Thurs., Jan. 5 News Summary

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012 Haslam reflects on first year (Hendersonville Star News)
Gov. Bill Haslam addressed Hendersonville Rotary Club members W ednesday morning, speaking mostly of issues he’s tackled during his first year in office. When audience members were asked by Haslam himself what a governor’s job consists of, answers included: managing the state, providing leadership, creating jobs, promoting Tennessee, and submitting a budget to the state legislature. “Really, of everything you do as a governor, that might be the most important,” Haslam said of creating the state’s yearly budget. “It really doesn’t get enough attention… In the end, budget is really policy.” Haslam said his office will be trying to finish up the budget in the next couple of days, and expects to present it to the legislature by the end of this month. He said the governor’s primary job is to run the state in a very effective and efficient way to provide services for the people of Tennessee at the lowest possible cost. “We do things at the state that people can’t do themselves,” Haslam said. “You can’t go build roads yourselves. It’s hard to run public schools, it’s hard to help set up the social network that we need to help families with foster care… Our role is to purchase services that people can’t buy themselves.” http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120104/HENDERSONVILLE01/301060019/Haslam-reflects-on-first-year

Haslam Sees Romney as Clear Frontrunner After Iowa (WPLN-Radio Nashville)
Governor Bill Haslam has yet to officially endorse a presidential candidate, but says he considers Mitt Romney “clearly the frontrunner” after last night’s Iowa caucus. Romney won Iowa by just eight votes. The GOP pack has cycled through several leading candidates in the last few months, but Haslam says that’s not unusual. He points to four years ago, when John McCain placed a distant fourth in Iowa and wound up the GOP nominee. Though last night Romney won by a miniscule margin, Haslam considers him the candidate to beat. He says Romney’s challenge is to grow his share of the vote using his organizational advantage. “And I do think that will play out – you can focus a lot on Iowa, but after that you don’t the time to go spend a month anywhere. It’s fast. And so that’s when it depends on having the organization in place, and I think that’s where Governor Romney has a big advantage.” Haslam said again he’s not making an endorsement yet, but his brother and father are part of Romney’s team in Tennessee. http://wpln.org/?p=32628

New state labor requirements taking effect (Knoxville News-Sentinel)
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development is urging employers across the state to begin complying with new requirements to ensure businesses are maintaining a legal work force. Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Karla Davis said the Tennessee Lawful Employment Act, signed in June by Gov. Bill Haslam, requires verification of employment eligibility of all newly hired workers through the online E-Verify program at www.uscis.gov/everify or requesting all newly hired employees to provide identity and employment authorization documents. Those documents include: A valid Tennessee driver's license or photo identification. A valid driver's license or photo identification from another state where the license requirements are at least as strict as those in Tennessee. A birth certificate issued by a U.S. state, jurisdiction or territory. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jan/04/new-state-labor-requirements-taking-effect/

Chattanoogan arrested for TennCare fraud (Times Free-Press)
A Chattanooga woman has been arrested and charged with TennCare fraud after being on the run for five months. Gabrielle Allen, 26, was arrested this week after an investigation conducted by the state’s Office of Inspector General with the assistance of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, according to a news release. A Hamilton County grand jury indicted Allen in July of last year, charging her with two counts of fraudulently using TennCare to obtain a controlled substance by “doctor shopping.” The charge against her states that Allen saw multiple physicians within a 30-day period, receiving a prescription for the strong painkiller Lortab — with

payment for the visits being covered by TennCare, officials said. http://timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jan/04/chattanooga-arrested-tenncare-fraud/?breakingnews

Tennessee releases new immigration guidelines (Nashville Business Journal)
The state of Tennessee has released guidelines related to immigration reform that was a hot topic for the business community last year. The Tennessee Lawful Employment Act is now in effect, requiring employers to follow new guidelines with all employees they hire after Jan. 1 of this year. Debate over immigration reform — which initially would have gone much further — was a major issue for businesses concerned about hurting economic development and conservative Republicans looking to curb illegal immigration. Excerpts from the state’s announcement: Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Karla Davis today announced new requirements of all employers in Tennessee to demonstrate that they are hiring and maintaining a legal workforce. “This online verification process is designed to be convenient for employers and only takes a few minutes to complete. The department can provide assistance to employers who don’t have Internet access,” said Commissioner Davis. http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2012/01/04/tennessee-immigration-legislation.html

Move to halt jail immigration screenings suffers setback (Tennessean/Haas)
Lawyer didn't have proper proof to ask for restraining order New statewide immigration screening rules may have temporarily survived a legal challenge on Wednesday, but the board that created them may attempt a do-over at its next meeting. Immigration attorney Elliott Ozment had asked a Davidson County chancellor to halt rules that require Tennessee jailers to screen the newly arrested for their immigration status, arguing that the Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission created the guidelines in emails, not public meetings as required by law. On Wednesday, Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle told Ozment that he didn’t have the proper proof to ask for that temporary restraining order, but gave him more time to provide the proof. “Under these circumstances, the court would have to deny the injunction,” Lyle said. Revisiting issue But an attorney for the training commission said that its upcoming meeting could change all that. Ben W hitehouse, an attorney with the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, said the commission planned to revisit the immigration rules at its Jan. 13 meeting. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120105/NEWS03/301050045/Move-halt-jail-immigration-screeningssuffers-setback?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

9,500 photo IDs issued for voting purposes (Associated Press)
The state has issued about 9,500 photo IDs since July 1 as Tennesseans prepare to comply with a new law. The new statute requires citizens to present a federal or state issued photo ID to vote. The law also requires the Department of Safety and Homeland Security to issue photo IDs for voting purposes at no charge. The photo IDs were issued between July 1 and Dec. 31. Nineteen driver service centers will be open this Saturday to issue additional photo IDs. The state's presidential primary is March 6. http://www.tennessean.com/usatoday/article/38273409?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

Hundreds turn out to oppose youth center closing (Leaf Chronicle)
About 250 people filled a Bledsoe County courtroom to protest the proposed closing of a state juvenile detention center that provides 170 jobs. State officials have proposed closing the Taft Youth Development Center and transferring the teenage detainees in a $4.4 million cost-cutting move. Department of Children's Services Commissioner Kathryn O'Day made the proposal in response to Gov. Bill Haslam asking that departments prepare for possible budget cuts. Republican state Rep. Jim Cobb of Spring City attended Tuesday night and said he has "seen the numbers the state has brought forward, and they don't add up." Hamilton County Juvenile Judge Suzanne Bailey told the Chattanooga Times Free Press the center is one of the finest that Tennessee has for delinquent children and the closing plan is shortsighted. (http://bit.ly/ysH4TS ) http://www.theleafchronicle.com/usatoday/article/38268525?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext %7CFRONTPAGE%7Cp

TDOT chief tours wish list of Kingsport road projects (Times-News)
John Schroer spent his one-year anniversary as Tennessee Department of Transportation commissioner on Wednesday looking at Kingsport’s wish list of road projects. Schroer and an entourage of about 20 city, county and state officials rode a bus that drove to the location of each road project preferred by the Kingsport Metropolitan Planning Organization. “People weren’t really selling real hard today...” Schroer said of the road project lobbying that happened on the bus ride. “Tennessee is a big state. Right now we’ve got about $8.5 billion 2

worth of road projects we need to build. This year we will build about $900 million worth of stuff. We’re having to prioritize a lot. Every legislator in the state of Tennessee has a road project they would like to have done. I think they understand where we are.” At the top of Kingsport’s list is reworking the Interstate 26/81 interchange, but that project is in an initial planning phase. In addition to Kingsport, other Tri-Cities governments have gone on record supporting the project because the interchange “maintains a consistently unacceptable rate of accidents due to the tight radius of ramps.” http://www.timesnews.net/article/9040374/tdot-chief-tours-wish-list-of-kingsportroad-projects

Local, state road officials say they're ready for winter weather (Times-Gazette)
Bedford County Highway Superintendent Stanley Smotherman and Shelbyville Public W orks Director Mark Clanton each say their departments are in good shape as the likelihood of severe winter weather approaches. Last winter, December snow caught Shelbyville before its salt delivery had arrived, and a heavy winter season had state and local officials worried by late January that their supplies would run out. Mounds of salt This year, Clanton and Smotherman both say they're prepared to handle winter weather, with plenty of salt stored away. "We're in real good shape," said Clanton, "with extra supplies waiting on the dock." He said the city's local storage is full, with 200 more tons ready to be shipped as needed. While both departments plan for the worst, Smotherman said he's hoping and expecting this winter won't be quite as challenging as last year. Smotherman hopes to be able to spread salt more efficiently this year. Two dedicated salt trucks used in the past have been disposed of, and a month ago, the county purchased three aluminum salt spreaders that can quickly be installed in its existing dump trucks. http://www.t-g.com/story/1800859.html

TBI probes 'missing money' from canceled GOP forum in Kingsport (T-N)
Three months ago, Sullivan County District Attorney Barry Staubus asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to look into why some people did not receive requested refunds for tickets purchased in advance of a GOP forum and dinner planned for Oct. 15, 2011, in Kingsport. On Wednesday, TBI spokes- woman Kristin Helm advised the investigation is still ongoing. She said the probe involves “missing money” associated with the canceled event and declined to provide further details. “I had some complaints by some citizens that didn’t receive their money, and so I’ve asked the TBI to do an investigation,” Staubus said Wednesday. “It’s still under investigation. It’s not complete, and so I don’t want to make any more comments about the nature of it than that. I did make a request to look into the circumstances of that forum.” Staubus said initially three citizens came forward, and then he received “numerous” phone calls from other Sullivan County residents, as well as a few others in the Davidson County area. All the calls involved complaints that refund requests — some made prior to the event’s cancellation — were not honored, he said. http://www.timesnews.net/article/9040378/tbi-probes-39missing-money39-from-canceled-gop-forum-in-kingsport

UT shows off gleaming new $37.5 million engineering building (NS/Boehnke)
The first new engineering building on the University of Tennessee campus in nearly half a century will open to students next week, marking the end of nearly three years of construction on the $37.5 million project. Faculty have already begun moving into the state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly Min H. Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building, named after the Garmin co-founder and UT alum who donated $12.5 million to the project. "By leaps and bounds it's much better in terms of space because before we had a few buildings dispersed all over campus," said George Richardson, a fifth-year electrical engineering senior. "The best part is the research areas we have. The focus of the building is on the graduate level, so it was built with that in mind and we get to use the same facilities." The imposing brick collegiate gothic building, which UT officials showed off Wednesday, sits on the corner of Cumberland Avenue and Estabrook Road, catty-corner from World's Fair Park. It was designed by Bullock, Smith & Partners with Lindsay and Maples Architects and built by Blaine Construction. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jan/05/ut-shows-off-gleaming-new-375-million-building/

Glitch solved; TSU to mail diplomas soon (Tennessean/Young)
Tennessee State University is blaming technology for the delay in getting diplomas to its most recent graduates. Two computer glitches, before and after the December graduation ceremonies, prevented some of the university’s staff from entering their students’ final grades into the system, but the issue has since been resolved and diplomas will be mailed before or on Jan. 20, a school spokesman said Wednesday. Students who absolutely must have a transcript for a job should return to campus right away. “They can come to our Registar’s Office and get a copy right then and there,” spokesman Rick DelaHaya said. “We will literally stop what we’re 3

doing, look them up and hand them their transcript because we really do feel the frustration of the students.” DelaHaya said the computer problems were limited to data entry only, adding that none of the university’s confidential files were compromised. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120105/NEWS04/301050029/Glitch-solved-TSU-mail-diplomas-soon? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

New rules bar political donations from TN judges (Associated Press)
New ethics rules for judges were adopted Wednesday, barring them from making political contributions and requiring them to step aside in some cases involving their own campaign contributors. The Tennessee Supreme Court set the rules against the backdrop of an upcoming battle in the legislature over the Tennessee Court of the Judiciary, an ethics panel for judges. Lawmakers have complained that the panel is not doing enough to police judges. The rules, proposed by the state bar association, go into effect in July. They were in the works before lawmakers began considering making changes to the ethics panel that disciplines judges, Tennessee Bar Association executive director Allan Ramsaur said. However, he said he hopes members of the General Assembly will take them into consideration. "We're hopeful that these comprehensive, clear and workable rules address the concerns that many lawmakers have had," Ramsaur said. The new rules follow the American Bar Association's model rules for judicial conduct. Ramsaur said barring judges from making contributions to political candidates or organizations was important because the donations could later raise questions about a judge's impartiality. Judges are allowed to purchase tickets to attend campaign events. http://www.tennessean.com/usatoday/article/38268961?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

TN Supreme Court to impose new ethics rules (Tennessean/Haas)
The Tennessee Supreme Court will impose new judicial ethics rules outlining new recusal procedures for judges and limiting their political activities. The changes, which will take effect July 1, represent the first major overhaul to the rules that govern judges’ conduct in 20 years and are based on 2007 American Bar Association recommendations that nearly two-dozen states have adopted. The new rules came in response to a request from the Tennessee Bar Association to revamp the state’s ethical guidelines. In July, judges will have to better explain if they deny requests to remove themselves from cases, called a recusal. Judges will have to provide a written explanation in such cases and attorneys will have a faster process to appeal a denial. Another change is in judges’ political activities. No longer will they be allowed to make contributions to political campaigns or political organizations. The courts will allow judges to continue to buy tickets to attend campaign events. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120105/NEWS21/301050043/TN-Supreme-Court-impose-new-ethicsrules?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

TN House plan draws 5 black lawmakers into 3 seats (Associated Press/Schelzig)
Republican plans for Tennessee legislative redistricting released W ednesday would draw five black House members into three seats and place the top Senate Democrat into the same district as a GOP incumbent. The House plan was roundly criticized by Democrats, but Republican House Speaker Beth Harwell of Nashville stressed that the proposal would keep the same number of districts where minorities make up a majority of the population at 13 of the chamber's 99 seats. "We've gone out of our way to be as fair as possible," Harwell told reporters after the plans were unveiled in a crowded committee hearing room. "I can't control the demographics of this state." The once-a-decade redistricting plan reflects population changes in the 2010 Census and shifting political trends. Republicans hold wide majorities in both chambers of the Legislature. Republican leaders have said they want the redistricting measure to be among the first bills considered when the legislative session begins next week. Harwell said she expects redistricting maps for Tennessee's nine congressional districts to be released this week. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jan/04/tn-house-plan-draws-5-black-lawmakers-into-3/

New TN redistricting maps would give GOP advantage (Tennessean/Gee)
New legislative districts would oust several Democrats Republicans in control of the Tennessee General Assembly proposed new district maps on W ednesday that would create five new open seats in Middle Tennessee and present steep challenges for Democrats across the state. Lawmakers did not unveil a new map for Tennessee’s congressional districts, but Speaker of the House Beth Harwell promised that would happen by the end of the week. Reflecting state population growth that was concentrated in Middle Tennessee, the new maps would create several new districts in the region that do not have incumbents. Since the total number of seats in the legislature remains unchanged, the new open seats here and in other parts of the state come at the 4

expense of lawmakers — mostly Democrats, including existing and rising leaders — who have been lumped together in redrawn districts. Redistricting is required to make sure district sizes conform to the results of the 2010 census. Republicans took control of the House, Senate and governor’s office at the same time for the first time since Reconstruction in 2010 and hope to capitalize on a redistricting process long dominated by Democrats. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120105/NEWS0201/301040121/New-TN-redistricting-maps-would-giveGOP-advantage?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Tennessee: Republican remap targets House Democrats (Times Free-Press/Sher)
State House Republicans on Wednesday released a legislative redistricting plan that could end the political careers of at least a half dozen Democratic incumbents. It could also trigger a crowded race for a newly drawn, open seat in eastern Hamilton County. Three potential candidates already have surfaced. The Republicans' plan will force eight Democratic incumbents into four districts so they have to run against each other to stay in office. That includes merging parts of the 29th and 28th legislative districts, pitting black Democrats JoAnne Favors and Tommie Brown against each other. In other cases, two Democrats are being placed in Republican-leaning districts with Republican incumbents. The 31st District will lose its slice of northern Hamilton County and move Republican Jim Cobb, of Spring City, westward into the district now held by Democrat Bill Harmon, of Dunlap. Both lawmakers said they intend to run. Taking out the slice of District 31 also means Hamilton County will have just five seats. District lines at all levels are redrawn every 10 years after the census to reflect population shifts. This is the first time in history that Republicans have had the power of the pen. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jan/05/republican-remap-targets-house-democrats/?local

GOP state House, Senate redistricting plans unveiled (News-Sentinel/Humphrey)
The Republican state House redistricting plan unveiled Wednesday is designed to end the careers of at least six incumbent Democratic representatives while creating six new districts with no incumbent. The Senate redistricting plan, also made public W ednesday, will abruptly end the political career of one incumbent Republican senator and targets Senate Democratic Leader Jim Kyle for defeat by another incumbent Republican senator. Legislation implementing the new House plan was given initial approval by a Republican-controlled House subcommittee on Wednesday within hours after being formally recommended by an all-Republican committee. The Senate plan was released via an email news release and posting of maps on a legislative website. A Senate committee is to take formal action on the proposal Tuesday. Legislative leaders say they hope to have both the House and Senate plans enacted into law next week, perhaps by Thursday. Redistricting plans for the state's nine U.S. House seats remained under wraps, though House Speaker Beth Harwell said she anticipates unveiling of a congressional plan before the end of this week. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jan/04/gop-state-house-senate-redistricting-plans/

Shelby to lose 2 House, 1 Senate seats under new redistricting plan (CA/Locker)
Shelby County loses two of its 16 seats in the state House and one of its six Senate seats under Republicandrawn redistricting plans unveiled Wednesday and headed for final votes next week in the GOP-controlled legislature. The three-seat loss results from Shelby’s slow population growth of 3.4 percent between 2000 and 2010 compared to the state’s overall increase of 11.5 percent. The five senators and 14 representatives will be the county’s smallest delegation since 11 in the 1950s, before the 1962 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a Tennessee case forced redistricting every decade. Numerically, Shelby’s strength in the legislature peaked at 24 members in the 1970s: 18 House and six Senate districts. Its next 19-member delegation will remain the largest of any single county, but Shelby almost certainly will lose political power in the legislature when combined with other factors in the redistricting plans. Under the state Senate plan, Democratic Minority Leader Jim Kyle of Memphis is placed in a heavily Republican, Germantown-dominated District 28 with Sen. Brian Kelsey, RGermantown, who will be favored if Kyle runs again this year. And District 30, represented by Sen. Beverly Marrero, D-Memphis, was redrawn into a black-majority district. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jan/04/shelby-county-lose-two-house-seats-under-redistric/ (SUB)

Memphis Democrats Squeezed in State Redistricting Plan (Memphis Daily News)
Tennessee Senate Democratic leader Jim Kyle of Memphis and Republican state Sen. Brian Kelsey of Germantown are in the same Senate district under a redistricting proposal unveiled by Republican legislative leaders Wednesday, Jan. 4, in Nashville. W hat Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, the Senate speaker, calls the “regional integrity plan” would also move District 33, now represented by Democrat Reginald Tate, to Middle Tennessee. 5

The district that runs the entire southern border of Shelby County would be divided among the newly configured state Senate districts 29, 31 and 32. District 32, represented by Senate Republican leader Mark Norris of Collierville, would lose its Dyer and Lauderdale County territory to one of three newly created rural W est Tennessee districts. But District 32 would keep Tipton County and take in more Shelby County territory. The Kyle-Kelsey pairing has long been anticipated by political observers, including Kyle. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2012/jan/5/memphis-democrats-squeezed-in-state-redistricting-plan/

Harwell: House GOP-Drawn Districts ‘Less Politically Gerrymandered’ (TN Report)
Republicans publicly unveiled their new legislative maps for the first time W ednesday, and to Democrats’ surprise, it wasn’t as bad as they expected. That’s not to say they didn’t find aspects to complain about, though. The House proposal pits 12 mostly Democratic incumbents against each other in six districts and pencils in another half-dozen empty districts prime for open legislative races. Meanwhile the Senate map lumps the Democratic leader in the same district as an up-and-coming Republican and forces two other GOP members into a face off. “We feel very good about a plan that is fair and certainly less politically gerrymandered than the way the districts are currently drawn,” Speaker Beth Harwell told reporters after an ad hoc committee approved the new maps Wednesday. “We’ve gone out of our way to be as fair as possible. I can’t control the demographics of this state.” The House hopes to approve final redistricting plans next week, although Democrats say it will take them the better part of a month to run the numbers and understand what the new districts look like in practical political terms. http://www.tnreport.com/2012/01/speaker-harwell-house-gop-drawn-legislative-districts-less-politicallygerrymandered/

Redistricting Plan Pits a Dozen Incumbents, Creates Six New Districts (WPLN)
A dozen incumbent members of the state House – mostly Democrats – would have to run against each other in the redistricting plan released by Republicans Wednesday. One contest pits two Representatives in Davidson County. Antioch’s Sherry Jones and East Nashville’s Mike Stewart would represent the same district, and Stewart says the move is political. “I’m not completely surprised that the Republicans, in their initial redistricting plan, are trying to penalize strong Democrats.” Davidson County isn’t losing any of its 10 seats in the 99-member House, and Stewart believes a merger could have been avoided. But districts do have to remain roughly the same size, and House Speaker Beth Harwell says that meant combining some. “We’ve gone out of our way to be as fair as possible. I can’t control the demographics of this state. When you look at the demographics of Davidson County, downtown has shrunk and the growth is in the south and we just had to do this.” No Republican would have to run against a fellow party member under the plan, though two GOP lawmakers would have to face a Democratic incumbent. http://wpln.org/?p=32643

House Redistricting Plan Maintains Minority Districts (WPLN-Radio Nashville)
Tennessee’s House of Representatives would have the same number of minority voting districts under a proposal released Wednesday, even if it results in fewer minority lawmakers. Republicans in charge of redrawing voting lines maintained the 13 districts where blacks make up half the population. However, not all black lawmakers represent majority black districts. House Speaker Beth Harwell says some of those incumbents could lose their seats. “It may mean a change in who is representing that district, but there will still be the same number of minority districts in Tennessee.” The latest census shows a slight increase in African Americans, so members of the House Black Caucus have asked for an additional seat. Republicans haven’t granted that, but they have created what they’re calling a “coalition district” in Nashville. It’s a minority seat if blacks and Latinos are combined. Until now, a minority seat in Tennessee has only meant that it’s at least more half African American. http://wpln.org/?p=32650

Officials oppose redistricting split of Bradley County (Times Free-Press/Leach)
The Bradley County Commission does not want to see the county split by any redistricting plans proposed by the Tennessee General Assembly. In a 14-0 vote, the commission late Tuesday passed a resolution officially expressing that sentiment to the state's Republican leadership, the state Legislature, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and Sen. Mike Bell. The resolution, introduced by Commissioner Brian Smith, states that the commission believes such a split "would dilute the unified voice and power of Bradley County citizens in the Tennessee General Assembly." On Wednesday, proposed state redistricting plans -- which include the division of Bradley County 6

between the 9th and 10th Senate Districts -- were made public. The plan calls for the northwest corner of Bradley County to form the 9th Senate District with Meigs, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties. The rest of Bradley County would form the 10th Senate District with the southern portions of Hamilton County. "From the beginning I have said that I want Bradley County whole," Bell said Wednesday. "I don't want it split." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jan/05/officials-oppose-redistricting-split-of-bradley/?local

All of Dyer County to be placed into Sanderson's House district (State Gazette)
After many years, Dyer County will again be within the same Tennessee House district as Rep. Bill Sanderson (R-Kenton) announced Tuesday the Tennessee House Ad Hoc Committee on Redistricting will place all of Dyer County into House District 77. Sanderson announced the redistricting on Tuesday evening, after receiving word from Rep. Steve McDaniel (R-Lexington) who chairs the committee and is an area redistricting leader for rural West Tennessee. Dyer County had been divided into the 77th District under Sanderson and the 82nd District under Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley). "I'm excited to have all of Dyer County," said Sanderson. "When I ran for election in 2010, regardless of where I went, the one thing I heard was 'we want to put Dyer County back in one district'. And I did what I promised I was going to do, and that was to put it back." Census numbers determine how many constituents must ideally be in a district and Tennessee's population grew from 5,689,283 in 2010 to 6,346,105 in 2010, which is an increase of 11.5 percent. The ideal population for a House district is estimated to be 64,102. http://www.stategazette.com/story/1800814.html

County sees House, Senate revamp (Daily News Journal)
Plan: North Rutherford gets House seat; Ketron's Senate district stays in county Rutherford County will pick up a fourth full House seat in the northern part of the county, and its two Senate districts will undergo major changes under concepts unveiled Wednesday by state legislators. The Republican-controlled Legislature redrew the maps for the first time since taking control of both houses, and most of the impact in Rutherford was caused by its 30 percent growth rate over the last decade. Senate District 13, represented by Republican Sen. Bill Ketron, will be confined to Rutherford County, mostly the western half, much of Murfreesboro, Walter Hill and Lascassas, taking in 193,400 of the county's 262,600 residents. Ketron would drop Lincoln, Marshall and Maury counties, and state Sen. Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, would take most of eastern Rutherford, Bedford, Marshall, Moore and Lincoln counties in District 14, dropping the District 16 moniker. "I'm excited about the opportunity to spend more time in Rutherford County," said Ketron, Republican Caucus chairman and regional coordinator on the Senate panel that drew the maps. "Sometimes I felt like I neglected Rutherford County even though I was the senator who lived here." Tracy, who has represented the lion's share of Rutherford, said he's "excited about the opportunity" to add Lincoln and Marshall counties and to continue serving part of Rutherford. http://www.dnj.com/article/20120105/NEW S05/201050313/County-sees-House-Senate-revamp?odyssey=tab| topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Redistricting proposal for Senate shifts Berke's territory (Times Free-Press/Sher)
Senate majority Republicans' redistricting plan seeks to draw bull's-eyes on top Democrats, including Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga. But the plan also appears to put the kibosh on the career of one of Republicans' own members in Middle Tennessee. The plan, released Wednesday, lops off Democratic-leaning Marion County from Berke's 10th Senate District and pushes the district eastward through Republican areas including East Ridge and Apison into a major chunk of Republican-rich Bradley County. Rep. Vince Dean, of East Ridge, said he is "very interested" in running in the reconfigured district. "I'll spend the next week or so until it's finalized and voted on, praying about it, consulting with family and advisers," said Dean, a Republican. "And I'll also be studying the map." Among other things, Dean is interested in seeing whether any other Republican House members live in the district. In a statement, Berke said, "I continue to support nonpartisan, independent redistricting to avoid allowing politics to influence such an important task." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jan/05/redistricting-proposal-for-senate-shifts-berkes/?local

Cooper Proposes Restoring South Nashville to Congressional District (W PLN)
Nashville Congressman Jim Cooper wants his district to go back to the way it once was and include all of Davidson County. Cooper, a Democrat, made his proposal to the Republican-led legislative committee in charge of redistricting. House Speaker Beth Harwell says it would correct what she viewed as politically-driven mapmaking ten years ago. “I appreciate the fact that he wanted to restore Davidson County, blatantly gerrymandered last cycle where we took out the most Republican precincts and put them in Marsha Blackburn’s district, so I 7

appreciate that he made that effort.” But Republicans in the legislature have not yet made public their plan for Tennessee’s nine congressional districts, though Harwell says it’s coming this week. Congressman Cooper and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean have been trying to fend of any attempt to divide the Democratic voters of Nashville among multiple seats. http://wpln.org/?p=32652

Ramsey, Shipley disappointed with Perry, Gingrich finishes (Times News)
Both Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ex-U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich underachieved at the Iowa caucuses, key Tennessee political operatives for the two GOP presidential candidates acknowledged during a meeting with the Times-News Editorial Board on Wednesday. Gingrich finished fourth and Perry landed in fifth place behind caucus winner and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; second-place finisher and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum; and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, who placed third. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, is the Tennessee chairman of Perry’s campaign. “I still think he’s the best person for the job,” Ramsey said of Perry. “I know him well. He’s done a great job as governor of Texas. Obviously, the (GOP presidential) debates killed him in my opinion. I don’t know if he survives through (the Jan. 21 GOP primary in) South Carolina or not. If he can’t make South Carolina, it is over. ... That’s going to be a personal decision for him to hold out through Iowa and New Hampshire, and South Carolina or not. ... Obviously (finishing fifth) is a blow.” http://www.timesnews.net/article/9040375/ramsey-shipley-disappointed-with-perry-gingrich-finishes

County approves rules on use of grounds; Occupy cries foul (TFP/Haman)
With little discussion, the Hamilton County Commission on Wednesday unanimously passed formal rules and regulations for the public's use of county-owned property. Now Occupy Chattanooga members and their legal counsel are waiting to see how and if the new rules are enforced against them. The county's policy requires those seeking to hold activities on county property to seek permits. It also prohibits -- except for the benefit of those with disabilities -- tables, chairs, grills, open fires, tents and other structures erected for overnight sleeping. "These rules and regulations basically follow the procedure of what we've been doing informally in this county for at least the last 34 years," said County Attorney Rheubin Taylor. "We are putting in writing what we've been doing all along." The new rules don't specifically mention Occupy Chattanooga, the group that took up residence on the County Courthouse lawn two months ago. But the fact that the county didn't have formalized regulations for the grounds became apparent to commissioners and other officials after Occupy tents were erected. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jan/05/county-approves-rules-on-use-of-grounds-occupy/?local

Occupy 'has not disbanded;' meetings continue (Daily News Journal)
Even though Occupy Murfreesboro no longer has an encampment set up on the Murfreesboro Civic Plaza, the movement still has plans to represent the "99 percent" locally, according to a news release. "Occupy Murfreesboro has not been disbanded ... ," the unsigned release sent to The Daily News Journal via fax late Tuesday reads. "We still maintain a presence in Murfreesboro standing for the needs of the 99 percent and still welcome those who wish to join us at our regular General Assembly meetings." The group removed as many as six tents from the Civic Plaza this week after a month-long presence, leaving only a mattress and an ash tray behind. Members of Occupy aren't allowed to present themselves as representatives or spokespersons of the movement, and instead the movement only speaks "as a whole" if greater than two-thirds of its members vote to endorse an idea or plan at a general assembly meeting. General assembly meetings are still being held on the Murfreesboro Civic Plaza at 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and at 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, according to the release. What are known as "Logistics Working Group meetings" are also taking place on a weekly basis. http://www.dnj.com/article/20120105/NEW S01/201050312/Occupy-has-not-disbanded-meetings-continue

Council Weighs In on Electrolux Incentives (Memphis Daily News)
Some Memphis City Council members want to at least slow the appropriation of local government funding to Electrolux North America Cooking Products if the company isn’t more responsive to hiring local for the construction of its Memphis manufacturing plant. At a dour discussion Tuesday, Jan. 3, however, most on the council agreed they can do little to require a higher percentage of the construction contracts go to locally owned firms including women- and minority-owned businesses. Reid Dulberger, president of the city-county Economic Development Growth Engine, better known as EDGE, said the old Memphis-Shelby County Industrial Development Board that granted the Electrolux incentives didn’t put such minority-business requirements in the contract. “How could you not have that in the contract?” council member Harold Collins asked rhetorically later. Collins said city government’s separation of powers that gives the mayor the sole authority to make contracts 8

puts the fault squarely on Memphis Mayor A C W harton Jr. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2012/jan/5/council-weighs-in-on-electrolux-incentives/
th Welcome home 230(Chattanooga Times Free-Press)

Angela Parrish has known her husband since high school and the couple married in 2010. But Wednesday afternoon, moments before he returned from a 10-month combat deployment, nervous feelings fluttered inside her. "I feel almost like a newlywed again," she said. Parrish was one of nearly 100 family and friends of soldiers with the Tennessee Army National Guard's 230th Sustainment Brigade. Forty of the Chattanooga-based unit's soldiers returned home after a tour in Kuwait. A total of 309 soldiers with the brigade left Tennessee last January and later flew to Kuwait. On Wednesday, all but about 40 returned to stations here and in Knoxville, Millington and Smyrna, Tenn. The remaining soldiers are finishing post-deployment processing at Camp Shelby, Miss., and will return home in the coming weeks, officials said. The mission of the unit, which formed in 2005, was to oversee the transport of U.S. equipment and personnel out of the entire southern half of Iraq before the Dec. 31, 2011, troop withdrawal deadline It was the brigade's first overseas deployment. "We really had a lot of equipment come out of there," said Staff Sgt. Steven Ward. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jan/05/welcomehome-230th/?local

Tenn. National Guard's 230th returns home to lots of hugs (C. Appeal/Callahan)
For the past year, Cristy Justice has raised her six boys alone, a task she says was every bit as difficult as it sounds. But on W ednesday afternoon, help arrived as her husband, David, returned from his deployment to Kuwait. As a small group cheered their arrival, Justice, from Atoka, and 20 or so other local members of the Tennessee National Guard's 230th Sustainment Brigade stepped off a bus in Millington just after 3:15 p.m. As soon as she saw her husband get off the bus, Cristy let out an excited squeal and barreled in for a hug, followed quickly by the six boys. Similar scenes were repeated among the small group. "My heart was beating so fast," said 26-year-old Spc. Amberia Hollis of Memphis. "I was ready to see my family, I missed them so much. Being away from your family is hard." After training in Texas for two months, the group spent 10 months in Kuwait, moving equipment and supplies to and from other areas of the Middle East, including Iraq. Measured in one very important way, it was a successful mission. "We left on the plane with 309 (soldiers), and we returned with 309," Master Sgt. James Hayslip said with a touch of pride. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jan/05/mission-complete/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

Families welcome troops home from Iraq deployment (Daily News Journal)
The Christmas tree is still up at Master Sgt. Robert Bowen's house. He'll be celebrating more than the holidays when he wakes up today. Bowen climbed off one of four buses that pulled into the Tennessee Army National Guard base here as the Guard's 230th Sustainment Brigade arrived home after a year in Iraq. His wife, Kisa, and their 11-year-old daughter, Khloe, rushed to hug him. "It's overwhelming," Smyrna resident Robert Bowen said, surrounded by other soldiers who were welcomed home by kisses and signs and applause. "I've been counting down the days. It's always a blessing to be home." He looked down at Khloe and touched her face with the tips of his fingers as she smiled up at him. "My girl has grown," he said. "She's gotten big." Roughly 300 troops from the 230th, which is headquartered in Chattanooga, arrived at bases in Millington, Smyrna, Chattanooga and Knoxville after they spent several days out-processing at Camp Shelby, Miss. The brigade was responsible for helping get the troops out of Iraq by President Barack Obama's Dec. 31 withdrawal deadline, but they also sustained operations in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan. http://www.dnj.com/article/20120105/NEW S01/201050310/Families-welcome-troops-home-from-Iraq-deployment

States struggle with national sex offender law (Stateline)
Six years ago, Congress passed what is known as the Adam Walsh Act, aimed at protecting children from predators by collecting sex offender data in a national public registry and requiring those people listed in it to report their movements to law enforcement. Adam’s law required states to place convicted sex offenders in one of three tiers, based on the severity of their crimes. The act, named for a 6-year-old boy who was kidnapped and murdered in Florida in 1981, gave the states five years to comply. The vast majority of states did not comply on time. As the five-year deadline of July 2011 was approaching, only four had met the terms of the law. The Obama administration issued new guidelines earlier in 2011 that gave states more discretion in implementing the act and clarified how to share information, and in the past year, 12 more states have become compliant. But most still are not, even though they will lose 10 percent of their justice assistance grants from the federal government in fiscal year 2012 as a penalty for inaction. It’s not that states are uninformed about the law; it’s that they have substantial objections to it. Many see it as an unfunded mandate requiring them to spend millions 9

of dollars collecting information and placing it in the national registry. They are reluctant to bear the cost of updating their own technology to register digital fingerprints, palm prints and DNA, and of paying for the additional time that law enforcement officers would spend processing sex offenders who appear before them in person. http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=622764

Maury County, Tenn., eyes industry near I-65 (Associated Press)
Officials in Maury County, Tenn., hope to lure industry along Interstate 65. The Daily Herald quotes Brandom Gengelbach, president of the Maury County Chamber and Economic Alliance, as saying the county will try to acquire property near the interstate (http://bit.ly/t0Mmhw). He said landowners are already being approached about selling their property. Gengelbach also said the county hopes to finance a plan for railway access to an existing business and industrial park. A plan for both initiatives could be presented to the county commission as early as February. Despite these goals, Gengelbach said the expansion of existing businesses is the county's main economic driver. http://www.tennessean.com/usatoday/article/38273431?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|p

Hutcheson officials see slow progress (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Martin)
Hutcheson board members said they expect the beleaguered North Georgia hospital’s financial numbers to improve in December, as they met for the first meeting of the year Wednesday evening. The hospital lost more than $9 million in the first five months of the fiscal year, but board chairman Corky Jewell said they expect to see a gradual turnaround. “We are in the process of turning around, but it’s in small steps,” Jewell said. A management partnership with Erlanger Health Systems allows the hospital to utilize “economies of scale” to realize some savings, Jewell said. Erlanger extended a $20 million line of credit to Hutcheson in May when Erlanger assumed management. Hutcheson, which has changed its name to Erlanger at Hutcheson, has used more than $6 million of that money so far. Erlanger has also struggled financially recently, losing $6 million during the first five months of the fiscal year. Jewell said other Chattanooga hospitals are also seeing a downturn in recent months. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jan/05/hutcheson-officials-see-slow-progress/?local

Hickory Hollow Macy's store to close (Associated Press)
Macy’s Inc. says it will close five Macy’s stores, including the one at Hickory Hollow Mall, and four Bloomingdale’s stores that are underperforming. Clearance sales will begin at the stores Sunday and run for 10 weeks. More than 830 workers will be affected by the closings — 375 at Macy’s stores and 463 at Bloomingdale’s. But many may have the option of taking jobs at new stores the company plans to open. In addition to the Hickory Hollow Mall location, the other closing Macy’s stores are in Topeka, Kan.; Laurel, Md.; Parma, Ohio; and Texas City, Texas. The Bloomingdale’s closures are in Atlanta; Oak Brook, Ill.; North Bethesda, Md.; and in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120105/BUSINESS01/301050026/Hickory-Hollow-Macy-s-store-close? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

Macy's to close Hickory Hollow location (Nashville Post)
Hickory Hollow Mall is losing its last department store. Less than a week after Sears said it would leave the shopping center as part of a big round of store closures, Macy's on W ednesday evening said it, too, will shutter its location there. The move will affect 77 workers, some of whom will get the chance to work at other Macy's stores. A closeout sale will start this weekend and last about 10 weeks. Cincinnati-based Macy's said the move is part of a "normal-course process to selectively prune underperforming locations while also opening new ones to fill gaps in local markets." Four other stores in Kansas, Maryland, Ohio and Texas will be closed as well. The company, which runs about 800 stores, also said it plans to build locations in California, Illinois, New York, Utah and Wisconsin. Macy's move will raise even more questions about the future of Hickory Hollow Mall, which is owned by Chattanooga-based CBL & Associates. The center, which in recent years also lost a Dillard's store, is being eyed as the site of a satellite Nashville State Community College campus and a community center anchored by various Metro agencies. http://nashvillepost.com/news/2012/1/4/macys_to_close_hickory_hollow_location

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Georgia: Georgia House speaker predicts more budget cuts (Associated Press)
Georgia House Speaker David Ralston predicted Wednesday that lawmakers will need to trim state spending again this year, but not as severely as when the worst recession since the Great Depression forced mammoth reductions in the budget. Tax collections by the state have been increasing for more than a year as income and spending gradually rebounds from the recession that officially ended in June 2009. Still, Georgia is suffering from a 9.9 percent unemployment rate and most experts expect the economy will recover slowly. Ralston would not estimate how much money lawmakers will likely need to trim. "W hat I've been telling people is that, you know, we used a machete and probably a butcher knife for probably the last two or three budget cycles," he said. "I'm thinking maybe a small pair of sharp scissors this time will be sufficient." The Republican from North Georgia said he hoped to avoid further cuts to the state's education system, although he cautioned that funding for all aspects of state government could come under scrutiny. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jan/05/georgia-house-speaker-predicts-more-budget-cuts/?local

MORE

OPINION Free-Press Editorial: Better outlook for Tenn., Hamilton County (Times Free-Press)
Tennessee's and Hamilton County's commitment to living within their means has yielded some real benefits -one of the most recent being an improved outlook for the state's and county's credit ratings from ratings agency Moody's Investors Service. Because a significant part of Tennessee's budget is linked to the federal government, it was alarming several months ago when another credit-rating agency, Standard & Poor's, downgraded the United States' rating from the top level, AAA, to AA-plus for the first time in U.S. history. And in August, Moody's downgraded the outlook on Tennessee's and Hamilton County's Aaa ratings from stable to negative. That is troubling, because a downgraded credit rating leads to higher interest rates when state or local governments borrow money by issuing bonds. But Tennessee and Hamilton County did not take that lowered outlook lying down. In recent months, both have demonstrated fiscal discipline despite difficult economic times. Tennessee made it clear that it would act responsibly if federal dollars sent to the state were sharply reduced, and Tennessee officials pointed out our state's low debt load. As a result, Tennessee's negative outlook was "revised to stable to reflect [the state's] relatively lower levels of financial and economic exposure to the U.S. government," Moody's noted in a news release. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jan/05/better-outlookfor-county-state/?opinionfreepress

Columnist: Higher Ed Needs Space (Metro Pulse)
Behind-the-scenes negotiations continue to get state Building Commission approval for a multi-million dollar bond issue for higher education campuses, including UT-Knoxville. The main issues are the amount and who gets what. Construction projects must be approved by the Building Commission, made up of the governor, the speakers, the constitutional officers, and finance committee members from the House and Senate. The capital needs of college campuses have been defined by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, but no one expects much attention being paid to that laundry list of projects. There is some concern about borrowing money during the recession and a time of budget cuts. But higher-ed budgets have been slashed or flat lined in recent years and some capital projects are critical. It is also a time when idle construction companies might be able to do projects for a lot less money than usual and bond interest is low. When the Legislature meets there will likely be a consensus, or at least a majority, on the Building Commission for a particular proposal. http://www.metropulse.com/news/2012/jan/04/higher-ed-needs-space/

Times Editorial: No case to close Taft (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)
The state says it can save about $4.4 million a year if it accepts Commissioner of Children's Services Kathryn O'Day's recommendation to close the Taft Youth Development Center in Pikeville. It implies, as well, that 11

successful programs at Taft can be replicated at similar facilities that will remain open elsewhere in Tennessee. Say what they will, state officials have offered little evidence to support their contentions about either the savings or the programs if the center is closed. The impetus for the rush to close the facility, it seems, is to help balance a budget adversely affected by politicians' continued refusal to end the state's almost total reliance on a regressive sales tax for revenue. Solving that problem through short-sighted cuts to vital programs seems paramount. Too little attention is being given to what is best for the troubled young men that Taft serves, for those who work there, and for the region where the youth center is located. In a more equitable world, the reverse would be true. O'Day says the Taft Center is the least efficient in the state, though she offers little or no documentation to prove that is the case. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jan/05/no-case-to-closetaft/?opiniontimes

Editorial: Partisan fights taking shape (Commercial Appeal)
Hopefully the General Assembly will have time to improve the quality of life for Tennesseans. One can always hope that the Tennessee General Assembly, which will convene Tuesday, will do something for Tennesseans this year. A lot of the legislature's agenda will be aimed at the consolidation of political power -- the majority Republican Party's power over the Democratic minority, the legislature's control over urban entities and its grab for leverage over the courts. Right away Republicans are expected to push through a redistricting plan that in several cases puts two Democratic House members in the same district or otherwise makes it difficult for an incumbent Democrat to win re-election. Redistricting is a legislative duty, undertaken every 10 years by the majority party to equalize population figures in House and Senate districts. Abuse of that authority is not unusual, but it risks harsh retribution if and when the opposition obtains the reins of government. This year's plan faces a possible court challenge. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jan/05/editorials-partisan-fights-taking-shape/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

Editorial: Drug testing of benefit recipients unlikely to help (Jackson Sun)
With the second session of Tennessee's 107th General Assembly set to convene Jan. 10, people already are beginning to consider legislation. A likely proposal we would urge caution on would require drug testing of people who get government assistance or workers' compensation benefits. Don't interpret our reluctance to be acceptance of illegal drug use by people who receive government benefits, or anyone else. Illegal drug use is against the law, and it should be dealt with accordingly by law enforcement. Rather, our concerns center around the unintended consequences of such a proposal. A similar bill was introduced last year and failed to pass, in part, because it carried a $12 million fiscal review price tag. But cost is only one of the potential pitfalls such a measure could encounter. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey recently told the Nashville Chamber of Commerce that he expects the legislature to pass the measure this year. Fortunately, other legislative leaders, including House Speaker Beth Harwell, aren't so sure. Ramsey complained that last year's fiscal review failed to take into consideration state savings that would occur when benefits to drug users were cut off. It is a shaky argument, at best. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120105/OPINION01/201050305/Editorial-Drug-testing-benefit-recipientsunlikely-help

David Cook: Roe, roe gently down the Tennessee River (Times Free-Press)
Ever tasted Tennessee paddlefish caviar? Me neither. Not sure I want to. I've read it tastes both salty and buttery and, if it's a bad batch, muddy. The little glob of eggs looks like a pile of silver BBs left in the rain for a week. But maybe we should try some. After all, if you purchase a Tennessee hunting or fishing license, there's a chance you'll help fund the folks who harvest paddlefish caviar worth boatloads of money. In 2009, commercial paddlefish fishermen harvested more than $3 million worth of paddlefish flesh and eggs (also called "roe") from Tennessee rivers, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. In 2006, it was $9.3 million. "This tangy, buttery roe has a firm texture," states www.caviargalore.com. "Paddlefish caviar has a rich aroma and a pungent flavor." So would my old Nikes if you dropped hot butter in them. But you wouldn't buy those for $25, which is what caviargalore.com charges for one tiny ounce of paddlefish caviar. One pound costs $400. The paddlefish -- also called spoonbill -- looks just like its name. A long sturgeon-like body is finished off with a fat exclamation-point snout, as if the paddle on your grandpa's old fishing boat got glued to a big fish's nose. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jan/05/roe-roe-gently-down-the-tennessee-river/?opinioncolumns

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