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A Thank You from the Mayor

I want to personally thank you for volunteering your service during one of our city’s most challenging times. Your efforts to help others in need further exemplify Nashville’s strong spirit and desire to persevere. We have been called one of the friendliest cities in America, and we’re the capital of the Volunteer State. But those are more than just titles now. Others around the country, and even the globe, now view Nashville as a city full of people who care for and support each other. And as mayor, I can’t imagine a better reputation for our city to have.

Even more importantly, your work has helped those who’ve been affected by the flood come through this disaster with a feeling of hope. As I’ve visited neighborhood after neighborhood, I’ve seen some tears and certainly there is concern about the challenges still ahead. But more than anything, I’ve been greeted with smiling faces and citizens with a new sense of optimism about the city in which they live.

Nashville was a great city before the flood, and we’ll be an even greater city after we recover. And you, as a volunteer, are a big part of making that happen.

Sincerely,

Karl F. Dean
Mayor

Amount of Gulf oil flow still unknown

BP increases amount it can collect in vessel

By Renee Schoof and Erika Bolstad • MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS • June 8, 2010

 WASHINGTON — Even after installing a containment cap last week, the federal government and BP still don't know how much oil is spewing out of the broken well into the Gulf of Mexico, but it seems increasingly likely that it's much more than estimate BP has been increasing the amount of oil it can collect, and it expects that the amount will continue to go up, the company's senior vice president for exploration, Kent Wells, said Monday. In the three days since the company put a cap on the well, it went from collecting 6,000 barrels a day to 11,000 barrels on Sunday. When a second oil collection vessel is in place, the company will be able to collect 20,000 barrels a day.

Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government's point man on the spill, said Monday that it wasn't clear that BP would capture and produce that much oil.


"We just know that's their capacity. We still haven't established what the flow rate is," he said. "That is the big unknown that we're trying to hone in and get the exact numbers on."

Even so, BP's videos of the gusher showed black oil continuing to flow heavily from all around the wellhead as the crude leaks from around the cap's edges.


New estimate soon
A team of experts from government science agencies and universities has estimated that at a minimum 12,000 to 25,000 barrels a day are flowing. Members of the team have said they haven't been able to estimate an upper end of the flow because their data from BP were insufficient. They have continued to work with additional data and are expected to give a new estimate late this week or next.


In an interview, Ira Leifer, an associate researcher at the Marine Science Institute of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a member of the group of outside experts working to calculate the amount of oil flowing from the well, said Friday that he had examined satellite data and determined that the flow had been increasing over time, especially since the failed "top kill" operation, BP's effort last month to clog the leak.

Allen said that one reason it was important to be able to estimate the rate of flow was so that officials could know how much flow the cap could handle and how much would be lost into the Gulf. Officials say the gusher won't be over until BP finishes drilling relief wells, probably in August.

"We ought to be ruthless in our oversight of BP, and trying to understand what oil is not being contained that's leaking out around that rubber seal, once we know what that flow rate is," he said. "And we need to understand completely that if we have severe weather in the form of a hurricane, there may be times where we're going to have to disconnect that operation and re-establish, and during that time we're going to have oil coming to the surface again."

Police ask for help in search for missing Nashville woman

DAVIDSON COUNTY

Police need the public's help finding a missing Nashville woman.

Harrietta Wade, 59, was last seen at about 2 p.m. Friday on the porch of her Torbett Street home.

Her family reported her missing just before noon Monday.

Relatives and neighbors say Wade suffers from dementia, and it is unusual for her to leave her house unaccompanied.

Wade is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighing about 145 pounds with black hair. She was last seen wearing a purple halter top, green pants and black shoes.

Anyone with information about Wade should call the Emergency Communications Center at 615-862-8600.

— NICOLE YOUNG
THE TENNESSEAN

Deadline nears to apply for jobless benefits related to flood

People in 15 Tennessee counties can still seek funds

Tennessean
June 8, 2010

 Residents of 15 counties have until Wednesday to apply for special jobless benefits related to the May storms and flooding.

This program is for people who don't qualify for regular state unemployment, such as self-employed workers, sole proprietors, business partners and farmers. Weekly benefits range from $114 to $275 for up to 26 weeks.

The eligible counties are Chester, Clay, DeKalb, Hardin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lewis, Macon, Robertson, Smith, Stewart, Trousdale, Wayne and Wilson.

Time has already run out for the first 27 counties declared disaster areas by FEMA: Benton, Carroll, Cheatham, Crockett, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Haywood, Henderson, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Madison, Maury, McNairy, Montgomery, Obion, Perry, Rutherford, Shelby, Sumner, Tipton and Williamson. Monday was the deadline for those counties

Do not file disaster unemployment assistance claims on the Internet. Call 615-253-0800, ext. 7599, or 1-877-813-0950, ext. 7599, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays or report in person at a Career Center. For a list, go to www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/unemployment_dua.html.


If possible, individuals should have access to their 2009 income tax return, Social Security number and any papers with wage and employment information before the disaster.

— JENNY UPCHURCH
THE TENNESSEAN

College students seek tuition help through website

By Chris Echegaray • THE TENNESSEAN • June 8, 2010


One Tennessee student on SponsorMyDegree.com says she's a church going virgin who loves singing and camping.

Another takes a different approach — with a blunt explanation that she doesn't want big student loans to compromise her financial freedom after graduating from the University of Tennessee.

And a Belmont University senior appeals to potential donors' sense of charity: She can do the world a lot of good, she says, if she can pay for her degree in social entrepreneurship.

About 10,000 students from across the U.S. — including 82 from Tennessee — maintain profiles on the website, trying to distinguish themselves enough so that strangers will pay their tuition. Visitors to the site can make donations from $10 to the price of a full semester, with the money going straight to the university a student specifies. The site's creators set it up seeking their own donations for graduate school and expanded it to help other students facing tuition increases.

But experts in college financial aid suggest students exhaust other resources before resorting to cyber begging, which probably won't be too profitable.


That's been the case for Bethany Gaskins, the Belmont senior. Her father spotted SponsorMyDegree.com last year and urged her to sign up.

Her take so far: not a dime.

"You write honestly in hopes to reach someone who may have something in common with you," Gaskins said. "You never know."

With two younger siblings in line to enter college, Gaskins doesn't want her parents to feel the strain. She works at Urban Outfitters and at the Youth Encouragement Services program to pay expenses of $35,000 a year at the private Christian school.

Public university students face increasing trouble paying for college, too, said Anthony Carnavale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

"If governments continue to pull out, tuitions will double," he said. "Students will shoulder the costs. State budgets can't get prisoners to pay for their rooms, and they have to pave roads. When push comes to shove, what gets cut is higher education because it's a discretionary fund."


People are going back to school in droves because the days of just having a high school diploma and advancing to the corner office are over, Carnavale said. Cyber begging could help those folks, but with so many signing on for sponsorship amid a bad economy, it may backfire.


"It's like when I see one or two beggars, I'll give them a buck," Carnavale said. "But not if there's 10. … There are going to be so many people doing this that [it] is not going to work anymore."

Other sources available:

Charlotte Chavous, 41, of La Vergne enrolled in Middle Tennessee State University's nursing program two years ago. She later went online looking for ways to fund her education and found the site.

After 18 months of waiting and no donations, Chavous gave up on SponsorMyDegree.com

"I was hoping it would work," she said. "It's probably the economy. I wasn't offered anything."


Those who work in university financial aid offices say students can do a lot before resorting to putting their personal business online. It starts with filling out the free federal aid application to see if they can get anything, said David Hutton, MTSU's director of financial aid. And if students want to make their personal interests work for them, they can look for scholarships attached to their specific majors.

"Seek every source you can," Hutton said. "I would look online at the free scholarship searches."

Patricia Smedley, Belmont University's director of financial aid, recommended that students look for help from churches and professional organizations after exhausting the search for federal grants and loans.

"Also, learning institutions have their own scholarships," Smedley said. "There are avenues out there. You have to learn what you can do outside the financial aid process.

"College is expensive, but it's an investment. It pays off."

Founders strike out
The payoff isn't instant, which prompted Henner Mohr of Littleton, Colo., and his wife to launch SponsorMyDegree.com two years ago.

While some students have received gifts of up to $100, the founders didn't collect any. They subtract only credit card processing fees from donations.

Despite their lack of success, they used word-of-mouth to advertise the site, which registers three to 10 members a day.

Mohr thinks the most successful participants have been those who directed potential gift-givers to their profiles using social networking.

"We had looked around for websites for cyber begging and there was nothing out there," Mohr said. "The word has spread and it has integrated (with social media), and it's not too bad. We want to connect students with people who may be touched by their story. It's not for partying."

TN veterans to get housing help

About 165 homeless veterans in Tennessee will get permanent housing assistance through a program administered by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development. The program connects homeless veterans from local Veterans Affairs Medical Centers with rental assistance vouchers provided by local public housing agencies. According to details announced Thursday, a HUD program will provide state public housing agencies with $843,000 targeted to assist homeless vets. The Memphis Housing Authority will get $258,000, the Metro Development and Housing Agency in Nashville $374,000, the Jackson Housing Authority $73,000 and the Murfreesboro Housing Authority $138,000

English-in-workplace measure passes Senate

Opponents fear bill could spawn legal challenges By Chas Sisk • THE TENNESSEAN • June 4, 2010 A State lawmakers approved a bill Thursday that allows businesses to require their workers to speak English on the job, despite complaints from opponents that late changes to the measure would open businesses and the state to litigation. The Senate unanimously voted in favor of a measure that says businesses can require workers to speak English whenever there is a "legitimate business necessity," such as safety or efficiency. The measure is meant to protect businesses from litigation and comply with guidelines set by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, said Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin. "I just wanted a general provision in state statute that said it's permissible for an employer to have an English-in-the-workplace policy," he said. But some anti-discrimination advocates said this week the measure might do the opposite. They say the bill suggests to business owners that they can require English in far more situations than allowed by federal law. "My concern is that employers might think it might be more far-reaching than it is," said Beverly Watts, executive director of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, the state agency that investigates complaints of workplace discrimination. "We could be in violation of federal law, so there may be some problems then." Earlier this year, lawmakers added language to the bill that said explicitly that workers cannot be required to speak English while on break. They also added provisions that explained what constitutes a business necessity and which employees could be covered. Provisions removed Anti-discrimination ad-vocates gave their support to the bill after those provisions were included, helping it clear legislative committees and initial votes on the House and Senate floor. But then lawmakers removed the provisions in a conference committee last week. "We worked ... in good faith to draft a responsible bill," said Stephen Fotopulos, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. Johnson said he asked for the provisions to be removed to simplify the bill. By leaving out the language sought by anti-discrimination groups, lawmakers have made it easier to change state rules when federal rules change. "I didn't want to get more specific in the statute because at the federal level they're guidelines," he said. "I don't see how somebody can criticize the bill." The House passed the measure last week. It now goes to Gov. Phil Bredesen. Reach Chas Sisk at 615-259-8283 or csisk@tennessean.com

Metro Council Grills School Board

Channel 5 News Posted: Jun 03, 2010 9:54 PM CDT By: Eric White Nashville, Tenn. - On Thursday night Metro Council Members grilled Metro Nashville Public School officials over the 2010-2011 fiscal budget. The budget hearing was supposed to last an hour, but the questions kept coming for more than four hours. The controversy surrounded Metro Schools privatizing the custodial and grounds keepers' jobs and cutting hours for school bus drivers. The cost-saving measures are projected to save the school district about $7 million a year. "You know it is scriptural for us to care of the least of us. And I really don't think we're making a concerted effort to do that," Council Member Michael Craddock said in defense of the 700 affected MNPS workers. Metro Schools Director Jesse Register said the decisions weren't easy. "We're here out of necessity because of an ongoing, at least a three year process, of tightening our budget." But that explanation did not sit well with some Metro Council Members. Council Member Vivian Wilhoite wondered why cuts were not made across the board. "Cuts should be touched by everyone. Not for just people at the bottom. Everyone should be cut including the director of schools," said Wilhoite. School Board Member David Fox defended the board's cuts. "I can understand why it's perceived as cold hearted or mean or un thoughtful... It's not and enjoyable task," said Fox. Click Here to see video that goes along with this story Email: ewhite@newschannel5.com

Flood Relief Benefit planned at Shanti's

By ANDY HUMBLES THE TENNESSEAN • June 2, 2010 A Flood Relief Benefit has been scheduled at Shanti’s Seafood & More, 15277 Lebanon Pike in the Shiloh Plaza in Old Hickory, at noon-9 p.m. Sunday, June 13. Proceeds from a silent auction at 4-5 p.m. and a Horseshoe and Corn-Hole Toss tournaments at 5:30 p.m. will go to The Community Foundation. Fifty percent of restaurant revenue during the event will go to The Community Foundation as well. Several live bands will perform at no charge. Those who attend are asked to bring box and canned food items that will be distributed to Second Harvest Food Bank. Call 773-8133

TN's health-care opt-out bill defeated

Tennessean June 3, 2010 A bill seeking to allow Tennesseans to opt out of the new federal health-care law has been defeated in the House. The measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Mike Bell of Riceville was defeated by a single vote in the House Budget Subcommittee on Wednesday. State Attorney General Bob Cooper has questioned the constitutionality of Bell's measure on the basis that it could be pre-empted by federal law. Cooper said a related provision to require his office to mount a legal challenge to protect those who opt out of the law could run afoul of separation of powers rules in the Tennessee Constitution. The companion bill passed the Senate in February. A separate but related bill, the Health Care Freedom Act, sponsored by Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet, is awaiting a vote by the full House

Flood Victims Displaced Again

Hotels clear rooms to make way for CMA fans By Chris Echegaray • THE TENNESSEAN • June 3, 2010 First, the flood made Bobby Adkins homeless. Now a giant music festival is doing the same thing. Adkins, his roommate and nine other flooded-out families living in The Fiddler's Inn, received letters last month saying they would need to vacate their rooms for the four-day CMA Music Festival, which begins June 10. All 202 of the Music Valley Drive hotel's rooms were booked for the event, expected to attract 32,000 out-of-town visitors. About 95 percent of the city's hotel rooms were booked for CMA Fest before the flood, said Butch Spyridon, president of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau. With Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center closed until November, reservations for 1,000 guests from there were moved to Williamson County hotels Spyridon called area hotels weeks ago to remind them to be ready for CMA Fest guests and let flood victims and recovery workers know that the event would be displacing them again. Most did so, he said. "We need to take care of our residents," Spyridon said. "But it's a balance of recovery with business. We have a significant event, and a close second is how badly the city needs an infusion of sales tax." For Adkins, flooded out of his Penn Meade Way home in Donelson on May 2, the news is tough to take. He packed up his belongings Tuesday and moved in with a friend. His house, which at one point had four feet of water inside, is under construction. He doesn't know when he will be able to move back in. "You lose your home, and now you're told to leave," he said. "That's pretty bad. I don't want their name to be mud, but there are people who don't have a place to go. I was fortunate to have friends that took us in." On Wednesday, Atkins left his friend's house in Murfreesboro early to work on his home, then took a shower in an unfinished bathroom there before starting his night shift at a Bellevue assisted living facility. Johnny Walker, The Fiddler's Inn's owner, said he sent a letter to flood victims two weeks ago. It asked about their plans for departure and offered to store their belongings during the four-day festival, after which they were welcome back. Six of the 10 affected rooms agreed, he said. The other four just moved out. "I met with them and told them I was obligated with the reservations and asked to please find other accommodations for four days," Walker said. "I just do not have the room." Event vital to Nashville Major events are vital to Nashville hotels' bottom lines because they produce more bookings and the hotels are allowed to increase rates based on demand. For instance, the downtown Best Western has a room available for $275 on June 13. After CMA Fest, the rates drop to around $140. A hotel spokesperson there, along with others at two other Nashville hotels, said they couldn't share how many rooms were being rented to flood victims — and what was being done with them during the festival — due to confidentiality concerns. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is giving flood victims lodging vouchers for $250 per week. In some cases, including after Hurricane Katrina, FEMA has paid hotels directly, spokeswoman Lucy Murray said, but Nashville flood victims are being paid directly. FEMA doesn't know how many are encountering problems because of the festival. Johnathon Stockton, Adkins' roommate, said flood victims were paying a discounted rate of $250 a week there. The rates are going to $90 a night during the festival. "I understand it's a business," Stockton said. "I understand business it's about making money. But we just had a natural disaster. We should have a few little accommodations. We just took a backseat, and we're homeless again." The Country Music Association had already announced that it would donate half of the festival proceeds to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Metro Nashville's partner agency for raising money for flood victims.

Gaylord Lays Off Several Hundred Nashville Employees

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Officials with Gaylord Entertainment have announced plans to layoffs hundreds of workers in Nashville within the next two weeks. The layoffs take effect on Saturday, June 12. The move comes after the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center was forced shut by record flooding in Music City during the first week of May. The hotel, Grand Ole Opry and nearby Opry Mills Mall all received significant flood damage. According to a media release, Gaylord will release 1,743 employees. "We are deeply sorry to have to make this incredibly difficult decision, as our employees are and have always been the driving force behind the success of our business," said Colin Reed, chairman and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment. Reed said the company had to consider the future of the business and their financial duty to shareholders. "We are grateful for everything our employees have done to make Gaylord Opryland a wonderful place to work and visit, and thank them for the courage and commitment they have shown over the last month," he said. Gaylord said an assessment of damage shows $215-$225 million in restoration is necessary after record flooding that began with 13.57 inches of rain that fell the first two days in May. Since May 3, Gaylord Opryland employees were being paid their full wages and health benefits. Departing employees will receive two weeks pay and money from any unused vacation days. Healthcare benefits will be available through September at the same cost to employees. Gaylord officials said 919 employees would be retained through the restoration process for reservations, accounting, sales, IT, engineering, horticulture and security. The resort plans to begin rehiring additional staff six to eight weeks before the reopening in November.

Nashville's flood-damaged water treatment plant is operating again

Nashville is urged to conserve as usage restrictions end By Nate Rau • THE TENNESSEAN • June 2, 2010 Calling it a sign that things are returning to normal for flood-ravaged Nashville, Mayor Karl Dean announced Tuesday that the K.R. Harrington Water Treatment Plant is operating again after being submerged under floodwaters a month ago. As a result, Davidson County residents can end their monthlong conservation efforts, and businesses such as car washes can return to normal operation. At one point in the days after the May 1-2 flooding, the city's water reserves dipped to about one-third of normal levels, and the possibility of having to switch to bottled water hung in the air. "This is a big step forward in our recovery efforts," Dean said at a news conference held at the facility. "It's a sign that we are returning to normal as a city." The K.R. Harrington plant is surrounded by the Cumberland and Stones rivers. It was submerged under water a month ago and suffered $42 million worth of damages as a result. The city's Water Services said previously that it could see total damage costs to all of its operation of approximately $200 million. Before he knows how much of that cost the city will have to pay, Dean said he was still waiting on details of federal recovery funds, which are expected to cover most of the repair. Tim Jones, who owns five Nashville-area Champion car washes, welcomed news of K.R. Harrington coming back online. Jones said area car wash owners have banded together since the flood and are planning to create their own association as a result. He said the record flooding severely hurt car wash business, which didn't return until last week, and even then only at limited hours. "It's obviously been horrendous," Jones said. "The car wash industry has lost millions of dollars over 30 days since we've been shut down. It's cost a lot of people a lot of money, and it's put 200 people out of jobs. These are real people, with real families." Jones said his company managed to keep its 25 employees, even paying some of them to assist with cleanup efforts in the days after the flood. "We wanted to help," Jones said. "We want to get back to normal now." In addition to car washes getting the green light, officials said irrigation customers would be notified soon about when their service will be restored. Conservation mindset Water Services Director Scott Potter encouraged residents to maintain the conservation mindset as summer weather arrives. The K.R. Harrington plant will be operating at 50 percent capacity at first, which Potter said would be sufficient to meet the county's water supply needs. "I appreciate the public's support in conservation efforts," Potter said. "And I encourage our customers to continue to use our water supply responsibly as we continue work to bring K.R. Harrington back to full-scale operation." With only one water treatment plant operating, Dean and Potter called on residents to trim their water usage. First, Davidson County residents were asked to cut usage in half. Then, recommended usage increased to 70 percent. Water Services purchased water from neighboring utility districts to help shoulder the burden on the Omohundro plant, which narrowly escaped flood damage and was saved thanks largely to the sandbagging efforts of in-mates from the county jail. Dean complimented Potter's leadership over the last month, which included putting the K.R. Harrington plant back online while dealing with damage to other water infrastructure. In the days after the flood, Potter implored Nashvillians to cut water use. "We would not have been able to get through this past month if it was not for the cooperation of all Nashvillians in that effort," Dean said. "We still have a lot of work to do as a city to fully recover, but we can do it, and we will continue to move forward day by day."

Mayor Dean's budget plan moves forward despite dissent

By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • June 2, 2010 Advocates for the arts, for mass transit, for education and for saving the jobs of some 600 school custodians and groundskeepers made their cases to the Metro Council at a public budget hearing Tuesday. The loudest voice of dissent to Mayor Karl Dean's budget proposal came from defenders of the custodians and groundskeepers, whose jobs are being privatized by the Metro school system in a move expected to save $5 million. They said the district is top-heavy with well-paid administrators, while working-class employees are being punished. "I used to live at 800 Delray Drive until after the flood," custodian Norman Tanner told the council. "Not only have I lost my house, I've lost my car, and now I stand to lose my job." But the Metro Charter and state law say the mayor and council can only recommend and decide, respectively, how much money the school district receives. They have no influence over how the district spends it, though some council members said they wanted to send a message to the school board by voting against Dean's proposal. After the hearing and a lot of debate, the council approved the plan 29-1 with eight abstentions on the second of three required votes. Members knew that rejecting the budget at this stage would put it into effect by default under the rules of the charter. The council could take a final vote when it meets June 15. The Budget & Finance Committee still is holding departmental budget hearings, including one with school district officials on Thursday. The council has already approved the underpinning of Dean's budget: a debt refinancing expected to save the city more than $77 million in 2010-11, allowing Metro to avoid a tax increase or deep cuts in services. The school system's decision to outsource custodial and groundskeeping jobs has created controversy for months. Vote deferred On Tuesday, Service Employees International Union Local 205 distributed to council members a letter the Tennessee State Conference NAACP wrote to its parent organization asking for an investigation of "the targeting of minorities" in the Metro school system "for unfair treatment." "We feel the current elected leaders on the Metro Nashville Public School Board are not only complicit in this unjust treatment, they are explicit in it," wrote Gloria Sweet-Love, president of the state NAACP. "And with jobs being one of our national focus areas, we feel this matter is so critical that it needs national attention." Sweet-Love called for a national boycott of Nashville "pending a thorough investigation." The council deferred a vote on legislation that would give the city's lowest-paid employees a raise so they would receive a "living wage" of at least $10.77 an hour. The legislation was deferred to track with the budget plan as it moves through the council.