1. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013
Gov. Bill Haslam, others to address press today (Associated Press)
The Associated Press and Tennessee Press Association are hosting their annual legislative planning session in
Nashville on Thursday. Gov. Bill Haslam, Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell are
scheduled to speak to editors, publishers and reporters about their priorities for the year. The session also features
a panel discussion on the debate about whether Tennessee should expand Medicaid under the federal health care
overhaul. The program also will discuss the recent court ruling that the Tennessee Department of Children’s
Services must release records involving cases of children who died or were injured after investigations of abuse
and neglect and the results of statewide polling by Middle Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt University.
http://www.tennessean.com/viewart/20130207/NEWS/302070067/Gov-Bill-Haslam-others-address-press-today
Haslam not sure whether he'll veto gun bill (Chattanooga Times Free-
Press/Sher)
Gov. Bill Haslam said Wednesday it's too early to know if he would veto a controversial "guns-in-parking lots"
measure should it pass, noting he continues to study its impact on schools, colleges and universities. The bill,
sponsored by Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, will be on the Senate floor next week. It would allow
handgun-carry permit holders to store firearms in their locked vehicles parked on most public and private lots in
Tennessee. The bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, 8-0. Before that, Haslam met in his office
with Ramsey and GOP panel members. On Wednesday, the governor didn't respond directly when asked if he had
sought changes to the bill in that closed-door meeting. "The meeting yesterday was, 'Tell me what we do now and
tell me how this would change things,'" Haslam said. "I have said all along that education institutions are a concern
of mine. And I'm trying to understand, again, what's the reality now and how this would change."
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/feb/07/haslam-not-sure-whether-hell-veto-gun-bill/?local
Tennessee governor unsure about veto on gun bill (Commercial
Appeal/Locker)
Gov. Bill Haslam said Wednesday he doesn't know whether he would veto a bill being fast-tracked through the
Senate to let handgun-carry permit holders keep guns in their cars on any public or private parking lot, even though
it doesn't exempt school and college campuses as he's always insisted. The bill won approval in the Senate
Judiciary Committee Tuesday without a dissenting vote, despite the objections of college administrators and
business leaders. Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, who is sponsoring the bill, has said he wants the Senate to
quickly pass the bill next week so that the media won't spend the legislative session reporting on the issue as
occurred in the last two legislative sessions. "My goal is to pass this next week in our committee, pass it the next
week on the floor so two weeks from now there won't be anything to ask after that," Ramsey, R-Blountville, said
last week.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/feb/06/tennessee-governor-unsure-about-veto-on-gun-bill/ (SUB)
Haslam seeks local aid on prison overcrowding cost (Leaf Chronicle)
County ends up with deficit under current method Anywhere between 50 to 200 state prisoners are housed in the
Montgomery County Jail on a given day, because of never-ending overcrowding in state prisons. It’s a problem not
just here in Clarksville, but throughout Tennessee’s small towns and big cities – wherever there are vacant places
to incarcerate prisoners in state custody… Trying to cover the cost In his new 2013-14 budget, Gov. Bill Haslam
says he wants to help counties cover more of the rising cost of incarcerating state prisoners. He’s proposing a plan
that would put an additional $48.1 million in the state budget for jails. Whether that amount would make a
significant dent in the problem remains to be seen. The $48.1 million is to fund the state prosecutions account,
according to Cindy Dunning in the Office of Communication & Public Relations for the state Department of
Correction. http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20130206/NEWS01/302060018/Haslam-seeks-local-aid-prison-

2. overcrowding-cost (SUBSCRIPTION)
New Look Department (Memphis Flyer)
First, some bona fide good news of a bipartisan sort: In his State of the State message last week, Governor Bill
Haslam unveiled some serious lagniappe for Memphis: $45 million for a new community health facility at the
University of Memphis; $62 million for renovations at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center; $15
million to match an outlay by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for treatment of childhood obesity and genetic
disorders. Haslam also proposed selling the Donnelly Hill State Building, a white elephant in the downtown
government plaza, but wants to see the employees of that building relocated elsewhere downtown. In any case,
Haslam cannot be accused of being inattentive to Memphis' needs in the time-honored mode of Nashvilledom.
http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/new-look-department/Content?oid=3343450
Gov. Bill Haslam defends Kate O'Day's DCS record (Tennessean/Sisk)
Gov. Bill Haslam defended the former leader of the Department of Children’s Services and the agency’s $55,000
bill to news outlets to obtain records related to children who have died. The Tennessee governor said
Commissioner Kate O’Day decided herself to resign a day before she was to testify to state lawmakers about her
embattled department. Haslam praised O’Day’s record and declined to cite any missteps she might have made as
commissioner. “All of us do things (wrong),” Haslam told reporters after a speech at Lipscomb University on
Wednesday. “I don’t know that’s a fair question of any of us.” He added that he was not aware of the tab for the
records — which was tallied after a judge ruled that the records had to be made public — until it was printed in the
newspaper. But Haslam said the sum was not meant to discourage news organizations from obtaining the records.
He said line items — such as $500 for correction fluid, nearly 1,800 labor hours to review the records and more
than 14,000 miles to transport records around the state — did not seem extraordinary given that the records are
scattered in various DCS offices. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130207/NEWS0201/302070049/Gov-Bill-
Haslam-defends-Kate-O-Day-s-DCS-record (SUBSCRIPTION)
Henry vows to attack problems, meet with children's advocates
(TN/Wadhwani)
Interim Department of Children’s Services Commissioner Jim Henry on Wednesday told state lawmakers he was
not going to be “baby-sitting” but would immediately “attack the problems as they exist” at the state’s troubled $650
million child welfare agency. In his first full day on the job, Henry — who still serves as the commissioner of the
Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities — laid out his preliminary plan for that attack. He will
meet with DCS private contractors and staff, assess progress on the department’s glitch-prone computer system
and hold roundtables across the state with private agencies that work with children. Henry committed to reporting
back to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee in March once he had conducted a review of the department in
tandem with Gov. Bill Haslam’s appointee Larry Martin, who was tapped last week to review the department. And,
Henry will review DCS’ decision to charge media organizations more than $55,000 for records about child fatalities
and near fatalities. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130207/NEWS0201/302070045/DCS-interim-leader-Jim-
Henry-vows-attack-problems-meet-children-s-advocates (SUBSCRIPTION)
Lawmakers want more meetings with DCS (Associated Press/Johnson)
State lawmakers told the interim commissioner of the embattled Department of Children’s Services on Wednesday
that they want to be made aware of the agency’s challenges so they can help address its problems. Jim Henry,
who headed the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, spoke before the Senate Health and
Welfare Committee. He replaces Kate O’Day, who resigned the day before under scrutiny of how her agency
handled the cases of children who were investigated as possible victims of abuse and neglect, then later died.
Committee member Doug Overbey said lawmakers would like to have more meetings with agency officials. “I think
it would be very helpful that we meet again like this as we move forward, that we work … together to address the
problems,” the Maryville Republican said. Committee chairman Rusty Crowe said he wants to give Henry time to
get situated in his new position, but he’d like to have him back before the committee as early as next month.
http://www.dnj.com/viewart/20130207/NEWS/302070019/Lawmakers-want-more-meetings-DCS (SUB)
DCS Interim Asked to Face ‘Brutal Facts’ (WPLN- Radio Nashville)
The temporary head of the embattled Department of Children’s Service said at a legislative hearing he would turn
things around, even with the title of “interim.” Jim Henry was named to replace DCS Commissioner Kate O’Day,
who resigned 24 hours before she was to testify about unreported child deaths. “I promise you I will not be passive
or a caretaker. I will attack these problems as they exist.” Henry is also still the commissioner of the Department of
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, though he says he will devote more time to DCS. He read from a
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3. prepared statement but also freely fielded questions from lawmakers and later from reporters. While Henry was
careful to commend his predecessor, he did question some decisions. This week DCS said it would charge news
organizations $55,000 for copies of child records requested through a lawsuit. “I haven’t looked at it, but quite
frankly it just sounds a little high to me.” http://wpln.org/?p=45305
Tenn. economy should be 'substantially stronger' in 2014 (News- Sentinel)
Tennessee's economy will continue modest growth this year, but should be “substantially stronger”in 2014,
University of Tennessee economists said today. The national economy is expected to grow in the coming months
with a steady decline in the unemployment rate, according to the annual economic forecast prepared for the
governor by UT's Center for Business and Economic Research. "The U.S. economy is projected to continue to
grow in the quarters ahead and the unemployment rate will continue its slow but steady decline," said Matt Murray,
associate director of CBER and the report's author. “For Tennessee, the economic outlook calls for modest growth
in 2013 followed by substantially stronger growth in 2014.”
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/feb/06/tenn-economy-should-be-substantially-stronger-2014/
Tennessee education group pushes for tougher college standards
(CA/Roberts)
Former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, founder of a statewide advocacy group for education reform, is pressing for higher
standards in the state's colleges and challenged leaders not to soften the teacher evaluation process. As head of
SCORE, the State Collaborative on Reforming Education, Frist also wants better ways to evaluate school
principals, specific strategies for how schools invest in technology and more ways to involve parents in education.
The priorities are outlined in SCORE's third annual review of the state's progress in education. Frist released the
85-page report in Nashville Tuesday along with survey results that show a 38-percentage-point rise in the number
of Tennesseans who support the new teacher evaluation structure, introduced last year. In 2010, 40 percent of
voters approved of the new evaluation. "Tennessee is marking the beginning of a dramatic turnaround in student
achievement," said Frist, SCORE chairman. "The hard work of a broad range of partners has helped Tennessee's
students make the most academic progress in the state's history."
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/feb/06/tennessee-education-group-pushes-for-tougher/ (SUB)
New Bledsoe prison expanding: Project to add 512 beds (TFP/Benton)
The $208 million Bledsoe County Correctional Complex, completed in December, is slated for a $30.25 million
expansion before the first inmate has even moved in. The expansion funded in Gov. Bill Haslam's 2013-14 budget
will add 512 beds to the 1,444 the state will start filling in March, state Correction Department spokeswoman
Dorinda Carter said. "The facility was originally planned for this expansion," Carter said this week. "The space for
the two additional housing buildings is already within the secure perimeter, and utilities and other measures are in
place to assimilate these new inmates." The just-completed 1,444 inmate beds join 970 existing beds at the
Southeastern Tennessee State Regional Correctional Facility, which has taken on the Bledsoe Correctional
Complex moniker. The coming expansion will bring the number of state inmate beds in Bledsoe County to 2,926,
according to officials. The expansion was not included in the original project because "the pre-planning phase
began eight years ago when we were unsure if we needed those beds," TDOC Commissioner Derrick Schofield
said in an email. "Today, looking at the future growth, we feel it is in the best interest [of the state] to bring those
beds online. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/feb/07/new-prison-expanding/?local
6 communities in Tennessee Downtowns program (Associated Press)
State economic development officials have chosen six communities to participate in the Tennessee Downtowns
program. The state Department of Economic and Community Development said Wednesday that the communities
of Clifton, Greenfield, Portland, Tracy City, Waynesboro and White Bluff have been chosen for the program. The
six communities are each home to downtown commercial districts established at least 50 years ago. The selection
process was based on criteria including historic resources, economic and physical need and probability of success.
The department says the communities will each form a committee of citizens for training about sustainable
downtown revitalization and historic preservation. The training includes webinars, workshops and a $15,000
reimbursable grant to complete individualized downtown development projects.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/feb/07/6-communities-in-tennessee-downtowns-program/
TN Supreme Court hears voter ID case (Associated Press/Burke)
Court to decide constitutionality of 2011 law Tennessee’s Supreme Court was asked Wednesday to decide
whether the state’s voter ID law deprives people of the right to vote or if it’s a necessary safeguard to prevent
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4. election fraud. And in a related issue, the court must determine whether a city-issued library card with a photo can
be used as identification to vote. The court heard arguments from the city of Memphis and two residents who are
challenging the law. The city and the individual plaintiffs sued the state last year after election officials refused to
accept a city-issued library card with a photo as voter identification. The state attorney general’s office argued that
that the library card is issued by the city while the state’s voter ID law passed in 2011 requires either a state-issued
photo ID, federal identification or an ID issued from another state. Janet M. Kleinfelter, a deputy attorney general,
also said the law was not so onerous that it would deprive people of the right to vote. But attorneys representing
the city said the votes of 650 people have not been counted in the last two elections because they lacked the
proper identification. http://www.tennessean.com/viewart/20130207/NEWS03/302070051/TN-Supreme-Court-
hears-voter-ID-case (SUBSCRIPTION)
Tennessee Supreme Court hears arguments on voter ID law (City
Paper/Greenberg)
The Tennessee Supreme Court invoked century-old arguments about suffrage in Wednesday morning’s hearing of
a voter ID lawsuit brought by Nashville civil rights attorney George Barrett. Barrett is representing the city of
Memphis, which attempted last year to disperse library cards that could be used as acceptable forms of photo ID.
But the state election commission instructed polls in Memphis not to accept the IDs. The state Court of Appeals
ruled before the election that the cards could be used, although they upheld the state’s photo ID requirement as
well. The state appealed the decision to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Both sides presented oral arguments in
the case on Wednesday morning. Justice William Koch repeatedly questioned both sides, using case law from the
late 1800s. “It’s fascinating that all these arguments were made back to 1865,” Koch said. The case law
represented prior arguments about the burden placed on voters — and how far was too far. In one case, Nashville
required voters to vote from home and notify the city whenever they changed residences.
http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/tennessee-supreme-court-hears-arguments-voter-id-law
Justices Show Rifts Over Voter ID Requirement (WPLN- Radio Nashville)
It could take months for Tennessee’s Supreme Court to rule on the legality of requiring a photo ID to vote, and
whether a Memphis library card should count. Opponents of the law had hoped to overturn it before the election
last fall, saying it disenfranchises voters. In court Wednesday a couple of the justices seemed to hint which way
they’re leaning. Defending the law was Janet Kleinfelter, whom Justice Cornelia Clark tested early on. Clark asked
whether her 82-year-old mother might have a hard time getting a required ID to vote. Kleinfelter answered: “Your
82-year-old mother can vote by absentee ballot.” To that, another justice asked “Why should there be a different
standard for absentee voters?” Moments later a third justice seemed to back Kleinfelter, “You’re not saying there’s
no burden; you’re saying there’s no unconstitutional burden.” http://wpln.org/?p=45311
New Guns-in-Lots Measure Passes First Senate Committee Go-Round (TN
Report)
A bill granting legal protections to certain gun owners so they can keep a firearm in their vehicle while parked on
their employers’ property is quickly headed to the Tennessee Senate floor. Senate Bill 142, sponsored by Lt. Gov.
Ron Ramsey, seeks to put to rest a running political skirmish from last year that pitted typically Republican-leaning
constituencies against one another — business interests and gun-rights advocates. It passed out of the nine-
member Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday with no opposition; Ophelia Ford, a Memphis Democrat, abstained
from voting. Ramsey’s bill would authorize Tennessee’s more than 370,000 carry-permit holder to keep a gun in
their car even against their employer’s wishes, provided the weapon is secured securely and stored out of sight in
the parked vehicle. The legislation also protects the employer against “any civil action for damages, injuries or
death resulting from or arising out of another’s actions involving a firearm or ammunition transported or stored in
accordance” with the law.
http://tnreport.com/2013/02/06/new-guns-in-lots-measure-passes-first-senate-committee-go-round/
Tennessee gun bill hurts business- friendly message, biz leaders say (NBJ)
When it comes to promoting Tennessee as a business-friendly state, new guns-in-parking-lots legislation does little
to help enhance that reputation, business leaders say. "Anything that infringes on the rights of property owners or
employers clearly is viewed as a negative by companies that are already here or are looking to locate here," said
Bill Ozier, chairman of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "When a legislature starts to sort of
interfere in how you run your business and what your rules for your employees and others can be, that's not a
plus." A Tennessee Senate panel has advanced a bill guaranteeing permitted gun owners the right to store
firearms in their cars no matter where they are parked. The bill was approved Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary
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5. Committee in an 8-0 vote, and now advances to a full Senate floor vote Thursday. Businesses including FedEx,
Nissan and Volkswagen opposed similar legislation last year.
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2013/02/06/guns-in-parking-lot-bills-impairs.html
Henry Focuses on Better State Credit Ratings (Memphis Daily News)
State Sen. Douglas Henry, D-Nashville, the longest-serving member of the General Assembly that recently
convened, looks ahead with a simple, focused determination. Beginning his 43rd year in the Senate, Henry says he
has little interest in “hot-button” issues such as the expansion of gun-owners’ rights, school vouchers or allowing
wine sales in grocery stores. “What I’m interested in is the financial condition of the state,” he says. What he would
like to see – and what he will work toward – is regaining Tennessee’s AAA credit rating with all bond-rating
agencies. Standard & Poor’s currently rates the state AA+ after dropping its AAA rating several years ago when the
state budgeted money based on rosier-than-expected revenue projections – over his objections, Henry says.
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2013/feb/7/better-state-credit-ratings-issue-for-henry/
TennCare expansion, schools, workers' comp on Nash chamber's wish list
(NBJ)
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce released its 2013 state legislative agenda today, citing its top priorities
for Tennessee lawmakers. Improving primary and secondary education and job creation topped the priority list in
terms of urgency, based on a member survey, with 24 percent responding, according to the chamber. The group's
policy priorities include: • Support for the federally funded expansion of TennCare/Medicair • Moving workers’
compensation out of the courts • Business impact statements for proposed legislation • Comprehensive federal
immigration reform
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2013/02/tenncare-workers-comp-charter.html
TennCare expansion makes economic sense to chamber of commerce
(TN/Cass)
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce came out Wednesday in support of expanding TennCare, the state’s
Medicaid program. Marc Hill, the chamber’s chief policy officer, said the business group looked closely at the
controversial issue over the past month before deciding to advocate for the expansion — which would be fully
funded by the federal government for the first three years — in its 2013 legislative agenda. Hill cited four main
reasons: • Job creation and increased consumer spending. A University of Memphis analysis found expansion
would support more than 20,000 new jobs in Tennessee by 2019. • Increasing the insured population would
replace the money lost in cuts to hospitals and other health care providers, thereby reducing uncompensated care,
which would help keep insurance premium increases in check. • Avoiding a scenario that would allow many people
who are below the poverty line to buy insurance from a health exchange created by the federal government, which
would “drive up premiums for everybody else, including businesses that provide health insurance to employees.”
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130207/NEWS01/302070058/TennCare-expansion-makes-economic-sense-
Nashville-chamber-commerce (SUBSCRIPTION)
Legislation Propels Parks Controversy to New Level (Memphis Daily News)
Shelby County suburban leaders were meeting in Nashville Tuesday, Feb. 5, with Tennessee legislators about
possible moves toward some version of suburban school districts, the Memphis City Council was reacting to a
pending bill in the state Legislature. The Tennessee Heritage Preservation Act of 2013 has nothing to do with the
Shelby County schools merger. But it scraped a still raw nerve at City Hall from the 2011 move to the schools
merger – two years of state legislation altering the terms of that merger, fueling an ongoing federal court lawsuit
over first the merger and then the attempt at suburban school districts. The result this week was the chronic
controversy over the idea of renaming Nathan Bedford Forrest Park reached a new level. The council voted
Tuesday to not only rename Forrest Park but Jefferson Davis Park and Confederate Park as well.
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2013/feb/7/legislation-propels-parks-controversy-to-new-level/
Cohen reintroduces bill to make it easier to discharge student debt
(CA/Sullivan)
Private student loan debt should be treated just like other debt in bankruptcy, according to U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen,
who re-introduced a bill Wednesday that would make such debt dischargeable – erasable – by bankruptcy judges.
With student loan debt now more than $1 trillion, including $150 billion in private student loan debt, undoing the
2005 change in the law that shields private lenders is “long overdue,” Cohen said. “People who seek higher
education to better their futures should not be dissuaded from doing so by the threat of financial ruin,” he said in a
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6. prepared statement. But the bill doesn’t go far enough, according to Alan Collinge, a Tacoma, Wash., activist and
founder of StudentLoanJustice.org., who touted Cohen’s earlier bill from the Occupy Wall Street encampment in
New York City in 2011.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/feb/06/cohen-reintroduces-bill-make-it-easier-discharge-s/ (SUB)
Tracy defends his abortion bill (Daily News Journal)
State Sen. Jim Tracy defended himself Wednesday against House Democrats who say his legislation requiring
women to undergo ultrasounds before abortion is a politically motivated move that would invade doctor-patient
relationships. “The protection of human life and the unborn is very important to me,” said Tracy, a Shelbyville
Republican who represents a portion of Rutherford County. He added he believes in the measure “from the bottom
of my heart.” Tracy, who announced he is running against U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, a Jasper physician, in the
2014 Republican primary for the 4th District that includes Rutherford County, contends the bill is consistent with his
views and is simply an effort to inform pregnant women before they make a “life-altering decision.” When he
announced his candidacy last month at Reeves-Sain Drug Store in Murfreesboro, Tracy made note of his 100
percent pro-life voting record and accused DesJarlais of deceiving voters in last year’s election. Records made
public after the vote showed that DesJarlais agreed for his former wife to have two abortions.
http://www.dnj.com/article/20130207/NEWS/302070015/Tracy-defends-his-abortion-bill
U.S. Postal Service to cut Saturday mail delivery (City Paper)
The U.S. Postal Service announced Wednesday that it plans to cut Saturday mail delivery, hoping to eventually
save about $2 billion annually. The new delivery schedule is set to begin the week of Aug. 5 at which time mail
delivery will shift to a Monday through Friday only schedule. Package delivery, however, will continue on a six-day-
per-week basis. The projected annual operational savings are expected to come from a “combination of employee
reassignment and attrition,” according to a Postal Service release on Wednesday. Moving to a five-day delivery
schedule is something the Postal Service leaned toward over the past several years but has delayed due to an
increased volume of package delivery demand, fueled by the continued growth in e-commerce. According to the
Postal Service, once the new mail delivery schedule begins, mail delivery to street addresses will occur Monday
through Friday, while packages will still be delivered Monday through Saturday. Mail addressed to P.O. boxes will
continue to be delivered on Saturdays, and post offices currently open on Saturdays will remain open on
Saturdays. http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/us-postal-service-cut-saturday-mail-delivery
U.S. Postal Service to end Saturday mail delivery (Times Free-
Press/Bradbury)
After 150 years of six-day-a-week mail delivery, the U.S. Postal Service announced Wednesday it will stop
delivering mail on Saturdays — a move that many locals think is a good idea. "With all the problems the Postal
Service is having, they should have done this a long time ago," Chattanooga resident Larry Jones said. "Everything
shuts down on Friday, and all I get is junk mail on Saturday anyway." The Postal Service will switch to five-day-a-
week delivery in August, Postmaster General and CEO Patrick Donahoe said Wednesday. The company will
continue to deliver packages on Saturday, but won't deliver mail to street addresses. The move is expected to save
$2 billion a year, Donahoe said in a news release, and is aimed at pushing the company back to financial stability --
the Postal Service lost $15.9 billion in the 2012 fiscal year. "The bottom line is that the Postal Service is circling the
drain," said Terry Thompson, owner of Action Mail Presort in Chattanooga. "The elimination of Saturday delivery is
one of the best moves they've made in a while. If we're going to keep the Postal Service around for any length of
time, we have to cut expenses."
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/feb/07/saturday-mail-delivery-to-end/?local
Stamping out ROUNDS (Daily News Journal)
Plans by the U.S. Postal Service to cease Saturday home deliveries beginning in August have left Murfreesboro
residents with conflicted feelings. Flore Weinstein, supervisor for customer service at the Memorial Boulevard Post
Office, said she is optimistic about the change and feels it’s a decision that needs to be made. “Customers have
more choices now, and the letter volume is going down every day. People don’t really write letters anymore, so we
need to evolve with the choices the customers have.” Dr. Wayne Latimer, a Murfreesboro chiropractor, said the
problem is with the government: “I think the United States government needs to get out of the postal system and
privatize it.” “I don’t think they’re taking it far enough. It’s just blowing in the wind right now,” Latimer said. “To the
United States government what’s $2 billion a year saved out of a $16 trillion budget?” At a Wednesday press
conference, Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe said market research and nearly all other research indicated
that nearly 7 in 10 Americans support a switch to five-day delivery as a way for the Postal Service to reduce costs.
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7. http://www.dnj.com/article/20130207/NEWS/302070016/USPS-stamp-out-Saturday-home-delivery (SUB)
Saturday mail deliveries to end; package delivery to continue (Jackson
Sun)
The U.S. Postal Service announced on Wednesday plans to stop Saturday deliveries for everything except
packages. This decision has been made to help The Postal Service financially. Cutting down to five-day-a-week
deliveries is expected to save $2 billion annually, according to officials. “Our financial condition is urgent,” declared
Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe. The plan is expected to take effect in August. Some area residents are
afraid of the impact this decision may have. “It’s going to affect my economics because my husband is a postman
and he’s going to lose a day’s pay,” said Jennifer Blankenship of Beech Bluff. When the announcement was made
Wednesday, her husband’s office didn’t know exactly what changes will need to be made in the area of scheduling
and hours. But if her husband does lose a day of work, Blankenship said “it’ll cut us out about $4,000 a month.”
She and her husband are preparing to send their children to college soon.
http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20130207/NEWS01/302070012/Saturday-mail-deliveries-end-package-delivery-
continue (SUBSCRIPTION)
Tenn. National Guard engineers deploy to Kuwait (Associated Press)
Tennessee Army National Guard soldiers from the 212th Engineer Company, based in Paris and Camden, are
leaving this week in preparation for a one-year deployment to Kuwait in support of the war in Afghanistan. Roughly
150 guardsmen will leave on Thursday from the Paris National Guard Armory to go to Fort Bliss, Texas, for
training. Capt. Susan Parker said in a news release that many of their troops have deployed two and three times
before. The unit will perform construction operations for coalition forces in Kuwait and elsewhere. The Paris unit
has previously deployed to Kuwait and Iraq from 2002 to 2003 and helped build missile sites and fuel pipelines to
support the war in Iraq, as well as building detainee holding facilities.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/feb/07/tenn-national-guard-engineers-deploy-to-kuwait/
TVA finishes license application to extend Seqouoyah life (TFP/Flessner)
The Tennessee Valley Authority said Wednesday it has completed its application with federal regulators to extend
the operating life of its Sequoyah Nuclear Plant by another 20 years. If approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, the license extension would allow TVA to extend its original 40-year operating license of its Soddy-
Daisy plant until 2040 for the Unit 1 reactor and until 2041 for the Unit 2 reactor. TVA said it expects to spend about
$23 million in the renewal process, including NRC charges to TVA to review the applications. “By applying for a 20-
year extension of our current operating license now, we are affirming to the NRC that our plant is safe and in solid
material condition,” TVA Chief Nuclear Officer Preston Swafford said in a statement. The two Sequoyah units are
among a dozen U.S. reactors now being studied by the NRC for 20-year license extensions. Among the 104
operating nuclear reactors in the United States, 73 have already been approved for 20-year license extensions
beyond their original 40-year license terms, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute. In 2006, the NRC authorized
renewal of 20-year operating licenses for TVA’s Browns Ferry units 1, 2 and 3, allowing them to operate to 2033,
2034 and 2036, respectively. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/feb/07/tva-finishes-license-application-
extend-seqouoyah-/?businesstnvalley
TVA seeks 20- year license extensions for Sequoyah plant (News-
Sentinel/Marcum)
TVA seeks 20-year license extensions for Sequoyah plant TVA announced today that it has applied to the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission for 20-year extensions of operating licenses for both units of its Sequoyah Nuclear Plant.
The licenses of those units are set to expire in 2020 and 2021. Renewal of the licenses would allow the units to
operate until 2040 and 2041. "By applying for a 20-year extension of our current operating license now, we are
affirming to the NRC that our plant is safe and in solid material condition," TVA Chief Nuclear Officer Preston
Swafford said in a statement. The TVA board of directors has approved a recommendation to seek the license
extensions, which are expected to cost about $23 million, including NRC charges to TVA to review the applications.
The NRC initially licenses nuclear plants for 40 years, then allows a request for a 20-year extension.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/feb/06/tva-seeks-20-year-license-extensions-for-plant/
TVA Applies for Sequoyah Renewal (WPLN- Radio Nashville)
The Tennessee Valley Authority says it applying to extend the license of its Sequoyah nuclear plant, near
Chattanooga. By 2021, the license for both of Sequoyah’s reactors will expire. TVA hopes federal regulators will
extend the plant’s lifespan by two decades. The utility just spent more than $360 million to upgrade generators at
7

8. the plant. The project required lifting the top off the reactor’s containment building with a massive crane. A public
hearing on the renewal will be held in April. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will inspect the plant later in the
year. The effort to renew Sequoyah’s license comes as TVA is trying to finish work on its Watts Bar Unit 2 reactor,
after years of delays and billions in cost overruns. Meanwhile, one of the utility’s nuclear plants in Alabama is under
federal supervision due to safety concerns. http://wpln.org/?p=45299
Dams save $710 million (Chattanooga Times Free- Press/Flessner)
The dams and reservoirs of the Tennessee Valley Authority helped avert an estimated $710 million of flood
damage to Chattanooga last month. But last month's rainfall -- twice as much as in the typical January -- continues
to clog river traffic along the Tennessee River artery through Chattanooga. "It's been devastating for our
operations," said Peter Serodino, president of the Chattanooga barge and towing company that bears his name.
"We've been shut down for almost five weeks now. We've had to send our crews home and, except for one day, we
haven't been able to operate." With another two inches of rain forecast for the Tennessee Valley next week, TVA
increased the flow of water through its dams on Wednesday to help recover more water storage in its upstream
reservoirs. The faster flow from the rain-swollen river has idled barge shipments on the Tennessee River upstream
of the Nickajack Dam in Marion County.
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/feb/07/dams-save-710-million/?business
School board seeks greater project safeguards (NS/Satterfield, Humphrey,
Donila)
Prompted by concerns about security work at two schools, Knox County school board member Mike McMillan
wants his peers in the coming weeks to consider putting financial safeguards in place to ensure projects they
contract out will be completed. "It would just give some protection for the school system in the future," said
McMillan, who represents the northeast portion of the county. "We may never get into this situation, but it gives us
some protection." McMillan said he is researching the issue and could present something to the board for
discussion as soon as its Feb. 18 mid-month meeting. An independent audit of security system installations at
Hardin Valley Academy and Powell Middle School revealed what it identified as numerous lapses by contractor
Professional Security Consultants and Design. Among them, the audit found that surveillance cameras were "too
dark for viewing" or didn't work at all; cabling was unprotected; and some used equipment had been installed
instead of promised new equipment. Hugh Holt, Knox County's purchasing director, said all construction projects
over $100,000 must have an attached performance bond.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/feb/07/school-board-member-seeks-greater-project/
Knox school board approves contracts for additions, renovations (News-
Sentinel)
Knox County school board members on Wednesday night approved three contracts for improvements at several
elementary schools. The first contract, for $667,125, was to Henley Roofing Co. for roof upgrades to Bonny Kate
and Sequoyah elementary schools. The other two contracts went to architecture firms to design additions and
renovations at Pond Gap and Shannondale elementaries. The Pond Gap project, a $365,000 contract plus
reimbursable expenses to The Lewis Group Architects, includes the addition of 16 classrooms, a new
kitchen/cafeteria area, a gymnasium, two new music classrooms, an art room, an expansion of administrative office
space and a new front entry complete with a secure vestibule. The project also includes renovating two restrooms,
designing a teachers' work area and transforming an existing classroom space into a special-education suite. The
contract also calls for renovating the school for its community schools initiative. For that piece, some spaces will be
changed to accommodate adult classrooms, meeting rooms and a community clinic.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/feb/07/knox-school-board-approves-contracts-for/
Schools 'train wreck' headed for Shelby County Commission (N- S/Lollar)
Budget shortfalls estimated at anywhere from $90 million to $180 million related to the city and county school
merger will drive the need for higher property taxes just as property values have gone down for the first time,
Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell said Wednesday. At the University Club, Luttrell told the Kiwanis Club of
Memphis that he didn't intend to "sugar coat" the county's economic situation. "We have serious issues that are
facing our county. Issues that require aggressive leadership and collaboration — issues like education, crime,
blight, access to health care, juvenile court reform, government inefficiencies and lack of job growth." The biggest
"looming challenge," he said, is the schools budget. And Luttrell warned after the Kiwanis meeting that the unified
school system is going to have to take responsibility for major cuts "without just handing the issue off to the County
Commission." The district estimated Monday its budget is short by at least $80 million and that to fund an ideal
8

9. school system would add another $95 million to that.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/feb/06/schools-train-wreck-headed-for-shelby-county/ (SUB)
OPINION
Free- Press Editorial: Office of the Repealer would save money, hassle
(TFP)
Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, and Tennesseans from every walk of life don't agree on
much. But almost every resident of the Volunteer State can find common ground on the ideas that there is too
much waste in state government and far too many unnecessary, obsolete laws and regulations are on the books
Two Williamson County state lawmakers have developed a plan to address both problems in one fell swoop. In
what may be the best idea to come out of Nashville since the Goo Goo Cluster, state Rep. Glen Casada, R-
Franklin, and Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, unveiled a proposal on Tuesday to streamline state government,
save taxpayers' hard-earned dollars and make the legislative process more transparent. The legislation calls for
creating the Office of the Repealer -- a one-time, four-year position with "the sole responsibility of making
recommendations to the legislature in areas of government waste, duplication and out-of-date regulations that
should be removed from the law books," according to a statement by the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus.
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/feb/07/office-of-the-repealer-would-save/?opinionfreepress
Frank Daniels: DCS must deal with its brutal reality (Tennessean)
“Had we had a chance to sit down with the media, we would have come to this conclusion. Without a lawsuit, which
I thought was needless,” said Doug Dimond, general counsel for the Department of Children’s Services, in
testimony on the release of information to media companies before the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on
Wednesday. C’mon, man! Members of the Tennessee press have been “talking” with your department since Oct. 2
to gain insight into the challenges DCS faces in the cases that result in the worst conclusion, the death of a child.
Those talks, genial as they were, did not result in departmental release of information until a suit was filed; and,
more importantly, to the result, when Children’s Rights, the oversight group for the “Brian A.” federal settlement,
filed suit in federal court saying that the department had declined to provide records to the Brian A. monitoring team
voluntarily, did DCS seem to understand the seriousness of its situation. The Children’s Rights filing said, “Plaintiffs
have a good-faith belief that serious problems concerning child-fatality investigations may be putting children at risk
of harm.” http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130207/COLUMNIST0111/302070043/DCS-must-deal-its-brutal-
reality?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p (SUBSCRIPTION)
Joe Sullivan: Misfires: Tennessee's Gun-Control Deficiencies and
Anomalies (MP)
One gun control measure strongly favored by public opinion and supported by the National Rifle Association would
require background checks on all gun purchases. Presently, only sales by federally licensed firearms dealers are
subject to these checks, and an estimated 40 percent of all transactions are exempt. The trouble is that the system
for determining whether a prospective purchaser is prohibited from possessing a firearm is widely reported to be
flawed. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (known as NICS) on which gun dealers rely is
reportedly quite good at identifying some categories of people who are banned, including convicted felons and
illegal aliens. But according to a report entitled “Fatal Gaps” by the organization Mayors Against Illegal Guns,
“Records on serious mental health and drug problems that also disqualify people from gun ownership have proven
more difficult to capture.” The FBI, which maintains NICS, relies on state and local law enforcement agencies and
courts for most of its records. But in too many cases, adjudications are going unreported or slipping between the
cracks. http://www.metropulse.com/news/2013/feb/06/misfires-tennessees-gun-control-deficiencies-and-a/
###
9

10. school system would add another $95 million to that.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/feb/06/schools-train-wreck-headed-for-shelby-county/ (SUB)
OPINION
Free- Press Editorial: Office of the Repealer would save money, hassle
(TFP)
Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, and Tennesseans from every walk of life don't agree on
much. But almost every resident of the Volunteer State can find common ground on the ideas that there is too
much waste in state government and far too many unnecessary, obsolete laws and regulations are on the books
Two Williamson County state lawmakers have developed a plan to address both problems in one fell swoop. In
what may be the best idea to come out of Nashville since the Goo Goo Cluster, state Rep. Glen Casada, R-
Franklin, and Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, unveiled a proposal on Tuesday to streamline state government,
save taxpayers' hard-earned dollars and make the legislative process more transparent. The legislation calls for
creating the Office of the Repealer -- a one-time, four-year position with "the sole responsibility of making
recommendations to the legislature in areas of government waste, duplication and out-of-date regulations that
should be removed from the law books," according to a statement by the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus.
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/feb/07/office-of-the-repealer-would-save/?opinionfreepress
Frank Daniels: DCS must deal with its brutal reality (Tennessean)
“Had we had a chance to sit down with the media, we would have come to this conclusion. Without a lawsuit, which
I thought was needless,” said Doug Dimond, general counsel for the Department of Children’s Services, in
testimony on the release of information to media companies before the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on
Wednesday. C’mon, man! Members of the Tennessee press have been “talking” with your department since Oct. 2
to gain insight into the challenges DCS faces in the cases that result in the worst conclusion, the death of a child.
Those talks, genial as they were, did not result in departmental release of information until a suit was filed; and,
more importantly, to the result, when Children’s Rights, the oversight group for the “Brian A.” federal settlement,
filed suit in federal court saying that the department had declined to provide records to the Brian A. monitoring team
voluntarily, did DCS seem to understand the seriousness of its situation. The Children’s Rights filing said, “Plaintiffs
have a good-faith belief that serious problems concerning child-fatality investigations may be putting children at risk
of harm.” http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130207/COLUMNIST0111/302070043/DCS-must-deal-its-brutal-
reality?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p (SUBSCRIPTION)
Joe Sullivan: Misfires: Tennessee's Gun-Control Deficiencies and
Anomalies (MP)
One gun control measure strongly favored by public opinion and supported by the National Rifle Association would
require background checks on all gun purchases. Presently, only sales by federally licensed firearms dealers are
subject to these checks, and an estimated 40 percent of all transactions are exempt. The trouble is that the system
for determining whether a prospective purchaser is prohibited from possessing a firearm is widely reported to be
flawed. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (known as NICS) on which gun dealers rely is
reportedly quite good at identifying some categories of people who are banned, including convicted felons and
illegal aliens. But according to a report entitled “Fatal Gaps” by the organization Mayors Against Illegal Guns,
“Records on serious mental health and drug problems that also disqualify people from gun ownership have proven
more difficult to capture.” The FBI, which maintains NICS, relies on state and local law enforcement agencies and
courts for most of its records. But in too many cases, adjudications are going unreported or slipping between the
cracks. http://www.metropulse.com/news/2013/feb/06/misfires-tennessees-gun-control-deficiencies-and-a/
###
9