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Governor Haslam attended a black-tie dinner with President Obama and the First Lady at the White House Sunday night. Haslam went to W ashington for the National Governors Association meeting, which started Sunday. This year, Governors from all over the country will be focused on a new issue. Instead of dealing with tough times, there's a little extra money to possibly spend. "I think we are seeing some encouraging signs in Tennessee. Our sales tax revenue is up. W e are seeing some manufacturing growth. So I, by no means, think we are out of the woods, but I am a lot more encouraged than I was six months ago," explained Gov. Bill Haslam (R) Tennessee. Monday, there will be a governors-only meeting with Obama at the W hite House. Haslam most likely will also go to a forum on the best ways to improve Tennessee's economy. http://www.newschannel5.com/story/17022171/haslam-attends-governors-association-meeting-inwashington
to
W hite
House
meeting
Monday
(Associated
The nation's governors are going to the White House on Monday to discuss ways to bolster job growth and improve their partnerships with the federal government. The gathering is scheduled for the final day of the National Governors Association winter meeting. Governors dined with President Barack Obama at a black tie dinner Sunday, where he pledged to work more closely with them in the coming months. Democratic governors met with the president on Friday to discuss improving the manufacturing sector in their states. They told reporters after the meeting they were enthusiastic about their conversation. Republican governors will have a news conference to offer their assessment of the W hite House discussion. http://www.wkyc.com/news/national/232707/22/Governors-headed-to-White-House-meeting-Monday
policies is less beneficial than when we are talking about [them]," said former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. Even as the economy remains the primary political focus of both Democrats and Republicans, in recent weeks, social issues have reemerged in state and national politics. The standoff between President Obama and social conservatives over a controversial contraception mandate earlier this month led to the administration amending its posture that required certain religious institutions to offer contraceptive coverage to employees, shifting the responsibility to insurance companies. http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2012/02/republican-govs.php
release
of
report
good
mistake
(News-
State Comptroller Justin Wilson says his report criticizing the state's civil service system as "fundamentally flawed" was not issued to support Gov. Bill Haslam's bill to overhaul the system, but may have helped inspire it. Groundwork on the report, issued last week, actually began in 2004 when Democrat John Morgan was comptroller, according to Republican Wilson. It was largely complete when Wilson took office in 2009, he said, except for some updating. In 2010, after Haslam won the governor's race, Wilson said he sent the governor-elect a copy of the report. "I thought it had already been issued," said W ilson in a brief interview. Such reports are traditionally kept strictly under wraps within the comptroller's office until formally issued as a public document. But W ilson said that he is pleased if his mistake in giving the governor what turned out to be a draft helped inspire the subsequent legislation. The report issued last week includes recommendations for changes in civil service law with an eye toward a "more flexible hiring system." That is the theme sounded by Haslam in pushing for enactment of HB2384, which abolishes much of the present system. The bill is up for discussion in committees of both the House and Senate in the coming week. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/feb/27/comptroller-premature-release-of-report-a-good/
W ait too long for new MTSU science building (Daily News Journal)
Getting a new science building open at MTSU was somewhat of an item on the bucket list for Tom Cheatham, the dean of Basic and Applied Sciences at MTSU. However, he and three of his department chairs will have left the university or be working in different roles by the time its completed in 2015. Cheatham is completing his last year as dean of the Colllege of Basic and Applied Sciences and will be become the new director of the STEM center, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and math. Earl Pearson is stepping down as chair of Chemistry at the end of this academic year. Three or four years ago, all the plans were ready to go and we were all set for funding. I really wanted to be chair in the new building, so I hung around, Pearson said. Ill go back and teach a year or so before I retire. I probably will retire before the new building is built. But, Ill be here, Lord willing, the day the building is opened. George Murphy will finish his 32 years as Biology chair at the end of this semester. Gov. Bill Haslam announced in January that the universitys $126.7 million Science Building project has been included in his proposed 2012-13 budget. http://www.dnj.com/article/20120227/NEWS/302270022/Waittoo-long-new-MTSU-science-building?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
in local jails by releasing up to 2,200 inmates 60 days early through more liberal sentencing credits. Doing so would open up more prison beds, allowing counties to transfer more state inmates being housed in local jails back to state prisons. Dorinda Carter, spokeswoman for the Department of Correction, said that the release plan has seen some success in cost savings and in moving felons to the state, but she acknowledged that the number of felons moving into the system has been increasing faster than the system can take them. In January, there were 4,675 state felons waiting for a state prison bed. The population has increased; we cant control that, Carter said. But we are continually looking at ways to, on the front end, slow down the intake with programs like drug court. W illiamson County Sheriff Jeff Long, president of the Tennessee Sheriffs Association, said sheriffs are feeling the pinch. A lot of sheriffs need some relief on the amount of inmates theyre holding in their jails and need Department of Correction bed space for them, Long said. I know were not able to get the bed space. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120227/NEW S03/302270009/TN-s-felons-burden-local-jails? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
to
raise
awareness
of
sex
trafficking
(News-
Fueled by ads on the Internet, the sex trafficking industry in East Tennessee is alive and thriving at some truck stops, businesses, and maybe a house near you, according to law enforcement and nonprofit groups working to combat the crime. Most sex trafficking victims in Tennessee are teenage girls or young women, forced into prostitution and Internet pornography. "There is no 'typical' victim, however, I can say that our intelligence and investigations support the fact that the majority of victims of sex trafficking crimes are undocumented, Hispanic females ranging in age from their late teens to their late 40s," Stacie Bohanan, public affairs specialist with the FBI's Knoxville office, said in an email. According to a 2011 report from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, there were 3,051 reports of missing girls between the ages of 13 and 17 in Tennessee. TBI estimated that about 1,000 of those were exploited for sex. Nationwide, there are an estimated 300,000 children being trafficked for sex in the U.S., according to a 2001 University of Pennsylvania study. Eighty-five percent of Tennessee counties have reported a least one case of sex trafficking of a minor, according to TBI. At least 12 cases of sex trafficking are currently being investigated in East Tennessee, according to Christi Wigle, president of Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking, a Knoxville nonprofit working to raise awareness about the problem. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/feb/27/local-group-trying-to-raise-awareness-of-sex/
Proposed bill would make difference to convicted criminals when applying (H-C)
A proposed bill could change information required when applying for a job. If passed, the bill would no longer allow private and public employers to ask applicants if they are a convicted criminal. Employers would only be allowed to ask after an applicant has received a conditional offer of employment. Representative David Hawk of Greeneville is not sponsoring this bill, but says he doesn't believe the bill will make it very far. "Its important to know that that's something as a business owner you really need to know at the beginning, Hawk said. Now, what you choose to do with that info after that is up to the business owner." The bill is still in the primary stages and still has a way to go before it is approved. http://www2.tricities.com/news/2012/feb/26/proposed-bill-would-make-difference-convicted-crim-ar1718099/
Mayor
battles
state
lawmakers,
chamber
over
zoning
overhaul
4
(CP/Garrison)
A trio of Republican-backed state development bills, pushed as efforts to restore property rights, has alarmed Metro Council members who allege the legislation would gut Nashvilles community-led zoning overlays that guide growth along corridors and in neighborhoods. Mayor Karl Dean opposes the state bills, suggesting they threaten local control, a stance that has positioned him opposite of a usual ally: the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, which is lobbying for the anti-regulatory land use legislation. Metro government provides the chamber $300,000 annually for economic development services. But on this issue, the chamber is pitted against Metro. [The mayor] cannot support anything that limits the power of local governments to protect neighborhoods and the quality of life of our residents, Deans spokeswoman Bonna Johnson said. Indeed, Metro leaders contend this legislative endeavor is the latest in a now-undeniable trend of the GOP-dominated state legislature: Use state supremacy to override, even circumvent, the autonomy of local municipalities. Moves seem to be pinpointed specifically toward Democratic-leaning Davidson County. Republican lawmakers last spring nullified Metros nondiscrimination bill that gave employment protections to gays, lesbians and transgender workers. On the agenda this legislative session is a bill that would prevent local governments from mandating minimum wages. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/mayor-battles-state-lawmakers-chamber-over-zoningoverhaul
W oodridge population doubles due to bath salts, changes at Knoxville facility (HC)
The closing of a Knoxville mental hospital is already having a drastic effect on Woodridge in Johnson City. In November, Lakeshore Mental Health Institute announced its closing, saying its part of a new initiative to improve mental health care for patients across Tennessee. The closing means patients will remain at Woodridge instead of being transported to Lakeshore for care. 11 Connects spoke to a Mountain States Health Alliance spokesperson today and they say W oodridges population has doubled since January. But the spokesperson adds the closing of Lakeshore isn't the only reason for the spike in patients. Bath salts are another contributing factor, with a quarter W oodridges patients recovering from the drugs. http://www2.tricities.com/news/2012/feb/26/woodridge-population-doubles-due-bath-salts-change-ar1718094/
Bob
Corkers
fundraising
well
ahead
of
opponents
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., raked in another $1 million during the last three months of 2011, swelling his campaign balance to nearly $7.4 million. This being an election year, you might think he needs it to fight off a well-funded Democrat. Nope. At the end of 2011, Larry Crim, a Nashville businessman and Democratic challenger, had $3 on hand, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings. On Dec. 13, records show Corkers campaign spent more than 22 times that amount, $67.09, at a Knoxville establishment called Cachepot. The purpose? Flowers for event, FEC filings show. The disparity illustrates the distance between everybody else and Corker, a wellheeled former Chattanooga mayor who is considered a business-friendly Republican voice in Washington, D.C. Senior GOP legislators routinely celebrate his stands on fiscal issues, and a 2010 Capitol Hill confrontation with President Barack Obama over financial regulation made him a rising star in conservative circles. Corkers ability to raise millions when he has no serious challengers highlights an unusual fundraising prowess, experts said. Corkers catering costs alone at four events swallowed up the combined total his challengers had on hand at the end of 2011. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/feb/27/us-senator-bob-corkers-fundraising-well-aheadoppo/?local
shapes
up
for
When Tennessee joined forces with other states to create Super Tuesday in 1984, they hoped for a primary like the one coming up March 6. The idea was that by bunching primary elections in a single day, all the states would gain increased relevancy. But the Republican primary in Tennessee has historically lacked drama. It was a tight race in 2008, when Mike Huckabee edged John McCain but McCain already had a convincing lead after a win in Florida. This year, though, the fight for the Volunteer State delegates which are awarded proportionally is shaping up to be one of the most hotly contested primary races in recent history. As it stands right now, this will be the first time in a long time Tennessee has really made a difference in the Republican presidential primary, Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney said. All four candidates recognize that Tennessee will matter. ... One way or the other, they are going to be actively campaigning in our state. One way could be Gov. Mitt Romneys method of buying TV time, soliciting big-time donors and tapping the states first family, including Gov. Bill Haslam, to lead his Tennessee campaign. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/state-gop-primary-shapes-knock-down-drag-out-affair
agents
face
uncertain
future
(Nashville
The Obama administrations health care reform efforts may provide positive results for millions of Americans. But for many health insurance brokers, particularly independent agents and those working 6
at smaller operations, there are concerns. Simply put, many brokers are seeing reduced commissions, creating for some the need to move into, say, property or auto insurance or to leave the insurance sales business altogether. In the Nashville market, some within the industry are worried. On individual health insurance policies, weve seen commissions cut up to 50 percent, said Jeff Zander, president and partner with independent insurance brokerage agency Zander Insurance Group. As structured, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act dictates that effective Jan. 1, 2011, and driven by what is called the medical loss ratio provision insurers are required to spend 85 percent of large-group and 80 percent of small-group and individual plan premiums on health care or return the difference to customers as rebates. That leaves only 15 to 20 percent with which insurance companies can cover expenses. According to an online report in Forbes, about 17.4 percent of expenses typically have been reserved to cover office staff. Brokers commissions had been about 2 percent, Forbes reported. http://nashvillepost.com/news/2012/2/26/area_health_insurance_agents_face_uncertain_future
was in possession of methamphetamine as well as components used to manufacture the drug He is currently being held at the Hawkins County Jail on a $100,000 bond. After his term of incarceration, Greene will then be turned over to the Bean Station Police Department where he is wanted on similar charges http://www2.tricities.com/news/2012/feb/26/man-arrested-hawkins-co-meth-possession-manufactur-ar1718111/
Police delay charges to avoid 'astronomical' meth burn costs (C. Appeal/Goetz)
Sitting in the driver's seat of his Chevy Cavalier, Chris Burns gripped a 20-ounce soda bottle and waited for his "shake and bake" methamphetamine to cook. Then came the explosion and fire. Burns and passenger Bobby Joe Joyner fled as blazing chemicals scorched their skin. When police caught up with the pair, they admitted to cooking meth and causing the explosion while sitting at a stop sign on a rural Fayette County road. But it was months before either faced criminal charges. To have charged the men en route to the hospital would have shifted the burden of paying for their care to the Fayette County Sheriff's department. Two weeks later, Burns walked out of the Regional Medical Center at Memphis owing $160,000 -- a tab he can't pay that is the problem of a much larger group of taxpayers in Shelby County and throughout the region served by the hospital. "We took them straight to the grand jury after they got out of the burn unit because we could not afford to arrest them ...," Fayette County Sheriff Bobby Riles said. "I mean, that would bankrupt the county in a minute." The practice of delaying charges to avoid medical bills has long been practiced by law enforcement. But the staggering cost of dealing with meth burn patients has made it even more common -- especially in small communities where a single case can quickly overwhelm a county's budget. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/feb/27/police-delay-charges-to-avoid-astronomical-meth/ (SUB)
MORE
OPINION David Cook: Lets send Governor Bill Haslam to Taft Youth Center (TFP)
Just ask Drew Lindsey. Id still be out on the streets. Selling drugs. Robbing people, he said. Before you learn about Lindseys past, lets pause for a little math. According to the Tennessee Department of Correction, it costs $23,000 to incarcerate someone each year in Tennessee, and the average sentence for a criminal with a primary drug offense is six years. So jailing Lindsey for selling drugs would cost about $138,000. If along the way he shoots someone or a bullet finds him add in an additional $50,000, which is the estimated cost of life-long care for a gunshot victim. not true, a study by Duke University says its about $35,000 per year. Still got room on your paper? Because we still need to multiply in the emotional and psychological violence inflicted on any innocent victim. A family that gets caught up in some drug transaction gone sour. Anyone that gets robbed. Or harmed. How do you put a price tag on feeling safe? How much do we value a place that can deter Lindsey from such violence? Today, Lindsey lives in Lewisburg. He adores his 2-year-old daughter, is interviewing for a factory job and going to college to become a barber. No more drugs, no more robberies. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/feb/27/cook-lets-send-governor-bill-haslam-taft-youth-cen/? opinioncolumns
Free-Press Editorial: Tennessee, Georgia right not to rush into ObamaCare (TFP)
Supporters of the ObamaCare socialized medicine law are complaining that many states are not moving fast enough to set up the layers upon layers of bureaucracy required by the law, which Democrats alone passed in 2010. At issue are the so-called health insurance exchanges. States must set up those exchanges, or else the federal government will step in. Only 13 states and the District of Columbia have set up the exchanges so far. "An additional 17 states are making headway, but it's not clear all will succeed," The Associated Press reported. And 20 more states -- including Tennessee and Georgia -are labeled as "lagging." But even in states that have set up the exchanges, officials admit that the bureaucracy involved is mind-boggling. "It's a very heavy lift," Diana Dooley, California's health secretary, told the AP. "Coverage is certainly important, but it's not the only part. It is very complex." And there are other excellent reasons for states not to rush into ObamaCare any sooner than they are required to do so. The most obvious one is the massive cost it is expected to impose on the states. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/feb/27/0227b-fp1-no-rush-on-obamacare/?opinionfreepress
state residents. Admission is free, and the parks plan to have a variety of music festivals, special hikes and nature walks to honor the anniversary. It might be easy to dismiss the importance of state parks with the popular Great Smoky Mountains National Park in our backyard. . http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/feb/27/editorial-celebrate-75th-anniversary-of-state/
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