Updated crime log for Feb. 23-24

Nashville to start free downtown bus service

USA TODAY Posted 3/4/2010 8:45 AM ET NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville is adding a free downtown circulator route to its transit bus system. New diesel-electric hybrid buses, painted a bold blue and green, will run the routes and should pass any given stop in about 15-20 minute intervals, reported The Tennessean. The service begins March 29 at the same time the Metro Transit Authority puts other changes into effect, including additional service to Vanderbilt University Medical Center's clinics at 100 Oaks Mall. Buses and vans will run Monday through Saturday from before the morning commuter rush to as late as midnight. The free downtown service is similar to a circulator route Chattanooga has had in place for several years, utilizing electric buses. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

2 sue over health cuts

They want state to pay for home treatment By Clay Carey • THE TENNESSEAN • March 5, 2010 Two Tennessee men with severe disabilities have sued the state's TennCare program over cuts in home health care that could force them into nursing homes. Justin Cochran, 27, and Glen Barnhill, 49, say in the federal lawsuit that the state violated the Americans with Disabilities act by cutting off their access to home-based nursing. Both men are seeking a court order requiring the state to pay for them to get treatment at home, not in a nursing home. This year, TennCare is launching a new program called CHOICES designed to give people the opportunity to get long-term care in their homes rather than in a nursing home. But to qualify, the cost of home care can't be more than the cost of a nursing home, TennCare spokeswoman Kelly Gunderson said. According to their lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court, the state contends it is less costly to provide Cochran and Barnhill daily, around-the-clock care in nursing homes, so TennCare would not cover the cost of their in-home care. "For both of them, it would be an extraordinary loss of independence," said Katie Evans, an attorney representing Cochran and Barnhill. She said both men are able to live in their homes, with the help of caregivers. "It would be extremely damaging to their mental health as well as their physical health if they were to be forced into a nursing home," Evans said. Gunderson and a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Attorney General's office, which represents the state in court, declined to comment on the lawsuit Tuesday. Cochran, who lives in a Knoxville apartment, has exhausted his administrative appeals, the lawsuit says. Five years ago he suffered a spinal injury that left him partially quadriplegic and dependant upon a ventilator. Barnhill, who was left partially quadriplegic after a shooting in 1994, is awaiting an administrative hearing. He is getting treatment at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Before his hospitalization, he lived independently, with help from caregivers paid by TennCare. According to court documents, Barnhill told a clinical psychologist that he had a bad experience in a nursing home before, and he fears he would die if he were to be placed in a nursing home again.

Concert at Nashville church to aid Chile quake victims

DAVIDSON COUNTY A benefit concert for Chile will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 13 at Second Presbyterian Church in Nashville. The concert will feature Dave Perkins, Spanish Serenatta, Martina Dreems, Leslie Rodriguiez, Chilean writer and earthquake survivor Alberto Fuguet and others. The church is located at 3511 Belmont Blvd. A $15 donation is suggested. The United Way of Williamson County will handle the proceeds and direct all the money raised to Chilean relief efforts, according to the concert's organizers. Donations may also be made by check to the United Way of Williamson County. Include "For Chile" on the memo line. — JANELL ROSS THE TENNESSEAN

Tennessee is finalist for Race to the Top

State delegation will make pitch in D.C. for Race to the Top funds By Jaime Sarrio • THE TENNESSEAN • March 5, 2010 Tennessee lawmakers came a step closer Thursday to learning whether their massive education reform efforts will earn the state's schools a $501 million federal grant. The state was one of 16 selected as front-runners in the Race to the Top competition, a federal initiative offering the chance to win a slice of $4.35 billion in exchange for making significant changes to public school policy. The winners will be announced in April. Forty states and Washington, D.C., applied for the money, but fewer than 10 will be chosen to split the final prize, said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "Only the best proposals will win, and we expect winners to blaze the path for the future of school reform for years, and even decades to come," Duncan said. "They will make education reform America's mission." Duncan said all of the finalists scored more than 400 points out of a possible 500 points in an evaluation of their grant applications, but he did not release individual scores. Up next — finalists will send teams to Washington to defend the applications. "It's important we not make these decisions based on a piece of paper," Duncan said. "Looking people in the eye and having heart-to-heart conversations will make me more confident when we pick the actual winners." If Tennessee doesn't win in this round, there's another in the summer. And if President Barack Obama's proposed education budget passes, Duncan said, there will be a third round of money to hand out next year. Tennessee, which requested a half-billion dollars in its application, is favored to win the competition by local and national education experts. Its sophisticated student tracking system can predict academic progress over time, and the application process put a premium on data-driven decision-making in education. Gov. Phil Bredesen said a K-12 reform bill passed in January also gives the state an edge. It requires teachers to be evaluated on student test scores and makes it easier for the state to take over low-performing schools. "A lot of the things they're looking for are things that we've already done, not that we're promising to do," Bredesen said. Bredesen will be one of five team members defending the state's 1,000-page application later this month. He said state Education Commissioner Tim Webb is likely to join him, and the two will begin meeting today to develop their strategy. "We're going to put our best foot forward," Bredesen said.

Hermitage Precinct - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 4, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Hermitage Precinct officers, aided by citizen tips, today arrested five teen burglary suspects involved in three home break-ins. At 8 a.m., officers responded to an alarm at a home on Tulip Grove Road. A rock had been thrown through a window. Citizens reported a suspicious Honda Civic parked nearby. Officers Jeb Johnston and Paris Spraggins soon located the suspect car on Rockwood Drive. Both suspects, Keno Lane, 18, and a 17-year-old who lives on Rockwood Drive, admitted their involvement. Lane, of Chandler Place, is charged with criminal trespass. The 17-year-old is charged in Juvenile Court with attempted burglary and loitering during school hours. In the other two cases, four teens are believed to have broken into a home on Cloudfalls Trace at 10:30 a.m. and a home on Grace Falls Drive just 30 minutes later. Citizens in the area reported the four teens arrived in two separate vehicles, parked, and walked behind houses. Officers located and arrested three of the suspects, one eluded capture. Stolen items and two handguns were recovered from the vehicles. Two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old are each charged in Juvenile Court with two counts of aggravated burglary, unlawful weapon possession and loitering during school hours.

TN widens choices for long-term care

More elderly, disabled can stay in homes as new program kicks in By Christina E. Sanchez • THE TENNESSEAN • March 1, 2010 Ruby Brown enjoys settling into a big chair in a bedroom of her Bordeaux home to watch daily court shows on television. Her daughter, Gail Brown, says the familiar surroundings and routine are important to her mother's quality of life. She brought her 78-year-old mother, who has early-onset dementia, to live with her and her husband. "That's the best thing for her right now," Gail Brown said. "I want her with us while she still knows me and where she is." A new long-term care program will allow more low-income elderly and disabled people to stay in their homes or live with family instead of moving to nursing homes. Under the Long-term Care Choices Act of 2008, eligible people can choose to get services such as bathing, medications and meals at home. Because home care is less expensive than nursing home care, more people will be able to receive services, officials said. The Choices program kicks off today in Middle Tennessee and on July 1 statewide. Tennessee ranks dead last in the country for spending on home- and community-based care. Of the $1 billion that Tennessee and the federal government spend on long-term care in the state, more than $900 million, or about 95 percent, goes to nursing homes. "Choices changes how we deliver long-term care and makes home- and community-based care services more available," said Patti Kill ings worth, chief of long-term care for the TennCare Bureau, the state's Medicaid program. "People will have freedom of choice between home-based care and facility care as long as care can be safely provided and doesn't cost more than a nursing home." To qualify for TennCare Choices, people must be older, blind or disabled and must meet income and other eligibility criteria. Forms will be filled out by a representative from the local area agency on aging and submitted on behalf of the person in need. That is a new element of the program designed to streamline the process and get people approved for services within 10 days. "This program has been a long time coming," said Rebecca Kelly, state director of AARP Tennessee. "We know people want to stay in their homes and community as long as they can." People in nursing homes will also be able to look at other care options, she said. "Until now, nursing homes have been the default for people who need care," Kelly said. "They want more choices." 'A huge step forward' The Choices program, when fully rolled out in July, will be able to serve almost 9,500 people, giving 3,500 more people access to long-term care. Killingsworth said serving more people is important because the long-term care population is expected to triple in the coming years. "We will be able to rebalance how we spend our long-term care dollars," she said. "It's not going to make us first, but we're not going to be 50th. This is a huge step forward in a long journey." The state has also awarded almost $2.6 million in one-time grants to long-term care facilities statewide to diversify the options they offer, such as adult day care, meal delivery and home care services. Bordeaux Long-term Care, in North Nashville, received more than $127,000 to expand its care to include home-delivered meals and personal care services at home, such as bathing or light housekeeping. The facility also has a nursing home, adult assisted living and an adult day care. "The Choices program will in some ways mean a new way of doing business in the long-term care industry," said Barbara Morrison, administrator at Bordeaux. "It will help more people to be able to access different kinds of services." On the Bordeaux campus, the Knowles Adult Day Care serves about 40 people a day. It provides activities, physical care and a place to socialize for people who live at home but need a place to go during the day, said Rhonda Dunn, Knowles administrator. "Our goal is to keep them at home as long as possible until they no longer are able," Dunn said. "They are able to stay at home or with family but get the additional quality of care they need."

Gangs rattle schools !

Click the above link to read the whole story!

NASHVILLE STATE SEEKS ANTIOCH SITE

DATE: February 23, 2010 CONTACT: Eileen Crane at 615-353-3545 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE EDUCATION/BUSINESS

Nashville State Community College announced today that it has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a site in Antioch to lease or purchase as a permanent location to serve students in the Antioch area. The RFP envisions a 40,000 square feet facility with classrooms, labs and office space that will accommodate what college officials project will be a 1,200 student campus. NSCC President George Van Allen says the reason is growth. "We require more classrooms and must find the most economical way to develop them. Developing a facility in Antioch has the advantage of lower cost and places us in an area where many of our students call home.

For many students, that will eliminate the inconvenience and expense of cross-town commuting." The college analyzed the zip codes of all its students to determine a location for off campus development to alleviate the space problems experienced on the main campus. Roughly one third of main campus students live in the Antioch area. No other areas approached this volume of students making Antioch the obvious area for expansion. NSCC's fall 2009 enrollment at all locations was over 9,400 students, more than 7,200 of whom attended the main campus in Nashville. The proposed Antioch campus is expected to have a wide range of general education and developmental classes. Nashville State is looking for a site that can be ready as soon as November 1st so students might begin attending with the spring 2011 semester. Proposals will be due on March 22. Details regarding the RFP are available on the college's website at www.nscc.edu, and in the legal notices of the Tennessean February 24 and February 26 editions.

More information regarding the RFP can also be obtained by contacting Julia Covington at Johnson Johnson Crabtree Architects in Nashville at 615-837-0656.

CRIME OF THE WEEK of FEBRUARY 23rd, 2010

CRIME OF THE WEEK FOR FEBRUARY 23rd, 2010

THIS WEEK NASHVILLE CRIME STOPPERS IS OFFERING A REWARD OF $1000 CASH FOR CLUES CALLED IN TO 74-CRIME THAT HELP SOLVE THE MURDER OF SANTOS LEAL ON BELL ROAD IN SOUTH NASHVILLE. ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31ST AT APPROXIMATELY 8:25 IN THE EVENING, SANTOS LEAL AND SOME FRIENDS WERE SITTING IN THE LIVING ROOM OF A DUPLEX IN THE 1500 BLOCK OF BELL ROAD SOCIALIZING WHEN TWO MASKED GUNMEN BURST THROUGH THE DOOR. BOTH MEN AIMED LONG GUNS AT SANTOS AND HIS FRIENDS AND DEMANDED MONEY. SANTOS STOOD UP AND WAS IMMEDIATELY SHOT BY ONE OF THE GUNMEN. AFTER GUNNING DOWN SANTOS, THE ROBBERS RAN OUT THE DOOR EMPTY HANDED AND INTO THE DARKNESS. SANTOS WAS TRANSPORTED TO A NEARBY HOSPITAL WHERE HE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD ON ARRIVAL. THE FIRST SUSPECT WAS DESCRIBED AS BEING MALE BLACK, 28 TO 30 YEARS OLD, WEARING A GRAY SHIRT AND BLACK PANTS. THE SECOND ONE WAS ALSO A MALE BLACK, WITH A SHAVED HEAD, WEARING A RED AND WHITE BANDANA, APPROXIMATELY 5 FEET SIX INCHES TO FIVE FEET EIGHT INCHES TALL. IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION WHICH MIGHT HELP METRO POLICE SOLVE THE MURDER OF SANTOS LEAL IN THE 1500 BLOCK OF BELL ROAD IN SOUTH NASHVILLE, CALL CRIME STOPPERS AT 74-CRIME. IF THE INFORMATION RESULTS IN THE ARREST AND PROSECUTION, NASHVILLE CRIME STOPPERS WILL PAY A REWARD OF $1000 CASH. CRIME STOPPERS WILL ALSO PAY UP TO $1000 FOR CLUES CALLED IN TO 74-CRIME ON ANY OTHER MAJOR CRIME, WANTED PERSON, STOLEN PROPERTY OR DRUGS. YOU NOW HAVE THREE WAYS TO SUBMIT YOUR TIP. YOU CAN VISIT http://www.nashvillecrimestoppers.com/ , CALL 74-CRIME OR TEXT THE WORD CASH AND YOUR MESSAGE TO CRIMES (274637). ALL THREE WAYS ARE TOTALLY ANONYMOUS AND SECURE. YOU WILL ONLY BE KNOWN BY THE CODE NUMBER YOU ARE ISSUED.

Handgun licenses increase in TN

ASSOCIATED PRESS • February 22, 2010 New state statistics say the number of Tennesseans licensed to carry a handgun increased by 23 percent over the previous year. The Commercial Appeal in Memphis reports that 268,711 people were permitted at the start of 2010, compared with last year's total of 218,004 on Jan. 1, 2009. The numbers come from the state Department of Safety Figures. The new data indicate that about 6 percent of Tennessee residents old enough for a handgun-carry permit had one at the start of 2010. The legal age is 21 and older. Knoxville has the highest concentration of permit-holders among the state's largest cities. More than 11 percent of its residents eligible for permits are licensed to carry firearms

Mayor readies plan to fight Nashville poverty

A plan to reduce Nashville's poverty rate will be presented today by Mayor Karl Dean. The presentation will begin at 10 a.m. in the Board Room at the Metro Action Commission, 1624 Fifth Ave. N. In September 2008, the Poverty Reduction Initiative was started and action committees formed to focus on improving child care, economic opportunities, health care, housing, employment, neighborhoods and food availability for those in poverty. The report will include recommendations in each category. — MITCHELL KLINE THE TENNESSEAN

Bredesen, other governors offer help on health-care compromise

Group says states can reignite talks ASSOCIATED PRESS • February 22, 2010 WASHINGTON — Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen joined other state governors Sunday in offering to strike a health-care compromise between the warring factions in Washington. "We are making an offer to help and are very willing to roll up our sleeves and help if that's what Congress and the president decided," Bredesen said at a news conference on the sidelines at the National Governors Association meeting. The governors' plea was an implicit acknowledgment that President Barack Obama and the Democratic-led Congress have frozen governors out of the process. The White House, meanwhile, readied its last-ditch effort to salvage health-care legislation, while the Senate's Republican leader warned Democrats against the go-it-alone approach. The White House was expected to post a version of Obama's plan for overhauling health care on its Web site today, before his critical summit at Blair House on Thursday. The plan, which was likely to be opposed by the GOP, was expected to require most Americans to carry health insurance coverage, with federal subsidies to help many afford the premiums. Hewing close to a stalled Senate bill, it would bar insurance companies from denying coverage to people with medical problems or charging them more. The expected price tag is around $1 trillion over 10 years. The conference at the White House guest residence is to be televised live on C-SPAN and perhaps on cable news networks. It represents a gamble by the administration that Obama can save his embattled overhaul through persuasion — a risky and unusual step. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Sunday that he would participate but that Obama and congressional Democrats would be wrong to push the bills they wrote in the House and Senate. "The fundamental point I want to make is the arrogance of all of this. You know, they are saying, 'Ignore the wishes of the American people. We know more about this than you do. And we're going to jam it down your throats no matter what.' That is why the public is so angry at this Congress and this administration over this issue," McConnell said on Fox News Sunday Compromise sought While the House and Senate have each passed their own version of a health overhaul, lawmakers have yet to settle their differences and produce a single bill acceptable to both chambers. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, hoped a compromise — "sweet spot," he called it — was possible. "If you really want to serve the people and not just your party, I think you will find that sweet spot and you can get it done," he said. Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania appealed to Republicans to offer their own proposals. "You take some of our ideas. We'll take some of your ideas. We may not love your ideas, but we'll take them. If they don't do that, I think this whole dynamic of this political year could turn around," he said. Schwarzenegger and Rendell appeared on ABC's This Week. Bredesen was among four leaders of the National Governors Association, two Republicans and two Democrats, who offered to work on a health-care compromise. The Blair House meeting takes place nearly a year after Obama launched his drive to remake health care — a Democratic agenda item for decades — at an earlier summit he infused with a bipartisan spirit. The president will point out that Republicans have supported individual elements of the Democratic bills. Under the expected Obama plan, regulators would create a competitive marketplace for small businesses and people buying their own coverage. The plan would be paid for with a mix of Medicare cuts and tax increases. It would also strip out special Medicaid deals for certain states, while moving to close the Medicare prescription coverage gap and making newly available coverage for working families more affordable. The changes would cost about $200 billion over 10 years. It's unclear what the total price tag for the legislation would be; the Senate bill was originally under $900 billion. Options open Over the weekend, Obama suggested that he was willing to move toward Republicans in a couple of areas, including a measure that allows people to buy insurance from a company in another state. He said he might also be willing to support a plan giving small businesses the power to join together and offer health care at lower prices. "I don't want to see this meeting turn into political theater, with each side simply reciting talking points and trying to score political points," Obama said in his weekend radio address. "Instead, I ask members of both parties to seek common ground in an effort to solve a problem that's been with us for generations."

HELP WANTED - For Music City Center Building

To get an application for a job on the Music City Center project, go to www.musiccitycenterdbe.com, click on “The DBE Program” and then click on “Employment and Contract Opportunities.” You can apply online or print out an application and mail it to the address provided on the Web site. You also can pick up an application at the construction management team’s trailer at Demonbreun Street and Seventh Avenue South

City Center jobs come slowly

Convention hall contractors expect to employ up to 3,000 By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • February 22, 2010 Work on a new downtown convention center will become much more visible next month, gradually creating thousands of jobs over the next three years, project managers said. Mayor Karl Dean and other supporters sold the $585 million Music City Center project as a stimulus package for Nashville, where the unemployment rate is about 10 percent. They've said the project should create 2,500 to 3,000 jobs, with 800 to 1,000 people on-site at peak times. About 100 people are working on the job already, said Gary Schalmo, project director and senior vice president with Bell/Clark/Harmony, the general contractor. They're working on plans and shop drawings, procurement and other tasks. Excavation work will start around March 1, bringing 20 people or so to the construction site south of Sommet Center and First Baptist Church. An additional 100 workers will start putting up the 1.2-million-square-foot building's concrete frame in April or May. Schalmo said the concrete work would stretch into 2011. About 400 workers should be on-site by the end of this year, with more working behind the scenes. "It won't be a huge work force until we get the frame up," he said. "It'll be a pretty constant ramp-up of about 40 (workers) a month." Metro Councilman Bo Mitchell said he remains concerned that many of the contracts and individual jobs could go to companies and people who don't do business or live here. "I take everyone at their word, but until it happens, I still have that concern," Mitchell said. "The profit is going back to wherever that business is from. I'm looking for those 3,000 jobs to be Nashvillians for the most part or Middle Tennesseans, and for the contracts to be the same way." Schalmo and Larry Atema, Metro's senior project manager, said some of the contracts would have to go to firms that aren't based in Nashville. For example no local company is capable of doing $30 million to $40 million of concrete work on an "intense" schedule, they said. "There will be times when a national firm will need to be relied upon," Atema said. Local workers wanted But out-of-town firms will want to hire mostly local workers so they can avoid housing costs, Atema said, and many will form joint ventures with local companies that can do specific jobs. For instance the electrical subcontractor could hire a local firm to put in all of the electrical cables for the convention center's fire alarms. Atema said the economic downturn also would ensure the availability of local workers. That wasn't always the case when Metro built LP Field in the late 1990s, an economic boom time. "There are enough local workers to get this job built," Atema said. He said it had been "sobering" to see how many out-of-work project managers — people he's known or heard about for years — were applying for jobs on the convention center project. The project team will start sending companies the bid requirements for some contracts today. It will continue that process through June 1 as it looks to bring in qualified firms to install everything from structural steel and plumbing to elevators and bathroom fixtures. All subcontractors should be on board by October, Schalmo said. Bell/Clark/Harmony has guaranteed Metro that construction itself won't cost more than $415 million. The contractor will be on the hook for any overruns. The city has already spent about $20 million on the project and has $150 million in remaining costs beyond construction, such as land acquisition, design and relocation of a Nashville Electric Service substation. Metro is paying for the project with a municipal bond issue. It will pay the debt created by the bond issue with revenues collected from tourists. If the tourist revenues fall short, the city will tap a $130 million-a-year pool of general fund revenues — excluding property and sales taxes — to make up the difference.