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.
Jan. 25
Donelson
11:24 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3200 block Trails End Lane
1:08 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2700 block Elm Hill Pike
Hermitage
2 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5000 block Bonnahill Drive
South
2:03 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1900 block Nolensville Road
2:41 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1900 block Nolensville Road
3:50 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Murfreesboro Pike
Jan. 24
Donelson
6:47 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Airport Center Drive
9:55 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2700 block Elm Hill Pike
11:12 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2200 block Elm Hill Pike
3:42 p.m., residential burglary, 2700 block McCampbell Avenue
Hermitage
7:30 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Pin Oak Drive
7:41 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Kermit Drive
South
8:39 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1000 block Third Avenue South
2:41 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Drummond Drive
Jan. 23
Donelson
8:06 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2700 block Lebanon Pike
4:04 p.m., residential burglary, 2200 block Aubrey Court
5:08 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2500 block Crossfield Drive
Hermitage
12:32 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 4700 block Old Hickory Boulevard
2:01 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 4800 block Lebanon Pike
6:33 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Lebanon Pike and Shute Lane
9:28 p.m., holdup/robbery, 30 block Lewis Street
South
9:04 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 20 block Lafayette Street
10:14 a.m., residential burglary, 2000 block Stanford Village Drive
1:23 p.m., residential burglary, 10 block Claiborne Street
9:44 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2700 block Murfreesboro Pike
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Dell to close part of Lebanon facility as PC sales slow
By Wendy Lee • THE TENNESSEAN • January 30, 2009
Dell Inc. said it plans to close the part of its Lebanon, Tenn., facility that manufactures desktop computers on Friday, due to weaker sales for the products.
The closure will move 250 to 300 employees from Lebanon to Nashville, Dell spokesman Ken Bissell said. Some employees who previously built desktop computers would now either be boxing, shipping or handling materials in the company's Nashville distribution center off Murfreesboro Road, he said.
The news comes as overall demand for PCs industrywide has declined, hurt by falling home prices, weaker stock values and skittish consumer confidence, said Framingham, Mass.-based research firm IDC.
All that leads to deteriorating credit in the corporate world and depressed consumer spending.
Dell's shipments of personal computers have slipped 6.3 percent compared with a year ago, according to IDC.
"We're managing our volumes (manufacturing operations) by shifting capacities to other production facilities," said Bissell, who declined to give specifics.
Way to reduce costs
The Lebanon facility has manufactured desktops since it opened in 1999. The remaining workers there will continue to refurbish desktop PCs, with about 250 to 300 employees remaining in Lebanon, Bissell said. Employees were informed earlier this week and the transition to the Nashville facility begins next week, Bissell said.
The decision is part of a larger initiative within Dell to reduce operating costs. Dell announced last March it would have $3 billion in planned cost reductions by the end of fiscal 2011.
Dell's net income declined 5 percent to $727 million during its third quarter ending Oct. 31, compared with a year earlier.
Third-quarter revenues declined 3 percent to about $15.2 billion, the company said.
Dell has four Tennessee facilities, including the one in Lebanon, plus two distribution centers in Nashville, and a call center here that houses sales and technical support staff.
Dell Inc. said it plans to close the part of its Lebanon, Tenn., facility that manufactures desktop computers on Friday, due to weaker sales for the products.
The closure will move 250 to 300 employees from Lebanon to Nashville, Dell spokesman Ken Bissell said. Some employees who previously built desktop computers would now either be boxing, shipping or handling materials in the company's Nashville distribution center off Murfreesboro Road, he said.
The news comes as overall demand for PCs industrywide has declined, hurt by falling home prices, weaker stock values and skittish consumer confidence, said Framingham, Mass.-based research firm IDC.
All that leads to deteriorating credit in the corporate world and depressed consumer spending.
Dell's shipments of personal computers have slipped 6.3 percent compared with a year ago, according to IDC.
"We're managing our volumes (manufacturing operations) by shifting capacities to other production facilities," said Bissell, who declined to give specifics.
Way to reduce costs
The Lebanon facility has manufactured desktops since it opened in 1999. The remaining workers there will continue to refurbish desktop PCs, with about 250 to 300 employees remaining in Lebanon, Bissell said. Employees were informed earlier this week and the transition to the Nashville facility begins next week, Bissell said.
The decision is part of a larger initiative within Dell to reduce operating costs. Dell announced last March it would have $3 billion in planned cost reductions by the end of fiscal 2011.
Dell's net income declined 5 percent to $727 million during its third quarter ending Oct. 31, compared with a year earlier.
Third-quarter revenues declined 3 percent to about $15.2 billion, the company said.
Dell has four Tennessee facilities, including the one in Lebanon, plus two distribution centers in Nashville, and a call center here that houses sales and technical support staff.
50,000 are jobless in Nashville area
Employers have their pick of applicants as state sees worst job market since 1986
By Chas Sisk and Wendy Lee • THE TENNESSEAN • January 30, 2009
A year ago, Buckley left Memphis for a job welding and bolting steel components for the Terrazzo condominium in the Gulch. After a July layoff, Buckley, 51, found himself out of a job, out of his apartment and out of luck.
"I'm homeless because I can't work," Buckley said Thursday at a Nashville job fair for military veterans.
The labor market has tightened across Tennessee, as all 95 of the state's counties posted a rise in unemployment in December, according to data released Thursday by the state.
The Nashville-Murfreesboro area reported 6.5 percent unemployment, up from a 4.2 percent rate a year ago. Some rural counties in Middle Tennessee were much worse off — with rates as high as 11.3 percent in Smith County.
In the Nashville metropolitan area, the ranks of the unemployed surged past 50,000 people, and thousands more are thought to be underemployed as the state wrestles with its worst job market since 1986.
Many companies have slowed investment in their operations, and people fortunate enough to have jobs have held onto them more firmly, leaving fewer employment opportunities for those out of work.
It's in this environment that Buckley has been trying to find work. He has sent résumés to 50 employers, trolled online job listings, and even flagged down truck drivers hoping for tips on openings at their companies.
Each time, the answer has been the same: Maybe they'll hire, if things improve later in 2009.
"That's not just one company," Buckley said. "That's almost every company I went to."
The tight jobs market has made it hard for people to advance their careers.
Adrian Edsall, 29, earns $15,000 a year teaching classes on health and safety as a part-time instructor at Middle Tennessee State University. He longs for higher pay to provide "a better lifestyle" for his 4-year-old son.
Like Buckley, Edsall searched for a better job at Thursday's career fair. He has applied for 300 positions, including jobs such as a customer service representative, since being medically discharged from the U.S. Air Force in 2007.
He has been turned down for several positions on the grounds that he is over-qualified. He jokes that he will soon list only his high school diploma on his résumé.
"I've not found a better job than the one I have," Edsall said.
Employers at the job fair at LP Field seemed to have their pick of applicants.
URS Corp., a U.S. military vendor, said it would hire about 50 percent fewer people than a year ago for its Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Alabama, in part because fewer people are leaving the facility, said Rhonda Ford, a human resources specialist.
"Because of the economy, we haven't lost anybody," Ford said, adding that she sees more white-collar job applicants these days.
Meanwhile, others are considering renewals or first-time hitches in the military amid the slower civilian job market.
The Tennessee Army National Guard has seen a 20 percent to 25 percent increase from a year ago in people expressing interest in joining, said Sgt. 1st Class Julius Santini. He described it as the biggest surge since just after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"When people are losing their jobs, they are looking for stability," Santini said.
Rural counties worse
Nationally, on Thursday, the U.S. Labor Department said the number of people continuing to receive unemployment benefits reached a seasonally adjusted 4.78 million for the week ending Jan. 17 — the highest level on records that go back to 1967.
As a proportion of the work force, the latest total is the highest since August 1983.Companies across a variety of industries have been slashing their payrolls by the thousands. Starbucks Corp., Eastman Kodak and Allstate Corp. became the latest major employers to announce big job cuts — 7,000 at Starbucks, 3,500 to 4,500 at Kodak, and 1,000 at Allstate.
"It seems like we've gotten through the financial crisis. Now we're dealing with global synchronized recession," said Brian Battle, vice president of trading at Performance Trust Capital Partners in Chicago.
In Middle Tennessee, even as jobs become harder to find in urban areas, they are even scarcer in the state's rural areas.
Thirty-six counties now have an unemployment rate higher than 10 percent, including Macon and Smith counties.
Hardest hit has been Perry County, 90 miles southwest of Nashville. It has been reeling since the auto parts maker Fisher & Co. moved to Mexico in September.
In December, Perry County's unemployment rate topped 20 percent, and many more are under-employed, said John Carroll, the county's mayor. Workers at another major auto parts plant have been working on reduced shifts.
"We need more employers in the area," Carroll said. "We're trying to attract, but nobody is having a lot of success. A lot of people are not turning loose of the money and investing."
Chas Sisk can be reached at 615-259-8283 or csisk@tennessean.com.
Wendy Lee can be reached at 615-259-8092 or wlee@tennessean.com.
By Chas Sisk and Wendy Lee • THE TENNESSEAN • January 30, 2009
A year ago, Buckley left Memphis for a job welding and bolting steel components for the Terrazzo condominium in the Gulch. After a July layoff, Buckley, 51, found himself out of a job, out of his apartment and out of luck.
"I'm homeless because I can't work," Buckley said Thursday at a Nashville job fair for military veterans.
The labor market has tightened across Tennessee, as all 95 of the state's counties posted a rise in unemployment in December, according to data released Thursday by the state.
The Nashville-Murfreesboro area reported 6.5 percent unemployment, up from a 4.2 percent rate a year ago. Some rural counties in Middle Tennessee were much worse off — with rates as high as 11.3 percent in Smith County.
In the Nashville metropolitan area, the ranks of the unemployed surged past 50,000 people, and thousands more are thought to be underemployed as the state wrestles with its worst job market since 1986.
Many companies have slowed investment in their operations, and people fortunate enough to have jobs have held onto them more firmly, leaving fewer employment opportunities for those out of work.
It's in this environment that Buckley has been trying to find work. He has sent résumés to 50 employers, trolled online job listings, and even flagged down truck drivers hoping for tips on openings at their companies.
Each time, the answer has been the same: Maybe they'll hire, if things improve later in 2009.
"That's not just one company," Buckley said. "That's almost every company I went to."
The tight jobs market has made it hard for people to advance their careers.
Adrian Edsall, 29, earns $15,000 a year teaching classes on health and safety as a part-time instructor at Middle Tennessee State University. He longs for higher pay to provide "a better lifestyle" for his 4-year-old son.
Like Buckley, Edsall searched for a better job at Thursday's career fair. He has applied for 300 positions, including jobs such as a customer service representative, since being medically discharged from the U.S. Air Force in 2007.
He has been turned down for several positions on the grounds that he is over-qualified. He jokes that he will soon list only his high school diploma on his résumé.
"I've not found a better job than the one I have," Edsall said.
Employers at the job fair at LP Field seemed to have their pick of applicants.
URS Corp., a U.S. military vendor, said it would hire about 50 percent fewer people than a year ago for its Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Alabama, in part because fewer people are leaving the facility, said Rhonda Ford, a human resources specialist.
"Because of the economy, we haven't lost anybody," Ford said, adding that she sees more white-collar job applicants these days.
Meanwhile, others are considering renewals or first-time hitches in the military amid the slower civilian job market.
The Tennessee Army National Guard has seen a 20 percent to 25 percent increase from a year ago in people expressing interest in joining, said Sgt. 1st Class Julius Santini. He described it as the biggest surge since just after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"When people are losing their jobs, they are looking for stability," Santini said.
Rural counties worse
Nationally, on Thursday, the U.S. Labor Department said the number of people continuing to receive unemployment benefits reached a seasonally adjusted 4.78 million for the week ending Jan. 17 — the highest level on records that go back to 1967.
As a proportion of the work force, the latest total is the highest since August 1983.Companies across a variety of industries have been slashing their payrolls by the thousands. Starbucks Corp., Eastman Kodak and Allstate Corp. became the latest major employers to announce big job cuts — 7,000 at Starbucks, 3,500 to 4,500 at Kodak, and 1,000 at Allstate.
"It seems like we've gotten through the financial crisis. Now we're dealing with global synchronized recession," said Brian Battle, vice president of trading at Performance Trust Capital Partners in Chicago.
In Middle Tennessee, even as jobs become harder to find in urban areas, they are even scarcer in the state's rural areas.
Thirty-six counties now have an unemployment rate higher than 10 percent, including Macon and Smith counties.
Hardest hit has been Perry County, 90 miles southwest of Nashville. It has been reeling since the auto parts maker Fisher & Co. moved to Mexico in September.
In December, Perry County's unemployment rate topped 20 percent, and many more are under-employed, said John Carroll, the county's mayor. Workers at another major auto parts plant have been working on reduced shifts.
"We need more employers in the area," Carroll said. "We're trying to attract, but nobody is having a lot of success. A lot of people are not turning loose of the money and investing."
Chas Sisk can be reached at 615-259-8283 or csisk@tennessean.com.
Wendy Lee can be reached at 615-259-8092 or wlee@tennessean.com.
Davidson library drive brings in 22 tons in food donations
Food for Fines, the food drive organized by the Nashville Public Library, generated more than 22 tons of food for the Second Harvest Food Bank.
Trading one food item for each $1 owned in overdue fines, library patrons donated over 45,000 pounds of food.
The January effort was one of the top campaigns of the past five years for the nonprofit organization, library officials said.
— NANCY DEVILLE
ndeville@tennessean.com
Trading one food item for each $1 owned in overdue fines, library patrons donated over 45,000 pounds of food.
The January effort was one of the top campaigns of the past five years for the nonprofit organization, library officials said.
— NANCY DEVILLE
ndeville@tennessean.com
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Davidson County crime log from Jan. 19-22
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.
Jan. 22
Antioch
3:06 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Mullen Circle
Donelson
10:34 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Woodcraft Drive
9:59 p.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Fall Creek Drive
Hermitage
8:40 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 4000 block Lebanon Pike
7:49 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Catina Drive
South
1:49 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Plus Park Boulevard
10:37 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Winthorne Drive
Jan. 21
Antioch
2:54 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Ransom Place
7:15 p.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
Donelson
2:28 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Crossfield Drive
3:03 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Airways Circle
Hermitage
3:18 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5800 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Una
1:04 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Willowbranch Drive
Jan. 20
Antioch
7:36 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Bishopsgate Road
Hermitage
12:45 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Pin Oak Drive
10:06 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Rockwood Drive
South
6:56 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 15100 block Old Hickory Boulevard
5:25 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Kable Circle
Jan. 19
Antioch
10:02 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1300 block Bell Road
Donelson
12:11 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3100 block Lebanon Pike
2:48 p.m., residential burglary, 2900 block Lakeland Drive
Hermitage
10:51 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Rockwood Drive
South
9:26 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Bell Road
10:42 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5300 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
10:44 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Antioch Pike
Una
11:58 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Nashboro Boulevard
4:59 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Willowbranch Drive
Jan. 22
Antioch
3:06 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Mullen Circle
Donelson
10:34 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Woodcraft Drive
9:59 p.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Fall Creek Drive
Hermitage
8:40 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 4000 block Lebanon Pike
7:49 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Catina Drive
South
1:49 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Plus Park Boulevard
10:37 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Winthorne Drive
Jan. 21
Antioch
2:54 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Ransom Place
7:15 p.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
Donelson
2:28 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Crossfield Drive
3:03 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Airways Circle
Hermitage
3:18 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5800 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Una
1:04 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Willowbranch Drive
Jan. 20
Antioch
7:36 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Bishopsgate Road
Hermitage
12:45 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Pin Oak Drive
10:06 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Rockwood Drive
South
6:56 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 15100 block Old Hickory Boulevard
5:25 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Kable Circle
Jan. 19
Antioch
10:02 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1300 block Bell Road
Donelson
12:11 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3100 block Lebanon Pike
2:48 p.m., residential burglary, 2900 block Lakeland Drive
Hermitage
10:51 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Rockwood Drive
South
9:26 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Bell Road
10:42 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5300 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
10:44 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Antioch Pike
Una
11:58 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Nashboro Boulevard
4:59 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Willowbranch Drive
House Defeats Bill To Delay DTV Transition
Channel 5 News
(AP) WASHINGTON - The House has defeated a bill to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting by four months to June 12.
House Republicans succeeded in scuttling a bill to delay the transition, which is scheduled for Feb. 17, less than two days after the Senate unanimously passed the plan.
The defeat is a setback for the Obama administration and Democrats on Capitol Hill, who fear too many Americans are not ready for the switchover.
The Nielsen Co. estimates more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog television sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals could see their TV sets go dark next month if the transition is not postponed.
(AP) WASHINGTON - The House has defeated a bill to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting by four months to June 12.
House Republicans succeeded in scuttling a bill to delay the transition, which is scheduled for Feb. 17, less than two days after the Senate unanimously passed the plan.
The defeat is a setback for the Obama administration and Democrats on Capitol Hill, who fear too many Americans are not ready for the switchover.
The Nielsen Co. estimates more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog television sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals could see their TV sets go dark next month if the transition is not postponed.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Metro refusing to release donor list in English-only campaign
Tennessean
The group that campaigned to make English the official language of Nashville filed its overdue lists of donors and expenditures today, but Metro attorneys refused to release the information.
The exact reason for the delay was unclear. Davidson County Election Administrator Ray Barrett said the Metro Law Department had instructed him not to release Nashville English First’s campaign financial disclosure forms to The Tennessean and other media outlets that requested them.
Barrett said attorneys had cited a letter Nashville English First President Jon Crisp sent the election commission on Jan. 15, the day the disclosure was due. Crisp asked for an extension, saying his group’s donors could be subjected to threats if their names were released before the election. Metro Law Director Sue Cain could not be reached for comment Monday evening. The proposed Metro Charter amendment would have required the city to do business in English only. Voters rejected the idea by a 9,000-vote margin Thursday.
Contact Michael Cass at 615-259-8838 or mcass@tennessean.com.
The group that campaigned to make English the official language of Nashville filed its overdue lists of donors and expenditures today, but Metro attorneys refused to release the information.
The exact reason for the delay was unclear. Davidson County Election Administrator Ray Barrett said the Metro Law Department had instructed him not to release Nashville English First’s campaign financial disclosure forms to The Tennessean and other media outlets that requested them.
Barrett said attorneys had cited a letter Nashville English First President Jon Crisp sent the election commission on Jan. 15, the day the disclosure was due. Crisp asked for an extension, saying his group’s donors could be subjected to threats if their names were released before the election. Metro Law Director Sue Cain could not be reached for comment Monday evening. The proposed Metro Charter amendment would have required the city to do business in English only. Voters rejected the idea by a 9,000-vote margin Thursday.
Contact Michael Cass at 615-259-8838 or mcass@tennessean.com.
Senate Approves 4-Month Delay To DTV Conversion
Channel 5 News
(AP) WASHINGTON - People who have not gotten their TV sets ready for the changeover to digital signals could earn a four-month reprieve under a bill making its way through Congress.
The Senate voted Monday to delay until June 12 the deadline for the changeover from analog to digital television broadcasting.
People still getting their pictures through old-fashioned antennas otherwise would face a Feb. 17 cutoff.
Comparable legislation is being readied in the House, and the Obama administration has called for a delay amid mounting concerns that too many Americans who rely on over-the-air broadcast signals won't be ready.
It's estimated that more than 6.5 million U.S. households are still not prepared for the upcoming transition.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(AP) WASHINGTON - People who have not gotten their TV sets ready for the changeover to digital signals could earn a four-month reprieve under a bill making its way through Congress.
The Senate voted Monday to delay until June 12 the deadline for the changeover from analog to digital television broadcasting.
People still getting their pictures through old-fashioned antennas otherwise would face a Feb. 17 cutoff.
Comparable legislation is being readied in the House, and the Obama administration has called for a delay amid mounting concerns that too many Americans who rely on over-the-air broadcast signals won't be ready.
It's estimated that more than 6.5 million U.S. households are still not prepared for the upcoming transition.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Home Depot to cut 7,000 jobs, close Expo chain including Nashville store
Associated Press • January 26, 2009
CHICAGO -- Home Depot Inc. plans to eliminate 7,000 jobs while closing four dozen stores -- including one in Nashville -- as the recession continues to batter the nation's housing market. Its shares climbed more than 5 percent in morning trading.
The nation's biggest home improvement retailer said Monday the cuts will affect about 2 percent of its 300,000 workers and cause the Atlanta-based chain to record a $532 million pretax charge, most of which will be recorded in the fourth quarter.
Most of the cuts affect workers at Home Depot's 34 Expo Design Centers, five YardBIRDS, two Design Centers and HD Bath, a bath remodeling business with seven sites. Those stores will close in the next two months.
In Nashville, the Expo store in the 100 Oaks area at 2421 Powell Ave. is scheduled to close.Home Depot said its Expo business, which sells everything from throw pillows and sconces to bathtubs and vanities, hasn't performed well financially, even during the recent housing boom.
It said the chain has weakened significantly in the current economic environment."Exiting our Expo business is a difficult decision, particularly given the hard work and dedication of our associates in that business and the support of our loyal customers," Chairman and Chief Executive Frank Blake said in a statement. "At the same time, it is a necessary decision that will strengthen our core Home Depot business.
"The company's core Home Depot stores won't be affectedHome Depot's plans also include 2,000 cuts to non-store jobs, including 500 workers in its corporate headquarters, while freezing the pay of its officers.Home Depot said it would record an additional $163 million in pretax fourth-quarter charges along with a $55 million post-tax charge related to the 2007 sales of HD Supply.Meanwhile, the retailer also updated its 2008 guidance, saying it expects sales to fall 8 percent for the year while profit tumbles 24 percent when it releases fourth-quarter and full-year results on Feb. 24. Neither figures take into account the charges announced
Monday.Analysts expect the company to earn 16 cents per share on revenue of $14.8 billion for the fourth quarter.In 2009, the chain said it expects sluggish sales to continue and plans to reduce capital spending by about $1 billion. It will open 12 stores this year.Home Depot shares climbed $1.16, or 5.3 percent, to $22.88 in early trading Monday.
CHICAGO -- Home Depot Inc. plans to eliminate 7,000 jobs while closing four dozen stores -- including one in Nashville -- as the recession continues to batter the nation's housing market. Its shares climbed more than 5 percent in morning trading.
The nation's biggest home improvement retailer said Monday the cuts will affect about 2 percent of its 300,000 workers and cause the Atlanta-based chain to record a $532 million pretax charge, most of which will be recorded in the fourth quarter.
Most of the cuts affect workers at Home Depot's 34 Expo Design Centers, five YardBIRDS, two Design Centers and HD Bath, a bath remodeling business with seven sites. Those stores will close in the next two months.
In Nashville, the Expo store in the 100 Oaks area at 2421 Powell Ave. is scheduled to close.Home Depot said its Expo business, which sells everything from throw pillows and sconces to bathtubs and vanities, hasn't performed well financially, even during the recent housing boom.
It said the chain has weakened significantly in the current economic environment."Exiting our Expo business is a difficult decision, particularly given the hard work and dedication of our associates in that business and the support of our loyal customers," Chairman and Chief Executive Frank Blake said in a statement. "At the same time, it is a necessary decision that will strengthen our core Home Depot business.
"The company's core Home Depot stores won't be affectedHome Depot's plans also include 2,000 cuts to non-store jobs, including 500 workers in its corporate headquarters, while freezing the pay of its officers.Home Depot said it would record an additional $163 million in pretax fourth-quarter charges along with a $55 million post-tax charge related to the 2007 sales of HD Supply.Meanwhile, the retailer also updated its 2008 guidance, saying it expects sales to fall 8 percent for the year while profit tumbles 24 percent when it releases fourth-quarter and full-year results on Feb. 24. Neither figures take into account the charges announced
Monday.Analysts expect the company to earn 16 cents per share on revenue of $14.8 billion for the fourth quarter.In 2009, the chain said it expects sluggish sales to continue and plans to reduce capital spending by about $1 billion. It will open 12 stores this year.Home Depot shares climbed $1.16, or 5.3 percent, to $22.88 in early trading Monday.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Nashville leaders reflect on King legacy at birthday celebration
Vivian Wilhoite
Vivian Wilhoite, John Seigenthaler, Lipscomb's Director of Multicultural Affairs Tenielle Buchanan, and Joyce SearcyLipscomb University
If Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today, he would certainly be joyful to see the inauguration of Barack Obama on Tuesday, Jan. 20, but his joy would not be truly complete until the nation eliminates poverty, homelessness and inequality, former Nashville Vice Mayor Howard Gentry Jr. told a crowd of hundreds of Lipscomb students, faculty and friends on Tuesday.
Gentry, who now serves as CEO of the Nashville Public Benefit Foundation, shared his childhood experiences growing up in segregated Nashville at the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration held by the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Lipscomb University. He was one of a four-person panel that shared their experiences growing up during the civil rights era and in a post-King world.
Gentry recounted how his family was the second African-American family to move onto Nashville’s 22nd Avenue; how they were among the first African-Americans to swim in the public swimming pools and play in Centennial Park; how he was a member of the first Boy Scout troop to integrate Camp Boxwell.
Such small everyday battles must continue even today as our nation still battles the ills of society brought on by inequality for all races. The election of an African-American President is less important than what Barack Obama does in the position to solve poverty and homelessness in American society, Gentry said.
“That fight is not over,” echoed Joyce Searcy, CEO of Bethlehem Centers, who grew up in Yazoo City, Miss., while the South was still grappling with the effects of integration and King’s influence.
“It is very important that we still fight,” said Vivian Wilhoite, Metropolitan Councilwoman for District 29. In fact, she challenged each student there to step outside their comfort zone and consider ways they can each promote equality among all the students of many ethnicities attending Lipscomb.
Also on the panel was Tennessean Publisher Emeritus and former civil rights negotiator John Seigenthaler, 81, who had a first-hand experience with the violence encountered by the civil rights movement. While working for the U.S. Justice Department, Seigenthaler served as chief negotiator with the governor of Alabama during the Freedom Rides, and during one incident was attacked and injured by a mob of Klansmen.
Seigenthaler noted that with the election of Obama and with commemoration events like the Lipscomb panel, America is not yet a perfect world, but it is certainly a “more perfect world.”
“Lipscomb has done exceptionally well to bring them here today because each person at this table represents a small piece of King’s dream,” he told the crowd.
The birthday celebration also featured a moving poetry reading by Stephanie Pruitt, live music by Bill Lee McCleskey and birthday cake.
Among the hundreds in the audience, one alumna Odell Buggs, who attended Lipscomb in the 1980s, observed that she was impressed with the gathering to honor King and the number of minority faces in the audience, saying they were a testament to how much the university has changed over the years.
Gentry also praised the younger generation for their commitment to volunteerism and improvements in society.
“We have a big gap to fill,” he told the students after a question about the gap between young and old, “but don’t for a second think we aren’t seeing your efforts.”
Davidson County crime log for Jan. 15-18, 2009
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.
Jan. 18
Antioch
1:16 a.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Clapham Road
Hermitage
2:04 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3400 block Lebanon Pike
3:24 a.m., residential burglary, 4400 block Lavergne Couchvlle Pike
8:05 p.m., residential burglary, 5700 block Old Hickory Boulevard
South
9:44 a.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Summercrest Trail
11:14 a.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Bell Road
Jan 17
Antioch
8:56 p.m., residential burglary, 1400 block Clapham Court
Donelson
2:17 p.m., residential burglary, 3800 block Lakeridge Run
11:29 p.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Lakeland Drive
Hermitage
8:28 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 700 block Spence Lane
4:25 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Aladdin Drive
8:18 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Charles E. Davis Boulevard
8:52 p.m., rape, at Frist Boulevard
South
2:10 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Murfreesboro Pike
Una
12:03 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2500 block Murfreesboro Pike
Jan. 16
Antioch
7:40 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Evergreen Ridge Point
7:55 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Bell Road
Donelson
7:44 a.m., residential burglary, 1700 block Woodland Point Drive
9:33 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2700 block Elm Hill Pike
Hermitage
1:13 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1000 block Murfreesboro Pike
12:07 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 600 block Fesslers Lane
Priest Lake
7:32 a.m., residential burglary, 6300 block Paddington Way
South
11:32 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Zermatt Avenue
1:11 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Desoto Drive
3:28 p.m., residential burglary, 6700 block Sunnywood Drive
4:06 p.m., holdup/robbery, 6900 block Lenox Village Drive
4:17 p.m., holdup/robbery, 7700 block Sunbar Lane
5:29 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3000 block Hamilton Church Road
9:38 p.m., holdup/robbery, 6900 block Lenox Village Drive
10:55 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3000 block Hamilton Church Road
Jan. 15
Antioch
12:15 p.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Rice Road
9:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 30 block Hickory Hollow Place
Donelson
8:29 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Lebanon Pike
Hermitage
9:27 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3900 block Bell Road
9:42 a.m., residential burglary, 4700 block Hickory Way
2:50 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Windcrest Trail
7:53 p.m., residential burglary, 8200 block Eva Drive
Priest Lake
4:38 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Towne Village Road
South
7:43 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5300 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
3:57 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Foothill Drive
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.
Jan. 18
Antioch
1:16 a.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Clapham Road
Hermitage
2:04 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3400 block Lebanon Pike
3:24 a.m., residential burglary, 4400 block Lavergne Couchvlle Pike
8:05 p.m., residential burglary, 5700 block Old Hickory Boulevard
South
9:44 a.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Summercrest Trail
11:14 a.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Bell Road
Jan 17
Antioch
8:56 p.m., residential burglary, 1400 block Clapham Court
Donelson
2:17 p.m., residential burglary, 3800 block Lakeridge Run
11:29 p.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Lakeland Drive
Hermitage
8:28 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 700 block Spence Lane
4:25 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Aladdin Drive
8:18 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Charles E. Davis Boulevard
8:52 p.m., rape, at Frist Boulevard
South
2:10 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Murfreesboro Pike
Una
12:03 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2500 block Murfreesboro Pike
Jan. 16
Antioch
7:40 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Evergreen Ridge Point
7:55 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Bell Road
Donelson
7:44 a.m., residential burglary, 1700 block Woodland Point Drive
9:33 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2700 block Elm Hill Pike
Hermitage
1:13 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1000 block Murfreesboro Pike
12:07 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 600 block Fesslers Lane
Priest Lake
7:32 a.m., residential burglary, 6300 block Paddington Way
South
11:32 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Zermatt Avenue
1:11 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Desoto Drive
3:28 p.m., residential burglary, 6700 block Sunnywood Drive
4:06 p.m., holdup/robbery, 6900 block Lenox Village Drive
4:17 p.m., holdup/robbery, 7700 block Sunbar Lane
5:29 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3000 block Hamilton Church Road
9:38 p.m., holdup/robbery, 6900 block Lenox Village Drive
10:55 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3000 block Hamilton Church Road
Jan. 15
Antioch
12:15 p.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Rice Road
9:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 30 block Hickory Hollow Place
Donelson
8:29 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Lebanon Pike
Hermitage
9:27 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3900 block Bell Road
9:42 a.m., residential burglary, 4700 block Hickory Way
2:50 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Windcrest Trail
7:53 p.m., residential burglary, 8200 block Eva Drive
Priest Lake
4:38 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Towne Village Road
South
7:43 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5300 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
3:57 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Foothill Drive
Free tax help eases the pain
Preparation centers get those in a bind bigger refundsBy Jenny Upchurch • THE TENNESSEAN • January 23, 2009
Brad Parnell helps prepare Oscar Pointer's taxes on Thursday. The Internal Revenue Service, United Way and other agencies have opened tax help sites in Davidson County and surrounding areas. SHELLEY MAYS / THE TENNESSEAN
Comfort Johnson left the free tax preparation center in East Nashville with mission accomplished: Her 2008 federal income tax was complete, and she was expecting a larger-than-usual refund.
"I'm no longer working, so it's a big help," she said Thursday. "Especially at tax time, a lot of people are in a bind, and they're able to get themselves out of a bind with this."
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance center on Gallatin Pike is one of the first free tax prep centers opening this week in Davidson and surrounding counties for those who make less than $42,000.
"If used wisely, a tax refund can make a huge difference for their family," said Rachel Freeze, who is coordinating the VITA program.
One goal is to get the Earned Income Tax Credit for more who qualify. As many as a fourth of those eligible in Nashville don't file for the credit, Freeze said. Income limits have been raised so that those with two or more children can make as much as $41,646 and still qualify for the credit.
Even more could be eligible this year, as household members have lost jobs or income. One is Johnson, who qualified this year for the Earned Income credit, boosting her refund by about $1,000.
A family with two or more children can receive as much as $4,824 with the credit. And the credit is refundable, which means the taxpayer gets the full amount no matter how little tax is owed, said Dan Boone, spokesman for the IRS in Nashville.
The IRS, United Way and 20 other community agencies and financial institutions are working with Freeze's Nashville Alliance for Financial Independence to run the centers through April 15.
The centers will file returns electronically for free on the IRS Web site, and most refunds will come within 10 days.
"We're expecting 2.8 million returns to be filed in Tennessee," Boone said, and probably 90 percent would qualify to file free on the IRS Web site because their adjusted gross income is less than $56,000.
Yet few take advantage. Of the 1.89 million returns filed electronically in Tennessee last year, only 130,000 were on the free IRS site, Boone said.
New Fillable Forms let higher-income taxpayers also e-file for free on the IRS Web site. Using these forms is much like filling out paper forms, without prompts to claim credits or deductions.
But a taxpayer comfortable with completing the forms can do that online and then file, Boone said.
With e-filing and direct deposit, taxpayers can expect to get refunds within seven to 10 days, Boone said. "If you're looking for an easy way to save money, e-filing would be it."
Freeze urges lower-income taxpayers to use that route rather than paying a tax preparer and getting a refund anticipation loan. A full-time minimum-wage employee would need to work 34.5 hours to pay an average preparation fee of $150 and an average interest charge of $100, she said.
Oscar Pointer has had his taxes done by a private company. But he came this year to the VITA center after seeing a flier at his job at Goodwill. "One reason is it is free," he said.
In addition to helping prepare and file tax returns, the program offers Second Chance bank accounts for people who don't have an account to get refunds by direct deposit, Freeze said.
The accounts through First State Bank can be set up at the tax center at the Nashville Child Center, 4115 Gallatin Pike.
Obama tosses out Bush's 'war on terror'
By Dana Priest • THE WASHINGTON POST • January 23, 2009
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Thursday removed the most controversial tools employed by his predecessor against terrorism suspects. With the stroke of his pen, he effectively declared an end to the "war on terror," as former President George W. Bush defined it, signaling to the world that the reach of the U.S. government in battling its enemies will not be limitless.
While Obama says he has no plans to diminish counterterrorism operations abroad, the notion that a president can circumvent long-standing U.S. laws simply by declaring war was halted by executive order in the Oval Office.
Key components of the secret structure developed under Bush are being swept away. The military's Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, facility, where the rights of habeas corpus and due process had been denied detainees, will close, and the CIA is now prohibited from maintaining its own overseas prisons. And in a broad swipe at the Bush administration's lawyers, Obama nullified every legal order and opinion on interrogations issued by any lawyer in the executive branch after Sept. 11, 2001.
It was a swift and sudden end to an era that was slowly drawing to a close anyway, as public sentiment grew against perceived abuses of government power. The feisty debate over the tactics employed against al-Qaida began more than six years ago as whispers among confidants with access to the nation's most tightly held secrets. At the time, there was consensus in Congress and among the public that the United States would be attacked again and that government should take all means necessary to thwart the threat.
The CIA, which had taken the lead on counterterrorism operations worldwide, asked intelligence contacts around the globe to help its teams of covert operatives and clandestine military units identify, kill or capture terrorism suspects. They set up their first interrogation center in a compound walled off by black canvas at Bagram Air Base, and more at tiny bases throughout Afghanistan, where detainees could be questioned outside military rules and the protocols of the Geneva Conventions, governing treatment of prisoners of war.
As the CIA recruited young case officers, polygraphers and medical personnel to work on interrogation teams, the agency's leaders asked its allies in Thailand and Eastern Europe to set up secret prisons, where people such as Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh could be held in isolation and subjected to extreme sleep and sensory deprivation, waterboarding and sexual humiliation. These tactics are not permitted under military rules or the Geneva Conventions.
Secrets leak out
Over time, a tiny circle of federal employees outside these teams got access to some of the reports of interrogations. Some were pleased by the new aggressiveness. Others were horrified. They began to push back gingerly, as did an even smaller number of congressional officials briefed on the reports.
Eventually, their worries reached a handful of reporters trying to confirm rumors of people who seemed to have disappeared.
Bredesen: Lawmakers won't like Tenn. budget cuts
WKRN Channel 2 News
Associated Press - January 23, 2009 1:55 PM ET
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Phil Bredesen is warning lawmakers to be ready to make some difficult spending cuts this legislative session.
Bredesen is scheduled to present his budget proposal to the General Assembly in two weeks. The Democrat says it will include about $900 million in reductions from Tennessee's current annual spending plan.
In the governor's words: "There will be something for every legislator to not like in this budget."
Bredesen says that deep cuts - including a reduction in the number of state employees - will be necessary even after a the passage of a long-expected federal relief package.
Bredesen has asked most departments to prepare spending cuts of 6% and 15% and will decide later which tier will be needed.
Associated Press - January 23, 2009 1:55 PM ET
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Phil Bredesen is warning lawmakers to be ready to make some difficult spending cuts this legislative session.
Bredesen is scheduled to present his budget proposal to the General Assembly in two weeks. The Democrat says it will include about $900 million in reductions from Tennessee's current annual spending plan.
In the governor's words: "There will be something for every legislator to not like in this budget."
Bredesen says that deep cuts - including a reduction in the number of state employees - will be necessary even after a the passage of a long-expected federal relief package.
Bredesen has asked most departments to prepare spending cuts of 6% and 15% and will decide later which tier will be needed.
English-only fails; lopsided vote ends heated campaign
By Chris Echegaray • THE TENNESSEAN • January 23, 2009
Nashville listened to its leaders — the governor, the mayor, and a vast coalition of churches, businesses and universities — and defeated an English-only measure by nearly 10,000 votes in Thursday's special election.
No one predicted the massive turnout on the special election, one that inspired strong emotion from voters on either side. Ultimately, opponents said, the message that diversity is a good thing came through.
"With the defeat of this amendment, the citizens of Nashville tell the rest of the country that we are an incredibly warm city with an entrepreneurial spirit," said Tom Oreck, a vacuum cleaner company owner who worked to defeat the measure.
The final was 32,144 for English only and 41,752 against — at about 19 percent, the largest turnout for a special election in a decade. Opponents were well ahead when early voting totals came out just after the polls closed at 7 p.m. and never trailed.
The measure would have forced all Metro Nashville government business to be done in English, with the council allowed to vote on exceptions. The city's legal department contended early on that conflicts with federal law would enmesh Nashville in litigation for years to come.
By defeating the measure, Nashville will not be the largest city in the nation with an English-only rule in its charter despite dogged efforts by Metro Councilman Eric Crafton, who spearheaded the amendment. The city's size attracted the attention of national media.
Crafton's arguments
Crafton and his Nashville English First group argued that the city would save money in translation services and become unified as the result of more immigrants learning English.
But even Crafton said he is glad the special election is over. He has been trying to get the charter amended for two years, first failing after former Mayor Bill Purcell vetoed a council vote on the issue and then failing to get it on the November ballot over a technicality in timing.
"Like Roberto Duran said after his fight, 'No mas,'" Crafton said. "I think our community benefited from this debate, and I'm glad to have it behind us. We may have been on different sides, but we have to work to improve the education system, work through the budget crisis. Now, we have to be cooperative and work together."
After the final tallies, Mayor Karl Dean also called for the city to move on from this chapter.
"The results of this special election reaffirm Nashville's identity as a welcoming and friendly city and our ability to come together as a community — from all walks of life and perspectives — to work together for a common cause for the good of our city," he said.
Election costs
Even some who voted for the measure complained about the expense of holding a special election for it — nearly $280,000. Others didn't like the expense or the measure.
"This is a waste of taxpayer money," said Ruth Hall, who voted at DuPont Tyler Middle School. "It's wrong, and I voted against it.
"If I travel somewhere, I don't want the government telling me what I should be speaking and when."
But those who went to the polls had ideas as diverse as Nashville itself. Julie Lopez, who is married to a Cuban immigrant and adopted a daughter from Colombia, voted in favor of the measure.
"I just feel that it's fine to have government business to be in one language, an official language," said Lopez, who voted at the Central Pike Church of Christ. "I think, with changing demographics, there should be changing policies."
Overall, the "o
ne country, one language" sentiment pushed by Crafton to galvanize voters didn't resonate because Nashville is becoming cosmopolitan and comfortable with its diversity, said University of Illinois professor Dennis Baron, who has written extensively on English-only measures.
"Nashville refused to be alarmed by unwarranted language endangerment," he said. "This is a good sign. As I've said, these things tend to pass. The forces against the measure worked very hard."
Baron said English-only measures are often veiled attempts against immigrants and non-English speaking groups. The argument over English-only found itself framed around Latinos and illegal immigration, but it also would have affected the thousands of refugees the federal government resettles in Nashville.
The defeat of English-only is a sign that voters recognize bad policy, said Maria Rodriguez, director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition who has fought against similar measures in that state.
"Voters are not duped anymore," she said. "They know when they see bad policy that is going to be costly and that's not progressive. … I guess brown can stick around in Nashville."
What are your feelings about this issue?
Nashville listened to its leaders — the governor, the mayor, and a vast coalition of churches, businesses and universities — and defeated an English-only measure by nearly 10,000 votes in Thursday's special election.
No one predicted the massive turnout on the special election, one that inspired strong emotion from voters on either side. Ultimately, opponents said, the message that diversity is a good thing came through.
"With the defeat of this amendment, the citizens of Nashville tell the rest of the country that we are an incredibly warm city with an entrepreneurial spirit," said Tom Oreck, a vacuum cleaner company owner who worked to defeat the measure.
The final was 32,144 for English only and 41,752 against — at about 19 percent, the largest turnout for a special election in a decade. Opponents were well ahead when early voting totals came out just after the polls closed at 7 p.m. and never trailed.
The measure would have forced all Metro Nashville government business to be done in English, with the council allowed to vote on exceptions. The city's legal department contended early on that conflicts with federal law would enmesh Nashville in litigation for years to come.
By defeating the measure, Nashville will not be the largest city in the nation with an English-only rule in its charter despite dogged efforts by Metro Councilman Eric Crafton, who spearheaded the amendment. The city's size attracted the attention of national media.
Crafton's arguments
Crafton and his Nashville English First group argued that the city would save money in translation services and become unified as the result of more immigrants learning English.
But even Crafton said he is glad the special election is over. He has been trying to get the charter amended for two years, first failing after former Mayor Bill Purcell vetoed a council vote on the issue and then failing to get it on the November ballot over a technicality in timing.
"Like Roberto Duran said after his fight, 'No mas,'" Crafton said. "I think our community benefited from this debate, and I'm glad to have it behind us. We may have been on different sides, but we have to work to improve the education system, work through the budget crisis. Now, we have to be cooperative and work together."
After the final tallies, Mayor Karl Dean also called for the city to move on from this chapter.
"The results of this special election reaffirm Nashville's identity as a welcoming and friendly city and our ability to come together as a community — from all walks of life and perspectives — to work together for a common cause for the good of our city," he said.
Election costs
Even some who voted for the measure complained about the expense of holding a special election for it — nearly $280,000. Others didn't like the expense or the measure.
"This is a waste of taxpayer money," said Ruth Hall, who voted at DuPont Tyler Middle School. "It's wrong, and I voted against it.
"If I travel somewhere, I don't want the government telling me what I should be speaking and when."
But those who went to the polls had ideas as diverse as Nashville itself. Julie Lopez, who is married to a Cuban immigrant and adopted a daughter from Colombia, voted in favor of the measure.
"I just feel that it's fine to have government business to be in one language, an official language," said Lopez, who voted at the Central Pike Church of Christ. "I think, with changing demographics, there should be changing policies."
Overall, the "o
ne country, one language" sentiment pushed by Crafton to galvanize voters didn't resonate because Nashville is becoming cosmopolitan and comfortable with its diversity, said University of Illinois professor Dennis Baron, who has written extensively on English-only measures.
"Nashville refused to be alarmed by unwarranted language endangerment," he said. "This is a good sign. As I've said, these things tend to pass. The forces against the measure worked very hard."
Baron said English-only measures are often veiled attempts against immigrants and non-English speaking groups. The argument over English-only found itself framed around Latinos and illegal immigration, but it also would have affected the thousands of refugees the federal government resettles in Nashville.
The defeat of English-only is a sign that voters recognize bad policy, said Maria Rodriguez, director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition who has fought against similar measures in that state.
"Voters are not duped anymore," she said. "They know when they see bad policy that is going to be costly and that's not progressive. … I guess brown can stick around in Nashville."
What are your feelings about this issue?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Bridgestone Firestone to cut another 600 jobs in LaVergne
WKRN Channel 2
Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, Inc. announced Thursday it will cease passenger and light truck tire manufacturing at its plant in LaVergne, resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs.
In December, the LaVergne plant laid-off 148 hourly and 10 salaried employees due to a decrease in demand for passenger and light truck tires.
The company said Thursday an additional 294 hourly, 31 maintenance and 60 salaried workers will be released beginning in mid-March when the company ceases production.
"Based on current economic forecasts, it appears that the global economic crisis is going to get worse before it gets better. We are not immune from these challenging times," said Stephen Brooks, president of manufacturing operations.
Additionally, a decreased demand for truck tires will result in the loss of 191 hourly employees, 34 maintenance and 34 salaried teammates beginning in mid-March.
Brooks said if the economy improves, the jobs could be restored.
"We hope that the economy will begin to recover later this year; as a result we also hope that we will be in a position to begin calling teammates back to work in the truck and bus tire production area, perhaps as early as the fourth quarter of 2009," he said.
Bridgestone Firestone said truck and bus tire manufacturing will continue at the LaVergne plant with more than 700 employees.
Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, Inc. announced Thursday it will cease passenger and light truck tire manufacturing at its plant in LaVergne, resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs.
In December, the LaVergne plant laid-off 148 hourly and 10 salaried employees due to a decrease in demand for passenger and light truck tires.
The company said Thursday an additional 294 hourly, 31 maintenance and 60 salaried workers will be released beginning in mid-March when the company ceases production.
"Based on current economic forecasts, it appears that the global economic crisis is going to get worse before it gets better. We are not immune from these challenging times," said Stephen Brooks, president of manufacturing operations.
Additionally, a decreased demand for truck tires will result in the loss of 191 hourly employees, 34 maintenance and 34 salaried teammates beginning in mid-March.
Brooks said if the economy improves, the jobs could be restored.
"We hope that the economy will begin to recover later this year; as a result we also hope that we will be in a position to begin calling teammates back to work in the truck and bus tire production area, perhaps as early as the fourth quarter of 2009," he said.
Bridgestone Firestone said truck and bus tire manufacturing will continue at the LaVergne plant with more than 700 employees.
Obama gets a new Web site
By Jose Antonio Vargas and Sarah Cohen • THE WASHINGTON POST • January 22, 2009
WASHINGTON — For the second time in U.S. history, the president's online portal switched owners.
Out went the photographs of former president George W. Bush, which were posted until noon Tuesday. As the government officially changed hands, the presidential Web site WhiteHouse.gov began to serve the online vision and agenda of President Barack Obama.
According to the site's first blog post, by Macon Phillips, a veteran of Obama's campaign and now the White House's new-media director, WhiteHouse.gov "will serve as a place for the President and his administration to connect with the restof the nation and the world." The top three priorities of the site, Phillips wrote, are "communication," "transparency" and "participation" — buzz words in online social networking circles.
WASHINGTON — For the second time in U.S. history, the president's online portal switched owners.
Out went the photographs of former president George W. Bush, which were posted until noon Tuesday. As the government officially changed hands, the presidential Web site WhiteHouse.gov began to serve the online vision and agenda of President Barack Obama.
According to the site's first blog post, by Macon Phillips, a veteran of Obama's campaign and now the White House's new-media director, WhiteHouse.gov "will serve as a place for the President and his administration to connect with the restof the nation and the world." The top three priorities of the site, Phillips wrote, are "communication," "transparency" and "participation" — buzz words in online social networking circles.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Fourth annual Pull-Tab Collection Challenge Contest
Congrats to over 36,600 students from accross middle Tennessee, southern Kentucky, and nothern Alabama took on the challenge of collecting the most alumonum tabs from cans that can be recycled, with all proceeds benefiting Ronald McDonald House of Nashvile. They collected 137,561 ounces of pull tabs, which equals 8,597.62.
KEEP SAVING YOUR PULL-TABS
Briefs: Metro schools seek volunteers to talk about careers
Twelve of Metro Nashville's public high schools currently involved in the high school redesign into Smaller Learning Communities are opening their doors to area business men and women who would like to share their industry knowledge and expertise with high school students.
A new online Speakers Bureau, www.schoolvolunteers.org, has been created to help Metro teachers recruit professionals willing to share career advice with students. Through the Web site, teachers can search a database of professionals willing to address a classroom, while professionals can search a database for classroom speaking needs.
Businesses or professionals interested in supporting MNPS Career Academies should contact PENCIL Foundation at 242-3167 or visit www.schoolvolunteers.org.
A new online Speakers Bureau, www.schoolvolunteers.org, has been created to help Metro teachers recruit professionals willing to share career advice with students. Through the Web site, teachers can search a database of professionals willing to address a classroom, while professionals can search a database for classroom speaking needs.
Businesses or professionals interested in supporting MNPS Career Academies should contact PENCIL Foundation at 242-3167 or visit www.schoolvolunteers.org.
President urges all to sacrifice
By David S. Broder • THE WASHINGTON POST • January 21, 2009
WASHINGTON — In the inaugural address launching his presidency, Barack Obama on Tuesday drew on his sense of history and the needs of the moment — the same strengths that shaped the speeches that propelled him from obscurity to the White House in four years.
In his very first sentence, Obama cited "the sacrifices borne by our ancestors" and said the confidence he feels in the face of two wars and the worst economic crisis in three-quarters of a century rests on Americans' remaining "faithful to the ideals of our forbears and ... our founding documents."
More than most politicians, Obama has relied on his formal speeches to power his ambitious career. Tuesday's address — much of which he wrote himself — signaled a sharp break with the domestic and national security policies of the Bush administration and a reaffirmation of Obama's main campaign themes.
In his very first sentence, Obama cited "the sacrifices borne by our ancestors" and said the confidence he feels in the face of two wars and the worst economic crisis in three-quarters of a century rests on Americans' remaining "faithful to the ideals of our forbears and ... our founding documents."
More than most politicians, Obama has relied on his formal speeches to power his ambitious career. Tuesday's address — much of which he wrote himself — signaled a sharp break with the domestic and national security policies of the Bush administration and a reaffirmation of Obama's main campaign themes.
As in his keynote address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention, the speech that lifted the young Illinois state senator from obscurity, and in the Iowa Jefferson-Jackson Dinner speech that launched his first national campaign, Obama said he and his nation had "chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."
Those words — hope and unity — have been the consistent keynotes of his political rhetoric. They now will be tested in the toughest of crucibles, as he confronts a deeply anxious nation that has attached its hopes strongly to him.
In turn, Obama was at pains in this somber inaugural to turn the burden back to them. "For as much as government can do and must do," Obama said, "it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies."
"What is demanded," he said, are old virtues and values — "hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism."
"What is demanded," he said, are old virtues and values — "hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism."
In the few substantive passages in the speech, Obama signaled a change from the Bush administration. Alluding to the almost-trillion-dollar stimulus package he outlined to Congress even before he took the oath, he called for "bold and swift" action to stop the slide in jobs, manufacturing and housing. He also alluded to new initiatives, not yet specified, in energy, education, health care and technology.
Turning to national security, Obama rejected Bush's contention that the terrorist threat necessitated some sacrifice of privacy and civil liberties, saying, "We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. ... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake."
The biggest and most obvious change that Obama represents went almost unmentioned by him: the fact that he is the first African-American or mixed-race man ever elected president. He noted the uniqueness of the fact that "a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."
But as in his campaign, Obama did not identify himself as "the black candidate for president" and he cast his appeal broadly, not toward a targeted audience.
But as in his campaign, Obama did not identify himself as "the black candidate for president" and he cast his appeal broadly, not toward a targeted audience.
Echoing not only his own earlier words but a major theme of President George W. Bush's inauguration, he called Tuesday for "a new era of responsibility."
Obama turned back to the first president, quoting George Washington's words from the winter of Valley Forge, when "nothing but hope and virtue could survive."
"With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come," he said. It was the bookend to the closing words in Boston more than four years ago, when he invoked "Hope — hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope."
What speeches can accomplish, they have delivered handsomely for Barack Obama. Now, it will depend on his deeds.
Metro OKs alcohol at Farmers Market eateries
Action still needs state approval to be final
By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • January 21, 2009
Visitors to some Nashville Farmers Market restaurants could enjoy a beer or a glass of wine with lunch before long.
The Metro Council approved a lease amendment Tuesday that would allow the eateries to sell alcohol, subject to approval by the state, which owns the land on which the city facility sits north of downtown.
The council also approved a nearly three-square-mile tourism development zone around a proposed downtown convention center.
The city will be able to use the difference between existing sales tax revenues within the zone and the amount generated by business brought in by the new convention center for up to 30 years to pay for construction of the center if the council signs off on the $635 million project.
The revenues the city and state collect from the area and use for other purposes will not be affected, Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling said.
No one knows how much new money the development zone might generate. Phil Ryan, executive director of the Metro Development and Housing Agency, which is spearheading the convention center project, said it would take a month or so to determine the baseline tax collections in the zone.
The roughly 1,800-acre area will stretch north to Jefferson Street, east to Interstate 24, south to Interstate 40/Interstate 65 and out to 21st Avenue at the southwest corner. It will be about 120 acres smaller than the maximum size allowed by the state. LP Field and Sommet Center will be excluded.
Ryan said in an interview that he and other facility planners believe the development zone is the right size, based on where a new convention center might spur development.
Councilman Eric Crafton raised questions about the zone and ultimately cast the only vote against it.
"How can we even determine that this is the area that we need?" he said.
Riebeling said that if the zone generates more money each year than officials expect, the city would pay off its debt sooner and then eliminate the zone.
More income chances
Jeff Themm, director of the Farmers Market, said allowing alcohol sales would generate needed income. He said he envisions some of the market's seven restaurants, which are only open at lunch, selling beer and wine.
Themm said he hopes the restaurants can open at night in the next couple of years. In the meantime, the market could attract some evening events at which beer, wine and liquor would be sold, he said.
The council voted to defer for one meeting a more controversial bill about alcohol sales. That legislation would ban most sales of single bottles and cans of beer downtown in an effort to control vagrancy, litter, panhandling and public intoxication.
Critics say the measure would do little to solve those problems and would hurt convenience stores' bottom lines.
By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • January 21, 2009
Visitors to some Nashville Farmers Market restaurants could enjoy a beer or a glass of wine with lunch before long.
The Metro Council approved a lease amendment Tuesday that would allow the eateries to sell alcohol, subject to approval by the state, which owns the land on which the city facility sits north of downtown.
The council also approved a nearly three-square-mile tourism development zone around a proposed downtown convention center.
The city will be able to use the difference between existing sales tax revenues within the zone and the amount generated by business brought in by the new convention center for up to 30 years to pay for construction of the center if the council signs off on the $635 million project.
The revenues the city and state collect from the area and use for other purposes will not be affected, Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling said.
No one knows how much new money the development zone might generate. Phil Ryan, executive director of the Metro Development and Housing Agency, which is spearheading the convention center project, said it would take a month or so to determine the baseline tax collections in the zone.
The roughly 1,800-acre area will stretch north to Jefferson Street, east to Interstate 24, south to Interstate 40/Interstate 65 and out to 21st Avenue at the southwest corner. It will be about 120 acres smaller than the maximum size allowed by the state. LP Field and Sommet Center will be excluded.
Ryan said in an interview that he and other facility planners believe the development zone is the right size, based on where a new convention center might spur development.
Councilman Eric Crafton raised questions about the zone and ultimately cast the only vote against it.
"How can we even determine that this is the area that we need?" he said.
Riebeling said that if the zone generates more money each year than officials expect, the city would pay off its debt sooner and then eliminate the zone.
More income chances
Jeff Themm, director of the Farmers Market, said allowing alcohol sales would generate needed income. He said he envisions some of the market's seven restaurants, which are only open at lunch, selling beer and wine.
Themm said he hopes the restaurants can open at night in the next couple of years. In the meantime, the market could attract some evening events at which beer, wine and liquor would be sold, he said.
The council voted to defer for one meeting a more controversial bill about alcohol sales. That legislation would ban most sales of single bottles and cans of beer downtown in an effort to control vagrancy, litter, panhandling and public intoxication.
Critics say the measure would do little to solve those problems and would hurt convenience stores' bottom lines.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Starbucks gives free coffee for pledge to help community
Tennessean
MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Hands On Nashville is hoping to enlist new volunteers this week through a promotion partnership with Starbucks.
The coffeehouse chain will give customers a free tall coffee and a button that says "I'm In" if they pledge to do five hours of community service during 2009. People will be directed to local affiliates of the Hands On Network, which is Hands On Nashville in Middle Tennessee.
The promotion runs Wednesday through Sunday.
To learn more, check out Hands On Nashville's Web site, www.hon.org, or call 615-298-1108.
The national organization's Web site is www.handsonnetwork.org.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Hands On Nashville is hoping to enlist new volunteers this week through a promotion partnership with Starbucks.
The coffeehouse chain will give customers a free tall coffee and a button that says "I'm In" if they pledge to do five hours of community service during 2009. People will be directed to local affiliates of the Hands On Network, which is Hands On Nashville in Middle Tennessee.
The promotion runs Wednesday through Sunday.
To learn more, check out Hands On Nashville's Web site, www.hon.org, or call 615-298-1108.
The national organization's Web site is www.handsonnetwork.org.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Big crowds for special election early voting
WKRN Channel 2 News
Posted: Jan 17, 2009 05:03 PM CST
Updated: Jan 18, 2009 12:01 AM CST
Despite the cold weather, lines stretched out the doors at the election commission Saturday morning, as voters waited to cast their ballot for the special election.
By this time next week, Davidson County voters will have decided if English should be the official language of Metro government.
Voter Caroline Dubois says she couldn't believe how many people showed up, "We were shocked, it was the biggest line I've seen."
At times, that line was out the door and all the way out to the curb.
Allison Schachter says the issues on the ballot were important enough to stand in line for, "I was upset by the ballot initiative and I wanted to vote against it and I wanted to vote early."
Even those who turned out early had to wait patiently for their turn at the voting machines.
The election commission says they already had people lined up forty-five minutes before the doors opened.
"I think it's really exciting to see so many people out here who care," Schachter tells News 2, "Whatever their opinion is."
James Johnson voted for the English First proposal, and tells News 2, "To me, it doesn't make sense. If a person wants to come to this country and participate in the political things of this country, they ought to speak the country's language."
Kevin Millen voted against the amendment, "I think it's not very smart thing for us to be doing. A waste of time, not good for our image and unnecessary."
Election officials expect voting on the day of the January 22nd special election to be just as busy.
Posted: Jan 17, 2009 05:03 PM CST
Updated: Jan 18, 2009 12:01 AM CST
Despite the cold weather, lines stretched out the doors at the election commission Saturday morning, as voters waited to cast their ballot for the special election.
By this time next week, Davidson County voters will have decided if English should be the official language of Metro government.
Voter Caroline Dubois says she couldn't believe how many people showed up, "We were shocked, it was the biggest line I've seen."
At times, that line was out the door and all the way out to the curb.
Allison Schachter says the issues on the ballot were important enough to stand in line for, "I was upset by the ballot initiative and I wanted to vote against it and I wanted to vote early."
Even those who turned out early had to wait patiently for their turn at the voting machines.
The election commission says they already had people lined up forty-five minutes before the doors opened.
"I think it's really exciting to see so many people out here who care," Schachter tells News 2, "Whatever their opinion is."
James Johnson voted for the English First proposal, and tells News 2, "To me, it doesn't make sense. If a person wants to come to this country and participate in the political things of this country, they ought to speak the country's language."
Kevin Millen voted against the amendment, "I think it's not very smart thing for us to be doing. A waste of time, not good for our image and unnecessary."
Election officials expect voting on the day of the January 22nd special election to be just as busy.
State seeks $900 million in cuts
Departments submit multiple contingency plans
By Theo Emery • THE TENNESSEAN • January 18, 2009
After the bitter acrimony surrounding last week's surprise election of Republican Speaker Kent Williams, the General Assembly's real work has yet to begin: passing the state budget that Gov. Phil Bredesen will propose in his State of the State address on Feb. 9.
The 2009-10 budget, which is in the final stages of preparation, anticipates a shortfall of about $712 million in revenues next year, and would require about $900 million in cuts across most departments.
The cuts that departments submitted to Bredesen late last month include more than 2,000 jobs, although the governor said he would be "astonished" if that many people were laid off, calling it a worst-case scenario if little federal aid comes from Washington and the deepest cuts were needed.
But he said it would be almost impossible to avoid layoffs altogether, given the severity of the downturn and the state's declining revenues, which he said were "right up there" with other states hit hard by the economic downturn.
"A part of my challenge here is not only to balance the budget but also to understand that this is certainly the worst financial situation in the state since the second World War," he said. "It's not going to be a pretty budget when you look at it."
The Tennessee State Employees Association said the governor is not looking hard enough for other ways to save money and accused him of bad faith in his budget setting. The association is particularly angry about plans to ask lawmakers for legislation that would relax civil service rules and make it easier to lay off employees.
"We have balanced the state's budget through difficult times in our past and under numerous administrations and never before has a governor requested such power to accomplish the task," the association's executive director, Jim Tucker, said in a statement.
The governor asked his department heads to establish multiple stages of cuts. The first tier averages just over 8 percent cuts, which departments will adopt under almost any scenario.
Then, departments were asked to prepare another plan to cut an additional 6 percent, which would be necessary should the federal stimulus package not provide adequate aid for the state. The two tiers would total about 14.5 percent.
Finally, the administration asked for contingency plans for 5 percent more in cuts, in case the economic situation gets worse, which the governor said is possible in the difficult-to-predict economic environment.
"This year, you make projections and they can be off by $500 million in either direction in terms of the tax revenues of the state," he said.
A few departments and areas of spending were able to avoid major cuts. Bredesen said he plans to keep the state's Basic Education Program school funding intact, and allowed the Department of Corrections to avoid cuts in what would be the first round of cuts, though not in the second.
TennCare hit hardest
In many cases, the cuts required of departments total millions, and even tens of millions of dollars. In December, the administration's reduction guidelines asked the Department of Children's Services, for example, to find $23.6 million in the first round of cuts and $26 million in the second, totaling almost $50 million.
The Department of Safety was asked to cut about $8.5 million in the first tier and $7.7 million in the second, for a total of about $16 million. The Department of Health was asked to find about $11 million in the first tier and about $10 million in the second.
By far, the biggest cuts requested were from TennCare, the state's expanded Medicaid program. In the first round, TennCare was asked to find $205 million in cuts, and $181 million in the second round. The $386 million total represents more than a third of the total cuts across the state budget, according to the guidelines.
The state recently won a court ruling that eventually could allow the state to save money by dropping some TennCare recipients who are no longer eligible but have remained in the rolls because of a court decision from the 1980s.
The federal stimulus package under discussion in Washington likely would boost the federal contribution toward TennCare, the governor said.
Gordon Bonnyman, founder of the Tennessee Justice Center and an advocate on behalf of TennCare recipients, said he hopes the stimulus package would prevent any TennCare cuts.
"That should be more than enough to offset whatever the state thought it would have to cut in TennCare," he said.
Lawmakers appear resigned to the grim task ahead. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, the Republican Senate speaker, said he agrees with Bredesen "that we live within our means, that we balance the budget without a tax increase, that we make the tough cuts because we have to.
"The only piece of business we have to conduct between now and the time we adjourn is to pass a balanced budget," Ramsey said, "and I feel confident that we'll do that with the basic philosophy the governor has laid out."
By Theo Emery • THE TENNESSEAN • January 18, 2009
After the bitter acrimony surrounding last week's surprise election of Republican Speaker Kent Williams, the General Assembly's real work has yet to begin: passing the state budget that Gov. Phil Bredesen will propose in his State of the State address on Feb. 9.
The 2009-10 budget, which is in the final stages of preparation, anticipates a shortfall of about $712 million in revenues next year, and would require about $900 million in cuts across most departments.
The cuts that departments submitted to Bredesen late last month include more than 2,000 jobs, although the governor said he would be "astonished" if that many people were laid off, calling it a worst-case scenario if little federal aid comes from Washington and the deepest cuts were needed.
But he said it would be almost impossible to avoid layoffs altogether, given the severity of the downturn and the state's declining revenues, which he said were "right up there" with other states hit hard by the economic downturn.
"A part of my challenge here is not only to balance the budget but also to understand that this is certainly the worst financial situation in the state since the second World War," he said. "It's not going to be a pretty budget when you look at it."
The Tennessee State Employees Association said the governor is not looking hard enough for other ways to save money and accused him of bad faith in his budget setting. The association is particularly angry about plans to ask lawmakers for legislation that would relax civil service rules and make it easier to lay off employees.
"We have balanced the state's budget through difficult times in our past and under numerous administrations and never before has a governor requested such power to accomplish the task," the association's executive director, Jim Tucker, said in a statement.
The governor asked his department heads to establish multiple stages of cuts. The first tier averages just over 8 percent cuts, which departments will adopt under almost any scenario.
Then, departments were asked to prepare another plan to cut an additional 6 percent, which would be necessary should the federal stimulus package not provide adequate aid for the state. The two tiers would total about 14.5 percent.
Finally, the administration asked for contingency plans for 5 percent more in cuts, in case the economic situation gets worse, which the governor said is possible in the difficult-to-predict economic environment.
"This year, you make projections and they can be off by $500 million in either direction in terms of the tax revenues of the state," he said.
A few departments and areas of spending were able to avoid major cuts. Bredesen said he plans to keep the state's Basic Education Program school funding intact, and allowed the Department of Corrections to avoid cuts in what would be the first round of cuts, though not in the second.
TennCare hit hardest
In many cases, the cuts required of departments total millions, and even tens of millions of dollars. In December, the administration's reduction guidelines asked the Department of Children's Services, for example, to find $23.6 million in the first round of cuts and $26 million in the second, totaling almost $50 million.
The Department of Safety was asked to cut about $8.5 million in the first tier and $7.7 million in the second, for a total of about $16 million. The Department of Health was asked to find about $11 million in the first tier and about $10 million in the second.
By far, the biggest cuts requested were from TennCare, the state's expanded Medicaid program. In the first round, TennCare was asked to find $205 million in cuts, and $181 million in the second round. The $386 million total represents more than a third of the total cuts across the state budget, according to the guidelines.
The state recently won a court ruling that eventually could allow the state to save money by dropping some TennCare recipients who are no longer eligible but have remained in the rolls because of a court decision from the 1980s.
The federal stimulus package under discussion in Washington likely would boost the federal contribution toward TennCare, the governor said.
Gordon Bonnyman, founder of the Tennessee Justice Center and an advocate on behalf of TennCare recipients, said he hopes the stimulus package would prevent any TennCare cuts.
"That should be more than enough to offset whatever the state thought it would have to cut in TennCare," he said.
Lawmakers appear resigned to the grim task ahead. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, the Republican Senate speaker, said he agrees with Bredesen "that we live within our means, that we balance the budget without a tax increase, that we make the tough cuts because we have to.
"The only piece of business we have to conduct between now and the time we adjourn is to pass a balanced budget," Ramsey said, "and I feel confident that we'll do that with the basic philosophy the governor has laid out."
Friday, January 16, 2009
NES To Work With Customers With High Bills
News Channel 5
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - With temperatures dipping down near zero Thursday night, your furnace will have to work overtime.
That's why Nashville Electric Service is starting to work with customers who will get hit with a big bill thanks to the cold weather.
NES President/CEO Decosta Jenkins outlined the reasons behind the big bills for Metro Council members and told them what the utility can do to help.
People are doing what they can to stay warm.
"You can look around, all over the city, all over this country people are hurting," Jenkins said.
At NES, managers are doing as much as they can to ease the pain of high electric bills.
"We'll show as much empathy as we can, we'll work with them as long as we can," he said.
Several Metro Council members came out Thursday night to get the back story on skyrocketing monthly statements.
Jenkins put much of the blame on the Tennessee Valley Authority. The electric wholesaler has raised the rate it charges NES 34 percent since April; nearly 24 percent of that is a fuel surcharge.
Combine that with colder weather over the last few months. Also, because of holidays, many customers had 34 days on their bill instead of the usual 28.
"We know these four factors are having an impact on everybody," he said.
If customers ask, NES will take the average of their last three December bills and let them pay the average and spread out the difference over three months. NES will also waive late fees and be more lenient on cut-offs.
"I applaud you in being creative in the things that you've mentioned," said Metro Councilwoman Vivian Wilhoite.
Still, some council members wonder how people will get out from under mounting electric bills.
"Even if we make arrangements, what happens the next month if it's 400 or 500, and now you're $300 behind, how do we continue and stop the snowball," said Metro Councilman Robert Duvall.
Still, any little bit of help might make a difference as the temperature continues to drop.
Changes are also coming to the NES call center. Right now, 80 people are taking calls and setting up special payment arrangements. They've started mandatory overtime for people and they're hiring 45 temporary workers to man extra phone lines so customers can get through in a decent amount of time.
NES hasn't raised the actual rates it charges since 2006. But, there is a planned, 3-5 percent increase in the rate next year.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - With temperatures dipping down near zero Thursday night, your furnace will have to work overtime.
That's why Nashville Electric Service is starting to work with customers who will get hit with a big bill thanks to the cold weather.
NES President/CEO Decosta Jenkins outlined the reasons behind the big bills for Metro Council members and told them what the utility can do to help.
People are doing what they can to stay warm.
"You can look around, all over the city, all over this country people are hurting," Jenkins said.
At NES, managers are doing as much as they can to ease the pain of high electric bills.
"We'll show as much empathy as we can, we'll work with them as long as we can," he said.
Several Metro Council members came out Thursday night to get the back story on skyrocketing monthly statements.
Jenkins put much of the blame on the Tennessee Valley Authority. The electric wholesaler has raised the rate it charges NES 34 percent since April; nearly 24 percent of that is a fuel surcharge.
Combine that with colder weather over the last few months. Also, because of holidays, many customers had 34 days on their bill instead of the usual 28.
"We know these four factors are having an impact on everybody," he said.
If customers ask, NES will take the average of their last three December bills and let them pay the average and spread out the difference over three months. NES will also waive late fees and be more lenient on cut-offs.
"I applaud you in being creative in the things that you've mentioned," said Metro Councilwoman Vivian Wilhoite.
Still, some council members wonder how people will get out from under mounting electric bills.
"Even if we make arrangements, what happens the next month if it's 400 or 500, and now you're $300 behind, how do we continue and stop the snowball," said Metro Councilman Robert Duvall.
Still, any little bit of help might make a difference as the temperature continues to drop.
Changes are also coming to the NES call center. Right now, 80 people are taking calls and setting up special payment arrangements. They've started mandatory overtime for people and they're hiring 45 temporary workers to man extra phone lines so customers can get through in a decent amount of time.
NES hasn't raised the actual rates it charges since 2006. But, there is a planned, 3-5 percent increase in the rate next year.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Metro schools to close Friday due to cold
By COLBY SLEDGE • THE TENNESSEAN • January 15, 2009
Metro Nashville Public Schools will close Friday due to forecasts of extreme cold, the district announced today.
In a news release, the school district cited temperature forecasts as low as 0 degrees Fahrenheit during the morning, when students would be waiting for buses or walking to school.
The district has closed in the past due to extreme temperatures, including for extreme heat in 2007.The closing will result in a four-day weekend, as schools will also be closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.Check back at Tennessean.com for more info.
Metro Nashville Public Schools will close Friday due to forecasts of extreme cold, the district announced today.
In a news release, the school district cited temperature forecasts as low as 0 degrees Fahrenheit during the morning, when students would be waiting for buses or walking to school.
The district has closed in the past due to extreme temperatures, including for extreme heat in 2007.The closing will result in a four-day weekend, as schools will also be closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.Check back at Tennessean.com for more info.
2,000-plus could lose state jobs
Worker group says cuts not needed
By Theo Emery • THE TENNESSEAN • January 15, 2009
Gov. Phil Bredesen said that more than 2,000 state workers could face layoffs because of Tennessee's budget crisis, a belt-tightening measure that the state employee's association said is not necessary.
Bredesen said budget-cutting proposals submitted by each of his departments last month would trim the state's payroll by more than two thousand employees, although he did not give a specific number.
"I'm going to do everything I can to minimize layoffs, more so than I usually would, because I think this is a tough time to be looking for a job," he said.
Jim Tucker, executive director of the Tennessee State Employees Association, said that layoffs are not necessary, and the administration is not looking carefully enough at the state budget to find places to save money.
He said the state could instead look for savings in its contracts and programs, create four-day workweeks and shortened workdays, or require employee furloughs.
"Why would the governor want to lay people off and put them in the unemployment line when there are other options?" he said.
The Governor said he believes that he may be able to reduce the number of layoffs that are contained in the department budget plans that were submitted to him, but he said it will be impossible to balance the budget without some layoffs.
"Those are draconian cuts — there's no way to get there without substantive layoffs," he said.
The state is facing a budget shortfall of as much as a billion dollars this year because of sharply declining revenues. State tax revenues have been steadily worsening as the economy sours; last month's sales tax collections recorded a record decline.
Most departments were asked to deliver proposals to cut their budgets in multiple stages: an initial cut of roughly 8 percent cut, then a 7 percent cut if no federal aid is forthcoming. Departments were also asked to create a plan to cut another 5 percent in case the state's financial situation gets still worse.
"This is the worst financial crisis the state has faced since World War II," Bredesen said.
The governor plans to submit his 2010 budget to the legislature on Feb. 9, but he probably will require an amendment after the extent of the federal stimulus package — which is still under discussion in Washington — is known. Bredesen plans to ask lawmakers to pass a legislative package that will loosen the state's civil service rules, which he said would give him flexibility in hiring, transferring and laying of employees.
The administration originally planned to ask for passage of those bills this week during an organizational session of the legislature; instead, he will ask the General Assembly to take it up after an upcoming recess.
By Theo Emery • THE TENNESSEAN • January 15, 2009
Gov. Phil Bredesen said that more than 2,000 state workers could face layoffs because of Tennessee's budget crisis, a belt-tightening measure that the state employee's association said is not necessary.
Bredesen said budget-cutting proposals submitted by each of his departments last month would trim the state's payroll by more than two thousand employees, although he did not give a specific number.
"I'm going to do everything I can to minimize layoffs, more so than I usually would, because I think this is a tough time to be looking for a job," he said.
Jim Tucker, executive director of the Tennessee State Employees Association, said that layoffs are not necessary, and the administration is not looking carefully enough at the state budget to find places to save money.
He said the state could instead look for savings in its contracts and programs, create four-day workweeks and shortened workdays, or require employee furloughs.
"Why would the governor want to lay people off and put them in the unemployment line when there are other options?" he said.
The Governor said he believes that he may be able to reduce the number of layoffs that are contained in the department budget plans that were submitted to him, but he said it will be impossible to balance the budget without some layoffs.
"Those are draconian cuts — there's no way to get there without substantive layoffs," he said.
The state is facing a budget shortfall of as much as a billion dollars this year because of sharply declining revenues. State tax revenues have been steadily worsening as the economy sours; last month's sales tax collections recorded a record decline.
Most departments were asked to deliver proposals to cut their budgets in multiple stages: an initial cut of roughly 8 percent cut, then a 7 percent cut if no federal aid is forthcoming. Departments were also asked to create a plan to cut another 5 percent in case the state's financial situation gets still worse.
"This is the worst financial crisis the state has faced since World War II," Bredesen said.
The governor plans to submit his 2010 budget to the legislature on Feb. 9, but he probably will require an amendment after the extent of the federal stimulus package — which is still under discussion in Washington — is known. Bredesen plans to ask lawmakers to pass a legislative package that will loosen the state's civil service rules, which he said would give him flexibility in hiring, transferring and laying of employees.
The administration originally planned to ask for passage of those bills this week during an organizational session of the legislature; instead, he will ask the General Assembly to take it up after an upcoming recess.
Metro tackles difficult budget process today
Department heads expect cuts
By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • January 15, 2009
Metro kicks off its 2009-10 budget process today with a case of the jitters as it contends with a badly bruised economy and slow sales tax collections that could lead to significant layoffs and service reductions.
Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling will meet with department heads at 1 p.m. at the Nashville Public Library to give them Mayor Karl Dean's instructions, including preparing for cuts as high as 15 percent. Dean, in his second year in office, must submit his recommended operating budget to the Metro Council by May 1.
Dean's first budget was a painful one, including 200 layoffs, another 127 positions eliminated and 5 percent cuts for most departments. Although the size of the overall budget actually increased slightly, a 4.8 percent increase for Metro schools meant most other areas had to sacrifice.
Dean's second budget promises to be even tougher, said Riebeling, who expects revenues to decline unless the economy turns around. The budget year starts July 1.
"We're going to be looking at some very difficult choices," Riebeling said. "Last year was difficult, and this year is going to be exponentially more difficult."
Riebeling said he will ask department leaders to plan for several types of cuts in the coming weeks.
He said he wasn't ready Wednesday to say what the scenarios would be, but he didn't expect to ask for cuts larger than 15 percent.
Direct service a priority
Riebeling also will ask departments to focus first on cutting areas that don't provide direct services to the public.
"After that, we'll have to prioritize," Riebeling said. "It's going to be hard to get through and keep the city moving forward, but that's what we're committed to doing."
Asked if any departments might have to merge in a cost-saving effort, Riebeling said nothing can be ruled out yet.
Councilman Randy Foster, who represents part of south Davidson County, said the state's lagging sales tax collections will hurt the city.
Metro gets 2.25 cents from every dollar spent here on taxable goods, with two-thirds of that revenue going to schools.
"Whatever flows out of the state to cities and counties will be less than it was before," Foster said. "People are really pulling back from spending on large-ticket items — and even small things as well."
By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • January 15, 2009
Metro kicks off its 2009-10 budget process today with a case of the jitters as it contends with a badly bruised economy and slow sales tax collections that could lead to significant layoffs and service reductions.
Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling will meet with department heads at 1 p.m. at the Nashville Public Library to give them Mayor Karl Dean's instructions, including preparing for cuts as high as 15 percent. Dean, in his second year in office, must submit his recommended operating budget to the Metro Council by May 1.
Dean's first budget was a painful one, including 200 layoffs, another 127 positions eliminated and 5 percent cuts for most departments. Although the size of the overall budget actually increased slightly, a 4.8 percent increase for Metro schools meant most other areas had to sacrifice.
Dean's second budget promises to be even tougher, said Riebeling, who expects revenues to decline unless the economy turns around. The budget year starts July 1.
"We're going to be looking at some very difficult choices," Riebeling said. "Last year was difficult, and this year is going to be exponentially more difficult."
Riebeling said he will ask department leaders to plan for several types of cuts in the coming weeks.
He said he wasn't ready Wednesday to say what the scenarios would be, but he didn't expect to ask for cuts larger than 15 percent.
Direct service a priority
Riebeling also will ask departments to focus first on cutting areas that don't provide direct services to the public.
"After that, we'll have to prioritize," Riebeling said. "It's going to be hard to get through and keep the city moving forward, but that's what we're committed to doing."
Asked if any departments might have to merge in a cost-saving effort, Riebeling said nothing can be ruled out yet.
Councilman Randy Foster, who represents part of south Davidson County, said the state's lagging sales tax collections will hurt the city.
Metro gets 2.25 cents from every dollar spent here on taxable goods, with two-thirds of that revenue going to schools.
"Whatever flows out of the state to cities and counties will be less than it was before," Foster said. "People are really pulling back from spending on large-ticket items — and even small things as well."
Metro offers tips to avoid frozen pipes
By Jenny Upchurch • THE TENNESSEAN • January 15, 2009
Friday morning's temperature will dip near zero in Middle Tennessee, prompting Metro Water Services to warn its Nashville customers to take steps to keep pipes from freezing.
Here are tips from Metro and other agencies:
>> Open bathroom and kitchen cabinet doors if you have a water pipe close to an exterior wall. This will allow your home's warmer air to reach the water pipes.
>> If you have had problems with frozen pipes in your home in the past, Metro Water Services suggests that you run a small trickle of water, about the size of a pencil lead, from a cold water faucet. It's best to use a faucet not in regular use so someone does not turn it off.
>> If you're going away for a weekend trip or a house is vacant, make sure to leave the heat on. Don't set it any lower than 55 degrees or your pipes may be in danger of freezing or bursting.
Sealing up your house's exterior can help, too.
>> Cover foundation vents.
>> Insulate exposed water pipes.
>> Seal all cracks in exterior walls and foundation.
>> Remove all exterior hose connections and insulate the hose bibs.
If the worst happens
To be ready for frozen pipes, keep this in mind:
>> Locate the water shut-off valve inside your home. The ability to quickly close this valve may prevent damage if an interior pipe bursts. The shut-off valve may be in the basement, under the kitchen sink, in a utility closet, near the hot water heater, or in a crawl space. If you think you have found it, be sure to test it. If you cannot locate your inside shut-off valve or do not have one installed, contact a plumber.
>> Never try to thaw a pipe with a blowtorch or any other open flame. Do not use electrical appliances such as heaters in areas of standing water. If you suspect your pipes are freezing, wrap towels that have been soaked in hot water around cold pipe sections.
Friday morning's temperature will dip near zero in Middle Tennessee, prompting Metro Water Services to warn its Nashville customers to take steps to keep pipes from freezing.
Here are tips from Metro and other agencies:
>> Open bathroom and kitchen cabinet doors if you have a water pipe close to an exterior wall. This will allow your home's warmer air to reach the water pipes.
>> If you have had problems with frozen pipes in your home in the past, Metro Water Services suggests that you run a small trickle of water, about the size of a pencil lead, from a cold water faucet. It's best to use a faucet not in regular use so someone does not turn it off.
>> If you're going away for a weekend trip or a house is vacant, make sure to leave the heat on. Don't set it any lower than 55 degrees or your pipes may be in danger of freezing or bursting.
Sealing up your house's exterior can help, too.
>> Cover foundation vents.
>> Insulate exposed water pipes.
>> Seal all cracks in exterior walls and foundation.
>> Remove all exterior hose connections and insulate the hose bibs.
If the worst happens
To be ready for frozen pipes, keep this in mind:
>> Locate the water shut-off valve inside your home. The ability to quickly close this valve may prevent damage if an interior pipe bursts. The shut-off valve may be in the basement, under the kitchen sink, in a utility closet, near the hot water heater, or in a crawl space. If you think you have found it, be sure to test it. If you cannot locate your inside shut-off valve or do not have one installed, contact a plumber.
>> Never try to thaw a pipe with a blowtorch or any other open flame. Do not use electrical appliances such as heaters in areas of standing water. If you suspect your pipes are freezing, wrap towels that have been soaked in hot water around cold pipe sections.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Mic Check on 19 feat. Ernie Allen 's "Let's Talk"
Turn up your speakers and listen to this important message!
Extension remains iffy
Traffic solutions sought as McCrory Creek business park moves forward
By Andy Humbles • THE TENNESSEAN • January 14, 2009
How the proposed Harding Place extension may or may not fit into plans for a new business park to be built on 184 acres near McCrory Creek Road and Elm Hill Pike is still uncertain.
But residents who live nearby and developer Bert Mathews have been working together in attempts to come up with their own workable solutions to the traffic needs that will be generated by the planned McCrory Creek Business Park.
"The Harding Place extension would be very beneficial in regard to the Mathews project,'' said Charles Dyck, one of the nearby residents comprising a steering committee that has been working with Mathews.
"In my opinion we need a plan to accommodate traffic assuming the Harding Place extension does not happen,'' Dyck said. "We've been working with Mr. Mathews and the city to develop a workable plan, including upgrading Stewarts Ferry Pike and Elm Hill Pike.''
The McCrory Creek Business Project has gone through the Metro Planning Commission and passed two of three required readings for approval by the Metro Council.
The project is planning about 2.5 million square feet of office space with a retail component and hotels as well. The project has a Specific Plan (SP) zoning designation, which requires a development be done strictly by the plan approved or go through the approval process again.
The Harding Place extension is a proposed road project that would connect Harding Place to Interstate 40.
There are still questions about the path the Harding Place extension will take if it gets built.
Metro Councilman Bruce Stanley wants the Harding Place extension's route to be able to access the McCrory Creek Business Park. The Harding Place extension would be a state project.
"The Harding Place extension would be a wonderful thing to have happen, but it's been on the plans for decades,'' Mathews said, "and we want to make sure our project isn't, in the short term, dependent.
"The steering committee has asked for a number of specific items in the SP Zone, and we've worked through a long process to get there. It includes buffering; very specific land uses on different parcels. We worked extensively on pre-blast surveys, and we are continuing to talk about a couple of off-site traffic upgrades.''
Stanley is also seeking movement with Metro officials to expedite a widening project for Stewarts Ferry Pike, from two lanes to five lanes, that has been designated as a long-range project.
The councilman believes Stewarts Ferry Pike is operating well above capacity.
"This will be a substantial corporate center,'' Stanley said. "The residents have been supportive if there is appropriate access, and I'm appreciative of Mr. Mathews for working with the residents. It's time for city and state officials make these (roadway) improvements immediately in conjunction with that business park.''
The final vote was deferred for a second time on Nov. 18 and is now scheduled for Jan. 20.
The deferral by Stanley was because he wanted to use the time to attain additional support and commitment from the state and regional planners regarding improvements of the Harding Place extension, Stewarts Ferry Pike and Lebanon Pike.
The councilman believes planned upgrades to those three roads would positively impact the McCrory Creek Business Park.
Stanley has recently sponsored two resolutions passed by the Metro Council requesting state authorities and regional planners commit to these infrastructure upgrades when funding is available.
Stanley said he will ask the council for final approval of the McCrory Creek Business Park based on the collaboration of residents and Mathews.
By Andy Humbles • THE TENNESSEAN • January 14, 2009
How the proposed Harding Place extension may or may not fit into plans for a new business park to be built on 184 acres near McCrory Creek Road and Elm Hill Pike is still uncertain.
But residents who live nearby and developer Bert Mathews have been working together in attempts to come up with their own workable solutions to the traffic needs that will be generated by the planned McCrory Creek Business Park.
"The Harding Place extension would be very beneficial in regard to the Mathews project,'' said Charles Dyck, one of the nearby residents comprising a steering committee that has been working with Mathews.
"In my opinion we need a plan to accommodate traffic assuming the Harding Place extension does not happen,'' Dyck said. "We've been working with Mr. Mathews and the city to develop a workable plan, including upgrading Stewarts Ferry Pike and Elm Hill Pike.''
The McCrory Creek Business Project has gone through the Metro Planning Commission and passed two of three required readings for approval by the Metro Council.
The project is planning about 2.5 million square feet of office space with a retail component and hotels as well. The project has a Specific Plan (SP) zoning designation, which requires a development be done strictly by the plan approved or go through the approval process again.
The Harding Place extension is a proposed road project that would connect Harding Place to Interstate 40.
There are still questions about the path the Harding Place extension will take if it gets built.
Metro Councilman Bruce Stanley wants the Harding Place extension's route to be able to access the McCrory Creek Business Park. The Harding Place extension would be a state project.
"The Harding Place extension would be a wonderful thing to have happen, but it's been on the plans for decades,'' Mathews said, "and we want to make sure our project isn't, in the short term, dependent.
"The steering committee has asked for a number of specific items in the SP Zone, and we've worked through a long process to get there. It includes buffering; very specific land uses on different parcels. We worked extensively on pre-blast surveys, and we are continuing to talk about a couple of off-site traffic upgrades.''
Stanley is also seeking movement with Metro officials to expedite a widening project for Stewarts Ferry Pike, from two lanes to five lanes, that has been designated as a long-range project.
The councilman believes Stewarts Ferry Pike is operating well above capacity.
"This will be a substantial corporate center,'' Stanley said. "The residents have been supportive if there is appropriate access, and I'm appreciative of Mr. Mathews for working with the residents. It's time for city and state officials make these (roadway) improvements immediately in conjunction with that business park.''
The final vote was deferred for a second time on Nov. 18 and is now scheduled for Jan. 20.
The deferral by Stanley was because he wanted to use the time to attain additional support and commitment from the state and regional planners regarding improvements of the Harding Place extension, Stewarts Ferry Pike and Lebanon Pike.
The councilman believes planned upgrades to those three roads would positively impact the McCrory Creek Business Park.
Stanley has recently sponsored two resolutions passed by the Metro Council requesting state authorities and regional planners commit to these infrastructure upgrades when funding is available.
Stanley said he will ask the council for final approval of the McCrory Creek Business Park based on the collaboration of residents and Mathews.
Help with heat bills is on the way
State gets increase in aid, applications
By Jenny Upchurch • THE TENNESSEAN • January 14, 2009
Many more Tennesseans will get help paying utility bills this year for two reasons: The state has three times the federal money to distribute and applications for aid have jumped dramatically.
"We hope to more than double the number helped this year, at least 120,000 households," said Michelle Mowery Johnson, spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Services.
Tennessee is part of a record surge nationwide of people in need of help staying warm. About 7.3 million households are expected to get fuel aid this winter, a 25 percent increase, according to a survey released Monday by the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association.
Statewide, Tennessee has seen a 40 percent increase in requests for aid, with a 22 percent increase in Nashville in the past six months. The Metro Action Commission has already assisted 6,000 households since July 1, more than all who received aid in the entire previous year, says spokeswoman Lisa Gallon.
The Nashville agency expects to help 8,360 households with the money allocated, $5.36 million, compared to $2.2 million last year.
In recent years, thousands who were eligible for aid went without in Tennessee because the federal funds ran out.
This year, agencies hope the extra money will leave out fewer. But, Johnson said, "there's never enough money for the need out there."
Priority goes to the disabled, the elderly and families with children 5 and younger. "They go to the head of the line because they are the most in need, the most fragile," she said.
The federal government last fall nearly doubled fuel assistance, releasing $5.1 billion to states. Tennessee received $80 million, almost triple its allocation of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program money last year. The human services department allocates the federal aid to 19 community service agencies.
To extend the heating aid, Gov. Phil Bredesen announced last month that the state would use $5 million of the federal heat aid to match private contributions. The state will match $2 for every $1 from a private source, such as a utility-sponsored charity. For example, Metro Action can draw down as much as $460,000 to match contributions.
More requests for help
Some money is also being held back to help with air conditioning bills this summer.
In Nashville, Gallon said, requests for help with rent and mortgage payments are increasing along with requests for help with utility bills, and many people are first-time applicants.
The Associated Press contributed.
By Jenny Upchurch • THE TENNESSEAN • January 14, 2009
Many more Tennesseans will get help paying utility bills this year for two reasons: The state has three times the federal money to distribute and applications for aid have jumped dramatically.
"We hope to more than double the number helped this year, at least 120,000 households," said Michelle Mowery Johnson, spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Services.
Tennessee is part of a record surge nationwide of people in need of help staying warm. About 7.3 million households are expected to get fuel aid this winter, a 25 percent increase, according to a survey released Monday by the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association.
Statewide, Tennessee has seen a 40 percent increase in requests for aid, with a 22 percent increase in Nashville in the past six months. The Metro Action Commission has already assisted 6,000 households since July 1, more than all who received aid in the entire previous year, says spokeswoman Lisa Gallon.
The Nashville agency expects to help 8,360 households with the money allocated, $5.36 million, compared to $2.2 million last year.
In recent years, thousands who were eligible for aid went without in Tennessee because the federal funds ran out.
This year, agencies hope the extra money will leave out fewer. But, Johnson said, "there's never enough money for the need out there."
Priority goes to the disabled, the elderly and families with children 5 and younger. "They go to the head of the line because they are the most in need, the most fragile," she said.
The federal government last fall nearly doubled fuel assistance, releasing $5.1 billion to states. Tennessee received $80 million, almost triple its allocation of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program money last year. The human services department allocates the federal aid to 19 community service agencies.
To extend the heating aid, Gov. Phil Bredesen announced last month that the state would use $5 million of the federal heat aid to match private contributions. The state will match $2 for every $1 from a private source, such as a utility-sponsored charity. For example, Metro Action can draw down as much as $460,000 to match contributions.
More requests for help
Some money is also being held back to help with air conditioning bills this summer.
In Nashville, Gallon said, requests for help with rent and mortgage payments are increasing along with requests for help with utility bills, and many people are first-time applicants.
The Associated Press contributed.
Hermitage Precinct Newsletter Jan 2009
Our newsletter may be viewed at the below link:
http://www.police.nashville.org/bureaus/fieldops/hermitage/default.htm
Officer Troy Meadows
Hermitage Precinct Community Affairs Unit
Metro-Nashville Police Department
Phone 880-1781
http://www.police.nashville.org/bureaus/fieldops/hermitage/default.htm
Officer Troy Meadows
Hermitage Precinct Community Affairs Unit
Metro-Nashville Police Department
Phone 880-1781
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Patrons can pay library fines with food
Posted: Jan 12, 2009 05:31 PM CST
WKRN Channel 2 News
The Nashville Public Library is teaming up with the Second Harvest Food Bank for its third "Food for Fines" campaign.
For the next 10 days, members with overdue fines can pay with food, instead of cash.
"We thought this was the perfect way to allow our patrons to get their accounts current, half their overdue fines and do something really good for the hungry in the community by trading in $1 for one canned good," explained Deanna Larson.
Customers seem to like the idea.
"I went down, got some cans of food came up here, got my fines taken care of," said Terry Harris. "Somebody gets a good meal tonight and [I] and the library are square where I can get on the Internet and get in touch with my family again."
Last year's Food for Fines drive went so well, the libraries collected more than 44,000 pounds of food.
Second Harvest Food Bank officials said they've seen the need increase 22% over the last year.
The Food for Fines campaign continues through January 22.
Peanut butter, canned goods, macaroni and cheese and dried items, like rice and beans, are among the most needed items.
WKRN Channel 2 News
The Nashville Public Library is teaming up with the Second Harvest Food Bank for its third "Food for Fines" campaign.
For the next 10 days, members with overdue fines can pay with food, instead of cash.
"We thought this was the perfect way to allow our patrons to get their accounts current, half their overdue fines and do something really good for the hungry in the community by trading in $1 for one canned good," explained Deanna Larson.
Customers seem to like the idea.
"I went down, got some cans of food came up here, got my fines taken care of," said Terry Harris. "Somebody gets a good meal tonight and [I] and the library are square where I can get on the Internet and get in touch with my family again."
Last year's Food for Fines drive went so well, the libraries collected more than 44,000 pounds of food.
Second Harvest Food Bank officials said they've seen the need increase 22% over the last year.
The Food for Fines campaign continues through January 22.
Peanut butter, canned goods, macaroni and cheese and dried items, like rice and beans, are among the most needed items.
Davidson County crime log from Jan. 3-6
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.
Antioch
11:26 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5200 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
Bakertown
9:59 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1800 block Antioch Pike
Bellshire
12:03 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Westchester Drive
Belmont
6:34 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1100 block Halcyon Avenue
11:52 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1100 block Halcyon Avenue
Bordeaux
11:14 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3700 block Clarksville Pike
4:37 p.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Buena Vista Pike
Central
10:42 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Broadway
12:28 p.m., residential burglary, 1800 block Third Avenue North
9:39 p.m., residential burglary, 1600 block Fifth Avenue North
Crieve Hall
1:06 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Harding Place
Donelson
9:01 p.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Trails End Lane
East
3 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block South Eighth Street
6:33 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Summer Place
9:33 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block South 19th Street
Hermitage
10:06 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 4400 block Lebanon Pike
10:34 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Patricia Drive
Joelton
7:15 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 3900 block Old Clarksville Pike
Madison
10:03 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block Aurora Avenue
6:36 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Wiley Street
Neelys Bend
10:30 a.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Freeman Lane
North
1:29 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2000 block Rosa L Parks Boulevard
7:39 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 4600 block Illinois Avenue
10:11 a.m., residential burglary, 1900 block 11th Avenue North
10:41 a.m., residential burglary, 3400 block Rainwood Drive
2:30 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 3500 block John A. Merritt Boulevard
3:05 p.m., residential burglary, 1600 block 22nd Avenue North
9:32 p.m., shooting, 2500 block 25th Avenue North
11:16 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5700 block California Avenue
Oak Hill
10:57 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4900 block Thoroughbred Lane
Paragon Mills
3:09 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block Paragon Mills Road
Priest Lake
5:19 p.m., residential burglary, 3200 block New Towne Road
South
3:01 p.m., residential burglary, 2900 block Hamilton Church Road
Trinity Hills
6:04 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block West Trinity Lane
West
11:05 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2000 block West End Avenue
10:59 p.m., holdup/robbery, 10 block Vaughns Gap Road
11:36 p.m., rape, Harding Pike at
Woodbine
10:11 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2900 block Nolensville Road
Jan. 5
Antioch
11 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Hickory Highlands Drive
Bakertown
10:50 a.m., residential burglary, 3700 block Bakertown Road
Belmont
5:54 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Franklin Road
Central
10:40 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Woodland Street
11:53 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1700 block Third Avenue North
1:14 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1700 block Third Avenue North
4:56 p.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Charlotte Avenue
6:06 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Woodland Street
Crieve Hall
2:32 p.m., residential burglary, 4900 block Briarwood Drive
Donelson
2:55 p.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Lincoya Bay Drive
4:13 p.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Lincoya Bay Drive
East
10:26 a.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Hillside Road
2:07 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 600 block Sylvan Street
4:15 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 700 block Lenore Street
4:37 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block South Eighth Court
Hermitage
7:22 a.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Elm Hill Pike
11:01 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Hidden Hill Drive
Madison
7:06 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block North Dupont Avenue
1:34 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Harris Street
7:42 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Acre Trail
9:34 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2200 block North Gallatin Pike
Neelys Bend
9:07 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Hillcrest Drive
North
9:13 a.m., rape, at Creekwood Drive
9:31 a.m., residential burglary, 400 block Ponder Place
11:30 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 4600 block Illinois Avenue
Old Hickory
10:57 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Paragon Mills
10:01 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5000 block Linbar Drive
Priest Lake
9:35 a.m., residential burglary, 6300 block Mt. View Road
12:45 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Louise Russell Drive
South
10:26 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2800 block Murfreesboro Pike
Trinity Hills
10:22 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Brick Church Park Drive
12:57 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block West Trinity Lane
Tusculum
8:58 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5500 block Nolensville Road
10:50 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5500 block Nolensville Road
11:58 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5500 block Nolensville Road
3:23 p.m., residential burglary, 15400 block Old Hickory Boulevard
9:09 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5300 block Nolensville Road
9:36 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4600 block Packard Drive
West
4:44 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Bresslyn Road
Woodbine
10:28 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2100 block Nolensville Road
5:08 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Polk Avenue
Jan. 4
Bakertown
2:47 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1300 block Antioch Pike
4:31 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1700 block Antioch Pike
Central
1:09 a.m., residential burglary, 1700 block Sixth Avenue North
3:14 a.m., cutting/stabbing, at Second Avenue North and Commerce Street
4:35 a.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Second Avenue North
9:44 p.m., residential burglary, 1600 block Sixth Avenue North
Donelson
9 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2300 block Lebanon Pike
East
8:22 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2500 block Dickerson Pike
9:52 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Rosebank Avenue
12:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3900 block Gallatin Pike
1:09 p.m., shooting, 2300 block Dickerson Pike
6:09 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Greenwood Avenue
6:22 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Carter Street
8:45 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Dickerson Pike
9:02 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block South Eighth Court
10:54 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block South 12th Street
J.C. Napier
5:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Lafayette Street
Madison
5:26 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Neelys Bend Road
6:01 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Neelys Bend Road
North
1:37 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block East Vailview Court
4:19 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block 10th Avenue North
8:25 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5500 block Clarksville Pike
South
3:34 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1500 block Fourth Avenue South
4:42 a.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block Bell Road
Tusculum
12:34 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Brentwood Place
1:14 p.m., kidnapping, 400 block Westcrest Drive
2:07 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5500 block Nolensville Road
4:04 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Brentwood Terrace
6:15 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Hickory Trace Drive
6:57 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5200 block Edmondson Pike
7:16 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3900 block Apache Trail
10:02 p.m., residential burglary, 4000 block Keeley Drive
Una
9:39 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Nashboro Boulevard
West
12:31 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Old Hickory Boulevard
12:48 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1300 block Jackson Street
5:13 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block West End Avenue
5:56 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1700 block Broadway
9:03 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1800 block Division Street
9:15 a.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Forestwood Drive
1:21 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Wade Avenue
5 p.m., residential burglary, 6100 block Cowden Avenue
6:22 p.m., rape, at 12th Avenue South and South Street
Woodbine
2:32 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3000 block Nolensville Road
11:57 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Neese Drive
Jan. 3
Antioch
1:56 a.m., residential burglary, 80 block Hickory Hollow Place
8:34 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Dover Glen Drive
8:46 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Murfreesboro Pike
Bellshire
5:38 p.m., residential burglary, 4200 block Brick Church Pike
Central
9:35 a.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Seventh Avenue North
12:46 p.m., residential burglary, 1600 block Ninth Avenue North
Crieve Hall
11:59 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Hill Road
Donelson
1:58 p.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Reelfoot Drive
East
7:59 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Woodland Street
10:33 a.m., rape, at Murray Place
1:36 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1400 block McGavock Pike
2:20 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1400 block McGavock Pike
3:49 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Broadmoor Drive
6 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Broadmoor Drive
6:22 p.m., shooting, 600 block South Sixth Street
7:13 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Cahal Avenue
8:15 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2500 block Dickerson Pike
Hermitage
2:10 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 800 block Briley Parkway
10:43 a.m., residential burglary, 800 block Gina Brooke Court
12:01 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Aladdin Drive
8:17 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Murfreesboro Pike
9:29 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Thompson Place
Madison
3:12 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Berkley Drive
8:38 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block South Gallatin Pike
North
12:18 a.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Brick Church Pike
8:12 p.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Paragon Mills
4:52 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Tanglewood Court
6:13 p.m., residential burglary, 3900 block Eckhart Drive
Providence
3:55 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4900 block Edmondson Pike
South
11:01 a.m., residential burglary, 1600 block Bell Road
6:17 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Plus Park Boulevard
10:15 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 1800 block Wild Oats Court
Tusculum
12:14 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Bart Drive
Two Rivers
5:35 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2800 block Donna Hill Drive
Una
12:44 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Nashboro Boulevard
Union Hill
4:11 p.m., residential burglary, 1700 block Campbell Road
West
12:34 a.m., rape, at Albion Street
4:24 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 7000 block Charlotte Pike
1:35 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Bresslyn Road
5:04 p.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block 28th Avenue North
6:29 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5800 block Maudina Avenue
10:28 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Woodbine
12:32 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Bridgeway Circle
8:43 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block McCall Street
8:56 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2900 block Nolensville Road
8:52 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3700 block Nolensville Road
10:28 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3700 block Nolensville Road
Antioch
11:26 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5200 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
Bakertown
9:59 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1800 block Antioch Pike
Bellshire
12:03 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Westchester Drive
Belmont
6:34 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1100 block Halcyon Avenue
11:52 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1100 block Halcyon Avenue
Bordeaux
11:14 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3700 block Clarksville Pike
4:37 p.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Buena Vista Pike
Central
10:42 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Broadway
12:28 p.m., residential burglary, 1800 block Third Avenue North
9:39 p.m., residential burglary, 1600 block Fifth Avenue North
Crieve Hall
1:06 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Harding Place
Donelson
9:01 p.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Trails End Lane
East
3 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block South Eighth Street
6:33 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Summer Place
9:33 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block South 19th Street
Hermitage
10:06 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 4400 block Lebanon Pike
10:34 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Patricia Drive
Joelton
7:15 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 3900 block Old Clarksville Pike
Madison
10:03 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block Aurora Avenue
6:36 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Wiley Street
Neelys Bend
10:30 a.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Freeman Lane
North
1:29 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2000 block Rosa L Parks Boulevard
7:39 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 4600 block Illinois Avenue
10:11 a.m., residential burglary, 1900 block 11th Avenue North
10:41 a.m., residential burglary, 3400 block Rainwood Drive
2:30 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 3500 block John A. Merritt Boulevard
3:05 p.m., residential burglary, 1600 block 22nd Avenue North
9:32 p.m., shooting, 2500 block 25th Avenue North
11:16 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5700 block California Avenue
Oak Hill
10:57 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4900 block Thoroughbred Lane
Paragon Mills
3:09 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block Paragon Mills Road
Priest Lake
5:19 p.m., residential burglary, 3200 block New Towne Road
South
3:01 p.m., residential burglary, 2900 block Hamilton Church Road
Trinity Hills
6:04 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block West Trinity Lane
West
11:05 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2000 block West End Avenue
10:59 p.m., holdup/robbery, 10 block Vaughns Gap Road
11:36 p.m., rape, Harding Pike at
Woodbine
10:11 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2900 block Nolensville Road
Jan. 5
Antioch
11 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Hickory Highlands Drive
Bakertown
10:50 a.m., residential burglary, 3700 block Bakertown Road
Belmont
5:54 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Franklin Road
Central
10:40 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Woodland Street
11:53 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1700 block Third Avenue North
1:14 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1700 block Third Avenue North
4:56 p.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Charlotte Avenue
6:06 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Woodland Street
Crieve Hall
2:32 p.m., residential burglary, 4900 block Briarwood Drive
Donelson
2:55 p.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Lincoya Bay Drive
4:13 p.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Lincoya Bay Drive
East
10:26 a.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Hillside Road
2:07 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 600 block Sylvan Street
4:15 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 700 block Lenore Street
4:37 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block South Eighth Court
Hermitage
7:22 a.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Elm Hill Pike
11:01 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Hidden Hill Drive
Madison
7:06 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block North Dupont Avenue
1:34 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Harris Street
7:42 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Acre Trail
9:34 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2200 block North Gallatin Pike
Neelys Bend
9:07 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Hillcrest Drive
North
9:13 a.m., rape, at Creekwood Drive
9:31 a.m., residential burglary, 400 block Ponder Place
11:30 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 4600 block Illinois Avenue
Old Hickory
10:57 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Paragon Mills
10:01 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5000 block Linbar Drive
Priest Lake
9:35 a.m., residential burglary, 6300 block Mt. View Road
12:45 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Louise Russell Drive
South
10:26 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2800 block Murfreesboro Pike
Trinity Hills
10:22 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Brick Church Park Drive
12:57 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block West Trinity Lane
Tusculum
8:58 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5500 block Nolensville Road
10:50 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5500 block Nolensville Road
11:58 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5500 block Nolensville Road
3:23 p.m., residential burglary, 15400 block Old Hickory Boulevard
9:09 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5300 block Nolensville Road
9:36 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4600 block Packard Drive
West
4:44 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Bresslyn Road
Woodbine
10:28 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2100 block Nolensville Road
5:08 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Polk Avenue
Jan. 4
Bakertown
2:47 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1300 block Antioch Pike
4:31 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1700 block Antioch Pike
Central
1:09 a.m., residential burglary, 1700 block Sixth Avenue North
3:14 a.m., cutting/stabbing, at Second Avenue North and Commerce Street
4:35 a.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Second Avenue North
9:44 p.m., residential burglary, 1600 block Sixth Avenue North
Donelson
9 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2300 block Lebanon Pike
East
8:22 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2500 block Dickerson Pike
9:52 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Rosebank Avenue
12:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3900 block Gallatin Pike
1:09 p.m., shooting, 2300 block Dickerson Pike
6:09 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Greenwood Avenue
6:22 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Carter Street
8:45 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Dickerson Pike
9:02 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block South Eighth Court
10:54 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block South 12th Street
J.C. Napier
5:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Lafayette Street
Madison
5:26 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Neelys Bend Road
6:01 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Neelys Bend Road
North
1:37 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block East Vailview Court
4:19 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block 10th Avenue North
8:25 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5500 block Clarksville Pike
South
3:34 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1500 block Fourth Avenue South
4:42 a.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block Bell Road
Tusculum
12:34 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Brentwood Place
1:14 p.m., kidnapping, 400 block Westcrest Drive
2:07 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5500 block Nolensville Road
4:04 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Brentwood Terrace
6:15 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Hickory Trace Drive
6:57 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5200 block Edmondson Pike
7:16 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3900 block Apache Trail
10:02 p.m., residential burglary, 4000 block Keeley Drive
Una
9:39 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Nashboro Boulevard
West
12:31 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Old Hickory Boulevard
12:48 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1300 block Jackson Street
5:13 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block West End Avenue
5:56 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1700 block Broadway
9:03 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1800 block Division Street
9:15 a.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Forestwood Drive
1:21 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Wade Avenue
5 p.m., residential burglary, 6100 block Cowden Avenue
6:22 p.m., rape, at 12th Avenue South and South Street
Woodbine
2:32 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3000 block Nolensville Road
11:57 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Neese Drive
Jan. 3
Antioch
1:56 a.m., residential burglary, 80 block Hickory Hollow Place
8:34 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Dover Glen Drive
8:46 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Murfreesboro Pike
Bellshire
5:38 p.m., residential burglary, 4200 block Brick Church Pike
Central
9:35 a.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Seventh Avenue North
12:46 p.m., residential burglary, 1600 block Ninth Avenue North
Crieve Hall
11:59 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Hill Road
Donelson
1:58 p.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Reelfoot Drive
East
7:59 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Woodland Street
10:33 a.m., rape, at Murray Place
1:36 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1400 block McGavock Pike
2:20 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1400 block McGavock Pike
3:49 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Broadmoor Drive
6 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Broadmoor Drive
6:22 p.m., shooting, 600 block South Sixth Street
7:13 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Cahal Avenue
8:15 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2500 block Dickerson Pike
Hermitage
2:10 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 800 block Briley Parkway
10:43 a.m., residential burglary, 800 block Gina Brooke Court
12:01 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Aladdin Drive
8:17 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Murfreesboro Pike
9:29 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Thompson Place
Madison
3:12 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Berkley Drive
8:38 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block South Gallatin Pike
North
12:18 a.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Brick Church Pike
8:12 p.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Paragon Mills
4:52 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Tanglewood Court
6:13 p.m., residential burglary, 3900 block Eckhart Drive
Providence
3:55 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4900 block Edmondson Pike
South
11:01 a.m., residential burglary, 1600 block Bell Road
6:17 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Plus Park Boulevard
10:15 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 1800 block Wild Oats Court
Tusculum
12:14 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Bart Drive
Two Rivers
5:35 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2800 block Donna Hill Drive
Una
12:44 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Nashboro Boulevard
Union Hill
4:11 p.m., residential burglary, 1700 block Campbell Road
West
12:34 a.m., rape, at Albion Street
4:24 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 7000 block Charlotte Pike
1:35 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Bresslyn Road
5:04 p.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block 28th Avenue North
6:29 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5800 block Maudina Avenue
10:28 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Woodbine
12:32 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Bridgeway Circle
8:43 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block McCall Street
8:56 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2900 block Nolensville Road
8:52 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3700 block Nolensville Road
10:28 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3700 block Nolensville Road
Dean: Metro can't afford to help General Hospital
Board told to cut costs at indigent care facility
By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • January 13, 2009
Metro must look for "more viable long-term options" to fund the city's cash-strapped safety-net hospital after years of costly subsidies and loan extensions, Mayor Karl Dean wrote in a letter to the hospital's board chairman.
Dean told Metro Hospital Authority Chairman Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. that his administration would look at ways to reduce Metro's expenses in the operation of Nashville General Hospital at Meharry.
The city gave the hospital authority a $47.3 million subsidy — reflecting a 5 percent cut — for the fiscal year that started July 1.
General Hospital regularly struggles to make ends meet because so many of its patients have little or no health insurance, making it tough to get reimbursed for many of the services it provides.
"Today I have asked the Finance Director to begin looking at options that would continue healthcare delivery for our indigent and under-served citizens, but at a lower cost to the Metropolitan Government," Dean wrote Crenshaw in a letter dated Jan. 9. "I have instructed him that all options should be on the table."
Crenshaw said he recognizes the economic reality and is pleased that Dean wants to keep funding indigent care.
"We certainly agree that we need to be good stewards of the city's money," he said. "I'm encouraged that the mayor put all the options on the table."
Councilman Jerry Maynard, the hospital's most vocal defender on the Metro Council, said he was disappointed Dean didn't consult him and other stakeholders before writing to Crenshaw.
He also was disappointed in the letter's tone and content, he said.
But Maynard, who criticized Dean's administration last fall for not offering more enthusiastic support for the hospital, said he would work with the mayor to find solutions.
"This is an opportunity to work together to make sure every working family has access to high-quality health care," he said.
Deficit is about $2M
Dean also said the hospital authority must significantly cut costs or increase revenues over the next six months because the city doesn't plan to help the hospital finish the fiscal year.
Metro gave the authority an $11.5 million loan extension last February so it could get through the previous year, running the authority's loan to nearly $32 million.
"The City cannot provide additional revenues … this fiscal year to bail out the anticipated deficit," the mayor wrote.
Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling said the deficit is at least $2 million.
The hospital authority runs General Hospital independently of the city's central government but receives funding from it.
Crenshaw said the authority would look at other cities' hospital operations and the role of the private sector in those places; cut costs wherever possible and continue its marketing campaign.
"There's nothing we will not look at," he said.
By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • January 13, 2009
Metro must look for "more viable long-term options" to fund the city's cash-strapped safety-net hospital after years of costly subsidies and loan extensions, Mayor Karl Dean wrote in a letter to the hospital's board chairman.
Dean told Metro Hospital Authority Chairman Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. that his administration would look at ways to reduce Metro's expenses in the operation of Nashville General Hospital at Meharry.
The city gave the hospital authority a $47.3 million subsidy — reflecting a 5 percent cut — for the fiscal year that started July 1.
General Hospital regularly struggles to make ends meet because so many of its patients have little or no health insurance, making it tough to get reimbursed for many of the services it provides.
"Today I have asked the Finance Director to begin looking at options that would continue healthcare delivery for our indigent and under-served citizens, but at a lower cost to the Metropolitan Government," Dean wrote Crenshaw in a letter dated Jan. 9. "I have instructed him that all options should be on the table."
Crenshaw said he recognizes the economic reality and is pleased that Dean wants to keep funding indigent care.
"We certainly agree that we need to be good stewards of the city's money," he said. "I'm encouraged that the mayor put all the options on the table."
Councilman Jerry Maynard, the hospital's most vocal defender on the Metro Council, said he was disappointed Dean didn't consult him and other stakeholders before writing to Crenshaw.
He also was disappointed in the letter's tone and content, he said.
But Maynard, who criticized Dean's administration last fall for not offering more enthusiastic support for the hospital, said he would work with the mayor to find solutions.
"This is an opportunity to work together to make sure every working family has access to high-quality health care," he said.
Deficit is about $2M
Dean also said the hospital authority must significantly cut costs or increase revenues over the next six months because the city doesn't plan to help the hospital finish the fiscal year.
Metro gave the authority an $11.5 million loan extension last February so it could get through the previous year, running the authority's loan to nearly $32 million.
"The City cannot provide additional revenues … this fiscal year to bail out the anticipated deficit," the mayor wrote.
Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling said the deficit is at least $2 million.
The hospital authority runs General Hospital independently of the city's central government but receives funding from it.
Crenshaw said the authority would look at other cities' hospital operations and the role of the private sector in those places; cut costs wherever possible and continue its marketing campaign.
"There's nothing we will not look at," he said.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Bumps are likely in digital TV shift
By Joelle Tessler • ASSOCIATED PRESS • January 11, 2009
WASHINGTON — In less than six weeks, the nation's television broadcasters are due to shut off their analog signals and begin transmitting in digital — potentially blacking out as many as 8 million U.S. households that rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air channels.
That reality hit lawmakers and the incoming Obama administration last week after the Commerce Department ran out of money for coupons to subsidize digital converter boxes.
Viewers who don't have cable or satellite service or a TV with a digital tuner will need the boxes to keep older analog sets working.
The coupon-funding shortfall was a key reason behind the Obama transition team's call for Congress to delay the Feb. 17 analog shutoff. Yet the problem with the subsidy program is just one of several hurdles that appear to be in the way of a smooth digital transition.
One potential pitfall is that many people who think they are prepared for the analog shutoff could lose some channels — or possibly even lose reception entirely — unless they purchase a new antenna.
That's because many stations will shift their broadcast footprints with the switch to digital by changing transmitter locations, antenna patterns or power levels.
The Federal Communications Commission has said 18 percent of the nation's full-power TV stations will have a digital signal that reaches at least 2 percent fewer viewers than their current analog broadcasts.
Some viewers could lose signals because of the so-called digital "cliff effect." Unlike analog signals, digital broadcasts come in clear or don't come in at all, meaning that people on the fringes of analog coverage areas who currently get fuzzy reception will lose that reception entirely.
These viewers probably will need more powerful indoor or outdoor antennas — in addition to converter boxes — to maintain their existing reception. Yet critics say the government has done too little to educate consumers about this issue and is not subsidizing the cost of an antenna, which can range from $75 to $150.
What's more, consumers may not discover they need this equipment until after the transition actually happens.
"Television is a connection to the outside world for many people. But if you're 80 years old and living on Social Security, you may not be able to buy an antenna or hire someone to install it," said U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is sponsoring a bill that would, among other things, expand the coupon program to help subsidize antenna purchases and installations.
New scans required
Another thing that consumers may not realize until the transition is upon them is that broadcast station channel assignments will move around. Viewers will have to make their converter boxes re-scan for the new assignments after the changeover.
This issue, too, has received little attention and could lead many consumers to incorrectly assume their converter boxes do not work after the transition.
That has led to questions about whether there will be adequate call center resources to handle what could be an avalanche of requests for help.
The FCC is investing roughly $10 million in in-house and outsourced call center operations and has said it expects to be able to handle 2.15 million calls during the week of Feb. 15. But the agency acknowledged that it won't be able to handle all the expected calls on its own and will rely on broadcasters, cable companies, state and local governments, and community organizations to run their own call centers.
The FCC also has awarded $8.4 million to 12 outside groups, including AARP, to staff call centers and help consumers buy and install converter boxes.
Even with the years of warning, analysts at Nielsen Co. estimate that as of December, 6.8 percent of the 114 million U.S. households with TVs remained completely unready for the digital transition. An additional 10 percent still had at least one TV that was not yet ready.
WASHINGTON — In less than six weeks, the nation's television broadcasters are due to shut off their analog signals and begin transmitting in digital — potentially blacking out as many as 8 million U.S. households that rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air channels.
That reality hit lawmakers and the incoming Obama administration last week after the Commerce Department ran out of money for coupons to subsidize digital converter boxes.
Viewers who don't have cable or satellite service or a TV with a digital tuner will need the boxes to keep older analog sets working.
The coupon-funding shortfall was a key reason behind the Obama transition team's call for Congress to delay the Feb. 17 analog shutoff. Yet the problem with the subsidy program is just one of several hurdles that appear to be in the way of a smooth digital transition.
One potential pitfall is that many people who think they are prepared for the analog shutoff could lose some channels — or possibly even lose reception entirely — unless they purchase a new antenna.
That's because many stations will shift their broadcast footprints with the switch to digital by changing transmitter locations, antenna patterns or power levels.
The Federal Communications Commission has said 18 percent of the nation's full-power TV stations will have a digital signal that reaches at least 2 percent fewer viewers than their current analog broadcasts.
Some viewers could lose signals because of the so-called digital "cliff effect." Unlike analog signals, digital broadcasts come in clear or don't come in at all, meaning that people on the fringes of analog coverage areas who currently get fuzzy reception will lose that reception entirely.
These viewers probably will need more powerful indoor or outdoor antennas — in addition to converter boxes — to maintain their existing reception. Yet critics say the government has done too little to educate consumers about this issue and is not subsidizing the cost of an antenna, which can range from $75 to $150.
What's more, consumers may not discover they need this equipment until after the transition actually happens.
"Television is a connection to the outside world for many people. But if you're 80 years old and living on Social Security, you may not be able to buy an antenna or hire someone to install it," said U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is sponsoring a bill that would, among other things, expand the coupon program to help subsidize antenna purchases and installations.
New scans required
Another thing that consumers may not realize until the transition is upon them is that broadcast station channel assignments will move around. Viewers will have to make their converter boxes re-scan for the new assignments after the changeover.
This issue, too, has received little attention and could lead many consumers to incorrectly assume their converter boxes do not work after the transition.
That has led to questions about whether there will be adequate call center resources to handle what could be an avalanche of requests for help.
The FCC is investing roughly $10 million in in-house and outsourced call center operations and has said it expects to be able to handle 2.15 million calls during the week of Feb. 15. But the agency acknowledged that it won't be able to handle all the expected calls on its own and will rely on broadcasters, cable companies, state and local governments, and community organizations to run their own call centers.
The FCC also has awarded $8.4 million to 12 outside groups, including AARP, to staff call centers and help consumers buy and install converter boxes.
Even with the years of warning, analysts at Nielsen Co. estimate that as of December, 6.8 percent of the 114 million U.S. households with TVs remained completely unready for the digital transition. An additional 10 percent still had at least one TV that was not yet ready.
30,000 can't pay NES bills on time
TVA rate increase, cooler weather bring unexpected surgeBy Chris Echegaray • THE TENNESSEAN • January 11, 2009
A record 30,000 Nashville Electric Service customers — nearly 10 percent — sought payment arrangements on December bills sometimes double what they expected.
The utility's office was inundated with calls, spokesman Tim Hill said, often from customers who never had a problem paying on time.
Some customers say they're making choices between turning on the heat and meeting basic needs. Nashville resident Charlesetta Buchanan came up with $414 to pay her 87-year-old aunt's latest monthly electric bill, which typically runs about $130.
"It's become a choice between staying warm or eating," Buchanan said. "Or choose to stay warm over your medicine. This is not a one-time thing. With these rates, somebody is pocketing something."
Several factors came together in December to force bills higher, according to an NES statement:
• The Tennessee Valley Authority, where NES gets electricity, levied scheduled rate increases totaling 9.1 percent.
• TVA also passed on a fuel cost adjustment of more than 20 percent.
• The weather was colder in recent months than in November and December 2007.
• Because of the holidays and meter reading cycle, NES tacked an extra day onto bills.
NES serves about 355,000 customers in Davidson County and portions of other Middle Tennessee counties. The company will be more lenient for the next several months, Hill said, with representatives deciding whether to grant 10-day extensions on the due date and waive late fees.
Residential customers were told to expect rate increases of up to $20, based on average usage of 1,320 kilowatt hours a month, beginning Oct. 1. But December overwhelmed many.
Anthony Hardy said his latest bill made him believe in conspiracy theories. In June, he went to the NES office to sign up for the monthly average payment plan so he could anticipate the bill amount on his 768-square-foot duplex — $158 a month.
His latest bill was $228.
"It's impossible for a place this big to use that much more electricity," Hardy said.
Next bill should dip
Other regions are experiencing similar hikes in bills as a result of the spike in fuel and coal costs months ago, TVA spokesman Jim Allen said. The North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency passed a 4 percent increase that will be in effect Feb. 1 after already raising rates in August. Portland General Electric Co. in Oregon is seeking a 9 percent rate increase this month.
Still, Tennessee has some of the lowest rates in the country, Allen said. NES residential customers pay 9.8 cents per kilowatt hour when most of the nation pays well over 10 cents, federal statistics show.
And customers should see a slight dip on their next bill, Allen said.
"We will have a 6 percent decrease, and it will be passed on to the customer," Allen said. "Coal went through the ceiling as well as natural gas. It's come down and coal leveled off."
The question for ratepayers now is how much of TVA's ash spill cleanup costs in Harriman, Tenn., will be passed along and when. The tab will cost tens of millions of dollars or more, and TVA Chairman Bill Sansom said last week that the cost will "get into rates sooner or later."
Still, the utilities have their supporters.
Nashville resident Theresa Morrow said her electric bill averages $80, but she heats her more than 1,600-square-foot home with gas. The highest electric bill she's received in the summer is $180 with the air conditioner set at 62 degrees.
"I have no need to complain, and I get aggravated at those who do," she wrote in an e-mail. "Most of the ones complaining are either living in a drafty old place or leave the lights on 24/7. Electricity in Tennessee is still low in my opinion."
A record 30,000 Nashville Electric Service customers — nearly 10 percent — sought payment arrangements on December bills sometimes double what they expected.
The utility's office was inundated with calls, spokesman Tim Hill said, often from customers who never had a problem paying on time.
Some customers say they're making choices between turning on the heat and meeting basic needs. Nashville resident Charlesetta Buchanan came up with $414 to pay her 87-year-old aunt's latest monthly electric bill, which typically runs about $130.
"It's become a choice between staying warm or eating," Buchanan said. "Or choose to stay warm over your medicine. This is not a one-time thing. With these rates, somebody is pocketing something."
Several factors came together in December to force bills higher, according to an NES statement:
• The Tennessee Valley Authority, where NES gets electricity, levied scheduled rate increases totaling 9.1 percent.
• TVA also passed on a fuel cost adjustment of more than 20 percent.
• The weather was colder in recent months than in November and December 2007.
• Because of the holidays and meter reading cycle, NES tacked an extra day onto bills.
NES serves about 355,000 customers in Davidson County and portions of other Middle Tennessee counties. The company will be more lenient for the next several months, Hill said, with representatives deciding whether to grant 10-day extensions on the due date and waive late fees.
Residential customers were told to expect rate increases of up to $20, based on average usage of 1,320 kilowatt hours a month, beginning Oct. 1. But December overwhelmed many.
Anthony Hardy said his latest bill made him believe in conspiracy theories. In June, he went to the NES office to sign up for the monthly average payment plan so he could anticipate the bill amount on his 768-square-foot duplex — $158 a month.
His latest bill was $228.
"It's impossible for a place this big to use that much more electricity," Hardy said.
Next bill should dip
Other regions are experiencing similar hikes in bills as a result of the spike in fuel and coal costs months ago, TVA spokesman Jim Allen said. The North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency passed a 4 percent increase that will be in effect Feb. 1 after already raising rates in August. Portland General Electric Co. in Oregon is seeking a 9 percent rate increase this month.
Still, Tennessee has some of the lowest rates in the country, Allen said. NES residential customers pay 9.8 cents per kilowatt hour when most of the nation pays well over 10 cents, federal statistics show.
And customers should see a slight dip on their next bill, Allen said.
"We will have a 6 percent decrease, and it will be passed on to the customer," Allen said. "Coal went through the ceiling as well as natural gas. It's come down and coal leveled off."
The question for ratepayers now is how much of TVA's ash spill cleanup costs in Harriman, Tenn., will be passed along and when. The tab will cost tens of millions of dollars or more, and TVA Chairman Bill Sansom said last week that the cost will "get into rates sooner or later."
Still, the utilities have their supporters.
Nashville resident Theresa Morrow said her electric bill averages $80, but she heats her more than 1,600-square-foot home with gas. The highest electric bill she's received in the summer is $180 with the air conditioner set at 62 degrees.
"I have no need to complain, and I get aggravated at those who do," she wrote in an e-mail. "Most of the ones complaining are either living in a drafty old place or leave the lights on 24/7. Electricity in Tennessee is still low in my opinion."
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Davidson County crime log for Dec. 30-Jan. 2
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.
Jan. 2
Antioch
10:23 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Hickory Highlands Drive
5:56 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2300 block South Grafton Court
Central
5 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1200 block Rosa L. Parks
9:54 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1600 block Ninth Avenue North
10:50 a.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Harrison Street
Donelson
9:23 a.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Percy Priest Drive
6:58 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Lincoya Bay Drive
East
9:24 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2700 block Dickerson Pike
12:23 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Oak Valley Drive
1:46 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Jones Avenue
2:53 p.m., shooting, 200 block Old Trinity Lane
4:03 p.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Chicamauga Avenue
Hermitage
11:33 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Burning Tree Drive
12:44 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1300 block Vultee Boulevard
3:39 p.m., residential burglary, 4100 block Dodson Chapel Road
4:44 p.m., residential burglary, 4100 block Dodson Chapel Road
Joelton
11:54 p.m., residential burglary, 4300 block Grays Point Road
Madison
5:48 a.m., residential burglary, 600 block North Dupont Avenue
1:58 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Harris Street
5:46 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Rio Vista Drive
North
1:01 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Tiger Circle
1:58 a.m., residential burglary, 1900 block 14th Avenue North
5:27 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block 15th Avenue North
5:29 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block 15th Avenue North
9:46 a.m., residential burglary, 2000 block 14th Avenue North
4:45 p.m., residential burglary, 2000 block 12th Avenue North
Paragon Mills
10:22 a.m., residential burglary, 4700 block Humber Drive
South
1:47 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Murfreesboro Pike
3:46 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Rosedale Avenue
7:37 p.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Winthorne Drive
9:51 p.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Winthorne Drive
10:02 p.m., shooting, 1300 block Vultee Boulevard
Trinity Hills
1:30 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Paige Circle
Tusculum
10:12 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block Bart Drive
10:38 a.m., residential burglary, 5000 block Colemont Drive
5:14 p.m., residential burglary, 4900 block Packard Drive
Union Hill
3:31 p.m., residential burglary, 2000 block Tinnin Road
Vinehill
7:49 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2000 block Lindell Avenue
West
4:12 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2200 block Bandywood Drive
7:31 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 7000 block Old Harding Pike
8:05 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4000 block Hillsboro Pike
8:15 a.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Wade Avenue
10:26 a.m., residential burglary, 900 block Bresslyn Road
11:10 a.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Hillsboro Pike
12:21 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 2300 block Herman Street
5:45 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4000 block Elkins Avenue
8:20 p.m., holdup/robbery, 7100 block Charlotte Pike
10:34 p.m., holdup/robbery, at 12th Avenue South and Summit Avenue
Woodbine
2:20 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Grassmere Park Road
Jan. 1
Antioch
1:07 a.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Strand Fleet Drive
3:23 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Hickory Hollow Place
1:21 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 300 block Hickory Hollow Place
Donelson
1:50 a.m., residential burglary, 800 block Colfax Drive
8:07 a.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Lebanon Pike
11:21 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2500 block Elm Hill Pike
11:53 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2600 block Elm Hill Pike
East
6:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Gallatin Avenue
10:55 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Ramsey Street
11:53 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block South Fourth Street
Hermitage
5:03 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 5700 block Old Hickory Boulevard
5:52 a.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Hickory Hill Lane
6:27 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1700 block Elm Hill Pike
8:01 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block Pamela Drive
10:34 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Old Lebanon Dirt Road
11:35 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Old Lebanon Dirt Road
1:01 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Denver Court
2:03 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Debbie Drive
9:54 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Debbie Drive
Paragon Mills
9:24 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block Tampa Drive
South
1:52 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Bell Road
3:52 a.m., holdup/robbery, at Thompson Place and Murfreesboro Pike
11:45 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Murfreesboro Pike
Trinity Hills
12:07 a.m., shooting, 1200 block Brick Church Pike
12:07 a.m., shooting, 1200 block Brick Church Pike
4:51 a.m., holdup/robbery, at West Trinity Lane and Brick Church Pike
6:46 a.m., holdup/robbery, at Brick Church Pike and West Trinity Lane
Tusculum
3:59 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Janice Drive
10:13 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Delvin Drive
West
5:28 a.m., holdup/robbery, 6100 block Cowden Avenue
3:08 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Branch Creek Road
Woodbine
10:43 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2900 block Sidco Drive
Dec. 31
Bordeaux
4:03 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 2100 block Buena Vista Pike
Brentwood
8:05 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 700 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Central
12:51 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1200 block Broadway
8:39 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1000 block Jefferson Street
10:21 a.m., rape, at James Robertson Parkway
1:48 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 1100 block Jefferson Street
11:59 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1500 block Ninth Avenue North
Crieve Hall
8:59 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block Blackman Road
Donelson
6:18 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3100 block Lincoya Bay Drive
East
3:02 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Chickasaw Avenue
5:14 p.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Hillside Road
Goodlettsville Davidson
9 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block South Main Street
Hermitage
12:51 a.m., residential burglary, 4400 block Gina Brooke Drive
1:34 p.m., rape, at Hamilton Church Road
J.C. Napier
12:37 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Claiborne Street
Lakewood
9:16 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3800 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Madison
12:26 a.m., rape, at South Gallatin Pike
2:41 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block East Old Hickory Boulevard
5:27 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 200 block East Old Hickory Boulevard
5:30 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 500 block North Dupont Avenue
5:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block South Gallatin Pike
North
10:54 a.m., residential burglary, 4900 block Kentucky Avenue
2:39 p.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block 42nd Avenue North
5:35 p.m., residential burglary, 2000 block 14th Avenue North
Priest Lake
9:49 p.m., kidnapping, 500 block Castlegate Drive
Providence
4:52 p.m., kidnapping, 4900 block Edmondson Pike
South
12:26 a.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block Bell Road
9:10 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 20 block Lafayette Street
Trinity Hills
10:23 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block West Trinity Lane
7:11 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Vanderhorst Drive
Tusculum
9:41 a.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Brentwood Terrace
3:17 p.m., residential burglary, 4800 block Gillespie Drive
4:54 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Ocala Drive
West
4:11 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block West End Avenue
9:21 a.m., holdup/robbery, 10 block White Bridge Road
2:15 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4000 block Granny White Pike
3:55 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3100 block West End Avenue
11:58 p.m., shooting, 900 block Blank Street
Dec. 30
Antioch
10:03 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1300 block Bell Road
Bordeaux
7:29 a.m., residential burglary, 800 block Hillmore Drive
11:57 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 3500 block West Hamilton Avenue
Central
4:43 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 600 block Second Avenue South
Crieve Hall
8 p.m., residential burglary, 4900 block Timberhill Drive
Donelson
3:05 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Donelson Pike
East
1 a.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Greenwood Avenue
3:20 a.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Porter Road
10:25 a.m., residential burglary, at South Fifth Street and Main Street
3:06 p.m., residential burglary, 2600 block Morganmeade Drive
3:59 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 100 block Grizzard Avenue
3:59 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 100 block Grizzard Avenue
8:57 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block South Eighth Court
9:56 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Myrtle Street
11:11 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Treutland Avenue
Hermitage
6:56 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Spence Enclave Lane
2:32 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Barker Road
2:32 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Barker Road
Madison
9:50 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Harris Street
12:39 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Slayton Drive
7:30 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Crestview Drive
8:03 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2200 block North Gallatin Pike
North
2:49 p.m., residential burglary, 3700 block Tigerbelle Drive
2:49 p.m., residential burglary, 3700 block Tigerbelle Drive
6:03 p.m., shooting, at Brickmont Drive and Moorewood Drive
11:34 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Underwood Street and 17th Avenue North
Providence
9:03 a.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Cotton Lane
South
8:35 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block East Thompson Lane
8:55 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block Harding Place
8:09 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 5800 block Nolensville Road
Trinity Hills
9:11 a.m., residential burglary, 600 block Walker Court
11:16 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2400 block Whites Creek Pike
5:39 p.m., shooting, 3700 block Buena Vista Pike
Una
2:20 a.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Doubletree Lane
West
8:56 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1400 block Charlotte Avenue
9:46 a.m., residential burglary, 800 block 17th Avenue North
11:54 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block Old Hickory Boulevard
7:36 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5700 block Charlotte Pike
10:31 p.m., residential burglary, 6100 block Hill Circle
Woodbine
8:35 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Twin Oaks Drive
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.
Jan. 2
Antioch
10:23 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Hickory Highlands Drive
5:56 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2300 block South Grafton Court
Central
5 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1200 block Rosa L. Parks
9:54 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1600 block Ninth Avenue North
10:50 a.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Harrison Street
Donelson
9:23 a.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Percy Priest Drive
6:58 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Lincoya Bay Drive
East
9:24 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2700 block Dickerson Pike
12:23 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Oak Valley Drive
1:46 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Jones Avenue
2:53 p.m., shooting, 200 block Old Trinity Lane
4:03 p.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Chicamauga Avenue
Hermitage
11:33 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Burning Tree Drive
12:44 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1300 block Vultee Boulevard
3:39 p.m., residential burglary, 4100 block Dodson Chapel Road
4:44 p.m., residential burglary, 4100 block Dodson Chapel Road
Joelton
11:54 p.m., residential burglary, 4300 block Grays Point Road
Madison
5:48 a.m., residential burglary, 600 block North Dupont Avenue
1:58 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Harris Street
5:46 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Rio Vista Drive
North
1:01 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Tiger Circle
1:58 a.m., residential burglary, 1900 block 14th Avenue North
5:27 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block 15th Avenue North
5:29 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block 15th Avenue North
9:46 a.m., residential burglary, 2000 block 14th Avenue North
4:45 p.m., residential burglary, 2000 block 12th Avenue North
Paragon Mills
10:22 a.m., residential burglary, 4700 block Humber Drive
South
1:47 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Murfreesboro Pike
3:46 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Rosedale Avenue
7:37 p.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Winthorne Drive
9:51 p.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Winthorne Drive
10:02 p.m., shooting, 1300 block Vultee Boulevard
Trinity Hills
1:30 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Paige Circle
Tusculum
10:12 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block Bart Drive
10:38 a.m., residential burglary, 5000 block Colemont Drive
5:14 p.m., residential burglary, 4900 block Packard Drive
Union Hill
3:31 p.m., residential burglary, 2000 block Tinnin Road
Vinehill
7:49 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2000 block Lindell Avenue
West
4:12 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2200 block Bandywood Drive
7:31 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 7000 block Old Harding Pike
8:05 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4000 block Hillsboro Pike
8:15 a.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Wade Avenue
10:26 a.m., residential burglary, 900 block Bresslyn Road
11:10 a.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Hillsboro Pike
12:21 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 2300 block Herman Street
5:45 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4000 block Elkins Avenue
8:20 p.m., holdup/robbery, 7100 block Charlotte Pike
10:34 p.m., holdup/robbery, at 12th Avenue South and Summit Avenue
Woodbine
2:20 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Grassmere Park Road
Jan. 1
Antioch
1:07 a.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Strand Fleet Drive
3:23 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Hickory Hollow Place
1:21 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 300 block Hickory Hollow Place
Donelson
1:50 a.m., residential burglary, 800 block Colfax Drive
8:07 a.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Lebanon Pike
11:21 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2500 block Elm Hill Pike
11:53 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2600 block Elm Hill Pike
East
6:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Gallatin Avenue
10:55 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Ramsey Street
11:53 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block South Fourth Street
Hermitage
5:03 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 5700 block Old Hickory Boulevard
5:52 a.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Hickory Hill Lane
6:27 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1700 block Elm Hill Pike
8:01 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block Pamela Drive
10:34 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Old Lebanon Dirt Road
11:35 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Old Lebanon Dirt Road
1:01 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Denver Court
2:03 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Debbie Drive
9:54 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Debbie Drive
Paragon Mills
9:24 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block Tampa Drive
South
1:52 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Bell Road
3:52 a.m., holdup/robbery, at Thompson Place and Murfreesboro Pike
11:45 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Murfreesboro Pike
Trinity Hills
12:07 a.m., shooting, 1200 block Brick Church Pike
12:07 a.m., shooting, 1200 block Brick Church Pike
4:51 a.m., holdup/robbery, at West Trinity Lane and Brick Church Pike
6:46 a.m., holdup/robbery, at Brick Church Pike and West Trinity Lane
Tusculum
3:59 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Janice Drive
10:13 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Delvin Drive
West
5:28 a.m., holdup/robbery, 6100 block Cowden Avenue
3:08 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Branch Creek Road
Woodbine
10:43 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2900 block Sidco Drive
Dec. 31
Bordeaux
4:03 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 2100 block Buena Vista Pike
Brentwood
8:05 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 700 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Central
12:51 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1200 block Broadway
8:39 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1000 block Jefferson Street
10:21 a.m., rape, at James Robertson Parkway
1:48 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 1100 block Jefferson Street
11:59 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1500 block Ninth Avenue North
Crieve Hall
8:59 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block Blackman Road
Donelson
6:18 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3100 block Lincoya Bay Drive
East
3:02 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Chickasaw Avenue
5:14 p.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Hillside Road
Goodlettsville Davidson
9 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block South Main Street
Hermitage
12:51 a.m., residential burglary, 4400 block Gina Brooke Drive
1:34 p.m., rape, at Hamilton Church Road
J.C. Napier
12:37 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Claiborne Street
Lakewood
9:16 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3800 block Old Hickory Boulevard
Madison
12:26 a.m., rape, at South Gallatin Pike
2:41 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block East Old Hickory Boulevard
5:27 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 200 block East Old Hickory Boulevard
5:30 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 500 block North Dupont Avenue
5:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block South Gallatin Pike
North
10:54 a.m., residential burglary, 4900 block Kentucky Avenue
2:39 p.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block 42nd Avenue North
5:35 p.m., residential burglary, 2000 block 14th Avenue North
Priest Lake
9:49 p.m., kidnapping, 500 block Castlegate Drive
Providence
4:52 p.m., kidnapping, 4900 block Edmondson Pike
South
12:26 a.m., holdup/robbery, 700 block Bell Road
9:10 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 20 block Lafayette Street
Trinity Hills
10:23 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block West Trinity Lane
7:11 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Vanderhorst Drive
Tusculum
9:41 a.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Brentwood Terrace
3:17 p.m., residential burglary, 4800 block Gillespie Drive
4:54 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Ocala Drive
West
4:11 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block West End Avenue
9:21 a.m., holdup/robbery, 10 block White Bridge Road
2:15 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4000 block Granny White Pike
3:55 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3100 block West End Avenue
11:58 p.m., shooting, 900 block Blank Street
Dec. 30
Antioch
10:03 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1300 block Bell Road
Bordeaux
7:29 a.m., residential burglary, 800 block Hillmore Drive
11:57 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 3500 block West Hamilton Avenue
Central
4:43 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 600 block Second Avenue South
Crieve Hall
8 p.m., residential burglary, 4900 block Timberhill Drive
Donelson
3:05 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Donelson Pike
East
1 a.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Greenwood Avenue
3:20 a.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Porter Road
10:25 a.m., residential burglary, at South Fifth Street and Main Street
3:06 p.m., residential burglary, 2600 block Morganmeade Drive
3:59 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 100 block Grizzard Avenue
3:59 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 100 block Grizzard Avenue
8:57 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block South Eighth Court
9:56 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Myrtle Street
11:11 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Treutland Avenue
Hermitage
6:56 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Spence Enclave Lane
2:32 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Barker Road
2:32 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Barker Road
Madison
9:50 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Harris Street
12:39 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Slayton Drive
7:30 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Crestview Drive
8:03 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2200 block North Gallatin Pike
North
2:49 p.m., residential burglary, 3700 block Tigerbelle Drive
2:49 p.m., residential burglary, 3700 block Tigerbelle Drive
6:03 p.m., shooting, at Brickmont Drive and Moorewood Drive
11:34 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Underwood Street and 17th Avenue North
Providence
9:03 a.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Cotton Lane
South
8:35 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block East Thompson Lane
8:55 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block Harding Place
8:09 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 5800 block Nolensville Road
Trinity Hills
9:11 a.m., residential burglary, 600 block Walker Court
11:16 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2400 block Whites Creek Pike
5:39 p.m., shooting, 3700 block Buena Vista Pike
Una
2:20 a.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Doubletree Lane
West
8:56 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1400 block Charlotte Avenue
9:46 a.m., residential burglary, 800 block 17th Avenue North
11:54 a.m., residential burglary, 300 block Old Hickory Boulevard
7:36 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5700 block Charlotte Pike
10:31 p.m., residential burglary, 6100 block Hill Circle
Woodbine
8:35 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Twin Oaks Drive
Tennessee's budget shortfall grows
By Theo Emery • THE TENNESSEAN • January 10, 2009
As the national recession deepens, revenues in Tennessee continued their downward slide in December, with a record plunge in sales taxes, a mainstay of the state's revenue collections, according to administration officials.
The state collected $811 million in overall revenues in December, about $83 million less than budgeted, according to the Finance and Administration Department.
This fiscal year, the state has taken in almost $380 million less in general funds than expected, putting the state on track for a projected billion-dollar shortfall estimated late last year, said Finance Commissioner Dave Goetz.
The steepest decline appeared in sales taxes, which came in almost $68 million less than estimated, a fall of about 10.3 percent compared with last December. The declines were spread across various categories of goods, from groceries to new and used cars to home furnishings. Two out of every three state tax dollars in Tennessee come from sales taxes.
"We are seeing a continued, relentless deterioration in sales taxes," Goetz said.
The last time that sales tax dropped at the same rate compared to the year before was in 1961, when sales tax collections fell 8.7 percent, he said.
The gloomy revenue reports have become a monthly exercise, with each month providing new grim reports and dour predictions.
The latest revenue data are for business activity in November, so the numbers don't reflect most holiday sales. The data, however, do include revenue generated on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that generally marks the first day of holiday shopping.
The new revenue figures come as Gov. Phil Bredesen's administration grapples with the state budget, which has been thrown out of balance by the recession.
The administration expects this fiscal year's revenues to be up to a billion dollars less than estimated, and possibly a billion dollars again next year.
At the end of December, most state departments submitted new budgets that included multi-stage plans for budget-cutting: two stages of potential cuts totaling about 15 percent, and then contingency plans for cutting an additional 5 percent if necessary.
Governors across the country are waiting to see if economic stimulus from Washington will help, but creating a package, which probably will include relief for state Medicaid spending and funds for infrastructure, appears to be taking longer than originally expected.
The state's budget problems have forced Bredesen to delay his State of the State address and wait to unveil his budget until after the first week in February. The General Assembly convenes next week for an organizational session, but then plans to adjourn for three weeks.
On Thursday, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey suggested that the administration wait even longer, until mid-March, to propose the budget.
Goetz said that waiting wouldn't necessarily help because the federal stimulus "won't be some sort of silver bullet."
As the national recession deepens, revenues in Tennessee continued their downward slide in December, with a record plunge in sales taxes, a mainstay of the state's revenue collections, according to administration officials.
The state collected $811 million in overall revenues in December, about $83 million less than budgeted, according to the Finance and Administration Department.
This fiscal year, the state has taken in almost $380 million less in general funds than expected, putting the state on track for a projected billion-dollar shortfall estimated late last year, said Finance Commissioner Dave Goetz.
The steepest decline appeared in sales taxes, which came in almost $68 million less than estimated, a fall of about 10.3 percent compared with last December. The declines were spread across various categories of goods, from groceries to new and used cars to home furnishings. Two out of every three state tax dollars in Tennessee come from sales taxes.
"We are seeing a continued, relentless deterioration in sales taxes," Goetz said.
The last time that sales tax dropped at the same rate compared to the year before was in 1961, when sales tax collections fell 8.7 percent, he said.
The gloomy revenue reports have become a monthly exercise, with each month providing new grim reports and dour predictions.
The latest revenue data are for business activity in November, so the numbers don't reflect most holiday sales. The data, however, do include revenue generated on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that generally marks the first day of holiday shopping.
The new revenue figures come as Gov. Phil Bredesen's administration grapples with the state budget, which has been thrown out of balance by the recession.
The administration expects this fiscal year's revenues to be up to a billion dollars less than estimated, and possibly a billion dollars again next year.
At the end of December, most state departments submitted new budgets that included multi-stage plans for budget-cutting: two stages of potential cuts totaling about 15 percent, and then contingency plans for cutting an additional 5 percent if necessary.
Governors across the country are waiting to see if economic stimulus from Washington will help, but creating a package, which probably will include relief for state Medicaid spending and funds for infrastructure, appears to be taking longer than originally expected.
The state's budget problems have forced Bredesen to delay his State of the State address and wait to unveil his budget until after the first week in February. The General Assembly convenes next week for an organizational session, but then plans to adjourn for three weeks.
On Thursday, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey suggested that the administration wait even longer, until mid-March, to propose the budget.
Goetz said that waiting wouldn't necessarily help because the federal stimulus "won't be some sort of silver bullet."
Metro calorie posting vote moved to March
The Metro Board of Health will meet for a work session before its Feb. 5 meeting to discuss possible changes to a proposal that would force restaurants to post calorie information on their menus.
Board members will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 212 of the Lentz Public Health Center, 311 23rd Ave. N. The regular meeting begins at 4 p.m.
The board had planned to vote on adoption of the regulation at its February meeting. To allow more time for discussion, the board now plans to vote on March 5.
The proposal would require all Davidson County restaurants with 15 or more establishments to include calorie information for items on their menus.
Calorie data would be printed next to the menu item, similar to the price. Restaurants also would have to post a notice that adults should limit daily intake to 2,000 calories.
"I don't have any thought that if we passed a menu labeling ordinance, that we'd have any kind of quick cure to obesity in Nashville," Dr. Ruth Stewart, a board member, said at a meeting Thursday.
"So we're really not targeting people who may already be obese. We're hopefully providing information for families who have children, future children, future teenagers and hopefully starting slowly to turn around the kind of numbers we're seeing in Nashville."
— RACHEL STULTSrstults@tennessean.com
Board members will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 212 of the Lentz Public Health Center, 311 23rd Ave. N. The regular meeting begins at 4 p.m.
The board had planned to vote on adoption of the regulation at its February meeting. To allow more time for discussion, the board now plans to vote on March 5.
The proposal would require all Davidson County restaurants with 15 or more establishments to include calorie information for items on their menus.
Calorie data would be printed next to the menu item, similar to the price. Restaurants also would have to post a notice that adults should limit daily intake to 2,000 calories.
"I don't have any thought that if we passed a menu labeling ordinance, that we'd have any kind of quick cure to obesity in Nashville," Dr. Ruth Stewart, a board member, said at a meeting Thursday.
"So we're really not targeting people who may already be obese. We're hopefully providing information for families who have children, future children, future teenagers and hopefully starting slowly to turn around the kind of numbers we're seeing in Nashville."
— RACHEL STULTSrstults@tennessean.com
Unemployed get squeezed on health insurance
By Kevin Freking • ASSOCIATED PRESS • January 10, 2009
WASHINGTON — Newly unemployed Americans will have to spend about 30 percent of their jobless benefits, on average, to pay for health insurance through their former employer, a new report says.
And if they want coverage for their families, the report by Families USA says, that will take more than 80 percent of their unemployment check.
Unemployment hit a 16-year high last month as 524,000 jobs were cut.
Workers who lose their jobs are usually eligible to maintain their health insurance through their old employer if they pay the premiums, plus a 2 percent administrative fee. The benefit is called COBRA insurance, after the law that established it.
President-elect Barack Obama is proposing to spend $80 billion to extend unemployment benefits and subsidize health care for people who have lost their jobs.
Families USA, a liberal advocacy group, says its report comparing average COBRA costs and unemployment benefits shows the need for the subsidy proposed by Obama.
At present, for most people who lose their jobs, COBRA cuts too deeply into their government-paid jobless benefits.
In nine states — Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and West Virginia — the average premium for continuing family coverage through a former employer equals or exceeds unemployment benefits, the report says.
As for individual coverage, in six states — Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi and West Virginia — jobless workers would have to spend more than 40 percent of their unemployment insurance on COBRA premiums.
WASHINGTON — Newly unemployed Americans will have to spend about 30 percent of their jobless benefits, on average, to pay for health insurance through their former employer, a new report says.
And if they want coverage for their families, the report by Families USA says, that will take more than 80 percent of their unemployment check.
Unemployment hit a 16-year high last month as 524,000 jobs were cut.
Workers who lose their jobs are usually eligible to maintain their health insurance through their old employer if they pay the premiums, plus a 2 percent administrative fee. The benefit is called COBRA insurance, after the law that established it.
President-elect Barack Obama is proposing to spend $80 billion to extend unemployment benefits and subsidize health care for people who have lost their jobs.
Families USA, a liberal advocacy group, says its report comparing average COBRA costs and unemployment benefits shows the need for the subsidy proposed by Obama.
At present, for most people who lose their jobs, COBRA cuts too deeply into their government-paid jobless benefits.
In nine states — Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and West Virginia — the average premium for continuing family coverage through a former employer equals or exceeds unemployment benefits, the report says.
As for individual coverage, in six states — Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi and West Virginia — jobless workers would have to spend more than 40 percent of their unemployment insurance on COBRA premiums.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Obama asks Congress to delay digital TV switch
By Jim Puzzanghera and Christi Parsons • LOS ANGELES TIMES • January 9, 2009
WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday asked Congress to delay next month's planned switch to all-digital broadcast television, warning that the TVs of millions of Americans could lose their pictures because of major problems in the government's preparations.
I
n a letter to congressional leaders, John Podesta, co-chairman of Obama's presidential transition team, urged that the Feb. 17 conversion date be extended. A major reason was the announcement this week by the Commerce Department that it had run out of money for a government program to provide $40 coupons for low-cost converter boxes to allow older TVs to receive the new digital signal.
But Podesta also cited problems with the government's effort to educate the public about the switch and help prepare people, particularly the elderly, poor and those living in rural areas.
"With coupons unavailable, support and education insufficient and the most vulnerable Americans exposed, I urge you to consider a change to the legislatively mandated analog cutoff date," Podesta wrote to the chairmen and top Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
According to the Nielsen Co., about 6.8 percent of U.S. TV households, or 7.7 million homes, were unprepared for the digital switch as of last month, meaning they had no TVs capable of receiving a digital signal.
The digital TV transition is being hailed as broadcast television's most dramatic upgrade since it bloomed to color from black and white half a century ago. The technology gives free viewers vastly sharper pictures and enables TV networks to offer a wider range of channels. A wide swath of the analog airwaves will go for free to public safety organizations, such as police and fire departments, so they can improve their communications systems.
People with cable, satellite or phone company TV services will continue to get broadcast stations. But those who rely on antennas to watch TV must either own a newer set with a digital receiver or get a digital-to-analog converter box. No-frills versions of those boxes cost between $40 and $70.
To offset the cost, the federal government allocated $1.5 billion to provide households with up to two $40 coupons. But the agency running that program announced Monday that the program had reached its limit and that new requests would be put on a waiting list.
Waiting list to grow
Podesta said in the letter that 1 million requests were on the waiting list and that the number could climb to more than 5 million by early February. Obama supports waiving federal rules to allow the Commerce Department to start sending more coupons and is planning to include additional money for the digital TV switch in the economic stimulus package the administration is drafting.
Broadcasters, who have spent billions of dollars preparing for the transition and are eager to turn off their old analog signals, oppose a delay. They're pressing for Congress to provide more money to make sure people who need coupons get them.
WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday asked Congress to delay next month's planned switch to all-digital broadcast television, warning that the TVs of millions of Americans could lose their pictures because of major problems in the government's preparations.
I
n a letter to congressional leaders, John Podesta, co-chairman of Obama's presidential transition team, urged that the Feb. 17 conversion date be extended. A major reason was the announcement this week by the Commerce Department that it had run out of money for a government program to provide $40 coupons for low-cost converter boxes to allow older TVs to receive the new digital signal.
But Podesta also cited problems with the government's effort to educate the public about the switch and help prepare people, particularly the elderly, poor and those living in rural areas.
"With coupons unavailable, support and education insufficient and the most vulnerable Americans exposed, I urge you to consider a change to the legislatively mandated analog cutoff date," Podesta wrote to the chairmen and top Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
According to the Nielsen Co., about 6.8 percent of U.S. TV households, or 7.7 million homes, were unprepared for the digital switch as of last month, meaning they had no TVs capable of receiving a digital signal.
The digital TV transition is being hailed as broadcast television's most dramatic upgrade since it bloomed to color from black and white half a century ago. The technology gives free viewers vastly sharper pictures and enables TV networks to offer a wider range of channels. A wide swath of the analog airwaves will go for free to public safety organizations, such as police and fire departments, so they can improve their communications systems.
People with cable, satellite or phone company TV services will continue to get broadcast stations. But those who rely on antennas to watch TV must either own a newer set with a digital receiver or get a digital-to-analog converter box. No-frills versions of those boxes cost between $40 and $70.
To offset the cost, the federal government allocated $1.5 billion to provide households with up to two $40 coupons. But the agency running that program announced Monday that the program had reached its limit and that new requests would be put on a waiting list.
Waiting list to grow
Podesta said in the letter that 1 million requests were on the waiting list and that the number could climb to more than 5 million by early February. Obama supports waiving federal rules to allow the Commerce Department to start sending more coupons and is planning to include additional money for the digital TV switch in the economic stimulus package the administration is drafting.
Broadcasters, who have spent billions of dollars preparing for the transition and are eager to turn off their old analog signals, oppose a delay. They're pressing for Congress to provide more money to make sure people who need coupons get them.
Digital switch could send flood of TVs to trash
By Bill Theobald • TENNESSEAN WASHINGTON BUREAU • January 9, 2009
WASHINGTON — Environmentalists fear that next month's switch to digital television broadcasting could cause a flood of old televisions, and the toxins they contain, to be tossed in the trash.
But electronics industry officials counter that these fears are overblown and that there are plenty of ways for people to continue to use their old TVs or to properly recycle them.
Both sides agree that the issue of electronic waste probably will get more attention as the Feb. 17 switchover approaches and that federal legislation is needed to deal with the growing problem, of which televisions are just a small part.
"There is a tsunami of e-waste that is going to be created," said Barbara Kyle, national coordinator of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, which includes environmental groups. "This is the largest government-sponsored planned obsolescence event in history."
Kyle said tube televisions are a particular problem because they contain 4 to 8 pounds of lead, which is difficult to extract because much of it is in glass.
In addition to lead, federal health officials warn that televisions contain cadmium, beryllium and other dangerous substances. Exposure to high levels of lead can damage the nervous system and other organs.
Americans accumulated an estimated 99.1 million out-of-service TVs in 2007, according to a study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The same study estimated 6.3 million televisions were collected for recycling in 2007 out of 26.9 million ready to be disposed of. Less than one in five electronic devices disposed of in 2007 was recycled.
A Consumer Electronics Association consumer survey done in early 2008 offered a somewhat rosier view with people saying they planned to recycle 25 percent of the 43.5 million televisions they expected to remove from their homes last year.
Recycling efforts grow
Concerns about how to dispose of televisions have prompted three manufacturers to create their own recycling programs in recent years: Samsung, LG and Sony. Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba formed a company to help consumers recycle their products.
Manufacturers also were driven to act by a flood of state laws, 17 now, that require recycling — not dumping — of electronic products.
Companies bridle at having to deal with a patchwork of state laws, but efforts to find agreement on a federal standard have been sidetracked over what will be covered and how a recycling requirement would be funded.
Parker Brugge, vice president of environmental affairs for the electronics association, said a bipartisan electronic waste working group made up of House members has been meeting for several years. Kyle doesn't think legislation will move in 2009 and that Congress will instead wait to see which of the various approaches in state laws works best.
Recent stories about the export of old televisions and other electronic waste to foreign countries where crude recycling methods expose people to harmful chemicals also may attract the interest of Congress.
Advice for consumers
Kyle advises people to hold onto their old TVs until laws and government oversight catch up enough to ensure recyclers aren't just going to ship your TV overseas.
Brugge advises people to find out whether they are in a state with electronics recycling law and program, and to look for recyclers on the group's Web site www.mygreenelectronics.com.
Households that rely on over-the-air television signals can purchase a converter box that will allow their old TVs to work just fine.
WASHINGTON — Environmentalists fear that next month's switch to digital television broadcasting could cause a flood of old televisions, and the toxins they contain, to be tossed in the trash.
But electronics industry officials counter that these fears are overblown and that there are plenty of ways for people to continue to use their old TVs or to properly recycle them.
Both sides agree that the issue of electronic waste probably will get more attention as the Feb. 17 switchover approaches and that federal legislation is needed to deal with the growing problem, of which televisions are just a small part.
"There is a tsunami of e-waste that is going to be created," said Barbara Kyle, national coordinator of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, which includes environmental groups. "This is the largest government-sponsored planned obsolescence event in history."
Kyle said tube televisions are a particular problem because they contain 4 to 8 pounds of lead, which is difficult to extract because much of it is in glass.
In addition to lead, federal health officials warn that televisions contain cadmium, beryllium and other dangerous substances. Exposure to high levels of lead can damage the nervous system and other organs.
Americans accumulated an estimated 99.1 million out-of-service TVs in 2007, according to a study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The same study estimated 6.3 million televisions were collected for recycling in 2007 out of 26.9 million ready to be disposed of. Less than one in five electronic devices disposed of in 2007 was recycled.
A Consumer Electronics Association consumer survey done in early 2008 offered a somewhat rosier view with people saying they planned to recycle 25 percent of the 43.5 million televisions they expected to remove from their homes last year.
Recycling efforts grow
Concerns about how to dispose of televisions have prompted three manufacturers to create their own recycling programs in recent years: Samsung, LG and Sony. Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba formed a company to help consumers recycle their products.
Manufacturers also were driven to act by a flood of state laws, 17 now, that require recycling — not dumping — of electronic products.
Companies bridle at having to deal with a patchwork of state laws, but efforts to find agreement on a federal standard have been sidetracked over what will be covered and how a recycling requirement would be funded.
Parker Brugge, vice president of environmental affairs for the electronics association, said a bipartisan electronic waste working group made up of House members has been meeting for several years. Kyle doesn't think legislation will move in 2009 and that Congress will instead wait to see which of the various approaches in state laws works best.
Recent stories about the export of old televisions and other electronic waste to foreign countries where crude recycling methods expose people to harmful chemicals also may attract the interest of Congress.
Advice for consumers
Kyle advises people to hold onto their old TVs until laws and government oversight catch up enough to ensure recyclers aren't just going to ship your TV overseas.
Brugge advises people to find out whether they are in a state with electronics recycling law and program, and to look for recyclers on the group's Web site www.mygreenelectronics.com.
Households that rely on over-the-air television signals can purchase a converter box that will allow their old TVs to work just fine.
New map of state roads available
TENNESSEE
The official 2009 Tennessee Transportation Map has been redesigned to feature larger, easier-to-read information with interstate mile and exit markers listed on the map, the state department of transportation says.
The map is free and available at welcome centers and rest areas across the state. Individuals may request up to five free maps, and organizations and schools may order up to 100 maps.
The state map is available on the TDOT Web site, www.tn.gov/tdot/maps.htm.
Appeared in the Tennessean
The official 2009 Tennessee Transportation Map has been redesigned to feature larger, easier-to-read information with interstate mile and exit markers listed on the map, the state department of transportation says.
The map is free and available at welcome centers and rest areas across the state. Individuals may request up to five free maps, and organizations and schools may order up to 100 maps.
The state map is available on the TDOT Web site, www.tn.gov/tdot/maps.htm.
Appeared in the Tennessean
TSU layoffs, furloughs are on the table
School must cut budget by $9M
By Colby Sledge • THE TENNESSEAN • January 9, 2009
Tennessee State University could face furloughs and layoffs in the next year as the school faces a proposed 15 percent cut in state money as well as declining student revenues.
TSU President Melvin Johnson delivered the news Thursday in his "State of the University" address, which also celebrated recent successes, including a $1 million gift, the largest TSU has ever received.
"We have the opportunity to take a good hard look at not only what we need to cut back, but also what we need to invest in," Johnson said.
In TSU's report to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission this week, the school planned to use layoffs, voluntary furloughs and possibly larger classes to reach the $9 million in cuts to the school's budget. State higher education funds overall probably will decrease at least 15 percent, or $181.6 million, in the next fiscal year.
Johnson did not give specifics Thursday when asked about layoffs or furloughs, only saying all plans were on the table. The school laid off 10 employees last year.
"No matter how much we do to cut back in other areas, it's going to eventually hit our personnel," Johnson said. Personnel costs account for about three-quarters of the school's budget.
President-issued furloughs would have to be approved by the Tennessee Board of Regents, which will take up a vote on the matter Wednesday. David Stephens, a building activities supervisor for the student center, said he would be willing to take a furlough or even lose his job if it helped TSU.
"We may say we work 40 hours, but we have people who come in on Saturday and Sunday," Stephens said. "A lot of people will bend over backward to keep TSU running and viable."
After Johnson's address, faculty and staff members proposed possible cuts and savings, including an online warehouse for departments to keep running inventories of office supplies and renting out university spaces for conferences.
Revenue from students will be increasingly important, Johnson said, as state appropriations decrease. Johnson displayed a chart that showed $57.1 million, or 56 percent, of the school's budget came from student tuition and fees.
The tuition revenues were down $6.8 million from last year as enrollment dropped nearly 700 students to 8,400 this fall. Johnson fired the financial aid director and reassigned several top officials after students complained about student services.
As of late Thursday, about 750 students had not paid or had not confirmed their registration on the school's intranet, meaning their schedules for the spring semester would be dropped. The school switched to the Banner student registration system in the fall, resulting in confusion over changes in requirements.
All students who had not paid or confirmed their registration by mid-December were notified by e-mail to their TSU accounts and by phone, said Cynthia Brooks, TSU vice president of business and finance.
Candace Carr, a senior nursing student, received an e-mail from the school when she hadn't confirmed her schedule. She took care of it that day.
"It went smoothly," Carr said. "My sister had the same system in her school (University of Tennessee-Chattanooga), so she told me I needed to confirm my classes."
Students whose schedules were dropped will be able to re-register for classes beginning Monday.
The first day of classes is Thursday.
By Colby Sledge • THE TENNESSEAN • January 9, 2009
Tennessee State University could face furloughs and layoffs in the next year as the school faces a proposed 15 percent cut in state money as well as declining student revenues.
TSU President Melvin Johnson delivered the news Thursday in his "State of the University" address, which also celebrated recent successes, including a $1 million gift, the largest TSU has ever received.
"We have the opportunity to take a good hard look at not only what we need to cut back, but also what we need to invest in," Johnson said.
In TSU's report to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission this week, the school planned to use layoffs, voluntary furloughs and possibly larger classes to reach the $9 million in cuts to the school's budget. State higher education funds overall probably will decrease at least 15 percent, or $181.6 million, in the next fiscal year.
Johnson did not give specifics Thursday when asked about layoffs or furloughs, only saying all plans were on the table. The school laid off 10 employees last year.
"No matter how much we do to cut back in other areas, it's going to eventually hit our personnel," Johnson said. Personnel costs account for about three-quarters of the school's budget.
President-issued furloughs would have to be approved by the Tennessee Board of Regents, which will take up a vote on the matter Wednesday. David Stephens, a building activities supervisor for the student center, said he would be willing to take a furlough or even lose his job if it helped TSU.
"We may say we work 40 hours, but we have people who come in on Saturday and Sunday," Stephens said. "A lot of people will bend over backward to keep TSU running and viable."
After Johnson's address, faculty and staff members proposed possible cuts and savings, including an online warehouse for departments to keep running inventories of office supplies and renting out university spaces for conferences.
Revenue from students will be increasingly important, Johnson said, as state appropriations decrease. Johnson displayed a chart that showed $57.1 million, or 56 percent, of the school's budget came from student tuition and fees.
The tuition revenues were down $6.8 million from last year as enrollment dropped nearly 700 students to 8,400 this fall. Johnson fired the financial aid director and reassigned several top officials after students complained about student services.
As of late Thursday, about 750 students had not paid or had not confirmed their registration on the school's intranet, meaning their schedules for the spring semester would be dropped. The school switched to the Banner student registration system in the fall, resulting in confusion over changes in requirements.
All students who had not paid or confirmed their registration by mid-December were notified by e-mail to their TSU accounts and by phone, said Cynthia Brooks, TSU vice president of business and finance.
Candace Carr, a senior nursing student, received an e-mail from the school when she hadn't confirmed her schedule. She took care of it that day.
"It went smoothly," Carr said. "My sister had the same system in her school (University of Tennessee-Chattanooga), so she told me I needed to confirm my classes."
Students whose schedules were dropped will be able to re-register for classes beginning Monday.
The first day of classes is Thursday.
Volunteering is a Great New Year's Resolution
Happy New Year District 29:
I pray that this information finds you looking forward to a very positive New
Year 2009! As you begin to initiate your New Year's resolution, please consider
"Volunteering" as one of your resolutions.
It has been said that volunteering ignites your social justice being and
establishes a legacy of what you stand for. That's why volunteer work makes a
difference. So, please, add to your list an effort or many efforts of making a
difference through volunteer work. With that said, allow me to suggest
volunteering in our Metro Public Schools. Below is vital Volunteering
opportunity information provided by Bradley Rodmond of Metro Nashville Public
Schools. Once again Happy New Year and Happy Volunteering, of course.
Vivian
Metro Nashville Public Schools Volunteer DatabaseWelcome to the MNPS Volunteer Database. This database has been developed as part of the Community School Partnership, a collaborative effort to bring community service providers together with public schools to effectively meet the needs of students and their families.
Volunteers are encouraged to use this site to log their service hours. Community Service Providers can submit applications to provide services to individual schools or simply post the services they offer. Organizations can also submit applications to become PENCIL partners <https://mail.nashville.gov/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.pencilfd.org/partners> .
School Principals and Volunteer Coordinators can review and approve any partnership applications that have been submitted to their school by logging into their school's account. Your account can also be used to post requests for services and supplies. In addition, schools may also search for needed services through the partner programs search <https://mail.nashville.gov/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.schoolvolunteers.org/advsearch.php> page.
Teachers can submit requests for classroom speakers and search for volunteers that have signed-up for the Speakers Bureau.Please volunteer and sign up at:http://www.schoolvolunteers.org/ <http://www.schoolvolunteers.org/>
I pray that this information finds you looking forward to a very positive New
Year 2009! As you begin to initiate your New Year's resolution, please consider
"Volunteering" as one of your resolutions.
It has been said that volunteering ignites your social justice being and
establishes a legacy of what you stand for. That's why volunteer work makes a
difference. So, please, add to your list an effort or many efforts of making a
difference through volunteer work. With that said, allow me to suggest
volunteering in our Metro Public Schools. Below is vital Volunteering
opportunity information provided by Bradley Rodmond of Metro Nashville Public
Schools. Once again Happy New Year and Happy Volunteering, of course.
Vivian
Metro Nashville Public Schools Volunteer DatabaseWelcome to the MNPS Volunteer Database. This database has been developed as part of the Community School Partnership, a collaborative effort to bring community service providers together with public schools to effectively meet the needs of students and their families.
Volunteers are encouraged to use this site to log their service hours. Community Service Providers can submit applications to provide services to individual schools or simply post the services they offer. Organizations can also submit applications to become PENCIL partners <https://mail.nashville.gov/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.pencilfd.org/partners> .
School Principals and Volunteer Coordinators can review and approve any partnership applications that have been submitted to their school by logging into their school's account. Your account can also be used to post requests for services and supplies. In addition, schools may also search for needed services through the partner programs search <https://mail.nashville.gov/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.schoolvolunteers.org/advsearch.php> page.
Teachers can submit requests for classroom speakers and search for volunteers that have signed-up for the Speakers Bureau.Please volunteer and sign up at:http://www.schoolvolunteers.org/ <http://www.schoolvolunteers.org/>
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Police Search For Two Men Who Robbed Dairy Queen
News Channel 5
Posted: Jan 6, 2009 07:35 AM CST
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Police said they were searching for two gunmen who held up a restaurant overnight.
A worker told police two gunmen forced him back inside the Dairy Queen on Murfreesboro Road as he was closing up shop around 11 p.m. Monday.
The robbers demanded money and took off with some cash.
Police with K-9 units tried to track the suspects, but didn't have any luck. Tuesday morning, the robbers were still on the loose.
Posted: Jan 6, 2009 07:35 AM CST
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Police said they were searching for two gunmen who held up a restaurant overnight.
A worker told police two gunmen forced him back inside the Dairy Queen on Murfreesboro Road as he was closing up shop around 11 p.m. Monday.
The robbers demanded money and took off with some cash.
Police with K-9 units tried to track the suspects, but didn't have any luck. Tuesday morning, the robbers were still on the loose.
Davidson County crime log from Dec. 27-29
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. 29
Antioch
2:14 a.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Mountainhigh Drive
2:29 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1100 block Bell Road
10:17 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 5100 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
3:10 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Evergreen Ridge Point
9:45 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Bell Road
Belmont
6:25 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block 19th Avenue South
Bordeaux
10:31 a.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Buena Vista Pike
11:42 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Hillmore Drive
Central
6:27 a.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Seventh Avenue North
5:39 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Monroe Street
Crieve Hall
9:41 p.m., residential burglary, 5200 block Overton Road
Donelson
1:19 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Donelson Pike
East
6:58 a.m., residential burglary, 800 block Virginia Avenue
9:36 a.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Shelton Avenue
10:51 a.m., residential burglary, 4500 block Saunders Avenue
11:47 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 100 block Kingston Street
12:08 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Lischey Avenue
2:26 p.m., residential burglary, 1400 block Crockett Court
2:32 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Forrest Avenue
2:44 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Joseph Avenue
5:23 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Lemont Drive
6:09 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block South 12th Street
6:19 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block South Sixth Street
11:41 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Chapel Avenue
Goodlettsville Davidson
8:32 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Wren Road
9:06 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Wren Road
Hermitage
12:47 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Dutchmans Drive
2:08 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 600 block Cornelia Court
2:51 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Omohundro Court
Madison
7:05 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Pierce Road
10:57 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block East Old Hickory Boulevard
North
12:58 a.m., shooting, at Chesapeake Drive and Brickmont Drive
11:34 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2800 block Buchanan Street
11:46 a.m., residential burglary, 1500 block 16th Avenue North
12:22 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Cephas Street
3:47 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Cephas Street
4:31 p.m., residential burglary, 1700 block 23rd Avenue North
6:20 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2200 block 26th Avenue North
Old Hickory
2:45 p.m., nonresidential burglary,
11:20 p.m, 200 block Donelson Avenue
Priest Lake
4:51 a.m., residential burglary, 3400 block Towne Village Road
4:24 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Hamilton Church Road
6:20 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1200 block Second Avenue South
South
6:31 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Hagan Street
8:20 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 300 block Plus Park Boulevard
2:57 p.m., residential burglary, 50 block Trimble Street
Trinity Hills
1:06 a.m., residential burglary, 400 block Cornish Drive
Tusculum
3:53 p.m., residential burglary, 4900 block Karen Ray Drive
10:18 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Haywood Lane and Nolensville Road
West
3:03 a.m., rape, at 11th Avenue South
10:14 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1300 block Jefferson Street
11:49 a.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Meharry Boulevard
12:20 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Old Hickory Boulevard
5:30 p.m., rape, at Acklen Park Drive
Whites Creek
6:09 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Bridgepoint Drive
Woodbine
9:01 p.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Dumas Drive
11:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2200 block Nolensville Road
Dec. 28
Antioch
1:28 p.m., residential burglary, 1800 block Hickory Hollow Terrace
2:22 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Dover Glen Drive
Bordeaux
11:45 a.m., rape, at Crowe Drive
Central
3:32 a.m., holdup/robbery, at Second Avenue North and Broadway
Cockrill Bend
11:22 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 7300 block Cockrill Bend Boulevard
Downtown
5:46 p.m., rape, at Broadway
East
3:14 a.m., residential burglary, 600 block South 12th Street
Hermitage
1:24 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 1300 block Central Court
7:49 p.m., residential burglary, 6000 block Baltic Drive
9:28 p.m., residential burglary, 80 block Maury Street
10:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Lafayette Street and Lewis Street
J.C. Napier
1:24 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Lewis Street
Madison
12:43 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block South Gallatin Pike
North
4:09 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block 10th Avenue North
10:12 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Ponder Place
Oak Hill
10:01 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4900 block Thoroughbred Lane
Old Hickory
12:03 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1400 block Robinson Road
1:02 a.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Berry Street
Paragon Mills
4:59 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Harding Place
South
12:07 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Harding Place
1:02 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Woodmere Drive
7:03 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 2700 block Murfreesboro Pike
8:24 p.m., residential burglary, 15100 block Old Hickory Boulevard
8:36 p.m., residential burglary, 2900 block Hamilton Church Road
Una
2:08 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2500 block Murfreesboro Pike
West
12:35 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1200 block 14th Avenue South
10:27 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3800 block Hillsboro Pike
3:03 p.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Erin Lane
5:51 p.m., residential burglary, 1400 block Grandview Drive
7:20 p.m., residential burglary, 5400 block Knob Road
Dec. 27
Bakertown
1:35 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 600 block Bakertown Road
Belmont
12:03 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 2500 block 12th Avenue South
Brentwood
9:34 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block Glenstone Circle
Central
12:36 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Broadway
9:02 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Church Street
1:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Fourth Avenue North
Donelson
9:12 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2600 block Lebanon Pike
East
5:26 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Carter Street
7:42 p.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Woodland Street
8:10 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Hart Lane
11:10 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block West Greenwood Avenue
Hermitage
4:30 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3300 block Lebanon Pike
7:55 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1200 block Kermit Drive
Joelton
11:37 a.m., kidnapping, 5200 block Whites Creek Pike
Madison
10:36 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block South Gallatin Pike
12:13 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 100 block Welworth Street
7:36 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block North Gallatin Pike
10:35 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block South Gallatin Pike
North
5:27 a.m., holdup/robbery, at Cockrill Street and Dr D B Todd Jr Boulevard
1:50 p.m., shooting, 1700 block Kellow Street
2:31 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1700 block Kellow Street
10:14 p.m., shooting, 2400 block 25th Avenue North
Priest Lake
10:33 a.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Oak Trees Court
4:41 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Kothe Way
South
2:13 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Bell Road
3:40 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Bell Road
6:51 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Bell Road
8:54 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 14900 block Old Hickory Boulevard
11:04 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Murfreesboro Pike
Tusculum
9:41 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1600 block Bell Road
2:03 p.m., residential burglary, 4600 block Packard Drive
2:08 p.m., residential burglary, 5200 block Edmondson Pike
Una
5:48 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2500 block Murfreesboro Pike
West
9:05 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block White Bridge Road
11:43 a.m., holdup/robbery, at 12th Avenue South and Edgehill Avenue
1:47 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3700 block Hillsboro Pike
5:52 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1400 block Hillside Avenue
Whites Creek
2:49 p.m., residential burglary, 4800 block Lickton Pike
Woodbine
3:30 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Lutie Street
4:37 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Glenrose Avenue
9:24 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Neese Drive
Dec. 29
Antioch
2:14 a.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Mountainhigh Drive
2:29 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1100 block Bell Road
10:17 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 5100 block Hickory Hollow Parkway
3:10 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Evergreen Ridge Point
9:45 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Bell Road
Belmont
6:25 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block 19th Avenue South
Bordeaux
10:31 a.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Buena Vista Pike
11:42 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Hillmore Drive
Central
6:27 a.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Seventh Avenue North
5:39 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Monroe Street
Crieve Hall
9:41 p.m., residential burglary, 5200 block Overton Road
Donelson
1:19 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Donelson Pike
East
6:58 a.m., residential burglary, 800 block Virginia Avenue
9:36 a.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Shelton Avenue
10:51 a.m., residential burglary, 4500 block Saunders Avenue
11:47 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 100 block Kingston Street
12:08 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Lischey Avenue
2:26 p.m., residential burglary, 1400 block Crockett Court
2:32 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Forrest Avenue
2:44 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Joseph Avenue
5:23 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Lemont Drive
6:09 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block South 12th Street
6:19 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block South Sixth Street
11:41 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Chapel Avenue
Goodlettsville Davidson
8:32 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Wren Road
9:06 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Wren Road
Hermitage
12:47 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Dutchmans Drive
2:08 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 600 block Cornelia Court
2:51 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Omohundro Court
Madison
7:05 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Pierce Road
10:57 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block East Old Hickory Boulevard
North
12:58 a.m., shooting, at Chesapeake Drive and Brickmont Drive
11:34 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2800 block Buchanan Street
11:46 a.m., residential burglary, 1500 block 16th Avenue North
12:22 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Cephas Street
3:47 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Cephas Street
4:31 p.m., residential burglary, 1700 block 23rd Avenue North
6:20 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2200 block 26th Avenue North
Old Hickory
2:45 p.m., nonresidential burglary,
11:20 p.m, 200 block Donelson Avenue
Priest Lake
4:51 a.m., residential burglary, 3400 block Towne Village Road
4:24 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Hamilton Church Road
6:20 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1200 block Second Avenue South
South
6:31 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Hagan Street
8:20 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 300 block Plus Park Boulevard
2:57 p.m., residential burglary, 50 block Trimble Street
Trinity Hills
1:06 a.m., residential burglary, 400 block Cornish Drive
Tusculum
3:53 p.m., residential burglary, 4900 block Karen Ray Drive
10:18 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Haywood Lane and Nolensville Road
West
3:03 a.m., rape, at 11th Avenue South
10:14 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1300 block Jefferson Street
11:49 a.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Meharry Boulevard
12:20 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Old Hickory Boulevard
5:30 p.m., rape, at Acklen Park Drive
Whites Creek
6:09 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Bridgepoint Drive
Woodbine
9:01 p.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Dumas Drive
11:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2200 block Nolensville Road
Dec. 28
Antioch
1:28 p.m., residential burglary, 1800 block Hickory Hollow Terrace
2:22 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Dover Glen Drive
Bordeaux
11:45 a.m., rape, at Crowe Drive
Central
3:32 a.m., holdup/robbery, at Second Avenue North and Broadway
Cockrill Bend
11:22 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 7300 block Cockrill Bend Boulevard
Downtown
5:46 p.m., rape, at Broadway
East
3:14 a.m., residential burglary, 600 block South 12th Street
Hermitage
1:24 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 1300 block Central Court
7:49 p.m., residential burglary, 6000 block Baltic Drive
9:28 p.m., residential burglary, 80 block Maury Street
10:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Lafayette Street and Lewis Street
J.C. Napier
1:24 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Lewis Street
Madison
12:43 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block South Gallatin Pike
North
4:09 p.m., residential burglary, 1900 block 10th Avenue North
10:12 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Ponder Place
Oak Hill
10:01 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4900 block Thoroughbred Lane
Old Hickory
12:03 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1400 block Robinson Road
1:02 a.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Berry Street
Paragon Mills
4:59 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Harding Place
South
12:07 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Harding Place
1:02 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Woodmere Drive
7:03 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 2700 block Murfreesboro Pike
8:24 p.m., residential burglary, 15100 block Old Hickory Boulevard
8:36 p.m., residential burglary, 2900 block Hamilton Church Road
Una
2:08 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2500 block Murfreesboro Pike
West
12:35 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1200 block 14th Avenue South
10:27 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3800 block Hillsboro Pike
3:03 p.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Erin Lane
5:51 p.m., residential burglary, 1400 block Grandview Drive
7:20 p.m., residential burglary, 5400 block Knob Road
Dec. 27
Bakertown
1:35 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 600 block Bakertown Road
Belmont
12:03 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 2500 block 12th Avenue South
Brentwood
9:34 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block Glenstone Circle
Central
12:36 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Broadway
9:02 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Church Street
1:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Fourth Avenue North
Donelson
9:12 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2600 block Lebanon Pike
East
5:26 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Carter Street
7:42 p.m., holdup/robbery, 900 block Woodland Street
8:10 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Hart Lane
11:10 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block West Greenwood Avenue
Hermitage
4:30 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3300 block Lebanon Pike
7:55 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1200 block Kermit Drive
Joelton
11:37 a.m., kidnapping, 5200 block Whites Creek Pike
Madison
10:36 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block South Gallatin Pike
12:13 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 100 block Welworth Street
7:36 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block North Gallatin Pike
10:35 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block South Gallatin Pike
North
5:27 a.m., holdup/robbery, at Cockrill Street and Dr D B Todd Jr Boulevard
1:50 p.m., shooting, 1700 block Kellow Street
2:31 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1700 block Kellow Street
10:14 p.m., shooting, 2400 block 25th Avenue North
Priest Lake
10:33 a.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Oak Trees Court
4:41 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Kothe Way
South
2:13 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Bell Road
3:40 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Bell Road
6:51 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Bell Road
8:54 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 14900 block Old Hickory Boulevard
11:04 p.m., holdup/robbery, 800 block Murfreesboro Pike
Tusculum
9:41 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1600 block Bell Road
2:03 p.m., residential burglary, 4600 block Packard Drive
2:08 p.m., residential burglary, 5200 block Edmondson Pike
Una
5:48 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2500 block Murfreesboro Pike
West
9:05 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block White Bridge Road
11:43 a.m., holdup/robbery, at 12th Avenue South and Edgehill Avenue
1:47 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3700 block Hillsboro Pike
5:52 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1400 block Hillside Avenue
Whites Creek
2:49 p.m., residential burglary, 4800 block Lickton Pike
Woodbine
3:30 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Lutie Street
4:37 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Glenrose Avenue
9:24 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Neese Drive
Monday, January 5, 2009
Titans to take on Ravens in rematch of 2000 playoff game
WKRN Channell 2 News
Posted: Jan 5, 2009 09:59 AM CST
With Sunday's 27-9 win over the Dolphins in Miami, the Baltimore Ravens will travel to Nashville this weekend to take on the Titans in what eerily resembles a post-season matchup from eight years ago.
Just like this year, Tennessee posted the NFL's best record at 13-3 in the 2000 season and earned the AFC's No. 1 seed with home-field advantage throughout.
Tampa is hosting the Super Bowl this year, just like in 2000, and the Ravens win Sunday only added to the déjà vu feeling.
The Ravens defeated the Titans in the divisional playoff game that year, 24-10, en route to what would become a Super Bowl championship.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher called Baltimore a "tremendous challenge."
"Baltimore has improved in all areas since we saw them earlier this season. They are built around a strong run game and a great defense, which reminds us of the classic matchups against them in the past," he said in a statement.
In week five, the Titans defeated the Ravens in Baltimore 13-10 but it was a game the Ravens defense dominated.
Kerry Collins was intercepted twice as Baltimore built a 10-6 lead but the Titans intercepted rookie Joe Flacco two times and Collins got it together late, delivering a game-winning fourth quarter touchdown pass to Alge Crumpler.
The big question this weekend for the Titans will be Pro Bowl center Kevin Mawae who, in December 21's win over Pittsburgh, injured his right elbow.
He did not play against Indianapolis and did not practice during the team's bye week.
Fisher said he may be questionable going into Saturday's game and will be "day by day."
Pro Bowl defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth also missed the final two games of the season with a sprained left knee and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch missed the final three with an injured groin.
Fisher said Sunday both would practice this week.
Kick-off Saturday is set for 3:30 p.m. at LP Field.
Should the Titans win, they will host the AFC Championship game the following week.
Posted: Jan 5, 2009 09:59 AM CST
With Sunday's 27-9 win over the Dolphins in Miami, the Baltimore Ravens will travel to Nashville this weekend to take on the Titans in what eerily resembles a post-season matchup from eight years ago.
Just like this year, Tennessee posted the NFL's best record at 13-3 in the 2000 season and earned the AFC's No. 1 seed with home-field advantage throughout.
Tampa is hosting the Super Bowl this year, just like in 2000, and the Ravens win Sunday only added to the déjà vu feeling.
The Ravens defeated the Titans in the divisional playoff game that year, 24-10, en route to what would become a Super Bowl championship.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher called Baltimore a "tremendous challenge."
"Baltimore has improved in all areas since we saw them earlier this season. They are built around a strong run game and a great defense, which reminds us of the classic matchups against them in the past," he said in a statement.
In week five, the Titans defeated the Ravens in Baltimore 13-10 but it was a game the Ravens defense dominated.
Kerry Collins was intercepted twice as Baltimore built a 10-6 lead but the Titans intercepted rookie Joe Flacco two times and Collins got it together late, delivering a game-winning fourth quarter touchdown pass to Alge Crumpler.
The big question this weekend for the Titans will be Pro Bowl center Kevin Mawae who, in December 21's win over Pittsburgh, injured his right elbow.
He did not play against Indianapolis and did not practice during the team's bye week.
Fisher said he may be questionable going into Saturday's game and will be "day by day."
Pro Bowl defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth also missed the final two games of the season with a sprained left knee and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch missed the final three with an injured groin.
Fisher said Sunday both would practice this week.
Kick-off Saturday is set for 3:30 p.m. at LP Field.
Should the Titans win, they will host the AFC Championship game the following week.
Metro Action Commission plans faster help on rent, utilities
By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • January 5, 2009
Deluged with requests for help from residents who are struggling to pay their bills, the Metro Action Commission plans to give priority this week to those in danger of being hit the hardest by cold weather and economic misfortune.
The commission said it would look first at applications from customers who are having trouble paying energy bills, in jeopardy of being evicted or potentially facing foreclosure as a result of overdue mortgage payments. The agency has received nearly 1,000 applications for utility assistance alone in the last 10 business days.
"With nearly 200 people coming to us each day for help mostly with utilities, rent and mortgages, we need to make some temporary changes to the way we handle all requests so that families will not have to wait extreme amounts of time for assistance," Cynthia Croom, the commission's executive director, said in a news release Friday.
MAC spokeswoman Lisa Gallon said the economic recession has forced people who never showed up at the agency before to seek help this winter.
"We think it's primarily due to the economic situation our nation is facing," Gallon said.
Metro gets $3.1 million
MAC recently received an additional $3.1 million in federal energy assistance funds to aid more families who need help with utility payments. Gallon said the agency expects to have served 6,000 customers by mid-January, a little more than six months into this fiscal year, which began July 1.
MAC served 5,993 customers in the full 12 months of the previous fiscal year.
Most customers won't notice any change in the way the agency operates, Gallon said. Applications that aren't processed this week will be handled next week.
Contact Michael Cass at 259-8838 or mcass@tennessean.com.
Deluged with requests for help from residents who are struggling to pay their bills, the Metro Action Commission plans to give priority this week to those in danger of being hit the hardest by cold weather and economic misfortune.
The commission said it would look first at applications from customers who are having trouble paying energy bills, in jeopardy of being evicted or potentially facing foreclosure as a result of overdue mortgage payments. The agency has received nearly 1,000 applications for utility assistance alone in the last 10 business days.
"With nearly 200 people coming to us each day for help mostly with utilities, rent and mortgages, we need to make some temporary changes to the way we handle all requests so that families will not have to wait extreme amounts of time for assistance," Cynthia Croom, the commission's executive director, said in a news release Friday.
MAC spokeswoman Lisa Gallon said the economic recession has forced people who never showed up at the agency before to seek help this winter.
"We think it's primarily due to the economic situation our nation is facing," Gallon said.
Metro gets $3.1 million
MAC recently received an additional $3.1 million in federal energy assistance funds to aid more families who need help with utility payments. Gallon said the agency expects to have served 6,000 customers by mid-January, a little more than six months into this fiscal year, which began July 1.
MAC served 5,993 customers in the full 12 months of the previous fiscal year.
Most customers won't notice any change in the way the agency operates, Gallon said. Applications that aren't processed this week will be handled next week.
Contact Michael Cass at 259-8838 or mcass@tennessean.com.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Early voting underway for English-First special election
Posted: Jan 2, 2009 08:40 AM CST
WKRN NEWS Channel 2
Early voting in a special election to decide whether English should be Nashville's official language has begun.
Metro Councilman Eric Crafton is behind the amendment that, if approved, would require all government communications, publications and meetings to be conducted in English with exceptions allowed for health and safety concerns.
"The first three words of our constitution are, ‘We the people' and so we the people are taking back control of this government and making sure that they listen to what we have to say for a change," the longtime sponsor of the bill has said.
Crafton gathered the thousands of voter signatures needed for the special election.
Nashville Mayor Karl Dean has expressed that he is against the proposal.
"If we're sending out a message that you can only communicate in one language, those Metro employees, no matter what language they can speak, can't use that language, then we are undermining our own economy," Mayor Dean said.
Crafton said 20,000 people have signed petitions and sent mail supporting the amendment because it will unify Nashville under one language.
Officials said the election will cost taxpayers $350,000.
Voters wanting to vote early in the election should go to the Davidson County Election Commission, located at 800 Second Avenue South.
Early voting ends January 17. Election Day is January 22.
WKRN NEWS Channel 2
Early voting in a special election to decide whether English should be Nashville's official language has begun.
Metro Councilman Eric Crafton is behind the amendment that, if approved, would require all government communications, publications and meetings to be conducted in English with exceptions allowed for health and safety concerns.
"The first three words of our constitution are, ‘We the people' and so we the people are taking back control of this government and making sure that they listen to what we have to say for a change," the longtime sponsor of the bill has said.
Crafton gathered the thousands of voter signatures needed for the special election.
Nashville Mayor Karl Dean has expressed that he is against the proposal.
"If we're sending out a message that you can only communicate in one language, those Metro employees, no matter what language they can speak, can't use that language, then we are undermining our own economy," Mayor Dean said.
Crafton said 20,000 people have signed petitions and sent mail supporting the amendment because it will unify Nashville under one language.
Officials said the election will cost taxpayers $350,000.
Voters wanting to vote early in the election should go to the Davidson County Election Commission, located at 800 Second Avenue South.
Early voting ends January 17. Election Day is January 22.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Resolve to rebuild retirement
By Christine Dugas • USA TODAY • January 1, 2009
The bear market and the economic slump have caused most 401(k) retirement savings to have a major meltdown this year.
Not only has the financial mess caused retirement investments to plummet in value, it also has caused a growing number of employers to suspend their 401(k) company match.
But as gloomy as it all seems, you shouldn't spend the winter hiding under the blankets. After you put away your holiday decorations, it's a good time to regroup and learn from this year's pitfalls and mistakes.
Here are seven tips to rebuild retirement savings in 2009:
Make sure you can sleep at night
As difficult as the year was, you may have learned some important things about yourself. You may be far less willing to take risks than you thought.
"We've been through one of the most rapid and extreme bear markets in history," said Stephen Utkus, principal at Vanguard's Center for Retirement Research. "And if that wasn't a test of your risk tolerance, I don't know what would be."
If you're still comfortable with your asset allocations, then your risk and return are in good balance. But if you've lost much sleep this year, you know it's time to reduce risk and adjust investment priorities.
Don't panic
After the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, start 2009 by making a candid assessment of your retirement plan, Utkus said.
If that means investing less in stocks, fine. Just be aware that you may have to increase your savings over the long term to compensate for the lower returns you'll get from bank CDs and money market funds.
If you shifted money in a panic, however, you might want to reconsider. So far this year, 401(k) trading activity has risen to 6 percent.
Not surprisingly, most people have moved their money into stable value funds and money market mutual funds. That may seem safe. But if you are planning to get back into stocks, don't think you can time the market. Most people simply sell low and buy higher.
Start the year by making sure you have a smart financial strategy — and don't rely on the past when you plan for the future.
"Everyone says, 'The market is going down, therefore I shouldn't invest in equities,' " Utkus said. "You should think about how to be best positioned going forward, as opposed to spending too much time gazing out the rearview mirror."
And most planners say that if you have a long-term investment horizon — 20 years or so — you should have most of your assets in stocks.
Diversify your holdings
Some plan participants were too aggressive in their investments by investing only in one kind of stock — small company stocks, for example. When the market collapsed, their retirement savings did, too.
It's even more risky to be too concentrated in company stock, said Christopher Jones, chief investment officer for Financial Engines, which provides advice to 401(k) plan participants.
Even though the Enron debacle should have provided a cautionary tale about investing in company stock, that's still a major problem, Jones said. And many plan participants continue to invest 100 percent of their 401(k) money in company stock.
"They look at the stock market and say that they've done better in their company stock," he said. "The fallacy, of course, is that it doesn't guarantee anything about the future."
Make sure that you have a well-diversified portfolio that includes broad-based stock funds, such as those that track the S&P 500 stock index.
Keep age in mind
When you are 30, you can put all your money in stocks because you'll have plenty of time to make up for any losses. When you are 55, it's much harder to make up those losses. Many employees who are close to retirement are now suffering because they overly invested in stocks.
But if they'd invested in a target-date fund, they would be in better shape. These funds invest in a mix of stocks, bonds and money funds based on when you plan to retire, and they're managed by professionals who make disciplined investment plans.
Nearly half of 401(k) plan participants who are ages 56 to 65 had portfolios that had at least 20 percent more in stocks than target funds designed for that age group did, said Jack VanDerhei, research director of the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
Older plan participants should consider target-date funds, especially if they don't believe they have the financial acumen to accomplish their asset allocation on their own, VanDerhei said.
Keep saving
Even if the stock market calamity has made you feel frightened and demoralized, you should try to stay in the game. Then you can take advantage of the pretax savings that you have in a 401(k) plan. And if your company offers a matching contribution, you also can take advantage of that.
"You should make sure that you are saving enough to get every last penny of your company matching contribution," Jones said.
Unfortunately, more than 20 percent of the workers who participate in their plan do not contribute enough to get the total company match, according to Hewitt Associates.
Remember the big picture
A growing number of employers are suspending their company match. That creates worries and resentment among workers, and some are considering dropping their 401(k) plan entirely.
But keep in mind that most companies, unless they go into bankruptcy, will eventually reinstate their matching contribution. And the responsibility for retirement savings was yours, anyway, said Sheryl Garrett, a financial planner in Kansas City, Mo.
"Companies have to cut where they think it inflicts the least amount of pain on their employees and their business," she said. "Cutting into your retirement nest egg temporarily is their way of trying to stay viable and continue giving you a paycheck."
Do not cash out
Younger employers tend to cash out their 401(k) plan when they switch jobs. Big mistake.
For most, if they have $10,000 or less in their plan, it looks like free money, and retirement seems far away, said Pamela Hess, director of retirement research for Hewitt Associates.
But if a 25-year-old has just $5,000 in a retirement account that earns a 7 percent average rate of return, it will be worth $74,872 when the worker reaches 65 — even without adding any more money, according to Hewitt.
The bear market and the economic slump have caused most 401(k) retirement savings to have a major meltdown this year.
Not only has the financial mess caused retirement investments to plummet in value, it also has caused a growing number of employers to suspend their 401(k) company match.
But as gloomy as it all seems, you shouldn't spend the winter hiding under the blankets. After you put away your holiday decorations, it's a good time to regroup and learn from this year's pitfalls and mistakes.
Here are seven tips to rebuild retirement savings in 2009:
Make sure you can sleep at night
As difficult as the year was, you may have learned some important things about yourself. You may be far less willing to take risks than you thought.
"We've been through one of the most rapid and extreme bear markets in history," said Stephen Utkus, principal at Vanguard's Center for Retirement Research. "And if that wasn't a test of your risk tolerance, I don't know what would be."
If you're still comfortable with your asset allocations, then your risk and return are in good balance. But if you've lost much sleep this year, you know it's time to reduce risk and adjust investment priorities.
Don't panic
After the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, start 2009 by making a candid assessment of your retirement plan, Utkus said.
If that means investing less in stocks, fine. Just be aware that you may have to increase your savings over the long term to compensate for the lower returns you'll get from bank CDs and money market funds.
If you shifted money in a panic, however, you might want to reconsider. So far this year, 401(k) trading activity has risen to 6 percent.
Not surprisingly, most people have moved their money into stable value funds and money market mutual funds. That may seem safe. But if you are planning to get back into stocks, don't think you can time the market. Most people simply sell low and buy higher.
Start the year by making sure you have a smart financial strategy — and don't rely on the past when you plan for the future.
"Everyone says, 'The market is going down, therefore I shouldn't invest in equities,' " Utkus said. "You should think about how to be best positioned going forward, as opposed to spending too much time gazing out the rearview mirror."
And most planners say that if you have a long-term investment horizon — 20 years or so — you should have most of your assets in stocks.
Diversify your holdings
Some plan participants were too aggressive in their investments by investing only in one kind of stock — small company stocks, for example. When the market collapsed, their retirement savings did, too.
It's even more risky to be too concentrated in company stock, said Christopher Jones, chief investment officer for Financial Engines, which provides advice to 401(k) plan participants.
Even though the Enron debacle should have provided a cautionary tale about investing in company stock, that's still a major problem, Jones said. And many plan participants continue to invest 100 percent of their 401(k) money in company stock.
"They look at the stock market and say that they've done better in their company stock," he said. "The fallacy, of course, is that it doesn't guarantee anything about the future."
Make sure that you have a well-diversified portfolio that includes broad-based stock funds, such as those that track the S&P 500 stock index.
Keep age in mind
When you are 30, you can put all your money in stocks because you'll have plenty of time to make up for any losses. When you are 55, it's much harder to make up those losses. Many employees who are close to retirement are now suffering because they overly invested in stocks.
But if they'd invested in a target-date fund, they would be in better shape. These funds invest in a mix of stocks, bonds and money funds based on when you plan to retire, and they're managed by professionals who make disciplined investment plans.
Nearly half of 401(k) plan participants who are ages 56 to 65 had portfolios that had at least 20 percent more in stocks than target funds designed for that age group did, said Jack VanDerhei, research director of the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
Older plan participants should consider target-date funds, especially if they don't believe they have the financial acumen to accomplish their asset allocation on their own, VanDerhei said.
Keep saving
Even if the stock market calamity has made you feel frightened and demoralized, you should try to stay in the game. Then you can take advantage of the pretax savings that you have in a 401(k) plan. And if your company offers a matching contribution, you also can take advantage of that.
"You should make sure that you are saving enough to get every last penny of your company matching contribution," Jones said.
Unfortunately, more than 20 percent of the workers who participate in their plan do not contribute enough to get the total company match, according to Hewitt Associates.
Remember the big picture
A growing number of employers are suspending their company match. That creates worries and resentment among workers, and some are considering dropping their 401(k) plan entirely.
But keep in mind that most companies, unless they go into bankruptcy, will eventually reinstate their matching contribution. And the responsibility for retirement savings was yours, anyway, said Sheryl Garrett, a financial planner in Kansas City, Mo.
"Companies have to cut where they think it inflicts the least amount of pain on their employees and their business," she said. "Cutting into your retirement nest egg temporarily is their way of trying to stay viable and continue giving you a paycheck."
Do not cash out
Younger employers tend to cash out their 401(k) plan when they switch jobs. Big mistake.
For most, if they have $10,000 or less in their plan, it looks like free money, and retirement seems far away, said Pamela Hess, director of retirement research for Hewitt Associates.
But if a 25-year-old has just $5,000 in a retirement account that earns a 7 percent average rate of return, it will be worth $74,872 when the worker reaches 65 — even without adding any more money, according to Hewitt.
Metro can require restaurants to post calories
Opinion backs menu labeling
By Rachel Stults • THE TENNESSEAN • January 1, 2009
The Metropolitan Board of Health has the right to require restaurants to post calorie content on their menus and menu boards, according to a legal opinion that backs a controversial proposal to regulate how at least 500 area restaurants sell food items to customers.
The Metro Law Department opinion states that the Board of Health has the authority to adopt a regulation governing menu labeling, that no state or federal law pre-empts the regulations and that the regulation is likely to be held constitutional.
Health officials say obesity here has tripled in the past 20 years. In an effort to fight the trend, the board of health is considering a regulation that would require all Davidson County restaurant chains with 15 or more establishments to include calorie information for items on their menus.
The legal opinion says if the board determines that menu labeling is required to protect public health, it is the board's duty to do it.
"We're disappointed in the opinion," said Walt Baker, who represents about 150 of Tennessee's restaurants. "It was our sense that the health department only had the authority granted to it by state and there was nothing specific in state law that had to do with menu labeling. We felt like the dots never connected, but our issues still remain the same. The legal opinion was a tactical element of this whole process."
"The fact is it doesn't make any sense to us on a city-by-city basis. The fact that Nashville does it and Franklin doesn't will not solve the problem. We want to be part of the solution, but the solution is not one little dose at a time. It's bigger than that."
Under Nashville's proposal, calorie data would be printed next to the menu item, in similar font and size as the item or its price. Restaurants also would have to post a notice that adults should limit their daily intake to 2,000 calories.
Board sought opinion
The board will vote on the measure at its February meeting.
The board had asked for a legal opinion to be rendered after several restaurant representatives in a November public hearing questioned whether a city board had the authority to require menu regulation.
During the public hearing and the subsequent weeks allowed for written feedback from the public, there were 47 votes in favor of the regulation. There were 37 votes against the move, with all but one opposing vote coming from the restaurant industry, said Brian Todd, spokesman for the Metro Department of Health.
Baker said he was surprised that the legal opinion went so far as to say it's the board's duty to require menu labeling if board members see it as a way to protect public health.
"That's really narrow language," he said. "And they're talking calories, and there are so many other nutritional facts that come into play — calories from fat content, there's proteins, there's carbs, there's sugars. This whole thing is about calories, and, to me, calories is an oversimplification of the issue."
Contact Rachel Stults at 615-726-8904 or rstults@tennessean.com.
By Rachel Stults • THE TENNESSEAN • January 1, 2009
The Metropolitan Board of Health has the right to require restaurants to post calorie content on their menus and menu boards, according to a legal opinion that backs a controversial proposal to regulate how at least 500 area restaurants sell food items to customers.
The Metro Law Department opinion states that the Board of Health has the authority to adopt a regulation governing menu labeling, that no state or federal law pre-empts the regulations and that the regulation is likely to be held constitutional.
Health officials say obesity here has tripled in the past 20 years. In an effort to fight the trend, the board of health is considering a regulation that would require all Davidson County restaurant chains with 15 or more establishments to include calorie information for items on their menus.
The legal opinion says if the board determines that menu labeling is required to protect public health, it is the board's duty to do it.
"We're disappointed in the opinion," said Walt Baker, who represents about 150 of Tennessee's restaurants. "It was our sense that the health department only had the authority granted to it by state and there was nothing specific in state law that had to do with menu labeling. We felt like the dots never connected, but our issues still remain the same. The legal opinion was a tactical element of this whole process."
"The fact is it doesn't make any sense to us on a city-by-city basis. The fact that Nashville does it and Franklin doesn't will not solve the problem. We want to be part of the solution, but the solution is not one little dose at a time. It's bigger than that."
Under Nashville's proposal, calorie data would be printed next to the menu item, in similar font and size as the item or its price. Restaurants also would have to post a notice that adults should limit their daily intake to 2,000 calories.
Board sought opinion
The board will vote on the measure at its February meeting.
The board had asked for a legal opinion to be rendered after several restaurant representatives in a November public hearing questioned whether a city board had the authority to require menu regulation.
During the public hearing and the subsequent weeks allowed for written feedback from the public, there were 47 votes in favor of the regulation. There were 37 votes against the move, with all but one opposing vote coming from the restaurant industry, said Brian Todd, spokesman for the Metro Department of Health.
Baker said he was surprised that the legal opinion went so far as to say it's the board's duty to require menu labeling if board members see it as a way to protect public health.
"That's really narrow language," he said. "And they're talking calories, and there are so many other nutritional facts that come into play — calories from fat content, there's proteins, there's carbs, there's sugars. This whole thing is about calories, and, to me, calories is an oversimplification of the issue."
Contact Rachel Stults at 615-726-8904 or rstults@tennessean.com.
Smokers, quit with coach's help
Free service guides process
By Rachel Stults • THE TENNESSEAN • January 1, 2009
Tennessee smokers who have made the New Year's resolution to quit could get some help just by picking up the phone.
State health experts are urging smokers to call the Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine, a free stop smoking coaching service available to all adult state residents, at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or 1-800-784-8669.
The Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine offers personalized support connecting smokers with trained coaches to guide them through the quitting process.
Callers will receive ongoing help through scheduled calls with a quit coach personally assigned to them. The service is free and available in both English and Spanish.
The service is also available for the deaf and hearing impaired at TTY: 1-877-559-3816.
QuitLine callers also have free access to relapse prevention techniques, printed resource materials, information on nicotine replacement therapies and other services to help with quitting.
By Rachel Stults • THE TENNESSEAN • January 1, 2009
Tennessee smokers who have made the New Year's resolution to quit could get some help just by picking up the phone.
State health experts are urging smokers to call the Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine, a free stop smoking coaching service available to all adult state residents, at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or 1-800-784-8669.
The Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine offers personalized support connecting smokers with trained coaches to guide them through the quitting process.
Callers will receive ongoing help through scheduled calls with a quit coach personally assigned to them. The service is free and available in both English and Spanish.
The service is also available for the deaf and hearing impaired at TTY: 1-877-559-3816.
QuitLine callers also have free access to relapse prevention techniques, printed resource materials, information on nicotine replacement therapies and other services to help with quitting.
Happy New Year to all of Our Followers!
Thank you for keeping up with this blog for 2008. We have had over 27,000 visitors for the first year of this blog and the count continues to grow.
Please feel free to contact us if there is any suggestions you might have to make this blog more informative. Just leave a comment on this post if you have any suggestions, topics that you would like to have covered, or anything else that you would like to see added for 2009.
Thank you all again and Happy New Year!
Best Wishes!
Vivian Wilhoite and Mindy Schwartz
Please feel free to contact us if there is any suggestions you might have to make this blog more informative. Just leave a comment on this post if you have any suggestions, topics that you would like to have covered, or anything else that you would like to see added for 2009.
Thank you all again and Happy New Year!
Best Wishes!
Vivian Wilhoite and Mindy Schwartz
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