‘The biggest burglary in the history of Metro’

  by Christian Grantham - January 11th, 2008 - 11:26 am| City Government, Consumer Alert, County Government, Crime | one comment

The identification of more than 337,000 Davidson County residents was stolen on Christmas Eve, but to date no one in Metro government has been held accountable. Tune in to News 2 at 5 as Andy Cordan unleashes his anger.

And here is the symbolic sand in the eye to me. The break in happened on December 24th. Today, as I write this, it is January 11th.

I visited the Election commision this morning, and that damn window is still not fixed. A big board still marks the break in point, like an X marks a pirate’s treasure. Is there not a piece of glass in the entire city that could have been located by this time, some 18 days and counting.

To me it represents everything that is wrong with this story and the way it has been handled.
[MESSED UP METRO - That Is Messed Up - 01-11-08]

Bell Buckle seeks repeal of brown bagging ordinance

  by Christian Grantham - January 10th, 2008 - 9:45 am| City Government, Consumer Alert, Weirdness | 3 comments

Bell Buckle residents may soon be allowed to bring their own liquor or wine to restaurants that want to allow it. Here are more details on the story we reported this morning.

Bell Buckle’s board passed the first reading of an ordinance that would make “brown bagging” legal again.

“Brown bagging” is the practice of a customer bringing his own bottle of wine or liquor to a restaurant to consume with a meal.

The repeal was introduced by Alderman Mark Felices, who stated that he did not want to “change the character of the town,” but that it was a bad law because there was no way to enforce it.
[Bell Buckle may allow brown-bagging - Shelbyville Times-Gazette - 01-09-08]

“Please help me” - pit bulls viciously attack two women

  by Christian Grantham - December 27th, 2007 - 6:32 am| Animals, City Government, County Government, Crime, EXCLUSIVE, Public Safety | 2 comments

WKRN EXCLUSIVE: Animal control says there will likely be “vicious dog” charges in connection with two pit bulls who attacked 80 year old Miriam Coes and her neighbor Patricia Martin.

“I fell on the ground and when I fell on the ground one dog went behind me and grabbed the back of my coat and I said I’ve got to get up from here because if I don’t get up these dogs are going to kill me. I got down, I grabbed my food and I threw it to the dog and said take this, take this.  So the dog grabbed the food and he ran with the food and the other dog ran behind. That gave me enough time to get to my car and close my door before one of the dogs came back after me again,” Martin said.
[Women Recover From Neighborhood Pit Bull Attack - WKRN - 12-26-07]

Apartment complex sinkhole

  by Christian Grantham - December 7th, 2007 - 10:38 am| City Government, Property, Public Safety, WKRN | one comment

Marty Potter just wants someone to fix it before someone gets hurt. Andy Cordan has the bigger picture tonight on News 2 at 5.

“I’ve called Metro Codes,” he pauses; his eyes search the sky as he counts inside his head. “At least seven or eight times,” the 37 year old tells me. “I finally called the police,” he says. “The officer got down on the edge and shined his mag light down there. He told me to call Codes. Finally someone at Codes told me to call waste water. So I’ve been calling them and nobody has returned my calls.”
[Sinkhole - ThatIsMessedUp - 12-07-07]

Murfreesboro gives key to the city to Watergate burglar

  by Christian Grantham - December 6th, 2007 - 1:52 pm| City Government, Justice, Politics | 2 comments

He was a key figure in “our long national nightmare” serving four years in jail for his role in burglarizing the Democratic Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. Today, Murfreesboro Vice Mayor Chris Bratcher presented the keys to the city to former Nixon operative G. Gordon Liddy.

The G-Man did his nationwide radio show from WGNS on Thursday (12/6/07).  Prior to the coast-to-coast feed, Murfreesboro Vice Mayor Chris Bratcher presented G. Gordon Liddy with the Key To The City.  Mr. Liddy quickly popped-back, “But is this the key to the jail too, in case I get there?” 

G. Gordon Liddy and Radio America’s Jenn Shirley began the broadcast.  Mr. Liddy was certainly well fed while in the Heart of Tennessee.  Our friends at Kirkenburts’ Smokehouse Grill brought their famous smoked wings and other goodies so the G-Man would not get hungry.
[G. Gordon Liddy in Murfreesboro - WGNS - 12-06-07]

Classes cancelled for a football game

  by Christian Grantham - December 6th, 2007 - 11:29 am| Campus, City Government, Education | one comment

Classes for Carroll County’s McKenzie Special School District will be cancelled tomorrow in favor of a high school football game in Murfreesboro.

Football, for a day, takes priority in the school system. It’s also on the verge of taking over the town.
  
The high school’s football team is playing in the TSSAA Class 1A BlueCross Bowl for the state championship in Murfreesboro at 3:30 p.m. It’s the Rebels’ first trip to a football title game and only the school’s second trip to a state championship.

McKenzie (13-1) plays South Pittsburg (14-0), from about 30 miles west of Chattanooga, in Middle Tennessee State University’s Floyd Stadium.
[McKenzie ditches school for football - Jackson Sun - 12-06-07]

Last year, McKenzie High School was listed as a targetted school under No Child Left Behind and failed to meet federal benchmarks for graduation rates. About 46% of the students are listed as “economically disadvantaged.”

NES cut her tree down

  by Christian Grantham - December 3rd, 2007 - 12:51 pm| City Government, Environment, Law, Property, Public Safety | no comments

Nashville Electric Service cut Sandra Brown’s tree down. Tune in to her story tonight on News 2 at 5.

 
“I am a single older woman who has worked all my life to buy that little biddy land with the trees,” she says forcefully, her anger almost papable. “And I don’t appreciate you doing that like I had no rights and no feelings,” she says, the tears welling again, as she clenches her fist and talks to the camera as if it were the president of the Nashville Electric Service. “And it was an old tree to you all but it meant something to me.” She bangs her chest with her clenched fist. She holds it tight against her chest as if to keep her rapidly beating heart from exploding. “That tree enriched my life!  It enriched my grand baby’s life!  It is not right! You need to stop and think before you something like this. There are people on the other end of what you are doing.”
[Who said you could cut my tree? - ThatIsMessedUp - 12-03-07]

Learn more:

• Metro Tree Advisory Committee
• Track NES’s Tree Trimming Crew activity on this map
• list of “powerline approved” trees (.PDF) from the Nashville Tree Foundation
• NES: Power stays on thanks to tree trimming (June 2007)

Oak Hill City Manager voted 10 times despite felony conviction

  by Christian Grantham - November 30th, 2007 - 3:50 pm| BREAKING, City Government, County Government, EXCLUSIVE, Politics | one comment

A Davidson County voter registration form posted on News 2’s VolunteerVoters could put Oak Hill City Manager Bill Kraus in more legal jeopardy.

Kraus, who pled guilty to federal mail fraud in 1987, did not file to restore his voting rights as a convicted felon and has voted 10 times since registering to vote in Davidson County.

Kraus did not answer question #9 on the voter registration form which asks “HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CONVICTED OF A CRIME WHICH IS A FELONY” but signed the document affirming “I have never been convicted of a felony, or I have had my rights restored as required by law.” Kraus told News 2 he did so intentionally.

“I was told both by the court and by lawyers at the time that [the felony conviction] would place no restrictions on my civil or voting rights.”
[Oak Hill City Manager Bill Kraus Left Felony Question Blank On 2003 Voter Registration Form - VolunteerVoters - 11-30-07]

Above Kraus’s signature appears a warning stating: “Giving false information to register to vote or attempting to register when not qualified are felonies punishable by not less than one (1) year nor more than six (6) years’ imprisonment or a fine of $3,000 or both.”

Oak Hill recently retained a law firm to investigate Kraus’s criminal record when it resurfaced on News 2’s political blog. The city has not concluded its investigation.

Letter claiming to be from Animal Control threatens dog owner

  by Christian Grantham - November 30th, 2007 - 6:48 am| Animals, City Government, Crime, EXCLUSIVE, Public Safety | no comments

The letter appeared to be legitimate to Patricia Russell, but the threats made in the unstamped letter left in her mailbox were fake.

Judy Ladebauche of Metro Animal Services said, “We need to get this stopped.  No one has the right to do this.  This is harassment.”

Russell’s dogs are treated very well according to Metro Animal Control officer Billy Biggs who visited the home.

Biggs said, “I don’t see anything wrong with your setup.”
[Fake Letter Threatens, Worries Dog Owner - WKRN - 11-29-07]

LEARN MORE: Animal Control notices are often placed on your door or arrive as metered mail.

LEARN MORE: It is against federal postal rules to leave any items in or on mailboxes or the mailbox support structure including coupons, solicitations from the self-employed, flyers inviting you to church and any unstamped letter. Companies or individuals that violate postal rules are first warned by the Post Master and placed on a warning list, then fined for future incidents. This rule is in place to protect you from people using the opportunity as cover to commit mail fraud or identity theft.

Oak Hill retains attorney to investigate City Manager Bill Kraus

  by Christian Grantham - November 16th, 2007 - 9:02 am| City Government, Crime, Property, Taxes | 2 comments

VolunteerVoters reports the City of Oak Hill has retained legal counsel to investigate the legal impact of City Manager Bill Kraus’s criminal history. Word of the city retaining Mark Peters of Waller, Lansden and Dortch came at last night’s Oak Hill Board of Commissioners meeting.

Questions raised at the meeting included how Kraus’s legal status could affect the city’s insurance, the validity of its city audits, and whether according statute a convicted felon could legally continue to serve as City Manager.
[Oak Hill Board Of Commissioners Declare The Need For Further Study On Fate Of City Manager - VolunteerVoters - 11-15-07]

The city of Oak Hill issued a statement earlier this week stating they were unaware of Kraus’s criminal past as revealed in a 1998 L.A. Times article when they hired him in 2003.

It has come to the CIty’s attention that its City Manager Bill Karus did not discuss certain real estate legal events, which occurred over 20 years ago in California, when he was hired in 2003. At the time of his hiring in 2003 adequate references and credentials were checked and satisfactory responses were obtained. At the time of his hiring Dr. Kraus was already teaching at Austin Peay State University and Vanderbilt University.
[The City Of Oak Hill Confirms City Manager Did Not Discuss Past Legal Trouble During Hiring - VolunteerVoters - 11-12-07]

Oak Hill Mayor Alsup then issued a statement in support of Kraus as city manager.

Dr. William Kraus has made enormous contributions to the City of Oak Hill since he came here in 2003. In that time, thanks to his outstanding management skills and fiduciary responsibility, the City’s financial reserves have increased significantly, the City’s business is conducted more efficiently and professionally, and security measures to protect both privacy and assets have been enhanced. He works tirelessly on behalf of the City, and I have complete confidence in him. 
[The Oak Hill Redemption: Mayor Alsup Reaffirms Support For City Manager - VolunteerVoters - 11-14-07]

Information about Kraus’s criminal history was recently brought to light by News 2’s Adam Kleinheider. Kraus is a vocal opponent to an expansion at the Governor’s Oak Hill residence. The Governor’s office has denied any role in sharing information about Kraus’s criminal record. Tennessee Republican Party Communications Director Bill Hobbs has publicly called for VolunteerVoters to reveal its source.

“How did the info surface? Did you find it on your own or did someone point you to it, and if it is the latter, who?”
Bill Hobbs - November 12th, 2007 at 12:43 pm

UPDATE 9:30a.m. - Channel 5 (WTVF) reports on this story saying the cause of the investigation is an ”undisclosed legal issue involving the city manager.” Kraus’s daughter works as an investigative reporter at WTVF.