House Votes To Override Governor's Gun Bill Veto

News Channel 5 NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee House of Representatives has voted to overturn Gov. Phil Bredesen's veto of the bill that would allow handguns to be carried in bars and restaurants where alcohol is served. The 69 to 27 vote came down Wednesday afternoon. A simple majority was needed to override the governor. The override was anticipated after the Democratic governor's veto message was read to the House on Monday night. Republican Rep. Curry Todd of Germantown responded Monday night to the message from the well of the chamber: "I want to tell you what the governor can do with that piece of paper he just sent." Todd said he felt blind-sided by the governor's announcement last week that he would veto what the House passed. He said the governor showed a lack of courtesy by not giving advance notice last week of a veto ceremony featuring law enforcement officers and prosecutors from around the state. "He has no courtesy for us as members of the General Assembly to have the decency to let us know, as sponsors of the bill what was going on," Todd said. Bredesen told reporters that he wouldn't be "even faintly surprised" if the legislature overrides his veto, but he "hoped they will think about it again, and I pray if this happens there will not be some sort of tragedy in our state," Bredesen said. The measure easily passed in the House and Senate before Bredesen's veto. The bill essentially would allow the 200,000 gun-permit carry owners in Tennessee the right to carry their weapons into bars and restaurants that serve liquor and beer. "The folks that respect the law, the ones who have the right to carry, they are going to respect the law. They are not going to carry their guns in and drink alcohol," said Sen. Jim Tracy. When Bredesen announced he was vetoing the legislation last week he was surrounded by Metro police officers. "Where's the data that suddenly says O'Charley's is dangerous? Where's the data that says I can't go to Burger King unless I am packing some heat? Where is the support for all of that?" said Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas. Now that lawmakers from the House vote to override the governor's veto, the Senate will vote on Thursday. At the same time, many have been wondering what the governor will do about a bill that allows guns in parks. "If he is going to be consistent when it comes to public safety, then he will veto it. Somebody has got to man up and tell the NRA that they don't run the state of Tennessee," said Rep. G.A. Hardaway. The governor has until next Friday to decide if he will veto the guns in parks legislation or not. At this point the governor has not given any sense of exactly what he would do. The Senate will vote on the issue on Thursday. If Senators overrides the veto - the will law take effect immediately.

Condo catches fire for 2nd time in 6 weeks

WKRN Channel 2 News S. NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Flames heavily damaged at least one unit at a condominium complex in south Nashville early Wednesday morning. Firefighters responded to the Kingswood Condos on Selena Drive just off Thompson Lane around 1:30 a.m. The fire is the second at the condo complex in six weeks and broke out on a second story balcony. No was injured and residents, while visibly shaken, managed to escape. Firefighters went inside and did an initial search to make sure everyone was safely out of the building. "[I] heard a loud pop so I looked out the window and I saw some smoke billowing. That's when I called," said resident Nancy Keeler. "I saw the flames coming out, I said, ‘Oh my God, we're all going up in smoke'," resident Anna Maria Vetrone told News 2. The condo belongs to an elderly woman. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The fire six weeks ago caused greater damage and displaced residents in 10 condo units in an adjacent building. To see Actual Video: http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=10469845

Monell's restaurant files for bankruptcy

Finance company threatens foreclosure over $620,000 debt By Wendy Lee • THE TENNESSEAN • June 3, 2009 Monell's Dining & Catering, a family-style restaurant where diners rub elbows with other guests, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a dispute with a financial services company that threatened to foreclose on the chain's Germantown location, Monell's owner said. The restaurant is embroiled in a dispute with Capital Crossing Servicing Co., an asset purchaser active in the secondary loan market, over an estimated $620,000 debt, said Monell's owner Michael King. Tied to that debt are three of Monell's properties — its signature Sixth Avenue restaurant in Germantown, along with other properties on Charlotte Pike and in Gallatin — with a combined estimated value of about $1.2 million, King said. The location on Charlotte Pike is closed. The bankruptcy filing allowed Monell's to hold off what King said were the lender's foreclosure proceedings. Monell's attorney Victoria Ann Ferraro declined to comment further. A telephone call to Capital Crossing wasn't returned on Tuesday. In court records, Monell's lists its largest creditors as the Internal Revenue Service, which is owed $72,260; and the Tennessee Department of Revenue, owed $13,200. King said the nearly 15-year-old business is still profitable. Sales are up 6 percent to 7 percent at his restaurants compared with last year, he said. Monell's currently has four operating restaurants, including an express location. Customers surprised Customers at Monell's in Germantown on Tuesday night were surprised to hear of a bankruptcy filing. "There are few places in the world where you can feel like you're at Grandma's house for lunch or for dinner," said Gary Wade, 60, as he entered the Sixth Avenue restaurant. "I'll keep my fingers crossed they can pull out of bankruptcy."

Nashville approves land purchase for convention center

Metro will borrow $75 million to buy 16 acres downtown By Nicole Young • THE TENNESSEAN • June 3, 2009 A new convention center in downtown Nashville is one step closer to reality. The Metro Council voted 29-6 Tuesday on the third and final vote to borrow $75 million to buy 15.87 acres south of Broadway. The meeting was still in session at the deadline for this story, and the votes of individual council members could not be determined. Two council members abstained from the vote. Councilman Robert Duvall of District 33 was the only member to speak against approving the land purchase. "I do not see moving forward on this, but I expect it to pass tonight," Duvall said. "But I urge you all to look at this project as we go forward. Look inside your hearts and listen to your constituents. That's all I care about." During a public hearing earlier on Metro's proposed budget, Adam Nicholson, a Sylvan Park resident, tried to express his opposition to the convention center, but Vice Mayor Diane Neighbors interceded, explaining that the public hearing was on the budget only. Nicholson said it was a practical joke and backed down, but he later said he was adamant in his opposition of the proposal. "They haven't even decided if they are going to build the convention center yet, but they are buying the land anyway," Nicholson said. "To me, that makes little sense. I really think this money could be put to better use." Nicholson cited mass transit and a budget shortfall for General Hospital as places to spend money but added that he feels like there's no stopping the convention center. In previous meetings, council members have shown support for the convention center plan. In May, they voted 33-3 for the center before knowing how they would pay for construction. Dean's administration has said the city needs to start buying land now to get the convention center built by 2013, when three large meetings are already booked. The mayor doesn't plan to bring a construction financing plan to the council for another few months. The downtown convention center is expected to cost $595 million. Parking facilities would cost an additional $40 million. Metro plans to pay off the construction debt with a series of taxes and fees aimed at tourists. A convention center hotel could cost an additional $300 million. The mix of public and private financing for that building is being determined. The city has spent $9 million on pre-development activities such as architectural designs.

Tennessee approves expanded unemployment benefits

By Chas Sisk • THE TENNESSEAN • June 3, 2009 Tennessee's jobless are set to receive up to 20 more weeks of unemployment benefits, and employers are about to see their unemployment taxes rise, under a bill passed Tuesday by the state legislature. The Senate voted 29-3 Tuesday to approve the long-pending legislation, which supporters say will save the state's unemployment fund from insolvency and enact provisions from the federal stimulus package. An identical bill passed the House on Monday by a 76-19 vote. "There are a bunch of folks in this state that are depending on this legislation," said Sen. Roy Herron. The legislature essentially signed off on two plans that Gov. Phil Bredesen presented in March. The first raises taxes on employers by about $110 a year per employee to rebuild the state's unemployment fund, which has been hit by rising claims as the economy soured. Without the increase, the fund was expected to go bankrupt sometime next year — possibly triggering a federal takeover and even greater tax increases in the future. Business groups had supported legislation to address the problems. The bill also would expand unemployment eligibility and create a weekly allowance of $15 per dependent. The state must take those actions to receive $141 million in unemployment aid through the federal stimulus package. The bill also makes other revisions that effectively give out-of-work Tennesseans up to 20 more weeks of benefits.

Honesty is Stacey Hinchman's policy at McGavock High

Top teacher tells students about her life and times By Andy Humbles • THE TENNESSEAN • June 1, 2009 Knowing literature and grammar and vivaciously reading current books and the classics would fit many an English teacher's profile. McGavock's Stacey Hinchman is open with students about a lot more than that. They know Hinchman loves Jeopardy to the point she tapes it, is fascinated with trivia and was a lousy math student way back when. They know Hinchman chose not to attend McGavock as a senior when her school, the old DuPont High, closed in 1986. So how ironic is it that the school Hinchman has served for 17 years now has been named Metro's High School 2010 Teacher of the Year? "I'm very honest with them about myself, and what I was like as a student,'' Hinchman said. "I want (the classroom) to be a comfortable place. I just try and make it OK for them to be learners.'' Down to earth and high energy are attributes that graduating senior Abbie Alexander and McGavock Principal Karl Lang independently gave about Hinchman. "One, she is a phenomenal AP English teacher, but she also does a great job in helping us through our senior year in general,'' Abbie said. "She's supportive in college searching and dealing with emotions. I've gone in there after school some days, and she'll always help you with, whatever. Personal issues, administrative policies.…'' Hinchman taught AP English Literature and Shakespeare Studies. She has been an English teacher since the fall of 1992 after graduating from Belmont University, when Hinchman started teaching freshmen. Since then she has moved through the ranks. Her enthusiasm for teaching helped her husband, Brian Hinchman. to also make a transition in careers to the profession. Brian also teaches at McGavock. "She loves McGavock High and is willing to assist in any area we ask,'' said Lang, who began serving as the school's principal in late January. "She asks if there are things she can help with. She's always asking. I've never seen her not energized about teaching and being on campus. I haven't seen that.'' McGavock's size, usually approaching 3,000 students, "intimidated'' a more introverted Hinchman as a high school senior over 20 years ago. When DuPont closed as a high school, McGavock became her zoned school. Hinchman finished at Donelson Christian Academy, which she still thinks was the best decision for her. But the experience helps her realize there are students at McGavock also intimidated by the size of the school. "A lot of teachers don't think it's cool to see them as human,'' Hinchman said. "I let them know I was scared, especially with freshmen , I would share that. "I think grownups forget sometimes they are just kids. A lot of them don't have anyone else to ask questions. Sometimes it's just what kind of shoes to wear to graduation. "I remember what it was like to sit in classrooms and be bored. I was always a kid that wanted to learn. I figure if I'm in this profession I should be as upbeat as I can, because they'll get bored quick.''

GM overhaul puts Spring Hill on hold

By G. Chambers Williams III • THE TENNESSEAN • June 2, 2009 General Motors could decide within the next three months whether Spring Hill or a plant in Orion Township, Mich., will become the manufacturing site for a new subcompact car that the automaker originally intended to import from Asia. triggerAd(1,PaginationPage,8); If the car goes to Spring Hill, it would replace the Chevrolet Traverse large crossover, whose production will be moved to Lansing, Mich., in December under plans GM announced on Monday in connection with its bankruptcy reorganization. "We don't expect it to be a long, drawn-out process," said Mike Herron, chairman of United Auto Workers Local 1853, which represents about 2,900 hourly workers at Spring Hill, most of whom will be idled when Traverse production there ends in late November. Eric Sasaki, 50, a United Auto Workers Local 1853 member who has worked for GM since he was a teenager, said he is thinking about a variety of options, including retirement, moving out of state to work at another GM auto plant that has a clearer future, or waiting to see Spring Hill's final fate. Some workers may able to follow production of the Chevrolet Traverse to Lansing's Delta Township plant, Sasaki said, adding that his fiancee of nine months now goes to school in Michigan. "I have to weigh all of the options out," he said. "The news isn't the best news we could have gotten, but it's not the worst either," Spring Hill Mayor Michael Dinwiddie said. "They could have closed the plant today, and we could be faced with something different." There is a lot of uncertainty over how long Spring Hill might remain idle, and that has left some workers angry and confused about their futures with the U.S. auto industry giant, the mayor said. "This plant is still in GM's inventory. It's still a resource GM can use. This just buys us some time." State officials said they're willing to bring tax credits and other state funds for job training to bear in negotiations with GM if that helps to persuade the carmaker to bring a new product to the site. "We'll compete in the same way we competed for Volkswagen and Nissan, and see if we can't bring it home," Gov. Phil Bredesen said at an afternoon news briefing. "We'll do it responsibly, but we'll be aggressive about getting some jobs there." The plant recently underwent nearly $1 billion in modernization. "I find it difficult to think that General Motors would just walk away from it," Bredesen said. Some plants on standby GM said that Spring Hill and the Orion Township plant — 30 miles from Detroit — would be placed on "standby," and that one of them would be the assembly site for the new small car. That was among promises made to the UAW under terms of a revised labor agreement hammered out and approved by union members last week. Overall, GM plans to close two other assembly plants; shut three stamping plants in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, while putting another stamping facility in Pontiac, Mich., on standby status; and close five additional engine plants and three parts/warehouse operations in several states. A New York powertrain plant that closed in early May was previously announced. Several analysts said the face-off for small car production is a competition in which Spring Hill may hold an edge over Orion. Orion now assembles the Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6, but the Malibu is also made in a plant in Fairfax, Kan., which also builds the Saturn Aura. The G6 and Aura are being discontinued within the next two years as GM sheds its Pontiac and Saturn brands. Moving Traverse production to Lansing was widely expected, as that plant in GM's home state already assembles three siblings to the Traverse: the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and Buick Enclave. The Outlook will be discontinued when GM phases out production of Saturn vehicles, probably by the end of 2011. New-car details unclear Although exact details of GM's planned new small car have not been released, speculation is that it could be the Chevrolet Spark, a mini-car designed by GM's Daewoo subsidiary in South Korea. GM introduced the Spark to U.S. consumers at the New York auto show in April, saying the car would go on sale here in 2010. A similar model with the same name has been on sale in India since 2007. "They said it would be the smallest car they build in the U.S., and that it was being designed in the South Korean operation," UAW Local 1853's Herron said. "And it does appear to be a Chevrolet product." Jeremy Anwyl, CEO of the automotive consumer Web site Edmunds.com, said he expects the new car to be "the Spark or something of that size." He said that he expects GM to announce details of the car, and its production site, within three months, and that Spring Hill would seem to be the "most logical" place to put it. "Tennessee seems to have the advantage because of the recent investment GM made in the plant there to make it flexible." The automaker spent nearly $800 million in 2007 and 2008 to convert the Spring Hill plant from a Saturn factory to a modern, flexible assembly facility that can be reconfigured quickly to manufacture any vehicle that GM makes. Jim Hossack, an analyst for the automotive consulting firm AutoPacific, said that he doesn't believe the new small car will be the Spark, but that it would be something of a similar size, which would be intended to replace the current Chevrolet Aveo. The Aveo also is a GM-Daewoo product, built in South Korea. GM said in April that the Spark would be the replacement for the Aveo, but analysts said Monday that with all the uncertainty surrounding the company's bankruptcy filing, GM's past plans may be completely changed by now. Even if Spring Hill doesn't get the new small car, the plant will try to keep itself ready for any other new vehicle for which GM might need a production site, Herron said. "If we don't get that car, we'd then look at any of the other vehicles lined up in the next-generation product portfolios," the union official said. "We're positioning the plant to make sure we have what it takes, infrastructure and people, and we will market our facility to let people know we have a state-of-the-art plant." Traverse production will cease at Spring Hill "around Thanksgiving," which will idle about 2,500 hourly workers at the plant, at least temporarily, Herron said. The rest of the hourly workers will continue to be employed in the engine, metal stamping, plastic injection-molding and parts-warehousing operations, which will not be affected by the end of Traverse production. "This isn't great news, but it's better (than) the alternative," said Mike O'Rourke, Local 1853's president. "It's good for Spring Hill we're still in the fight." Workers to get pay Herron said that while the plant is idled, workers will receive 70 percent to75 percent of their regular take-home pay for up to 52 weeks, depending on seniority. After that, they will get up to 50 percent of their pay for an additional 26 weeks, he said. A GM worker at Spring Hill makes an average wage of about $25 an hour. How long the assembly line may be idle isn't known, but if GM were to give Spring Hill the new small car, the shutdown could be just months, union officials said. Bredesen said the state plans to do what it can to entice GM to put the small-car assembly operation at Spring Hill, including offering the carmaker incentives and training money. "I am disappointed that the Spring Hill plant has been idled," Bredesen said. "But I am encouraged it is not one of those being targeted for closure." He said he has already started talking to GM officials about bringing new life to the plant. "It is a modern plant," he said. "It is a very flexible plant. It has a good work force." Herron said workers at the plant had mixed reactions to the GM announcement — sad that Traverse production would end, but glad that the plant was put on "the list of good GM assets in the bankruptcy" and not closed permanently.

House passes contentious water bill

June 2, 2009 The Tennessean TENNESSEE The state legislature has passed a water bill that had been opposed by environmentalists. The House voted 72-22 to approve a measure, SB 632, that would allow landowners who hire scientific consultants to determine what qualifies as streams on their property and rely on that determination for purposes of developing their land unless challenged by the state within 30 days. Under current law, landowners might face fines or have to undo work if the state discovers what they have done violates water laws. The Senate has already approved the measure, which now goes before Gov. Phil Bredesen for approval or veto.

Program aids workers whose jobs go overseas

Obama's stimulus boosts assistance, rolls of eligible By Bonna Johnson • THE TENNESSEAN • June 2, 2009 When Kennetha Wade lost her job making washing machine motors for General Electric in Murfreesboro, she knew a midlife career change was in order after 29 years on the assembly line. So, Wade, 52, has spent the last two years learning about computer programming to get an associate's degree in information technology — all at taxpayers' expense. Wade, whose job moved to India, was able to receive unemployment checks for two years and get a few other perks as part of a federal program that aids people whose employers shift their jobs overseas. And now, the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance program is being expanded as part of President Barack Obama's stimulus plan, a move that may double the annual cost of the federal program to $2 billion within five years. New rules cover a broader range of workers than simply those in the hard-hit manufacturing sector. Covered workers are able to qualify for unemployment checks for up to three years — or nearly twice as long as the typical worker who isn't affected by "off-shoring" or the shift of jobs to foreign countries. Others get help paying health insurance costs. Also, starting in May, laid-off white-collar workers in service industries such as accounting, software development, auto-parts design and call center operations became eligible for the more generous benefits, a move that could add more workers to the rolls as unemployment in Tennessee flirts with the 10 percent level, a full percentage point above the U.S. rate. Federal labor officials expect a 30 percent increase in the number of workers certified under the program. They started taking applications late last month. "It's been a big help," Wade said of the program. "We deserve it. Businesses go overseas to make money, and workers there make three-fourths of what we made. So, yeah, I think workers here should get that help." In 2007, however, only 56 percent of the Tennessee participants found jobs, far lower than the national average of 70 percent, according to the most recent federal data. High-demand jobs only Participants can enroll in training only for high-demand occupations, such as health-care and green jobs. In Tennessee, about 7,700 laid-off workers at 55 different manufacturing companies were certified in 2007 to participate in the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, according to the federal Department of Labor. More recently, factory workers who assembled brakes and shocks at a plant in Columbia, Tenn., qualified after their jobs went to Mexico, as did workers who made electronic components in Chattanooga when their jobs shifted to China. Workers in Calhoun, Tenn., whose jobs in the paper-making business got shipped to Canada also benefited recently. Last year, workers at 82 Tennessee companies were certified under the program, and this year 24 companies have been affected, state labor officials said. Tennessee ranks third behind Michigan and North Carolina in petitions filed for the trade assistance program, said Melinda Williams, administrator of marketing and outreach programs for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The state has $12 million in federal funds for the program this year, but that probably won't be enough as the program expands to cover an array of white-collar jobs, Williams predicted. Eighty-five percent of Tennessee participants complete their retraining, she said, labeling that statistic "extremely successful." 'It's no fault of our own' Nationwide, about 50,000 workers receive benefits and training through the trade assistance program — out of more than 5 million people who receive unemployment benefits overall. To qualify, workers, their company or a union must prove a job was lost because of increased import competition, a shift of that function to another country, or a U.S. company's move overseas, said Howard Rosen, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit TAA Coalition, which helps workers understand the program. Rosen is also a resident visiting fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. It may seem discriminatory that some laid-off workers get more help than others, Rosen said, but the concept was established as long ago as the early 1960s in the U.S. Rosen helped draft changes to the trade assistance program for Congress as recently as 2002. Manufacturing workers in Tennessee who have been helped by the federal program in the past see it as a way to win a measure of payback in an often-harsh global economy. "It's no fault of our own that the plant shut down like that," said Waylon Hackett, 37, of Red Boiling Springs, Tenn. Three years ago, he lost his job operating a die-cutting machine at an American Greetings plant that made greeting cards and envelopes. The factory in Lafayette, Tenn., was hurt in part by increased competition in the industry from countries like China. Hackett spent two years in a machine tool technology program at the Tennessee Technology Center in Livingston, courtesy of the trade assistance program. He has since taken part in a three-year training program with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and when he finishes, expects to work in one of the corps' hydroelectric plants along the Cumberland River. "I don't think I would have went back to school and found a job without that help," Hackett said. "I really can't imagine what I would be doing without it."

Senate sponsor hopes to override governor's 'Guns in Bars' veto

WKRN News Channel 2 June 1, 2009 NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Paperwork has been filed with the state in an effort to override Governor Phil Bredesen's veto of the so-called "Guns in Bars" bill. The governor said Thursday he would not support the bill allowing handgun permit owners to carry their weapons into places that serve alcohol, after it passed with a majority in the House and Senate. The Senate sponsor, Senator Doug Jackson, said he has the votes to make it law, without the governor's consent. "It's easy to get wrapped up in emotion, and it's easy to allow our imaginations to come up with all of these what if scenarios but, the reality has been well established and the reality is this-millions of citizens in other states have their right to carry handguns, including the right to carry where alcohol is served," he said. Across the nation, 37 states already have similar legislation on the books.

GM idling Spring Hill plant, unclear for how long

Associated Press • June 1, 2009 SPRING HILL, Tenn. -- A union spokesman at the General Motors plant in Spring Hill says the 2,500 employees there have been told the plant will be idled. Longtime United Auto Workers Union worker and local 1853 newspaper editor Todd Horton said Monday morning resumption of production would depend on market conditions. Horton said employees don't know for how long production will be shut down, but work is scheduled to end beginning in the fourth quarter of the year. He said assembly of the Chevrolet Traverse is being moved to a plant in Lansing, Mich. Employees of the Spring Hill plant were told Monday morning after reporting to work. General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday in New York. A person familiar with General Motors' plans says the automaker will permanently close nine more plants and idle three others to trim production and labor costs under bankruptcy protection. Assembly plants in Pontiac, Mich., and Wilmington, Del., will close this year, while plants in Spring Hill, Tenn., and Orion, Mich., will shut down production but remain on standby. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans have not been made public. Powertrain plants in Livonia, Flint and Ypsilanti Township, Mich. will close next year, along with plants in Parma, Ohio, and Fredericksburg, Va. Stamping plants in Indianapolis and Mansfield, Ohio, also will close. A stamping plant in Pontiac, Mich., will remain on standby.

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More banks, clients targeted by phone scams

Just an FYI to be on the lookout! Thousands get calls which seek personal info By Tavia D. Green • GANNETT TENNESSEE • June 1, 2009 CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — The phone rang at 3:11 a.m. and Melsena Heflin, 69, rolled over to answer it. An automated message said her account at F&M Bank had been frozen because a third party had stolen her identity. The voice told her to push 1 to correct the problem. Out of curiosity, Heflin pushed 1. When the computerized voice then asked for her account number and PIN, she hung up. Heflin said she doesn't bank at F&M but has received dozens of calls from someone claiming to be a representative of the bank. "They keep calling … all hours of the day," Heflin said. "I got fed up when they called at 11 minutes after 3. I'm handicapped and have to take medicine to sleep, and once I get woken up, I can't go back to sleep." Heflin is among thousands of people in Clarksville who have received harassing calls at home, at work and on their cell phones from a computerized system claiming to be a bank and asking for personal information. Recently, clients of First Federal Savings Bank and Fort Campbell Federal Credit Union joined clients of F&M Bank as local targets of the scam commonly known as "phishing." In phishing — as in fishing for confidential information — the criminal gets a person's personal or financial information through deception, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Phishing is usually done electronically, such as through e-mail, but also can be accomplished through phone calls. "It really bothers me," Heflin said. "I know there's a lot of elderly people out there in the same boat I am in and would believe it and go and give them information. I had enough sense not to do it." More banks targeted F&M saw a spike in complaints about the scam in December. Fred Landiss, senior vice president and director of marketing at F&M, said banks all over the state had thousands of fraud reports coming in during the holiday months, but then the numbers started to dwindle. "We had a great feeling we had been educating the customers and public about phishing," Landiss said. "But about two weeks ago, they started back. I think it's a problem we are going to be dealing with for some time." The calls started about two weeks ago for First Federal customers and four weeks ago at Fort Campbell Federal Credit Union. Stewart Ramsey, president and CEO at the credit union, said the calls have died down since. "We've been very fortunate. We had less than five members that released their information," Ramsey said. "We immediately shut their cards down and reissued them a new card. … We caught it quick enough that there was nothing happening." Earl Bradley, First Federal CEO, said its customers have been safe as well. "Many of us are a part of a network, where we report those types of crimes and can put everyone on alert very quickly." The problem spans the region and nation. "It would appear these scams are going on and there are sophisticated rings from out of town and overseas randomly calling customers," Bradley said. Preventing theft"It is a growing issue and all customers and citizens need to beware of giving out information over the telephone or on the Internet. … A legitimate bank will never ask for information over the telephone. … They are preying on the unwary, uninformed customer they catch at a hard time." "These scam artists make it sound realistic. … They use a scare tactic, and the banks are trying to educate the consumer that we never ask for this information over the telephone," Bradley said. Most banks will call to verify transactions on credit cards that appear to be irregular. When a bank representative calls to verify a transaction, he may ask security questions but won't ask for account numbers or a PIN. If a customer has questions, the best thing to do is hang up and call the phone number on the back of the credit or debit card, or call the local bank, said Frank Wallace, chief information officer at First Federal. Any customer who gives out information accidentally should contact the bank immediately to shut down the card. Banks have banded together to look for solutions and have been trying to spread the word about the scam through Web sites and mass mailings. "The better we can inform the public, the more secure they will feel," Wallace said.

Nashville convention center debate turns testy

Metro Council votes Tuesday on $75M land acquisition deal By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • June 1, 2009 Nashville needs to take a deep breath — and a good, hard look in the mirror — before committing more than $600 million to a new convention center, a Texas-based critic of convention center expansions said Sunday. But the project's chief advocate for the past 10 years said Music City already knows what it's capable of and that its revenue sources will easily support the city's debt on the facility. Heywood Sanders, a professor of public administration at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Butch Spyridon, president of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, faced off in an 85-minute debate sponsored by 22 Metro Council members, The Tennessean and other media and community groups. The topic: Should Metro government build a new, 1.2 million-square-foot convention center south of Broadway, as Mayor Karl Dean has said it must do to compete more forcefully for tourism dollars? Council members will vote Tuesday on Dean's plan to borrow $75 million for land acquisition, though a construction financing plan is still months away. They said they wanted genuine dialogue, easily available for public consumption, about the merits of the biggest building proposal in city history. And they got it, though the exchange at Vanderbilt University was sometimes heated and full of testy interruptions. Spyridon was often more hostile than hospitable to this particular visitor, accusing Sanders of "killing" a convention center hotel proposal in San Antonio and repeatedly referring to his "not from here" status. Spyridon didn't back off in an interview, saying Sanders "likes to ride in on a white horse and tell you how stupid you are." "He was brought in to try to derail this project," Spyridon added. "There's no other reason for him to be here." Sanders said in turn that the discussion should have been more substantive. "I can understand local boosterism and cheerleading, but there's a point at which you need to do some serious, rational discourse on this," he said. Supply/demand issues Sanders, who has studied cities' approaches to adding convention space for more than a decade, argues that the demand for space doesn't meet the supply across the United States. Relatively stagnant meeting numbers in recent years have failed to fill a "glut" of meeting space, forcing some cities to offer incentives to book their facilities, he said. He also said some of the cities falling short of expectations were advised by consultants now advising Metro officials. And every city that he challenges thinks it's unique, he said. Sanders especially questioned a task force's assertion in 2006 that a new convention center would generate 1 million new visitors a year and $700 million annually in new spending. Ralph Schulz, president and CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, said after the debate that just one-third of those new visitors would be actual convention-goers; the rest would be people making return visits, bringing their families and attending corporate meetings and other events inspired by their convention experience. Spyridon, who has led the visitors bureau since 1991, said Nashville has consistently bounced back from downturns in the tourism market, with convention and meeting business always leading the way, despite a small and outdated downtown convention center. "If you were to draw up a scenario for a city to succeed in the convention market, Nashville is the city you'd create," he said. "We have sold this destination on the merits of the destination." Spyridon also said the city has already booked 12 groups and 202,000 hotel room nights for the proposed center. He said the revenue numbers the project is based on are extremely conservative. "We've only just begun," he said. Results were unclear Whether the discussion changed any minds is hard to say. Each side had its partisans in the crowd of about 300 people, which moderator Pat Nolan had to ask to quiet down at one point. Daniel Lewis, a teacher and chairman of the Libertarian Party of Nashville and Davidson County, said most convention centers operate at a loss and need government subsidies. "I would be against this in good economic times," Lewis said. "But given the state of the economy, it's just a totally terrible idea." But George Gruhn, owner of Gruhn Guitars on Lower Broadway, near the existing convention hall, said Nashville is attractive to convention groups because most of the country can drive here in a day. "Conventions succeed brilliantly here because people want to come," Gruhn said. When asked if he felt the Metro Council members who set up the debate were trying to kill the convention center plan by bringing in Sanders, Spyridon said he didn't want to go that far. "I will say they want to delay and further deliberate," he said. "How much more dialogue can you have?" But several council members said the discussion was long overdue. "I felt it was very important to either get the city of Nashville excited and fired up or see if this is a good idea or not," Councilwoman Anna Page said. She paused, then added, "Fired up one way or the other."

General Motors files for bankruptcy protection

Associated Press • June 1, 2009 NEW YORK -- General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday as part of the Obama administration's plan to shrink the automaker to a sustainable size and give a majority ownership stake to the federal government. GM's bankruptcy filing is the fourth-largest in U.S. history and the largest for an industrial company. The company said it has $172.81 billion in debt and $82.29 billion in assets. The fallen icon of American industrial might will rely on $30 billion of additional financial assistance from the Treasury Department as it reorganizes. That's on top of about $20 billion in taxpayer money GM already has received in the form of low-interest loans. GM will follow a similar course taken by Chrysler LLC, which filed for Chapter 11 protection in April and hopes to emerge from its government-sponsored bankruptcy this week. The plan is for the federal government to take a 60 percent ownership stake in the new GM. The Canadian government would take a 12.5 percent stake, with the United Auto Workers getting a 17.5 percent stake and unsecured bondholders receiving 10 percent. Existing GM shareholders are expected to be wiped out. President Barack Obama is scheduled to address the nation about GM's future at midday from Washington, and GM CEO Fritz Henderson is to follow him with a news conference in New York. Beyond the bankruptcy announcement Monday, GM is expected to reveal 14 plants it intends to close. One of those plants, however, will be retooled to build a small car. GM's filing comes 32 days after a Chapter 11 filing by Chrysler, which also was hobbled by plunging sales of cars and trucks as the worst recession since the Great Depression intensified. The third of the one-time Big Three, Ford Motor Co., has also been stung hard by the sales slump, but it avoided bankruptcy by mortgaging all of its assets in 2006 to borrow roughly $25 billion, giving it a financial cushion GM and Chrysler lacked. The downsized GM's brands will be limited to Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick. Its Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab operations will be either sold or closed. GM said it was finalizing a deal to sell Hummer, and plans for Saturn are expected to be announced within weeks. GM, whose headquarters tower over downtown Detroit, said it believed the filing was not an acknowledgment of failure, but a necessary way to cleanse itself in an orderly fashion of problems and costs that have dogged it for decades. Trading of GM shares was halted early Monday after they plunged Friday as low as 74 cents, the lowest price in the company's 100-year history. GM will be kicked out of the Dow Jones industrial average because rules established by the News Corp. unit that oversees the index prohibit it from including companies that have filed for bankruptcy.