SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2011 GM Ready to Talk About Spring Hills Future (WPLN-Radio Nashville)

Officials with GM are ready to talk about the future of their plant in Spring Hill. At a news conference on Monday, GM is expected to announce the return of auto production to Spring Hill. The plant stopped making cars in 2009, although it still makes engines and other parts for GM. The automaker agreed to restart auto production at Spring Hill as part of a new contract with the United Auto Workers http://wpln.org/?p=31728 union.

GM readies 'positive' news (Columbia Daily Herald)

General Motors has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday at its Spring Hill manufacturing plant where company officials are expected to announce what type of new vehicles will be built there and as well as when workers will be called back to the assembly lines. Its going to be a positive announcement for the Middle Tennessee area, thats all we can say at this point, said Mike Herron, bargaining chairman of the United Auto Workers Local 1853. It will definitely be the kind of announcement weve been waiting for a couple of years ever since we built out the last (Chevrolet) Traverse. A vehicle hasnt been built at the Spring Hill site since November 2009, when production of the Chevrolet Traverse shifted to Lansing, Mich., resulting in the layoffs of about 2,000 employees. The reopening of the shuttered Spring Hill plant was included in a four-year contract between GM and the UAW ratified in September by about 48,500 hourly employees. http://www.columbiadailyherald.com/articles/2011/11/18/top_stories/01gmnews.txt

Man charged with TennCare fraud (Jackson Sun)

A Madison County man is charged with using the identity of another person, who is a TennCare enrollee, to obtain medical benefits through the public health care insurance program, according to a news release from the Office of Inspector General. Authorities on Friday announced the arrest of William Joseph Murrell, 37, of Humboldt. He was indicted by a Madison County grand jury along with Carita Laitice Lee, both charged with two counts of TennCare fraud. Together they are accused of using the TennCare dental benefits of Lee's daughter at Family and Cosmetic Dentistry located in Jackson. Except for special circumstances, dental benefits are not available for adults in TennCare. Lee was arrested in September. "A TennCare card for one member of a family is not a ticket to benefits for everyone," Inspector General Deborah Y. Faulkner said in the release. "Children whose families cannot provide health care insurance deserve a healthy start, but the full array of benefits is not extended to adults, especially those who are not eligible for the program." http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20111119/NEWS01/111110360

Forest Cove employee is Caregiver of the Year (Jackson Sun)

LaKeysha Graves honored with surprise ceremony Friday A Jackson assistant for social services was honored as The Tennessee Healthcare Association's Caregiver of the Year in a surprise ceremony Friday at Forest Cove Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. "You honor our state in so many ways," said Blake Carrington, administrator of Forest Cove. "LaKeysha Graves LG stands for 'loving God.' We appreciate you in so many ways. God bless you." "LaKeysha's work is exceptional, and so is her service to the community," said Jesse Samples, executive director of the association. Graves was honored at a surprise ceremony at Forest Cove at 2 p.m. Friday. She was awarded with a plaque, a vacation package and thousands of dollars for her service. Graves also was honored by state Sen. Lowe Finney, D-Jackson, and Madison County Mayor Jimmy Harris. Gov. Bill Haslamprepared a proclamation to be presented to Graves. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20111119/NEWS01/111110361

TN drivers, start your computers, pick state plate (Tennessean/Brooks)

Tennessee is the sort of state where you can get your art on a plate. A license plate, that is. The State Your Plate competition organized by Tennesseans for the Arts is offering drivers a chance to choose the design for the states newest specialty plate. Dozens of artists submitted designs for the contest and the top 10 have been posted online for viewers to rate. The plate with the most votes could hit the road in 2012. The final designs showcase a wild cross-section of the states art scene from one Brentwood artists celebration of street art, complete with tire tracks, to a plate that looks remarkably like a Jack Daniels label. A license plate isnt the easiest canvas, but finalist Leslie Haines enjoyed the challenge. In fact, as a graphic design instructor at the Art Institute of Nashville and previously at Watkins College, shes assigned license plate designs as in-class assignments. Its a challenge, right? she said with a laugh. Its a small space, you have all this stuff running over your design, your design cant distract from the (license plate numbers)...and how do you distill the sense of art for the whole state into one image? http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111119/NEWS/311190022/TN-drivers-start-your-computers-pick-stateplate?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Tennessee pushes ahead with mandated health-insurance exchange (CA/Sells)

No matter what happens before October 2013, when states' health insurance exchanges are mandated to be open for business, Tennessee will be ready, said the state's exchange leader. Brian Haile, director of Tennessee's Insurance Exchange Planning Initiative, said the state will continue to ready its health-reformmandated exchange, despite court challenges against them from the governors of Virginia and Florida. "That's not the position that our governor takes and it's not the position, I think, 47 other governors take," Haile said. "What we're trying to say in Tennessee is that regardless of how the courts rule, we'll likely have to make this choice and we have to find out what makes sense for our state." Haile spoke Thursday evening before a group of nearly 300 at the University of Memphis. He has crisscrossed the state for the last year, gathering input from citizens and stakeholders about what the state's exchange should look like. His final recommendation to Gov. Bill Haslam is due in two weeks. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/19/tenn-exchange-on-time/

New bridge planned for Hancock County (Associated Press)

State transportation officials have announced plans to replace an aging bridge in Hancock County with a new one. Officials said in a news release Friday the Kyles Ford Bridge over the Clinch River on State Route 70 will be replaced. The new bridge is expected to be under contract by the end of 2012. The existing bridge was built in 1927 as part of a special toll bridge program. It is one of only three such bridges still existing in the state. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37972837.story

State safety study ahead for bypass (Times-Gazette)

The state's transportation department will conduct a safety audit of the Shelbyville bypass following concerns expressed from local officials. Shelbyville city manager Jay Johnson said he and State Sen. Jim Tracy have spoken to TDOT, and the state has agreed to conduct the audit for the bypass, also known as State Route 437. A number of local officials have asked for help from TDOT to make the new bypass safer for motorists following a series of accidents, including one fatality. Johnson said TDOT has recognized the need and has agreed to do the audit. However, he stated, at this point, the city does not have a schedule when it would be performed. "Obviously, something like this they've got to schedule it within their workload, conduct it and then present us with their findings," Johnson said. Concerns Last week, Johnson wrote a formal letter to Tracy, asking for additional signage and for TDOT to look into the safety issue on the city's behalf. Main areas of concern are the intersection at Fairfield Pike, where several accidents have already occurred since the bypass opened in August, and at Railroad Road, where a 4-month-old baby was killed and two children seriously injured in late October. http://www.t-g.com/story/1785956.html

Deer-related car crashes rise in Tennessee (Tennessean/Young)

More Middle Tennesseans are hitting deer, the inevitable result of more rural construction combined with more cars on the road, wildlife officials say. Since 2008, the statewide numbers have jumped by about 100 accidents a year, to 5,406 in 2010. Some counties are predicting another record year based on a high number of crashes this season 11 in Clarksville within a 15-hour period on Nov. 9-10 alone. Nationwide the number of deer-related crashes is down by about 7 percent, according to a report released by State Farm Insurance in October. 2

Tennessees ranking for likelihood to hit a deer rose from 30th to 29th, with the odds of a person hitting a deer here at 1 in 223, the report said. Its amazing how a deer can adapt, survive and thrive in a relatively small habitat, said Don King, chief of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agencys information and education division. Youd be surprised at how many deer are living in Davidson County. It doesnt take much, a little cover, some water and some oak trees around so they can forage for acorns. November and December are the peak months for crashes, King said, because the deer are mating. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111119/NEWS/311190035/Deer-related-car-crashes-rise-Tennessee? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Kyle says he won't run for Shelby County district attorney general (CA/Locker)
State Sen. Jim Kyle announced Friday he will not run for Shelby County district attorney general next year. Kyle sent an e-mail to his supporters Friday afternoon saying he was declining suggestions by Democrats that he seek the chief prosecutor's office. A special general election is scheduled for next August for the office in the wake of former district attorney general Bill Gibbons' departure in January to join Gov. Bill Haslam's Cabinet as commissioner of safety and homeland security. Haslam appointed Gibbons' deputy district attorney, Amy P. Weirich, a Republican, to replace him in January and she will be a candidate for the remainder of the term. The qualifying deadline for candidates is Dec. 8 and the special primary election for the office is in March. "Approximately two weeks ago, several good Democrats contacted me to encourage me to run for District Attorney of Shelby County. I am writing you today to decline their generous offer of support, and wanted to take a moment to explain why," Kyle wrote. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/18/jim-kyle-says-he-wont-run-shelby-county-district-a/

Kyle Says No to Run for D.A., Will Seek Reelection to State Senate (M. Flyer)
State Senator Jim Kyle of Memphis, the Democrats' Senate leader whose legislative seat is almost certainly earmarked by the dominant Republicans in Nashville for a serious redistricting, has apparently decided to stay the course there, anyhow. Kyle announced that he would not run next year as a Democratic candidate for District Attorney General, thereby saying no to what had the makings of a legitimate draft effort among local Democrats seeking an opponent for incumbent DAG Amy Weirich, who will run as a Republican. Kyle will, however, run for reelection to the state Senate next year, braving whatever contours his northern Shelby County districts will end up having. Kyle's announcement of non-candidacy for District Attorney General was in epistulary form to media and potential supporters and went as follows http://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2011/11/18/kyle-says-no-to-run-for-da-will-seek-reelectionto-state-senate

Land preservation effort melds ecology, economy (Tennessean/Paine)

Nonprofits, agencies craft plan for South Cumberland Plateau The dramatic gorges, waterfalls and forests of the Southern Cumberland Plateau 80 miles southeast of Nashville have drawn Middle Tennessee residents for more than a century to enjoy cool mountain air and clean water. But with thousands of acres of privately owned timberland poised to be sold, the natural playground for sightseers, rock climbers, hikers and hunters is standing at a precipice. The Land Trust for Tennessee has put together a vision with the help of dozens of community and government agencies that outlines strategies for protecting the areas landscape and cultural resources while also growing the local economies. They hope to persuade South Cumberland residents to work with them on a conservation agenda that leans on sustainable forestry and tourism for long-term economic stability. That means planning in an area that now has little in the way of planning and zoning. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111119/NEWS01/311190040/Land-preservation-effort-melds-ecologyeconomy?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Warmer, wetter winter expected in Tennessee (Associated Press)

The winter weather outlook in Tennessee is for slightly warmer than normal temperatures and precipitation that is a bit above average. Translation: Keep the ice scraper and the rock salt handy. The major factor is the La Nina surface conditions in the Pacific Ocean, which means the sea temperature is cooler than usual. However, a phenomenon thats predictable only a week or so before it happens could prove a spoiler, said Bobby Boyd, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in Nashville. Last winter was a La Nina winter, too, cautions Boyd, but Nashville had 10 snows of at least a half-inch, tying 1978 as a winter with several snow events. I was really surprised at the statistic of 10 half-inch snows, Boyd said. Perhaps that was because none were that deep. A 2.6 inch snowfall on Dec. 12 and 2.5 inches that fell on Jan. 10 were the deepest snowfalls recorded in Nashville 3

during the winter of 2010-11. It added up, though, to a total depth of 12.5 inches for the year the most snow since 2002-03. The winter even included a white Christmas, the first in the city since 1993. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/19/warmer-wetter-winter-expected-tennessee/?local

City may seek outside help on Mayor Ron Littlefields fate (TFP/Hightower)
A City Councilman said Friday he will ask colleagues opinions on whether they need outside legal advice to determine if Mayor Ron Littlefield should immediately be removed from office. I dont know what were supposed to do, said Peter Murphy, chairman of the City Councils Legal and Legislative Committee. Thats why we need to seek outside counsel. The Hamilton County Election Commission on Thursday certified a mayoral recall petition and set a recall election for Aug. 2, 2012. Littlefield said if the council does decide an ouster is possible, thatll probably go to court as well. Murphy said in an email to council members Friday that the city charter is unclear on whether Littlefield should be removed from office until the recall election or continue to serve. There is the question of whether we have ministerial duty to pass a resolution that would temporarily replace him [Littlefield] with Chairwoman [Pam] Ladd, he wrote. Littlefield agrees there is some confusion in the charter. There are two provisions in the charter that arent exactly compatible, he said. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/19/city-may-seek-outside-help-mayor-ron-littlefields-/?local

Luttrell proposes bonus for employees, citing budget surplus (CA/Connolly)

Workers in Shelby County government didn't get a raise when the new fiscal year started in July, but they might receive a December bonus. County Mayor Mark Luttrell announced Friday that the government had achieved an $8.7 million general fund surplus for the fiscal year that ended June 30. Factors that made it possible included the elimination of 46 positions, decisions to hold jobs vacant and higher-than-expected collections of delinquent taxes, the administration said. Luttrell said he will ask the County Commission to approve a package of bonuses costing $2.5 million. The rest of the surplus would go into a reserve fund. If approved, all permanent county employees hired before July 1 would be eligible for a bonus equal to 1.5 percent of their base pay. Some temporary employees would get $200, and checks would go out Dec. 15. Elected officials would not be eligible. County employees face increasing costs for health care and pension contributions, Luttrell said. He also said employees have helped keep a leaner county government running. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/18/shelby-county-mayor-luttrell-proposes-bonus-employ/

Consultant recommends 11-cent tax hike (State Gazette)

The Dyer County Budget Committee faced ever-mounting scrutiny this past summer as it tried to recommend a budget for the County Commission to approve. Facing a shortfall in the general fund, the committee received advice from the County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS), a state-operated organization created to assist local governments to promote better government. During budget deliberations, CTAS suggested that the county raise taxes to raise new revenue for the general fund. However, unwilling to burden the community with a tax increase under the current economy and after suffering through two years of floods, the committee requested that CTAS perform an analysis of the county's debt and make recommendations to the county on how it could improve its revenue stream when it begins reviewing the 2012-2013 budget. CTAS completed the analysis and Don Johnson, a government consultant with CTAS, was present at Monday evening's County Commission meeting to discuss the report prepared by his office. According to Johnson, the county is doing well but needs to take steps to continue to ensure its well-being. http://www.stategazette.com/story/1785917.html

Occupy protesters disrupt Rumsfeld event at hotel (Associated Press)

A group of Occupy Nashville protesters disrupted a discussion with former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about his memoir, "Known and Unknown." A press release from the group says an anonymous donor purchased four $125-a-plate dinners that allowed protesters to enter the Thursday night event at a downtown Nashville hotel. They mingled with the crowd before standing up, one by one, and accusing Rumsfeld of being a war criminal. They also suggested Rumsfeld should go outside and submit to a citizen's arrest. The protesters were ejected by security. The event was sponsored by conservative Washington think tank the Heritage Foundation. Heritage spokesman Matthew Streit confirmed that four protesters caused what he called a "brief interruption" of the discussion. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx? cId=tennessean&sParam=37971461.story

Ban on insider trading by lawmakers gains momentum (Tennessean/Bewley)

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Rep. Cooper backs ban, says he's outraged by colleagues' actions Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper of Nashville lined up behind legislation this week that would ban insider trading by members of Congress and federal workers. The bill was first proposed in 2006 but gained little momentum until Sunday night, when the CBS News show 60 Minutes reported that lawmakers have exempted themselves and their staffers from a law that has sent some of their constituents to jail. The number of lawmakers backing the House bill rose from nine to 65 in the four days after the report. Two similar measures were introduced for the first time in the Senate this week. The legislation would ban members of Congress, their staffers and employees of federal agencies from buying or selling stocks based on nonpublic information they obtain through their work. It also would force lawmakers to disclose stock transactions more frequently. Cooper, who has co-sponsored the legislation before, said he didnt realize congressional insider trading was such a serious problem until he turned on the television Sunday. He said: I knew it was an area of concern. I didnt know how great it was, but the 60 Minutes story certainly highlighted it. On Monday, Cooper signed on to the legislation, written by Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111119/NEWS02/311180119/Ban-insider-trading-by-lawmakers-gainsmomentum?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Facebook role in politics grows (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Carroll)

U.S. Rep Chuck Fleischmann is taking town hall-type meetings to Facebook, where power comes with "friends" and "likes." In a news release last week, a spokesman for Fleischmann announced the Republican's "first Facebook town hall" in which 3rd Congressional District residents can leave questions on Fleischmann's page. The congressman is expected to film a video later this week, answering "a random sampling" of questions, said Fleischmann spokesman Jordan Powell. "I doubt Chuck will be able to get to all the questions, but he'll do some more of these," Powell said. "This is another avenue for him to reach whoever might pose a question, young or old." Fleischmann is not the only one asking for Internet eyeballs. On his campaign page, GOP challenger Weston W amp recently implored supporters to get him over the 600-friend hump on Facebook, a benchmark he met in late October. The 24-year-old son of former U.S. Rep. Zach W amp is less than three years removed from Facebook's main sphere of influence -- college. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/19/facebook-role-in-politics-grows/?local

Chattanooga gets grant for new type electric buses (Associated Press)
The bus system in Chattanooga has a grant to buy three buses that are expected to vastly expand the range of electrically operated public transit in the city. A $2.5 million federal grant will be used to buy new electric buses that can recharge in minutes and operate all day on city streets at about 20 percent of the cost of diesel buses. The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority says the technology allows bus drivers to park over induction coils in a garage or buried beneath a street and recharge the batteries wirelessly in a few minutes, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press (http://bit.ly/sEyZie ). The technology is called wayside induction. Electric buses that require switching out batteries have been running on a downtown loop for two decades in Chattanooga. Those vehicles can travel about 45 miles on a charged battery. Tom Dugan, executive director of CARTA, said a bus that gets 100 miles on a charge could run any route in the system. The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga is working with CARTA to test the wireless charging technology. In announcing the grant on Thursday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the city's 20 years of electric vehicle research and development led to its receipt of the funds, which come under the Transit Investment in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction grant program. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37971263.story

Lake-Be-Gone Woes (W all Street Journal)

Deterioration, Environmental Issues Threaten America's Damsand Local Economies It's getting wintry here on Bonny Lake in eastern Colorado, but Mike Webber is in his parka, fishing from his boat while he still can. Bonny Lake is down to 5% of its peak size, and by next year there won't be any water here to speak of, because Colorado is slowly draining the 1,900-acre lake. The Colorado Division of W ater Resources pulled the plug in September as part of a legal requirement to send more water to Kansas and Nebraska, says state spokesman Theo Stein. "What's left of it will freeze over soon and that will be it," says Mr. Webber, manager of a local petroleum service center. "I'm really sad to see it go." Since 1951, when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation dammed the Republican River, creating Bonny Lake, the local community has enjoyed a recreational and economic livelihood. Now, as the waters recede, Burlington is joining dozens of other communities across the U.S. that must readjust as dams that once gave birth to new waterways and thriving economies based on tourism, irrigation farming and hydropower are altered or dismantled, reverting landscapes to the way they were 5

decades ago. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204517204577044722240748962.html?mod=ITP_pageone_1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

College Does Pay Off, but It's No Free Ride (Wall Street Journal)
The swelling ranks of unemployed young college graduates are left with a diploma, stacks of student-loan bills and lingering questions about just how much that degree is worth. A million dollars? Sorry, say economists, but that widely reported figure significantly overstates the boost a bachelor's degree gives to earnings over a career. The estimate isn't baseless, but it doesn't account for the cost of college, nor the opportunity cost of forgoing income during school. Another complication: Even before stepping foot on campus, students who attend college generally have better earnings prospects than their high-school classmates who go straight to work. So any estimate of college's monetary value needs to separate out those factors. There is good news, though, for the ivory tower. College does pay off for most, and just completing a year or two boosts future income. In addition, prospective students who are on the fence about college are the most likely to benefit, according to several studies. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203611404577046071107794292.html?mod=ITP_pageone_1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Despite pay freeze, TVA's Kilgore's compensation up $352,000 in 2011 (AP)

One day after the Tennessee Valley Authority board extended a pay freeze for a second year, a report shows TVA President and CEO Tom Kilgores compensation increased by $352,000 in fiscal 2011, to $3.95 million. A TVA filing Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission shows compensation increases for all five of its top executives. Kilgore is one of the highest paid federal employees in the United States. A TVA executive vice president, Janet Herrin, said Friday the increase is mostly due to the value of Kilgores pension. TVA paid $107 million in annual winning performance incentives W ednesday to its almost 13,000 employees. That is about $8,300 for the average employee. TVA serves about 9 million people in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111119/NEWS/311190046/Despite-pay-freeze-TVA-s-Kilgore-scompensation-up-352-000-2011?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

TVA boosts year-end bonuses despite federal pay freeze (TFP/Flessner, Sohn)
TVA employees will have extra reason to be thankful next week. On Wednesday, the eve of Thanksgiving, the federal utility will hand out incentive checks averaging $8,300 to each of its 12,893 full-time workers. Despite the federal pay freeze, the Tennessee Valley Authority is increasing its year-end incentive pay by nearly 29 percent over a year ago, distributing a record $107 million to reward workers for exceeding goals for the past years. TVA also raised the compensation for its top executives this year, boosting CEO Tom Kilgore's pay and benefits to nearly $4 million for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, nearly 10 times the salary paid to President Barack Obama. During a board meeting Thursday, TVA directors said there was no increase in the base pay or performance bonuses for Kilgore this year. But Kilgore's contract provided him an extra $352,481 in other pension and incentive pay in 2011 over what he received during the previous year, according to TVA regulatory filings released Friday. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/19/tva-boosts-year-end-bonuses-despite-pay-freeze/?local

TVA salary freeze doesn't stop all forms of compensation (News-Sentinel/Marcum)

TVA's top executive and other employees may be facing a pay freeze, but that doesn't put a chill on other forms of compensation they can receive. At its regular board meeting in Starkville, Miss., Thursday, TVA directors voted to freeze the salary and at-risk performance pay potential for President and CEO Tom Kilgore at the 2011 level. His total compensation from these sources in 2011 was $2.7 million. However, according to information TVA released Friday in its annual 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Kilgore's overall compensation for 2011 was $3,950,560 up from $3,598,079 in 2010. The additional amounts came from a $16,868 increase in his incentive plan compensation and $335,613 added to his pension and non-deferred compensation earnings. TVA spokesman Duncan Mansfield said Kilgore's salary was frozen and his incentive plan paid out based on a calculation of the company's performance, as usual, producing a slight variation in compensation. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/nov/18/tva-salary-freeze-doesnt-stop-all-forms-of/ 6

TVA revenue rises almost 9 percent in fiscal 2011 (Memphis Business Journal)
The Tennessee Valley Authority s annual report shows increased revenue due to increased fuel costs while it works toward cleaner energy options. The public utility reported total revenue of $11.8 billion in its fiscal year 2011, which ended Sept. 30. This was an 8.9 percent increase compared to the previous year, driven primarily by fuel rate increases resulting from higher fuel costs. In fiscal 2011, TVA faced a number of challenges that impacted our operations and financial condition, but we also marked significant accomplishments that will help us achieve our vision as we serve the Tennessee Valley, president and CEO Tom Kilgore said in a statement. Storms hit the TVA service area in late April, leaving hundreds of thousands of Tennessee Valley households and businesses without power. The event cost TVA $39 million for structural repairs, and $95 million in replacement power that was recovered through TVAs monthly fuel rate adjustment. http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/11/18/tva-revenue-rises-almost-9-percent-in.html

TVA expects lengthy oversight at Browns Ferry (Chatt. Times Free-Press/Sohn)

TVA expects to be under federal oversight for its problems at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant throughout 2012, TVA President Tom Kilgore said Friday. Kilgore, who continues to insist that nuclear remains the most economical source of new power, told investment analysts Friday that working through a Nuclear Regulatory Commission "red finding" at Browns Ferry will be long-range effort. The NRC in early May gave TVA a "red" or "high safety significance" rating in connection with last fall's failure of the cooling-water injection valve on unit 1 at Browns Ferry. "Red" is the worst level given by the NRC before a plant is shut down, something the agency never has done. The rating prompted a series of NRC inspections at Browns Ferry that will continue for several months, officials have said. During a conference call with analysts following the release of TVA's 2011 annual report, Kilgore and Chief Financial Officer John Thomas also said worker productivity problems at the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant are raising costs and creating some delays. Thomas said the delay in the Watts Bar completion, originally set for 2012 but now pushed to 2013, and cost overruns are due to work effectiveness problems. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/19/tva-expects-lengthy-oversight-at-browns-ferry/?local

Cleveland to begin airport terminal (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Higgins)

The city will begin its third phase of new airport construction early next year, officials said. The phase includes the terminal building, hangar area and aprons to the runway. During a meeting Friday of the Cleveland Municipal Airport Authority, Mark Paslick from PDC Consultants told the authority members that he has been advised by people in the industry to hold off taking bids for concrete work until bidding is complete for a large airport project in Memphis. Bidding for the Memphis project should be done by the first of the year, he said, and the companies not getting that job will be looking for more work, he said. At that point, the Cleveland airport project could receive better bids, he said. The concrete provider would set up its own production plant on site at the new Cleveland airport and could get a permit for the concrete plant in 45 to 60 days after acceptance of the bid, Paslick said. The local project is so large, he said, companies from other states will be interested in bidding. The concrete work could be done by August or September 2012, he said. That would roughly coincide with a new timeline the Airport Authority received Friday. Subject to changes, construction could be done by October 2012, the new timeline said. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/19/cleveland-to-begin-airport-terminal/?local

Erlanger Health System President Jim Brexler to retire (Times Free-Press/Smith)

Erlanger Health System President Jim Brexler will resign from Chattanoogas biggest hospital within the next several weeks, the hospital said Friday in a surprise announcement. Brexler, who began his health care career in 1975, reportedly agreed privately with trustees that it was time to go after seven years at Erlangers helm. No stranger to controversy, he arrived in the midst of a federal investigation into conflicts of interest within the hospitals contracting and hiring policies. The hospital eventually agreed to a $40 million settlement with regulators. Hes leaving after steering Erlanger through a recession and pushing it into expansion mode, building new facilities and taking over management of other entities. But disagreements with trustees ultimately led to his departure, though specifics were hard to come by Friday. There was no straw that broke camels back, but there were a number of things, said trustee Phyllis Miller. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/19/erlanger-health-president-jim-brexler-retiring/?local

Sevier County lender eliminates jobs (Knoxville News-Sentinel/Flory)

Under pressure from federal regulators, a Sevier County lender has cut its work force. Dwight Grizzell, the president and CEO of Mountain National Bancshares, said Friday that the lender has eliminated about a dozen 7

positions. Grizzell said about seven of those positions already were vacant, but that four or five employees lost their jobs. Referring to the total positions eliminated, he said that "most of that is based upon the enhancement of our technology." "It's a relatively minor restructuring is really what we're doing," he said. An annual report issued in April said the company had 151 employees. Mountain National has been under financial pressure in recent months. In October, it announced a consent order from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which required Mountain National Bank to boost capital levels, among other things. A quarterly report issued this week said Mountain National Bancshares has lost more than $28.4 million, or $10.81 a share, through the first nine months of the year. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/nov/18/sevier-county-lender-eliminates-jobs/

The Road Ahead (Memphis Daily News)

Even if Shelby Countys two public school systems werent consolidating, the two sets of schools would be changing. Add the merger to that and you have a faster moving process with more parts that is no less inevitable and possibly riskier. The separate school boards are no more. They are now a single countywide school board that runs the still-separate school systems up to the start of the 2013-2014 school year when the schools themselves are in one countywide system. Thats also when the 23-member school board is pared down to seven elected members. A separate 21-member planning commission is to come up with the plan for what that single countywide school system looks like and operates like in all of the detail necessary for a successful opening day of classes in August 2013 and as much before then as possible. Both school systems, as well as school systems all across the state, are now in the business of intervention, bringing up the performance of students as near real time testing and evaluation data shows they are falling behind before the end of the school year. Thats especially true in the critical years through the third grade. But it is also the area where differences between the philosophies of the two school systems in their pursuit of the same goal are most apparent. Memphis City Schools superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash makes his case for keeping his reform efforts and initiatives centered on student and teacher evaluations specifically to the numbers for the Memphis City Schools system. Cash noted the new school system would be majority African-American, and by federal free and reduced lunch standards, 71 percent will essentially be poor. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/nov/21/the-road-ahead/

Dont Let Politics Undermine Process (Memphis Daily News)

The powers that be made schools consolidation more difficult in their agreed upon settlement when they created a 23-member school board to go with a 21-member consolidation planning commission. That should be a lesson to remember the next time political leaders begin talking about the more the merrier. The schools consolidation process needs leadership, not a feel good agreement that let everyone on the two old school boards keep their places at the table. The consolidated countywide school board is so large the members cant even see each other at the board meetings. And the board has borrowed the city school boards regrettable habit of spending up to a half hour setting the agenda for the meeting that is already under way. Luckily the planning commission has the duty of coming up with the structure of a new merged school system. This is much more encouraging. To some the presentations of Memphis City Schools superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash and Shelby County Schools superintendent John Aitken might feel a bit like the leaders of the two still-separate school systems making plugs for their different ways of doing things. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/nov/21/dont-let-politics-undermine-process/

City schools trying to stay ahead of the curve with school lunches (J. City Press)
A move to block federal legislation that would limit the use of potatoes, restrict the amount of sodium and boost the use of whole grains in public school lunch lines is winding down as a spending bill nears a vote this week. But whatever direction is taken on even the tiniest of details, such as whether to allow tomato paste on pizzas to be counted as a vegetable the USDA had wanted to only count a half-cup of tomato paste or more as a vegetable, and a serving of pizza has less than that Johnson City Schools Food Services Supervisor Karen McGahey says the school system has been taking the path toward better nutrition for years. It is something food service directors in this area have been monitoring for some time, McGahey said about the legislation. Many of us already have implemented the changes. And basically, we know that the food served must be student friendly, because many students will bring food to school that is not going to have the nutritional value in it that they can get at school. Many school districts have said some of the USDA proposals go too far and cost too much when budgets are extremely tight. http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Living/article.php?id=96015#ixzz1e9LdwkW A

OPINION Editorial: A closer look at cyberschools (Commercial Appeal)

The Tennessee General Assembly might have leaped into the cyberschool arena before looking closely enough last spring when it approved legislation establishing a new virtual academy anchored in East Tennessee. Following the basic lines of model legislation drafted by the American Legislative Exchange Council, the new law shifts public funds that would otherwise go to public schools to the for-profit company, K12 Inc., based in suburban W ashington. Children who enroll are provided with course materials and a curriculum for online distance learning. The idea immediately raised a red flag in Memphis, which has been burned before by private contractors taking the public's money ostensibly to serve children. Remember the state-funded day-care scandals of the late 1990s? And K12 got off to a rocky start in August when public schools had opened but many of the applicants to the virtual school were idle. Now serious questions are being raised about the efficacy of the distance learning concept. Research conducted at the University of Colorado has made a persuasive case that cyberschools are in need of regulation and oversight. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/19/editorials-a-closer-look-at-cyberschools/

Columnist: Dont believe the education reformers (Salon)

Three mildly heretical thoughts about American education: First, given the impossible assignment weve given theman egalitarian mission in a nation rapidly growing more stratified by income and classAmerican public schools are probably doing a better job than they ought to be. One big reason is greater professionalism among teachers. A lot has changed since I wrote a Texas Monthly article documenting the awful state of teacher education back in 1979, mostly for the better. Despite melodramatic pronouncements to the contrary by sundry politicians, tycoons, tycoon/politicians and media-enhanced reformers like former Washington, DC schools chancellor Michelle Rhee, the available evidence shows American students performing steadily better on standardized assessments of educational progress over the past 30 years. The only longitudinal measure of student achievement that is available to Bill Gates or anyone else, writes Richard Rothstein of the Economic Policy Institute, is the National Assessment of Educational Progress . Scores on the NAEP have trended steadily upward to where the most underprivileged African-American children do better in 8th grade reading and math today than white students did back when the measurements began in 1978. But no, they havent caught up because white kids scores have improved too. http://www.salon.com/2011/11/18/dont_believe_the_education_reformers/singleton/

Times Editorial: A tainted recall ruling (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)

The 2-1 vote by the Hamilton County Election Commission to proceed with a recall election -- albeit in August of 2012 -- of Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield reeks of willfully blind misdirection, or unbridled political sabotage. Either way, it's a flawed decision. It wrongly inflates a withered fringe initiative to oust the mayor over necessary fiscal policies. It harms the city's progress and political direction at a critical time. And at the moment, it's causing needless uncertainty about the present state of city government and the legal viability of the mayor's continued 9

tenure. The commission's decision, of course, may well fall soon before a court. The recall initiative, the subject of a pending lawsuit, is already being contested by the mayor at the appellate court level. It is further tainted by compelling legal questions regarding the adequacy of the recall petitions, the signatures on them, and the law -state or municipal -- under which it falls. W hen the case is finally heard on its merits -- again -- there's a good chance that it will fail, again, to require a recall election. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/19/a-tainted-recall-ruling/?opiniontimes

Free-Pres Editorial: An unfortunate recall vote (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)

After serving as a member of the Chattanooga City Council, Ron Littlefield was elected mayor in 2005. He was re-elected in 2009. But with a vote by the Hamilton County Election Commission, Chattanoogans are faced with the prospect of a contentious August 2012 recall election for Mayor Littlefield. On Thursday, the election commission voted to certify a recall petition. That came in response to a dismissal by the state Court of Appeals of Mr. Littlefield's effort to stop the recall. At issue has been the number of signatures required on the petition. Will the long-simmering recall vote actually take place? That is uncertain. The mayor is looking at legal avenues to prevent it. And considering the many stops and starts on the path that supporters of the recall have followed in getting to this point, it would seem to be anyone's guess whether the expected legal challenges will succeed. The election commission was split, with two commissioners voting to certify the recall petition, one voting against it and one abstaining. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/19/1119b-fp1-an-unfortunate-recall-vote/? opinionfreepress

Editorial: Selling Candy to Kids (New York Times)

To combat the rise in childhood obesity, Congress in 2009 asked the Federal Trade Commission and three other government agencies to create voluntary nutritional standards for foods that are marketed to children. In April, the interagency group released sound recommendations to guide self-regulation by the food industry. After public comment, however, an F.T.C. official recently told a House subcommittee that the agency would substantially modify the guidelines to account for industry complaints. That would be bad news for the health of children in this country. Lobbyists for the food industry, which spends almost $2 billion a year on advertising and marketing to children and adolescents, have been busy in recent months trying to squash the voluntary standards. Although these standards would not be enforceable, there is value to having a good set of criteria that could guide the industry. The interagency groups original proposal outlined limits on the amount of unhealthful ingredients like added sugars and trans fat in foods advertised to children and proposed increased nutritious ingredients like whole grains and low-fat dairy products. It covered marketing to young people ages 2 through 17 and focused on 10 food categories that take up a big share of childrens diets, including sugary cereals, snack foods, candy, carbonated beverages and fast foods. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/19/opinion/selling-candy-to-kids.html? ref=todayspaper

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