Sleep support group forming at Summit

By Andy Humbles The Tennessean • January 30, 2009 Summit Medical Center will hold its first sleep support group meeting at 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9 in Classroom A near the Visitor Lobby. Participation is free and open to the public. Registration is not required. The group’s purpose is to assist individuals or families about sleep disorders.Call 342-1919 for information.

Calendar: Best bets in Nashville

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

Crime Log January 27 - January 28

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. Jan. 28 Antioch 8:20 a.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Murfreesboro Pike Hermitage 3:03 a.m., holdup/robbery, at Murfreesboro Pike and Expressway Park Drive 7:47 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1500 block Elm Hill Pike 8:17 a.m., holdup/robbery, 10 block Fairfield Avenue 2:41 p.m., residential burglary, 300 block Bonnahurst Drive 3:35 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Earhart Road Jan. 27 Donelson 8:41 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block East Lake Drive Hermitage 3:33 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Maritime Port 6:28 p.m., residential burglary, 70 block Robertson Street South 5:26 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Second Avenue South 6:04 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Lewis Street Una 6:19 p.m., shooting, 1700 block Borowood Drive

Crime Log January 23 through January 25

CRIME LOG 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. Jan. 25 Donelson 11:24 a.m., holdup/robbery, 3200 block Trails End Lane 1:08 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2700 block Elm Hill Pike Hermitage 2 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5000 block Bonnahill Drive South 2:03 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1900 block Nolensville Road 2:41 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1900 block Nolensville Road 3:50 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Murfreesboro Pike Jan. 24 Donelson 6:47 a.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Airport Center Drive 9:55 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2700 block Elm Hill Pike 11:12 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2200 block Elm Hill Pike 3:42 p.m., residential burglary, 2700 block McCampbell Avenue Hermitage 7:30 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Pin Oak Drive 7:41 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Kermit Drive South 8:39 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1000 block Third Avenue South 2:41 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Drummond Drive Jan. 23 Donelson 8:06 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 2700 block Lebanon Pike 4:04 p.m., residential burglary, 2200 block Aubrey Court 5:08 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2500 block Crossfield Drive Hermitage 12:32 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 4700 block Old Hickory Boulevard 2:01 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 4800 block Lebanon Pike 6:33 p.m., holdup/robbery, at Lebanon Pike and Shute Lane 9:28 p.m., holdup/robbery, 30 block Lewis Street South 9:04 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 20 block Lafayette Street 10:14 a.m., residential burglary, 2000 block Stanford Village Drive 1:23 p.m., residential burglary, 10 block Claiborne Street 9:44 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2700 block Murfreesboro Pike

Dell to close part of Lebanon facility as PC sales slow

By Wendy Lee • THE TENNESSEAN • January 30, 2009 Dell Inc. said it plans to close the part of its Lebanon, Tenn., facility that manufactures desktop computers on Friday, due to weaker sales for the products. The closure will move 250 to 300 employees from Lebanon to Nashville, Dell spokesman Ken Bissell said. Some employees who previously built desktop computers would now either be boxing, shipping or handling materials in the company's Nashville distribution center off Murfreesboro Road, he said. The news comes as overall demand for PCs industrywide has declined, hurt by falling home prices, weaker stock values and skittish consumer confidence, said Framingham, Mass.-based research firm IDC. All that leads to deteriorating credit in the corporate world and depressed consumer spending. Dell's shipments of personal computers have slipped 6.3 percent compared with a year ago, according to IDC. "We're managing our volumes (manufacturing operations) by shifting capacities to other production facilities," said Bissell, who declined to give specifics. Way to reduce costs The Lebanon facility has manufactured desktops since it opened in 1999. The remaining workers there will continue to refurbish desktop PCs, with about 250 to 300 employees remaining in Lebanon, Bissell said. Employees were informed earlier this week and the transition to the Nashville facility begins next week, Bissell said. The decision is part of a larger initiative within Dell to reduce operating costs. Dell announced last March it would have $3 billion in planned cost reductions by the end of fiscal 2011. Dell's net income declined 5 percent to $727 million during its third quarter ending Oct. 31, compared with a year earlier. Third-quarter revenues declined 3 percent to about $15.2 billion, the company said. Dell has four Tennessee facilities, including the one in Lebanon, plus two distribution centers in Nashville, and a call center here that houses sales and technical support staff.

50,000 are jobless in Nashville area

Employers have their pick of applicants as state sees worst job market since 1986 By Chas Sisk and Wendy Lee • THE TENNESSEAN • January 30, 2009 A year ago, Buckley left Memphis for a job welding and bolting steel components for the Terrazzo condominium in the Gulch. After a July layoff, Buckley, 51, found himself out of a job, out of his apartment and out of luck. "I'm homeless because I can't work," Buckley said Thursday at a Nashville job fair for military veterans. The labor market has tightened across Tennessee, as all 95 of the state's counties posted a rise in unemployment in December, according to data released Thursday by the state. The Nashville-Murfreesboro area reported 6.5 percent unemployment, up from a 4.2 percent rate a year ago. Some rural counties in Middle Tennessee were much worse off — with rates as high as 11.3 percent in Smith County. In the Nashville metropolitan area, the ranks of the unemployed surged past 50,000 people, and thousands more are thought to be underemployed as the state wrestles with its worst job market since 1986. Many companies have slowed investment in their operations, and people fortunate enough to have jobs have held onto them more firmly, leaving fewer employment opportunities for those out of work. It's in this environment that Buckley has been trying to find work. He has sent résumés to 50 employers, trolled online job listings, and even flagged down truck drivers hoping for tips on openings at their companies. Each time, the answer has been the same: Maybe they'll hire, if things improve later in 2009. "That's not just one company," Buckley said. "That's almost every company I went to." The tight jobs market has made it hard for people to advance their careers. Adrian Edsall, 29, earns $15,000 a year teaching classes on health and safety as a part-time instructor at Middle Tennessee State University. He longs for higher pay to provide "a better lifestyle" for his 4-year-old son. Like Buckley, Edsall searched for a better job at Thursday's career fair. He has applied for 300 positions, including jobs such as a customer service representative, since being medically discharged from the U.S. Air Force in 2007. He has been turned down for several positions on the grounds that he is over-qualified. He jokes that he will soon list only his high school diploma on his résumé. "I've not found a better job than the one I have," Edsall said. Employers at the job fair at LP Field seemed to have their pick of applicants. URS Corp., a U.S. military vendor, said it would hire about 50 percent fewer people than a year ago for its Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Alabama, in part because fewer people are leaving the facility, said Rhonda Ford, a human resources specialist. "Because of the economy, we haven't lost anybody," Ford said, adding that she sees more white-collar job applicants these days. Meanwhile, others are considering renewals or first-time hitches in the military amid the slower civilian job market. The Tennessee Army National Guard has seen a 20 percent to 25 percent increase from a year ago in people expressing interest in joining, said Sgt. 1st Class Julius Santini. He described it as the biggest surge since just after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "When people are losing their jobs, they are looking for stability," Santini said. Rural counties worse Nationally, on Thursday, the U.S. Labor Department said the number of people continuing to receive unemployment benefits reached a seasonally adjusted 4.78 million for the week ending Jan. 17 — the highest level on records that go back to 1967. As a proportion of the work force, the latest total is the highest since August 1983.Companies across a variety of industries have been slashing their payrolls by the thousands. Starbucks Corp., Eastman Kodak and Allstate Corp. became the latest major employers to announce big job cuts — 7,000 at Starbucks, 3,500 to 4,500 at Kodak, and 1,000 at Allstate. "It seems like we've gotten through the financial crisis. Now we're dealing with global synchronized recession," said Brian Battle, vice president of trading at Performance Trust Capital Partners in Chicago. In Middle Tennessee, even as jobs become harder to find in urban areas, they are even scarcer in the state's rural areas. Thirty-six counties now have an unemployment rate higher than 10 percent, including Macon and Smith counties. Hardest hit has been Perry County, 90 miles southwest of Nashville. It has been reeling since the auto parts maker Fisher & Co. moved to Mexico in September. In December, Perry County's unemployment rate topped 20 percent, and many more are under-employed, said John Carroll, the county's mayor. Workers at another major auto parts plant have been working on reduced shifts. "We need more employers in the area," Carroll said. "We're trying to attract, but nobody is having a lot of success. A lot of people are not turning loose of the money and investing." Chas Sisk can be reached at 615-259-8283 or csisk@tennessean.com. Wendy Lee can be reached at 615-259-8092 or wlee@tennessean.com.

Davidson library drive brings in 22 tons in food donations

Food for Fines, the food drive organized by the Nashville Public Library, generated more than 22 tons of food for the Second Harvest Food Bank. Trading one food item for each $1 owned in overdue fines, library patrons donated over 45,000 pounds of food. The January effort was one of the top campaigns of the past five years for the nonprofit organization, library officials said. — NANCY DEVILLE ndeville@tennessean.com

Davidson County crime log from Jan. 19-22

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. Jan. 22 Antioch 3:06 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Mullen Circle Donelson 10:34 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Woodcraft Drive 9:59 p.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Fall Creek Drive Hermitage 8:40 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 4000 block Lebanon Pike 7:49 p.m., residential burglary, 1200 block Catina Drive South 1:49 a.m., residential burglary, 100 block Plus Park Boulevard 10:37 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Winthorne Drive Jan. 21 Antioch 2:54 p.m., residential burglary, 2100 block Ransom Place 7:15 p.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Hickory Hollow Parkway Donelson 2:28 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Crossfield Drive 3:03 p.m., residential burglary, 700 block Airways Circle Hermitage 3:18 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5800 block Old Hickory Boulevard Una 1:04 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Willowbranch Drive Jan. 20 Antioch 7:36 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Bishopsgate Road Hermitage 12:45 p.m., residential burglary, 800 block Pin Oak Drive 10:06 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Rockwood Drive South 6:56 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 15100 block Old Hickory Boulevard 5:25 p.m., residential burglary, 900 block Kable Circle Jan. 19 Antioch 10:02 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1300 block Bell Road Donelson 12:11 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3100 block Lebanon Pike 2:48 p.m., residential burglary, 2900 block Lakeland Drive Hermitage 10:51 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Rockwood Drive South 9:26 p.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Bell Road 10:42 p.m., holdup/robbery, 5300 block Hickory Hollow Parkway 10:44 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Antioch Pike Una 11:58 a.m., residential burglary, 700 block Nashboro Boulevard 4:59 p.m., residential burglary, 2500 block Willowbranch Drive

House Defeats Bill To Delay DTV Transition

Channel 5 News (AP) WASHINGTON - The House has defeated a bill to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting by four months to June 12. House Republicans succeeded in scuttling a bill to delay the transition, which is scheduled for Feb. 17, less than two days after the Senate unanimously passed the plan. The defeat is a setback for the Obama administration and Democrats on Capitol Hill, who fear too many Americans are not ready for the switchover. The Nielsen Co. estimates more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog television sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals could see their TV sets go dark next month if the transition is not postponed.

Metro refusing to release donor list in English-only campaign

Tennessean The group that campaigned to make English the official language of Nashville filed its overdue lists of donors and expenditures today, but Metro attorneys refused to release the information. The exact reason for the delay was unclear. Davidson County Election Administrator Ray Barrett said the Metro Law Department had instructed him not to release Nashville English First’s campaign financial disclosure forms to The Tennessean and other media outlets that requested them. Barrett said attorneys had cited a letter Nashville English First President Jon Crisp sent the election commission on Jan. 15, the day the disclosure was due. Crisp asked for an extension, saying his group’s donors could be subjected to threats if their names were released before the election. Metro Law Director Sue Cain could not be reached for comment Monday evening. The proposed Metro Charter amendment would have required the city to do business in English only. Voters rejected the idea by a 9,000-vote margin Thursday. Contact Michael Cass at 615-259-8838 or mcass@tennessean.com.

Senate Approves 4-Month Delay To DTV Conversion

Channel 5 News (AP) WASHINGTON - People who have not gotten their TV sets ready for the changeover to digital signals could earn a four-month reprieve under a bill making its way through Congress. The Senate voted Monday to delay until June 12 the deadline for the changeover from analog to digital television broadcasting. People still getting their pictures through old-fashioned antennas otherwise would face a Feb. 17 cutoff. Comparable legislation is being readied in the House, and the Obama administration has called for a delay amid mounting concerns that too many Americans who rely on over-the-air broadcast signals won't be ready. It's estimated that more than 6.5 million U.S. households are still not prepared for the upcoming transition. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Home Depot to cut 7,000 jobs, close Expo chain including Nashville store

Associated Press • January 26, 2009 CHICAGO -- Home Depot Inc. plans to eliminate 7,000 jobs while closing four dozen stores -- including one in Nashville -- as the recession continues to batter the nation's housing market. Its shares climbed more than 5 percent in morning trading. The nation's biggest home improvement retailer said Monday the cuts will affect about 2 percent of its 300,000 workers and cause the Atlanta-based chain to record a $532 million pretax charge, most of which will be recorded in the fourth quarter. Most of the cuts affect workers at Home Depot's 34 Expo Design Centers, five YardBIRDS, two Design Centers and HD Bath, a bath remodeling business with seven sites. Those stores will close in the next two months. In Nashville, the Expo store in the 100 Oaks area at 2421 Powell Ave. is scheduled to close.Home Depot said its Expo business, which sells everything from throw pillows and sconces to bathtubs and vanities, hasn't performed well financially, even during the recent housing boom. It said the chain has weakened significantly in the current economic environment."Exiting our Expo business is a difficult decision, particularly given the hard work and dedication of our associates in that business and the support of our loyal customers," Chairman and Chief Executive Frank Blake said in a statement. "At the same time, it is a necessary decision that will strengthen our core Home Depot business. "The company's core Home Depot stores won't be affectedHome Depot's plans also include 2,000 cuts to non-store jobs, including 500 workers in its corporate headquarters, while freezing the pay of its officers.Home Depot said it would record an additional $163 million in pretax fourth-quarter charges along with a $55 million post-tax charge related to the 2007 sales of HD Supply.Meanwhile, the retailer also updated its 2008 guidance, saying it expects sales to fall 8 percent for the year while profit tumbles 24 percent when it releases fourth-quarter and full-year results on Feb. 24. Neither figures take into account the charges announced Monday.Analysts expect the company to earn 16 cents per share on revenue of $14.8 billion for the fourth quarter.In 2009, the chain said it expects sluggish sales to continue and plans to reduce capital spending by about $1 billion. It will open 12 stores this year.Home Depot shares climbed $1.16, or 5.3 percent, to $22.88 in early trading Monday.

Nashville leaders reflect on King legacy at birthday celebration

Vivian Wilhoite

Vivian Wilhoite, John Seigenthaler, Lipscomb's Director of Multicultural Affairs Tenielle Buchanan, and Joyce Searcy Lipscomb University If Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today, he would certainly be joyful to see the inauguration of Barack Obama on Tuesday, Jan. 20, but his joy would not be truly complete until the nation eliminates poverty, homelessness and inequality, former Nashville Vice Mayor Howard Gentry Jr. told a crowd of hundreds of Lipscomb students, faculty and friends on Tuesday. Gentry, who now serves as CEO of the Nashville Public Benefit Foundation, shared his childhood experiences growing up in segregated Nashville at the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration held by the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Lipscomb University. He was one of a four-person panel that shared their experiences growing up during the civil rights era and in a post-King world. Gentry recounted how his family was the second African-American family to move onto Nashville’s 22nd Avenue; how they were among the first African-Americans to swim in the public swimming pools and play in Centennial Park; how he was a member of the first Boy Scout troop to integrate Camp Boxwell. Such small everyday battles must continue even today as our nation still battles the ills of society brought on by inequality for all races. The election of an African-American President is less important than what Barack Obama does in the position to solve poverty and homelessness in American society, Gentry said. “That fight is not over,” echoed Joyce Searcy, CEO of Bethlehem Centers, who grew up in Yazoo City, Miss., while the South was still grappling with the effects of integration and King’s influence. “It is very important that we still fight,” said Vivian Wilhoite, Metropolitan Councilwoman for District 29. In fact, she challenged each student there to step outside their comfort zone and consider ways they can each promote equality among all the students of many ethnicities attending Lipscomb. Also on the panel was Tennessean Publisher Emeritus and former civil rights negotiator John Seigenthaler, 81, who had a first-hand experience with the violence encountered by the civil rights movement. While working for the U.S. Justice Department, Seigenthaler served as chief negotiator with the governor of Alabama during the Freedom Rides, and during one incident was attacked and injured by a mob of Klansmen. Seigenthaler noted that with the election of Obama and with commemoration events like the Lipscomb panel, America is not yet a perfect world, but it is certainly a “more perfect world.” “Lipscomb has done exceptionally well to bring them here today because each person at this table represents a small piece of King’s dream,” he told the crowd. The birthday celebration also featured a moving poetry reading by Stephanie Pruitt, live music by Bill Lee McCleskey and birthday cake. Among the hundreds in the audience, one alumna Odell Buggs, who attended Lipscomb in the 1980s, observed that she was impressed with the gathering to honor King and the number of minority faces in the audience, saying they were a testament to how much the university has changed over the years. Gentry also praised the younger generation for their commitment to volunteerism and improvements in society. “We have a big gap to fill,” he told the students after a question about the gap between young and old, “but don’t for a second think we aren’t seeing your efforts.”

Davidson County crime log for Jan. 15-18, 2009

CRIME LOG 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. Jan. 18 Antioch 1:16 a.m., residential burglary, 3300 block Clapham Road Hermitage 2:04 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3400 block Lebanon Pike 3:24 a.m., residential burglary, 4400 block Lavergne Couchvlle Pike 8:05 p.m., residential burglary, 5700 block Old Hickory Boulevard South 9:44 a.m., residential burglary, 3000 block Summercrest Trail 11:14 a.m., holdup/robbery, 600 block Bell Road Jan 17 Antioch 8:56 p.m., residential burglary, 1400 block Clapham Court Donelson 2:17 p.m., residential burglary, 3800 block Lakeridge Run 11:29 p.m., residential burglary, 3200 block Lakeland Drive Hermitage 8:28 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 700 block Spence Lane 4:25 p.m., residential burglary, 1000 block Aladdin Drive 8:18 p.m., holdup/robbery, 100 block Charles E. Davis Boulevard 8:52 p.m., rape, at Frist Boulevard South 2:10 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 500 block Murfreesboro Pike Una 12:03 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2500 block Murfreesboro Pike Jan. 16 Antioch 7:40 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Evergreen Ridge Point 7:55 p.m., holdup/robbery, 1100 block Bell Road Donelson 7:44 a.m., residential burglary, 1700 block Woodland Point Drive 9:33 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2700 block Elm Hill Pike Hermitage 1:13 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 1000 block Murfreesboro Pike 12:07 p.m., nonresidential burglary, 600 block Fesslers Lane Priest Lake 7:32 a.m., residential burglary, 6300 block Paddington Way South 11:32 a.m., holdup/robbery, 300 block Zermatt Avenue 1:11 p.m., holdup/robbery, 200 block Desoto Drive 3:28 p.m., residential burglary, 6700 block Sunnywood Drive 4:06 p.m., holdup/robbery, 6900 block Lenox Village Drive 4:17 p.m., holdup/robbery, 7700 block Sunbar Lane 5:29 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3000 block Hamilton Church Road 9:38 p.m., holdup/robbery, 6900 block Lenox Village Drive 10:55 p.m., holdup/robbery, 3000 block Hamilton Church Road Jan. 15 Antioch 12:15 p.m., residential burglary, 5100 block Rice Road 9:40 p.m., holdup/robbery, 30 block Hickory Hollow Place Donelson 8:29 p.m., holdup/robbery, 2600 block Lebanon Pike Hermitage 9:27 a.m., nonresidential burglary, 3900 block Bell Road 9:42 a.m., residential burglary, 4700 block Hickory Way 2:50 p.m., residential burglary, 2800 block Windcrest Trail 7:53 p.m., residential burglary, 8200 block Eva Drive Priest Lake 4:38 p.m., residential burglary, 3100 block Towne Village Road South 7:43 a.m., holdup/robbery, 5300 block Hickory Hollow Parkway 3:57 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block Foothill Drive

Free tax help eases the pain

Preparation centers get those in a bind bigger refundsBy Jenny Upchurch • THE TENNESSEAN • January 23, 2009

Brad Parnell helps prepare Oscar Pointer's taxes on Thursday. The Internal Revenue Service, United Way and other agencies have opened tax help sites in Davidson County and surrounding areas. SHELLEY MAYS / THE TENNESSEAN Comfort Johnson left the free tax preparation center in East Nashville with mission accomplished: Her 2008 federal income tax was complete, and she was expecting a larger-than-usual refund.

"I'm no longer working, so it's a big help," she said Thursday. "Especially at tax time, a lot of people are in a bind, and they're able to get themselves out of a bind with this." The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance center on Gallatin Pike is one of the first free tax prep centers opening this week in Davidson and surrounding counties for those who make less than $42,000. "If used wisely, a tax refund can make a huge difference for their family," said Rachel Freeze, who is coordinating the VITA program. One goal is to get the Earned Income Tax Credit for more who qualify. As many as a fourth of those eligible in Nashville don't file for the credit, Freeze said. Income limits have been raised so that those with two or more children can make as much as $41,646 and still qualify for the credit. Even more could be eligible this year, as household members have lost jobs or income. One is Johnson, who qualified this year for the Earned Income credit, boosting her refund by about $1,000. A family with two or more children can receive as much as $4,824 with the credit. And the credit is refundable, which means the taxpayer gets the full amount no matter how little tax is owed, said Dan Boone, spokesman for the IRS in Nashville. The IRS, United Way and 20 other community agencies and financial institutions are working with Freeze's Nashville Alliance for Financial Independence to run the centers through April 15. The centers will file returns electronically for free on the IRS Web site, and most refunds will come within 10 days. "We're expecting 2.8 million returns to be filed in Tennessee," Boone said, and probably 90 percent would qualify to file free on the IRS Web site because their adjusted gross income is less than $56,000. Yet few take advantage. Of the 1.89 million returns filed electronically in Tennessee last year, only 130,000 were on the free IRS site, Boone said. New Fillable Forms let higher-income taxpayers also e-file for free on the IRS Web site. Using these forms is much like filling out paper forms, without prompts to claim credits or deductions. But a taxpayer comfortable with completing the forms can do that online and then file, Boone said. With e-filing and direct deposit, taxpayers can expect to get refunds within seven to 10 days, Boone said. "If you're looking for an easy way to save money, e-filing would be it." Freeze urges lower-income taxpayers to use that route rather than paying a tax preparer and getting a refund anticipation loan. A full-time minimum-wage employee would need to work 34.5 hours to pay an average preparation fee of $150 and an average interest charge of $100, she said. Oscar Pointer has had his taxes done by a private company. But he came this year to the VITA center after seeing a flier at his job at Goodwill. "One reason is it is free," he said. In addition to helping prepare and file tax returns, the program offers Second Chance bank accounts for people who don't have an account to get refunds by direct deposit, Freeze said. The accounts through First State Bank can be set up at the tax center at the Nashville Child Center, 4115 Gallatin Pike.