FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 Charter school incubator beefs up staff (Nashville Post/ De Lombaerde)

The two-year-old Tennessee Charter School Incubator has recruited senior executives to oversee the schools it works with and to lure top talent to them. The Nashville-based incubator, which aims to launch 20 charter schools here and in Memphis by 2015, has named Justin Testerman to be its chief operating officer and Rebecca Lieberman as director of talent recruitment. Testerman comes to the Incubator from Volunteers of America of Minnesota, where he was director of education programs. There, he started the nations first nonprofit charter-school-authorizing program, which authorizes 17 schools. Testerman also ran three contract alternative high schools for the Minneapolis school district as well as an adult basic education program. At the incubator, he is overseeing the development of the infrastructure to support charters school operations, including facilities financing, the development of governance structures and building a college-preparatory culture. http://nashvillepost.com/news/2011/9/29/charter_school_incubator_beefs_up_staff

Hamilton County moves on STEM school (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Hardy)

Hamilton County will move forward with the grant application to open a new science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, school. But school board members caution that more details need to be ironed out before committing to the project. School board members met with district officials, business leaders and representatives of Chattanooga State Community College and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in a work session Thursday evening. Officials discussed an opportunity to receive a nearly $2 million grant for a STEM school with the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network. The network, a partnership of the Tennessee Department of Education and the Battelle Memorial Institute, an independent research and development organization, is modeled after a similar program in Ohio and funded by Tennessee's federal Race to the Top grant. http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/30/county-moves-on-stem-school/?local

Proposal Would Mark Line Between Pain Doctors, Mid-Level Providers (WPLN Radio)
State lawmakers are weighing a proposal in what some see as a turf war between specialized doctors and mid-level providers like nurse practitioners and physician assistants. WPLNs Daniel Potter reports on the debate over just who should be allowed to treat pain by injecting medicine near the spine. The proposal would require direct supervision from a qualified pain doctor before a helper like a nurse practitioner could give spinal injections for pain. Opponents argue its a solution without a problem, saying theres no evidence of harm. Sharon Adkins directs the Tennessee Nurses Association. http://wpln.org/?p=30576

Solar panel expert tells Chamber of benefits (The Leaf Chronicle)

While solar panel installation is just beginning to catch on as a renewable energy source with significant cost benefits for homes and businesses, it's clearly on the rise. For Clarksville, having Hemlock Semiconductor LLC here a future manufacturer of polysilicon, which is a base ingredient in solar is helping to raise the profile of this alternative energy sector. On Thursday a regional industry expert talked about the processes and cost/benefit analysis of switching from traditional energy sources to solar. http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20110930/BUSINESS/109300305/Solar-panel-expert-tellsChamber-benefits?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

Tennessee Highway Patrol makes DUI top priority (Tennessean/Haas)

Brad Bulla drives on Interstate 65 in Williamson County often, and when he does, he typically passes a little white cross at the side of the road that marks a time and place that has left a hole in his familys heart. That cross marks the spot where his son Jed was killed by a drunken driver in 2005. Losing a child like that, I never knew there could be so much pain. I never imagined it, Bulla said. I call it a terminally broken heart. Perhaps of comfort to Bulla is word that the Tennessee Highway Patrol, through Sept. 29, reported an almost 39 percent increase in the number of drunken-driving arrests on Tennessee highways compared with last year at this time. It also is reporting an almost 14 percent decrease in traffic fatalities. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110930/NEWS03/309300064/Tennessee-Highway-Patrolmakes-DUI-top-priority?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Orange barrel tour: TDOT chief visits East Tennessee road, bridge projects (Knoxville News-Sentinel/Balloch)
For just a moment, as he looked upon the Henley Bridge, John Schroer let himself think out loud more as a fan of historic preservation than as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation. "Just look at the character of that bridge," he said appreciatively. "That bridge has great bones. It would have been terrible to have to just tear it down and replace it." Not that he wasn't thinking business. Schroer's brief visit to the downtown Knoxville project Thursday was just one of many stops on TDOT's latest tour of major construction projects and sites of planned projects in East Tennessee. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/29/orange-barrel-tour-tdot-chief-visits-east-road/

Use of electronic benefits (Tennessean/Marsteller)

card

will

soon

cost

less

in

TN

Tennesseans who get child support payments or unemployment benefits via plastic are about to get a break on bank fees. Beginning Saturday, after a delay of more than two months, Tennessee Automated Payment cardholders will no longer face fees for certain ATM withdrawals, balance inquiries and purchases. Cardholders have been charged up to $1 for those transactions, which a national consumer advocacy group called excessive. The fee changes are part of JPMorgan Chases new five-year contract to continue administering the states electronic benefits card program, which the bank has done since 2004. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110930/BUSINESS01/309300056/Use-electronic-benefits-cardwill-soon-cost-less-TN?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

Executives say $200 million facility would need 1,000 staff (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Haman)
A business group came to Hamilton County on Thursday on a quest for three things sewer sludge, trash, and land for a facility to turn it all into diesel fuel. Several county commissioners gathered in their office after the morning agenda session as county Trustee Bill Hullander introduced them to the representatives of Earth, Wind & Fire Technologies LLC. Chairman and CEO N. Dennis Wherrell told commissioners he plans to invest more than $200 million of private money in a diesel production business that would produce an estimated 1,000 jobs. Hullander said the company leaders were making an impromptu visit to the county. He said he knew about the project because his neighbor, Sam Owens, is a consultant for the company. http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/30/executives-say-200-million-facility-would-need-100/

Health care program reaches 7,500 (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Garrett)

A community health partnership that provides health care to the working poor has delivered more than $75 million in services to nearly 7,500 people in seven years, officials with the Medical Foundation of Chattanooga announced Thursday. Project Access was launched in 2004 to help Hamilton County residents who couldn't find health insurance but earned too much to qualify for TennCare or Medicare. It now has all three major hospitals and 600-plus volunteer physicians participating. 2

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/30/health-care-program-reaches-7500/?local

Entrepreneur Center gets grant for build-out (Nashville Post/Duncan)

The Nashville Entrepreneur Center has just received a big boost. The organization, which has shepherded numerous start-ups through their early-stage growing pains, has just received the biggest single grant in the Middle Tennessee history from the Economic Development Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Through the agreement, the Entrepreneur Center will receive a $2.5 million infusion that will help fund the planned build-out its Rolling Mill Hill facility. of http://nashvillepost.com/news/2011/9/30/entrepreneur_center_gets_grant_for_build_out

GM labor costs to rise 1 percent a year for next 4 years (Detroit Free Press)
General Motors told Wall Street analysts that a new UAW contract will boost hourly labor costs by only 1 percent in each of the next four years. The agreement will enable GM to be profitable in North America as long as U.S. newv vehicle sales are greater than 10.5 million annually, executives said. GM workers ratified the four-year agreement by nearly 2-to-1, the UAW said earlier this week. The agreement with the UAW has been well received by Wall Street because it allows the automaker to keep fixed labor costs down . http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110930/BUSINESS03/309300083/GM-labor-costs-rise-1-percent-yearnext-4-years?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

Sen. Corker cites frustration with partisan politics (The Leaf Chronicle)
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker lamented ongoing gridlock in Washington, D.C., but expressed hope for the future during a short speech at Austin Peay State University Thursday morning. The former Chattanooga mayor told a small crowd of 20 students from an honors leadership class and several local officials that every morning he spends in D.C., he wakes up and appreciates the opportunity given to him by his constituents, but he also feels like his "head is about to pop off." "It's the most frustrated I've ever been in my life when we have a country that has the kinds of issues that we all know have to be solved," he said. "The greatness of this country dissipates daily." http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20110930/NEWS01/109300326/Sen-Corker-cites-frustrationpartisan-politics?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Tennesseans to travel with GPS monitors in unusual study on transportation, health (Tennessean/Gonzales)
Hundreds of Middle Tennesseans will soon be asked to wear GPS monitors to record their travel and accelerometers to measure physical activity, as part of a unique study of connections between transportation and health, officials said. The million-dollar study of 10 counties will inform decisions regarding an estimated $6 billion in transportation funds overseen by the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, Executive Director Michael Skipper said. The MPO last week selected firms to carry out the research, which will begin with a survey of the daily travel and commuting patterns of 6,000 residents living everywhere from urban apartments to rural homes, followed by a more comprehensive and tech-savvy look at the health and activity levels of 600 people wearing monitors. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110930/NEWS07/309300074/Tennesseans-travel-GPSmonitors-unusual-study-transportation-health?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Justice Department (Tennessean/Sisk)

certifies

TN

sexual

offender

registry

The U.S. Department of Justice has agreed that Tennessees sexual offender registry meets national standards, a decision that preserves about $5 million in federal grants to the state. Federal officials certified Tennessees registry as being compliant with the Adam Walsh Child Protection Act after the state added juvenile sexual offenders ages 14 to 17 earlier this year. Tennessee is the 15th state to be certified, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110930/NEWS03/309300079/Justice-Department-certifies-TN3

sexual-offender-registry?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

New patent reform law gets mixed reviews in TN (Tennessean/Bewley)

After James Stevens dreamed up a device that would spray water on hard-of-hearing people when a smoke detector or fire alarm sounded, he spent months tweaking the idea and saving attorney moneyfor and application fees before he applied for a patent. He could afford to take his time because current law awards patents to the first person who invents a product not the first who files for A patent. a patent reform law signed by President Barack Obama this month changes that. The measure, which takes effect in 18 months, is intended to reduce the backlog of patent applications about 700,000 and make it easier to challenge weak patents. But the biggest change is switching from first-to-invent to first-to-file. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110930/NEWS02/309300101/New-patent-reform-law-gets-mixed-reviewsTN?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

Some creatures unique to TN are in line for federal protection (Tennessean/Gonzales)

Nearly 400 animal and plant species in the southeastern United States, from the Tennessee forestfly to the Texas trillium, are part of a national push by the Obama administration to settle whether hundreds of varieties are endangered. As part of a settlement with environmental groups, the administration has agreed to consider whether more than 700 freshwater species nationally most in the Southeast deserve protection under the Endangered Species Act. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110930/NEWS11/309300077/Some-creatures-unique-TN-linefederal-protection?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Perry Holds Memphis Fundraiser (Memphis Daily News)

After he introduced Texas Gov. and current GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry at a fundraiser in Memphis Wednesday, Tenn. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey spoke with The Daily News. He defended the recent controversial remarks and stance of Perry over immigration specifically, over a Texas law that makes possible a college tuition break to the children of illegal immigrants there. Ramsey has been an early supporter of the Texas governor. In a recent Republican presidential debate, Perry said opponents of that policy were heartless. But Perry walked that back Wednesday, saying heartless represented a poor choice of words. Perry said pretty much that same thing to Newsmax, and it got wide play nationally on Wednesday as an apparent softening or position-shuffling by Perry. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/sep/30/perry-holds-memphis-fundraiser/

Manufacturing employment up in Nashville, most major markets (Nashville Business Journal)

Nashvilles manufacturing job base grew, albeit modestly, in the last year, one of 61 major markets that witnessed an increase, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Nashville area added 600 jobs, growing to 60,800 in August 2011, a 1 percent increase over a year prior. As a percentage, Nashvilles increase was the 47th highest in the country, according to an analysis by On Numbers, a Nashville Business Journal affiliate http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2011/09/29/manufacturing-employment-up-in.html

MTSU fall enrollment eclipses record with 26,442 students (Murfreesboro Post)
MTSU experienced a slight gain and another record when campus officials recently announced a headcount of 26,442 students as the official enrollment for fall 2011. The total is 12 more students than fall 2010 when a final headcount of 26,430 students was submitted to the Tennessee Board of Regents. We continue to be proud of the rich diversity represented in our student population, said Dr. Deb Sells, vice president for the Division of Student Affairs and vice provost for Enrollment Services. W e are particularly pleased with our continuing increase in returning students who are being retained and moved toward a timely graduation, Sells added. MTSU data shows a 3.69 percent overall increase in returning students from the previous years total. This translates to 662 more students returning overall. MTSU has 18,600 returning students this fall compared to 17,938 in fall 2010. There are 450 more returning seniors this fall (6,653 overall) compared to fall 2010s 6,203 4

returning seniors total. http://www.murfreesboropost.com/mtsu-fall-enrollment-eclipses-record-with-26-442-students-cms-28668

Application for ASD charter school in Hamilton County rejected (Nooga.com)

Hamilton County will have to wait until next year for another shot at the potential addition of a new charter school backed by the Tennessee Achievement School District. month, ASD Superintendent Chris Barbic Last announced plans to begin accepting proposals from organizations interested in opening charter schools in ASD attendance zones. The district, composed of Tennessee's five lowest performing schools, includes Chattanooga's Howard Academy of Academics and Technology. of nine total applications received by But out the ASD, only one was geared towards opening a school in Hamilton Countyand it came from a group outlawed from operating charter schools in Tennessee. http://www.nooga.com/18342_application-for-asd-charter-school-in-hamilton-county-rejected/

Prescott Leads Schools Planning Commission (Memphis Daily News)

Former Memphis City Schools board member Barbara Prescott is chairman on the new schools consolidation planning commission. Prescott was elected at the first meeting of the 21-member body Thursday, Sept. 29, at Shelby Park Farms . Prescott was elected without opposition in the organizational session of the group, which will meet again Thursday, Oct. 6, at 4:30 p.m. also at the county code enforcement office on Mullins Station Road. The groups first meeting revealed plenty of lingering questions about exactly how the planning commission will interact with the 23-member countywide school board that takes office Monday, Oct. 3. Some wondered when exactly they had to have a plan for schools consolidation to send to the state that the new countywide school board will eventually have to approve as well. Some of that will depend on how long it will take state education department officials to review the plan. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/sep/30/prescott-leads-schools-planning-commission/

Bartlett urged Appeal/Bailey)

to

study

creating

separate

schools

(Commercial

County school board member David Reaves had a lot to say about education in Bartlett, with very little time to make his points. And his comments were not favorable to the new unified school system. Instead, he encouraged Bartlett officials this week to study a separate municipal system outside of the county configuration. "I believe the opportunity exists to create a school system that sets Bartlett apart on a state and national level," Reaves, a Bartlett resident, said. "That is what we should strive to do." Reaves' comments came at the end of a Tuesday night meeting where the public is allowed three minutes to address the Bartlett Board of Mayor and Aldermen. That led to a rapid-fire dissertation that Reaves didn't finish before time expired. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/30/bartlett-urged-to-study-schools/

TN teachers use 'creative' (Tennessean/Hubbard)

strategies

with

ADHD

students

Students with ADHD at Rutherford Countys La Vergne Lake Elementary School get to sit on a wiggle cushion, an inflatable pad that lets them squirm all they want without disrupting others. In Metro Nashville schools, they may get to chew gum or suck on peppermints. They may get more time to take tests at Elzie Patton Elementary School in Wilson County. Tennessee teachers are not trained to deal with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, but with 11 percent of their students diagnosed with it, theyre learning strategies to cope. The state and the rest of the South is near the top of the nation for ADHD diagnoses, and the numbers are growing. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110930/NEWS04/309240071/TN-teachers-use-creativestrategies-ADHD-students?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

Unions taking sides in Memphis elections, citing cuts by city (Commercial Appeal/Maki)
Unions representing Memphis city workers are campaigning against candidates in the Oct. 6 5

municipal election who supported 4.6 percent pay cuts for city workers as well as pension and benefit changes proposed by the administration of Mayor AC Wharton. But the strength of two unions in particular -- the Memphis Police Association and the Memphis Fire Fighters Association -- will be diminished at the polls because more than half of their members live outside the city limits, making them ineligible to vote. About 58 percent of Memphis Fire Department employees live outside the city, while 51.7 percent of Memphis Police Department employees live outside the city. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/30/unions-take-sides-in-elections-citing-cuts-by/

Murfreesboro Residents Deal With Rocky Roads (WTVF Nashville)

One neighborhood in Rutherford County has asked the City of Murfreesboro to help pave their roads after the developer of the subdivision ran out of money. Residents in the Villages of Bershire subdivision in Murfreesboro have been dealing with terrible roads for years. Jennifer McGuire moved to the area in 2007 and has yet to see a paved road in front of her home. "On Starnes Road, I mean you have to drive down that road. If you're not in a truck, you're bouncing all over the place," said McGuire. The developer of the neighborhood had plans to complete the project, but when the 2008 recession hit, he and several others simply ran out of money. http://www.newschannel5.com/story/15583640/murfreesboro-residents-deal-with-rocky-roads

Bradley County shooting leaves three dead, one wounded (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Benton)
Authorities are on the scene of a shooting that left three people dead and one wounded in eastern Bradley County this morning, officials said. The shooting, reported at 6:58 a.m., has claimed the lives of two male victims and a female victim, and another male victim was taken by Lifeforce to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, Sheriffs Office spokesman Bob Gault said. Gault said he didnt think any of the victims were children. The shooting happened at 325 Baker Bridge Road, about a mile to a 1.5 miles from the Polk County line, Gault said. The surviving victim was flown out about 8:30 a.m., Gault said. He said investigators have not determined whether the shooter is among the dead or has fled the scene. Authorities remain at the scene. http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/30/3-dead-1-wounded-bradley-shooting/

Woman pleads guilty to running prostitution service from Knox house (Knoxville News-Sentinel/Satterfield)
The lady is a pimp. So confessed Reyna Rodriguez Rios on Thursday in U.S. District Court as she pleaded guilty to charges of running a prostitution delivery service from a house on Bob Gray Road as part of what authorities say was a massive network spanning from Nashville to Morristown to Knoxville to Louisville, Ky. Rios, an illegal immigrant, isn't the only woman accused of peddling other women's flesh as part of the four-year operation uncovered earlier this year after a monthslong probe coordinated by the FBI. Of the nine people named in an indictment that resulted from the probe, four are women. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/30/woman-pleads-guilty-to-running-prostitution-from/

Alabama: Alabama immigration law stands, but police still wary (Associated Press)
The police chief of a small town in the Appalachian foothills of Alabama didnt know what to do about checking the immigration status of a Hispanic man his department recently arrested on an old warrant. So he didnt do anything. Alabamas strict new immigration law, which was largely upheld Wednesday by a federal judge, requires police to jail anyone who cant prove he or she is in the country legally. Much of the law goes into effect immediately, but that doesnt mean there will be mass roundups of thousands of illegal immigrants anytime soon. Across Alabama, police charged with enforcing the nations toughest law targeting illegal immigrants are trying to figure out how to enforce the law and pay for it. The police chief, Chris West, and his three officers patrol Crossville, a rural town of 1,300 people that adjoins a Hispanic community of hundreds and maybe more. The nearest jail is 20 miles away. The law is complicated and they have little money for training. http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/30/alabama-immigration-law-stands-police-still-wary/?local

Georgia: Leaders look to blur education boundaries (Chattanooga Times FreePress/Martin)

Colleges and high schools in Whitfield County work with businesses to learn what kinds of degrees are needed in the workforce and tailor classes to fill specific needs, education leaders said Thursday during a community breakfast. "There are huge and significant skills shortages out there that are not being met," said Craig McDaniel, president of Georgia Northwestern Technical College. "We are trying to determine what programs to offer." McDaniel; Dalton State College President John Schwenn; Danny Hayes, superintendent of Whitfield County Schools; and Jim Hawkins, superintendent of Dalton Public Schools, spoke at the breakfast in the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center. The event was hosted by the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce. McDaniel told the group that the technical college has received strong support from the business community since opening a campus in Whitfield County in August. Although it started with only 240 students, the campus is expected to grow to about 1,000 students next year, McDaniel said. http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/30/leaders-look-to-blur-education-boundaries/?local

Kentucky: Trial set in KY murder plot, plea rejected (Associated Press)

A Fort Campbell soldier is headed for trial in December on charges he sought out a hit man to kill his exgirlfriend. Commonwealth's Attorney Lynn Pryor said 21-year-old Joshua Huntley turned down an offer of 17years in prison. Defense attorney Ken Haggard told The Kentucky New Era, "We've got nothing to lose"Huntley is a specialist is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division based at the installation on the Tennessee-Kentucky state line. Police say that in June, Huntley allegedly offered a friend $1,000 to help him hire a hit man to kill his ex-girlfriend who lives in Illinois. The friend reported Huntley's request to his own commanding officer, and Army investigators coordinated a sting with Oak Grove police. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/30/trial-set-in-ky-murder-plot-plea-rejected/

OPINION Greg Johnson: Alexander uses newfound freedom (Knoxville News-Sentinel)

With freedom found after he surprisingly forsook a senior GOP leadership position, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., has delved into the details of education, specifically the reform of decade-old No Child Left Behind legislation. In fact, Alexander had begun work on new NCLB laws before he announced his intention not to seek re-election as chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. In a media call two weeks ago, Alexander made clear the aims for legislation he and fellow GOP senators introduced. "The result of this legislation would be the end of federal mandates," Alexander said. "A lot has happened over the last 10 years. It is time to transfer control back to the states." Since NCLB passed, 44 states have adopted common core academic standards and two groups of states are working on testing around those requirements. Forty-four states are also developing student accountability benchmarks. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/30/alexander-uses-newfound-freedom/

Times Editorial: Trains still have role to play (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)
Historically, Chattanooga owes its existence to the Tennessee River. The city's riverfront-based renaissance proves that's still the case. In popular culture, however, railroads are associated with the city far more often the waterway. Don't believe it? Think "Chattanooga Choo Choo," the 1940s tune that put the city's name on the lips of millions. Think, too, of "The Great Locomotive Chase," the popular 1956 movie that recounted a Civil War event -- Andrew's Raid -- that played out on the tracks between Atlanta and Chattanooga. It's still hard to overlook the role of railroads here. Trains are a constant in any fact-based account of Chattanooga's growth and development. http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/30/trains-still-have-role-to-play/?opiniontimes

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