she was told the suspension without pay was done through school board policy and it did not include an appeal before the board. The suit alleges that Superintendent Jim McIntyre "does not possess the lawful authority to impose a disciplinary suspension upon a tenured teacher" and that without a notice of charges and an opportunity for a hearing, Willoughby's rights were violated as a tenured teacher. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/14/teacher-sues-knox-county-school-district-over/

Idaho: For Idaho and the Internet, Life in the Slow Lane (New York Times)
Barry Ramsay, who owns a small manufacturing company here between two mountains, remembers the day his Internet connection crashed for several hours. W ork crews had to ride up in snowmobiles to discover the problem. They said that bears had been rubbing against the towers, Mr. Ramsay said. In this mountainous state, where some connections depend on line of sight, even snow and fog can disrupt the signals. These are the kind of problems you probably dont have in an urban area, he said. And, according to a new study, they are among the problems that have earned Idaho an unfortunate distinction: it had the slowest Internet speeds in the country earlier this year for residential customers who were downloading things like games a dismal average of 318 kilobytes per second. Translation: In Idaho, it would take you 9.42 seconds to download a standard music file compared with 3.36 seconds in Rhode Island, the state with the fastest average speeds, at 894 kilobytes per second. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/us/downloads-are-slowest-in-idaho-study-finds.html?ref=todayspaper (SUB)

New Jersey: Christie admin. nixes plan that would have cut Medicaid coverage
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(SL)
Thousands of New Jersey's working poor will keep their health insurance under a new administration proposal to restructure Medicaid, abandoning a controversial plan that would have drastically reduced the number of eligible recipients. In May, the state Department of Human Services proposed tightening the income requirements for New Jersey FamilyCare, an offshoot of Medicaid, which provides affordable health insurance for working parents and their children. For instance, a family of three making $5,317 a year would have earned too much to qualify, compared with the current income cutoff of $24,645. The initial proposal was roundly criticized by Democratic state legislators, New Jersey's congressional delegation and advocates for children and the poor. Today, they expressed relief at the final plan. "This is a major victory for working-class families in New Jersey," said Raymond Castro, an analyst with the left-leaning New Jersey Policy Perspective. "It would have been tragic with this great need for health care that they would have been cutting back." http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/09/christie_nixes_plan_that_would.html

North Carolina: Voters to Decide on Same-Sex Marriage (New York Times)

North Carolina on Tuesday took a big step toward losing its status as the last state in the Southeast without a constitutional amendment making it clear that marriage is legal only when there is a bride and bridegroom. The Senate, in a 30-16 vote, agreed to let voters decide during the May primaries whether the state Constitution should ban same-sex marriage. The House approved the measure the day before, 75 to 42. It is already illegal for people of the same sex to marry in North Carolina. If the amendment passes, it will serve to reinforce that ban and make it more difficult for future legislatures to extend marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples. It could also call into question domestic partnership benefits offered by public institutions and the application of domestic violence laws, said Holning Lau, an associate professor of law at the University of North Carolina. The proposal also would bar the state from sanctioning civil unions. Originally, backers wanted the issue on the ballot in November 2012, where it might help attract voters more likely to vote against President Obama and Gov. Bev Perdue, a Democrat. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/us/north-carolina-voters-to-decide-on-same-sex-marriage.html? ref=todayspaper (SUBSCRIPTION)

OPINION Editorial: Redistricting plans need to be made public more quickly (News-Sentinel)
The Republican leadership in the Tennessee General Assembly is missing an opportunity to display the type of transparency the party has trumpeted during its control of both houses and the governor's mansion. Committees in the House and Senate are meeting behind closed doors to redraw legislative and congressional districts, as required every 10 years after the completion of the U.S. Census. Deputy House Speaker Steve McDaniel said the committees are not in any hurry. Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Bill Ketron, who is on the Senate 7

redistricting committee, said the plans likely wouldn't be unveiled until January, adding that they then can be approved quickly by the Legislature. That's the problem. Most legislators won't have time to review the plans and suggest changes before adopting the new districts. Releasing plans and alternatives earlier, rather than later, would achieve the twin goals of transparency and open deliberation. The GOP is in charge of redistricting for the first time since Reconstruction. Democrats have traditionally drawn districts to benefit their party, and Republicans now have the chance to do the same. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/14/editorial-redistricting-plans-need-to-be-made/

Editorial: Redistricting committee must think outside lines (Daily News Journal)
We're still willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, but the Rutherford County Redistricting Committee is showing all the signs of a political fox guarding the henhouse. Up to this point, the committee charged with putting forth a recommendation for new County Commission district lines following the latest census has given little more than lip service to the possibility that the number of commission seats needs to be changed from 21. Perhaps a little push from County Commissioner Robert Stevens is just what is needed to jumpstart a real conversation about the pros and cons of adjusting the number of commission seats whether more or fewer so that voters can make an honest assessment of whether this process is to the benefit of representative government in Rutherford County. Redistricting only happens once every 10 years, and what a 10 years it's been for Rutherford County 44 percent growth to a population of more than 260,000 people. Such rapid growth over a decade may be a once in a lifetime occurrence, so why wouldn't this be a perfect opportunity to see if significant change isn't needed to the commission's structure? http://www.dnj.com/article/20110914/OPINION01/109140307/Redistricting-committee-must-think-outside-lines

Times Editorial: Student transfers on rise in Hamilton County (Times Free-Press)

Both praise and criticism have been heaped on the federal No Child Left Behind education law since it took effect in 2002. Of course, the most fundamental criticism of the law is that constitutionally, state and local governments -- not Washington -- should set public education policy. But Congress has long involved itself in education, and one encouraging part of the No Child Left Behind Act is that it permits students in persistently under-performing schools to transfer to academically stronger schools. In Hamilton County, most of the students who are eligible for those transfers have not chosen to take advantage of them. The Times Free Press reported recently that of the thousands of students who are entitled to transfer, only 474 did so this year. And some of those may wind up transferring back to their original schools. However, the 474 who transferred this year were more than double the 198 who transferred last year -- and last year's number was about seven times the number who had transferred in 2009. So the local trend is moving upward. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/14/rising-student-transfers/?opinionfreepress

Guest columnist: Cutback in TVA program kills jobs (Tennessean)

An op-ed column by TVA has recently announced a 75 percent cutback in the size of solar and other renewable energy installations it will approve in its Generation Partners program. Generation Partners is TVAs successful renewable energy incentive program. The Generation Partners program has been an important factor in an unprecedented solar industry boom in the region. As of July 2011, there were over 820 current and pending Generation Partners solar panel installations. GP was producing more than 23 megawatts of solar, wind and biomass generation. The size of approved installations in the TVA GP program was reduced 80 percent last year. Now, TVA is implementing a further reduction from 200 to 50 kW. Solar installers have scrambled to get applications in before the Sept. 16 deadline TVA announced just last week. TVAs cutback could derail Tennessees boom in solar energy and jobs. Solar manufacturing in Tennessee now covers almost every step in the solar supply chain. Sharp Manufacturing in Memphis employs more than 450 members in the production of solar modules.http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110914/OPINION/309140101/Cutback-TVA-program-killsjobs?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

Guest columnist: TVA: Report of secrecy misleading (Tennessean)

The Nashville Tennesseans Sept. 10 article titled Critics say TVA operates in secrecy is misleading. The story, which targets TVAs Bellefonte Nuclear Plant, fails to mention the thorough and comprehensive public review of that and other topics via TVAs Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) public briefings process. Over a period of two years, TVA held 11 public briefings and scope meetings related to its IRP planning for future generation. TVA also held five public meetings to present the draft results of the planning process, respond to questions, and hear 8

comments on the draft plan and environmental impact statement. Public comment on nuclear power, including options for Bellefonte Nuclear Plant, made up a significant part of the discussion at all these public gatherings. Some TVA board members attended these informational sessions as well. The article also neglects to mention the 15-member Stakeholder Review Group that served as a source of information and coordination during the IRP process. These group members represented a wide array of stakeholders and opinion leaders who provided specific guidance throughout the development of the IRP and its completion in March 2011. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110914/OPINION/309140100/TVA-Report-secrecy-misleading? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

Editorial: TVA must be transparent to the public (Leaf Chronicle)

The Tennessee Valley Authority, which provides electricity to most of Tennessee and parts of six other states, is subject to the federal sunshine act. The law provides that meetings of federal agencies be open to the public, except under certain circumstances that are spelled out in the statute. Over the years, however, questions have been raised about how transparent the TVA is when conducting business. In 2007, for instance, the TVA board finally began to allow public comment at the start of meetings before a vote is taken instead of afterward, when it wouldn't have any real effect. More recently, the body met without giving public notice when holding orientations sessions for new members, reportedly so that they would be more comfortable as members of the team. The board also has a long-standing tradition of splitting into committees that deliberate out of the public eye. Although a committee system obviously is permissible, members should not be deliberating behind closed doors on matters that later will come up for a vote, even if a quorum isn't present. http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20110914/OPINION01/109140304/EDITORIAL-TVA-must-transparentpublic

Frank Munger: Eschenberg popular choice as OR chief (Knoxville News-Sentinel)

You'd think that John Eschenberg had been around for a long time, given his popularity in Oak Ridge. He seems to be liked not only at the U.S. Department of Energy's field office but in the community as well. Maybe it's his personality. Maybe it's what he's done. Maybe it's both. Eschenberg has been a force for the past two years as DOE's cleanup chief and more recently as deputy director of the Oak Ridge office. At the end of this month, he'll become DOE's interim manager in Oak Ridge. He'll replace Paul Golan, who's held the job on an acting basis since April, when Gerald Boyd retired. Larry Kelly, the environmental, safety and health chief, will take over as deputy director on an interim basis. That completes the top tier of managers who'll take over after Golan returns to California and until DOE decides on a permanent manager. That's not expected until sometime in 2012. Eschenberg said he was excited to be placed in the leadership role. There have been persistent reports of unhappiness among DOE employees as a result of the restructuring that took shape during Golan's six-month tenure.http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/14/eschenberg-popular-choice-as-or-chief/

Free-Press Editorial: ObamaCare bound for Supreme Court (Times Free-Press)

A federal appeals court's recent dismissal of two lawsuits seeking to have ObamaCare overturned has not changed the fact that ObamaCare almost certainly will wind up in the U.S. Supreme Court. The latest ruling, by a panel of three Democrat-appointed federal judges in Virginia, declared only that the plaintiffs in the lawsuits -filed by the Virginia attorney general and Liberty University -- did not have standing to sue. So the court did not rule on the constitutionality of ObamaCare. But previous rulings by two separate appeals courts split on the issue -- with one declaring ObamaCare constitutional and the other striking down its key provision that individuals must buy government-approved medical insurance or be fined. Those contradictory rulings put the socialized medicine law on a course for the high court, where its fate is uncertain. At stake is fundamental respect for our Constitution's limits on federal power. Though previous laws and court rulings alike have undermined the 10th Amendment's restrictions on what the federal government can do, ObamaCare would go a step further by forcing most Americans to buy insurance or be penalized. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/14/obamacare-and-the-supreme-court/?opinionfreepress

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