N.Y. group may buy Sounds

By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • October 30, 2008 A group of New York businessmen is in talks to buy the Nashville Sounds, two sources familiar with the situation said Wednesday. An announcement is expected this afternoon. But the sources cautioned that an agreement between the New York group and Sounds owner Al Gordon would be subject to due diligence by the prospective buyers and to approval by the Sounds' parent club, the Milwaukee Brewers, as well as the Pacific Coast League. The sources, who refused to be identified, said the New York group consists of Masahiro Honzawa, Frank Ward and Steve Posner. Honzawa runs Hiro North American Properties, a real estate company that owns four New York office buildings. A woman who answered the phone at Hiro on Wednesday said: "It's in the news already?" A sale would end the stormy relationship between Gordon, who is based in Chicago, and Metro officials. The city made the Sounds a deal in 2006 for a new minor-league stadium on riverfront land, only to see it fall apart 18 months ago after the AAA team missed two financing deadlines. More recently, the Sounds and Mayor Karl Dean's administration have failed to see eye to eye on an extension of the franchise's lease at Greer Stadium, which expires Dec. 31. The Sounds have asked for a short-term lease, while the city has demanded a longer commitment to Nashville and upgrades to the 30-year-old ballpark. The prospective buyers have not met with city officials, the sources said. Metro Councilman Rip Ryman said he knew nothing about the current talks. But he said he hoped a sale would go through and the city could turn the page on the Gordon years. "There are probably a lot of wounds there that won't get healed anytime soon," Ryman said. UPDATE: Pacific Coast League expects Sounds to stay in NashvilleThe Pacific Coast League expects the Nashville Sounds to stay in Music City no matter who owns them, a senior league official said today. George King, the league's vice president for business and operations, called Nashville a viable market for minor league baseball. "It's the PCL's intention to have baseball in Nashville," King said. "It's a PCL market, and one we hold in high regard. ... We love Nashville." A group of New York businessmen is looking to buy the Sounds from Al Gordon, who is based in Chicago, two sources familiar with the situation said Wednesday. King said the Pacific Coast League would "take a serious look" at any purchase application submitted by the group, and plans to remain in Nashville would be one of the top criteria for approval. Contact Michael Cass at 259-8838 or mcass@tennessean.com.

Convenience store in Antioch robbed

Thursday • October 30, 2008 Metro police are looking for an armed man who robbed a convenience store late Wednesday night on Murfreesboro Pike in Antioch. No one was injured in the incident. Metro police Capt. Harmon Hunsicker said that a suspect armed with a pistol walked into the Exxon On the Run store at 4198 Murfreesboro Pike around 11:18 p.m. The man got the cash from the cash drawer and fled on foot but may have gotten into a car. The suspect is described as a white man who was wearing a black sweatsuit with white stripes on the sleeves. He had a hood over his head and was wearing gloves. The clerk was not hurt, and there were no customers in the store at the time, according to police. — LEIGH RAY Leigh Ray can be reached at 615-726-5951 or lray@tennessean.com.

Briefs: Neighborhood groups can help identify codes violations

Tennessean The Neighborhoods Organized To Initiate Code Enforcement program (NOTICE) is a support program to help citizens identify and report codes violations in their neighborhood. With this program, a cooperative effort between Codes Administration and the Metro Health Department, neighbors can become a direct participant in the process that helps improve and maintain their own neighborhoods. The program is available to neighborhood groups only. Interested groups should first identify at least four persons who will form their volunteer inspection team. Then a short application is filed with Codes. Once your group has been selected, they will receive training to help them to identify potential codes violations. A special reporting procedure has been established and the program provides for anonymous notification of property owners of codes violations. For more information or to request an application, call the Metro Codes office at 862-6590, or visit www.nashville.gov/codes. Juvenile center seeks job fair participants The Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center is hosting its sixth annual job fair at 8:30-11:30 a.m. Nov. 13. The center is looking for representatives from companies, agencies and organizations to participate in this event. Representatives would answer basic questions, talk about the application process and give information that would motivate the youth to want to be involved with the business or organization. The Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center will provide participants space for presentation and audience. The center's goal is to establish a network of local employers and organizations that are willing to expose their youths to employment opportunities in the community, with the hopes that learning about these opportunities may help them make positive decisions about their futures. All participants are asked to arrive no later than 8 a.m. to set up their area and join the program staff for refreshments. A table approximately 2½ by 5 ½ will be provided, or representatives may bring their own. Call Yolanda Hockett, assistant superintendent of programs, at 862-8066, ext. 71004, or case manager Garmai Tokpah at 862-8066, ext. 71016, to participate in this event. Luncheon will discuss economic future Women at the Table of Power will host Real Talk, Real People, Real Politics at 11:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 at Piedmont Natural Gas, 665 Mainstream Dr. The luncheon and panel discussion will focus on what the future holds for consumers, small businesses and local and state government. Panelists will include Betty Nixon, community activist; Jerry Maynard, Metro councilman-at-large; Jo Ann North, former tax assessor; and state Rep. Beth Harwell. Registration is $25. Register at www.wottop.com or call 469-6878.

Antioch High will hold presidential debate

Metro Schools' only debate team will encourage 18-year-olds to vote By Suzanne Normand Blackwood • THE TENNESSEAN • October 29, 2008 The 2008 presidential election is the first in which many high school students will have an opportunity to vote. As a way of encouraging eligible Antioch High School students to go to the polls, the school's debate team is hosting a presidential debate at 1:15 p.m. Nov. 3, the day before the election. One side will debate for Sen. John McCain and the other for Sen. Barack Obama. Participants will grill one another with questions they developed themselves. Made up of two teams, each with two students and two teachers, the debate will be the first time students and teachers have participated together in a public debate. The idea for the debate stemmed from a conversation that took place after school one day between Assistant Principal Bruce Curtis and a student. "They were talking about the election. It was a very relaxed conversation, like a fireside chat," said debate coach Carrol Trusty. Curtis lightheartedly challenged the student to a debate. "We thought it was a fantastic idea and expanded it," Trusty said. Seniors will have an opportunity to attend the debate. Trusty said it would focus on "the issues." "It's strictly an effort to educate," she said. Donation funds debate team Antioch High School, which receives funding for its debate program by the Nashville Alliance for Public Education, is the only area public school that offers debate classes and has a public policy debate team. The challenge for most schools is lack of funding, said Pam Garrett, executive director for the Nashville Alliance for Public Education. "It always helps when you have an interested donor," she said. A few years ago, the alliance had an anonymous donor who wanted the donation to go toward debate. Trusty had been paying for four students at Antioch to attend debate competitions. Through the help of the anonymous donor, though, an endowment was set up that allowed for as many as 19 students to attend competitions. Metro group hopes to add other schools Garrett said the alliance has also received other donations that have helped, and it hopes to expand its support to other Metro schools. As part of the program, the Nashville Alliance for Public Education also takes students to visit the Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis law firm, where they have an opportunity to exhibit their debate skills before the attorneys. "It's very inspirational for them and for the attorneys," Garrett said. What debate does for individual students and the debate team is evident, she said. "The kids who debate grow and mature and create a whole new vision for their future that they might not otherwise."

Metro school calendar adds more teacher training

DAVIDSON COUNTY The Metro school board Tuesday voted to tweak the school calendar for the 2009-10 school year to include more teacher training days and more regular school days before students take standardized tests in the spring. Under the new calendar, fall semester will begin a day later on Aug. 14 and spring break will begin on March 12 rather than March 29. The last day of school will be May 27, not May 21. Administrators said the changes were necessary to comply with state recommendations and to allow students more time to review for the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program exams, used to measure student progress. — JAIME SARRIO jsarrio@tennessean.com

Davidson County crime log from Oct. 20-22

These are the most serious calls handled by the Metro police, listed by time, crime reported and address. Some reports may be unfounded. Police calls are listed by police precinct or town. When police cannot immediately determine the location of a crime, the address given is that of the police station or hospital where the crime was reported. Oct. 22 Antioch 1:10 a.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Rice Road 9:32 p.m., residential burglary, 1400 block Clapham Court 10:27 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block Hickory Highlands Drive Bordeaux 6:14 p.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Curtis Street Central 1:25 p.m., rape, at Broadway Crieve Hall 7:50 a.m., residential burglary, 400 block Hill Road Donelson 10:06 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 20 block Century Boulevard 7:15 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2800 block Elm Hill Road 10:26 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Donelson Road and Royal Parkway East 11:06 a.m., holdup/robbery, at North Second Street and Evanston Avenue 12:47 p.m., residential burglary, 2000 block Olga Avenue 12:58 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block South 10th Street 5:04 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block West Greenwood Avenue 6:22 p.m., residential burglary, 600 block North Second Street 10:11 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block North Second Street Hermitage 9:19 a.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Bonnabrook Drive 11:18 a.m., residential burglary, 7000 block Cortez Court 5:06 p.m., residential burglary, 4400 block Central Valley Drive 8:49 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4400 block Lebanon Pike Madison 5:33 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Neelys Bend Road 11:12 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Alta Loma Road North 5:45 a.m., rape, at Cumberland Bend 7:39 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3300 block Brick Church Road 12:26 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 800 block 40th Avenue North 6:01 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2000 block 28th Avenue North Paragon Mills 6:51 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4700 block Humber Drive Priest Lake 1:15 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2800 block Smith Springs Road 4:11 p.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Fieldstone Drive Providence 5:38 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5100 block Nolensville Road 12:43 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4500 block Nolensville Road South 2:15 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 900 block Fourth Avenue South 10:34 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Chestnut Street Una 12:11 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Village Hills Drive 5:50 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Village Hills Drive 7:02 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Smith Springs Court Union Hill 4:28 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Oakbluff Lane West 2:09 a.m., holdup/robbery, 4400 block Murphy Road 7:53 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block 18th Avenue North 9:06 a.m., residential burglary, 1900 block Broadway 1:23 p.m., residential burglary, 5200 block Dakota Avenue 2:06 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2100 block West End Avenue 5:07 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2000 block Belcourt Avenue 9:50 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1200 block 16th Avenue South Woodbine 8:35 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4000 block Nolensville Road Oct. 21 Antioch 12:23 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Knightsbridge Way 8:03 p.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Rice Road 10:04 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 2400 block Edge O Lake Drive Central 2:35 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Sixth Avenue North and Union Street Donelson 7:53 a.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Ellery Court East 6:31 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block West Greenwood Avenue 9:17 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Horseshoe Drive 10:14 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Joseph Avenue 11:05 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Litton Avenue 11:33 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Lischey Avenue Hermitage 10 a.m., residential burglary, 7500 block West Winchester Drive Joelton 6:01 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Whites Creek Pike and Interstate 24 East Madison 7:59 a.m., residential burglary, 400 block Sarver Avenue 11:57 p.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block East Webster Street North 5:58 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3300 block Brick Church Road 9:41 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 900 block Buchanan Street 5:05 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Jefferson Street 5:27 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Clay Street 6 p.m., holdup/robbery, 7100 block Whites Creek Pike 9:05 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2800 block John A Merritt Boulevard Priest Lake 4:05 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3400 block Anderson Road South 5:03 p.m., residential burglary, 500 block Moore Avenue 8:26 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Murfreesboro Road Tusculum 3:32 p.m., holdup/robbery, 15500 block Old Hickory Boulevard 4:08 p.m., residential burglary, 4000 block Coleridge Drive West 2:17 a.m., holdup/robbery, 6900 block Charlotte Pike 11:27 a.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Davidson Road 5:21 p.m., rape, at Love Circle and Marlborough Avenue 5:47 p.m., residential burglary, 2700 block Torbett Street 6:18 p.m., residential burglary, 2400 block Eden Street 8:14 p.m., residential burglary, 6600 block Charlotte Pike 8:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4100 block Dakota Avenue 11:46 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3100 block West End Avenue Woodbine 8:29 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block McCombs Avenue Oct. 20 Antioch 7:43 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 5200 block Hickory Hollow Parkway 3:18 p.m., residential burglary, 1400 block Elkhorn Point 5:18 p.m., residential burglary, 200 block Antioch Woods Court Bordeaux 10:47 p.m., residential burglary, 2600 block Taigans Court Donelson 7:52 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Marriott Drive 8:18 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Marriott Drive 11:36 a.m., residential burglary, 200 block Trails Circle 10:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Donelson Pike and Royal Parkway East 10:05 a.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Stratton Avenue 11:44 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1500 block Jones Avenue 3:43 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Porter Terrace 5:16 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block North Seventh Street 5:40 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Rosebank Avenue 5:41 p.m., cutting/stabbing, 2500 block Gallatin Pike Hermitage 7:56 p.m., residential burglary, 1300 block Tulip Grove Road 8:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1000 block Thompson Place 8:50 p.m., holdup/robbery, 4100 block Lebanon Road 9:31 p.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Southwood Park Place J.C. Napier 9:05 a.m., rape, at J.C. Napier Court 10:39 a.m., holdup/robbery, 500 block Claiborne Street Madison3:34 p.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block South Gallatin Pike 3:59 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1200 block South Gallatin Pike 4:50 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1900 block North Gallatin Pike 5:57 p.m., residential burglary, 1500 block Pierce Road 8:45 p.m., holdup/robbery, 400 block Myatt Drive 8:47 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Myatt Drive and Anderson Lane North 7:20 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3300 block Brick Church Pike 8:19 a.m., residential burglary, 1800 block Cephas Street 8:19 a.m., residential burglary, 1800 block Cephas Street 4:21 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3500 block Dickerson Road 8:42 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Ponder Place 9:08 p.m., holdup/robbery, 7500 block Old Hickory Boulevard Paragon Mills 5:24 p.m., residential burglary, 4800 block Sunlight Drive South 6:15 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Harding Place 8:12 a.m., residential burglary, 9200 block Thomason Trail 11:34 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Harding Place Tusculum 2:35 p.m., residential burglary, 100 block Highland Villa Drive West 5:44 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1400 block Eighth Avenue South 9:54 a.m., residential burglary, 900 block 14th Avenue North 11:18 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Spruce Street 11:18 a.m., residential burglary, 500 block Spruce Street 3:02 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Edgehill Avenue

Man killed in Bell Road wreck is identified

The man who was killed Monday afternoon in a car accident on Bell Road has been identified as William Greene, 28, of White House. Greene was turning left out of the Jiffy Lube on the 500 block of Bell Road at a high rate of speed when he lost control of his 2004 Ford Mustang and veered into oncoming traffic, Metro police said. His car was struck in the passenger side by a Ford Explorer, and Greene died at the scene, police said. The driver of the Explorer, Jasmine Washington, 23, was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police investigate Antioch burglaries

WKRN Channel 2 Posted: Oct 28, 2008 01:24 PM CDT Updated: Oct 28, 2008 01:24 PM CDT Metro detectives are investigating two similar robberies that occurred within hours of one another, in the same location. The first one happened at about 7 p.m. Monday at the Steak Plus 2 restaurant on Bell Road in Antioch. Police said the suspects fired a shot into the ceiling and left with some money and a cell phone. At about 12 Midnight, police responded to a similar robbery at the 21 and Up video store around the corner. Police said the robbers fired a shot into the ceiling and left with money. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 74-CRIME.

Police investigate Antioch burglaries

WKRN Channel 2 Posted: Oct 28, 2008 01:24 PM CDT Updated: Oct 28, 2008 01:24 PM CDT Metro detectives are investigating two similar robberies that occurred within hours of one another, in the same location. The first one happened at about 7 p.m. Monday at the Steak Plus 2 restaurant on Bell Road in Antioch. Police said the suspects fired a shot into the ceiling and left with some money and a cell phone. At about 12 Midnight, police responded to a similar robbery at the 21 and Up video store around the corner. Police said the robbers fired a shot into the ceiling and left with money. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 74-CRIME.

Vivian Found Some Great Reading Material

And of Course a BIG Thank You To.........We Could Not Do It Without You!

The Children Really Helped and Even Had Some FUN!

Let the Clean Up Begin!

Time to Eat some of the Great Chili....Yummy!!!

Vivian Makes a New Friend at Compton's