WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2011 Haslam Defends Teacher Evaluation System (TN Report)

Gov. Bill Haslam again Monday defended the use of the states new teacher evaluation system and reminded everyone that the whole idea didnt start with his administration. Haslam made the point during a press availability on Capitol Hill after a ceremony for veterans. He told the Rotary Club of Nashville later Monday that change is painful, and he said after the speech he was making a particular reference to the evaluations with that remark. Haslam also said Monday he will not state a position on school vouchers until later this year, although he told the Rotary audience the voucher issue is probably going to be one of the most contentious when the Legislature reconvenes in January. The issue of teacher evaluations has been on the front burner in the Legislature with lengthy hearings on the process last week. The system has prompted many complaints among teachers and principals. http://www.tnreport.com/2011/11/haslam-defends-teacher-evaluation-system/

Haslam weighing position on school vouchers proposal (AP/Schelzig)

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is still weighing the pros and cons of a school vouchers proposal, and doesnt plan to announce his position on the measure until close to the end of the year. The Republican governor told members of the Nashville Rotary Club on Monday he expects school vouchers to be one of the most contentious issues in the legislative session that begins in January. His recommendation will be made, he said, in 30 or 45 days. Like everything else, decisions arent always easy, Haslam said. As a good lawyer will say, I can argue both sides of that case. Haslam said he understands the motivations for creating school vouchers for children in failing schools. The idea that parents having the choice for whats best for their child makes a lot of sense, he said. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111109/NEWS/311090108/Haslam-weighing-position-school-vouchersproposal?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Veterans Affairs deputy speaks Friday (Marshall County Tribune)

One of Tennessee's deputy veterans affairs commissioners, a former National Guardsman who served with Marshall County's veterans service officer and one of its commissioners, is speaking Friday on Lewisburg's public square for Veterans Day. Deputy Commissioner Wendell Cheek served in the Guard with Billy Hill, the veterans service officer, and Commissioner Dean Delk, principal of Chapel Hill Elementary School. Cheek was in a quartermaster unit in Tullahoma with Delk during 1984-'85 until he transferred to Nashville with an engineering brigade where he served with Hill. "It was a pleasure serving with both those guys and I learned a lot from both them," Cheek said. His message at the 11 a.m. Friday ceremony will be to "recognize and thank all veterans there at the program, as well as those who have served and continue to serve," the deputy commissioner said in a telephone interview after a program conducted Monday with Bill Haslam the William R. Snodgrass Gov. at Tennessee Tower Plaza in Nashville. Haslam marked Veterans Day early. Friday is a state holiday. http://www.marshalltribune.com/story/1782329.html

Homegrown company sees increasing success (Daily Beacon)

As any true Volunteer would know, there is nothing that hits home more to UT like tradition. It is something that sticks with you from the moment you step on campus, and for Mason Jones, it is a way of life. Jones company, Volunteer Traditions, began in 2006 while Jones and his good friend Brock Dosson were in their second year of law school. Both happened to notice another student proudly displaying his South Carolina belt buckle. After making some snide remarks about how the student was not even from there and held no real ties to the state, Jones was struck with an idea. Why not make products for people who are proud of our state?... Politicians are great supporters of Volunteer Traditions. Haslam has been spotted wearing their products on several Bill occasions. Jones really enjoys working with the campus representatives and even entrepreneurial students due

to their interests in entrepreneurial studies and other related subjects, such as manufacturing and online expenses. http://utdailybeacon.com/student-life/2011/nov/9/homegrown-company-sees-increasing-success/

Metro adjusting well to new teacher evaluations (Tennessean/Hubbard)

Metro Nashville Public Schools Director Jesse Register says that although new teacher evaluations are timeconsuming and there are concerns by teachers of inconsistency by their evaluators, Metro is doing better than most school districts adjusting to the changes. Register said Tuesday during a school board meeting that 300 principals or administrators are evaluating 5,000 teachers this year. He says minor modifications, as the state Board of Education approved Friday to allow principals to do back-to-back evaluations to free up time, is fine as long as it doesnt hurt the validity of the process. Ive been very pleased with the reaction weve gotten overall, Register said. Flexibility is appropriate. We just need to push ahead and make it work. Metro school board member Ed Kindall asked that the board be allowed to get updates on teacher evaluations at its next board retreat in February. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111109/NEW S/311090087/Metro-adjusting-well-newteacher-evaluations?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

Tennessee goes after health fraud (Tennessean/Roche)

A Brentwood health-care firm has agreed to pay back some $2 million to the state and federal governments in the latest in a series of cases brought by federal prosecutors in Middle Tennessee. Total recoveries ordered so far this year now top $100 million. U.S. Attorney Jerry Martin said Tuesday that the settlement with Vanguard Healthcare is just the latest case in an ongoing effort to detect fraud and abuse in the federally funded healthcare programs Medicare and Medicaid. Weve made health care a priority. Were just getting started, Martin said. He noted that the $100 million in expected recoveries this year compares with only $3 million in the prior year. Listed by Martin was an $82.6 million judgment against Renal Care Group, a $9.25 million recovery from Guidant LLC and $11.1 million from MedQuest Associates. Some of the cases were initiated when employees of the companies filed whistleblower lawsuits, alleging wrongdoing within the company. Later, the federal government joined the cases. Other cases were directly initiated by the U.S. Department of Justice. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111109/NEWS/311090085/Tennessee-goes-after-health-fraud? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

TN Family Support Program could be cut from budget (WSMV-TV Nashville)

It makes the difference for thousands of families in our state. But a program, designed to help the disabled and other families, could be cut in next year's budget. It has nonprofits scrambling to figure out what to do. "It's been challenging," Theresa Smith said. Two years ago, Smith applauded the state's Family Support Program. The state grant made the difference for her daughter, Courtney. "It enables her to go to aftercare and summer care. That's real important, because if she were just to sit here, everyday, in a bed, she would be depressed and she probably wouldn't live very long," Smith said. There was a fight for funding then, and now, it's back. "It's a small amount of money, but it makes a huge impact for a family," said Mary Hildebrand, director of Family Support, at The Arc of Davidson County. Currently, more than 4,500 families receive grants, averaging $1,300. But at a budget hearing Friday, the commissioner for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities announced a plan to cut the $7.2 million program. http://www.wsmv.com/story/15993048/tn-family-support-program-could-be-cut-frombudget

State official promises improvement at driver service centers (Johnson City Press)
Wait times at the Johnson City driver service center are among the longest in the state, but changes are coming that should reduce that statistic, according to a state official in charge of the states 50 centers. Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons visited several driver service centers in East Tennessee Tuesday, including the one in Johnson City at 4717 Lake Park Drive, where he presented numbers showing the wait times at that center for the month of October averaged about 77 minutes. In contrast, Elizabethtons center had an average wait time of 46 minutes. In this district, Johnson City and Blountvilles driver license centers have typically been at the top in wait times. Blountville had an average wait time in October of 69 minutes. So were kind of monitoring that and trying to come up with some solutions to it, Gibbons said. W ere looking at a lot of different things. But Im also convinced that there are specific problems in specific centers that are unique to those centers. http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?id=95660

State group trying to help hemlocks (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Sohn)

Contemplate the manpower-intensive task of trying to save 90,000 hemlocks in the 16,181-acre Fall Creek Falls State Park. Then multiply that labor by hemlock stands in most of the 55 other Tennessee public parks, in at least 20 North Georgia state parks, in two national forests in each state, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and in about 100 wildlife management areas operated by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. "We can't save them all," said Stuart Carroll, an interpretive specialist at Fall Creek Falls State Park. "Best case scenario? We save 20 percent. Worst case: W e lose 99 percent of them." Why all this work? To prevent the hemlocks from turning into bleached, skelet- onized snags of wood, denuded and sucked dry of sap by a pinhead-sized invader, a bug called hemlock woolly adelgid. The sapsucking bugs drain the life from hemlocks in a matter of five to 10 years, according to experts. For several years, Carroll has been herding a group of officials from several Tennessee, federal and nonprofit organizations, all trying to plan for the adelgids' onslaught. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/09/officials-prepare-for-woolly-adelgid-onslaught/?local

Tenn. State Univ. gets grants for cybersecurity (Associated Press)

Tennessee State University has been awarded $1.3 million to support cybersecurity research and education. The Nashville school received four grants from the Department of Homeland Security and National Science Foundation. The goal is to develop programs that prepare undergraduate and graduate students at Tennessee State for homeland security-related careers. The training is expected to last over the next five years. A professor and two students will have the chance to travel to the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, N.Y., the university said in a news release. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/nov/09/tenn-state-univ-gets-grants-for-cybersecurity/

Audiotape released of traffic stop that cost THP trooper his job (WSMV-TV Nash.)
Channel 4 News has obtained audiotape of a traffic stop that cost a state trooper his job. It started when Trooper D'Angelo Inman stopped a fellow law enforcement officer he saw speeding close to 100 mph. On the tape he told a dispatcher he believes Rutherford County Deputy Daniel Thomas had been drinking and driving. But neither man will face criminal charges for what happened that night. Long before supervisor Lt. Joe Gray was called to the scene of the traffic stop on I-24 Sept. 29, Trooper D'Angelo Inman made a call to a Rutherford County Sheriff's Department dispatcher. "Sheriff's Department," said Rutherford County dispatcher Bobbie Wilson as she answered the call. "Hey, it's D'Angelo," Inman said. "Yeah," responded the dispatcher. "I believe I'm going to need a supervisor, like real quick. I have one of your SRO (School Resource Officers) officers right here," Inman said. "Which one?" the dispatcher asked. http://www.wsmv.com/story/15991460/audiotape-of-a-questionable-traffic-stop-that-cost-a-thp-trooper-his-jobreleased

TBI: Two former local government workers indicted in unrelated cases (N-S)
Two former East Tennessee public employees were arrested Tuesday by state authorities on unrelated charges. Former Clinton Police Department officer Randall Chisum, 29, of Maynardville was arrested by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents following his indictment Nov. 1 by an Anderson County grand jury on a possession of a scheduled drug charge, according to TBI spokeswoman Kristen Helm. Chisum previously was indicted in June on one count of statutory rape. An investigation by TBI found that he was having inappropriate contact with a 17-year-old girl, Helm said. That initial investigation also uncovered that Chisum was illegally in possession of prescription pills, Helm said. Chisum has been booked into the Anderson County Jail. Also arrested Tuesday was Donnie Oliver, 42, of Powell. Oliver was indicted Nov. 1 by a Knox County grand jury on charges of theft of over $500 and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment followed a request in May by the District Attorney General's office that the TBI investigate allegations of theft from the Knox County Engineering & Public Works Department, where Oliver worked, Helm said. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/nov/08/tbi-two-former-local-government-workers-indicted/

Statute would hit drug sellers (Jackson Sun)

Synthetic drugs aimed at youth Jackson police officials say state legislation already bans the sale and use of harmful synthetic drugs. But local leaders are working on an ordinance that would tack on a local tax on businesses illegally selling the drugs. Local officials are using an ordinance passed in Winchester to draft a similar version for Jackson which is planned to come before the city council in December. The W inchester ordinance would enable the City Council "to regulate, control and restrict the use, possession, sale, delivery, transport, transfer, trade, barter, exchange, or purchase of certain synthetic drugs..." The ordinance includes 3

attempting to use or sell the drugs. Jackson City Councilman Scott Conger, police Capt. Patrick Willis and Capt. Thom Corley and Barry Cooper of the Jackson Area Council on Alcoholism discussed enforcement methods, penalties and drug inclusion in a Tuesday planning meeting. Common brand names for the drugs include Ivory, White Rush, Vanilla Sky, Bolivian Bath, W hite Dove and Bounce. Officials said the illegal use of store-bought drugs is a growing trend among national and West Tennessee youth. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20111109/NEWS01/111090318/Statute-would-hit-drug-sellers

Safer bypass sought (Times-Gazette)

Local officials are asking for help from the state to make the new Shelbyville Bypass safer for motorists following a number of accidents, including one fatality. Last week, State Sen. Jim Tracy, who is chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, expressed his concerns to city manager Jay Johnson about the safety of intersections crossing the newly opened State Route 437. "He agreed that something needs to be done," Johnson said, explaining that city officials are going to be asking for additional signage. Johnson has written a formal letter to Tracy, also addressed to State Rep. Pat Marsh, asking them to look into the issue on the city's behalf with TDOT. Johnson told the T-G that the endeavor was in its earliest stages. It "will take a while" to have any new signage installed, Johnson said, but added that TDOT is aware of their concerns. Areas of concern The two intersections causing concern are 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 late last month. http://www.t-g.com/story/1782104.html

Health care exchange plan faces criticism in TN (WSMV-TV Nashville)

There's a brand new controversy brewing in Tennessee over the president's health care reform law. Under the law, the state has until the end of the year to set up its own health care exchange to help the uninsured get coverage. But lawmakers are now vowing to fight it. Nancy Patton helps care for her mother, but her own lack of insurance means she can't always care for herself. "I do have some health issues going on and I'm not able to go to the doctor like I need to go right now," Patton said. Under federal health reform, the state must have an open marketplace for people to buy private insurance and get tax credits to help pay for it by 2014. It could impact 700,000 uninsured Tennesseans. "It addresses a lot of the problems we see right now in the small group market where it's too expensive, it's too confusing or people are shut out because of pre-existing conditions," said Beth Uselton, with the Tennessee Healthcare Campaign. http://www.wsmv.com/story/15992972/health-care-exchange-plan-faces-criticism-in-tn

Occupy Nashville protesters work to keep state Capitol safe (Associated Press)
Occupy Nashville protesters said Tuesday theyre taking steps to maintain order and safety on the grounds near the state Capitol where theyre camped, and anyone who doesnt adhere to the rules is removed from the group. Protesters have made an effort to keep the area safe and clean after the states imposition of a curfew and arrests of 55 protesters last week. There has also been a gradual increase in law enforcement. Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has said unsanitary conditions were part of the reason for the curfew, which has been blocked by a federal judge. Earlier this week, two legislative workers said they were taking a break in a courtyard outside the plaza when someone in bushes above the area urinated on them. Connie Ridley, the director of the Office of Legislative Administration, said Tuesday that the Tennessee Highway Patrol was notified and is making an effort to ensure the area is safe. Protester Eva Watler said Occupy Nashville is also doing its part to provide security by having at least two people from the group patrol the area, particularly at night. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111109/NEWS/311090107/Occupy-Nashville-protesters-work-keep-stateCapitol-safe?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Homeless Pitch Tents in Safe Haven of Legislative Plaza (WPLN-Radio Nashville)

The number of tents pitched on Legislative Plaza has continued to grow since a federal judge overruled a curfew for the state-owned space. But some of those setting up camp outside the capitol are not aligned with the Occupy Nashville protest. Theyre homeless. The area has become a kind of safe haven now that state troopers are temporarily barred from making arrests. Howard Allen and his wife arent as interested in protesting the power of W all Street as finding a place they wont be bothered. Theyre set up beside W ar Memorial Auditorium. Right here, the Sharaton sees us. The police drive by, they see us. The guards come out and talk to us. Were just chilling, waiting for housing. Most are minding their own business, but a few can been seen drinking in broad daylight. Occupiers like Ron White are feeling the need to police the area themselves. Anything that happens here now looks like its Occupy Nashville. No matter what happens, theyre going to label it Occupy 4

Nashville. So its almost like our job to make sure we make the movement look http://wpln.org/? correct. p=31424

Congressmen Hear Veterans Worries Over Benefits (W PLN-Radio Nashville)

Some Tennessee veterans are worried about possible cuts to the military. The Pentagon is already facing $450 billion in reductions over the next decade, and that could double, depending on the outcome of the Congressional supercommittee this month. On a teleconference yesterday, two Tennessee congressmen fielded calls from vets and their families. Reps. Scott DesJarlais and Phil Roe heard concerns from properly equipping soldiers, to paying out veterans benefits. The prospect of trimming military benefits upset many who spoke to the two representatives. A caller introduced as Thelma from Dunlap says much of her family is in the service: And these kids are not going because they want to be in harms way. Theyre going to try protect and the innocent people over there. But theyre just not getting their fair share. Veterans of wars from Korea to Iraq called in, at times drawing emotion from Rep. Roe, himself a veteran. http://wpln.org/?p=31455

Sen. Alexander Opposes GOP Push on Clean Air Rule (WPLN-Radio Nashville)
Senator Lamar Alexander is breaking ranks with his Republican colleagues over the issues of clean air. Hes opposed to a bill introduced by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul that would overturn limits on power plant pollution blowing from one state to another. Paul says complying with the rule is too burdensome for businesses and utilities, but Alexander says scrapping the rule would be harmful for Tennesseans. Air pollution blowing into our state from other states is a jobs issue. Pollution makes out Great Smokey Mountains more like the great smoggy mountains. We like to see our mountains, and we like for the nine million visitors who come to visit us every year to stay a long time and spend alot of money, because that supports out schools and it supports our state revenue. The EPA adopted the clean air rule for power plants in 2005. Alexander is introducing his own bill to enact the rule into law. It has bi-partisan support, with Arkansas Democrat Mark Pryor signing on as a cosponsor. http://wpln.org/?p=31444

Blackburn pushes health care choices bill (Commercial Appeal/Sells)

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said Tuesday that she will fight doctor payment cuts from Medicare and continue to push her legislation to create a "Travelocity" for health insurance. Blackburn and Dr. Keith G. Anderson, local cardiologist and vice chairman of the Tennessee Medical Association, gave their latest reports on state and federal health care legislation to a crowd gathered at Germantown's Great Hall & Conference Center. Doctors will see a 29.5 percent cut in Medicare payments come Jan. 1 unless Congress intervenes. Double-digit cuts have been threatened each year for many years now but have been abandoned instead for small pay increases each year. This year's decision, though, could be decided by the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, the so-called "super committee," tasked with removing $1.2 trillion in government spending. Blackburn said she believed that committee will leave Medicare pay cuts out of their scope of work and that there is now bipartisan support in the House to stall the cuts. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/09/blackburn-pushes-health-care-choices-bill/

Memphis Co. Wins $15M to Develop Drug (Memphis Daily News)

RxBio Inc., an early-stage biopharmaceutical company formed around technology developed at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has been awarded a $15 million federal contract to further develop Rx100, a potent drug that may protect against the lethal effects of radiation exposure. To date, no such drug has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As part of a national preparedness effort, we are pleased to work locally to develop a radiation countermeasure that could save the lives of countless Americans, as well as citizens around the world who are exposed to lethal levels of radiation, said Dr. W. Shannon McCool, RxBio chairman and CEO in a statement. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority contract is valued at up to $24 million including a base contract of $15 million plus $9 million in options over the next two years. BARDA provides an integrated, systematic approach to the development and purchase of vaccines, drugs, therapies and diagnostic tools for public health emergencies. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/nov/9/memphis-co-wins-15m-to-develop-drug/

Health Law Survives Another Appeal (Wall Street Journal)

5

A federal appeals court in Washington on Tuesday unanimously rejected a challenge to the 2010 health-care overhaul, handing the Obama administration a significant legal victory days before Supreme Court justices are set to consider whether to settle the law's constitutionality themselves. Joining two other federal appeals courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with the government to uphold the law's requirement that most Americans carry health insurance or pay a penalty. More significant, however, was the majority opinion's author: Judge Laurence Silberman, an icon of the conservative legal movement whose former law clerks played a key role in the George W. Bush administration and often have clerked for conservative Supreme Court justices. Judge Silberman's opinion endorsed the broad conception of congressional authority over interstate commerce that has prevailed since the New Deal eraa line of precedent some conservative activists had hoped to blunt, if not reverse, in their challenge to the health-care law. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204190704577026042294545870.html?mod=ITP_pageone_1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Plea hearing in reactor inspection records case (Associated Press)

A second contractor employee charged with falsifying electrical cable inspection records at the Tennessee Valley Authority's W atts Bar reactor project is changing his plea to guilty. An attorney for John E. Delk said the former crew supervisor for Williams Specialty Services of Tucker, Ga., will change his plea at a Wednesday federal court hearing in Chattanooga. Attorney Jim Logan of Cleveland said Delk expects the same sentence of probation that was handed out to another electrician, Matthew Correll. Court records show Delk is charged with knowingly and willfully certifying work that he knew had not been completed at the nation's only current nuclear reactor construction project. A filing said the records were falsified on the spur of the moment when Correll was told to "hurry up and get it done." http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/nov/09/plea-hearing-in-reactor-inspection-records-case/

TVA, NRC mark progress at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (Times Free-Press/Sohn)
Officials with TVA's Watts Bar Nuclear Plant told regulators Tuesday that, although the utility is behind schedule and over budget with the completion of a second reactor there, progress has improved in the past four months. "We've had challenges to our budgets and our schedules, and I don't have a report on that today, but ... we think there is a positive trend," W atts Bar Construction Manager David Stinson told the officials with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a public meeting. Stinson flashed up a slide showing steam rising from both cooling towers at the Watts Bar plant near Spring City, Tenn. No electricity is being generated in the still-underconstruction Unit 2 reactor, but Tennessee Valley Authority testing shows the new cooling tower is working, he said. Regulators with the NRC acknowledged that they think work is progressing more safely and quickly. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/09/tva-nrc-mark-progress-at-watts-bar-nuclear/?local

Tennnessee narrows manufacturing job loss in 2011 (Memphis Biz Journal)

Tennessees manufacturing employment fell 1.4 percent over the past year, according to the 2012 Tennessee Manufacturers Register. The drop actually was seen as a positive sign given that the state lost a net 5,645 manufacturing jobs in the past year compared to the 22,286 lost in the 2009-2010 time frame, according to a news release by Manufacturers News Inc, publisher of the Register. The state now has 7,262 manufacturers that employ 375,099 people, according to the release. Memphis is noted as the states top manufacturing hub with 38,304 total jobs. Nashville ranks second with 28,099 jobs. Memphis is noted as the states top manufacturing hub with 38,304 total jobs. Nashville ranks second with 28,099 jobs. Significant projects in the 2010-2011 period included auto supplier US Farathenes expansion to Jackson, and Volkswagens plant in Chattanooga that opened in May and to date has hired 2,000. http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/11/08/tennnessee-narrows-manufacturing-job.html

Home Sales Up 2 Percent For October (Memphis Daily News)

October home sales in Shelby County inched 2 percent higher compared to the same month a year ago, marking the fourth consecutive month with year-over-year improvement. Shelby County registered 1,073 home sales last month, compared to 1,011 in October 2010, according to real estate information company Chandler Reports, www.chandlerreports.com . Octobers sales were also up slightly from Septembers 1,069 sales. But year to date the housing market is down 7 percent from 2010. Steve Brown, executive vice president of Crye-Leike Realtors Inc. and vice president of the Memphis Area Association of Realtors, said he anticipates more of the same slight increases moving forward, but its hard looking into this cloudy, crystal ball. Frankly, we had anticipated a stronger second half, but well take any steady improvement, Brown said. Volume is less predictable than units. I think the market is consistently tracking somewhere around 1994 to 1996 volume not 04 or 06 volume but 6

94 to 96 volume. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/nov/9/home-sales-up-2-percent-for-october/

Exide laying off 236 Bristol workers (Knoxville News-Sentinel)

Exide Technologies has announced it will lay off 236 employees at its battery-manufacturing plant in Bristol over the next 12 to 18 months. The company said Monday the fate of another 233 jobs will be decided in the next three months. Exide officials blamed the sluggish economy, according to the Bristol Herald Courier. Manufacturing work will be moved to one of Exide's five remaining plants in the United States. For many years, Exide was among Bristol's largest employers, boasting more than 800 workers. But in 2009, the company cut about 570 jobs. Exide had gradually increased employment since then based mostly on contracts with Nissan and Chrysler. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/nov/08/exide-laying-off-236-bristol-workers/

COGIC Holy Week celebration will remain in St. Louis through 2013 (CA/Waters)
What was for decades the largest annual convention in Memphis will continue to be the largest annual convention in St. Louis -- at least through 2013. Delegates to COGIC's General Assembly approved a deal Tuesday that will return the Memphis-based denomination's annual "Holy W eek" celebration to St. Louis for a fourth consecutive year in 2013. After meeting for 102 years in Memphis, COGIC signed a three-year contract to move its convocation to St. Louis in 2010. "Memphis couldn't accommodate our traditional dates in 2013," said Bishop Brandon Porter of Memphis. "St. Louis agreed to do that and also to change our contract for next year to give us the dates we needed." Traditionally, Holy Convocation begins the first Tuesday after the first Sunday in November. The church's "Official Day," during which the presiding bishop delivers his annual address, is held the following Sunday. In 2013, those dates would be Nov. 6-14. COGIC officials were told that Memphis has two other large conventions scheduled then, Porter said. In 2012, the first Tuesday after the first Sunday in November is Election Day. When COGIC signed its original three-year deal with St. Louis (which began in 2010), it agreed to start its convocation a week later, Nov. 11-20. In the new one-year extension, St. Louis officials agreed to rebook the convocation for Nov. 6-13. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/08/cogicannual-holy-week-celebration-will-remain-st/

More job ads may be sign of increased hiring (Associated Press/Rugaber)

Employers advertised more jobs in September than at any other point in the past three years, a hopeful sign that companies may step up hiring. Businesses and governments posted 3.35 million job openings, the Labor Department said Tuesday. Thats a 7 percent increase from August and the most since August 2008, one month before the financial crisis intensified. Even with the gain, theres heavy competition for each job. Nearly 14 million people were out of work in September, which means an average 4.2 unemployed workers were competing for each opening. Thats slightly better than August, but it is still more than twice the 2 to 1 ratio that economists say is healthy. Companies typically take from one to three months to fill a position. So the increase in postings suggests hiring could pick up in the coming months. Job openings have rebounded from a decade low of 2.1 million in July 2009. Still, there were 4.4 million openings in December 2007, when the recession began. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111109/BUSINESS/311090105/More-job-ads-may-sign-increased-hiring? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

Schools work to improve test scores in 3rd, 7th grades (Leaf Chronicle)
Clarksville-Montgomery County School System administrators are implementing some new district-wide strategies to combat falling test scores in certain areas across the district. Since the state's report card has not yet been released, curriculum director B.J. Worthington showed the school board Tuesday night how the district might fare under the new requirements if the federal Department of Education approves a waiver to No Child Left Behind that was sent to district superintendents this week and could become effective as soon as January. The waiver would ask schools to improve by 3 to 5 percent and reduce specific achievement gaps by 3 to 5 percent each year, but some of its requirements are troubling for Worthington and Director of Schools Mike Harris. He presented a report showing that although the district is improving in several areas, including a 10.7 percent increase in Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program proficiency by all fifth grade students in math, it has seen concerning drops in third and seventh grade math and reading/language arts, as well as seventh grade reading. While Algebra I scores for high schoolers went up 4.9 percent, CMCSS also saw a 5.5 percent drop in the number of students who met the state benchmark in the end-of-course exam for high school students in English II, which Worthington said was unusual. 7

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20111109/NEWS01/111090317/Schools-work-improve-test-scores-3rd7th-grades?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Possible W. Nash charter school would have 'mixed-income' focus (CP/Garrison)

Theres a push to launch a new charter school in West Nashville, this one with an untapped focus for similar schools in Davidson County: Instead of catering to only at-risk, economically disadvantaged students, the school would actively target middle- and upper-class children as well. The conceived school a grade structure is still undecided would add to the wealth of publicly financed, privately operated charters that have budded in Metro over the last few years. But it would be the first to explicitly take advantage of a new state law allowing open enrollment to charter schools. Weve organized an informal group to look at the possibility of creating a charter school somewhere in West Nashville that would have more of a mixed-income population than the charter schools that have typically started here in Nashville, said Nashville investor Bill DeLoache, who is leading the effort. Weve got a number of people who are informally looking at this, he said. The main activity so far has been to go visit a number of schools that might serve as models. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/possible-west-nashville-charter-school-would-have-mixedincome-focus

Magnet schools begin to draw interest (Daily News Journal)

Informational meetings set for city, county Once area retailers clear the shelves of Halloween candy and costumes to make room for Christmas decorations, it's a sign that local magnet schools are preparing to host open houses for the upcoming school year. Rutherford County Schools' Central Magnet School, McFadden School of Excellence and Thurman Francis Arts Academy, along with Murfreesboro City's Discovery School at Reeves-Rogers have all set dates to give parents more information about the programs, designed for highacheiving students. During the meetings, parents will learn more about each school's area of emphasis, application process and deadlines. Applications for county magnet programs will be available in early December and can be turned in during the month of January. Discovery applications are available now and due Dec. 14. All four schools will notify families of admission in March. Magnet schools tend to have 20 students per class for grades K-3 and up to 25 for higher grades. County schools Central Magnet was converted from the traditional Central Middle at 701 E. Main St., for the 2010-11 school year. It initially opened to serve grades 6-10, but added 11th grade at the start of the current academic year. Next year will be the first year for a senior class. Central will hold its information meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday in the school auditorium. http://www.dnj.com/article/20111109/NEW S07/111090321/Magnet-schools-begin-draw-interest?odyssey=tab| topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Mississippi: Mississippi Voters Reject Anti-Abortion Measure (New York Times)

Voters turned a skeptical eye toward conservative-backed measures across the country Tuesday, rejecting an anti-labor law in Ohio, an anti-abortion measure in Mississippi and a crackdown on voting rights in Maine. Even in Arizona, voters were close to turning out of office the chief architect of that states controversial antiimmigration law. State Senator Russell Pearce, a Republican power broker and a former sheriffs deputy known for his uncompromising style, came close to conceding the race Tuesday with a look of shock on his face. If being recalled is the price for keeping ones promises, then so be it, he said. His opponent had declared victory. Mr. Pearce, the president of the Senate, was a hero to the Tea Party movement, and apart from his antiimmigration efforts, he had introduced numerous bills to nullify federal laws. Taken together, Tuesdays results could breathe new life into President Obamas hopes for his re-election a year from now. But the day was not a wholesale victory for Democrats. Even as voters in Ohio delivered a blow to Gov. John R. Kasich, a Republican, and rejected his attempt to weaken collective bargaining for public employees, they approved a symbolic measure to exempt Ohio residents from the individual mandate required in Mr. Obamas health care law. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/us/politics/votes-across-the-nation-could-serve-as-a-politicalbarometer.html?ref=todayspaper

North Dakota: In North Dakota, After the Water, the Winter (New York Times)
There are four seasons up here, the joke goes: winter, winter, winter and construction. And as the displaced residents of this city, soaked by floodwaters for much of the summer, were made fully aware this week with the arrival of the first snowflakes, construction season is ending. For Andrew Deck, a retiree temporarily living in a camper, that means continuing his frenetic push to restore his home to livable condition in time, he said, to get a Thanksgiving turkey into the oven. Even as some of his neighbors on the valley floor, worried about another 8

assault by the Souris River, have moved more warily or not at all Mr. Deck has poured tens of thousands of dollars into his longtime home. He stayed after a flood in the late 1960s and he is staying put once again, this time buying flood insurance and putting up a yellow lawn sign declaring, Im coming back. But if the river rises again next year, as many here fear, he will admit defeat, he said. Im not going to go through it again, he said. If something happens next year, Im going to take the money and leave. Across the Midwest, residents of flooded communities have been wrestling with the same decision of whether to return or retreat from the rivers that have asserted their domain over the homes along their banks. But here in Minot (pronounced MY-not), where more than a quarter of the population was displaced, the question of risk has been complicated by distinctly local factors. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/us/north-dakota-flood-victims-brace-for-winter.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

OPINION Guest columnist: State's own plans are already working (Tennessean)
Why the need for a reform in American education? Recent data collected by the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed alarming statistics regarding particular subgroups of students who fall below others of various racial backgrounds. NAEP found that African-American 17-year-olds were reading at the same level of white 13-year-olds. Similar results noted that only 13 percent of African-American students and 19 percent of Hispanic students were meeting the proficient level on the mathematics state test compared to 47 percent of same-age white students. Findings similar to these brought about a reconstructing of the old law passed in 1965 known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In 2002, President Bush and Congress began implementation and investment into the No Child Left Behind Act with the belief that every child can learn. Now, after almost 10 years, the federal government and schools nationwide have seen no real transformation in the education of students under NCLB guidelines. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111109/OPINION03/311090076/State-s-own-plans-already-working? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

Guest columnist: 'No Child' faces big changes (Tennessean)

There has been much discussion of late about anticipated changes to No Child Left Behind. Enacted in early 2002, this legislation currently calls for all states to achieve 100 percent proficiency in all tested subjects by the end of the 2014 school year. After years of public outcry from educators across the country, Sen. Tom Harkin, DIowa, and Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., recently introduced a bill that would revamp major portions of the original law. One of the most notable changes would involve the removal of adequate yearly progress targets for schools. Overall, based on test results from the previous school year, more than 800 of Tennessees schools, almost half, failed to meet adequate progress benchmarks benchmarks that are scheduled to rise again this year. For example, based on the current law, 49 percent of Tennessee students were required to be proficient in reading by the end of the 2010-11 school year, and the benchmark for the current school year (2011-12) is 66 percent proficiency. In response, state Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman is proposing that Race to the Top goals be used instead. If Race to the Top goals were required, 60 percent of Tennessee third-graders, for example, would need to be proficient in reading at the end of 2014-15. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111109/OPINION03/311090073/-No-Child-faces-big-changes? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

Guest columnist: We have to dig deeper for true reform (Tennessean)

School performance seems to be moving to the front burner of political attention with a notable and muchpublicized mismatch on jobs and job skills. Recently, Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander wrote an article in The New York Times espousing a return of educational decisions to the individual states, particularly the No Child 9

Left Behind law. Alexander thinks that nearly 80 percent of American schools will soon fail to meet progress standards of NCLB. He and his colleagues want to return the progress standards and proficiency monitoring to the states. He thinks states are more sensitive to needs, and more nimble when it comes to dealing with shortcomings. However, individual states are encumbered with selfish interests, teachers unions and education establishments just as is the federal government. Although I appreciate school reformers, I would like to see politicians move from schools and dig a little deeper into our education failures. Politicians have found it convenient to address the schools and particularly classrooms in curing education deficiencies, but true and meaningful reform is a far larger and more complex problem. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111109/OPINION03/311090074/We-dig-deeper-true-reform? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

Editorial: Retreat offers chance to chart schools' future (News-Sentinel)

Virtually every local politician will assert that education is the key to Knox County's economic future. They will tell us that an educated work force is vital to attracting new industry and that keeping creative entrepreneurs in the area is a boon for the local economy. Some of them will even extoll the virtues of the arts as a quality-of-life component to a vibrant community. They're right, of course, but all too often their words are not followed by deeds Or, more importantly, money. That's why the proposed retreat for members of the Knox County school board and the Knox County Commission has the potential to improve education for years to come. Commission Chairman Mike Hammond first broached the idea of a summit between the two bodies, and all members should give their endorsement to such a conclave. The school board sets education policies for the 56,000 students in grades K-12 in Knox County. The commission, however, must come up with the money to pay for the school system's endeavors. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/nov/09/editorial-retreat-offers-chance-to-chartschools/

Editorial: Road, school lines don't make sense; redraw them (Daily News Journal)
Complaints from La Vergne and Eagleville leaders about the proposed district lines for Rutherford County School Board seats are justified. The county's redistricting committee and now its Steering, Legislative & Governmental Committee never put in the work required to come up with school and road board district lines that make sense. The Steering Committee voted 6-1 Monday to reject a request by County Commissioner Robert Stevens to examine a proposal he brought for school board and road board districts, which must be redrawn as part of the overall reapportionment plan for the Rutherford County Commission. W hat they settled on, though, doesn't make much sense, especially when you listen to the concerns of La Vergne and Eagleville officials. La Vergne, for example, is split up into three school board districts, which gives it three representatives but also forces it to share board members with communities at opposite ends of the county, including the Lascassas/Milton and Rockvale/Eagleville areas. Meanwhile, the district of school board member Wayne Blair, who resides in Smyrna, will be split apart by another board member's district, creating two areas that are not contiguous. Those include the La Vergne, western Smyrna and Blackman areas and the Eagleville, Rockvale and Midland areas. http://www.dnj.com/article/20111109/OPINION01/111090304/Editorial-Road-school-lines-don-t-make-senseredraw-them

Guest columnist: Celebrate speech rights at the plaza (Tennessean)

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Regardless of our politics, we all know how important the First Amendment is. Too many have fought and died for those rights. Most recently, participants in Occupy Nashville, including two leaders of Tennesseans for Fair Taxation, have gone to jail to protect our First Amendment rights. Gov. Bill Haslams response to Tennesseans demonstrating against corporate money and its corruption of politics was to adopt unconstitutional new rules for use of the Legislative Plaza and have citizens arrested for ignoring them less than 24 hours later. Tennesseans for Fair Taxation (TFT) has fought for years for large corporations and the rich to pay their fair share of taxes. If they did, all Tennesseans would have more jobs, more money to spend and better schools. The effort by Occupy Nashville to remove money from politics helps our mission to have large corporations and the rich pay their fair share of taxes. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111109/OPINION03/311090075/Celebrate-speech-rights-plaza

Editorial: ObamaCare: Flawed Policy, Flawed Law (Wall Street Journal)

The Supreme Court is expected to meet Thursday to discuss whether to hear challenges to last year's Patient 10

Protection and Affordable Care Actparticularly concerning the constitutionality of the law's "individual mandate," which requires all Americans to have health insurance. With a split in appeals court rulings, including Tuesday's D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision upholding the mandate, it now seems clear the Supreme Court must weigh in. A poll taken this August by AP-National Constitution Center found that 82% of Americans say the federal government should not have the power to require Americans to buy health insurance. But what about the mandate as a matter of policy? The law would never work as the drafters intended. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled against the individual mandate in August, accurately described it as "toothless." The penalties$695 a year or 2.5% of income once fully implemented in 2016are too weak to induce people to sign up for insurance policies that the Congressional Budget Office estimates could cost $20,000 a year for a family of four. The mandate is also weak operationally because few believe that the federal government will have the political will to actually seek out and penalize people who don't sign up for insurance. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204190704577024322624284592.html?mod=ITP_opinion_0 (SUBSCRIPTION) ###

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