Smokers face tax increase this week

Regardless of how they satisfy their nicotine cravings, tobacco users are facing a big hit as the largest federal tobacco tax hike ever goes into effect on Wednesday. CAROLYN KASTER / FILE / ASSOCIATED PRESS

62-cent-per-pack hike is most in U.S. history

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar • ASSOCIATED PRESS • March 30, 2009 WASHINGTON — However they satisfy their nicotine cravings, tobacco users are facing a big hit as the single largest federal tobacco tax increase ever takes effect Wednesday. Tobacco companies and public health advocates, longtime foes in the nicotine battles, are trying to turn the situation to their advantage. The major cigarette makers raised prices a couple of weeks ago, partly to offset any drop in profits once the per-pack tax climbs from 39 cents to $1.01.

Medical groups see a tax hike right in the middle of a recession, as a great incentive to help persuade smokers to quit.

Tobacco taxes are soaring to finance a major expansion of health insurance for children. President Barack Obama signed that health initiative soon after taking office. Other tobacco products, from cigars to pipes and smokeless, will see similarly large tax increases. For example, the tax on chewing tobacco will go up from 19.5 cents per pound to 50 cents. The total expected to be raised over the 4½-year-long health insurance expansion is nearly $33 billion.

The tax increase is only the first move in a recharged anti-smoking campaign. Congress also is considering legislation to empower the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco. That could lead to reformulated cigarettes. Obama, who has agonized over his own cigarette habit, said he would sign such a bill.

Promising prospects Prospects for reducing the harm from smoking are better than they have been in years, said Dr. Timothy Gardner, president of the American Heart Association. The tax increase "is a terrific public health move by the federal government," he said. "Every time that the tax on tobacco goes up, the use of cigarettes goes down."

About one in five adults in the United States smokes cigarettes. That's a gradually dwindling share, though it isn't shrinking fast enough for public health advocates.

Philip Morris USA, the largest tobacco company and maker of Marlboro, is forecasting a drop in sales, but spokesman Bill Phelps said he cannot predict how big.

Unfinished streets upset Nashville residents

Metro hopes it won't have to foot bill if developers walk away By Brad Schrade • THE TENNESSEAN • March 29, 2009 The street names of Keeneland Downs seem like cruel misnomers in light of what's become of the southeast Davidson County subdivisions. Secretariat Drive, Buckpasser Avenue and Seabiscuit Drive — all named for champion racehorses — sit half-paved, mud-choked and forgotten. Work stopped as the developers fell on hard times. Graffiti mars unfinished houses. A car was recently abandoned in the development and set on fire. And a vandal threw a brick through the lone homeowner's truck window. "It's pitiful to see this," says Bobby Akin, a Metro public works road and infrastructure inspector, as he drives through the Antioch development. The financial slump has made these unfinished developments a growing problem in Davidson County and across Middle Tennessee. They pose potential public safety and health issues, as areas become dumping grounds and roads sit incomplete. Residents are frustrated. And in Metro, the city in some cases has lost one of its key tools for remedy. Metro auditors said last fall that a bonding program, managed out of the city's Planning Department, was lax and let certain securities expire that protected residents and taxpayers. Developers are required to provide performance bonds or letters of credit issued by insurance companies or banks so that if they fail to complete roads, storm drains, sidewalks and other infrastructure in a new subdivision, Metro can get it finished at no expense to taxpayers. By letting letters of credit expire, the city is unable to force money to be spent to finish such infrastructure in some stalled projects. That could mean even more waiting for residents. At Keeneland Downs, for example, Metro allowed a $1.1 million letter of credit to expire last May. Overall the city has about $11 million in surety bonds and letters of credit involving more than 60 projects that are incomplete or unresolved. About half the money involved relates to letters of credit that the city let expire through lack of oversight. Some, like Keeneland's, have already been turned over to Metro attorneys for possible legal action. "When the economy is going well it really doesn't pose much of a problem," said Planning Department Director Rick Bernhardt. "The problem came, if there is one, obviously when people started going belly up. Then you start collecting. Then everybody wants to be a little hard to get." Auditors in a draft of a report yet to be finalized found that the Planning Department had a backlog of 248 performance agreements that had been breached by developers. The Planning Department has cleaned up more than half of those, a later draft said. Still, auditors said, properly managing the program is vital to protect Metro and its residents. The report said the Planning Department didn't have the proper computer programs to track the bonds and it didn't have enough people dedicated to administer the program. And communication was lacking among the various departments that Planning depends on to help monitor the projects. The department is reviewing its bond agreements — 500 to 600 — to verify their status. A week and a half ago, the department launched an online database to help track the status of the agreements. The department says it can enforce the performance agreements as a last resort, and it doesn't believe Metro will lose money on any of these projects. "We don't believe there's any of those situations that have defaulted where Metro's going to have to go out, that I'm aware of ...," Bernhardt said. "I'm not aware of any circumstance where Metro is going to go in and put in infrastructure that would force the taxpayers to pay it. I'm not aware of it. You'd have to talk to other departments." Street has no lights When Jack Thomas and his wife, Cindy, first walked into their two-story home in the Hamilton View subdivision in Antioch they fell in love. It was the exact design they were looking for, and their tidy front yard shows the pride they take in the home they've lived in since 2006. Metro records show the developers, Homes by Design, are in breach of the agreement and a letter of credit is set to expire next month, which Metro says it will call unless the work is completed. Road paving is incomplete, with curbs jutting up and a dip in the pavement in front of the Thomas home collects a large pool whenever it rains. The road remains a private street until the work is completed and meets basic standards for Metro acceptance. Sidewalks remain patchy in spots, and at night the lack of street lamps in the unfinished development makes the place pitch black. Thomas stopped calling the developer because the number was disconnected. Brush grows high on the empty lots, and a cluster of half-finished homes up the hill from Thomas' home are splashed with graffiti, windows are broken and empty beer cans sit out front. Part of the street empty of homes had turned into a trash dump. "We're one of those screwy neighborhoods that's gotten screwed," Thomas said. "Nobody wants to spend the money to fix it up." Metro Councilman Robert Duvall, whose district includes Hamilton View, said some relief has been offered, but several Metro departments are still involved in trying to fix the problems. He said Metro has bypassed the developer and is now talking to the bank to get problems fixed. "We basically told them everything they had to do to get everything completed that was required," Duvall said. "A punch list had been given to them, and there's no reason to believe it wasn't going to be handled." Keeneland Downs also is in Duvall's district, and he said he was surprised when informed last Thursday that the letter of credit related to the development had expired. No one with Metro or the development company had told him about that issue, he said. Duvall said he'd spoken to one of the Keeneland developers, Jim Fischer, in recent months and he'd been assured the plan was to continue developing the subdivision. Fischer did not return phone messages before deadline last week. Duvall said residents in the neighboring subdivisions in the area have expressed concern that the two unfinished projects get completed. "They are worried about property values," Duvall said. "They are worried about who's going to cut the grass on vacant lots. Is the subdivision ever going to get completed? … What I'm going to do is continue to put the word out that we've got some situations here." Developers catching up Some developers with projects on the breached list say they have every intention of completing the work. Summerfield Village, a development in southeast Davidson County, has about $1.3 million of incomplete work associated with bonds — one of the highest totals on the list, according to Metro records. Records indicate the performance agreement was breached and that Metro has contacted the insurance company to make a claim on the bond so that work can be finished. Rick Cantrell, the chief operating officer with ParkTrust Development, which is managing the infrastructure for the development, said the company has the money to complete the work. He thought the remaining work was much less than the $1.3 million figure and didn't seem to agree with the assertion that the company was behind on the work. "I don't have any intentions of sticking Metro." He said he plans to meet with Metro this week. Affordable Housing Resources has about $800,000 of unresolved work across four developments. Three had letters of credit that expired more than a year ago, with two of them having expired in 2006, according to Metro records. The nonprofit company's CEO, Eddie Latimer, said it has contracts to complete asphalt topping on roads in a couple of developments, and there are sidewalks and storm detention ponds that are planned for completion. On one development, the company will have to get another bond, but the bonding markets have tightened, he said. He said the slowdown in the economy has affected the completion of projects. Most roads are not completed until most or all of the development is built out. "Everything has been slow since early 2007, things started slowing down," Latimer said. "We were hoping to get everything completed out and finish it up like we've been doing for 20 years. "It just didn't happen because of the economy. (Metro) gave us the notice. … We chose just to complete the paving even though the subdivisions have a few lots on them."

Predators steam toward playoffs

Victory over Red Wings builds momentum

ASSOCIATED PRESS • March 30, 2009 DETROIT — The Predators capped a big week with a confidence-building victory over the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. Ryan Suter broke a tie on a power play with 4:36 left, and Pekka Rinne made 33 saves to help Nashville win its third straight, 4-3 over Detroit on Sunday night.

Not only did the Predators defeat the defending Stanley Cup champs, who are also second in the Western Conference, but they also beat the conference's top team, the San Jose Sharks, on Thursday night, and Los Angeles on Saturday night in overtime.

"This crew deserves a lot of credit for this week," Coach Barry Trotz said. It also was Nashville's fourth game in six days.

Steve Sullivan had a goal and an assist while Joel Ward and Jerred Smithson also scored for the Predators, who are seventh in the Western Conference playoff race with six games remaining. "We're in the fight of our lives for the playoffs," Sullivan said. "We've still got a lot of work to do." Henrik Zetterberg, Mikael Samuelsson and Johan Franzen scored for Detroit, which lost is second straight and third in four games. Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom each had two assists, and Chris Osgood stopped 22 shots.

"The bottom line is we got to find ways to win games and we're in it together," Osgood said. Suter beat him with a slap shot from the top of the left circle for his seventh goal, just 29 seconds after Chris Chelios took a cross-checking penalty.

Sullivan made the play as he took the puck off the left boards inside the blue line and headed into the middle of the ice, but he then passed it back to Suter at the left point, who moved in and blasted a shot high on the far side.

"Sully made a great play coming off the wall," Suter said. "I thought he was going to go to the other point. But he passed it back to me. I moved in and was looking for someone to pass to. I saw (Radek Bonk) in front of the net and then I just tried to go far side."

Franzen tied it at 3 with 5:25 left with a wrist shot from the high slot for his 32nd goal. Goals by Ward and Smithson 20 seconds apart gave Nashville a 3-2 lead. Ward tied it at 2, putting in a rebound for his 17th goal with 8:25 left in the third period. Smithson took a pass from Cal O'Reilly and beat Osgood from the bottom of the left circle. It was Smithson's fourth goal.

"A point shot. I went to the net to try and create traffic," Ward said. " And I was able to chip the rebound in."

Both goals were the result of Detroit turnovers. The first came when Jonathan Ericsson and Tomas Kopecky almost collided in the neutral zone.

"We actually checked our own guy in the neutral zone on the one," Red Wings Coach Mike Babcock said. "We found a way to lose the game. That drives you crazy, especially this time of year. It's the time of year you want to be ramping it up."

Samuelsson's power-play goal gave Detroit a 2-1 lead with 4:47 left in the second period. It came with the Red Wings holding a two-man advantage. Samuelsson put in a one-time shot from the left circle for his 19th goal.

Sullivan opened the scoring with a power-play goal 2:25 into the game for his 10th goal. Zetterberg tied it with his 30th goal, a short-handed effort at 4:29.

"I thought we were gassed after the first period," Trotz said. "But the guys just sucked it up."

Tennessee patients lose trust in VA hospitals after health scare

By Clay Carey • THE TENNESSEAN • March 30, 2009 For years, Gary Simpson received medical treatment at the VA hospital in Murfreesboro. Never once did he have a complaint. Now, Simpson and thousands more fear they may have caught serious diseases because of shortcomings at the government-run medical center. Simpson was one of nearly 6,400 current and former patients at the Alvin C. York Medical Center who were notified earlier this year that they might be at risk for HIV or other viral infections because of problems with equipment used to perform colonoscopies. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has said tubes used during the procedures had incorrect valves and may have exposed those veterans to body fluid from previous patients. At least 10 veterans treated in Murfreesboro have tested positive for hepatitis since their colonoscopies, but the VA says there is no way to know whether the test results are directly related to the equipment used at the hospital. Patients who went to at least two other VA health-care facilities have also been warned about exposure to diseases because of equipment issues. Members of Congress have questioned the VA's practices in the wake of the revelations, and patients have criticized the agency for not being forthcoming with information. "I felt real bad, and threatened by the possibility of getting all kinds of diseases from that procedure," said Simpson, 57, an Army veteran. Two separate tests for HIV and hepatitis came back negative, but he worries about other illnesses like syphilis that the tests would not catch. "It's hard to get it off my mind," Simpson said. "It just makes me sick to think of the unsanitary conditions … the nastiness." A VA spokeswoman said Friday that the agency is still going over the results of a systemwide review of the way the procedures are conducted. She could not say whether problems had been found at other hospitals. "This is an absolute priority," the spokeswoman, Katie Roberts, said. "We need to make sure we address this. … It could just be human error, but if it is something else, appropriate action will be taken." Problems at VA clinics Roberts said four patients treated at York have tested positive for hepatitis B and six have tested positive for hepatitis C, which is potentially life-threatening and can cause permanent liver damage. No one has tested positive for HIV, she said. After problems were discovered in Murfreesboro and at another clinic in Augusta, Ga., the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ordered a re-evaluation of safeguards and procedures for cleansing instruments used in colonoscopies. About 1,800 veterans treated at an ear, nose and throat clinic in Augusta were warned that they might have been exposed to infections as a result of improper disinfection of medical instruments. Earlier this month, more than 3,000 patients at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Miami were advised to take tests for HIV and other diseases after the hospital discovered that equipment used to perform colonoscopies had not been properly sterilized. "We take full accountability. We potentially put them at risk," Roberts said. She could not say Friday if that means the VA would help pay for treatment for hepatitis or other diseases. In hopes of quelling fears about infections, the agency set up a call center for Murfreesboro patients to contact them with questions. More than 4,300 called with questions or to set up appointments to be tested for diseases. "We're going above and beyond," Roberts said. "We are constantly evaluating. If we can do something better, we are making sure we do it." Questions unanswered Others disagree. Gary Simpson's wife, Janice, said many of their questions about what happened at the Murfreesboro hospital had gone unanswered. "They don't want to talk about it and they refuse to give you answers," she said. The VA has said the risk of infection through its colonoscopies is very small. But the agency is unable to say exactly how many of its former patients have been tested. Some refused to be tested, the VA said, and others chose to be tested by private doctors. "Some of these veterans are having a hard time trusting the VA to test them after, in their opinion, the VA made a big mistake," said Nashville attorney Mike Sheppard. Sheppard said his firm is working with about 15 patients. Simpson said he would never get another colonoscopy at the Murfreesboro hospital, though he will have to continue to go there for specialized care. "It will be hard," he said. "The trust that I had with them will probably never be the same."

School districts stress safety around buses

Wkrn Channel 2 School districts around the mid-south have set aside this week to raise awareness about incidents involving school buses and how to stay safe around buses. The school bus transportation system is the single largest public transportation system in the United States. In the state of Tennessee, over 600,000 students ride the bus every year. In terms of accidents in Davidson County, during the 2006-2007 school year, there were 172 school bus accidents. Davidson County has taken a new step this is year to try and cut down on the accidents. Bus monitors have been added to every special education school bus in the school system. News 2 spoke to one of the special education bus drivers to see how the effort has made an impact. Bus driver Angeline Spurlock said, "With the traffic now, and people that I see on cell phones, and so many people on the roads, our focus is safety." Spurlock says her bus monitor has acted like a very helpful extra set of eyes aboard her bus. She adds, "Drivers are really trying to pay attention to not get too close and to drive, and that gives her a chance to really focus in on what's behind me because I've got just a small mirror I am looking behind at." There are a few things you may not know about being around a school bus. The danger zone for a bus is described as the area 10 feet around the bus, and the most dangerous places are the front of the bus and the right rear tire area. The best thing to do is to try and stay 10 giant steps away from the bus whenever possible.

3 Workers Robbed At Gunpoint

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Metro police are looking for a man who robbed three restaurant workers at gunpoint overnight. The incident happened at Steaks Plus Pizza in south Nashville at Bell Road and Murfreesboro Road. The workers told police a man wearing a bandana over his face took money from the register and employees before running away.

Teach for America coming to Metro schools in 2009

By MICHAEL CASS • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • October 16, 2008 Teach for America will place 50 new college graduates in Metro classrooms next fall, providing an infusion of new teaching blood that Mayor Karl Dean and other education leaders hope will give the struggling school district new hope. Dean and Teach for America announced the decision to a roomful of Metro government and business leaders, including some who quickly raised $1 million to convince the New York-based organization to come to Nashville a year earlier than would have normally been possible. "We could not wait another year," Dean said. Teach for America recruits highly motivated college graduates, gives them intense training and puts them in struggling schools in return for a two-year commitment. The program started in 1990 and is in 29 other areas, including Memphis. It planned to put 30 teachers in Metro until Wednesday, when it decided to boost the total to 50 - a number that will be matched in 2010-11. Dean also announced the completion of a $1 million fund raising drive for the New Teacher Project, which will work to help Metro schools recruit teachers more effectively; the creation of a Community Foundation fund to help pay for his other education initiatives; and the appointment of Laura Hansen, the Metro school district's continuous improvement coordinator, to lead the mayor's initiatives. Hansen will start working in the mayor's office early next month. Contact Michael Cass at 259-8838 or mcass@tennessean.com.

Nashville sets early-vote record

Turnout is high, lines long in area counties By Jennifer Brooks • THE TENNESSEAN • October 16, 2008 Tennesseans flooded polling places across the state for the first day of early voting in the 2008 presidential election. Long lines snaked out the door at many polling places as voters waited their turn to vote. Nashville shattered all previous first-day turnout records, clocking some 16,710 votes on Wednesday. That was double the previous record set in 2004 when more than 8,000 voted on the first day. "This is my first time voting," said Micah Towry of Antioch, waiting in a line that snaked down the stacks at the Edmondson Pike Library. Like many voters, Towry read a book to pass the time during the 20-minute wait to vote. Towry said the economic crisis pushed him into the voting booth for the first time and pushed him to cast his first vote, which went to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. While Tennessee may be leaning red, Obama dominated the early voting scene. Crowds of volunteers waving Obama placards gathered outside many Middle Tennessee polling stations. Area polls stay busy Volunteers for both campaigns have put on aggressive pushes in Tennessee to register new voters and get them out to cast their ballots early. "There have been plenty of (John) McCain voters, but no McCain campaigners," said Marie McEntire, a member of the Democratic Women of Williamson County. She held an Obama sign outside the Williamson County Administrative Complex. By mid-morning, the line to get into the polling station was more than 50 people long. By late afternoon, the main polling station in Franklin reported 3,672 voters, with three hours of voting still to go. In Wilson County, election administrator Lynn Harris said poll workers had been so busy with the flood of early voters, they hadn't had time to count the votes yet. The state election commission will begin publishing daily early voting tallies later today. There were a lot of first-time voters in line on Wednesday, including E'Tasha Keeton, an 18-year-old freshman at Fisk University. "I think we're really in need of a change," said Keeton, who urged other young voters to "just vote. This time we can make a difference." Register for the first time Of the nearly 4 million registered voters in Tennessee, more than 360,000 — or 9 percent — have registered for the first time. As many as 300,000 Tennesseans registered to vote in the months leading up to the election, almost as many as in the record-breaking 2004 election, when 2.4 million Tennesseans turned out to the polls. Davidson County alone registered 49,000 new voters, according to county Election Administrator Ray Barrett. "This has been steady, all day long. There was a line when we opened the doors at 7 a.m.," Barrett said. In 2004, about 45 percent of the votes cast in the presidential election were cast during early voting. The early voting totals are expected to rise this year, Barrett said. Early voting continues through Oct. 30. For voters who have moved within the county recently, early voting is also the simplest way to vote and register their change of address. Election officials are bracing for another big turnout today, after voters have had a chance to take in Wednesday night's presidential debate. The historic nature of the election seems to be energizing voters enough to shrug off the slight inconvenience of a wait in line at the polling place. Nashville voter Brenda McKinney waited in line at the Edmondson Pike Library, then headed to Nashville to bring her uncle in to vote at election commission headquarters in the old Howard School building. "I'm feeling really good," she said. "I think my guy is going to win."

Gas dips below $3 at some area stations

WKRN (Channel 2 News) While it isn't the norm and you won't find it everywhere, gas prices have hit the sub $3 mark at some Middle Tennessee stations. According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of regular gas Monday morning was $3.38 a gallon, down from $3.43 a gallon Sunday. Jim Lott with AAA said, on average, gas is dropping five cents a gallon per day in Nashville. "The price of oil hit an all time high at $147 in July, but it was down to $81 a barrel [Monday] morning, so it's almost down 50%," he said. The average price for a gallon of unleaded in Tennessee is $3.20, two cents above the national average of $3.20 Lott said Nashville's prices pull up the state average. "I was talking to someone in Memphis and there are stations there with gas at $2.75 a gallon," he said. "If it goes below $3 a gallon, which it will, we'll be close to where we were a year ago [Monday]." Paul Kizer, owner of West Main Shell in Hendersonville, decided to drop his price below the $3 mark Monday morning for the first time in about a year. "It's been falling the last couple of weeks and I just thought [Monday] morning we're always higher than everyone else, I'm going to be the first under $3," he told News 2. Kizer said the price drop has brought in a number of customers and said shortly after he dropped the price, other stations nearby dropped their price to $3.05. One month ago the average price in Nashville was $3.76. A year ago it was $2.79 a gallon. Check the current averages, visit FuelGaugeReport.com.

Police chief attacks truancy in Metro schools

WKRN (Channel 2 News) Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas is calling on the Metro School District to keep track of its students and Tuesday night, vented his frustrations to board members. He said Tuesday morning police checked on a 17-year-old Antioch High School student arrested in February for aggravated burglary. While a check of the attendance system showed the student was present at Antioch, he was nowhere to be found. "As it turns out, his first period teacher did not bother to enter his absence in the system," he explained, blaming the school district for failing to keep track of students. "If we're out there investigating crimes and calling the system and we're told the student we're looking for is present and accounted for like we found out in Antioch [Tuesday] morning, and it's not the case, what does that do?" he asked. In just one week, between September 30 and October 6, Metro police arrested 19 students for truancy. On average, the students have missed 10 days of school but one student was listed as having 23 unexcused absences. "It not optional whether or not we have reliable attendance data," Metro School Board Chair David Fox reiterated, adding new attendance software has been part of the problem. "There have been some problems using the software and also making sure its functioning the way it's expected to," he said. Fox expects much more reliable attendance data in the upcoming weeks. Chief Serpas said that is long overdue. "We're not trying to tell the school board what to do, we're making it very clear to them crime goes up in a certain part of town, and its daytime burglaries, they've got some responsibility for this," he said. In a statement Mayor Karl Dean said, "With the new Metro student attendance center, it is my hope and expectation that Metro police, Metro schools and juvenile court will continue to work in partnership to best resolve the issues facing our truant students and to provide positive early interventions so that the students are reengaged in school life as quickly as possible."

Police Hope More Visibility Will Increase Crime Tips

Channel 5 10/12/2008 NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Often times, police rely on witnesses to help them solve crimes. That's why Nashville's CrimeStoppers is taking extra steps to advertise 74-CRIME, the number to call with a tip. When crime scene investigators are working, witnesses will notice something new on their vehicles: the phone number to Crime Stoppers. The hope is the signs will generate more calls to the tip line. Calls to Crime Stoppers are anonymous. Callers are issued code numbers, and they are paid by Crime Stoppers board members who are civilians, not police officers.

Foreclosure help could be just click away

Wkrn.com 10/11/2008 The Tennessee Housing Development Agency's Web site has been getting more and more hits as families receive foreclosure notices in the mail. According to THDA director Ted Fellman, "Nashville has about 1,500 foreclosures each month." Shelby County leads the state with one out of ever 232 households going into foreclosure while Davidson County's rate has increased 35% in the last 12 months. THDA.org is the state's first attempt to create a database of rental properties. "When Hurricane Katrina happened we realized we didn't have a database that would tell us where available units were," explained Fellman. Today, their Web site is helping families receiving foreclosure notices find apartments or rental homes. "This gives them an opportunity to look without actually traveling or driving around looking at apartments or finding the sites," Fellman continued. He said three or four months ago he would have said Tennessee was just six months from the end of the foreclosure crisis. In addition to foreclosures because of adjustable rate mortgages, Fellman said "now we're seeing more foreclosures due to the economy." He said, "...At the end of the day I think we're still a year away from seeing this turn the corner." More information is available on the THDA's Web site at http://www.thda.org/.

NES will soon round up bills for charity

Wkrn.com Oct 11, 2008 10:21 AM CDT Just weeks after a statewide electricity increase, the Nashville Electric Service will soon implement a new program that rounds their customers' bills up and gives the difference to charity. NES customers were notified about the program, Change for Charity, when their October bill arrived in the mail. An insert inside explains how it works. Every NES customer is automatically enrolled in the program and beginning in January, customers' bills will be rounded up to the closest dollar. If your electric bill is $77.53 the new program would increase it 47 cents to $78. While it may not sound like much, customers who spoke with News 2 say every penny adds up and the increase comes at a difficult time. Laurie Parker with NES said the tough economy is exactly why they're implementing the new program, to help those who can't afford to pay their electric bill. She said 80% of the money raised will go to charities the utility supports like Big Brothers of Nashville, Ladies of Charity and the Metro Action Commission. 20% will be available in grant form for other local charities. NES customers are able to opt out of the Change for Charity program on the company's Web site. Click here to opt out.

Clean out those closets, donate books

Hickory Hollow Towers residents seek mysteries, romance, inspiring works for libraryBy SUZANNE NORMAND BLACKWOOD • sblackwood@tennessean.com • 259-8268 • October 10, 2008 Read a good book lately? The residents at Hickory Hollow Towers want something new to read, maybe a page-turner or a romance or a large print version of the Harry Potter books. The seniors at the retirement community off Mt. View Road, have had a library since 1980, but they've pretty much read all the books and are hoping for donations. Resident Pat Carl says the library is a popular place within the facility, even though it also has a hobby room, a piano and an exercise room. The library received a $2,000 state grant last year with the help of state Rep. Sherry Jones. "As far as I know, that's the only money we've ever received," Carl said. With that money, the residents, who operate the library themselves, were able to purchase many books. Also, said Carl, the residential facility's Activity Club purchased bookshelves, and many residents have donated books throughout the years. "We get a few outside donations," she said. But it has gotten to the point that donations have slowed down, and the library has used all of its grant money. Residents have read most of the books in the library, Carl said. Carl said the library is in need of large print books, books on tape, romance and mystery novels and inspirational books. She said it particularly needs newer releases. Hickory Hollow Towers, located off Mt. View Road near the former Texana Grill, is funded by Section 8. Residents there are low to middle income. Most residents also receive some other form of government assistance, Carl said. "To go buy a $5 book doesn't sound like much," Carl said. But, she added, "Most people don't have the funds." Resident Doris Walker, who assists Carl with library duties, said that would "buy a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk," which is likely to be a more pressing concern for most residents. Frances Ross, whose late husband Houston Ross helped develop Hickory Hollow Mall, is a regular library patron. Ross, 94, said Carl has been "a real asset" to the library, and she knows how hard Carl has worked to keep the library's collection exciting and up-to-date. "We hope it continues to get good books and grow," she said.

English-Only Will Be On Jan. Ballot

Must Receive 50 Percent Of Voter Turnout Plus One To Pass Channel 4 News POSTED: 11:12 am CDT October 10, 2008 UPDATED: 11:53 am CDT October 10, 2008 NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- There will be a special election Jan. 22 to consider the controversial plan English-Only, which proposes making English the official language of Nashville. Councilman Eric Crafton, who is sponsoring the proposal, submitted a petition with more than 2,400 required signatures to hold the January special election. Crafton and his supporters want to require Metro government to do business in English only. The Metro council approved a similar measure in February 2007, but then-mayor Bill Purcell vetoed it.

Airport neighbors want Harding Place extension to I-40 shifted

By CHRISTINA E. SANCHEZ • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • October 6, 2008 Louan Brown has long wondered when she might lose her 40-acre property near the airport for a proposed new highway connecting Harding Place to Interstate 40. "They have moved the road multiple times," said Brown, whose father bought the land she lives on in the 1940s. "They have tied us up for 15 years. As it stands now, the (Elm Hill Pike) interchange is right on my property." That interchange is one of five that would be part of the project to add five miles to Harding Place, which transportation planners say would ease traffic congestion and visitor confusion around Nashville International Airport and provide a shortcut between I-40 in Donelson and Interstate 24 near Antioch. Regional transportation planners first suggested the road about 25 years ago, to the concern of nearby residents. Their opposition has delayed the project, and at a meeting last week several of them implored planners to shift the road three-fourths of a mile toward the airport and away from them. Designs for the road keep changing; they may again. No work has started, and the state said Friday it couldn't provide a total cost estimate. Previous reports indicate about $10 million is available for the segment from Murfreesboro Pike to Couchville Pike. Joe Carpenter, assistant chief engineer for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, said his department, along with Metro government, the airport authority and the Federal Aviation Administration, would listen to all concerns. "This is an extremely large and complex project for the state as far as projects go," Carpenter said. "Some residents had a desire to cancel the project altogether and put the money into existing infrastructure. We'll consider all the comments." 5 interchanges planned Along with the regional, federally authorized Nashville Metropolitan Planning Organization, state and local officials for years have debated about what roads and details should be included in the project. As it stands now, a new road would run from the Harding Place-Donelson Pike intersection south of the airport to I-40 near the Elm Hill Pike overpass. Donelson Pike through the airport property also would be relocated and straightened, to cut down on blind spots on curves for motorists headed in and out of the airport. The road is heavily traveled, including by out-of-towners unfamiliar with the area. Proposed designs call for five interchanges, including the new road's tie-in to I-40 and a major reworking of the current Donelson Pike/I-40 junction. TDOT says about 36,000 vehicles a day travel Donelson Pike at that interchange, which handles both through and airport-bound traffic. Some want road moved Metro Councilman Carl Burch, whose district includes the proposed extension area, said he believes the concept for the new road is a good one. But he wants the road moved. "We need that artery to get from Harding Place to Interstate 40," Burch said. "I think it will relieve a lot of traffic from Bell Road and Donelson Pike. It's a good project if the road is moved to the west." TDOT would have to consult with and get approval from the FAA to move the road 4,000 feet closer to the airport, as residents suggested at last week's meeting. Airport spokeswoman Emily Richard said airport officials are not involved in the decision-making process for the project. "Harding Place extension is not our project, and we are not pushing this," Richard said. "Our long-range plan calls for a fourth parallel runway, though there are no plans for it at this point." The FAA would be involved to make sure safety provisions are followed because the road, if moved west, would be close to that proposed runway, she said. Residents wary of road Meanwhile, Louan Brown and other residents wait for the road to be built or abandoned. Brown grew up on the property that fronts Elm Hill Pike south of I-40. Her parents taught her how to raise cattle and care for horses on the farm, where she now lives with her husband and two children. She has been going door to door with an aerial map of the project to alert residents that this project will come if they do not make their concerns heard. Brown's campaign, which includes a large sign in her front yard, has attracted attention from neighbors, some of whom did not know they could be living next to a major roadway. Paula Gowen, who has lived along Elm Hill Pike since 1986, drove up to Brown's home one day last week and asked, "Where's this road going to be?" Gowen shook her head at the thought of living sandwiched between I-40 and another major artery. "This is in my backyard," Gowen said. "That's depressing. I've got enough noise already." Brown said she is not giving up and will continue to speak out against the project. "I am not going away," said an emotional Brown, who grew teary over the prospect of losing her father's hard-earned land. "My entire life has been out here. I'm not stopping."

New medical clinic at Glencliff High opens its doors to the community

Health services are available to underserved neighborhood By SUZANNE NORMAND BLACKWOOD sblackwood@tennessean.com 259-8268 • October 3, 2008 Glencliff High School is taking an active role in promoting a healthy community. The school recently partnered with United Neighborhood Health Services to open a clinic at the school that serves students, faculty, staff and members of the surrounding community. Many of the clinic's patients are uninsured. The clinic is the fifth that United Neighborhood Health Services has opened in the Metro school system. "We have a 15-year history in the school system," said Walter Stuart, director of school programs for United Neighborhood Health Services. The Glencliff clinic provides screenings, physical examinations, immunizations and sex education, said nurse practitioner Luz Salazar, who sees patients daily. She said the clinic treats a wide range of diseases, including asthma, diabetes, upper respiratory infections and high blood pressure. "We encourage them to be healthy," said Salazar, adding this includes urging good eating habits and staying current on immunizations. The clinic also offers some behavioral health services and will begin providing care by an adolescent behavioral health specialist in January. "If we cannot provide service, we make referrals," Salazar said. Students receive services for free Any student in Metro Schools may receive services for free at the clinic. Although the clinic files insurance claims for students with insurance, the students do not have to pay a deductible or make a co-payment. Uninsured area residents are served on a sliding scale. The clinic also accepts TennCare, Medicare and commercial insurance. "These clinics are important because so many of Nashville students are economically disadvantaged," Stuart said. The clinic will provide consistent health care for those who otherwise might not be getting the services they need because of lack of income, he said. "Our students and this community often go without health care," said Glencliff High School's principal, Tony Majors. "This is an important service we can provide. We care about our students and their families." Also, added Majors, "a healthy student is better able to learn." Majors said the clinic's opening has opened doors for organizations to start providing health and wellness services for Glencliff students and the surrounding community. Parents must consent Salazar, who graduated from Vanderbilt and is fluent in Spanish, is qualified to serve the community's large Spanish-speaking population. There are also many in the community who are Asian or Middle Eastern. Salazar said someone usually comes with the patient to serve as a translator if the patient doesn't speak English or Spanish. "Sometimes it's a family member who helps them or another student," she said. "It's kind of like a team." The clinic sent home consent forms for parents to sign at the beginning of the school year indicating which services they wanted their children to receive or not receive. "We do not see anyone without parental consent, because it is a school clinic," she said. But, she added, "If it's an emergency, we provide service." Pamela Stiles said her niece, Bobbie Jo Puryer, who is a senior at Glencliff, went to the clinic earlier this year for a physical she had to have to be on the bowling team. "They found that her blood was low, so they gave her some iron pills," she said. "It has gone unnoticed a long time." If it weren't for the clinic visit, Stiles said, they don't know when the problem would have been discovered. "I was actually considered anemic before," Bobbie Jo said. Shetold Salazar her history of anemia, and Salazar ordered some lab work. Bobbie Jo said her experience at the clinic was pleasant: "They were very friendly. They make you feel welcome."

Nashville Improvement Projects Put On Hold

WSMV-TV updated 7:13 p.m. CT, Tues., Sept. 30, 2008 NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said he's committed to capital improvement projects like sprucing up the downtown riverfront and improving school buildings. But the spending plan approving a lot of those desired projects is on hold, thanks to the turbulent financial markets. "We can't ignore what's going on at national level," Dean said. "Last week, in terms of fiscal bonds being sold, it was at an incredibly low number, so this is not the time to be pushing ahead." On Tuesday, Dean was scheduled to announce his $200 million capital spending plan, but he put everything on hold. That's because the city finances improvement projects by issuing debt through municipal bonds. Those bonds are usually among the most stable on the market, with billions of dollars of municipal bonds typically sold every week, but not right now. "I'm very concerned," said Metro Councilwoman Vivian Wilhoite. Wilhoite said she understands the mayor's move, but can't help but worry her number one wish just won't be in the stars. "We definitely need a community center in southeast Davidson County," she said. While the parks department agrees with Wilhoite, she hasn?t received the funding for a couple years now. Currently, there is only one community center in Antioch. "When you consider we are the fastest growing community in all of Davidson County, that's not enough," she said. Fewer projects may be approved than in the past due to the financial times. The city's finance director said too many were approved by the past administration, so this year's plan was already going to be lean. Dean doesn't know how long it will be before he proceeds with the capital spending plan, but Tuesday morning, he estimated about a week or two. Even before the turmoil on Wall Street, the plan was already delayed while the city assessed its bonding capacity.

Robbery suspects shot at house; 1 dead

TUESDAY • September 30, 2008 Metro police are investigating a shooting during a robbery attempt outside a South Nashville home that left one suspect dead and one injured. According to Metro police Randy Hickerson, police have gathered the following account: Officers responded about 10:30 p.m. Monday to a shooting scene outside a home in the 600 block of Tobylynn Drive. Officers determined that a man had arrived home and was unloading his vehicle when two armed individuals wearing ski masks approached him. They brandished what appeared to be firearms and demanded money. The homeowner had a handgun in his hand and fired five shots at the suspects. One of the suspects collapsed at the scene, and the second suspect fled on foot, Hickerson said. The man who collapsed was transported to Southern Hills Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. He was 19.About an hour after the shooting, a man was brought to Southern Hills by private vehicle with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. It was determined that this man was the second suspect. He is 23. A weapon was recovered at the scene, Hickerson said. It is a large BB gun that looks like a semiautomatic handgun. Police believe the man who collapsed at the scene was carrying that weapon.The homeowner's handgun could shoot regular rounds or could be used to shoot small shotgun shells, Hickerson said.It was unknown overnight what type of weapon the second suspect carried.The homeowner was not injured in the incident.The investigation, which occurred off of Edmonson Pike in the South Precinct, will continue and will present the facts to the district attorney's office. Any decision on criminal charges will come from the DA's office, Hickerson said.— LEIGH RAY Leigh Ray can be reached at 615-726-5951 or lray@tennessean.com.This story has been modified since its original publication.

Meetings scheduled about Harding Place Extension

By ANDY HUMBLES ahumbles@tennessean.com 615-726-5939 – • September 25, 2008 A meeting concerning the Harding Place Extension road project will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30 at Hickman Elementary School, 112 Stewarts Ferry Pike, in Donelson. A meeting will also be held at 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2 at Una Elementary School, 2018 Murfreesboro Road. Both meetings will the same information. A brief presentation will be followed by a question and answer period. Representatives of the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Metro Public Works and Nashville Airport Authority are scheduled to be present.Call 741-4777 for information