MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2012 Haslam seeks merger of 6 environmental panels (Associated Press/Schelzig)

Gov. Bill Haslam's first effort to reduce state boards will merge six panels with significant environmental duties into three, affecting one with regulatory power over gas stations, including the family's Pilot Travel Centers. The Republican insists the proposal won't diminish conservation efforts in Tennessee or present a conflict of interest for him. Haslam is proposing to combine the Solid W aste Disposal and the Petroleum Underground Storage Tank boards; the Water Quality Control and Oil and Gas boards; and the Conservation Commission and Tennessee Heritage Conservation Trust Fund board. John McFadden, executive director of the Tennessee Environmental Council, said he doesn't expect a noticeable change if the mergers happen because conservation interests are already sparsely represented. "These boards are so heavily weighted to the industry side, and the reality is clean water and clean air don't have much representation on them," McFadden said in a phone interview. http://www.tennessean.com/usatoday/article/38505975?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

Looking to 'believe in better,' Haslam determined to take middle road (CP/W oods)
The culture war may rage around him, but Gov. Bill Haslam seems determined to ignore it at least publicly and stick to his trademark tone of moderation as he enters his sophomore year in office. The Republicandominated legislature is about to debate bills dealing with abortion, the Ten Commandments, sex education and transgender people in public restrooms among other volatile topics and state lawmakers are whipping up a storm of liberal outrage in the process of defending their proposals. Chattanooga Rep. Richard Floyd threatened to stomp a mudhole in any transgender person who offended his family, and Knoxville Sen. Stacey Campfield postulated on a national radio show that AIDS originated from one guy screwing a monkey then having sex with men. Not surprisingly, the governor studiously avoided talking about any of that in last weeks State of the State speech. Instead, he challenged Tennesseans to believe in better as he detailed parts of his proposed $31 billion state budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/looking-believebetter-haslam-appears-determined-take-middle-road

Chancellor: UT campus doing more with less (News-Sentinel/Nolan)

Its no small source of frustration for Jimmy Cheek to hear that nothing ever changes at the University of Tennessees Knoxville campus. We have less money, less faculty and more productivity and that message just does not get out, says Cheek, who marked his third anniversary as chancellor on Feb. 1. Getting that message out is made more urgent as Cheek seeks to raise money on two fronts from private donors and from the states Capitol, where lawmakers will debate Gov. Bill Haslams proposed budget, which for the first time in several years includes an increase in higher education appropriations, as well as $335 million for new buildings and maintenance at campuses statewide. Lawmakers have also taken a keen interest in tuition hikes. Haslams proposed increase is tied to the new higher education funding formula, which rewards institutions based on graduation rates versus enrollment. UT-Knoxville expects to receive the largest increase among the states campuses. The first new money well have received in a very long time, Cheek says. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/feb/06/chancellor-ut-campus-doing-more-less/

State's annual Earthquake Awareness Week under way (Associated Press)

This is Tennessee's annual Earthquake Awareness Week, which will include the second annual Great Central U.S. ShakeOut drill Tuesday. The drill at 10:15 a.m. CST will be on the 200th anniversary of the largest of the great New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812, which created Reelfoot Lake. Some 250,000 Tennesseans participated in the first drill last April 28. During the exercise, residents should drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy desk or table and hold on for 60 seconds. The states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana,

Kentucky, Mississippi and Missouri are also participating in Tuesday's drill. http://www.tennessean.com/usatoday/article/38510895?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|p

Chamber hosts Legislative Coffee with state and local elected officials (S-G)
Secretary of State Tre Hargett, State Sen. Lowe Finney and State Rep. Bill Sanderson were among the elected officials in attendance for a Friday morning conversation with Dyer County residents. The Legislative Coffee event was hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and presented residents with a unique opportunity to discuss issues of concern with their state and local representatives. Hargett opened the morning by discussing the State of the State address given by Gov. Bill Haslam this past Monday and his continued dedication for the people in West Tennessee. The event was the first opportunity for many to meet Finney who will be Dyer County's new senator as a result of redistricting. Finney who grew up in Dresden was elected to the state Senate in 2006. Unlike federal government whose battle lines are drawn along party lines, Finney said that most of the division that he finds is between rural and urban. "The governor's budget reflects the reality that there are needs in rural areas like West Tennessee," said Finney. http://www.stategazette.com/story/1812382.html

Hargett presents $100,000 check to library building campaign (State Gazette)

The Capital Campaign for McIver's Grant Public Library's new building took a significant leap forward with a check presentation in the lobby of the current library on Friday, Feb. 3. Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett visited Dyersburg with a big check in the amount of $100,000. The funds arrive as work begins on the new location, bumping up the total donated to repay the USDA loan granted to the new facility to just over two-thirds of the total needed. "This brings you to right about $2.2 million," Hargett told members of the library board gathered for the presentation. "You still need $900,0000. I get to come in and bring the big check, but you have done the work. This is a strong group, you have a strong Friends group. There are so many people in this room who have worked so hard and I just get to play a small part of it. You all tell me, 'Thank you for the money'. But this is your tax money, coming home to you to invest in the future." Hargett commended McIver's Grant Library Director Sharon Simpson for her leadership. "Communities don't get behind campaigns like this if the leadership isn't there," said Hargett. "I believe there is good leadership here. The legacy that you leave is a legacy of leadership, a legacy that will last for years to come." http://www.stategazette.com/story/1812383.html

All debris removed from rockslide on I-40 (Bristol Herald-Courier)

After a rockslide early this week covered much of Interstate 40 in Cocke County, TDOT representatives say all rock and debris has been removed. I-40 Westbound at milemarker 451 in Cocke County should have one lane open starting at around 2 a.m. this morning. http://www2.tricities.com/news/2012/feb/05/all-debris-removed-rockslide-i-40-ar-1665864/

Free speech rights, anti-bullying fight collide (Tennessean/Smietana)

TN lawmakers seek to amend protections The First Amendment guarantees that public school students have the right to free speech. It also gives them the right to practice their religion. But when does a students right to express his personal religious beliefs go too far and cross the line into bullying? Thats the issue in the debate over attempts to change the states anti-bullying law. State Sen. Jim Summerville, R-Dickson, filed legislation in January that would require schools to write bullying policies that protect the First Amendment rights of students to express their beliefs. That bill replaces a previous one from Republican State Sen. Jim Tracy from Shelbyville, which specifically mentioned religion. Supporters say they want to protect students who express religious views about homosexuality. Critics fear the bill amounts to a license to bully. Its an issue that has generated discussion in recent weeks after the suicides of two gay students whose families say they were bullied. Through his assistant, Summerville declined to be interviewed about his bill and the changes he wants to make. Chris Sanders, chairman of the Nashville committee of the Tennessee Equality Project, said students have the right to express their opinions, but he says opinions are different from insults. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120206/NEWS/302060017/Free-speech-rights-anti-bullying-fight-collide? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Wine, another senator stepping down, judicial discipline (N-S/Humphrey)

Wine-in-groceries referendum bill stalled at startup The latest effort to legalize the sale of wine in Tennessee grocery stores appears stalled at the starting gate, but the sponsor insists that it's only a matter of time until the effort is successful. Rep. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol, on Jan. 26 filed HB2874, which would allow sales of wine in supermarkets or groceries in any jurisdiction where voters approved in a local referendum. But no companion bill 2

was filed in the Senate and the deadline for doing so has passed, meaning the measure cannot become law. Bills to simply grant a general state authorization for sale of wine in grocery stores in cities that already authorize liquor-by-the-drink sales have failed repeatedly in recent years in the face of strong opposition from owners of stores now licensed to sell liquor and wine. Lundberg said in an interview that he was unaware that no senator had sponsored the new referendum measure, which he thought could have a better chance of passage than earlier efforts. "Who could be against letting people vote?" he asked. Not surprisingly, David McMahan, lobbyist for the Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association, is against the proposal. He deemed it "worse than the original." http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/feb/06/political-notebook-wine-another-senator-stepping/

Tennessee Republicans have huge cash advantage over Democrats (TN/Sher)

After easily outpacing legislative Democrats and the state Democratic Party in fundraising throughout 2011, Tennessee Republicans are sitting atop a huge, 3-to-1 cash advantage over their rivals, filings show. Fueled by the fundraising power of a GOP-led General Assembly and a Republican governor for the first time since 1869, the GOP has created a financial juggernaut to boost already impressive legislative majorities. Financial disclosures filed last week with the state show the GOP collectively sitting on a $3.2 million campaign war chest as of Jan. 15. That includes the House and Senate Republican caucuses, leaders personal campaign accounts, top leadership PACs and the state Republican Party. That compares to about $770,000 cash in hand for Democrats. Wow, said Tennessee Common Caucus Chairman Dick Williams. Thats a pretty stark difference. I wouldnt have expected it to be quite that much. But he said contributions generally flow to those in power, Republican or Democrat. The figures were culled from filings at the states Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance and Federal Election Commission filings by the state Republican and Democratic parties. Totals dont include disclosures that rank-and-file Republicans and Democrats also filed last week with the Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/feb/06/tennessee-republicans-have-huge-cash-advantage-ove/?local

Mallicote plans to challenge Shipley for House seat, will resign from BMA (T-N)
Kingsport Alderman Ben Mallicote plans to resign from the Board of Mayor and Alderman to challenge incumbent state Rep. Tony Shipley in the August GOP primary. Mallicote, an attorney, says he wants the 2nd House District seat to create jobs. Over the last few years, every significant economic development and job creation initiative that has benefited the people of Sullivan County has come from the city and county level, Mallicote said. To make a significant impact and improve the lives of the people of this county, we have to have a representative in Nashville who is focused and effective at doing those things. Thats why Im seeking this office. Mallicote said, I dont think there is any doubt it will be a tough campaign, but I am committed down to my bones to run a clean and positive campaign, he said. The people of Sullivan County are good people and dont destroy their neighbors. To win an election youve got to be of character with the people you want to represent. http://www.timesnews.net/article/9041875/mallicote-plans-to-challenge-shipley-for-house-seat-will-resign-frombma

Ex-governor, other leaders had ties to failed East TN bank (Tenn./Ward, Paine)
Closure of BankEast was one of state's first in nearly decade A former Tennessee governor and the states current comptroller are among public figures with ties to an East Tennessee bank whose closure by regulators was one of the states first bank failures in nearly a decade. Former Gov. Don Sundquist sat on the Knoxvillebased BankEasts board. He and Comptroller Justin W ilson owned shares in its holding company. After the banks failure last month, and the purchase of much of its assets by U.S. Bank, their BankEast stock is considered worthless. State Rep. Joe Armstrong, D-Knoxville, also served on BankEasts board and listed the bank as a source of income in a filing with the Tennessee Ethics Commission. He received a business loan from the bank. BankEast failed after real estate, construction and other loans went sour amid the economic downturn. The banks 10 branches now fly the corporate flag of U.S. Bank. The Minneapolis-based company bought much of the failed banks assets, including $272 million of loans, and assumed $268 million of deposits. BankEasts holding company, in which Sundquist, Wilson and others owned stock, wasnt part of the U.S. Bank purchase. Typically, shareholders of a failed bank lose their money because they fall behind depositors and holders of unsecured and subordinated debt on a list of priority of creditors claims. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120206/BUSINESS/302060014/Ex-governor-other-leaders-had-ties-failedEast-TN-bank?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE 3

Effect of test scores on teacher evaluations in Tennessee yet to be felt (TFP/Hardy)

When teachers and school leaders begin meeting this week to offer feedback on Tennessees new teacher evaluation system, its likely that the controversial component that measures the effectiveness of teachers through test scores will be a common thread of discussion. Halfway through the first year of implementing a new evaluation system, teachers have had several in-class observations, which make up half their overall scores. But the effects of another part of the evaluation wont be felt until results come back from standardized tests students take in the spring. And some say the inherent flaws of using test data to judge teachers performance data that is referred to as value-added have yet to be addressed. Teachers who teach core subjects such as math, science, reading and social studies receive a score based on year-to-year student growth on state tests. That complex figure will make up 35 percent of a teachers overall evaluation score, while 15 percent will stem from another measure that teachers choose. Though the national debate over the reliability of test scores lingers, the biggest concern in Tennessee comes from teachers who generate no test scores. Those in untested subjects such as music, art and physical education, or untested grades such as kindergarten, will be assigned average scores from the school or the entire system, a move some see as unfair. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/feb/06/effect-test-scores-teacher-evaluations-tennessee-y/?local

Grading our Teachers: Value-added formula raises alarm for some (CA/Garland)
This story, the second in a three-part series examining the new teacher evaluation systems being used in Memphis and Shelby County, is a collaboration between The Commercial Appeal and The Hechinger Report. Hechinger is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education news service based at Teachers College, Columbia University. To close the achievement gap between poor and affluent students in Tennessee, some students may need to learn at double the rate of their high-performing peers, according to Tennessee Department of Education materials. But this goal could create a potential Catch-22 for teachers, who for the first time this year will be measured on whether their students make large gains on standardized tests, as determined by the controversial statistical formula known among researchers as "value-added modeling." "There's something suspicious about that formula," said Keith W illiams, president of the Memphis Education Association, the local teachers union. "You're using something that has some real flaws." In Tennessee, 45 percent of teachers teach in subjects with standardized tests, and for more than a decade, Tennessee has rated these teachers using their students' progress on the tests. School officials use complex statistics to predict how individual students will perform, based on their past scores. Teachers whose students achieve higher than predicted scores are deemed highly effective. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/feb/06/grading-our-teachers-value-added-formula-raises/ (SUB)

Will Dean's push for charters finally make him Education Mayor'? (CP/Garrison)
There was a time, during years one and two of his mayoral tenure, when it seemed Karl Dean would take over Nashvilles public schools. He was on the fast track to be The Education Mayor in the truest sense. Staring at a beleaguered and academically struggling school district, Dean appeared to be angling to become the Southern version of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who took the reins of the schools there nearly a decade ago. The school board and superintendent would no longer be Nashvilles public education power agents. Dean himself would take the district, and all its woes, into his own hands. All the chatter never led to a takeover, of course. Thorny alternative governance guidelines, dependent on student test scores, didnt line up correctly. Dean didnt become the first Southerner to lead a mayoral-controlled school system. And a fact remained: Dean, who as a candidate trumpeted education as his No. 1 priority, had to steer around a structure in which his role on education policy is limited, one largely relegated to funding. Yet as Dean begins his second term, the mayor has managed to use his pedestal to exert increasing influence on one education front: charter schools those publicly financed, privately operated schools that enjoy autonomy, with their own boards of directors, to raise capital, hire teachers, set school hours and curriculum. Charters are in the midst of a renaissance in Nashville 11 Metro charters exist; four more are opening next year thanks to a more receptive state law. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/will-karl-deans-push-charter-schools-finally-make-himeducation-mayor

E-gadgets shape future of education in Williamson County (Tenn/Giordano)

When Brooke Pickard of Thompsons Station learned about the Bring Your Own Technology pilot program at four Williamson County high schools, she knew exactly what Santa Claus would bring her children for Christmas. 4

It was a no-brainer, she said. Her third-grade son and sixth-grade daughter, who she says are more than comfortable with laptops, received iPads. Pickards thinking? The BYOT program would soon make its way to middle and elementary schools. Her hunch was correct. Director of Schools Mike Looney announced Thursday that students would be allowed to bring their own digital devices to all schools for the 2012-13 school year. The letter also advises parents that students at non-BYOT schools in grades 3-12 may bring e-readers to class now, acknowledging that many students received the readers as gifts during the holidays. Its kind of like calculators. Everyone needs to know how to use a calculator, and its helpful, said Pickard, a transplant from Florida who has lived in the county for two years. They are in our lives already. Their learning process has already been determined by technology. It becomes an almost abnormal process to go to textbooks, pen and paper. Its almost remedial. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120206/W ILLIAMSON04/302060021/E-gadgets-shape-futureeducation-Williamson-County?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Memphis City Schools want local produce (Associated Press)

Farmers in West Tennessee are working on a plan to get local produce on lunch menus at Memphis City Schools by fall. The school district has said it intends to spend $10 million for regional produce next year instead of getting its supply from the federal commodity program and commercial vendors. David Levy of Willow Oaks Flower Farm in Brownsville, Tenn., told The Commercial Appeal that it's a great opportunity for small farmers in the area (http://bit.ly/AgC7m3 ). "I haven't seen an opportunity like this in a long time," he said. "If small farmers don't step up, the mega farmers will." Farmers interested in participating met last month with state school nutrition experts to come up with a plan that could put regional produce such as lettuce, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, collard greens and maybe even strawberries on lunch trays. Growers from as far away as the Florida Panhandle attended the meeting at the Central Nutrition Center, which included discussion about the benefits and obstacles of contracting with schools. Farmers said they have wanted to contract with school lunch programs for a long time. http://www.tennessean.com/usatoday/article/38505685?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

Baxter suggests plan for discipline; School board work session is tonight (J. Sun)
Jackson-Madison County School Board member Bill Baxter is proposing a change that he says will "place respect" back into the school district during tonight's work session. In an email sent to board members, Baxter suggests that students who display discipline problems in school should be given three strikes. At the third strike level, the student would be transferred to the "Jackson Academy," which is now Parkview Learning Center, the district's only alternative school, Baxter said in the email. Once admitted into the alternative school, a student would not be allowed to return to his initial school. "There would be no appeals and no review process," Baxter said in his email. Baxter said his idea falls in line with the district's strategic plan. He gave three principal reasons why his idea will work. "It deals directly with our discipline challenges. Second, it channels those 4 percent (of students) from our general population to the academy that should receive the same latitude of the middle school turnaround program that is an integral part of our strategic plan. Thirdly, it enables our school system to concentrate our now scattered assets that address 'at risk' students to one centralized location allowing us to best utilize assets in a more fiscally responsible manner," Baxter wrote in his email. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120206/NEWS10/202060310/Baxter-suggests-plan-discipline-Schoolboard-work-session-tonight

Maine: Governor LePage backs nation's toughest Medicaid cuts (Stateline)

Medicaid spending is a matter of urgency almost everywhere in the country right now, but in few places is the urgency as palpable as it is here, where the governor refers to the federal-state health insurance program for the poor as welfare, says its necessary to eliminate coverage for 65,000 adults, and wants to stop paying room and board for some 2,000 elders who live in group homes. All these ideas are part of Republican Governor Paul LePages plan to close a $220 million hole in the states biennial Medicaid budget. If we are to bring our welfare system to a manageable level that Maine can afford, LePage insists, we must make the necessary structural changes The state can no longer use gimmicks to fill the hole. The size of Maines Medicaid shortfall is substantial, but it pales in comparison to gaps in many other states. In fact, health experts in Maine say the program has survived far bigger shortfalls in recent years without cutting the rolls. Still, LePage argues that the program can no longer provide a free lunch to poor 19- and 20-year olds, or to healthy adults responsible for the care of others. Some of LePages proposed Medicaid cuts, such as eliminating dental care, physical therapy and chiropractic services, are not too different from ones that governors in both parties are recommending in states across the country. Neither are his proposed reductions in payments to hospitals and doctors or limits on 5

prescription drug coverage. http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=629736

OPINION Tom Humphrey: Study touting tourism-related spending invites skepticism (N-S)
If you accept the conclusion of a recent study, Tennessees Department of Tourist Development may be seen as a profit-making agency. According to Longwoods International, $42 million in state and local government tax revenue was produced from state-sponsored advertising that promotes Tennessee as a great place to visit. The departments budget is $20 million. Ergo, the department returned more than $2 in tax revenue for every $1 in tax money spent. All that other stuff that Commissioner Susan Whitaker and her staff do, such as operating 14 welcome centers along our interstate highways, is covered by the revenue-generating side of things. The Longwoods study, based on 2010 data, specifically addresses just $2.2 million in direct advertising dollars the portion that went to the newspapers, magazines, broadcasting stations and websites that ran the ads. For that portion, the report declares there is a $19 to $1 return on investment. The $2.2 million brought 3.6 million new visitors to Tennessee during 2010, the study says, and they spent $570 million, paying the $42 million in taxes in the process. Thats a conservative estimate, Longwoods advises, since the studys authors dont count travelers who would have come to our state anyway; only those making an ad-inspired journey. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/feb/06/tom-humphrey-study-touting-tourism-related-spendin/

Gail Kerr: Bid to weaken TN ethics law is a step backward (Tennessean)

Tennessee has endured three major scandals in modern history, each of which was followed by a flurry of elected officials trying to get ethical. But after a few years go by, slippage commences. Theres a move like that afoot right now. Rep. Philip Johnson, R-Pegram, has filed a bill that would make it easier for lobbyists to target lawmakers whose vote they need with invitations to fancy parties soaked with fine liquor and piled high with shrimp. The current law allows lobbyists to host receptions, providing all 132 state lawmakers are invited. The proposed change would allow lobbyists to host parties for individuals on important legislative committees, targeting their votes one on one. Critics of the legislation say it is a clear step backward. I think the phrase thick as thieves applies here, said Frank Friedman, owner of Friedmans Army & Navy surplus store. Lobbyists should not be allowed to spend a single dime on food, drink and gifts. It has already been demonstrated that allowing lobbyists to buy a legislator even a Coke and a peanut butter sandwich opens Pandoras box. William Gish, a Belle Meade retiree, agreed: This legislation is a lousy idea. Lobbyists have too much power, and elected representatives too often cave in to the pressures and perks from lobbyists instead of listening to the voices of their constituents. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120206/COLUMNIST0101/302060008/Gail-Kerr-Bid-weaken-TN-ethicslaw-step-backward?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Michael Collins: East Tenn. congressmen awaiting details on merger proposal (NS)
Members of Tennessees Republican congressional delegation are reserving judgment on giving President Barack Obama authority to merge several business-focused federal agencies, while being quick to criticize the Democratic leader for not doing more. Its not nearly enough, says U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. I applaud any effort to save money in the federal government, but this really isnt even a drop in the bucket. U.S. Rep. Chuck 6

Fleischmann echoed Duncans statement. Im always in favor of reducing the size of the federal government and making it work more efficiently. However, for President Obama to act as if this is a major step in that direction is laughable. In his 2011 State of the Union address, Obama pledged to develop a plan to merge, consolidate and reorganize the federal government in a way that best serves the goal of a more competitive America. In January, he laid out part of that plan. Speaking to business leaders in the White Houses East Room, Obama said he would ask Congress for the authority to merge six agencies that focus primarily on commerce and trade. Other presidents have had the restructuring authority that Obama is seeking. Congress granted that authority to the White House during the Great Depression, but let it expire in 1984 when President Ronald Reagan was in office. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/feb/06/michael-collins-east-tennessee-congressmen-awaitin/

Frank Munger: Outsourcing raises eyebrows; overnight guests few (NewsSentinel)

By Department of Energy standards, it was a relatively small contract, valued at about $15.8 million over five years, but the recently awarded contract was of interest because it involved the outsourcing of uranium work from the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge. Y-12, of course, is the governments designated Uranium Center of Excellence. The National Nuclear Security Administration awarded the contract to Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Operations Group to process highly enriched uranium scrap from Y-12, and the work will be done at B&Ws processing operation at Lynchburg, Va. Theres no indication that the contract award is a sign of things to come, but it certainly caused more than one person to think about the possible economic ramifications if there are breakdowns at Y-12s aging uranium-processing facilities and if the proposed multi-billion-dollar Uranium Processing Facility gets further delayed (the latest schedule calls for UPF to come online around 2021). NNSA spokesman Steven Wyatt would not discuss how much scrap is involved, but he said the work will primarily involve the recovery of highly enriched uranium from HEU/zirconium scrap. After the work is completed at Lynchburg, the HEU will be returned to Y-12, Wyatt said. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/feb/06/frank-munger-outsourcing-raises-eyebrows-overnight/

Editorial: Time to talk -- and listen (Commercial Appeal)

The expression "I'm all ears" should be the operative principle of the Transition Planning Commission as it listens to David Pickler's ideas on how best to organize a unified school district in Shelby County. Pickler, you recall, was the last chairman of the Shelby County Schools board. He opposed the whole idea of merging Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools. But that's water under the bridge. Since Memphians voted to approve the merger and the Transition Planning Commission began discussions of how to merge city and county schools, Pickler has been a good soldier. He's actively participating in TPC meetings. He says he wants to bring forward a merger plan that can work for kids and be accepted by suburban communities. In recent days Pickler has urged the Transition Planning Commission to consider a range of alternatives on how best to organize and administer what will be a gargantuan, 150,000-student school district. The commission must listen. Pickler has credibility among the suburban families worried about the one big school district. He's a bridge, if you will, between the suburban concerns, and the commission's charge to recommend how a new school district could be governed. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/feb/06/editorials-time-to-talk----and-listen/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

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