Barack Obama pulls TV ads across Tennessee

  by Christian Grantham - January 21st, 2008 - 3:20 pm| BREAKING, Politics | no comments

Volunteer Voters has the scoop.

According to sources, Barack Obama has canceled all his recently purchased television ads for the Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis media markets. The now canceled buy was for one week estimated at $50,000 in the Nashville market and $200,000 statewide.
[SOURCES: Barack Obama Pulls Tennessee Ads - VolunteerVoters - 01-21-08]

Lawmaker misses work for rehab

  by Christian Grantham - January 10th, 2008 - 6:35 am| EXCLUSIVE, Politics, Public Safety | no comments

Rep. Rob Briley took an excused absence from work at the state capitol to finish up a 30 day rehabilitation at a substance abuse treatment facility. Briley checked himself in to the retreat for “struggling alcoholics and addicts” after pleading guilty to DUI in December. Watch the police dash cam of the entire incident.

The program, based upon the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, is minimum of 30 day residential program. The program costs $5,200 payable in advance by check, cash, or credit card. Discovery Place provides a regular aftercare program for both alumni and family.
[A Place Of Discovery: Rob Briley’s Absence Explained - VolunteerVoters - 01-09-08]

More on Discovery Place:

Located on 17 acres of rolling farmland just west of Nashville, Tennessee, Discovery Place was established and opened its doors in June, 1997 as a spiritual retreat for men, a home away from home where struggling alcoholics and addicts find the time and surroundings to begin their discovery of recovery.

Our program is based upon the twelve steps suggested in the book of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is our goal that guests will discover enough about the twelve step program to take a positive interest in ongoing recovery and to carry this interest into active participation in their daily lives.

Programming Change: New Hampshire Primary

  by Christian Grantham - January 8th, 2008 - 8:40 am| Politics, Programming, WKRN | no comments

Tune in tonight for a special look at the New Hampshire Primary live at 7:30pm CT.

Due to the increasing amount of political news on the eve of the New Hampshire Primary, we have scheduled “ABC News Special 2008: The New Hampshire Primary,” tomorrow night (Tuesday, 1/8/08).  The ABC News special will air live in the 8:30 - 9:00 PM ET time period, replacing “Just for Laughs” in the Eastern and Central time zones.  Stations in the Mountain regions may carry the ABC News Special live in local time if they choose. The disposition of this ABC News Special in the Pacific Time Zone will be advised.

UPDATE 6:37 p.m. - ABC has changed the schedule for the program to 8-8:30 p.m.

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]

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.

On the border: Christine Maddela on the Steve Gill Show

  by Christian Grantham - November 15th, 2007 - 6:18 am| Immigration, Politics, Public Safety | no comments

Tune in to the Steve Gill Show this morning at 8:30 ET as News 2’s Christine Maddela talks about her three part special on illegal immigration: On The Border.

Last night you saw part one and met Bob Brown at his home in Burns, TN. Brown is a member of the Texas Minutemen. The Texas Minutemen are comprised of volunteers from all over the country. Twice a year they gather on the border and patrol for illegal immigrants. If they see an illegal border crossing, they call the U.S. Border Patrol.

Tune in to News 2 at 10 tonight for part 2.

UPDATE 11:07a.m. - VolunterVoters has the audio of Maddela on the Steve Gill Show. Watch News2 tonight at 10 for part 2 of Maddela’s report from the border. Part 3 concludes the series on Friday.

WKRN report on Oak Hill City Manager’s criminal past

  by Christian Grantham - November 14th, 2007 - 10:48 am| City Government, Crime, Politics | no comments

(via Volunteer Voters) - WKRN’s Nov. 13 10p.m. story on Oak Hill City Manager Bill Kraus’s criminal past.

• Los Angeles Times Article Reveals Oak Hill City Manager’s Past
• Communications Director Requests A Paint By Number On Oak Hill Story
• The City Of Oak Hill Confirms City Manager Did Not Discuss Past Legal Trouble During Hiring
• Bredesen Administration Denies Involvement In Oak Hill City Manager Controversy

75% of Tennesseans want illegal aliens deported

  by Christian Grantham - November 14th, 2007 - 6:26 am| Immigration, Politics, Race Relations, State Government | no comments

A Rasmussen poll released Monday shows Tennesseans overwhelmingly want tough action taken against illegal aliens. Only 22% believe checking immigration status would lead to discrimination.

Eighty percent (80%) say police officers should check the immigration status of anyone they stop for a traffic violation. Seventy-five percent (75%) say anybody found to be an illegal alien should be deported. Those figures are a few points higher than the national average.

Only 22% believe that an obligation to check immigration status would tend to encourage discrimination based on such characteristics as accent or ethnicity.
[Tennessee 2008 Presidential Election - Rasmussen - 11-12-07]

• News 2 at 5: Tonight, tune in to That’s Messed Up as Andy Cordan looks at how Nashville deals with illegal immigrants on our streets 
• News 2 at 10: Tonight, part 1 of Christine Maddela’s report takes you to the U.S. / Mexico border where one Tennessee man volunteers to patrol for illegal aliens.

Elected officials aim to weaken state Open Meetings law

  by Christian Grantham - November 12th, 2007 - 6:24 am| City Government, County Government, Politics, State Government | one comment

Tennessee’s Sunshine Law provides transparency in government by preventing elected officials from doing the people’s business behind closed doors. But new rules could make it easier for some elected officials to evade the public’s interest and strip the media’s right to access records.

Last month a subcommittee from that group voted 7-2 to make it legal for two or more members of a panel to deliberate in private as long as a quorum of the body is not present. A quorum is the number of members required for a panel to legally conduct business.

Supporters of the proposed change say it’s not meant to circumvent public meetings laws, but instead to let a few members of a public body discuss important issues without having to call a public meeting. Detractors worry the change would allow private dealmaking.
[Proposed open meetings changes could weaken current law - AP - 11-11-07]

More info:

• Tennessee Municipal League
• Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

Marsha Blackburn backs Presidential veto of Wolf Creek Dam fixes

  by Christian Grantham - November 7th, 2007 - 7:30 am| Environment, Politics, Public Safety | 2 comments

The House of Representatives voted to override (361 - 54) President Bush’s veto of a bill that would fund needed fixes to the Wolf Creek Dam and other waterway and infrastructure projects. All of the Tennessee delegation voted in favor of the bill except for Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN 7th).

YES - Davis, David; Tennessee, R-1st
YES - Duncan, John J.; Tennessee, R-2nd
YES - Wamp, Zach; Tennessee, R-3rd
NO  - Blackburn, Marsha; Tennessee, R-7th
YES - Davis, Lincoln; Tennessee, D-4th
YES - Cooper, Jim; Tennessee, D-5th
YES - Gordon, Bart; Tennessee, D-6th
YES - Tanner, John S.; Tennessee, D-8th
YES - Cohen, Steve; Tennessee, D-9th

Earlier this year, the Army Corps of Engineers found “significant potential for failure of Wolf Creek Dam” (view .PDF) with “catastrophic” results including “loss of life.”

Failure of Wolf Creek Dam would be catastrophic. Loss of life is expected to exceed one-hundred lives. Economic losses are estimated in the billions with damages as distant as Nashville, Tennessee expected to exceed $2 billion. A Memorandum for Record with the subject line “Wolf Creek Dam Interim Risk Reduction Measures” was signed on 19 January 2007. This document outlined the decision to lower Lake Cumberland to elevation 680 ft immediately and to hold that elevation for an indefinite period, unless and until the Corps determines that a different pool elevation is more appropriate.
[WOLF CREEK DAM/LAKE CUMBERLAND EMERGENCY MEASURES IN RESPONSE TO SEEPAGE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT - Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District - 10-07 (.PDF - 6MB)]