Vivian Wilhoite District 29 Nashville, TN: December 2008

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Sheriff's office to again offer 'Sober Rides'

WKRN News Channel 2
The Davidson County Sheriff's Office will again offer free rides home to those who have had too much to drink this New Year's Eve.
"There's no excuse to get behind the wheel when we will take you home for free of charge," said Sheriff Daron Hall. "We're not there to enforce the law, not there to preach, just there to get you home so we can have a safe community on that particular evening."

More than 200 Davidson County employees will volunteer for the program this year.

Last year, they took more than 2,500 people home.

"It's become a major, major operation," said Sheriff Hall. "We took 2,600 people home last year that didn't put them behind the wheel of car. We think that's incredible service to give on one night."

Due to the large concentration of people in the downtown area, a Sober Ride bus stop will be located at Second Avenue and Commerce.

From there, people will be taken by bus to LP Field, placed in smaller vehicles and then taken to their destination.

This is the 25th year the Sober Ride program has been in service.
If you need a ride or for more information, call 615-862-RIDE.

Davidson County crime log for Dec. 21-22, 2008

CRIME LOG
These are the most serious calls handled by the Metro police, listed by time, crime reported and address. Some reports may be unfounded. Police calls are listed by police precinct or town. When police cannot immediately determine the location of a crime, the address given is that of the police station or hospital where the crime was reported.

Dec. 22
Antioch
1:35 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 2200 block Murfreesboro Pike
4:44 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2400 block Murfreesboro Pike
Bordeaux
8:20 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3100 block Clarksville Pike
1:05 p.m., shooting, 1700 block County Hospital Road
Brentwood
2:56 p.m., residential burglary, 5700 block Brentwood Trace
Central
2:28 p.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Church Street
Donelson
8:03 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2700 block Lebanon Pike
East
3:49 a.m., residential burglary, 900 block Cahal Avenue
12:59 p.m., residential burglary, 1100 block North 14th Street
1:58 p.m., shooting, 700 block South Sixth Street
2:02 p.m., shooting, 500 block Summer Place
4:27 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block North Second Street
9:11 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block North Second Street
Hermitage
3:11 a.m., shooting, 3700 block James Kay Lane
11:42 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 6000 block Old Hickory Boulevard
2:53 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5800 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Madison
9:21 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 600 block North Gallatin Pike
10:10 a.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Madison Square
4:31 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block South Gallatin Pike
North
2:13 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block 26th Avenue North
4:02 p.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Crislynndale Drive
Old Hickory
7:17 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1300 block Cunningham Street
Paragon Mills
3:20 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Tanglewood Court
6:21 p.m., shooting, 4000 block Nolensville Road
8:08 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Paragon Mills Road
Priest Lake
3:08 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2700 block Park Dale Drive
South
8:42 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 900 block Second Avenue South
5:13 p.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Murfreesboro Pike
Trinity Hills
9:49 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block West Trinity Lane
Tusculum
3:06 p.m., residential burglary, 3900 block Apache Trail
6:22 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Bart Drive
Union Hill
5:43 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Old Dickerson Pike
West
7:02 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 6300 block Charlotte Pike
1:54 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Kimbark Drive
3:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2100 block Green Hills Village Drive
Whites Creek
11:51 a.m., residential burglary, 4700 block Lickton Pike
Woodbine
4:39 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Welshwood Drive

Dec. 21
Antioch
12:16 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2200 block Murfreesboro Pike
1:21 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5200 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
1:39 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5200 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
7:05 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Murfreesboro Pike
Bellshire
12:05 a.m.,residential burglary, 1600 block Nesbitt Lane
Belmont
7:42 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3100 block Belmont Boulevard
Central
2:19 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Eighth Avenue South
3:44 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1600 block Ninth Avenue North
East
2:01 p.m., shooting, 3400 block Dickerson Pike
Hermitage
11:55 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4600 block Lebanon Pike
11:55 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4600 block Lebanon Pike
North
2:09 a.m., holdup/robbery, at 40th Avenue North and Indiana Avenue
7:43 a.m., residential burglary, 3500 block Standing Stone Drive
10:14 a.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Bellshire Terrace Drive
Old Hickory
1:09 a.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Elliston Street
Priest Lake
5:56 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3000 block Smith Springs Road
11:02 a.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Twin Circle Drive
South
5:51 p.m., residential burglary, 1800 block Allison Place
Trinity Hills
12:05 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Vanderhorst Drive
3:05 p.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block East Nocturne Drive
3:25 p.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block Ringgold Drive
8:51 p.m., residential burglary, 2700 block Old Matthews Road
11:46 p.m., residential burglary, 2600 block Combs Drive
Tusculum
9:15 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block Highland Villa Circle
Two Rivers
6:41 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2400 block Music Valley Drive
West
5:42 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 800 block Bellevue Road
10:15 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1200 block Forrest Park Drive
5:06 p.m., holdup/robbery, 6300 block Charlotte Pike
11:33 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block 19th Avenue North

Mayor looks ahead with optimism

Tennessean
Mayor Karl Dean, speaking at a Realtors gathering last week, evaluated the current state of affairs in Nashville and offered insight into the future. He spoke on education, recycling, the fairgrounds, the Sounds, the department of water and sewer, the convention center, property taxes, mass transit and corporate relocation. Other than that, he didn't have much to say.

In spite of the bad news nationally, Nashville is holding its own, and it will be a city on the move in 2009. Here's what was on the mayor's mind:

>> The Sounds are under new ownership, and the mayor says the owners are committed to improving the experience for the fans. For any that have attended a Sounds game lately, anything less painful than a root canal would be an improvement, but Dean told the group that the owner would be investing well over a million dollars in improvements to the current stadium while working to rebuild trust with Nashville's baseball fans before searching for a location to build a new facility.

>> Education is an enormous issue for Realtors selling homes in Davidson County. and there is good news on that front. Dean explained in some detail the New Teacher Project along with the Teach for America program. He also spoke on the subject of charter schools and the need for more. And he talked about the work his office is doing to increase after-school programs for middle school students. This was especially welcome news as many considering relocating to Nashville consider the public education system a high priority.

>> The mayor said there would be a slight increase in the water and sewer bills in the near future in order to accommodate for replacement of deteriorated pipes and allow for growth. It has been years since there has been an increase, and while this one may seem ill-timed, it is necessary in order to maintain our city's infrastructure, protect the environment and ensure we continue to have plenty of safe, clean drinking water.

>> As for the fairgrounds, there are a number of positive enterprises that bring revenues to Nashville's coffers flourishing there, such as Christmas Village and the flea market; however, the neighbors are concerned about the noise generated from the racing activities. While the fair has not been profitable as of late, according to Chrysty Fortner, the director of marketing of the state fair, the "entire experience for the state fair is being reinvented.''

>> For the first time in 14 years, reappraisal will occur during a down market, and the mayor feels that there may be more property owners contesting their appraisals than in prior years.

>> While there are several relocations headed to the area and recruitment of new business remains a priority, Paul Ney, the director of the Mayor's Office of Economic and Community Development, also in attendance, noted that growing existing companies in Nashville is less costly and more productive than bidding for some of the larger, more celebrated corporate relocations. He added that while some companies move into adjacent counties, Nashville continues to receive more than its share of corporate relocations.

>> As for recycling, plans are underway to expand the programs into the outlying areas of Davidson County and to incorporate more flexibility in the program. In another environmentally friendly development, the Regional Transit Authority is active in establishing mass transit between Davidson and surrounding counties, and the mayors from those counties are all aboard for the introduction of the necessary state legislation for this region to move forward with a mass transit system.

>> Plans for a new convention center downtown have landed the woman's Final Four from the NCAA. The center has 85,000 rooms booked and the ground is yet to be broken. It is proving to be a viable enterprise as the city competes for tourists and their cash.

Sex offenders face stricter rules under new law

Another change will put doctors, lawyers on juries
By Lucas L. Johnson II • ASSOCIATED PRESS • December 31, 2008

Sex offenders will face tougher restrictions and professionals will no longer be exempt from jury duty under two of the new Tennessee laws that take effect on New Year's Day.

The sex offender law attempts to bring the state more in line with the "Adam Walsh Act," the sweeping federal law named after the murdered 6-year-old son of America's Most Wanted host John Walsh.

Signed in 2006, the Walsh act requires states to adopt strict standards for registering sex offenders and provide public information about their crimes and whereabouts. States that fail to do so risk a 10 percent cut to their share of funds in a congressional grant program used to fight crime.

The new Tennessee law requires a sex offender to register within 48 hours with the appropriate law enforcement agency after being released from a nursing home, assisted- living facility or mental health institution.

It also requires the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to verify an offender's death by obtaining a copy of death certificate, checking the Social Security death index, or obtaining a copy of an accident report before removing the offender from the registry.

"Tennessee will nearly be in complete compliance with the national standards with these additions," said TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm. "The last portion remaining to be passed is in regards to the juvenile portion of the registry."

Senate Minority Leader Jim Kyle said the law is necessary for the welfare of the state's children.

"I'm pleased that we were able to put in place another layer of protection for Tennessee's children," said the Memphis Democrat.

Also on Thursday, some laws governing juries, jurors and judicial commissions will change. Professionals such as doctors and lawyers, who were once automatically exempt from jury duty or required to perform only limited service, will no longer be exempt. However, the law does make exceptions for hardship cases.

Law focuses on voting"
It puts us all in the same jury selection pool," said David Haines, general counsel for the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Other new laws are aimed at stiffening the penalty for drunken driving and boosting confidence in the election process.

The DUI law increases the punishment for vehicular assault and vehicular homicide if a child is injured or killed as a result of drunken driving.

And the voting law — called the "Tennessee Voter Confidence Act" — requires any voting machine bought or leased after Jan. 1 to be able to create a paper trail that could be used in recounts and random audits.

A report released last year by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations showed only two of Tennessee's 95 counties keep a paper trail of voters' ballots. The report recommended all counties adopt the practice.

Nashville to hold own inaugural ball

Black-tie gala will help local groups
By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • December 31, 2008

When an estimated 1 million people pack Washington, D.C., for Barack Obama's presidential inauguration in three weeks, a few hundred will celebrate at Nashville's own inaugural ball.
For $100 each, they'll get food, musical performances, dancing, photo opportunities and the satisfaction of making 2009 a little easier for some Nashvillians. Proceeds will be donated to youth sports, job training and religious groups in Davidson County. The Rev. Enoch Fuzz, pastor of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church, hopes the event will raise enough money to give each group up to $5,000.
"It's a chance for Nashville not to wait for Washington to come and bail us out," said Fuzz. "We knew it could really be something to help Nashville."
Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, will be inaugurated at 11 a.m. Central time on Jan. 20. Every inauguration day features numerous balls honoring the new president and vice president and their families.
Fuzz and other organizers are hoping to draw 750 people to their 7 p.m. event at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel.
Asked if he worried that the $100 price tag might make it difficult for some people to attend the black-tie event, Fuzz said there would be other celebrations around town for those people.
He hopes it won't be heavily partisan — though there will be a dance called the "Music City U.S.A. Obama Slide."
Ralph Schulz, president and chief executive officer of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, is a Republican. But he said it's important for everyone to pull together, so he joined the host committee.
"It's a new president, and he's the president of all of us."
Information is available at http://www.volunteernashville.com. The New Hope Foundation, a sponsor of the ball, is selling tickets at www.newhope-foundation.org
Contact Michael Cass at 259-8838 or mcass@tennessean.com.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Davidson County crime log for Dec. 18-20, 2008

CRIME LOG
These are the most serious calls handled by the Metro police, listed by time, crime reported and address. Some reports may be unfounded. Police calls are listed by police precinct or town. When police cannot immediately determine the location of a crime, the address given is that of the police station or hospital where the crime was reported.

Dec. 20
Antioch
6:12 a.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
2:27 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5200 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
5:30 p.m., rape, at Hickory Park Drive
7:33 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Murfreesboro Pike
11:35 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5200 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
Bellshire
10:46 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Bell Grimes Lane
Bordeaux
1:16 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Lunn Court
3:40 p.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Buena Vista Pike
Central
12:02 a.m., rape, at Church Street
7:47 a.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Ninth Avenue North
Crieve Hall
4:36 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5600 block Franklin Road Circle
12:28 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5600 block Franklin Road Circle
Donelson
6:39 a.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Trails End Lane
East
4:17 a.m., cutting/stabbing, 900 block Joseph Avenue
10:22 a.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Berkshire Drive
2:53 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Brunswick Drive
5:19 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Douglas Avenue
9:21 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 3400 block Dickerson Pike
9:53 p.m., shooting, 3400 block Dickerson Pike
Hermitage
3:16 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3400 block Lebanon Pike
Madison
3:23 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1500 block Crestview Drive
10:30 a.m., residential burglary, 1800 block Spring Branch Drive
12:30 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 300 block East Webster Street
3:44 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Heritage Drive
6:04 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Madison Square
6:45 p.m., shooting, 700 block Walnut Street
7:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block North Gallatin Pike
North
9:07 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2100 block Rosa L Parks Boulevard
9:16 a.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Eaglewood Lane
12:16 p.m., residential burglary, 2000 block 15th Avenue North
9:51 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Great Circle Road
10:44 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Great Circle Road
11:38 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2000 block Rosa L Parks Boulevard
Old Hickory
3:11 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Rayon Drive
Priest Lake
2:31 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2900 block Murfreesboro Pike
3:06 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2900 block Murfreesboro Pike
South
2:26 a.m., shooting, 3000 block Hamilton Church Road
3:43 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Rosedale Avenue
10:29 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5300 block Mt. View Road
Trinity Hills
12:34 a.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block East Nocturne Drive
1:46 a.m., shooting, 1500 block Hampton Street
1:52 a.m., shooting, 1500 block Hampton Street
1:52 a.m., shooting, 1500 block Hampton Street
Tusculum
2:27 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4600 block Nolensville Road
West
4:57 p.m., holdup/robbery, 7600 block Highway 70 South
Woodbine
4:01 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Elysian Fields Road
4:57 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2900 block Nolensville Road

Dec. 19
Antioch
12:14 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Murfreesboro Pike
1:22 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 900 block Richards Road
3:04 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2400 block Murfreesboro Pike
7:26 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Arbor Place
Bordeaux
11:43 p.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Buena Vista Pike
Central
2:55 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 300 block Peabody Street
4:24 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 300 block 10th Avenue South
5:21 a.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Broadway
6:59 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block First Avenue North
Charlotte Park
12:19 p.m., residential burglary, 5800 block Leslie Avenue
2:45 p.m., residential burglary, 5800 block Leslie Avenue
5:08 p.m., holdup/robbery, 6400 block Thunderbird Drive
5:24 p.m., holdup/robbery, 6400 block Thunderbird Drive
Donelson
1:14 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Williamsburg Drive
7:19 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2700 block Lebanon Pike
East
4:34 a.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Chickasaw Avenue
7:10 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Gallatin Avenue
8:48 a.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block South Seventh Street
11:35 a.m., rape, at Porter Avenue
5:59 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 200 block South 14th Street
10:12 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 600 block South 12th Street
Hermitage
8:39 a.m., residential burglary, 2700 block Windcrest Trail
11:25 a.m., residential burglary, 800 block Gina Brooke Court
2:19 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Hermitage Avenue
2:57 p.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Cloudfalls Trace
Joelton
5:14 p.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Union Hill Road
Madison
1:38 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Pierce Road
10:06 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Anderson Lane
Neelys Bend
11:56 a.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Neelys Bend Road
North
5:11 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2800 block John A Merritt Boulevard
9:36 a.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Great Circle Road
9:39 a.m., rape, at Delaware Avenue
9:39 a.m., rape, at Delaware Avenue
3:30 p.m., residential burglary, 5300 block Illinois Avenue
4:17 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1700 block Cass Street
4:44 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1700 block Cass Street
6:53 p.m., residential burglary, 2000 block 10th Avenue North
8:50 p.m., residential burglary, 1400 block Tempany Court
11:56 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Bellshire Terrace Drive
Paragon Mills
4:04 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Harding Place
6:43 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4000 block Scotwood Drive
Priest Lake
2:27 p.m., residential burglary, 1700 block Bakers Grove Road
4:52 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Carla Court
6:18 p.m., residential burglary, 2900 block Anderson Road
South
2:06 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Plus Park Boulevard
2:14 p.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Haskell Drive
10:20 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Bell Road
Trinity Hills
1:19 p.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block Garrison Drive
1:37 p.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block Roman Drive
1:54 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3900 block Crouch Drive
Tusculum
1:19 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5700 block Nolensville Road
West
7:39 a.m., residential burglary, 900 block Greerland Drive
7:54 a.m., residential burglary, 3500 block Lealand Lane
10:18 a.m., cutting/stabbing, 1300 block 24th Avenue South
6:09 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Battlefield Drive
6:25 p.m., nonresidential burglary, at 16th Avenue North and Meharry Boulevard
Woodbine
6:02 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3000 block Nolensville Road
8:01 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 2600 block Nolensville Road

Dec. 18
Antioch
11:42 a.m., residential burglary, 900 block Split Oak Drive
Bordeaux
10:01 p.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Alpine Park Avenue
Central
9:26 a.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Opry Place
2:02 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Lafayette Street
8:34 p.m., rape, at James Robertson Parkway
Charlotte Park
11:13 a.m., residential burglary, 5700 block Robertson Avenue
East
10:29 a.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Gallatin Avenue
11:05 a.m., cutting/stabbing, 2600 block Pine Ridge Drive
2:11 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Fatherland Street
4:04 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Pennock Avenue
6:57 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block West Trinity Lane
Hermitage
9:50 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block Griffin Place
2:54 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Kipling Drive
6:53 p.m., rape, at Frist Boulevard
7 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Scotts Creek Circle
7:14 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Bonnacroft Drive
11:30 p.m., residential burglary, 5900 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Madison
9:27 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Liberty Lane
1:55 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Heritage Circle
7:10 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block North Gallatin Pike
7:51 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block South Gallatin Pike
North
5:14 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2600 block Jefferson Street
1:42 p.m., residential burglary, 3800 block Northbrook Drive
4:31 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block 14th Avenue North
10:04 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1600 block Buchanan Street
11:03 p.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Bellshire Terrace Drive
Priest Lake
10:27 a.m., residential burglary, 3400 block Anderson Road
10:27 a.m., residential burglary, 2900 block Cherry Hills Drive
South
6:05 a.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Murfreesboro Pike
11:46 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Murfreesboro Pike
3:21 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Zermatt Avenue
5:44 p.m., holdup/robbery, at East Thompson Lane and Old Glenrose Avenue
11:12 p.m., holdup/robbery, 10 block East Thompson Lane
Trinity Hills
6:37 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Troy Court
Tusculum
4:36 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Brentwood Place
Una
3:37 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Village Hills Drive
West
12:48 a.m., shooting, 1200 block Medical Center Drive
Whites Creek
6:57 a.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Ewingdale Drive
Woodbine
12 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Redd Court

Cultural Arts Center celebrates Kwanzaa

The Village Cultural Arts Center will sponsor its Kwanzaa celebration on Sunday, Dec. 28, at the Nashville School of the Arts, 1250 Foster Ave.
The annual event, in its 14th year, is considered one of the largest in Nashville. The celebration will include live entertainment by the Village Drum and Dance Ensemble, Found Movement Dance Company and other guests. Vendors will sell an array of multicultural items.

Kwanzaa is an African-American and pan-African holiday that celebrates family, community and culture. It is celebrated Dec. 26-Jan. 1. The name is derived from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza," which means "first fruits" in Swahili, a pan-African language that is the most widely spoken African language.

GETTING THERE
The Village Cultural Arts Center’s Kwanzaa celebration will be at 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 28, at the Nashville School of the Arts, 1250 Foster Ave. Doors open one hour before show. Cost is $12 for adults and $7 for youth 5-18 and those 60 and older. Call 228-9553.

Davidson County crime log from Dec. 15-17

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Holiday Greetings!

Happy Holidays to all and a Very Happy New Year to all!
Thanks for following this blog and hope it has been informative.

Best Wishes,

Vivian Wilhoite and Mindy Schwartz

Nonprofit agency offers low-cost car loans

Housing group sees need for reliable transportation
By Naomi Snyder • THE TENNESSEAN • December 25, 2008
Just as auto loans are harder to come by for people with credit problems, some Nashville residents now have a chance to get an automobile loan through a local nonprofit.
Affordable Housing Resources has signed on with a national charitable program called Ways to Work that will provide used-car loans to Nashville residents who meet certain guidelines.
"The need is just overwhelming for good reliable transportation at an affordable price," said Hunter Atkins, the president and chief executive of Bank of Nashville, who also is chairman of the board of Milwaukee-based Ways to Work.
Affordable Housing Resources plans to give out 40 to 60 car loans during the next year in Nashville, where it already serves local residents by providing affordable housing.
The group's chief executive officer, Eddie Latimer, said the organization realized it was having a tough time putting low-income people into houses because so many have expensive car loans.
"People come in here with six or seven-year (used) car notes and there's no way the car is going to last that long,'' he said. "We're trying to help people into cars that are more affordable so they can get into a house."
Transportation is first
One of those people is Barbara Ewing, a 49-year-old who lives in public housing and takes care of a 19-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy. Ewing said she wants to own a home some day, but for now, she's concentrating on getting a car.
Her nearly decade-old Hyundai needs a new transmission, which she can't afford.
Ewing works for the city of Nashville monitoring special-needs children on city-owned buses.
She gets to work at 5:30 a.m. and works until about 9 a.m., then goes home for a break before coming back to work about 1:30 p.m. for the afternoon bus rides. But getting to work and back has been tough.
Her car almost stalled recently while trying to get on the interstate in front of a tractor-trailer.
"That was a horrifying moment,'' she said. "I thought, 'I definitely need reliable transportation.' "
Ewing got approved for a car loan through Affordable Housing Resources.
The group offers up to $4,000 loans on used cars at 8 percent interest for two years. Latimer said they wanted to keep interest costs low, so they are limiting loans to two years.
The average interest auto lenders are offering for a three-year loan is 7.10 percent nationally, according to bankrate.com. But that rate normally goes to customers with good credit. Affordable Housing Resources will offer loans to people with a few dings on their credit report.
Program requirements
Applicants must have a job or go to school and be caring for a child. They must live in Davidson County and make about 80 percent or less of the median income in the county, depending on the number of people in the household. The median household income in Davidson County was $44,486 in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
There are other requirements, as well, including 15-hour financial literacy training.
Atkins said 38 organizations in the country offer Ways to Work loans, but Nashville is the first for Tennessee. He expects other organizations in other counties will begin offering the loans in the next year or two.

For more information, contact Tony Higginbotham at Affordable Housing Resources at 615-251-0025, ext. 270.

Metro may curb its bottled water

Mayor, councilman ask departments to cut back
By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • December 25, 2008

Those ubiquitous plastic water bottles soon will be seen a little less around the Metro Courthouse.
Mayor Karl Dean has decided that the mayor's office will stop buying bottled water after Metro Councilman Mike Jameson led the charge for legislation asking all city departments to take that step.
"Councilman Jameson made a good point," Dean said in a statement. "We've decided to stop purchasing bottled water and only serve tap water in the office. And Metro water is great, so it was a no-brainer."
Whether Dean's example will inspire other Metro departments to follow suit remains to be seen. The resolution sponsored by Jameson and council members Emily Evans and Jason Holleman wouldn't force anybody to do anything; it would simply ask all departments "to stop purchasing, consuming and serving bottled water."
The council postponed a vote on the measure Tuesday after an attorney representing bottled-water interests called some council members, Jameson said. The attorney, John Gupton, couldn't be reached for comment.
Councilman Rip Ryman, who asked for the deferral, said he didn't hear from Gupton, but he wasn't sure why the measure was necessary.
"I haven't seen anything yet about what it costs," Ryman said.
Jameson said the resolution was driven by both financial and environmental concerns. Most 20-ounce bottles cost at least $1, more than the equivalent volume of gas.
But just 88 cents buys 328 gallons of tap water from Metro Water Services.
Sonia Harvat, a Water Services spokeswoman, said city water is tested more than 300 times a day and meets all state and federal requirements.
Costs of bottled water varies
Jameson estimated that Metro spends $30,000 to $40,000 a year on bottled water. He said the sink in the council's break room is just three feet from the refrigerator that the Metro Clerk's office spends about $600 a year to keep stocked with bottled water for council members.
"It's an extravagance," he said.
Janel Lacy, a spokeswoman for Dean, said she wasn't able to provide a breakdown of the mayor's office's bottled water costs because purchases for water and other beverages are combined on invoices.
Other departments' costs vary. The health department spends about $700 a year, a spokesman said, while the school district has spent nearly $3,600 over the past 12 months.
But Metro Public Works sends its work crews out with large orange coolers filled with tap water, spokeswoman Gwen Hopkins-Glascock said. Public Works averages about $200 a year for bottled water to use for special events like employee cookouts, receptions for board and commission members, etc.
Jameson said bottled water hurts the environment in several ways. Trucks burn fossil fuels as they bring it to the city from other states. The petroleum-based bottles take an estimated 1,000 years to biodegrade. And the vast majority of them wind up in landfills rather than recycling centers.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors adopted a resolution in July encouraging cities to phase out their use of bottled water. The resolution said up to 40 percent of it comes from municipal water systems

Man killed in condo blaze near mall

A man has died in a Nashville condo fire.
Police identified the body as Galen Thomas Cope, 26.
He was found in the charred remains of the building Wednesday morning at the Bell Forge condos near Hickory Hollow Mall.
A roof and the second floor of the condo collapsed. Firefighters kept the blaze from spreading to other units.
Police said the cause of the fire is undetermined, but wood had been burning in the fireplace earlier.
The body was identified through dental records.

STAFF REPORTS - Tennessean

Friday, December 19, 2008

Davidson County crime log for Dec. 11-14, 2008

CRIME LOG
These are the most serious calls handled by the Metro police, listed by time, crime reported and address. Some reports may be unfounded. Police calls are listed by police precinct or town. When police cannot immediately determine the location of a crime, the address given is that of the police station or hospital where the crime was reported.

Dec. 14
Antioch
12:16 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5100 block Rice Road
9:12 p.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Evanfield Court
Central
2:51 a.m., holdup/robbery, at First Avenue South and Demonbreun Street
10:51 a.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Jefferson Street
Crieve Hall
9:21 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Baxter Lane
Donelson
6:38 a.m., residential burglary, 8100 block Stewarts Ferry Parkway
11:39 a.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Airways Circle
East
12:05 a.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Dickerson Pike
1:58 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Lischey Avenue
3:22 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Ewing Drive
7:33 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Wilburn Street
9:32 p.m., residential burglary, 1400 block Ardee Avenue
Hermitage
1:26 a.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Murfreesboro Pike
Neelys Bend
11 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Sanitarium Road
North
9:33 a.m., shooting, 3600 block Village Trail
11:12 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 300 block Ewing Drive
3:19 p.m., shooting, 1800 block 14th Avenue North
7:06 p.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Spears Road
10:05 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Due West Avenue North
Priest Lake
7:39 p.m., residential burglary, 2900 block Harbour View Drive
South
12:54 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 6600 block Sugar Valley Drive
11:32 a.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Antioch Pike
3:43 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 100 block Space Park South Drive
10:40 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Murfreesboro Pike
Trinity Hills
6:24 a.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Adlai Street
2:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2800 block Nocturne Forest Drive
Tusculum
12:07 a.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Ocala Drive
4:04 p.m., residential burglary, 5300 block Edmondson Pike
Vinehill
12:12 a.m., residential burglary, 600 block Wedgewood Avenue
West
5:13 a.m., residential burglary, 600 block Hillwood Boulevard
5:58 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block West End Avenue
5:59 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4500 block Charlotte Avenue
10:16 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2100 block Green Hills Village Drive
11 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 6200 block Charlotte Pike
5:26 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Gen. George Patton Road
6:53 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5500 block Charlotte Pike
11:55 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 2200 block Elliston Place
Woodbine
1:20 a.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Rascoe Road

Dec. 13
Antioch
2:11 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Johnson Ridge Road
Bellshire
3:32 p.m., residential burglary, 1100 block Hunters Lane
Belmont
7:06 a.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Bate Avenue
Bordeaux
6:32 p.m., residential burglary, 4100 block Ashland City Highway
East
6:52 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block Grizzard Avenue
9:05 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2100 block Greenwood Avenue
11:09 a.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Pennock Avenue
1:30 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block North Second Street
2:49 p.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block Gallatin Avenue
5:33 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Dickerson Pike
7:06 p.m., shooting, 500 block South Sixth Street
9:58 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1800 block Dickerson Pike
11:19 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Jones Circle and Queen Avenue
Hermitage
1:21 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 900 block Murfreesboro Pike
Joelton
6:43 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Union Hill Road
Madison
1:14 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Heritage Drive
10:17 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Walnut Street
7:01 p.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Rivergate Parkway
7:10 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1800 block North Gallatin Pike
7:52 p.m., shooting, 300 block Rio Vista Drive
9:30 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1800 block North Gallatin Pike
North
4 p.m., residential burglary, 2000 block Ninth Avenue North
4:54 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3000 block Brick Church Pike
7:54 p.m., residential burglary, 1700 block 11th Avenue North
10:22 p.m., residential burglary, 3500 block Standing Stone Drive
Priest Lake
8:06 p.m., residential burglary, 3400 block Anderson Road
8:33 p.m., hazardous leak, 3200 block Luann Drive
South
5:24 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5300 block Mt. View Road
Tusculum
12:12 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4600 block Packard Drive
7:05 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4600 block Nolensville Road
10:15 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5700 block Nolensville Road
1:24 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4600 block Packard Drive
Union Hill
12:42 p.m., residential burglary, 1700 block Springfield Highway
West
4:32 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block West End Avenue
8:53 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2300 block Elliston Place
2:23 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 1200 block Medical Center Drive
6:07 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2100 block Green Hills Village Drive
7:06 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1200 block Horton Avenue
9:46 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block 16th Avenue South
Woodbine
11:24 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Nolensville Road

Dec. 12
Antioch
12:44 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Sandia Peak Court
1:10 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 4600 block Fanning Drive
3:10 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1200 block Bell Road
5:04 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Johnson Ridge Road
Bakertown
10:58 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1300 block Antioch Pike
Belmont
12:07 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Linden Avenue
Berry Hill
10:06 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Franklin Road
Bordeaux
5:31 p.m., residential burglary, 3800 block West Hamilton Road
Central
12:52 a.m., holdup/robbery, 10 block Interstate Drive
4:11 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Union Street
7:12 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Second Avenue North
8:16 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Eighth Avenue South
Cockrill Bend
5:01 a.m., holdup/robbery, 7200 block Cockrill Bend Boulevard
Donelson
6:56 a.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Donelson Pike
7:43 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Ellery Court
10:11 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3100 block Lebanon Pike
East
11:48 a.m., residential burglary, 1000 block North 16th Street
12:37 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Fernwood Drive
4:17 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3100 block Dickerson Pike
4:20 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Joseph Avenue
4:28 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block North Second Street
5:09 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Sylvan Street
5:25 p.m., residential burglary, 3700 block Cedarwood Drive
Goodlettsville
5:47 p.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block Rivergate Parkway
Joelton
10:36 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 20 block Joelton Community Center Road
Madison
8:07 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Shannon Avenue
2:12 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Nesbitt Lane
11:59 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2000 block Williams Valley Drive
Neelys Bend
9:59 a.m., rape, at Sandy Spring Trail
North
5:22 p.m., residential burglary, 3400 block Fawnwood Place
5:51 p.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Great Circle Road
7:26 p.m., residential burglary, 3400 block Fawnwood Place
8:56 p.m., residential burglary, 1700 block Underwood Street
9:38 p.m., shooting, at Clarksville Pike and 26th Avenue North
9:41 p.m., shooting, 2400 block 25th Avenue North
11:38 p.m., shooting, 2200 block 26th Avenue North
Paragon Mills
8:28 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Paragon Mills Road
Providence
8:45 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Watsonwood Drive
South
7:12 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2100 block Nolensville Road
9:34 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Bell Road
1:11 p.m., residential burglary, 5

00 block Call Hill Place
5:19 p.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Blairfield Drive
Trinity Hills
7:48 a.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block East Nocturne Drive
8:46 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block West Trinity Lane
Tusculum
5:53 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 5700 block Nolensville Road
West
10:03 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 7000 block Charlotte Pike
12:23 p.m., rape, at Edgehill Avenue
12:54 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block 28th Avenue North
1:11 p.m., residential burglary, 2900 block Westmoreland Drive
2:40 p.m., rape, at Albion Street
9:15 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block 22nd Avenue North
10:32 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Clifton Lane
Woodbine
9:58 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3600 block Trousdale Drive

Dec. 11
Antioch
10:31 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 5200 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
Belmont
4:46 a.m., shooting, 800 block Bradford Avenue
4:47 a.m., shooting, 800 block Glen Avenue
Bordeaux
10:56 a.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Dove Place
Donelson
6:54 p.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Quail View Drive
East
1:11 a.m., residential burglary, 10 block Fern Avenue
3:35 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3400 block Dickerson Pike
6:06 a.m., residential burglary, 10 block Fern Avenue
11:08 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3200 block Gallatin Pike
2:36 p.m., rape, at Stratford Avenue
2:42 p.m., rape, at Stratford Avenue
3:13 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Hart Avenue
4:14 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Eastmoreland Street
5:43 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Dickerson Pike
5:55 p.m., rape, at Stratford Avenue
5:56 p.m., residential burglary, 2200 block Carter Avenue
9:11 p.m., rape, at Rosedale Avenue
Hermitage
8:59 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3600 block Central Pike
6:10 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Saddlestone Drive
7:19 p.m., holdup/robbery, 10 block Fairfield Avenue
Joelton
2:28 p.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Ivey Point Road
Madison
10:16 a.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block South Gallatin Pike
1:37 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1500 block North Gallatin Pike
1:42 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1500 block North Gallatin Pike
Neelys Bend
3:05 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Cheyenne Boulevard
North
7:39 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Clarksville Pike
8:41 a.m., residential burglary, 2100 block 15th Avenue North
4:40 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block 45th Avenue North
5:58 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Tiger Circle
Old Hickory
12:25 p.m., shooting, 4800 block Smokey Drive
Priest Lake
11:42 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3000 block Smith Springs Road
6:31 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Bell Road
Tusculum
11:25 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 5700 block Nolensville Road
12:45 p.m., residential burglary, 4500 block Packard Drive
3 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 300 block Colemont Terrace
8:01 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Haywood Lane
Two Rivers
3:43 p.m., rape, at McGavock Pike
West
12:19 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2200 block Bandywood Drive
7:13 p.m., residential burglary, 9500 block Highway 100
8:03 p.m., holdup/robbery, at 11th Avenue South and Edgehill Avenue
Woodbine
3 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4000 block Nolensville Road
6:57 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block Coventry Drive

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Stewarts Ferry Pike upgraded

TDOT tries Design-Build method for project
By Andy Humbles • THE TENNESSEAN • December 17, 2008

Work will start on improvements to the Stewarts Ferry Pike and Interstate 40 interchange that will include a new traffic signal for the westbound off ramp.
Other elements of the Tennessee Department of Transportation project include adding a right turn lane to the westbound off ramp that will result in dedicated right and left turn lanes. Also, the existing left turn lane for the westbound ramp is being extended, and about 1,000 feet of Stewarts Ferry Pike will be resurfaced.
The project is also the first being done by TDOT in Middle Tennessee under the Design-Build method. Design-Build is a project in which the design and construction are going on virtually simultaneously to speed up completion time, said TDOT spokeswoman B.J. Doughty.
"This is a relatively small project for us to get our feet wet,'' Doughty said. "It's something we're looking at.''
The Design-Build method could cut six months off the timeline for the Stewarts Ferry and I-40 project, Doughty estimated, than if done by the more standard construction method of design first, followed by construction.

Communication needed
LoJac is the contractor for the project. More communication between the contractor and design firm will be necessary, said Lojac's Glenn Chambers.
Challenges are "understanding the process of parts we're not usually a part of and making sure we get the checklist of things to do, done,'' Chambers said.
TDOT will evaluate doing other select projects with the Design-Build method.
"It may be a way to do a few projects, but not every one,'' Doughty said. "But it could be a great benefit to a project like this, where there isn't a lot to it, and it is a heavy traffic area where there may be great benefit in shortening the construction time.''
Completion is targeted for mid-April, Doughty said. She estimated the Design-Build method will shorten the project by about six months.
The projected cost for the Stewarts Ferry and I-40 work is $649,445.
The way a Design-Build project is paid for will be different than one done traditionally. Hopes are that potentially greater costs in the bidding process can be offset by quicker completion time, Doughty said.
"That is an analysis TDOT will have to make as we do a few projects,'' she said.

"It's a mess''
The improvements themselves will be welcome according to Hermitage residents Homer "Hop'' Hopkins and his wife, Deta Hopkins, who sometimes use the Stewarts Ferry Pike interchange at I-40. The east side ramp already has a traffic light.
"I think it will be wonderful if they put in a light,'' Deta Hopkins said. "People get off (I-40) at Stewarts Ferry, and if you make a left turn it takes a long time. Even if you turn right, it's not (a) clear (view), and there are cars coming at you. It's a mess. There is going to be a fatality there soon.''
Hop Hopkins believed "anything they can do to help traffic flow,'' with the growth occurring and predicted, especially with the Villages of Riverwood project now near Dodson Chapel and Hoggett Ford roads.
Any lane closures will be between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. only, though work can be done outside those hours. The westbound off ramp will be narrowed from 16 feet wide to about 12 feet when a barrier rail is put in place, which could create longer delays during peak traffic hours.
Metro is also planning to follow up TDOT's work by repaving Stewarts Ferry Pike from the I-40 bridge to Lebanon Pike, about 1.788 miles. That work is anticipated to begin in May, said Metro Public Works spokeswoman Gwen Hopkins-Glascock.

Police set weekend DUI checkpoints

DAVIDSON COUNTYMetro police officers, including those working extra duty through a Governor's Highway Safety Office grant, will be conducting sobriety checkpoints from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday on Gallatin Pike near Madison, Lebanon Pike near Hermitage, Murfreesboro Pike near Bell Road, and Nolensville Pike near Thompson Lane.

These extra-duty officers charged 42 people with DUI last weekend in the police depart-ment's continuing DUI initiative.

These officers target impaired drivers from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. in areas known to have crime, fatal crashes and DUI arrests.

— STAFF REPORTS (Tennessean)

State departments get budget-cutting orders

Official orders multi-stage plans
By Theo Emery • THE TENNESSEAN • December 18, 2008

State departments received new budget-cutting instructions this week, starting the clock on plans to reduce spending across many areas of government by as much as 20 percent.
In a letter to agency heads and budget officers on Monday, Finance Commissioner Dave Goetz asked departments to prepare a multi-stage plan to reduce spending in response to falling state revenues, now estimated to be under projections by as much as $1 billion this year, and possibly $1 billion again next year.
Goetz asked departments to first draw up a two-tiered plan to reduce spending by about 15 percent by Dec. 30. The first tier of reductions would be roughly 8 percent.
The second tier of about 7 percent would be in case no federal aid is forthcoming to ease the state's budget crunch.
After Dec. 30, departments must put together still another plan to cut 5 percent more, in case the state's financial situation deteriorates further.
Most departments, but not all, will see cuts. Spending on K-12 education will not be cut, nor will scholarships and other awards from the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation; salaries and benefits of judges, lawmakers and district attorneys general; Cover Tennessee health programs; and a few other areas.

Auto Theft/Warming-Up Vehicles

December 17, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Auto Theft detectives today arrested four teenagers suspected of stealing at least 14 vehicles from neighborhoods in Hermitage, South Nashville and LaVergne that were left to warm up by their owners.

Darius Collins, 19, of North 5th Street, Keith Potter, 18, of McKeige Drive, Thomas Gooch, 18, of Luann Court, and a 16-year-old were taken into custody without incident at Potter’s home. Outside the residence were two vehicles that had recently been stolen from LaVergne.

After interviewing the suspects this afternoon, Auto Theft detectives determined that the four are responsible for a recent rash of stolen vehicles. They would ride through neighborhoods and apartment complexes in the early morning hours looking for cars and trucks that had been left unlocked and running. They would steal the vehicles, joyride in them for a few days, and then abandon them. Several were left at Rutherford Pointe Apartments in LaVergne.

All four suspects will be charged with multiple counts of auto theft.

“The Auto Theft Unit did an outstanding job identifying and arresting these teenagers, who had no intention of cutting back on their thievery,” Chief Ronal Serpas said.

The Metropolitan Police Department strongly cautions citizens not to abandon vehicles as they warm up, and to not leave running vehicles unattended outside convenience stores and other businesses. Doing so makes things very easy for auto thieves.

Officer Troy Meadows
Hermitage Precinct Community Affairs Unit
Metro-Nashville Police Department
Phone 880-1781

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Hermitage Precinct Newsletter Dec 2008

Our newsletter and our Top Ten Most Wanted List may be viewed at the below link.

http://www.police.nashville.org/bureaus/fieldops/hermitage/default.htm

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Metro schools avoid layoffs, but $4M more in cuts expected

Shortfall could mean loss of jobs next go-round
By Jaime Sarrio • THE TENNESSEAN • December 16, 2008

Metro schools will trim $3 million from its budget by freezing job openings, cutting money for band uniforms and tightening the belt on travel and spending.
But board members say it won't be enough to plug the $12 million shortfall caused by slow sales tax collections.
An additional $4 million probably will have to be cut from the $622.7 million budget in January, and that could mean layoffs, something officials were able to avoid this time around.
"We're not having to lay anybody off and that's a great thing," said board member Steve Glover, chairman of the budget and finance committee. "At some point, if we have to keep reducing the budget, we're going to get into existing positions."
Metro schools will pull $5 million from reserves to make up the remainder of the shortfall. Next year's picture looks worse and the board may have to pull $28 million from savings to keep the district afloat, Glover said.

Districts across the state and the nation are bracing for cuts.
In Louisville, Ky., board members are considering hundreds of job cuts and bus route reductions to offset a $45 million shortfall next year.
In Las Vegas, officials are slashing 1,000 jobs and trimming athletic programs by 15 percent. In Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the Broward County school board is seeking an unlikely $500 million bailout from the federal government.
Metro schools has pulled $19.2 million from savings this year to maintain services. State law requires districts to keep 3 percent of their budget in a rainy-day fund.
This round of reductions hits several departments, including gifted education services to special education supervisors. Many of the positions that won't be filled are at the central office and are clerical.
The next round will be more difficult as the district tries to improve academics, said Interim Schools Director Chris Henson, whose permanent job is the district's financial director. The state has partial control in Metro because the district failed to meet benchmarks for five years.
"Anything that comes close to the classroom may not impact the classroom directly, but it may impact it indirectly," he said. "We're trying to stay as far away from the classroom as we can."
Henson said the district may enact a spending freeze, and has already instructed employees to be frugal with travel.

Where the money goes
Last month the district announced a $6 million savings thanks to a preliminary hiring freeze, but it had to shell out more for some services to address academic deficiencies and other concerns. These include:
>> $2.8 million for monitors on special education buses, at the mayor's urging.
>> $1.5 million for 29 new English Language Learning teachers to accommodate the state's direction and the district's growing foreign-language-speaking population.
>> $270,000 for 14 more special education teachers to address low performance among some students.
>> $1.3 million to hire assistant principals at high-priority schools, which board members say is linked to the state directives.
Michael Holt, a parent of three Metro graduates, believes the district should take a look at consolidating city and schools services, such as libraries and maintenance, and cutting what he sees as excessive programs, such as the PALS initiative, which pairs full-time mentors with new teachers.
Holt said the board should appoint a committee of business leaders and community members to determine how to make the district more efficient.
"The only people ever threatened with layoff are janitors — and that's not where the real savings are," he said. "They need to stop trying to nourish their empire."

Donations help agency assist mentally ill

By Natalia Mielczarek • THE TENNESSEAN • December 16, 2008

Season to Give: Part of a continuing series
It's not unusual for Barbara Adams to hear her brother laugh and giggle.

Until five years ago, it happened rarely, she said.

That's because until then, her brother — who's mentally disabled and nonverbal — lived in a large facility for mentally ill where he was mistreated, Adams said.

Since William Lucas, 55, moved to a group home run by a nonprofit called Waves Inc., his quality of life has improved drastically, Adams said. She visits Lucas in his Fairview apartment at least twice a week.

"He'll give you hugs," Adams said. "He's more outgoing, so we can notice changes. Before he wouldn't do anything with you. He was withdrawn. His caretakers treat him like he's a king. It makes me feel great."

Waves Inc., with locations in Fairview and Franklin, offers a wide range of services to people and children with developmental disabilities: from housing with constant supervision and assistance to day activities for adults and an early childhood intervention program. It also links clients with employers and helps them find volunteering opportunities.

Waves Inc. is largely funded by the state, said Beth Duning, the agency's director of adult services.

"The funding generally isn't enough, so we rely on volunteers and donations," she said.

"Without them, the quality of our services would clearly drop. Their quality of life would change."

Contact Natalia Mielczarek at 615-259-8079 or nmielczarek@tennessean.com.

Monday, December 15, 2008

2 sought in S. Nashville home invasion

Metro police are searching for two armed suspects in a home invasion at an apartment complex overnight in South Nashville.
According to Metro police, the two victims, a 19-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man, were inside their apartment at a complex on 309 Redd Court, off of Nolensville Road near McNally Drive, when someone knocked on the unlocked door shortly before 1:30 a.m. Monday. Two armed suspects entered and ordered the couple into a closet. The suspects fled with a TV, a laptop, speakers, cash and jewelry.
No one was injured in the incident.
The suspects were described as the following: a black man, 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a black jacket, blue bandana and braids and carrying a handgun; and a black man, 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a black hoodie and blue bandana and also carrying a handgun.
"There is not evidence at this time that it was a targeted apartment," Metro police Capt. Michele Donegan said.
Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call police at 74-CRIME or call the South Precinct, 5101 Harding Place, at 615-862-7744.

— LEIGH RAY

Davidson County crime log from Dec. 8-10

Best Bets Around Nashville

Beginners, Intermediate Salsa Classes
7 P.M. WEDNESDAY, BEGINNERS; 8:30 INTERMEDIATE
Where: FIT Center, 125 12th Ave. S.
Tickets: $10 per lesson, $40 for a package

About the event: Dance classes designed for students with some or without salsa experience. For more information, write to FuntopiaNashville@gmail.com or call 901-484-0541.

Nashville Striders Fun Run
5:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY
Where:Centennial Park
Tickets: Free

About the event: Run starts from the Activity Center. For more information, visit www.nashvillestriders.com/GroupFunRuns.htm. 862-8424.

Mouth Odyssey
7 P.M. WEDNESDAY
Where: Bongo Java, 2007 Belmont Blvd.
Tickets: $8, $5 students with ID; 385-5282.

About the event: FuseBox Theatre presents two-man, fully improvised, time-traveling, vaudevillian serial drama upstairs at Bongo After Hours. For details, call 615-509-0089 or visit www.fuseboxtheatre.com.

A Storybook Christmas
WEDNESDAY THROUGH JAN. 4 9:30 A.M.-4:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY –DEC. 20, 23-24, 26-27, 30-31; 11 A.M.-4:30 P.M. DEC. 21 AND 28
Where: Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, 1200 Forrest Park Drive
Tickets: $10, $8 ages 65+, $5 ages 6-17, active military with ID and college students with ID, free ages 5-under.

About the event: Seven tall trees will be decorated to evoke memories of favorite childhood stories in this display on view through Jan. 4. For more information, visit www.cheekwood.org. 356-8000.

World's Largest Tower of Shoes
WEDNESDAY- DEC. 31 DAILY
Where: Opry Mills, 433 Opry Mills Drive
Tickets: Donations requested

About the event: A 12-foot tall display, located near the courtyard area at mall entrance 2, will feature photographs and stories illustrating children and adults around the world who have been touched by the gift of new shoes. Donations to Soles4Souls' holiday shoe drive will create the Tower. For more information, visit www.giveshoes.org. 1-877—740-7386.

Dialing In
7-9 P.M. WEDNESDAY
Where: Rocketown, 401 Sixth Ave. S.
Tickets: $10 donation

About the event: Walk57 sponsors evening of music, ministry to benefit The Aid Sudan Radio Station Project. Singles of Nashville will be challenged to purchase satellite radio for $10 to support project. Radios have capability to reach 10–15 people around camp fires, in huts and on plains of Sudan sharing word of God. For details, contact Kelly Donovan at 615-484-9651 or walk57hhbc@gmail.com. Visit www.walk57.com.

Winter Wonders
WEDNESDAY THROUGH JAN. 4; 10 A.M.-5 P.M. WEDNESDAY- DEC. 20, 22-23, 26-27, 29-31; 12:30-5:30 P.M. DEC. 21 AND 28; 10 A.M.-3 P.M. DEC. 24
Where: Adventure Science Center, 800 Fort Negley Blvd.

Tickets: part of regular fee of $11, $9 ages 3-12 and ages 62+, active military families with ID and college students with ID; free for certified Tennessee teachers.

About the event: Experience and learn about winter weather conditions through a number of interactive exhibits and activities, including virtual snowball fights and the opportunity to start an indoor blizzard. For more information, visit www.adventuresci.com. 862-5160.

The Road to Bethlehem
7:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY- DEC. 21
Where: Darkhorse Theatre, 4610 Charlotte Ave.
Tickets: $12-$15

About the event: In this Christmas comedy, on the eve of the big event in Bethlehem, two simple shepherds get a visit from a well-meaning but occasionally dim Angel, trying to steer them toward the City of David. GroundWorks Theatre, 262-5485 or www.groundworkstheatre.com.

Lost Claus
11 A.M. WEDNESDAY- DEC. 20
Where: Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100

Tickets: $8 for all ages, includes show and beverage

About the event: In play for kids, Woody, the hardest working elf at the North Pole, discovers Santa is missing. Teaming with Donner, Frosty the Snowman and Olivia Neutron-Bomb, they decide they can do a better job than Santa. Bringing sack lunches, snacks allowed. Pictures with Santa and his elves available afterward. Reservations for show and pictures required. Call 615-646-9977. For details, visit www.dinnertheatre.com.

Greetings
6 P.M. WEDNESDAY- DEC. 20, 26-27, 30-31
Where: Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100

Tickets: $45, $35 ages 13-18, $25 ages 12-under, with dinner, show, tax; $33, $29 ages 13-18, $25 ages 12-under, show only.

About the event: A man brings home his outspoken and progressive fiancee to spend Christmas Eve with his devoutly Catholic parents. As things start to heat up his brother breaks the tension with a surprise holding the power to change all of them forever. Reservations are required by calling 615-646-9977.

Community Cinema: Independent Lens — Helvetica:
5:15 RECEPTION, 6 P.M. FILM, WEDNESDAY
Where: Nashville Public Library, 615 Church St.

Tickets: Free

About the event: Documentary preview preceded by a reception at 5:15 p.m. and followed by discussion. The film examines how this one typeface is part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. 862-5800.

Gingerbread World Holiday Celebration: Ginger's Night Out
7 P.M. THURSDAY
Where: Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, 2100 West End Ave.

Tickets: $85 per person; $200 Patron Reserved House package; $700 reserved patron tables for six available

About the event: Gathering for grown-up girlfriends featuring appetizers and refreshments held in the Skylight Foyer. All proceeds benefit Centerstone's mental health services for children and families. Elizabeth Callis, 463-6646 or development@centerstone.org.

Short Story Lunch Hour
NOON, THURSDAY
Where: Nashville Public Library, 615 Church St.

Tickets: Free

About the event: Author Ann Patchett will read her lauded Sarah Lawrence College commencement address, offering ideas for those graduating, changing careers or transitioning from one life stage to another. Author's Corner. Bag lunches welcome. 862-5800.

Handel's Messiah
7 P.M. THURSDAY, 8 P.M. FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
Where: Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 1 Symphony Place

Tickets: Start at $35

About the event: The Nashville Symphony and Nashville Symphony Chorus join together for this performance. For more information, call 615-687-6400 or visit www.nashvillesymphony.org.

Some companies bring call centers back to U.S. soil

I found this article very interesting and was wondering what others thought.I worked for call centers in the past and lost my job because my job was shipped out of the country. Feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks,
Mindy

By Peter Whoriskey • THE WASHINGTON POST • December 15, 2008

WASHINGTON — If you prefer a customer service agent who speaks "American," then computer maker Dell has a deal for you.

Catering to consumers put off by the accents of Bangalore, Manila and other call-center hubs around the globe, Dell will guarantee — for a price — that the person who picks up the phone on a support call will be, as company ads mention in bold text, "based in North America."

The Your Tech Team service, with agents in the United States, costs $13 a month for customers with a Dell account, or $99 a year for people who buy a new computer. It also promises that wait times will average two minutes or less. Without the upgrade, a customer probably will get technical help from someone in India, the Philippines or the other places where Dell has operators.

By charging customers extra for a North American voice, Dell's program represents a novel strategy for easing the strains of globalization while maintaining profit, industry officials said.

Occasionally, "we've heard from customers that it's hard to understand a particular accent and that they couldn't understand the instructions they were getting," Dell spokesman Bob Kaufman said. "This illustrates Dell's commitment to customer choice."

Complaints about customer service agents based in other countries are an everyday phenomenon across several industries. For many U.S. consumers, the diverse accents that come across customer service lines constitute one of the most pervasive reminders of globalization and the offshoring of jobs. That can make personnel in the call center targets for American anger.

Price raises concerns
Industry analysts say companies can save 50 percent to 75 percent on their call centers by putting them overseas.

But getting a customer service agent with whom it is easy to communicate ought to be a service that is provided gratis, some industry analysts said.

"Most people in the customer service world believe that if you have sold me a product, then support for that product should be free," said Lyn Kramer, managing director of Kramer and Associates, a call-center consultancy.

Jitterbug, a cell phone company that markets to older Americans, similarly boasts in ads that its operators are in the United States, but it does not charge extra to speak to them. The company's TV spots show a headset draped in an American flag. "You'd be amazed how many customers ask, "Where are you based?' " said David Inns, Jitterbug's chief executive. "The response we get when we say, "We're in Auburn Hills, Michigan, ma'am' — well, they love it."

Although airlines, banks and some retailers have overseas call centers, computer makers have been particularly apt to put call centers in foreign countries. According to an online survey conducted by CFI Group, more than a third of respondents who recently made a call for computer support reported that the person they reached was outside the United States.

Though some have suggested that the friction between U.S. consumers and foreign operators arises from prejudice, some observers see it differently.

"I hear people say all the time that people who complain about call centers in India are being racist or nativist — but it's not as simple as that," said Sharmila Rudrappa, a sociology professor at the University of Texas at Austin and a native of Bangalore, India. "If you need tech support, it already shows you're having a crazy time getting your Dell computer to work. And when things go haywire, you want assurance, you want familiarity, you want someone to hold your hand and say it's OK. What you don't want is to have to work at understanding the person on the other end of the line."

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Service scheduled for those experiencing grief

By Andy Humbles THE TENNESSEAN • December 12, 2008

Donelson Heights United Methodist Church at 84 Fairway Drive will hold a service to support those who have experienced grief and loss and to honor those who have died in recent years at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 17.

The community is invited.

Call 883-6103 for information.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Davidson County crime log for Dec. 4-7, 2008

CRIME LOG

These are the most serious calls handled by the Metro police, listed by time, crime reported and address. Some reports may be unfounded. Police calls are listed by police precinct or town. When police cannot immediately determine the location of a crime, the address given is that of the police station or hospital where the crime was reported.

Dec. 7
Belmont
9:01 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Bernard Avenue

Central
12:32 a.m., cutting/stabbing, 100 block Second Avenue South
4:53 a.m., nonresidential burglary, Hermitage Avenue at Lea Avenue

East
12:15 a.m., rape, at Joy Circle
8:34 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2900 block Dickerson Pike
6:01 p.m., shooting, 600 block South Seventh Street
11:54 p.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Strouse Avenue

Hermitage
10:47 a.m., residential burglary, 4500 block Brooke Valley Drive
11:50 a.m., residential burglary, 4100 block Hunting Drive
10:30 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Burning Tree Drive
10:51 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Brooks Mill Circle

Madison
10:38 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block East Webster Street
7:26 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Old Hickory Boulevard West and South Gallatin Road

North
7:14 a.m., residential burglary, 5500 block Tennessee Avenue

Priest Lake
12:24 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Homey Drive
1:12 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3000 block Smith Springs Road
10:12 a.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Oak Timber Drive

South
10:02 p.m., residential burglary, 6300 block Hills Chapel Road
10:30 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block McCann Street
10:42 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block McCann Street

Tusculum
4:40 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4500 block Packard Drive
8:51 p.m., rape, at Haywood Lane

Una
3:22 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Murfreesboro Pike

West
10:45 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 7000 block Old Harding Pike
3:50 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5600 block Charlotte Pike
4:33 p.m., shooting, 1200 block Medical Center Drive
11:15 p.m., residential burglary, 1100 block Horton Avenue

Woodbine
6:26 p.m., rape, at Valeria Court
11:35 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Antioch Pike

Dec. 6
Belmont
6:25 p.m., holdup/robbery, at South Douglas Avenue and Ninth Avenue South

Berry Hill
9:54 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2700 block Franklin Road

Bordeaux
12:20 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Phipps Drive
12:20 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Phipps Drive

Central
3:32 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Broadway

Donelson
6:09 a.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block McGavock Pike
10:50 a.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Quail Road
9:38 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2400 block Lebanon Pike

East
1:15 a.m., cutting/stabbing, 1300 block Meridian Street
7:40 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1400 block Gallatin Avenue
10:05 a.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Lischey Avenue
2:53 p.m., residential burglary, 1700 block Evelyn Avenue
9:25 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block South Fourth Street
11:21 p.m., shooting, 3400 block Dickerson Pike

Hermitage
12:30 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Murfreesboro Pike
5:19 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Omohundro Court

Lakewood
5:06 p.m., rape, at 30th Street

Madison
1:44 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block North Dupont Avenue
11:09 p.m., shooting, 100 block Harris Street

North
10:22 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Tiger Circle
1 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 700 block Due West Avenue North
4:06 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block 26th Avenue North
10:52 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3100 block Lauren Evelyn Way

Old Hickory
9:04 p.m., rape, at Robinson Road

Priest Lake
6:55 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 400 block Bell Road
7:10 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Castlegate Drive

South
4:12 a.m., holdup/robbery, 20 block East Thompson Lane
10:28 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Bell Road

Tusculum
3:50 p.m., residential burglary, 3800 block Creekside Drive
9:44 p.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Greentree Drive
11:03 p.m., residential burglary, 3900 block Apache Trail

West
8 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 7600 block Highway 70 South
5:19 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2100 block Bandywood Drive
11:26 p.m., rape, at Albion Street

Woodbine
2:25 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Bridgeway Drive
6:14 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3700 block Nolensville Road
11:46 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3700 block Nolensville Road

Dec. 5
Antioch
3:44 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Dover Glen Drive
6:14 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Arbor Ridge Drive

Bakertown
6:09 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1800 block Antioch Pike
6:16 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1800 block Antioch Pike

Belmont
3:40 a.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Belmont Boulevard

Bordeaux
9:04 a.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Lincoln Avenue

Brentwood
11:49 a.m., residential burglary, at Old Hickory Boulevard and Franklin Road

Central
5:18 a.m., shooting, 200 block Shelby Avenue

Donelson
3:05 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Donelson Pike
6:22 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Donelson Pike

East
5:41 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Dellway Villa Road
10:29 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 900 block Gallatin Avenue
5:15 p.m., shooting, 700 block Gallatin Avenue
6:17 p.m., shooting, 700 block Gallatin Avenue
9:26 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 3400 block Dickerson Pike
10:59 p.m., residential burglary, 1400 block McGavock Pike
11:37 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block South Fifth Street

Hermitage
11:09 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3900 block Lebanon Pike
8:03 p.m., residential burglary, 4500 block Brooke Valley Drive

Madison
12:50 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1700 block North Gallatin Pike
5:27 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 400 block K C Court
6:42 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Sealey Drive

Neelys Bend
7:40 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Larkin Springs Road

North
10:02 p.m., residential burglary, 2300 block Rosa L Parks Boulevard
10:30 p.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Hawkwood Lane

South
10:06 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1000 block Murfreesboro Pike
10:46 a.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Zermatt Avenue
12 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5300 block Mt. View Road
5:54 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Murfreesboro Pike

Trinity Hills
4:04 p.m., residential burglary, 2700 block Old Matthews Road

Two Rivers
7:47 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2400 block McGavock Pike

Una
8:56 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 100 block Nashboro Boulevard
12:30 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 100 block Nashboro Boulevard

West
9:52 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 200 block 22nd Avenue North
3:15 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 4000 block Hillsboro Pike
5:42 p.m., residential burglary, 2200 block Hampton Avenue
6:45 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4100 block Hillsboro Pike

Whites Creek
6:16 p.m., residential burglary, 3400 block Knight Drive

Woodbine
3:54 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Elysian Fields Road
10:49 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4300 block Sidco Drive

Dec. 4
Antioch
12:51 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Arbor Knoll Boulevard

Berry Hill
8:54 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Franklin Road

Bordeaux
1:03 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Harold Prewett Drive
3:13 p.m., residential burglary, 3900 block Drakes Branch Road

Central
7:20 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Monroe Street

Cockrill Bend
7:24 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 7100 block Centennial Boulevard

Crieve Hall
9:33 a.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Harding Place
5:10 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Players Court
5:11 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Broadwell Drive
5:20 p.m., residential burglary, 4900 block Trousdale Drive

Donelson
10:04 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Allen Road

East
4:22 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 700 block Myrtle Street
6:04 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Dickerson Pike
11:47 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3100 block Dickerson Pike

Hermitage
5:14 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1200 block Murfreesboro Pike
6:13 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1200 block Murfreesboro Pike
4:23 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Charles E. Davis Boulevard
6:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Fesslers Lane
8:42 p.m., residential burglary, 60 block Donelson Street

Joelton
6:37 p.m., residential burglary, 8200 block Jackman Road

Madison
6:19 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Shandale Drive
9:07 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Brink Haven Avenue

Neelys Bend
7:32 a.m., residential burglary, 600 block Cheyenne Boulevard
2:45 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Freeman Lane

North
12 p.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Moorewood Drive
12:01 p.m., residential burglary, 3500 block Standing Stone Drive
12:03 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Quail Ridge Drive
12:09 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Lauren Evelyn Way
5:46 p.m., residential burglary, 3500 block Standing Stone Drive
5:47 p.m., residential burglary, 3800 block Northbrook Drive

Paragon Mills
3:52 p.m., rape, at Humber Drive

South
12:51 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1300 block Pillow Street
4:59 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2700 block Murfreesboro Pike
1:42 p.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Hamilton Church Road
9:42 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Shaylin Loop

Trinity Hills
11:07 a.m., residential burglary, 3800 block Crouch Drive
1:23 p.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Grover Street

Una
4:35 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Edge O Lake Drive

West
9:43 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block Broadway
10:09 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block Glen Echo Road
2:50 p.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Alabama Avenue
8:36 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Edgehill Avenue and 12th Avenue South
11:50 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2400 block Elliston Place

Woodbine
5:15 p.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block McNally Drive

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

"FREE" Van for the taking..well for the driving that is

Got this message from Ms. Gerri Robinson, Executive Director of Metro Social Services. It appears that they have a "FREE" Van to give away. Some lucky organization could really use this van. See details in the attached flyer.
Gratefully, Vivian.

FREE
1981 Ford Van

Does your organization need a FREE van equipped with a wheelchair lift?

A 1981 Ford Van equipped with a manufacturer-adapted wheelchair lift is available for donation to a Nashville nonprofit organization. The van can be retained for use by the nonprofit organization or can be transferred by the organization to an individual in need.
· The van is in good working order for local driving;
· Equipped with a working manufacturer-adapted wheel chair lift;
· Access to the adaptor/mechanic comes with van and the wheel chair lift;
· Insurance in effect until January 7, 2009;
· The owner would like to transfer the title BEFORE January 1, 2009.

If your organization is interested in receiving this van, please contact Metropolitan Social Services at 615-862-6400.

Update on the District "29" Christmas Mixer

THE ALLIANCE OF DISTRICT 29
cordially invites you to the
3rd Annual Neighborhood Christmas Mixer

Friday, December 12, 2008
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Custom Craft Cabinets
458 Bell Road

Come enjoy fellowship, food and fun with
neighbors and special guests.

To make this gathering really special, please bring can food
donations to benefit our local Second Harvest Food Bank at
Hamilton United Methodist Church.

Also, please bring your favorite dish and recipe to share with
everyone in preparation of our District 29 cookbook.

The Alliance of District 29 is a collective effort of neighborhood watch groups, homeowner associations and neighbors in District 29 to accomplish the mission to “Promote safe, beautiful, and informed neighborhoods.

”For more information, please call Commissioner of Beautification Juanita Veasy @ 399-6846 or Lena Brown Prince @ 361-3729 or Councilmember Vivian Wilhoite @ 589-2003.

Davidson County Meetings

Metro Planning Commission
When: 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11
Where: Metro Southeast, 1417 Murfreesboro Pike

State Fair Commission Board Meeting
When: 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11
Where: Administration Office Board Room, 625 Smith Ave.
On the agenda: Discussion and actions related to a consultant's report

Public Library Board
When: Noon, Tuesday, Dec. 16
Where: Nashville Public Library, 615 Church St.

Board of Gas/Mechanical Examiners
When: 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16
Where: Davidson Room, Second Floor of the Metro Office Building, 800 Second Ave. S.

Metropolitan Transportation Licensing Commission
When: 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16
Where: Metropolitan Courthouse Jury Assembly Room (ground floor)

Metro Council
When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16
Where: Council chambers at Metro Courthouse

Zoo offers holiday shopping experience

Nashville Zoo visitors can experience a Victorian Christmas or do a little Christmas shopping during two of the zoo's upcoming holiday events.
The zoo's Grassmere Historic Home is offering yuletide tours, Dec. 13-14 and 20-21. The home will be decorated for the holidays with greenery, ribbons and vintage decorations that belonged to Margaret and Elise Croft, former tenants of the Grassmere property and whose family owned the land and home for five generations.
"We have a number of Christmas items, such as 19th-century ornaments, gift tags and other artifacts that Margaret and Elise collected over the years," said Tori Mason, the zoo's historic farm manager, in a news release.
"The tour not only highlights these items but also explains some of that time period's traditions that we still honor today," Mason said.
Tours will start at 10 a.m. and run on the half hour, with the last tour starting at 3 p.m. Tours of the home are included with zoo admission.
To take the tour, guests are asked to assemble on the home's front porch where the tour guide will meet them.
The Nashville Zoo's Zoofari Market, which will take place from 5-8 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 11, will offer shoppers up to 25 percent off all merchandise in the zoo's gift shop.
The zoo will close as normal at 4 p.m., but its entrance gates will remain open for gift shop customers. There is no zoo admission fee to attend this after-hours event.
Non-zoo members attending the event will receive 15 percent off all merchandise, and Nashville Zoo members will receive 25 percent off. Shoppers will be treated to holiday snacks and candies along with cider, hot chocolate and coffee while they shop. A professional pianist will play holiday favorites, and gift-wrapping will be available for a minimal fee.
"This is our way of showing appreciation to our zoo's supporters," said Jessica Marth, retail operations manager for Service Systems Associates, Inc., the company that operates the zoo's gift shops and concessions. "We're offering a relaxed and inviting shopping experience away from the normal holiday hustle and bustle," she said.
Nashville Zoo members may also take advantage of the special 25 percent discount on all merchandise Dec. 13 and 14 during normal zoo hours, which are 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

—SUZANNE NORMAND BLACKWOOD

Chanukah event features fun

By Leah M. Caudle • THE TENNESSEAN • December 10, 2008
The Gordon Jewish Community Center is hosting its annual Chanukah from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14.
The Bernard Frank Pargh Auditorium inside the GJCC is usually the hub for wedding ceremonies and special events. On the day of the festival, however, the stately room will be transformed into a carnival-like atmosphere.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature activities such as jumping in inflatables, beanbag tosses and an obstacle course.
But the festival will not be all games. Also scheduled are educational activities for children, art projects and a caricature artist will be on-hand to draw pictures for festivalgoers.
To further the Chanukah feel, a rabbi will be running a working olive oil press, the oil used in menorahs. Participants will be able to see the total process of making olive oil, said Jordana White, director of marketing/ public relations and special events.
Salads, latkes, a potato pancake and juice will be for sale at the event.
Admission is free and tickets for games are affordable, White said, with the lowest costing 50 cents.
"We're trying to keep costs down and have an event that they can come to and enjoy without spending a lot of money," White said.
Rabbi Kliel Rose of the West End Synagogue will conduct ceremonial candle lighting at the event.

For more information about the event, call the GJCC at 356-7170.

Court won’t halt English-only vote

DAVIDSON COUNTY
The Supreme Court of Tennessee on Monday dismissed a request for a speedy appeal filed by Nashville residents who want to stop the English-only election.
David Randolph Smith, one of two Nashville lawyers representing the legal immigrants who sued to stop the election, said he will probably file a request for an expedited appeal with the Tennessee Court of Appeals.
Smith's clients, Rosa Quinteros and Wyn Myint, have claimed in court documents that holding an election on an unconstitutional measure violates their rights. The measure would bar in most cases Metro government from providing services or materials in any language other than English.
Jim Roberts, a Nashville lawyer representing Nashville English First and Metro Councilman Eric Crafton — the driving forces behind the proposed amendment — has argued that the measure is constitutional and that pre-election challenges cannot be heard in court under Tennessee law.
In court, Metro attorneys have argued that the English-only measure is unconstitutional but agreed that pre-election challenges are not legitimate.
Ballots including the English-only measure were mailed Monday to Davidson County voters living overseas. Early voting on the matter is scheduled to begin Jan. 2. The election is Jan. 22.

— JANELL ROSS
jross1@tennessean.com

Traffic stop in 'wooded rapist' case raises dispute

By Kate Howard • THE TENNESSEAN • December 10, 2008

Every rainy night, officers on the Brentwood Police midnight shift had their sights set on catching the Wooded Rapist.

Officer Elliot Hamm testified in Davidson County Criminal Court on Tuesday that any time it rained, officers were reminded at roll call about the man suspected in a string of rapes over more than a decade. It was on a rainy night in a quiet Brentwood subdivision that Robert Jason Burdick was pulled over and developed as a suspect.

Lawyers for the alleged Wooded Rapist made a second attempt Tuesday to get any evidence they gained from that traffic stop thrown out, claiming that police didn't have reasonable cause to make the stop in the first place. Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Seth Norman rejected a similar motion last month that claimed there wasn't sufficient proof to get a search warrant.

Norman seemed surprised to be hearing a new attempt to get evidence thrown out, saying that his deadline for motions before the April 2009 trial had already passed, but he agreed to hear it anyway.

Robert Jason Burdick, of Ash Grove Court, faces 27 criminal charges in three counties ranging from aggravated rape to aggravated burglary.

Police responded to a call about a suspicious person dressed in black and peering into cars on a rainy night last April. All six of Brentwood's on-duty officers responded to the area to look for the man walking, Hamm said. They saw a Jeep parked on the road and stopped the Jeep driven by Burdick an hour later when it was leaving the neighborhood.

"I was more nervous than he was," Hamm said. "I thought I had caught a car burglar."

But Burdick, 38, was not arrested that night, and police quickly learned he was lying when he said he had been at a party. Public defender Katie Bottom argued that information should be excluded from the evidence because the police had no reason to link that car to the reported suspicious person.

Prosecutor Roger Moore disagreed, saying that common sense gave the officer plenty of reason to stop the car and talk to the driver.

"Our position is, this officer did everything by the book," Moore said. "In fact, I think he would've faced criticism if he had not made the stop."

Norman took the matter under advisement.

Metro police plan DUI checkpoints

Metro police will set up sobriety checkpoints this week in some of the city's highest traffic corridors.
Teams of officers, including those working extra duty paid by Governor's Highway Safety Office grant funding, will man sobriety checkpoints between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday night.
Checkpoints will be set up in downtown Nashville, on Nolensville Pike, Harding Place and Trinity Lane.
So far this year, impaired drivers caused almost half of all fatal crashes in Davidson County, Metro police said in a statement.

— JANELL ROSS
jross1@Tennessean.com

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

B-U-S-T-E-D spells "Relief"... More Drugs off Our Streets!

Wow! Major bust made by our own police officers to the tune of $4 million dollars in cocaine confiscated that will not reach the streets and over $255,000 in cash money. Way To Go! Here's the details from Metro Police.

Vivian

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

from Don Aaron

The investigation into an overnight South Nashville shooting has led to the discovery of a major cocaine receiving, distribution and cooking operation inside a home at 414 Ezell Pike near Nashville International Airport. Seized from the home today were approximately 40 pounds of cocaine, most of it in brick form, which has an estimated street value in excess of $4 million, $255,746 cash, money counting machines, vacuum sealers, four large flat screen televisions, one hot tub, one pool table, and two guns.

"The good news for Nashville and Middle Tennessee is that 40 pounds of cocaine, some of it already cooked into crack, will not be on our streets," Chief Ronal Serpas said. "This is a very large and significant seizure."

Shortly before midnight, police responded to 412 Ezell Pike, where Xavier Gray, 30, was banging on the door saying that he'd been shot. Gray, who suffered a wound to his buttocks, initially claimed that he was shot during a robbery and carjacking incident at a nearby carwash. Through interviews with other individuals during the night, and a re-interview of Gray at the hospital, detectives now believe that Gray was shot behind 414 Ezell Pike.

Gray ultimately said that as he was leaving the home, he was jumped by three individuals who demanded money and drugs. He said they took him into a wooded area and threatened to kill him. Gray said as he ran away, he was shot in the buttocks.

While investigating Gray's new story, South Precinct Detective Scott Sulfridge checked the rear of 414 Ezell Pike and discovered an SUV with the doors standing open. Sulfridge and Detective Brandon Dozier looked through a window of the home and saw what appeared to be a quantity of cocaine and cash. The South Precinct's undercover Crime Suppression Unit responded to the scene and obtained a search warrant. The 20th Judicial District Drug Task Force and agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration assisted.

Gray claimed he did not live at 414 Ezell Pike. However, mail comes to him at that address and his clothing was found inside the home.

Gray, who remains hospitalized for the gunshot wound, is expected to face federal prosecution in regard to the cocaine discovery. The investigation is continuing in an effort to identify others who may be involved.

Gray has a cocaine conviction in Nashville from 1998. He also has convictions for unlawful gun possession, resisting police, possession of drug paraphernalia, and motor vehicle burglary.

International Human Rights Day

One day for human rights doesn't seem like enough. We should celebrate and show dignity and justice for all everyday. Attend this wonderful celebration.
Gratefully, Vivian

Nashville Celebrates the

60th Anniversary of

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

Downtown Public Library Auditorium

December 10th 2008

5:30 pm to 7:00

COMMUNITY WIDE OBSERVANCE

OF HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

To learn more see:

https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:1385.1551442838/rid:687289b025521965bca96f7378beca7b

MNPS announces public receptions to meet director of schools

Would you like to meet the candidates that interviewed for Garcia's old position. Here's your chance!
Gratefully, Vivian.-----

News from MNPS Public Information Office Media Inquiries, 615/259-8405Contact Olivia Brown

MNPS announces public receptions to meet director of schools candidates; schedules special meeting Dec. 20

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (December 8, 2008) - Following a weekend of interviews with three finalists for the director of schools position, the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Education has elected to invite all three candidates back for more in-depth interviews. All three candidates brought very different leadership styles and areas of experience and Board members said they needed more time with each candidate to determine if the skills he or she offered fit with the district's needs.

The second interview for each will be an all-day experience to include school visits, meetings with staff, community, business and government leaders, discussions with the Board and a public reception. Participants will be asked to share their views and thoughts on each candidate with the Board. Those who would like to meet the candidates may do so at the receptions, to be held according to the following schedule:

* Santiago Wood - Dec. 10, 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. at Martin Professional Development Center (PDC), 2400 Fairfax Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212
* Doris McEwen - Dec. 17, 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. at Martin PDC

The Board will hold a special meeting Saturday, Dec. 20, to deliberate on the three candidates. That meeting will begin 9:30 a.m. in the central office boardroom, 2601 Bransford Avenue.
* Jesse Register - Dec. 18, 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. at Martin PDC

Monday, December 8, 2008

Crime log from Nov. 26-Dec. 3

These are the most serious calls handled by the Metro police, listed by time, crime reported and address. Some reports may be unfounded. Police calls are listed by police precinct or town. When police cannot immediately determine the location of a crime, the address given is that of the police station or hospital where the crime was reported.
Dec. 3
Antioch
10:39 a.m., shooting, 2100 block Murfreesboro Pike
4:10 p.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
10:29 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Mountainhigh Drive
Bordeaux
9:09 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3700 block Clarksville Pike
Central
7:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Ninth Avenue South
8:51 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 1100 block Sixth Avenue North
Donelson
6:35 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Marriott Drive
12:24 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 2500 block Lebanon Pike
East
12:24 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block South Sixth Street
5:46 a.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Gallatin Avenue
7:43 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Porter Terrace
9:31 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Dickerson Pike
11:50 a.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Stainback Avenue
2:14 p.m., residential burglary, 1800 block Lakehurst Drive
5:50 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block McKennell Drive
10:27 p.m., residential burglary, at Dickerson Pike and Douglas Avenue
Hermitage
7:47 a.m., residential burglary, 900 block Massman Drive
1:56 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Omohundro Court
2:56 p.m., residential burglary, 4400 block Gina Brooke Drive
3:46 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Tulip Grove Road
Joelton
12:11 a.m., holdup/robbery, 7200 block Whites Creek Pike
10:26 a.m., holdup/robbery, 7200 block Whites Creek Pike
Madison
8:01 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block North Gallatin Pike
8:20 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Rio Vista Drive
North
1 a.m., rape, at 14th Avenue North
5:38 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3300 block Creekwood Drive
1:53 p.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block Due West Avenue North
7:04 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 700 block Due West Avenue North
10:24 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block 39th Avenue North
Paragon Mills
12:41 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5000 block Linbar Drive
12:58 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4000 block Nolensville Road
Priest Lake
9:41 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block Cedarcliff Road
South
11:41 a.m., residential burglary, 6400 block Sunnywood Drive
12:24 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Murfreesboro Pike
11:37 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5300 block Hickory Hollow Lane
Trinity Hills
5:41 a.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Rowan Drive
West
12:14 p.m., rape, at Albion Street
1:46 p.m., residential burglary, at Wyndham Place
5:31 p.m., holdup/robbery, at 21st Avenue North and Meharry Boulevard
6:45 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Woodmont Boulevard
Woodbine
4:27 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block Yelton Court
11:32 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2400 block Nolensville Road

Dec. 2
Belmont
5:55 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Eastwood Avenue
Bordeaux
12:37 p.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Kingview Court
3:22 p.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Olsen Lane
Central
4:54 p.m., residential burglary, 1600 block Fourth Avenue North
6:55 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Taylor Street
Charlotte Park
11:11 p.m., residential burglary, at Robertson Avenue and Ries Avenue
Crieve Hall
8:21 a.m., residential burglary, 600 block Hill Road
Donelson
8:57 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 700 block Airways Circle
2:16 p.m., residential burglary, 2900 block Lakeland Drive
2:53 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Donelson Pike
East
12:48 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2000 block Olga Avenue
2:51 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Norton Avenue
3:33 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Chickasaw Avenue
4:10 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Douglas Avenue
8:59 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4100 block Gallatin Pike
10:07 p.m., rape, at Summer Place
Hermitage
3:07 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1100 block Elm Hill Pike
5:31 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3300 block Lebanon Pike
10:10 a.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Lakeside Place
3:50 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Margaret Robertson Drive
4:21 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Tulip Grove Road
8:17 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4700 block Lebanon Pike
Madison
12:25 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block North Gallatin Pike
7:04 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Heritage Lane
North
1:06 p.m., shooting, 700 block Due West Avenue North
5:54 p.m., residential burglary, 3400 block Fawnwood Place
9:19 p.m., residential burglary, 3600 block Chesapeake Drive
Oak Hill
8:08 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Travelers Court
Priest Lake
10:15 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Castlegate Drive
3:12 p.m., residential burglary, 2700 block Edge O Lake Drive
8:58 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Hamilton Church Road
South
2:14 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Harding Place
5:19 p.m., holdup/robbery, 15100 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Trinity Hills
12:14 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Brick Church Park Drive
Una
8:16 a.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Scott Valley Drive
West
1:26 a.m., rape, at Albion Street
7:45 a.m., residential burglary, 3400 block Hopkins Street
11:54 a.m., residential burglary, Old Club Lane at Old Club Court
3:33 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Battlefield Drive
5:35 p.m., rape, at Albion Street
Woodbine
3:25 a.m., shooting, 2200 block Nolensville Road
3:27 a.m., shooting, 2200 block Nolensville Road

Dec. 1
Antioch
11:36 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1300 block Bell Road
Bakertown
6:50 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1800 block Antioch Pike
Central
5:52 p.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block Cowan Street
Donelson
9:06 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2500 block Lebanon Pike
2:45 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Fitzpatrick Road
East
3:06 p.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Sandy Drive
7:41 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Stainback Avenue
Hermitage
9:36 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 4500 block Brooke Valley Drive
10:51 a.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Singing Hills Drive
2:06 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Elm Hill Pike
2:29 p.m., residential burglary, 4200 block Maxwell Road
2:33 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4800 block Lebanon Pike
6:37 p.m., residential burglary, 4200 block Laurenwood Drive
8:17 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Elm Hill Pike
10:16 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Caneel Cove
J.C. Napier
8:30 p.m., rape, at Carroll Street
Madison
6:19 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Rothwood Avenue
North
2:38 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block 33rd Avenue North
7:09 p.m., residential burglary, 1700 block Street Louis Street
Oak Hill
11:08 a.m., residential burglary, 800 block Robertson Academy Road
Priest Lake
1 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Lera Jones Drive
Providence
8:57 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Leeanne Drive
South
9:57 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1200 block Antioch Pike
12:24 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 100 block Brentwood Oaks Drive
1:57 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Hill Avenue
3:56 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Plus Park Boulevard
7:52 p.m., residential burglary, 1700 block Champions Drive
9:14 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2700 block Glenrose Avenue
11:46 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Plus Park Boulevard
Trinity Hills
2:36 p.m., residential burglary, 3800 block Boatner Drive
4:27 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2200 block Whites Creek Pike
West
9:42 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 4000 block Hillsboro Pike
10:21 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 400 block 27th Avenue North
10:54 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1100 block Edgehill Avenue
2:03 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2400 block Elliston Place
3:16 p.m., residential burglary, 7200 block Highway 70 South
5:32 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Williamsport Court
7:48 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Williamsport Court
Woodbine
9:47 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 600 block Melrose Avenue
12:09 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Neese Drive
4:53 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Natchez Court

Nov. 30
Antioch
1:47 a.m., shooting, 2100 block Murfreesboro Pike
5:40 p.m., residential burglary, 5500 block Oak Chase Drive
7:15 p.m., shooting, 1100 block Bell Road
Bellshire
3:14 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1200 block Westchester Drive
3:35 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Westchester Drive
Bordeaux
3 p.m., residential burglary, 1400 block Dolan Road
Central
3:16 a.m., nonresidential burglary, Hermitage Avenue at Lea Avenue
2:50 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Second Avenue North
Crieve Hall
6:33 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Oakley Drive
East
12:41 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Litton Avenue
1:48 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 300 block Hart Lane
2:38 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2900 block Gallatin Pike
3:44 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2800 block Gallatin Pike
4:03 p.m., rape, at Dickerson Pike
4:57 p.m., shooting, 2800 block Bronte Avenue
6:04 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Douglas Avenue and Gallatin Avenue
11:31 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block McGinnis Drive
Hermitage
4:55 a.m., rape, at Frist Boulevard
11:40 a.m., residential burglary, 4100 block Central Pike
5:13 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 600 block Shute Lane
7:28 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5000 block Old Hickory Boulevard
8:31 p.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Lakeside Place
J.C. Napier
2:35 p.m., shooting, 700 block Lewis Street
Joelton
11:58 a.m., residential burglary, 3400 block Binkley Road
Madison
12:03 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block East Palestine Avenue
1:24 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Rio Vista Drive
North
10:33 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 300 block Ewing Lane
4:46 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Lauren Evelyn Way
8:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Mainstream Drive
Paragon Mills
12:27 a.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Wallace Road
South
9:11 a.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Murfreesboro Pike
11:11 a.m., holdup/robbery, 50 block Lafayette Street
12:30 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Zermatt Avenue
6:36 p.m., residential burglary, 1600 block Enclave Circle
Trinity Hills
3:31 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Moormans Arm Road
Tusculum
4:34 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block Bart Drive
3:07 p.m., rape, at Wallace Road
4:40 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Bart Drive
9:24 p.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block Brentwood Place
West
9:49 a.m., cutting/stabbing, 1200 block Medical Center Drive
10:32 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 8200 block Highway 100
1:32 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Horton Avenue
7:07 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Fairmont Court
Woodbine
9:37 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3400 block Nolensville Road
10:35 a.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block Thompson Lane

Nov. 29
Antioch
7:20 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Dover Glen Drive
Central
6:52 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 600 block Lafayette Street
Downtown
5:48 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Fifth Avenue North
East
5:59 a.m., residential burglary, 1400 block Lischey Avenue
Hermitage
5:49 p.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Tulip Grove Road
J.C. Napier
11:31 p.m., rape, at Cannon Street
Madison
12:41 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Myatt Drive
8:55 a.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block South Gallatin Pike
10:02 a.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block South Gallatin Pike
10:58 a.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block South Gallatin Pike
11:59 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block East Palestine Avenue
North
8:09 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Creekwood Drive
10:33 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5200 block Michigan Avenue
Paragon Mills
5:35 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 100 block Wallace Road
Priest Lake
12:46 a.m., residential burglary, 2700 block Murfreesboro Pike
1:41 p.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Luann Drive
Providence
4:31 p.m., residential burglary, 4900 block Aquatic Road
South
4:28 p.m., shooting, 900 block First Avenue South
6:34 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Hagan Street
11:51 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Hagan Street
Two Rivers
2:49 p.m., residential burglary, 2300 block Cabin Hill Road
7:08 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 700 block 28th Avenue North
10:41 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4000 block Hillsboro Pike
11:26 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Jackson Street and Dr D.B. Todd Jr Boulevard
Whites Creek
10:35 p.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Woodpoint Drive

Nov. 28
Antioch
2:55 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 4700 block McBride Road
Bordeaux
1:11 a.m., shooting, 3000 block Hummingbird Drive
10:25 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2000 block South Hamilton Road
Brentwood
3:55 a.m., residential burglary, 5700 block Cloverland Place
Central
4:26 a.m., holdup/robbery, at Printers Alley and Church Street
11:23 a.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Monroe Street
9:51 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 1500 block Delta Avenue
Cockrill Bend
2:33 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 7000 block Westbelt Drive
Donelson
11:04 a.m., residential burglary, 8100 block Stewarts Ferry Parkway
12:57 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Woodland Point Drive
3:52 p.m., residential burglary, 1700 block Lincoya Bay Drive
6:03 p.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Reelfoot Drive
East
3:52 a.m., holdup/robbery, at Jones Avenue and Chickasaw Avenue
3 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1500 block Litton Avenue
4:16 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Dickerson Pike
4:28 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Dickerson Pike
8:23 p.m., cutting/stabbing, at Kennedy Avenue and Stratford Avenue
10:37 p.m., rape, at Golf Street
Hermitage
8:10 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1200 block Murfreesboro Pike
11:32 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Windchase Run
12:14 p.m., residential burglary, 3800 block Round Rock Drive
9:36 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4100 block Murfreesboro Pike
Madison
2:51 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block Forest Park Road
8:09 a.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block East Old Hickory Boulevard
2:37 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Eagan Circle
6:34 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Eagan Circle
10:01 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block North Dupont Avenue
Neelys Bend
3:41 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Cheyenne Boulevard
North
12:21 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4700 block Illinois Avenue
9:40 a.m., residential burglary, 4300 block Summertime Drive
11:57 a.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Lauren Evelyn Way
1:59 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4400 block Pecan Valley Road
3:34 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4400 block Pecan Valley Road
11:24 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Brickdale Lane
Trinity Hills
7:38 p.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block East Nocturne Drive
Tusculum
9:21 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4600 block Packard Drive
10:33 p.m., residential burglary, 4900 block Algonquin Trail
West
12:20 a.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Edgehill Avenue
7:56 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1400 block Church Street
4:52 p.m., kidnapping, 7200 block Birch Bark Drive
5 p.m., holdup/robbery, 6000 block Highway 100
10:11 p.m., shooting, 1200 block Medical Center Drive
10:54 p.m., kidnapping, 7400 block Highway 70 South
Woodbine
4:22 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2900 block Nolensville Road
6:05 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Thompson Lane
9:26 p.m., kidnapping, 300 block Glenrose Avenue

Nov. 27
Antioch
7:54 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Piccadilly Row
11:41 p.m., residential burglary, 4800 block Barclay Square Drive
Bordeaux
8:12 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3100 block Clarksville Pike
Brentwood
9:08 a.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Crieve Hall
9:15 p.m., residential burglary, 5000 block Trousdale Drive
East
1:05 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Broadmoor Drive
7 p.m., shooting, 1000 block Lischey Avenue
Hermitage
4:05 p.m., residential burglary, 4900 block Scotts Creek Parkway
7:46 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Sophie Drive
Madison
7:45 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2200 block North Gallatin Pike
6:46 p.m., residential burglary, 2200 block Golden Oak Place
8:37 p.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block South Gallatin Pike
Neelys Bend
7:24 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Kinsey Boulevard
North
10:57 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Due West Avenue North
Priest Lake
7:01 p.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Calais Circle
South
8:46 a.m., shooting, 800 block Enclave Circle
Trinity Hills
2:43 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Old Matthews Road
7:48 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Highland Trace Drive
Tusculum
5:50 a.m., holdup/robbery, at Edmondson Pike and Nolensville Road
West
12:08 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2000 block West End Avenue
4:12 a.m., rape, at Childrens Way
5:49 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2100 block Belcourt Avenue
10:40 a.m., cutting/stabbing, 1300 block Spring Creek Drive
Woodbine
3:39 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 2900 block Sidco Drive
4:13 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 400 block Allied Drive
11:34 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 3700 block Nolensville Road

Nov. 26
Antioch
10:42 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 5200 block Mt. View Road
Bakertown
12:04 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1300 block Antioch Pike
Belmont
8:42 a.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Dallas Avenue
Bordeaux
3:28 p.m., residential burglary, 4000 block Boyd Drive
Donelson
12:57 a.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Lincoya Bay Drive
East
12:32 p.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Gallatin Avenue
12:52 p.m., residential burglary, 2700 block Bullock Avenue
7:20 p.m., shooting, 500 block Joseph Avenue
Hermitage
1:06 a.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Murfreesboro Pike
1:17 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4400 block Lebanon Pike
6:53 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3900 block Lebanon Pike
8:59 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Murfreesboro Pike
2:13 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Murfreesboro Pike
5:42 p.m., residential burglary, 1100 block Vultee Boulevard
Madison
3:26 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2300 block North Gallatin Pike
8:50 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 300 block Old Hickory Boulevard West
North
12:26 a.m., rape, at Willow Creek Court
7:39 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Jefferson Street
2 p.m., holdup/robbery, at 25th Avenue North and Dowlan Street
5:53 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block 14th Avenue North
11:34 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Tiger Circle
Old Hickory
8:12 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1400 block Robinson Road
Paragon Mills
11:58 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block Paragon Mills Road
Priest Lake
1:57 p.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Luann Drive
2:32 p.m., residential burglary, 6600 block Ascot Drive
3:42 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2800 block Smith Springs Road
South
12:20 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2900 block Baby Ruth Lane
West
8:53 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 6300 block Charlotte Pike
10:28 a.m., holdup/robbery, 7100 block Highway 70 South
10:52 a.m., residential burglary, 4200 block Hillsboro Pike
11:38 a.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Georgia Avenue
7:14 p.m., holdup/robbery, at 27th Avenue North and Poston Avenue
7:35 p.m., shooting, 900 block Blank Street
8:55 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Parthenon Avenue
9:01 p.m., holdup/robbery, 6000 block Charlotte Pike
11:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1400 block Church Street
11:44 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Batavia Street
Woodbine
1:45 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Neese Drive
3:34 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Coventry Drive
4:34 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2100 block Nolensville Road
7:30 p.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block McNally Drive

Friday, December 5, 2008

NES Tree Trimming Locations for this Week

You'll find below a list of locations of the NES tree trimming crews for this week. Also, you will find a map with locations of the work planners and the tree trimming crews on the NES website at www.nespower.com/VegMan

Vivian

Truancy with a Gettiup!

While doing yet another great job of dealing with truancy at Antioch High School, the focus turned to a four legged friend.

Good job Hermitage Precinct!
Gratefully,Vivian

Date: Thursday 12/4/2008
Precinct: Hermitage
Detail: A-Shift, Flex Unit Major Event Information

* Comments *
Today, the Hermitage Flex A-Team started the shift focusing on truancy issues around Antioch High School (1900 Hobson Pk). Today's activity was rather slow around the high school. Three juveniles were charged with 4 misdemeanors during the shift. The charges and number of each are as follows: (2) Possession of tobacco products, (1) Loitering During School Hours, and (1) Driving on Suspended. While focusing on truancy issues, the team was detoured for a couple of hours when a citizen reported a horse was walking down the middle of Hobson Pk. Sure enough, there was a horse in the middle of the street and it took approximately an hour to wrangle the large mammal. In addition, it took an hour to find the owner after doing a door to door search. Nevertheless, the team did an outstanding job of taking care of this out of the ordinary situation. The team spent the last few hours of the shift in 523 zone due to increases in residential burglaries. While in this area, the team made a couple of stops, warnings, business checks, and community contacts. There were no other major events to report.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Hello District 29 Neighbors and Friends:

Hello District 29 Neighbors and Friends:
I just love the Christmas Holiday! Don't you? It is a time for special fellowship with family, neighbors and friends as we give thanks for the season. The Alliance of District 29 is excited that you will make our annual Christmas Gathering even more special with your presence, your food contribution to the Second Harvest Food Bank and the sharing of your favorite dish and recipe.
See you at the Gathering!
Gratefully,Vivian

THE ALLIANCE OF DISTRICT 29 cordially invites you to the
3rd Annual Neighborhood Christmas Mixer

Friday, December 12, 2008
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Custom Craft Cabinets
458 Bell Road

Come enjoy fellowship, food and fun with neighbors and special guests.

To make this gathering really special, please bring can food
donations to benefit our local Second Harvest Food Bank at Hamilton United Methodist Church.

Also, please bring your favorite recipe to share with everyone in
preparation of our District 29 cookbook.

For more information, please call Commissioner of Beautification Juanita Veasy @ 399-6846 or Lena Brown Prince
@ 361-3729 or Councilmember Vivian Wilhoite @ 589-2003.

And the Winners of "Put Waste in its Place: Keep Nashville Beautiful" Contest

I am so proud of all 70 of the 3rd and 4th graders and the Art Teachers who encouraged each child that entered in the Red River Third annual "Put Waste in its Place: Keep Nashville Beautiful" art contest sponsored by the Metro Beautification Commission, Red River Service Corporation, the Metro Arts Commission and Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. I am especially excited about the winners in every categories.

Here are the winners:

Grand Prize Winner is Karen Sosa of Una Elementary School (Metro Council District 29...Hip Hip Hooray!). Karen's art will be displayed in the Nashville Christmas Parade on Friday, December 5. Taking Second Place is Kaitlyn Cunningham from Hattie Cotton Elementary and Third Place is Triston Kendall from Warner Elementary. Each of these winners receives $1,500, $1,000 and $500 respectively toward their school's art department from Red River Service Corporation, Nashville's largest household waste collection provider. The winners were selected by a panel of Metro Council and Nashville Arts Coalition members.

This year, one poster in particular caught their eye - a poster that portrays a unique and thoughtful interpretation of this year's theme. The company is pleased to announce that the Red River Award of Distinction goes to Ankita Pal of Crieve Hall Elementary and Crieve Hall will receive $250 toward its art department as well.

On Saturday, December 6 at 10:30 a.m Mayor Karl Dean will present checks to those winning school art departments during a public viewing of all the artwork on Titans Way near LP Field. This year's Grand Prize Winner, Karen Sosa of Una Elementary School, will be featured in the Nashville Christmas Parade this Friday, December 5. Both the winners' and finalists' artwork will be displayed on household waste collection trucks for the next six months as part of a citywide campaign to promote recycling and city beautification.

Thank you to Red River Corporation for instituting this very special event three years ago. I also appreciate the contributions of the Metro Arts Commission, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools and the Metro Council and for making this event a big success once again! Vivian

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Davidson County crime log from Nov. 23-25

Briefs: Remember seniors during holidays

The area office of Home Instead Senior Care, the world's largest provider of non-medical home care and companionship for older adults, is teaming with local churches and retailers for its annual "Be a Santa to a Senior" campaign.
"Be a Santa to a Senior each year sets new records in contributions of gifts to a group that often is forgotten during the hectic holiday season," said Dennis Wade, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office serving several areas including North Davidson county. "While children are the beneficiaries of many holiday programs, people often don't think about the isolated and lonely seniors who need to be remembered as well during this season."
Before the holiday season, the participating local nonprofit organizations identified needy and isolated seniors in several communities and provided those names to Home Instead Senior Care.
The program runs until Dec. 15. Christmas trees in several CVS Pharmacies feature ornaments with the first names of the seniors and their respective gift requests.

Christmas tress can be found in the following CVS Pharmacies:

• McHenry Center, 1793 N. Gallatin Road, Madison
• 549 W. Main St., Gallatin
• 101 Glen Oaks Blvd., Hendersonville
• 1200 Gallatin Road S.
• 304 S. Broadway, Portland
• 903 Memorial Blvd., Springfield

Holiday shoppers can pick up an ornament, buy items on the list and return them unwrapped to the store, along with the ornament attached. Staff of Home Instead Senior Care, senior-care business associates, non-profit workers and others will collect, wrap and distribute the gifts to the seniors. A citywide gift-wrapping day, when hundreds of the presents will be wrapped, will be announced later.
If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering to help on the citywide gift-wrapping day, contact Sharon Spears, 615-859-2380 in Goodlettsville and 931-648-7800 in Clarksville. Businesses are encouraged to contact the local Home Instead Senior Care office about adopting groups of seniors. For more information about the program, visit www.beasantatoasenior.com.

Schools chief search down to 3

Board to begin reviews after Metro finalists announced today
By Jennifer Brooks • THE TENNESSEAN • December 2, 2008

The Metro Nashville school board will begin examining tonight three finalists for the job of director of schools.
The three, whose names will be released this morning, were found after a yearlong search for qualified candidates who were willing to take a difficult job with an uncertain future. Looming over the search was the fact that Nashville Mayor Karl Dean could take over Metro schools next fall unless test scores improve — a fact that made some candidates leery of even putting in an application.
About 23 candidates applied for the job of running the Nashville schools, and an additional 18 turned in partial applications. Even more prospective superintendents were approached about the job, but declined.
William Attea, who conducted the search on Metro's behalf, said he approached "a large number" of candidates, trying to interest them in the post, "but there was some reluctance, given the situation."
Dean had asked the board to appoint an interim schools director until the next round of test results come out in the spring, but the board is pushing ahead with plans to appoint a permanent replacement for former Director Pedro Garcia, who resigned in January.
The three candidates' resumes will be presented to the board tonight, and interviews with the candidates themselves will begin on Saturday, Attea said.
The board, he said, will probably announce its final choice sometime between the middle and the end of December.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Bridgestone Announces Layoff, Considers Partial Shutdown

WPLN News TranscriptsProduced daily by your WPLN News Staff
Monday, December 01st, 2008

Bridgestone Firestone will layoff 158 workers December 21st at its La Vergne plant due to slumping demand for passenger and light truck tires. The company also announced today it may close its passenger tire operation altogether.Of the 17-hundred Bridgestone employees in La Vergne, 500 work on the consumer tire lines. The company produces the same tires in five locations, but manufacturing president Steve Brooks says it costs more to make them in La Vergne.

"We value what all of our teammates do in contributing to the overall profitability of our company. But in hard economic times like these, we have to have some deciding factor."

Steelworkers say they feel like Bridgestone is targeting a union shop. Local 1055 spokesman Scott Smith says two other passenger tire plants do not have collective bargaining agreements.

"It's union vs. non-union. Not only do you have some wage and benefit issues, you have some control issues."

Bridgestone has not finalized its decision to partially shutdown the La Vergne operation, but it has given the union notice. If Steelworkers don't bend on their contract, passenger tire production could cease on or before June 30th next year.

Would-be robber's death justified, police say

WKRN Channel 2 news

The shooting death of a would-be robber who entered a Nashville convenience store early Sunday morning has been ruled a justifiable homicide.
Police said Jamie Sullivan, 37, entered the Mapco market at 2101 Murfreesboro Pike just before 2 a.m. Sunday wearing a mask and carrying a pistol.
Eric Gordon, a uniformed security guard in the market at that time, told police Sullivan pointed his pistol at his head and threatened to kill him if he didn't surrender his holstered gun.
As Sullivan moved to take Gordon's gun, a struggle ensued.
Police said Gordon eventually drew his weapon and shot Sullivan one time in the face.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sullivan is a repeat offender who has been charged by Metro police 146 times over the past 19 years.
His gun was later discovered to be a BB pistol that closely resembled a real firearm.
Gordon is a security guard for ASPI Services. He had stopped at the Mapco to buy gasoline, police said.

Police say restaurant shooting linked to illegal drug activity

WKRN Channel 2 News

Sunday night's fatal shooting outside an Antioch restaurant is believed to be connected to illegal drug activity, Metro police said Monday.
Gordon Travis Garrett, of Smyrna, was eating at the Casa Fiesta restaurant located at 1111 Bell Road with his girlfriend and baby when he received a message, which led him to walk outside.
Once outside, police said he was approached by a newer model white Ford Mustang and was shot in the parking lot.
Customers inside heard the gunfire and called police.
Garrett, 26, was taken to Southern Hills Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.
No one else at the restaurant was injured.
Garrett was convicted in August 2007 of felony possession of cocaine for resale and received an eight year sentence.
In addition, he was charged in July with possessing cocaine within a school zone.
He was on probation when he was killed.
Police are investigating.
Anyone with information on Garrett's murder is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 74-CRIME.

Davidson County crime log for Nov. 17-22, 2008

Metro police say shooting during holdup was justifiable

Tennessean
A 22-year-old uniformed security guard who was buying gasoline at a Murfreesboro Pike station on Sunday shot and killed a robbery suspect carrying an air gun.
Metro detectives are ruling the death of Jamie L. Sullivan, 37, a justifiable homicide.
Wearing a mask and carrying what appeared to be a pistol, Sullivan entered the Mapco market at 2101 Murfreesboro Pike at 1:45 a.m.
Eric Gordon, 22, was also in the market. Sullivan pointed his pistol at Gordon's head and threatened to kill him. Sullivan told Gordon to surrender his holstered gun and a struggle ensued. Gordon drew his 9-millimeter weapon and shot Sullivan once in the face. Sullivan died at the scene.
Shortly after, detectives discovered that Sullivan's gun was a BB pistol that looked like a real gun.
Metro police had charged Sullivan with 146 offenses since June 1989. His last arrest was for trespassing Nov. 20.

Man shot, killed at Antioch restaurant

Victim who went outside and was shot may have been targeted
MONDAY • December 1, 2008 (Tennessean)

A man was shot and killed after he exited a restaurant on Bell Road in Antioch Sunday night, in an attack that Metro police believe was not random.
Police gave this account overnight of information gathered so far:The victim, a man in his mid-20s, was inside the Casa Fiesta Mexican Restaurant on 1111 Bell Road, eating with his girlfriend and baby around 7 p.m. The man went outside alone, and customers inside heard a shot.The victim was found shot outside. He was transported to Southern Hills Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Detectives conducted interviews but do not have a witness to the crime, police said.The Police Department is expected to release the victim's identity later today.
— LEIGH RAY

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Friday, December 26, 2008

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Friday, December 19, 2008

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Monday, December 15, 2008

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Friday, December 12, 2008

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Monday, December 8, 2008

Friday, December 5, 2008

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Monday, December 1, 2008

About Vivian Wilhoite

Subscribe via email

Add Vivian's Blog Feed to your PC

Council on Aging of Greater Nashville

Council on Aging - Scam of the Monthe

Mayor Karl Dean

"Message from the Mayor"

Find out the latest and the greatest news about the Nashville Goverment

Looking for Something to do today?

CRIME STOPPERS-METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT

What is PUD? Want to find out?

Helpful Resources and Suport Groups

Hermitage Newsletter and other Important Imformation

Governor Bredesen's LIFT Mentor Program

Metro Council Meetings

Blog Archive