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MTSU seniors Luke Suttmiller and Wayne Jaco will probably never take a class in MTSUs new science building, but they still see its value to the university and students in the fields of science. Youre going to see a lot more of science students mixing in with mass comm and business students, Suttmiller, a business administration major, said Thursday, moments before officials broke ground on the $147 million project. Its kind of divided in two. This will help bring the campus together. Pointing toward nearby buildings such as Walker Library, Jaco, also a business administration major, said the science building is definitely going to look a lot better than what was sitting there. It was kind of an eyesore. W ork is set to begin immediately on the site of the old Gore, Clement, Felder and Wood dormitories, with a spring 2015 opening date targeted for the science facilityWith Gov. Bill Haslam and House Speaker Beth Harwell visiting, MTSU President Sidney McPhee led Thursdays groundbreaking ceremony, calling the governor a supporter of this campus since the first time he stepped foot on it as a gubernatorial candidate. http://www.dnj.com/article/20120504/NEW S07/305040030/Science-building-s-impact-impossible-overstate-? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Political Pressure, Private Funds Build MTSU Science Building (WPLN-Radio Nash)
Middle Tennessee State University is finally breaking ground on its long-awaited science building. Funding for the $147 million project came through this spring after being in the pipeline for more than a decade. The long list of lawmakers who spoke at the groundbreaking agreed that the Rutherford County delegation has been relentless about getting a new science building. Murfreesboro Senator Bill Ketron has no apologies. He says he and other lawmakers attempted to block any other project that tried to jump ahead in the queue, to the point that the states other college system finally became a supporter. W e actually gained support from our University of Tennessee system, going lets get that out of the way: Somebody get that science building out of the way so we can get ours down that pipeline! MTSU Still has to find a way to pay its share of the cost, which is $18 million. Three donors were announced at the groundbreaking, but not how much theyre giving. http://wpln.org/?p=36882
departure from our current practice, but we havent made a final decision there. As hes done with several other bills, Governor Haslam could let this one go into law without his signature. But the ACLU hopes that he doesnt. A letter from the organization says young people need information on contraception and safe sex, pointing to research that shows it does a better job at preventing unplanned pregnancies than just telling kids to wait. http://wpln.org/?p=36888
Lone Mountain State Forest loop trail wanders through wilderness (NewsSentinel)
Some of the best hiking trails in Tennessee are found in the Cumberland Mountains of Morgan County, home to Frozen Head State Park and Natural Area and the Obed Wild and Scenic River. Sandwiched between these two parks is Lone Mountain State Forest, a 3,572-acre tract with approximately 20 miles of trails open to horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking. We started our hike at the trailhead located directly across the road from the Tennessee Division of Forestry office at the northeast entrance to Lone Mountain State Forest, approximately three miles south of Wartburg. Our route took us to Coyote Point, the forest's most prominent overlook. On our way back, we followed a newly-refurbished hiking trail that cuts through the heart of the state forest to make a 9.6-mile loop. Lone Mountain is a relatively modest 2,530 feet tall, but there are numerous steep pitches along the trail that makes this a moderate-to-strenuously difficult hike. At 1.9 miles the Coyote Point Trail reaches the Longest Mile Trail intersection, where you'll bear left to continue to Coyote Point. After a quarter mile you'll see a small pond on the left one of six ponds constructed in the forest to attract wildlife. (Hikers should note that Lone Mountain State Forest is open to hunters during statewide hunting seasons.) http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/may/03/lone-mountain-state-forest-loop-trail-wanders/
Downtown, interstate road closures set to begin Friday afternoon (City Paper)
Road closures downtown and on Interstate 24 east of downtown could cause headaches for commuters to kick off the weekend. The detours are set to begin Friday at 2:30 p.m. when Metro police expect to close Broadway between Fourth and Sixth avenues until midnight. The Nashville Predators received a permit from the city to close Broadway and make room for a festival before and after the hockey teams Game 4 against the Phoenix Coyotes in the second-round playoff series. According to police, traffic during the closure will have to turn off of Broadway by Fourth Avenue (headed westbound) or by Seventh Avenue (headed eastbound). Extra-duty police officers will be staffed at fixed posts in the downtown area Friday afternoon and evening to help drivers. Later Friday evening, construction crews working with the Tennessee Department of Transportation will close a threemile section of I-24 near downtown for the ongoing bridge rehabilitation project over Main and Woodland Streets. According to TDOT, I-24 eastbound and westbound will be closed from the I-24/I-65 split north of downtown to the I-24/I-40 split east of downtown beginning Friday at 9 p.m. The interstate is expected to open no later than Monday, May 7, at 5 a.m. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/downtown-interstate-road-closures-set-begin-friday-afternoon
focused on key reforms that lower taxes, continue improvement of our states education system and enable us to recruit, retain and reward the best and brightest employees. Heres a closer look at the work weve been doing over the past several months: Significant reform of the states outdated employment system; Lowering the inheritance tax and the states portion of the sales tax on food; A complete rewrite of Tennessees school accountability system to complement Tennessees waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law; http://tnreport.com/blog/2012/05/03/haslam-congratulates-legislature-for-efficient-effective-session/
Dean reduces proposed tax hike in General Services after legal ?s (CP/Garrison)
To avoid the possibility of triggering a public referendum and litigation, Mayor Karl Deans administration has lowered its proposed property-tax rate increase for Davidson Countys General Services District by five cents from 53 cents to a new 48-cent tax hike. There was the potential someone could have challenged it, Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling said Thursday. The budgets too important to take any risk for potential litigation. The mayors original 53-cent tax rate increase for residents of the Urban Services District will remain unchanged. Rates are applied to every $100 of assessed property to calculate property tax obligations. On Tuesday, Dean proposed what amounted to an across-the-board 53-cent hike to Metros two property tax rates. The bump would increase the rate paid by residents of the USD the inner core of the city that receives extra services from $4.13 to $4.66. Residents who live in Davidson Countys General Services District, however, the suburban periphery of the county and recipient of fewer services, pay a lower property tax rate of $3.56. Increasing the GSD rate by 53 cents would bring the total GSD rate to $4.09. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/dean-reduces-proposed-tax-hike-general-services-district-afterlegal-questions
third, and Chattanooga ranked fifth. The foundation creates the rankings by assessing the 100 largest cities on air pollution, ozone days, pollen counts, medication utilization, poverty rates and public smoking laws. Last year, Knoxville occupied the second spot on the list, Memphis third, Chattanooga fourth and Nashville 10th. Nashville moved out of the top 10 list this year. With an unusually warm winter, some Nashville-area doctors say they are seeing increased allergy-related problems this year. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120504/NEWS07/305030066/Tennessee-cities-among-nation-s-worstasthma?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News
easement agreement allows. Plaintiffs now say that TVA failed to do an environmental-impact statement before proceeding with a more aggressive tree trimming policy. Don K. Vowell, attorney for the plaintiffs, said TVA's plan to clear its entire transmission line system in seven states of trees capable of reaching 15 feet in height or more constitutes a major environmental impact that would trigger such a study. "They are clearing an area that is 16,000 miles long and 100 to 200 feet wide. That is an area that is half the size of the Great Smoky Mountains and will take millions of trees," Vowell said. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/may/03/lawsuit-claims-tvatree-cuttings-violate-law/
Methodist to fund Olive Branch facility with $100M bond issue (M. Biz Journal)
Taking advantage of historically low interest rates, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare will supplement the financing of its $137 million Olive Branch hospital with a $100 million bond issue. Underwritten in part by Raymond James Morgan Keegan, the issue has received a stable outlook from ratings agencies Standard & Poors and Moodys, which assigned ratings of A+ and A2, respectively, according to Jim Birdwell, managing director and co-head of health care finance at Morgan Keegan. Through a spokesperson, Methodist CFO Chris McLean said exceptionally low interest rates moved the organization to take advantage of the bonds, which have been in huge demand, according to Birdwell. Just in the last month, weve seen a very large increase in the number of hospital bond issues sold throughout the country, Birdwell said. So theyre taking advantage of historically low rates and increased investor appetite for tax-exempt bonds. Birdwell indicated there was strong demand across the board for the bonds, which attracted individual investors as well as institutional investors both large and small. http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2012/05/03/methodist-to-fund-olive-branch.html
MED Forms Committee to Examine Minority-Owned Biz Dealings (M. Daily News)
The board governing The Regional Medical Center at Memphis has formed an ad hoc committee to review and make recommendations regarding the amount of business the hospital conducts with minority-owned companies. The committee comprised of attorney Pamela Brown, Plough Foundation executive director Scott McCormick and the Rev. Keith Norman of First Baptist Church-Broad in Binghampton was created after the subject of minority business dominated the discussion Wednesday, May 2. The board meeting at the Adams Pavilion, 842 Jefferson Ave., was the second of the year. W hen the current administration led by president and CEO Dr. Reginald Coopwood first took over leadership at The MED just more than two years ago, the hospitals supplier diversity spending was a mere 1.3 percent. The initial focus at that time was creating financial stability for the organization after some turbulent years. But supplier diversity spending did increase to 2.5 percent in fiscal year 2011, and currently stands at 3.6 percent, a 51 percent year-over-year increase. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2012/may/4/med-forms-committee-to-examine-minority-owned-bizdealings/
The Dallas-based developer of Nashvilles proposed $250 million Nashville Medical Trade Center announced today it has launched efforts aimed at securing financing for the project, thanks in part to commitments from six new tenants. Market Center Management Co. CEO Bill Winsor said those leases range in size from 2,500 to 9,000 square feet and push the project closer to a goal of having 60 percent of space leased before construction can begin at the site of the Nashville Convention Center, which is set to be replaced by the Music City Center convention hall opening next year. The tenants announced today include Nashville-based Informatics Corporation of America and RemindAmerica Inc., along with the SSI Group in Mobile, Ala., New York-based Humanscale, ErgoCentric in Canada and Memphis-based V. Alexander & Co. With the new commitments, Winsor said the company has now leased 45 percent of the proposed center's 800,000 square feet of available space. Market Center has announced 12 tenants so far that account for about 70,000 to 100,000 square feet. Winsor said other tenants have asked to remain anonymous for competitive reasons. http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2012/05/04/medical-trade-center-announces-new.html
Layoffs for Yale Lock workers in East Tenn. expected to begin in August (NS)
A 10-year tax break wasn't enough to keep 230 manufacturing jobs in Loudon County. In a news release, the mayors of Loudon County and Lenoir City said the first round of layoffs at the Yale Commercial Lock and Hardware facility in Lenoir City are expected to take place in August, with a closure of the plant anticipated in the first quarter of next year. Yale is consolidating the operations with an existing facility in Berlin, Conn. The company announced its intentions in March, and local officials quickly approved 10-year, 100 percent property tax exemption in a bid to prevent the closure. According to the release, Deputy Gov. Claude Ramsey spoke to officials with Yale's parent company, but the state couldn't identify sufficient assistance to offset the expected savings associated with the move to Connecticut. "W hile we have traditionally benefited from corporate 6
relocations, this is the first instance of a company leaving Loudon County for an area in the Northeast that is generally viewed as a higher cost area", Loudon County Economic Development Agency President Patrick Phillips said in the release. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/may/03/layoffs-for-yale-lock-workers-in-east-tenn-to-in/
2 charter schools set to open in Shelby Co., 12 others wait for 2014 (CA/Roberts)
Of the 14 charter schools in limbo since the Shelby County unified school board rejected their applications in November, two intend to open this summer. Memphis Grizzlies Prep and Aurora Collegiate Academy, both backed by philanthropists, will open in July despite nearly six months of indecision, delay and red tape. The rest, including nine schools proposed by former mayor Willie Herenton, plan to open a year later. "W hen formal approval is granted, we will move forward with nine schools," Herenton said Thursday after an appeals hearing conducted by the state Board of Education. It was the second shortest hearing in department history, noted executive director Gary Nixon, largely because there was no legal reason why the schools should not open. The school board opposed two other charters at hearings later in the afternoon, but no one spoke against the 14 other schools, which have passed through all the state and local hoops but still do not have definitive approval. While the state board will take public comment for another week, "it's probably pretty clear what the answer will be," Nixon said. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/may/04/2-charter-schools-set-to-open/ (SUBSCRIPTION)
first two weeks of school and claim it didnt provide each student with books. Attorneys for the school district grilled Spurlock over why she did not choose predominantly white H.G. Hill Middle School, also in the Hillwood cluster and an option for her daughter under the rezoning plan. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120504/NEWS04/305040073/Nashville-schools-lawyer-grills-parentrezoning-trial?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|p
Bristol, Tenn., school officials announce reorganization plan, job cuts (H-C)
A city school system reorganization that eliminates three jobs, leaves teaching positions unfilled and restructures a number of others was unveiled Thursday by Director of Schools Gary Lilly. Lilly added that the district may also reassign, cut or adjust work responsibilities for some of its estimated 300 teachers. The moves are aimed at cutting costs and addressing an estimated $775,000 budget shortfall. Its hard when youre making decisions that affect livelihoods, Lilly said. [But] we are doing things to ensure we can best focus on the educational and academic needs of our students. Lilly said the changes are necessary now because the district will face added federal and state academic requirements during the 2012/13 school year, which means devoting more of its available money to those areas. Even when the economy has been tanking in recent years, weve always had funding available to come to the rescue and prevent [district cuts], Lilly said, noting programs like the 2009 federal stimulus package. Thats no longer the case, and we have to make adjustments for that. Under the plan, the positions of Communication and Transportation Coordinator Todd Bailey, Health Educator Jane Hargis and grant writer Dawn W erner will be eliminated. Those job functions will be shifted to others. http://www2.tricities.com/news/2012/may/03/5/bristol-tenn-school-officials-announce-reorganizat-ar-1888911/
Kingsport BOE postpones tuition decision on Lynn Garden students (Times News)
Kingsport school leaders Thursday night delayed a decision until at least mid-month on whether to allow selected Sullivan County students in the Lynn Garden area to start or continue attending two city elementary schools tuition free. At issue is a group of 59 kindergarten through fifth-grade county students living in a targeted annexation area of Lynn Garden and attending Kennedy and Roosevelt elementary schools, plus at least one additional rising kindergarten student to attend Kennedy in August. Since a 1986 agreement between the city and county school systems was rescinded by both sides last year, the Kingsport Board of Education decided to address the issue on an annual basis, and Thursday night was the annual review time. BOE President Randy Montgomery suggested, and the board agreed, to delay a decision until the board could get a good idea of when the city might annex the students in question. He said the BOE could vote on the matter during a called meeting after the May 17 work session or at the June 7 regular meeting. http://www.timesnews.net/article/9046164/kingsport-boe-postpones-tuition-decision-on-lynn-garden-students
OPINION
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Editorial: Legislature couldn't leave town soon enough (Daily News Journal)
Tennesseans can take a deep breath and relax. The General Assembly is adjourned for the year. The session saw some positive signs from lawmakers, including a slight reduction in the grocery sales tax and moves to scale back gift and inheritance taxes. The Legislature also allotted $126 million for MTSUs science building. But this session made Tennessee the butt of national talk shows and could be known better for what legislators couldnt get done than what they did. For instance, legislation that would have cut the HOPE scholarship by 50 percent for some students failed to gain approval, and the guns-in-cars bill that could have trumped business owners property rights never saw the House floor, either. In addition, Republican Gov. Bill Haslam said he plans to veto legislation affecting Vanderbilt Universitys all-comers nondiscrimination policy for religious organizations. The governor said this week the state shouldnt meddle in private organizations affairs, and we agree. Comedians took pot shots at Tennessee throughout the session about bills dealing with the teaching of evolution and gateway sexual activity, in addition to the Ten Commandments and guns-in-cars. http://www.dnj.com/article/20120504/OPINION/305040013/EDITORIAL-Legislature-couldn-t-leave-town-soonenough
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Editorial: Passage of tax bill would be a small token of thanks for sacrifice (N-S)
In February 2011, Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew Carpenter was shot and killed while on patrol in Afghanistan. A lending company subsequently forgave his student loan, but now his parents are on the hook for a $28,000 tax bill as a result. U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., is outraged. And he's sponsoring a bill that would prevent the Internal Revenue Service from taxing loans to fallen service members that have been forgiven. The Andrew P. Carpenter Tax Act is one bill that all members of both parties can and should support. "It is a fitting way to fix a glaring problem in our tax code, while paying tribute to the memory of Lance Cpl. Carpenter," DesJarlais said. "His family has experienced the pain of losing their son, husband and father. Hopefully, if passed, this measure will in some way ease this burden." Three years prior to his death, Carpenter, a Columbia, Tenn., native, had taken out a $20,000 student loan to help pay for his college education. His parents co-signed for him. Carpenter attended Middle Tennessee State University and Columbia State Community College before enlisting in the Marines. A member of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the 27-year-old was on patrol in southern Afghanistan when he was shot by a sniper. He died of his wounds in Germany on Feb. 19, 2011. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/may/04/editorial-passage-of-tax-bill-would-be-a-small/
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