Breakdown of stimulus funds for Tennessee

This list includes the amounts the state would receive from the federal economic stimulus plan February 20, 2009 EDUCATIONK-12 Education, Elementary and Secondary Education ActGrants to LEAs $174,210,000School Improvement — Innovation and Improvement $50,386,000 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act IDEA—Part B—Special Education $229,486,000 IDEA—Part C—Early Intervention $6,677,000 Other education itemsEducation Technology $10,994,000 Education for the Homeless $669,000 School lunch equipment $1,985,000 PROGRAM BREAKDOWNMedicaid $1,100,000,000 Foster Care/Adoption Assistance $10,200,000 Highways and Bridges $572,701,000 Mass Transit Capital Grants $71,988,000 Fixed Guideway Modernization $28,000 Drinking Water $20,394,000 Clean Water $57,814,000 Underground Storage Tank Not determinedHazardous Waste Not determinedWeatherization $97,467,000 State Energy Program $59,065,000 Immunization $7,199,000 Elderly Nutrition $2,614,000 Child Care $41,932,000 Community Services Block Grant (GSBG) $19,699,000 Temporary Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) $2,069,000 FEMA—Emergency Food and Shelter $2,064,000 Vocational Rehabilitation $11,500,000 Home Investment Partnership Program $30,394,000 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant $49,518,000 Crime Victims Assistance $9,770,000 Internet Crimes Against Children $646,000 Violence Against Women $4,496,000 Unemployment Insurance —State Administration Grants $9,600,000 Workforce Investment Act—Adult $10,945,000 Workforce Investment Act—Youth $25,353,000 Dislocated Workers $19,777,000 Community Service for Older Americans $2,472,000 Employment Service $7,426,000 Head Start $13,775,000 Public Housing Capital Fund $80,710,000 CDBG and Neighborhood Revitalization Not determinedHomelessness Prevention $20,397,000 SOURCE: Federal Funds Information for States, a joint service of the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures

Zoo schedules job fair for seasonal positions

By Andy Humbles The Tennessean • February 18, 2009 The Nashville Zoo will offer a job fair for seasonal employment in its food and retail departments at 10 a.m.-3 p.m. March 2 and March 3 in the Croft Center. Those interested can attend either day. Representatives from the Zoo’s retail and food operations will be at the fair to answer questions and receive resumes and applications. Seasonal positions include cashiers, retail and food and beverage supervisors, cooks, bussers, concession operators, food preparers and warehouse attendants. Jobs have separate qualifications. Visit www.nashvillezoo.org

State layoffs are still likely, governor says

Stimulus money will cut numbers By Erik Schelzig • ASSOCIATED PRESS • February 19, 2009 The money Tennessee will receive from the federal stimulus package may reduce the number of state workers facing layoffs, but some will likely still be let go, Gov. Phil Bredesen said Wednesday. The governor said the number of layoffs would be substantially lower than the 2,300 that had been under consideration, but that he doesn't know what the total number will be. The governor said he hoped to avoid most layoffs through attrition. "I can't give you a ballpark, but I do not think right now there's enough money in the stimulus package that's flexibly available to preclude the possibility of any layoffs," he said. Tennessee is in line to receive $4.3 billion in federal money over two years, according to an analysis by the Federal Funds Information for States, a service of the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures. But most of that money is directed to specific programs. Bredesen had been planning for $900 million in cuts for the upcoming spending year. A preliminary look at Tennessee's share of the stimulus money indicates that about $500 million of the money will be available for plugging budget holes, he said. About $573 million of the federal money has been designated for road and bridge projects that can get under way quickly. The state Transportation Department has compiled a list of $850 million worth of projects that have been identified as "shovel ready." Bredesen criticized lawmakers who raised concerns in a Senate Transportation Committee hearing a day earlier that not enough road and bridge projects paid for by stimulus money are being directed to their home districts. "People doing the complaining probably ought to just re-look at what we were asked to do here," Bredesen said. "It was not a list that was designed to be fair to every county or every region of this state, it was a list of projects that were ready to go."

Mt. View Elementary students rock on

Rich Eckhardt jams the "Blues" with the students during Little Kids Rock at Mt. View Elementary School. SUBMITTED BY MARK HALE

Rich Eckhardt, guitarist for Toby Keith, participated in a Little Kids Rock event at Mt. View Elementary School.

Mark Hale, music teacher at the school, said that Rick met and played with 60 students in third through fifth grades. There was also a question and answer session. Little Kids Rock has provided Mt. View with free instruments. In Hale's room there are 70 acoustic guitars, 20 electric guitars and bass and four drum kits. The project teaches kids how to play pop, rock, reggae, funk, blues, rap and hip-hop music.

Students perform, compose and record their own music. More information can be found at: www.littlekidsrock.org.

Gardening tips scheduled weekly at Nashville Zoo

By Andy Humbles • The Tennessean • February 17, 2009 The Davidson County Master Gardeners will hold sessions at 10 a.m. Saturdays in March and April at Nashville Zoo. The sessions are included with Zoo admission. Sessions will cover different topics and include a question-answer period. The topics are: March 7 — In the Beginning: Site Preparation (soil, weeds, hardscape, wildlife protection). March 14 — Hi Hoe, Hi Hoe: Basic Garden Equipment & Container Gardening. March 21 — From Garbage to Salad: Composting & Seed Starting. March 28 — Everybody Has a Plan: Planting Schedules, Companion Planting & Beneficial Instincts. April 4 — Maters, Taters & Beans: Vegetable Gardening in Spring, Summer & Fall. April 11 — Pre-organic Gardening: Heirloom Gardening. April 18 — Strange Bedfellows: Medicinal and Culinary Herbs. April 25 — What’s in Your Beds? Annuals & Perennials, Bulbs, Shrubs & Roses. Call 833-1534.

Gaylord Entertainment cuts 350 jobs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — USA TODAY Gaylord Entertainment Co. has cut 350 jobs, about half of them in Nashville, where the company is based. Employees were told Monday. The Tennessean reported the hotel company had signaled staff reductions were possible in a Feb. 10 conference call with CEO Colin Reed and analysts during which Reed said layoffs could be one of several measures Gaylord would use to save an estimated $35 million. Gaylord earned just $4.4 million in 2008 -- a 96 percent fall from the previous year -- despite opening a new hotel outside Washington.

Nashville's WKRN Channel 2 won't lose jobs in bankruptcy

By Wendy Lee • THE TENNESSEAN • February 17, 2009 Young Broadcasting Inc., the parent company of WKRN-TV, Channel 2, in Nashville, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid steep declines in ad revenue and swift competition among stations for clients, according to court documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York last week. The company said it needed the protection to deal with mounting debts. Locally, Young Broadcasting's Chapter 11 filing will not affect its Tennessee operations, according to Gwen Kinsey, general manager for WKRN-TV and WATE-TV in Knoxville. No layoffs will occur at the local stations as a result and although ad revenue is down industry-wide, there is a "very healthy cash flow" at the local stations, Kinsey said, but she declined to state by how much ad revenue has declined. "We have money in the bank," Kinsey said. "Our normal day-to-day operations aren't going to be affected." Young Broadcasting listed total assets at about $574.6 million and total liabilities at around $980.4 million, according to court documents. The company, which owns and operates 10 television stations across the nation, said operations would not be restructured. "In these difficult economic times, domestic media companies across the board have witnessed an unprecedented decline in advertising revenue and, as a result, industry-wide revenue and operational performance has suffered," James A. Morgan, the company's executive vice president and chief financial officer said in court documents. Morgan said the decline in ad revenue had been going on for years, but it has been "accelerated and exacerbated" by the recession and "dislocation" of the credit markets. The company owes about $338.1 million in a senior credit facility and had $484.3 million outstanding under senior substantiated notes as of the end of December, according to court documents. Losing on two ends Broadcasting companies nationwide are suffering because they purchased stations starting in the 1980s at inflated prices, said Ray Harris, assistant professor of multimedia at Lipscomb University. The problem is the amount of time a station can air commercials is limited due to hours in a day and the ad price is determined by the economy, Harris said. Stations "are losing on two ends," Harris said, explaining that they're either losing ad accounts altogether or their existing customers aren't able to spend as much as they once did. "It's a double whammy." In response to the declining revenues, Young Broadcasting had a cost savings initiative to save the company more than $25 million by the end of fiscal 2010 by reducing the workforce by 15 percent, bringing in new technology, creating a consolidated accounting system and terminating certain outside professional services, according to court documents. In January 2008, the company planned to sell its largest station, KRON-TV in San Francisco, because it had suffered cash flow losses but had to suspend the sale process in November 2008 amid the decline in market conditions. In January and February this year, the company decided to forgo making the interest payments on some of its debt. Earlier this year, the company's stock was de-listed from Nasdaq.

Three Nashville TV stations go digital-only tonight

Fox 17, two sister stations shut analog at midnight By Naomi Snyder • THE TENNESSEAN • February 17, 2009 The Nashville area will get its first major test of the digital tv transition tonight if WZTV Fox 17 and two sister stations go ahead with plans to cut off their analog signals at 11:59 p.m. Other broadcasters have decided to wait to turn off their analog signals after Congress extended the mandatory deadline to June 12. The switch is expected to affect only analog TV sets that aren't hooked up to cable or satellite service and don't have a digital converter box. Despite more than a year of public informational programming about the digital switch, research firm The Nielsen Group estimated earlier this month that about 30,000 people in the Nashville area who depend on over-the-air signals are completely unprepared, or 3.5 percent of the media market. That means thousands could potentially lose top-rated TV shows such as American Idol, which airs Tuesday and Wednesday nights. At an event in Nashville on Monday, U.S. Rep Jim Cooper joked that residents who will lose the local Fox affiliate's signal will instantly become smarter. More coupons coming The federal government has run out of coupons meant to defray the cost of the digital converter boxes needed to receive digital signals on an analog TV set, although about $650 million in additional funding for the coupons was included in the economic stimulus bill passed by Congress on Friday. Whit Adamson, the president of the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, said he didn't know when those coupons would become available, but it could be weeks. If they don't want to wait for the discounts to become available, consumers can spend about $60 to buy a converter box. Fox 17's sister stations also planning to make the digital switch tonight are WUXP-MYTV30 and WNAB-58, which play shows such as Judge Judy, Seinfeld and Two and a Half Men. Executives for the parent company, Sinclair Broadcast Group, could not be reached Monday. Other stations that have already made the switch are WJFB in Lebanon, which plays Jewelry Television, and WHTN in Murfreesboro, the Christian Television Network. The FCC estimated Monday that 421 stations in the U.S. plan to terminate analog broadcast signals today. Altogether, about 36 percent of the nation's 1,800 full-power stations have switched or will switch off their analog signal by the end of today.

Nissan CEO announces plans to cut 20,000 jobs

WKRN Channel 2 News An announcement from a major automaker could affect workers in Tennessee. Nissan has announced plans to cut 20,000 jobs due to the economy, which equals about 8.5% of its global workforce. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn announced the plan in Japan. "Today, the head count is 235,000. At the end of fiscal year 2009, which is March 2010, we will streamline our head count to no more than 215,000 which is a reduction of 20,000 compared to today," he said. The announcement comes as the company reports that it is expecting a loss at nearly $3 billion loss for its fiscal year, which ends in March. Ghosn said the industry is in turmoil and "Nissan is not an exception." "Revenue falls quickly and significantly creates a situation that is at the same time unsustainable and potentially very dangerous," he said. The company did not release specifics, but any North American job cuts would certainly be felt in Middle Tennessee. Japan's third largest automaker, Nissan moved its North American headquarters to Franklin in 2006. Two of Nissan's three North American manufacturing facilities are in Tennessee. The company has an assembly plant in Smyrna that employs about 6,000 people. Nissan also has an engine plant in Decherd, Franklin County and operates an assembly plant out of Tennessee, just north of Jackson, Mississippi. Analysts say the company may be well-positioned to sustain these kinds of losses. "They have cushion and a part-time or temporary worker and gives them flexibility which they can cut the part-time workers without having to cut into their full-time staff so that allows them to save on the big job cuts that you would see in western countries," said explained Hans Greimel, an expert in the automotive world.

It's a workday for Cupid in Metro

Clerk's office will provide licenses, weddings Feb. 14 By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • February 7, 2009 Love knows no bounds — not even a five-day government workweek. If you want to get married on Valentine's Day, the Davidson County Clerk's office will be ready for you, even with the romantic holiday falling on a Saturday this year. The clerk's office will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. a week from today, ready to help the betrothed — or the spontaneous, or the momentarily irrational — start the rest of their lives together, Clerk John Arriola announced. The clerk's office married more than 50 couples on Valentine's Day last year, when it was on a Thursday. For those who need a one-stop shop for fulfilling the legal requirements of tying the knot, Arriola and his staff will help with marriage licenses and wedding ceremonies in the "St. Valentine's Chapel of Love." A marriage license costs $39.50 with a premarital counseling certificate, and $99.50 without one. The celebration will include a reception with refreshments, a live DJ, photos and a commemorative Valentine's marriage certificate, according to a news release. One couple will win a two-night trip to Gatlinburg, and some of the proceeds from the day will be donated to St. Jude's Hospital. Arriola's office said appointments are recommended but not required. For more information, or to make an appointment, call 615-862-6256. The clerk's office is at 523 Mainstream Drive in MetroCenter.

Input sought on Middle Tennessee bike and walking paths

The Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization wants the public to weigh in this month on the development of regional bicycle and pedestrian paths for Davidson, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson and Williamson counties. Meetings will be held Feb. 23-26 at the following dates, times and locations: Rutherford County: Monday, Feb. 23, 5:30- 7:30 p.m., the Smyrna Town Centre, 100 Sam Ridley Parkway E., Smyrna. Williamson County: Monday, Feb. 23, 5:30 -7:30 p.m. at Franklin First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 143 Fifth Ave., Franklin. Davidson County: Tuesday, Feb. 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m., East Park Community Center, 700 Woodland St., Nashville. Wilson County: Thursday, Feb. 26, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Lebanon City Hall, 200 Castle Heights Ave. N., Lebanon. Sumner County: Thursday, Feb. 26, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Hendersonville Public Library, 140 Saundersville Road, Hendersonville. Residents are encouraged to come prepared to share their thoughts and ideas, the agency said in a news release. More information is available at www.nashvillempo.org.— MARIA GIORDANOmgiordano@tennessean.com

Digital TV switch postponed to June

By Joelle Tessler • ASSOCIATED PRESS • February 5, 2009 WASHINGTON — After weeks of debate, Congress is giving consumers four more months to prepare for the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting. The House voted 264-158 on Wednesday to postpone the shutdown of analog TV signals to June 12, to address growing concerns that too many Americans won't be ready by the Feb. 17 deadline that Congress set three years ago. The Senate passed the measure unanimously last week and the bill now heads to President Barack Obama. The change is being mandated because digital signals are more efficient than analog ones. Ending analog broadcasts will free up valuable space in the nation's airwaves for commercial wireless services and emergency-response networks. The delay is a victory for the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress, who maintain that the previous administration mismanaged efforts to ensure that all consumers — particularly poor, rural and minority Americans — will be prepared for the switchover. The Nielsen Co. estimates that more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals still are not ready. People who subscribe to cable or satellite TV or have a newer TV with a digital tuner will not be affected. Speaking on the House floor Wednesday, Rick Boucher, D-Va., chairman of the House Commerce Committee's subcommittee on communications, technology and the Internet, said a delay was needed to prevent the digital transition from becoming a failure. Opponents of a delay warned, however, that the move will confuse consumers, create added costs for TV stations that will continue broadcasting both analog and digital signals for four more months and burden wireless companies and public safety agencies waiting for the airwaves. "It's time for us to move forward on this and keep our word to the American people," said Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., calling for the transition to proceed on Feb. 17. Democrats have tried to address these concerns by allowing broadcast stations to switch to digital signals sooner than June if they choose, potentially freeing up spectrum for public safety early. But it is unclear how many TV stations plan to use this option. The National Association of Broadcasters welcomed the delay. The group said it would provide new television spots to promote the June 12 deadline, and work with stations to coordinate additional analog shut-off tests to raise awareness and help consumers prepare.

Hermitage Precinct Newsletter Feb 2009

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

Police foil alleged crime spree, arrest teens

WKRN News Channel 2 Antioch, Tenn. - Two teenage burglary suspects are in custody after an alleged crime spree Tuesday. Metro police said the teens broke into three homes in the Antioch area, stealing items like laptop computers, video game systems and big screen TVs. Authorities said they used church bulletins as a decoy when the approached the homes and if no one was home, they'd kick in the doors. "They would knock, if a person answered the door, they would show the bulletins, they would talk about their church and encourage the homeowner to attend their church," Metro police spokesperson Don Aaron explained. "If they got to the door and no one came to the door, they'd kick it in." Authorities said the suspects are 19 and 17 years old. The 17-year-old is a student at Whites Creek High School in Nashville. During the time of his arrest, police said the computer showed he was in school.

Juvenile crime victims' electronic records mislaid

Flash drive had kids' names, account infoBy Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • February 3, 2009 A Metro auditor misplaced a portable computer storage drive containing the names of more than 500 juvenile crime victims who receive government funds, potentially exposing their bank account numbers and balances. The victims' addresses, phone numbers and Social Security numbers were not on the device, and banks have been alerted to look out for suspicious activity on the accounts. But most of the victims are still minors, and their names alone are sensitive information that isn't meant for public consumption, Davidson County Juvenile Court Clerk Vic Lineweaver said Monday. "I don't see how they could have lost it," said Lineweaver, who was held in contempt of court in 2007 for failing to produce two files for a Juvenile Court referee. "But we're all human." Metro internal auditor Mark Swann said the computer flash drive was last seen Dec. 19 — almost exactly a year after thieves stole two laptops containing Metro voters' Social Security numbers. But the auditor who misplaced it didn't tell his bosses until mid-January. Swann said the auditor has not been disciplined for either the lost drive or the delayed report, however, because the office didn't have a policy on flash drives at the time. It has one now: Using flash drives is prohibited. "I wish it didn't happen," Swann said. "We realize the severity of the incident." Swann said his office was conducting a routine audit of victim compensation accounts in December. Parents or guardians of minors who are victims of crimes can use the accounts to pay for counseling, education needs and other court-approved expenses. The money comes from a federal grant that the state passes on to Metro. Swann said the auditor used the flash drive to transfer information from one computer to another in a different part of the Juvenile Court complex. After the transfer was completed, the drive "got lost in transit." The device contains 559 names but just 419 active accounts, because some victims' accounts have been closed since they became adults. Swann said 367 of the accounts contained less than $10,000 each. Lineweaver said the average account has $1,500 to $3,000. Lineweaver and Swann said they're waiting on advice from Metro attorneys before notifying the victims and their parents or guardians. Lineweaver's office asked banks late last week to watch for anyone trying to close an account, which would be unusual.

Metro Council OKs downtown noise bill

Vote on single beer sales is deferred By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • February 4, 2009 Downtown Nashville will be a bit quieter under legislation approved Tuesday by the Metro Council. But another bill backed by downtown quality-of-life advocates, a proposal to ban sales of single beers in the area, was delayed so sponsors can work to gather more support. The council unanimously approved the downtown noise ordinance, which represented a compromise after tourism officials balked at the first version of the bill. The final ordinance will limit recorded music to 85 decibels but won't restrict live music, one of Music City's calling cards. "It allows downtown residents to get a good night's sleep while preserving our reputation as a live-music mecca," said Councilman Mike Jameson, who represents downtown and sponsored the legislation. The council voted to defer the single-beer sales ban after adopting several amendments. Stores within the downtown interstate loop would be prohibited from selling single bottles or cans of beer. Supporters say the change would rein in vagrancy, litter, panhandling and public intoxication. The amendments call for the proposed law to expire in one year, and they remove an exception for craft and specialty beers that are often sold only as singles. But the changes didn't impress beer distributors, who remain opposed because they feel existing laws can address the problems cited by sponsors, lobbyist Joe Hall said. Councilwoman Erica Gilmore, the bill's lead sponsor, said she deferred it so the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and others can offer their opinions. "We're going to get some more weigh-in from other experts who deal with this in the city," Gilmore said. Tree ordinance approved In other business, the council:> >>Unanimously approved a residential tree density ordinance. It would require residential developers to put 14 tree units on each acre, excluding the building lots. A unit could contain one or more trees. Councilwoman Megan Barry, one of the sponsors, said the law gives developers incentives to save existing trees, which count more than new trees toward the density requirements. >> Deferred three bills concerning Habitat for Humanity's plans for a 350-house subdivision in northeast Nashville. Two of the bills would cancel Habitat's planned unit development district, forcing the organization to revise its plans, and rezone its land from multi-family to single-family, dramatically reducing the density. Metro attorneys advised the council to reject the bills, arguing that courts might rule the city targeted Habitat specifically and affected a particular class of people disproportionately. The Department of Law's memo said 93 percent of Habitat residents are members of minority groups.

January NES bills stir new calls

December charges also shocked customers By Chris Echegaray • THE TENNESSEAN • February 4, 2009 Nashville's Adugna Denbel purchased his first home in October, a 2,069-square-foot house built in 2005. But the thrill of being a first-time homebuyer lost its luster after he made payment arrangements to keep the place heated, Denbel said Tuesday. His most recent electric bill was $356, up from $190. "I've kept it at 68 and 65 degrees, no longer at 70," said Denbel. "I'm told nothing is wrong with the meter. It's just cold. Imagine that." Nashville Electric Service has received 35,000 calls — 12 percent of its residential customers — about January bills, including requests for payment arrangements. Some might also be among the 31,000 who called about their December bills, NES spokeswoman Laurie Parker said. A normal call volume for NES would be 2,000 a day, including making regular payments and typical inquiries, Parker said. After the January bills hit mailboxes, NES averaged 5,000 calls a day, mostly complaints, she said. NES serves about 355,000 customers in Davidson County and other parts of Middle Tennessee. "It's been unusual," said Parker. "It's been the perfect storm. The rate increases have been compounded with the cold weather." NES has maintained that the high electric bills stem from the Tennessee Valley Authority's 9.1 percent rate increase, the more than 20 percent fuel cost adjustment, extra days tacked on to bills and the cold weather. NES is working with customers, making payment arrangements and, in some cases, waiving late fees. It has customers who never had late payments calling and making arrangements. "We have people calling to complain, but they do pay the bills," Parker said. Denbel, originally from Ethiopia, said he went in person to deal with the issue, but there's not much he could do but pay the bill. The main question from many residential customers is why the kilowatt usage jumped at an exorbitant rate. Lori Eslick, who lives in an insulated home in Inglewood, said her kilowatt usage has increased by 3,000 kilowatts compared with last winter, translating to a January bill of $642. 26. "It just really makes no sense," Eslick said. "We are fortunate enough to be able to pay this. But no one can explain the kilowatt usage. Of course, my heart breaks for the people who can't afford these ridiculous bills."

Obama wants $500,000 executive pay cap at rescued firms

Associated Press • February 4, 2009 WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama wants to impose a $500,000 pay cap on executives whose firms receive government financial rescue funds, a dramatic intervention into corporate governance in the midst of financial crisis. The new restrictions, described by an administration official familiar with the new rules, are to be announced Wednesday morning at the White House. The steps set the stage for the administration's unveiling next week of a new framework for spending the money that remains in the $700 billion financial rescue fund. "If the taxpayers are helping you, then you've got certain responsibilities to not be living high on the hog," President Barack Obama said Tuesday. The move comes amid a national outcry over extravagant bonuses for executives heading companies seeking taxpayer dollars to remain solvent. Call it the maximum wage for some high-earners. The administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the plan had not yet been made public, said the most restrictive limits would apply only to struggling large firms that receive "exceptional assistance" in the future. Healthy banks that receive government infusions of capital would have more leeway. Firms that want to pay executives above the $500,000 threshold would have to compensate them with stock that could not be sold or liquidated until they pay back the government funds, the official said. The president and members of Congress have been weighing various proposals to restrict chief executives' compensation as one of the conditions of receiving help under the $700 billion financial bailout fund. The desire for limits was reinforced by revelations that Wall Street firms paid more than $18 billion in bonuses in 2008 even while struggling with the economic downturn. Banks and other financial institutions that receive capital infusions, but are considered healthy, could waive the $500,000 salary cap and the stock restrictions under the new Obama rules. But the companies would have to disclose the compensation and submit the pay plan to shareholders for a nonbinding vote. The administration will also propose long-term compensation restrictions even for companies that don't receive government assistance. According to the official, the proposals include: -- Requiring top executives at financial institutions to hold stock for several years before they can cash out. -- Requiring nonbinding "say on pay" resolutions -- that is, giving shareholders more say on executive compensation. -- A Treasury-sponsored conference on a long-term overhaul of executive compensation. Top officials at companies that have received money from the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program already face some compensation limits. But elected officials want to place more caps. "I do know this: We can't just say, 'Please, please,"' said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who has proposed that no employee of an institution that receives money under the $700 billion federal bailout can receive more than $400,000 in total compensation until it pays the money back. The figure is equivalent to the salary of the president of the United States. Compensation experts in the private sector have warned that such an intrusion into the internal decisions of financial institutions could discourage participation in the rescue program and slow down the financial sector's recovery. They also argue that it could set a precedent for government regulation that undermines performance-based pay. "It's not a government takeover," Obama stressed in an interview Tuesday with CNN. "Private enterprise will still be taking place. But people will be accountable and responsible." Even some Republicans, angered by company decisions to pay bonuses and buy airplanes while receiving government help, have few qualms about restrictions. "In ordinary situations where the taxpayers' money is not involved, we shouldn't set executive pay," said Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee. "But where you've got federal money involved, taxpayers' money involved, TARP money involved, and the way they have spent it, with no accountability, is getting close to being criminal."

Calendar: Best bets in Nashville

Events coming up in the Nashville area: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090201/COUNTY0103/902040333/1346/COUNTY

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.