Monday, August 15 News Summary
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MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2011 Free 'virtual school' casts statewide web (Tennessean/Sisk)
Ester Bradford digs into the cases stuffed into a corner of her living room. She pulls out rock samples, tempera paints, a tambourine. “I was just shocked by the amount of stuff. When the UPS man kept bringing boxes and boxes and boxes, I was like, OK,” she says, chuckling. It was seven boxes in all, not counting the two that contained a new computer and printer — enough books, science materials, art supplies and other provisions for a parent to teach two elementary school students at home for a year. They are part of Tennessee’s newest education experiment, a school run entirely online and open to students statewide. The school, known as the Tennessee Virtual Academy, combines elements of home schooling with the requirements of a public school and the emerging field of distance learning. But only six weeks after it was launched, the school has plenty of critics. The Tennessee Virtual Academy takes advantage of a state law that went into effect July 1 that allows districts to set up “virtual schools” open to any student in the state. Funding comes entirely from state tax dollars, at no cost to the districts or parents. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110815/NEWS04/308150011/Free-virtual-schoolcasts-statewide-web?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Haslam 'not even close' to picking presidential favorite (News-Sentinel/Humphrey)
While Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey is actively promoting Texas Gov. Rick Perry's bid for the Republican presidential nomination, Gov. Bill Haslam says he hasn't really tuned in to presidential politics and is "not even close" to picking a favorite. Haslam told reporters Friday he did not watch last week's debate among GOP presidential hopefuls — he was meeting with business representatives when it aired — and does not see Iowa "straw poll" as a big deal. "I'm not sure the straw vote is the final word on where Iowa goes, or others go or where the country goes," he said. Haslam backed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in 2008, but has said he wants to watch the field develop for a while before making a choice this year — if he does make a choice. His father, James A. "Jim" Haslam II, and his wife have each donated $2,500 to Romney's current campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics database. Jim Haslam has also given Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty $2,500. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/aug/15/haslam-not-even-close-to-picking-presidential/
Haslam 'not close to making a decision' on GOP presidential race (CA/Locker)
In contrast to people close to him, Gov. Bill Haslam says he's nowhere close to making an endorsement in the Republican presidential race. "Right now, I don't have any plans to. I could, down the road, but right now I'm not even anywhere close to doing that," Haslam said Friday. That was a day after Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, state government's second-ranking Republican, came out charging hard for Texas Gov. Rick Perry's candidacy. Perry formally entered the race Saturday. Haslam's top strategist from last year's gubernatorial campaign, Tom Ingram, has joined former Utah governor Jon Huntsman's campaign. And a top member of the Haslam cabinet, Economic Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty, is a fundraiser for Mitt Romney. Haslam said he was too busy hosting a group of business executives to watch Thursday night's debate of GOP presidential candidates that preceded Saturday's Iowa Republican Party straw poll, won by Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/15/haslam-balks-at-picking-hopeful/
State Challenges Seen as Whittling Away Federal Education Law (NY Times)
As hundreds of schools here and across the nation faced being labeled failures under the federal No Child Left Behind law, Montana education officials defiantly informed Washington this spring that they would stop raising testing targets as the law requires, despite warnings that doing so could cost the state millions of dollars in federal aid. But in an agreement to be announced here on Monday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will allow Montana to keep most of the schools off the law’s blacklist, and the state will pay no penalty. With several other Western states also rebelling against the requirement that 100 percent of American students be proficient in
English and math by 2014, some education officials and experts see signs that years of federal dominance of public school accountability may be drawing to a close. “Pretty soon all the schools will be failing in America, and at that point the law becomes meaningless,” said Larry K. Shumway, superintendent of public instruction in Utah. “States are going to sit and watch federal accountability implode. We’re seeing the end of an era.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/education/15educ.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
Haslam unloads backing of loan (Tennessean/Rau)
Gov. Bill Haslam’s stake in a multimillion-dollar loan guarantee was sold to a prominent Knoxville developer three days after a report by The Tennessean uncovered the original transaction. In 2009, while he was mayor of Knoxville, Haslam personally guaranteed a loan of up to $5.5 million to local developer Budd Cullom. The arrangement was never plainly listed on Haslam’s annual ethics disclosure forms and the governor said it was not required. W hen questioned about the arrangement in June, Haslam said he did nothing wrong and he had tried to comply with the disclosure requirements. But three days after the story was published, records show, he assigned the loan to another prominent Knoxville developer. Haslam also amended his 2009 ethics form last week to reflect the multimillion-dollar sale of his stake in a national pawnshop chain. The transaction was omitted on his original form filed with the state Ethics Commission. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110815/NEWS0201/308150030/Haslam-unloads-backing-loan?odyssey=tab| topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
New program giving students shot at entering Tennessee (News-Sentinel/Boehnke)
Barbara Tinker's son was accepted into five colleges across the state but wait-listed on his top choice: the University of Tennessee. Yet, instead of moving into dorms at one of the other campuses across the state, he'll be taking up residence at Massey Hall on UT's campus. Benton Tinker, a graduate of Pigeon Forge High School, is one of 75 students living at UT but taking classes at Pellissippi State Community College as part of a new program that allows students who barely missed the admissions cutoff to dually enroll. The program, which is in its first year, has been a big success, said Vern Granger, assistant dean of enrollment services and director of undergraduate admissions. "Really, the beauty of why the program was so well received is because so many students want to go to UT." Granger said. "For folks who absolutely want to go to UT, this will allow them to ultimately get into UT." The students took two summer courses at UT's campus, most while living on campus. This fall, they will begin classes at Pellissippi State for two semesters. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/aug/15/new-program-giving-students-shot-at-entering/
SW TN Community College discloses 'gainful employment' numbers (CA/Morgan)
Southwest Tennessee Community College bills itself as the "best choice" for Memphians eager to use an associate's degree to boost their career opportunities, or to advance to a bachelor's degree. Now, thanks to a federal requirement, Memphians can find out how good their choices are. In October 2010, the federal government finalized a regulation that applied to any vocational program offered by an institution that used Title IV programs, the umbrella term for federal student aid, including Pell Grants. Southwest participates in such grants, although it does not participate in student loan programs. Such educational institutes were given a July 1, 2011, deadline to list something called "gainful employment disclosures" on their websites. Those statistics show, for each degree track, the job placement rate and on-time completion rate. In this context, "job placement" includes any students who were employed within six months of degree completion, excluding students who continued their education, were in the military, participating in a volunteer program, or unable to work due to "medical or family reasons." http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/15/southwest-discloses-jobs-numbers/
THP ramps up traffic enforcement in school zones (Jackson Sun)
The Tennessee Highway Patrol is assisting local law enforcement efforts with a back-to-school enforcement and education campaign, focusing on traffic safety in and around school zones. State troopers are targeting traffic violators, specifically those who speed in school zones and pass stopped school buses. "The ultimate goal of the Tennessee Highway Patrol is to protect children from motorists who disregard the law, especially around the school zones," Bill Gibbons, Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner, said in a news release. "However, we must educate motorists, parents and children on the importance of safe pedestrian movement and accident prevention in order to ensure traffic safety. We all have a responsibility to make sure children travel to and from school safely." According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1,386 people died in school transportation-related crashes from 2000 to 2009 — an average of 139 fatalities per year. In that time period, 130 school-age pedestrians (younger than 19) died in school transportation-related crashes, of which 56, or 43 percent, 2
were between 5 and 7 years old. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20110815/NEWS01/108150311/THP-ramps-up-traffic-enforcement-schoolzones
Federal, state money helps save Franklin battlefield (Tennessean/Walters)
Decades ago, Franklin’s Civil W ar heritage was covered in asphalt and concrete. Slowly but surely — and with millions in federal, state and local money spent — that’s changed. While state and local donations have been key, since 2006 the national Civil War Trust has helped pour more than $3 million in federal grants into helping buy land where the Battle of Franklin exploded on Nov. 30, 1864. The latest donation from the nation’s largest battlefield preservation group is a $103,000 federal grant to buy nearly 5 acres of the Franklin battlefield off Adams Street, where in 2001 a group of homeowners banded together to buy the property to save it from development. With donations from its 55,000 members and federal grants, the Civil War Trust has been integral to local preservationists’ plans to re-create the battlefield. That drive is partly to commemorate the lives of soldiers but also to bring tourists to Franklin in time for the Civil War’s 150th anniversary. Local support and national backing have helped raise Franklin’s standing. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110815/NEWS01/308150028/Federal-state-money-helps-save-Franklinbattlefield?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News
Senate campaigns stay busy over weekend (Knoxville News-Sentinel/Vines)
A yard sale at the home of Patti Walker on Tipton Station Road in South Knox County was slow but steady as passers-by and others bought items at a fundraiser for the 6th District Senate campaign of Victoria DeFreese. Over in the Bearden area, supporters packed into the campaign headquarters of Becky Duncan Massey, who's also running for the Senate seat. That was the contrast Saturday morning in activities of two of three candidates seeking the Republican nomination on Sept. 27. Councilwoman Marilyn Roddy, the third candidate, was out walking in neighborhoods in Fountain City and West Knoxville, her campaign manager said. Walker said just about everything sold at the yard sale when contacted later to see how much money was raised. She hadn't counted it yet, she said. One item was a campaign poster for a state legislative candidate that Walker said she found in the attic of her home when she moved in about seven years ago. It was for Murl Householder, running to represent the 2nd District on a platform, "Have a voice in state government." Householder, a Democrat and former president of the Knoxville Area Labor Council, was a candidate in the 1970s. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/aug/15/georgiana-vines-senate-campaigns-stay-busy-over/
2 Tenn. guard units deploying this week (Associated Press)
National Guard units from West Tennessee are leaving this week for the first leg of a trip taking them to Kuwait. The Tennessee National Guard said in a news release that 175 soldiers from the 230th Engineer Battalion in Trenton will leave the armory on Wednesday and 164 soldiers from the 913th Engineer Company in Union City are scheduled to leave on Thursday. Both units are part of the 194th Engineer Brigade commanded by Brig. Gen. Jeff Holmes. They will fly to Fort Bliss, Texas, for training and then on to Kuwait in support of the Afghanistan war. More than 20,000 soldiers from the Tennessee Army and Air National Guard have deployed since Sept. 11, 2001. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37223043.story
Law could help curb unwanted pregnancies in Chattanooga (TFP/Carroll)
New federal laws requiring birth control in health insurance plans has at least one doctor excited about curbing an already decreasing trend of unwanted pregnancies around Chattanooga. "It's absolutely an excellent policy," said Dr. Susanna Carter, a physician at University Health Obstetrics and Gynecology in Chattanooga. "As a female patient advocate and caregiver, I'm very pleased with it." The stipulation is included within a wide new swath of coverage for women's preventive care. President Barack Obama announced earlier this month that health insurance plans must cover federally approved birth control without copays and other fees. Some sterilization procedures also must be covered. The requirements, partly delineated by the Food and Drug Administration, take effect on New Year's Day in 2013. According to news reports, the Obama administration followed the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences. The academy said nearly half of all pregnancies in America were unintended, and about 40 percent of those ended in abortions. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/aug/15/law-could-help-curb-unwanted-pregnancies-here/?local
More states say teens must take finance classes (USA Today)
Starting this year, Virginia high school students will need more than reading, writing and arithmetic to snag a 3
diploma. Incoming high school freshmen will be required to take a one-credit course outlining the ABCs of economics and personal finance. Virginia joins a handful of states, including Missouri, Utah and Tennessee, that mandate a class in financial education. Similar legislation aimed at improving students’ financial literacy has been introduced in Maryland, while several states require teachers to weave personal finance lessons into existing course work. Combined with grassroots efforts by nonprofits and financial institutions, it’s all part of a nationwide push to keep Generation Y from making money mistakes that could haunt them long after they graduate from college. For younger children, the Money Matters: Make it Count partnership between the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Charles Schwab Foundation has brought financial literacy lessons to more than 245,000 students since it made its debut in 2004. “We feel that if you can get kids on the right track at an early age, they’re more likely going to be financially successful adults,” says foundation President Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110815/BUSINESS12/308150045/More-states-say-teens-must-take-financeclasses?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News
As states cut unemployment benefits, higher business taxes loom (Stateline)
The phones have been ringing a lot lately at Florida’s unemployment compensation headquarters in Tallahassee. It’s not because more Floridians are out of work. In fact, the state’s 10.6 percent unemployment figure is at its lowest in two years. The reason so many people are calling is because they’re struggling to understand how a sweeping state law passed this year affects their unemployment benefits. The law made Florida the only state in the country that links the amount of time people can collect unemployment insurance to the state’s unemployment rate. As the jobless rate falls, so does the duration of unemployment benefits. Ultimately, out-of-work Floridians could receive just 12 weeks of benefits — less than half the 26 weeks of benefits offered by most other states. Florida made the change so that it could begin paying down $1.7 billion worth of loans from the federal government to keep checks going to the jobless. There are primarily two ways to pay off that debt: make benefits less generous or raise payroll taxes on employers. Florida is doing both. The new rules around benefits are expected to save the state’s unemployment trust fund more than $100 million per year. http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=593889
TVA at crossroads as it decides future of Bellefonte nuclear plant (Tenn./Paine)
Industry, activists watch as vote nears on completing Alabama reactor Tennessee Valley Authority board members are looking with favor on nuclear power as they prepare to vote Thursday on whether to complete a nuclear reactor at the Bellefonte site 110 miles southeast of Nashville. At least one freshly appointed member is studied in energy efficiency and alternative energy sources, which represents a new day for the body. However, even Marilyn A. Brown, an advocate of efficiency and alternatives who joined the TVA board in October, is far from anti-nuclear. “Ultimately, we’re going to need more renewables,” said Brown, a professor of energy policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “I’ve always been pro-nuclear as an interim measure. For now, we really can’t live without nuclear while we wait for the price of renewables and alternatives to come down.” TVA staff says the most reliable and least costly option for future growth in electricity needs is nuclear power and completing the Bellefonte plant in Hollywood, Ala., for an estimated $4 billion to $5 billion. The board’s vote on the proposal, which had been expected this past spring, was put off after a nuclear fiasco in Japan. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110815/NEWS11/308150013/TVA-crossroads-decides-future-Bellefontenuclear-plant?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News
Tight security, full flights take romance out of flying (Associated Press/ Mayerowitz)
Five-year-old Frank Allocco is 37,000 feet above America, face pressed against the window.“Cool,” he says to his 6-year-old sister. “Francesca, look.” It’s their first flight. They ignore a Harry Potter DVD and video games. Instead, there are rivers, mountains and tiny cars below. Francesca chimes in: “Wow, Frank, look at that cloud.” For Frank and Francesca, soaring high above the country is magical. The kids from Park Ridge, Ill., are treated like stars. A flight attendant gives them wing pins. Mom and dad snap photos. For most of us, though, the romance of flight is long gone — lost to Sept. 11, 2001, and hard-set memories of jets crashing into buildings. W e remember what it was like before. Keeping all our clothes on at security. Getting hot meals for free — even if we complained about the taste. Leg room. Today, we feel beaten down even before reaching our seats. Shoes must be removed and all but the tiniest amounts of liquids surrendered at security checkpoints. Loved ones can no longer kiss passengers goodbye at the gate. And airlines, which have struggled ever since the day terrorists used airplanes as missiles, are adding fees, squeezing in passengers and cutting amenities to survive. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110815/BUSINESS01/308150043/Tight-security-full-flights-take-romanceout-flying?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|p 4
Memphis and Shelby County school merger's price tag growing (CA/McMillin)
Bills from the outside lawyers arguing various sides of the school-merger lawsuit have so far totaled $912,895.31 and, with the most recent flurry of court-ordered activity, litigation costs likely well exceed $1 million by now. That's not including the hundreds of staff hours spent on school-consolidation issues by the in-house lawyers of those parties involved: Shelby County Schools, Memphis City Schools, the Shelby County Commission, the city of Memphis, Memphis City Council and the Tennessee Department of Education. Nor does it include legal costs incurred by the Memphis Education Association teachers union and five SCS board members involved as intervening plaintiffs in an attempt to stay in power. The biggest number by far comes from the all-suburban SCS -$496,531.19. The county commission is next, at $317,108.75, and further back are MCS at $49,690.04, the city council at $45,446.84 and the city of Memphis at $4,118.49. Requests from the six government entities for legal costs related to school consolidation did not produce uniform results -- firms bill differently and agencies account for the bills in different ways. More costs are coming this week, with a mediation session planed for Friday. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/15/school-mergers-price-tag-growing/
OPINION Free-Press Editorial: Education and the rule of law (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)
There is a high price to pay for inappropriately involving the federal government in public education, a duty that the Constitution clearly leaves to the states and the people, under the 10th Amendment. Many states are objecting to the No Child Left Behind Act, which sets federal standards that schools in each state must meet or else they face sanctions. We sympathize with the states' frustrations, and we believe that Congress never should have imposed federal regulation of education through the No Child Left Behind Act. We can certainly understand why there would be calls for lawmakers to repeal the law. However, as bad as the No Child Left Behind Act may be, it is alarming that the Obama administration plans simply to ignore the law and exempt states of its choosing from the provisions of the law The administration said any state may apply for a waiver and propose its own education standards instead. If those standards meet the administration's approval, the state will be allowed to ignore the rules under No Child Left Behind. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/aug/15/education-and-the-rule-of-law/?opinionfreepress
Editorial: Honor Amazon deal, negotiate for future fair tax collections (J. Sun)
Collecting Tennessee sales tax from online retail giant Amazon is a dicey issue. Gov. Bill Haslam appears headed in the right direction. On Friday, he advised lawmakers that changes to Amazon's deal with the state should be arrived at through negotiations, not by reneging on the deal made by Haslam's predecessor, Gov. Phil Bredesen. Online buying is a phenomenon not anticipated when Tennessee's sales tax laws were put into place many years 5
ago. But it is here to stay, and increasingly it is consumers' preferred way of buying many items. The problem is that there is no uniform method of collecting sales tax from online retailers. Tennessee consumers are obligated to pay the tax by filing the appropriate form with the state and sending in the money. It is a system generally ignored and essentially unenforceable on any large scale. The Amazon problem took center stage when the company made a deal with Bredesen to build several distribution centers in Tennessee and bring much-needed jobs to the state. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20110815/OPINION01/108150304/Honor-Amazon-deal-negotiate-futurefair-tax-collections
Guest columnist: Marijuana legalization bill offers safer alternative (Tennessean)
Earlier this summer, to Dwight Lewis’s applause in The Tennessean, the FDA imposed gruesome, supersize warning labels for tobacco products beginning in September 2012. That same week, members of Congress, including Rep. Steve Cohen from Memphis, introduced legislation to allow states to legalize and regulate the adult use of marijuana. If Congress allows Tennessee to tax and regulate its largest cash crop and permit adult Tennesseans to purchase cannabis from legal vendors (or grow their own), what should the labels say compared to tobacco and alcohol? We know tobacco is the leading cause of death in America, contributing to 400,000 deaths each year. So it’s hardly any wonder the FDA will require the placement of prominent warning labels. Alcohol is the third-leading cause of death in America. The World Health Organization reported earlier this year that “alcohol causes nearly 4 percent of deaths worldwide, more than AIDS, tuberculosis or violence.” The authors added: “Alcohol is a causal factor in 60 types of diseases and injuries. … Alcohol consumption has been linked to cirrhosis of the liver, epilepsy, poisonings, traffic accidents, violence, and several types of cancer, including cancers of the colorectum, breast, larynx and liver.” http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110815/OPINION03/308150003/Marijuana-legalization-bill-offers-saferalternative?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s
Editorial: More than jobs, tourists (Commercial Appeal)
The city's dogged pursuit of a Bass Pro Shops tourist-destination store for The Pyramid is about to become a reality. A story in Friday's newspaper by Amos Maki, The Commercial Appeal's City Hall reporter, said that construction to convert the empty sports and events arena into a Bass Pro Shops will begin Oct. 11. The last major hurdle holding up the project -- retrofitting the iconic building to withstand an earthquake -- has been settled. City officials and Bass Pro executives have agreed on the cost of the retrofit and for stabilizing the ground underneath the arena. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the sluggish economy doesn't cause the giant retailer to delay the project. The Consumer Confidence Index sank nearly 14 percent in early August, and consumer confidence is often seen as a barometer for future retail purchases. By the time the project is finished in the summer of 2013, hopefully the economic picture will be rosier. The project means more to Memphis than just finding a tenant for the arena. Robert Lipscomb, the city's director of Housing and Community Development and the point man for the project, has said the city envisions Bass Pro as the catalyst for remaking the north end of Downtown with retail development. He said it will create a synergy between the Convention Center and the historic Pinch District. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/15/editorial-more-than-jobs-tourists/
Editorial: TVA must address concerns before approving plant's completion (NS)
The Tennessee Valley Authority's plan to complete Unit 1 at the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in Hollywood, Ala., has drawn close scrutiny from a long-time watchdog — the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. In a report released last week, SACE raised safety and cost concerns about restarting the mothballed construction project. W hile TVA's recent commitment to move toward zero-emission power sources is a positive step for the region, TVA and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission need to address many of the concerns raised in the report before moving ahead. TVA began construction at Bellefonte in 1974 and suspended work at the site 14 years later because of rising costs and lower power demand. Unit 1 was 55 percent complete. Since then, TVA has removed equipment and, according to SACE, allowed the structure to deteriorate. The NRC reinstated TVA's construction permits in 2009. TVA's board of directors is set to vote on restarting construction this month. SACE's report alleges the foundation of the plant has deteriorated. In 2009 a vertical tendon, a steel band that helps maintain the structural integrity of the concrete containment vessel, failed. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/aug/15/tva-must-address-safety-concerns-before-plants/
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Ester Bradford digs into the cases stuffed into a corner of her living room. She pulls out rock samples, tempera paints, a tambourine. “I was just shocked by the amount of stuff. When the UPS man kept bringing boxes and boxes and boxes, I was like, OK,” she says, chuckling. It was seven boxes in all, not counting the two that contained a new computer and printer — enough books, science materials, art supplies and other provisions for a parent to teach two elementary school students at home for a year. They are part of Tennessee’s newest education experiment, a school run entirely online and open to students statewide. The school, known as the Tennessee Virtual Academy, combines elements of home schooling with the requirements of a public school and the emerging field of distance learning. But only six weeks after it was launched, the school has plenty of critics. The Tennessee Virtual Academy takes advantage of a state law that went into effect July 1 that allows districts to set up “virtual schools” open to any student in the state. Funding comes entirely from state tax dollars, at no cost to the districts or parents. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110815/NEWS04/308150011/Free-virtual-schoolcasts-statewide-web?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Haslam 'not even close' to picking presidential favorite (News-Sentinel/Humphrey)
While Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey is actively promoting Texas Gov. Rick Perry's bid for the Republican presidential nomination, Gov. Bill Haslam says he hasn't really tuned in to presidential politics and is "not even close" to picking a favorite. Haslam told reporters Friday he did not watch last week's debate among GOP presidential hopefuls — he was meeting with business representatives when it aired — and does not see Iowa "straw poll" as a big deal. "I'm not sure the straw vote is the final word on where Iowa goes, or others go or where the country goes," he said. Haslam backed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in 2008, but has said he wants to watch the field develop for a while before making a choice this year — if he does make a choice. His father, James A. "Jim" Haslam II, and his wife have each donated $2,500 to Romney's current campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics database. Jim Haslam has also given Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty $2,500. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/aug/15/haslam-not-even-close-to-picking-presidential/
Haslam 'not close to making a decision' on GOP presidential race (CA/Locker)
In contrast to people close to him, Gov. Bill Haslam says he's nowhere close to making an endorsement in the Republican presidential race. "Right now, I don't have any plans to. I could, down the road, but right now I'm not even anywhere close to doing that," Haslam said Friday. That was a day after Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, state government's second-ranking Republican, came out charging hard for Texas Gov. Rick Perry's candidacy. Perry formally entered the race Saturday. Haslam's top strategist from last year's gubernatorial campaign, Tom Ingram, has joined former Utah governor Jon Huntsman's campaign. And a top member of the Haslam cabinet, Economic Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty, is a fundraiser for Mitt Romney. Haslam said he was too busy hosting a group of business executives to watch Thursday night's debate of GOP presidential candidates that preceded Saturday's Iowa Republican Party straw poll, won by Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/15/haslam-balks-at-picking-hopeful/
State Challenges Seen as Whittling Away Federal Education Law (NY Times)
As hundreds of schools here and across the nation faced being labeled failures under the federal No Child Left Behind law, Montana education officials defiantly informed Washington this spring that they would stop raising testing targets as the law requires, despite warnings that doing so could cost the state millions of dollars in federal aid. But in an agreement to be announced here on Monday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will allow Montana to keep most of the schools off the law’s blacklist, and the state will pay no penalty. With several other Western states also rebelling against the requirement that 100 percent of American students be proficient in
English and math by 2014, some education officials and experts see signs that years of federal dominance of public school accountability may be drawing to a close. “Pretty soon all the schools will be failing in America, and at that point the law becomes meaningless,” said Larry K. Shumway, superintendent of public instruction in Utah. “States are going to sit and watch federal accountability implode. We’re seeing the end of an era.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/education/15educ.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
Haslam unloads backing of loan (Tennessean/Rau)
Gov. Bill Haslam’s stake in a multimillion-dollar loan guarantee was sold to a prominent Knoxville developer three days after a report by The Tennessean uncovered the original transaction. In 2009, while he was mayor of Knoxville, Haslam personally guaranteed a loan of up to $5.5 million to local developer Budd Cullom. The arrangement was never plainly listed on Haslam’s annual ethics disclosure forms and the governor said it was not required. W hen questioned about the arrangement in June, Haslam said he did nothing wrong and he had tried to comply with the disclosure requirements. But three days after the story was published, records show, he assigned the loan to another prominent Knoxville developer. Haslam also amended his 2009 ethics form last week to reflect the multimillion-dollar sale of his stake in a national pawnshop chain. The transaction was omitted on his original form filed with the state Ethics Commission. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110815/NEWS0201/308150030/Haslam-unloads-backing-loan?odyssey=tab| topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
New program giving students shot at entering Tennessee (News-Sentinel/Boehnke)
Barbara Tinker's son was accepted into five colleges across the state but wait-listed on his top choice: the University of Tennessee. Yet, instead of moving into dorms at one of the other campuses across the state, he'll be taking up residence at Massey Hall on UT's campus. Benton Tinker, a graduate of Pigeon Forge High School, is one of 75 students living at UT but taking classes at Pellissippi State Community College as part of a new program that allows students who barely missed the admissions cutoff to dually enroll. The program, which is in its first year, has been a big success, said Vern Granger, assistant dean of enrollment services and director of undergraduate admissions. "Really, the beauty of why the program was so well received is because so many students want to go to UT." Granger said. "For folks who absolutely want to go to UT, this will allow them to ultimately get into UT." The students took two summer courses at UT's campus, most while living on campus. This fall, they will begin classes at Pellissippi State for two semesters. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/aug/15/new-program-giving-students-shot-at-entering/
SW TN Community College discloses 'gainful employment' numbers (CA/Morgan)
Southwest Tennessee Community College bills itself as the "best choice" for Memphians eager to use an associate's degree to boost their career opportunities, or to advance to a bachelor's degree. Now, thanks to a federal requirement, Memphians can find out how good their choices are. In October 2010, the federal government finalized a regulation that applied to any vocational program offered by an institution that used Title IV programs, the umbrella term for federal student aid, including Pell Grants. Southwest participates in such grants, although it does not participate in student loan programs. Such educational institutes were given a July 1, 2011, deadline to list something called "gainful employment disclosures" on their websites. Those statistics show, for each degree track, the job placement rate and on-time completion rate. In this context, "job placement" includes any students who were employed within six months of degree completion, excluding students who continued their education, were in the military, participating in a volunteer program, or unable to work due to "medical or family reasons." http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/15/southwest-discloses-jobs-numbers/
THP ramps up traffic enforcement in school zones (Jackson Sun)
The Tennessee Highway Patrol is assisting local law enforcement efforts with a back-to-school enforcement and education campaign, focusing on traffic safety in and around school zones. State troopers are targeting traffic violators, specifically those who speed in school zones and pass stopped school buses. "The ultimate goal of the Tennessee Highway Patrol is to protect children from motorists who disregard the law, especially around the school zones," Bill Gibbons, Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner, said in a news release. "However, we must educate motorists, parents and children on the importance of safe pedestrian movement and accident prevention in order to ensure traffic safety. We all have a responsibility to make sure children travel to and from school safely." According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1,386 people died in school transportation-related crashes from 2000 to 2009 — an average of 139 fatalities per year. In that time period, 130 school-age pedestrians (younger than 19) died in school transportation-related crashes, of which 56, or 43 percent, 2
were between 5 and 7 years old. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20110815/NEWS01/108150311/THP-ramps-up-traffic-enforcement-schoolzones
Federal, state money helps save Franklin battlefield (Tennessean/Walters)
Decades ago, Franklin’s Civil W ar heritage was covered in asphalt and concrete. Slowly but surely — and with millions in federal, state and local money spent — that’s changed. While state and local donations have been key, since 2006 the national Civil War Trust has helped pour more than $3 million in federal grants into helping buy land where the Battle of Franklin exploded on Nov. 30, 1864. The latest donation from the nation’s largest battlefield preservation group is a $103,000 federal grant to buy nearly 5 acres of the Franklin battlefield off Adams Street, where in 2001 a group of homeowners banded together to buy the property to save it from development. With donations from its 55,000 members and federal grants, the Civil War Trust has been integral to local preservationists’ plans to re-create the battlefield. That drive is partly to commemorate the lives of soldiers but also to bring tourists to Franklin in time for the Civil War’s 150th anniversary. Local support and national backing have helped raise Franklin’s standing. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110815/NEWS01/308150028/Federal-state-money-helps-save-Franklinbattlefield?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News
Senate campaigns stay busy over weekend (Knoxville News-Sentinel/Vines)
A yard sale at the home of Patti Walker on Tipton Station Road in South Knox County was slow but steady as passers-by and others bought items at a fundraiser for the 6th District Senate campaign of Victoria DeFreese. Over in the Bearden area, supporters packed into the campaign headquarters of Becky Duncan Massey, who's also running for the Senate seat. That was the contrast Saturday morning in activities of two of three candidates seeking the Republican nomination on Sept. 27. Councilwoman Marilyn Roddy, the third candidate, was out walking in neighborhoods in Fountain City and West Knoxville, her campaign manager said. Walker said just about everything sold at the yard sale when contacted later to see how much money was raised. She hadn't counted it yet, she said. One item was a campaign poster for a state legislative candidate that Walker said she found in the attic of her home when she moved in about seven years ago. It was for Murl Householder, running to represent the 2nd District on a platform, "Have a voice in state government." Householder, a Democrat and former president of the Knoxville Area Labor Council, was a candidate in the 1970s. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/aug/15/georgiana-vines-senate-campaigns-stay-busy-over/
2 Tenn. guard units deploying this week (Associated Press)
National Guard units from West Tennessee are leaving this week for the first leg of a trip taking them to Kuwait. The Tennessee National Guard said in a news release that 175 soldiers from the 230th Engineer Battalion in Trenton will leave the armory on Wednesday and 164 soldiers from the 913th Engineer Company in Union City are scheduled to leave on Thursday. Both units are part of the 194th Engineer Brigade commanded by Brig. Gen. Jeff Holmes. They will fly to Fort Bliss, Texas, for training and then on to Kuwait in support of the Afghanistan war. More than 20,000 soldiers from the Tennessee Army and Air National Guard have deployed since Sept. 11, 2001. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=37223043.story
Law could help curb unwanted pregnancies in Chattanooga (TFP/Carroll)
New federal laws requiring birth control in health insurance plans has at least one doctor excited about curbing an already decreasing trend of unwanted pregnancies around Chattanooga. "It's absolutely an excellent policy," said Dr. Susanna Carter, a physician at University Health Obstetrics and Gynecology in Chattanooga. "As a female patient advocate and caregiver, I'm very pleased with it." The stipulation is included within a wide new swath of coverage for women's preventive care. President Barack Obama announced earlier this month that health insurance plans must cover federally approved birth control without copays and other fees. Some sterilization procedures also must be covered. The requirements, partly delineated by the Food and Drug Administration, take effect on New Year's Day in 2013. According to news reports, the Obama administration followed the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences. The academy said nearly half of all pregnancies in America were unintended, and about 40 percent of those ended in abortions. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/aug/15/law-could-help-curb-unwanted-pregnancies-here/?local
More states say teens must take finance classes (USA Today)
Starting this year, Virginia high school students will need more than reading, writing and arithmetic to snag a 3
diploma. Incoming high school freshmen will be required to take a one-credit course outlining the ABCs of economics and personal finance. Virginia joins a handful of states, including Missouri, Utah and Tennessee, that mandate a class in financial education. Similar legislation aimed at improving students’ financial literacy has been introduced in Maryland, while several states require teachers to weave personal finance lessons into existing course work. Combined with grassroots efforts by nonprofits and financial institutions, it’s all part of a nationwide push to keep Generation Y from making money mistakes that could haunt them long after they graduate from college. For younger children, the Money Matters: Make it Count partnership between the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Charles Schwab Foundation has brought financial literacy lessons to more than 245,000 students since it made its debut in 2004. “We feel that if you can get kids on the right track at an early age, they’re more likely going to be financially successful adults,” says foundation President Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110815/BUSINESS12/308150045/More-states-say-teens-must-take-financeclasses?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News
As states cut unemployment benefits, higher business taxes loom (Stateline)
The phones have been ringing a lot lately at Florida’s unemployment compensation headquarters in Tallahassee. It’s not because more Floridians are out of work. In fact, the state’s 10.6 percent unemployment figure is at its lowest in two years. The reason so many people are calling is because they’re struggling to understand how a sweeping state law passed this year affects their unemployment benefits. The law made Florida the only state in the country that links the amount of time people can collect unemployment insurance to the state’s unemployment rate. As the jobless rate falls, so does the duration of unemployment benefits. Ultimately, out-of-work Floridians could receive just 12 weeks of benefits — less than half the 26 weeks of benefits offered by most other states. Florida made the change so that it could begin paying down $1.7 billion worth of loans from the federal government to keep checks going to the jobless. There are primarily two ways to pay off that debt: make benefits less generous or raise payroll taxes on employers. Florida is doing both. The new rules around benefits are expected to save the state’s unemployment trust fund more than $100 million per year. http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=593889
TVA at crossroads as it decides future of Bellefonte nuclear plant (Tenn./Paine)
Industry, activists watch as vote nears on completing Alabama reactor Tennessee Valley Authority board members are looking with favor on nuclear power as they prepare to vote Thursday on whether to complete a nuclear reactor at the Bellefonte site 110 miles southeast of Nashville. At least one freshly appointed member is studied in energy efficiency and alternative energy sources, which represents a new day for the body. However, even Marilyn A. Brown, an advocate of efficiency and alternatives who joined the TVA board in October, is far from anti-nuclear. “Ultimately, we’re going to need more renewables,” said Brown, a professor of energy policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “I’ve always been pro-nuclear as an interim measure. For now, we really can’t live without nuclear while we wait for the price of renewables and alternatives to come down.” TVA staff says the most reliable and least costly option for future growth in electricity needs is nuclear power and completing the Bellefonte plant in Hollywood, Ala., for an estimated $4 billion to $5 billion. The board’s vote on the proposal, which had been expected this past spring, was put off after a nuclear fiasco in Japan. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110815/NEWS11/308150013/TVA-crossroads-decides-future-Bellefontenuclear-plant?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News
Tight security, full flights take romance out of flying (Associated Press/ Mayerowitz)
Five-year-old Frank Allocco is 37,000 feet above America, face pressed against the window.“Cool,” he says to his 6-year-old sister. “Francesca, look.” It’s their first flight. They ignore a Harry Potter DVD and video games. Instead, there are rivers, mountains and tiny cars below. Francesca chimes in: “Wow, Frank, look at that cloud.” For Frank and Francesca, soaring high above the country is magical. The kids from Park Ridge, Ill., are treated like stars. A flight attendant gives them wing pins. Mom and dad snap photos. For most of us, though, the romance of flight is long gone — lost to Sept. 11, 2001, and hard-set memories of jets crashing into buildings. W e remember what it was like before. Keeping all our clothes on at security. Getting hot meals for free — even if we complained about the taste. Leg room. Today, we feel beaten down even before reaching our seats. Shoes must be removed and all but the tiniest amounts of liquids surrendered at security checkpoints. Loved ones can no longer kiss passengers goodbye at the gate. And airlines, which have struggled ever since the day terrorists used airplanes as missiles, are adding fees, squeezing in passengers and cutting amenities to survive. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110815/BUSINESS01/308150043/Tight-security-full-flights-take-romanceout-flying?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|p 4
Memphis and Shelby County school merger's price tag growing (CA/McMillin)
Bills from the outside lawyers arguing various sides of the school-merger lawsuit have so far totaled $912,895.31 and, with the most recent flurry of court-ordered activity, litigation costs likely well exceed $1 million by now. That's not including the hundreds of staff hours spent on school-consolidation issues by the in-house lawyers of those parties involved: Shelby County Schools, Memphis City Schools, the Shelby County Commission, the city of Memphis, Memphis City Council and the Tennessee Department of Education. Nor does it include legal costs incurred by the Memphis Education Association teachers union and five SCS board members involved as intervening plaintiffs in an attempt to stay in power. The biggest number by far comes from the all-suburban SCS -$496,531.19. The county commission is next, at $317,108.75, and further back are MCS at $49,690.04, the city council at $45,446.84 and the city of Memphis at $4,118.49. Requests from the six government entities for legal costs related to school consolidation did not produce uniform results -- firms bill differently and agencies account for the bills in different ways. More costs are coming this week, with a mediation session planed for Friday. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/15/school-mergers-price-tag-growing/
OPINION Free-Press Editorial: Education and the rule of law (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)
There is a high price to pay for inappropriately involving the federal government in public education, a duty that the Constitution clearly leaves to the states and the people, under the 10th Amendment. Many states are objecting to the No Child Left Behind Act, which sets federal standards that schools in each state must meet or else they face sanctions. We sympathize with the states' frustrations, and we believe that Congress never should have imposed federal regulation of education through the No Child Left Behind Act. We can certainly understand why there would be calls for lawmakers to repeal the law. However, as bad as the No Child Left Behind Act may be, it is alarming that the Obama administration plans simply to ignore the law and exempt states of its choosing from the provisions of the law The administration said any state may apply for a waiver and propose its own education standards instead. If those standards meet the administration's approval, the state will be allowed to ignore the rules under No Child Left Behind. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/aug/15/education-and-the-rule-of-law/?opinionfreepress
Editorial: Honor Amazon deal, negotiate for future fair tax collections (J. Sun)
Collecting Tennessee sales tax from online retail giant Amazon is a dicey issue. Gov. Bill Haslam appears headed in the right direction. On Friday, he advised lawmakers that changes to Amazon's deal with the state should be arrived at through negotiations, not by reneging on the deal made by Haslam's predecessor, Gov. Phil Bredesen. Online buying is a phenomenon not anticipated when Tennessee's sales tax laws were put into place many years 5
ago. But it is here to stay, and increasingly it is consumers' preferred way of buying many items. The problem is that there is no uniform method of collecting sales tax from online retailers. Tennessee consumers are obligated to pay the tax by filing the appropriate form with the state and sending in the money. It is a system generally ignored and essentially unenforceable on any large scale. The Amazon problem took center stage when the company made a deal with Bredesen to build several distribution centers in Tennessee and bring much-needed jobs to the state. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20110815/OPINION01/108150304/Honor-Amazon-deal-negotiate-futurefair-tax-collections
Guest columnist: Marijuana legalization bill offers safer alternative (Tennessean)
Earlier this summer, to Dwight Lewis’s applause in The Tennessean, the FDA imposed gruesome, supersize warning labels for tobacco products beginning in September 2012. That same week, members of Congress, including Rep. Steve Cohen from Memphis, introduced legislation to allow states to legalize and regulate the adult use of marijuana. If Congress allows Tennessee to tax and regulate its largest cash crop and permit adult Tennesseans to purchase cannabis from legal vendors (or grow their own), what should the labels say compared to tobacco and alcohol? We know tobacco is the leading cause of death in America, contributing to 400,000 deaths each year. So it’s hardly any wonder the FDA will require the placement of prominent warning labels. Alcohol is the third-leading cause of death in America. The World Health Organization reported earlier this year that “alcohol causes nearly 4 percent of deaths worldwide, more than AIDS, tuberculosis or violence.” The authors added: “Alcohol is a causal factor in 60 types of diseases and injuries. … Alcohol consumption has been linked to cirrhosis of the liver, epilepsy, poisonings, traffic accidents, violence, and several types of cancer, including cancers of the colorectum, breast, larynx and liver.” http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110815/OPINION03/308150003/Marijuana-legalization-bill-offers-saferalternative?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s
Editorial: More than jobs, tourists (Commercial Appeal)
The city's dogged pursuit of a Bass Pro Shops tourist-destination store for The Pyramid is about to become a reality. A story in Friday's newspaper by Amos Maki, The Commercial Appeal's City Hall reporter, said that construction to convert the empty sports and events arena into a Bass Pro Shops will begin Oct. 11. The last major hurdle holding up the project -- retrofitting the iconic building to withstand an earthquake -- has been settled. City officials and Bass Pro executives have agreed on the cost of the retrofit and for stabilizing the ground underneath the arena. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the sluggish economy doesn't cause the giant retailer to delay the project. The Consumer Confidence Index sank nearly 14 percent in early August, and consumer confidence is often seen as a barometer for future retail purchases. By the time the project is finished in the summer of 2013, hopefully the economic picture will be rosier. The project means more to Memphis than just finding a tenant for the arena. Robert Lipscomb, the city's director of Housing and Community Development and the point man for the project, has said the city envisions Bass Pro as the catalyst for remaking the north end of Downtown with retail development. He said it will create a synergy between the Convention Center and the historic Pinch District. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/15/editorial-more-than-jobs-tourists/
Editorial: TVA must address concerns before approving plant's completion (NS)
The Tennessee Valley Authority's plan to complete Unit 1 at the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in Hollywood, Ala., has drawn close scrutiny from a long-time watchdog — the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. In a report released last week, SACE raised safety and cost concerns about restarting the mothballed construction project. W hile TVA's recent commitment to move toward zero-emission power sources is a positive step for the region, TVA and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission need to address many of the concerns raised in the report before moving ahead. TVA began construction at Bellefonte in 1974 and suspended work at the site 14 years later because of rising costs and lower power demand. Unit 1 was 55 percent complete. Since then, TVA has removed equipment and, according to SACE, allowed the structure to deteriorate. The NRC reinstated TVA's construction permits in 2009. TVA's board of directors is set to vote on restarting construction this month. SACE's report alleges the foundation of the plant has deteriorated. In 2009 a vertical tendon, a steel band that helps maintain the structural integrity of the concrete containment vessel, failed. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/aug/15/tva-must-address-safety-concerns-before-plants/
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