Castlegate Drive - Vivian Wilhoite

Dear District 29 Neighbors: As you may be aware, a shooting occurred between yesterday and this morning on Castlegate Drive in District 29. Below is the news release provided by Commander Michelle Richter of the Hermitage Precinct. I will provide you update as more information is released. This is an unfortunate incident but please also know that I continue to request more patrolling in all of District 29 and will continue to work with the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD)-Hermitage Precinct to push for such patrolling in our District. As many of you may know, we recently passed a Budget that fully funded (MNPD) that also includes a local DNA Laboratory. After the next graduation police class, the MNPD will be fully staffed meaning more officers to patrol Nashville communities. The Hermitage Police Department have always cooperated with our community in doing all that they can to address these type of occurrences and more. We will continue this work. If you would like to contact me regarding this matter, as always, I appreciate the opportunity to discuss any concern that you may have. Thank you for the opportunity to serve. Gratefully, Vivian

Area Dillard's To Close; 76 Will Lose Job

5 Other Midstate Stores Remain- Channel 4 Nashville, TN POSTED: 1:20 pm CDT June 26, 2008 UPDATED: 1:42 pm CDT June 26, 2008 NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- More than 70 workers will lose their jobs when Dillard's at Hickory Hollow closes this summer. Channel 4 News reported that the store will close on Aug. 2. A company representative said it expects to lay off 76 workers. A few months ago, Dillard's announced it would close stores that weren't making enough money.

Feud Sends Two Teens To Vanderbilt Hospital

Story from Channel 5 NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Thursday morning, two teenage boys were fighting for their lives after being shot overnight. A dispute between two teenage girls over a 21-year-old man started the fight. Detectives learned that the two girls, who are in their late teens, had been sending provocative text messages to each other. They agreed to meet for a confrontation outside the man's home Wednesday night at 625 Castlegate Drive. Both girls brought friends along for the fight at 11:40 p.m. between more than ten individuals. Some of the people involved brought guns, including at least one pistol and one shotgun. Robert Lee Hamlett, who turned 18 Thursday, and Aaron Jamar McKee, 17, were shot. When police got there, the crowd had scattered and some had left the scene. Hamlett was located in a nearby wooded area wearing an orange bandanna over his face. He was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to treat his gunshot wound. McKee, who had gunshot wounds to his chest and arm, was dumped off at Southern Hills Medical Center by the driver of a red Chevrolet Cobalt. McKee was transferred to Vanderbilt. The driver of the Cobalt has been identified as a 19-year-old woman who was one of the two involved in the original dispute over the man who lives on Castlegate Drive. The Cobalt was located Thursday morning in the 900 block of 33rd Avenue North. There are bullet holes in the body of the car and blood on the interior. The car was impounded by police and is being processed for evidence. To see and hear the video:http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=8557997

Hello District 29 Neighbors:

Our neighbor, Susan needs your help to find her pets. Please help! Susan of (mastmdsr@aol.com) writes: From: mastmdsr@aol.com To: rtatejohnson@comcast.net Subject: Missing cat possibly cats Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:13:35 +0000 Hi Robin, will you please forward this to the neighbors. Our solid gray cat about 11 lbs green eyes, seems to be missing. He was in our yard on Monday night. Tuesday morning he was not on the porch for feeding. He never misses morning feeding. He was not seen all day Tuesday or this morning. Also this morning the white cat with blue eyes sort of siamese appears to be missing as well. If anyone knows the whereabouts of the cat or cats I would be very grateful. Especially some of the kids, who are gone for the week.. The white siamese looking one was here last night and usually hangs out on the porch as well. I will let you know when either or both of them show up. Thanks, Susan Mast Let's help Susan find her pets.....Gratefully, Vivian.

Zoo welcomes "not-so-giant" anteater

The Nashville Zoo recently welcomed its eighth giant anteater, which isn’t so giant as of yet.

Consuela was born on Mother’s Day to Emilia, a wild-caught giant anteater that came to the Nashville Zoo in 2002.

The Nashville Zoo has been involved in giant anteater conservation for 10 years and has the largest collection of anteaters in the country.

The off-exhibit breeding facility, where Consuela was born, is also the only anteater breeding facility in the U.S.Consuela and the zoo’s dozen other anteaters will make their public debut in a multimillion-dollar, 4.5-acre South American exhibit being designed by zoo president Rick Schwartz.“The exhibit will feature tapirs, giant otters, jaguars, jabiru storks, saki and howler monkeys as well as giant anteaters and other South American animals,” said Schwartz.

“When complete, the new exhibit will double the number of animal species exhibited at the zoo.” With an All Access Expedition Tour or a Back Stage Pass Tour, curious guests will have the chance to view Nashville Zoo’s anteaters before their official debut.Visit http://www.nashvillezoo.org/ for more information on these special opportunities as well as anteater updates.

Rape victim recounts sexual assault and robbery

CHRIS ECHEGARAY • STAFF WRITER (Tennessean) • June 25, 2008 A woman was forced to perform oral sex on her attacker in her apartment while another robber took her boyfriend to an ATM machine to withdraw money, the woman testified in court this morning. Jonathan Lawrence, 21, and Rickey Carr, 26, are facing indictment stemming from the robbery and rape after a judge found probable cause at the preliminary hearing in general sessions court. It started when the men accosted Michael Ezekiel, who was alone, after a concert at 2:30 a.m. on June 16. Initially, they forced him to drive to a nearby ATM. Ezekiel couldn’t withdraw money, he testified, and they drove to the woman’s apartment on Hickory Highlands Drive. Ezekiel offered the woman's laptop in the robbery and the men took it, he said. But they wanted $400, Ezekiel testified. The woman gave Ezekiel her ATM card. Carr stayed with her while Lawrence went back out with Ezekiel, she testified. Fighting through tears, the woman testified that Carr made her kneel and pointed the gun at her, forcing her to perform oral sex. She would stop and he moved her to the kitchen and her bedroom, where he attempted to rape her. Meanwhile, Ezekiel struggled with Lawrence at a U.S. Bank ATM on Bell Road. Ezekiel was able to run from the robber and flag down a police cruiser.Police arrested both men. Carr is charged with two counts of aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery. Lawrence is charged with two counts of aggravated kidnapping and two counts of aggravated robbery.

Nashville Shores announces special events for the Fourth

BY ANDY HUMBLES | AHUMBLES@TENNESSEAN.COM | 726-5939 • June 24, 2008 The Shores and Stripes Festival at Nashville Shores will include a fireworks show on Thursday, July 3 and the Shores and Stripes Boat Parade on Friday, July 4. After 5 p.m. Thursday, July 3, a discounted rate of $20 per car will be allowed into Nashville Shores, 4001 Bell Road in Hermitage, with access to the water park from 5 to 7 p.m. Other events are a Freedom Party at 6-10 p.m., and beach concert from 6 to 9 p.m. and 9:15 to about 10 p.m. with the fireworks at 9 p.m. Events on July 4 will be the 2008 Shores and Stripes Boat Parade at 1-3 p.m. and the showing of Independence Day at 8:30 p.m. as the Dive-In Movie. Friday’s events are included in the regular admission. All-day admission is $23.95 plus tax for people 48 inches and taller and $17.95 plus tax for persons shorter than 48 inches and ages 55-over. Admission after 3 p.m. is $11.95 plus tax. Call 889-7050 for information.

Preds investor Del Biaggio owes $88.4 million to creditors, bankruptcy filing shows

By BRAD SCHRADE • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • June 24, 2008 Nashville Predators investor William J. "Boots" Del Biaggio III owes creditors almost $35 million more than he owns, and he lists his $23.5 million stake in the team as his biggest asset, according to federal bankruptcy papers filed Monday. Del Biaggio owes $88.43 million to creditors, including $10 million to former Preds owners Craig Leipold, according to a summary of his assets and liabilities filed in federal court in Northern California. He lists $53.9 million in assets, including $12.1 million in real property - all in California, as part of his assets. Del Biaggio owns a 27% stake in the Predators, the second highest stake in the team. His financial implosion over the past month has clouded the off-season of Nashville's hockey club. Del Biaggio is facing a bankruptcy, a federal probe and a series of lawsuits claiming he defrauded creditors The team is owned by a majority group of local investors led by David Freeman. Freeman has said Del Biaggio's problems will not impact the team operations. A initial meeting with creditors is scheduled before a bankruptcy trustee next month. That will begin the process of dividing Del Biaggio's assets, including his stake in the team.

Metro sets early voting schedule

By MICHAEL CASS • Staff Writer • June 23, 2008 Metro voters who like to vote early will be able to go to the polls starting July 18 for the Aug. 7 county general and state primary election. Early voting will be available for 14 days downtown at the Metro Office Building and for five days at four satellite sites, the Davidson County Election Commission announced on its web site, www.nashville.gov/vote. (There will be 12 satellite early voting sites for the presidential election on Nov. 4.) Five Metro school board seats and party primaries for various state and federal legislative races lead the Aug. 7 ballot.

Preds investor Del Biaggio didn't arouse suspicion

By BRAD SCHRADE • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • June 22, 2008 The entry of William J. "Boots" Del Biaggio III into Nashville's hockey life, in retrospect, should have always seemed a little too good to be true. A rich California venture capitalist and philanthropist with supposedly deep pockets, Del Biaggio swooped in last year to work with locals to save hockey in Music City. But as the threads of that feel-good narrative have unraveled over the past month under the stress of lawsuits, a federal probe and a bankruptcy — all centered on Del Biaggio — a happy ending is on hold. The sudden problems brought on by his financial implosion have focused unwanted attention on Metro's renegotiated lease agreement at Sommet Center, in which the city pledged millions more in tax dollars to help keep the Predators in Nashville. They also have raised questions about the level of scrutiny the city performed on the new owners, particularly Del Biaggio — the lone major investor from out of town. A series of lawsuits alleges he, with the help of an employee at an investment firm, secured millions in loans fraudulently. "The question is, 'What could you have done?'" asked Larry Thrailkill, the attorney who negotiated the new lease agreement with the team on Metro's behalf. Metro is just one of several entities — including banks, the team and a list of creditors — who were unaware of Del Biaggio's alleged scheme, he said. Court documents claim fraud and deceit, portraying the would-be financial titan as a man stretched and borrowing millions last fall — against assets they say he didn't have — in an effort to secure his 27 percent stake in the Predators. Del Biaggio's attorney on Friday said his client was unavailable for comment. A trustee in the bankruptcy case was appointed late in the week, and an initial meeting with creditors is scheduled for July 8 to begin the process of dividing up his assets. His one-fourth share of the team is at stake. The Metro government and the team's majority local ownership group, led by David Freeman, are both hoping to replace the $9.8 million Del Biaggio pledged as part of his guarantee to the city. Del Biaggio didn't have to actually turn over that amount to the city, but the terms of the city's agreement with the new owners required him and others to have set amounts available. He said he had money Del Biaggio's $9.8 million was to be part of a $31.5 million guarantee put up by the new ownership group as collateral to the city in the event the team left town or failed to live up to the other terms of the deal. As part of the lease the city renegotiated with the new Predators owners, the city required each owner to have an accountant vouch for his net worth. The goal was to ensure the owners had the money they said they had, while also shielding their personal financial records from public review. But the city allowed the owners to choose their own accountants. The one who vouched for Del Biaggio, Jacqueline Singh of Burbank, Calif., was once an executive at the investment firm Del Biaggio co-founded in the 1990s, Sand Hill Capital. The letter signed by Singh, dated Dec. 21, vouched that his net worth was at least twice his $9.8 million guarantee. Del Biaggio reinforced this statement just days after the Metro Council approved changes to the lease, when, on April 22, he signed a guarantee saying his net worth was twice the guarantee. Public records from Metro do not indicate that the city required any other documentation or verification of the new owners' financial status, according to a review by The Tennessean. "If an insider with a financial institution is willing to falsely certify the assets of a person with that institution, it's almost impossible for anybody to find that out," Thrailkill said. "That's what's alleged here. If you look at all the loans with Boots out there, they said they demanded to have collateral with that loan." Few officials met him Few officials with Metro government and its Sports Authority, which serves as the Predators' landlords at Sommet Center, ever met or talked directly to Del Biaggio, although his involvement was crucial to the team's purchase. Mayor Karl Dean met with Del Biaggio once, in late October. Sports Authority board member Kevin Lavender, a former state banking commissioner, recalled meeting Del Biaggio in passing at a Predators game, but said the California businessman was more into the hockey game than small talk. Dean's meeting with him took place after the mayor's office received a call from Freeman saying that Del Biaggio was in town for a Predators game, that he would be part of the investment group and that Freeman wanted him to meet the mayor. The mayor's office had been hearing rumors that Del Biaggio was getting involved in the deal to buy the Predators from owner Craig Leipold so he could eventually move the team to Kansas City. At the time, Del Biaggio had an agreement with the Kansas City arena to bring an NHL team there. Dean made it clear the city's interest was in the long-term viability of hockey here, according to Greg Hinote, Dean's deputy mayor, who was in the meeting. Hinote said he didn't recall much about Del Biaggio, except that he was quiet. Del Biaggio "didn't say much," Hinote recalled on Friday. "He made a point to us he was invested in the transaction and he hoped it worked. He said he was keeping all his options open." The Dean administration supported a renegotiated lease agreement with the team's new owners based on three major points, Hinote said: the personal guarantees of each owner, the commitment given by local ownership to make the team work here, and the penalties the city was negotiating in the event the team tried to leave within five years. The administration was comfortable with the fact the local owners would be in control of the team, and Del Biaggio held a minority stake. "At some point we got comfortable with the fact the local ownership group would have adequate time to make this work," Hinote said. 'No red flags' In light of Del Biaggio's financial problems, Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling said, it's easy to second-guess the city's actions, but at the time it relied on the NHL and the bank that lent the team money, CIT Group, to ensure the owners were financially viable. "You've got to operate on some measure of good faith or you won't get anything done," Riebeling said. "At the time, we took care of it in a reasonable manner." The NHL's background check is quite thorough. The league, which has approval rights on who buys an NHL team, typically checks the finances and character of a potential owner. The checks are designed to avoid the type of situation the Predators and Del Biaggio face. The league has undergone four bankruptcies of its franchises — Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Ottawa and Buffalo — in the past two decades. None of those towns wound up losing their teams. The Predators' situation is the first of its kind involving a minority ownership. In the other cases, bankruptcy trustees worked with the NHL to find a replacement owner, relying on the league to help with leads to potential buyers. It's unclear whether Del Biaggio underwent the tough scrutiny of a background check in 2002 when he bought a small stake in the San Jose Sharks. The league confirmed that he underwent a background check for the Predators purchase. "You do all the things you can do to verify certain things," said Bill Daly, NHL deputy commissioner. "You go through the checks. The bottom line is, no red flags came up."

What are they Building Near the Airport on FairCloth Road @ Murfreesboro Road?

At the first sign of tractors back in April 2009, like you, I was very curious as to what was being constructed at this intersection. Below is the email response that I received from Mark Macy, Assistant Director of Public Works. The airport is building a 1200 – car employee parking lot.

Call me if you have further questions at 589-2003. Gratefully, Vivian!



From: Macy, Mark (Public Works)Sent: Fri 4/11/2008 11:00 AMTo: Wilhoite, Vivian (Council Member)Subject: FW: Faircloth Rd
Here is information you requested. Mark Macy mark.macy@nashville.gov ph. 615.862.8764 fax 615.862.5568


-----Original Message----- From: Smith, J. Andrew (Public Works) Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 8:15 AM To: Hasty, Charles (Public Works); Macy, Mark (Public Works) Cc: Doyle, Devin (Public Works) Subject: RE: Faircloth Rd


The airport authority has applied for a grading permit to construct a 1200-car employee parking lot at Faircloth Lane and Knapp Blvd, near where Old Murfreesboro Road joins Murfreesboro Road.


The plans do not include relocated Faircloth Road.

District 29 Families, Come One, Come All to

Mayor Karl Dean’s
Sunday, August 3 from 2 to 5 pm at the Sommet Center (formerly the Nashville Arena), 501 Broadway in Downtown Nashville. This is a great event and my sons truly enjoy this day tremendously. A day of fun that is filled to gear up for a successful school year! Don’t forget, Mayor Dean asks that you please bring one or more non-perishable food item to help feed the hungry in Nashville. Stop by the Metro Council members table for giveaways and to say hello to your favorite councilmember. I will be there for sure! What a great way for Davidson County families to start the school year! For more 1st Day activities information click here for Mayor Dean’s at http://www.nashville.gov/mocy/firstday/2008/index.htm

See you at the festival!

Vivian!

Metro Council OKs budget; schools get bulk of new money

By MICHAEL CASS • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • June 18, 2008 Metro Nashville will start a new fiscal year next month with an almost $1.58 billion budget that pumps new money into schools but makes it tougher to catch a bus or make a living as a city employee. The Metro Council voted unanimously Tuesday for the 2008-09 operating budget, which will take effect July 1, after considering Mayor Karl Dean's recommendations for almost three months. The available funds will be only slightly more than this year, reflecting conservative revenue estimates in a tight economy. Metro schools, Dean's top priority, will get $22 million more, an increase of more than 3.6 percent. But most other departments will receive less money, and almost 30 city employees will be laid off. While as many as 200 workers could have been laid off, "that's not a consolation to those 30 families and individuals," said Councilman Erik Cole, who led the council through the budget process. The remaining employees won't get an across-the-board pay raise to help cope with rising gas prices or grocery bills. And people who ride several Metro bus routes won't be able to anymore because of the city's own struggles to pay for diesel fuel. Councilwoman Vivian Wilhoite said she was disappointed that some Metro firefighters would see their jobs "rolled back," or reduced in stature and pay. She said council members were reneging on a commitment to public safety. "I can't see how we can live with this," Wilhoite said. Cole acknowledged that the budget reflects some "very painful" choices. But he said he was proud the council could put its stamp on the spending plan by shifting $1 million to the Metro Transit Authority so there will be fewer cuts in bus routes. Dean's proposal would have cut MTA by $400,000; now the authority will gain $600,000. "To be able to do one major priority was a real success," Cole said

Tennessee mails out buyout offers

By THEO EMERY • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • June 17, 2008 State workers will begin checking mailboxes after buyout packets went out Monday to about 12,000 employees, an effort to trim about 2,000 positions and cut $64 million from next year's budget. Cleatrice McTorry, director of pre-release services at the Department of Correction, wasn't sure she would get an offer but said she would consider it if she did, particularly given the tuition assistance in the package. "My initial impression when I saw the buyout plan was very positive," said McTorry, 58. "Other people have felt the same way." The buyouts are part of a broader budget-cutting for the administration, which found itself about $468 million short of what it projected for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. The administration hopes that more than 2,000 workers, or about 5 percent of the work force, will take the buyouts. If more apply, they will be chosen by seniority. If not enough apply, layoffs could follow. The package includes four months of base salary, $500 for each year of service, six months of subsidized health coverage and an option to pay for an additional 12 months. The packages also include tuition aid up to $10,800 at Tennessee colleges and universities, and a one-time $2,400 payment for those 65 and older. "We feel like we've come up with a really good offer," said state Finance Commissioner Dave Goetz. Zoyle Jones, president of the Tennessee State Employees Association, said his organization will be carefully watching. "As long as the selection process is fair and equitable, then we will be happy if people take it," he said.

Help sell Garcia's $1.25 million home and get free airline tickets

By JENNIFER BROOKS • Staff Writer (tennessean)• June 17, 2008 Former Metro Schools Director Pedro Garcia and his wife are what you might call motivated sellers. Garcia, who was bought out of his contract by the Metro school board in January, is ready to leave town with his six-figure severance package, but first he needs to find a buyer for his $1.25 million, five-bedroom, 6,500-square-foot, Radnor Lake-area house in the middle of a recession and a real estate slump. To get prospective buyers through the door — you can't appreciate the hardwood floors, or the two fireplaces, or the waterfall or the pool if you don't at least get through the door — the Garcias are ready to sweeten the deal. "We will give two round-trip tickets to anywhere Southwest flies and a box seat for four at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood to anyone whose recommendations lead to a direct sale of this house," Priscilla Partridge, Garcia's wife, wrote in an e-mail to friends and acquaintances on Monday. She did not respond to The Tennessean's request for an interview. Her Realtor, Mara Thompson of Zeitlin & Co., said more and more sellers are turning to incentives. She has seen people offer cars, a year of free gasoline, cruise vacation packages and even — in the case of one $2.2 million home for sale in Green Hills — college tuition for the buyer's kids. "A lot of people are doing it," Thompson said. "With the market as it is today, I think people are just trying to be a bit creative." Thompson said the free airfare and tickets to the storied outdoor amphitheater were the Garcias' idea, and she has yet to see an incentive actually seal the deal for a homebuyer. The house, which the Garcias bought in 2003 for $957,000, has been appraised by the Davidson County property assessor's office for tax purposes at $996,400. It's an 11-year-old brick home with six bathrooms and a much-sought-after Brentwood address. This article has been amended from a previous version.