Rep. Donna Rowland’s Bible Theme Park Update

  by Christian Grantham - January 24th, 2008 - 8:37 am| County Government, Property, State Government | 6 comments

WGNS in Murfreesboro passed this along. The proposed Bible Theme Park in the Blackman community takes another step behind the scenes toward becoming a reality.

Dear Friends:

Many of you have asked in passing for any update on the proposed Bible Theme Park.  I promised to keep you informed as new information was provided to me.

I was recently copied on a letter dated 1/17/08 from TDOT to Mr. Bar-Tur.  The letter acknowledged receipt of the concept drawing providing access to the proposed Bible Park USA.  In the letter, TDOT states that, based on the conceptual drawing, it would be able to permit the construction of a roadway across State Route 840 in the vicinity of Manson Pike.

Should you need additional information on the status of this project, if any information is available, the local planning department or county commission may have be of assistance.

Sincerely,
Donna Rowland
[Bible Theme Park UPDATE - WGNS Radio - 01-24-08]

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.

Georgia prays for rain while Gov. Perdue’s mansion wastes water

  by Christian Grantham - November 13th, 2007 - 4:12 pm| Environment, State Government, Weather | no comments

Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue says he’s doing everything he can to head off the water crisis griping his state. He’s imposed water restrictions on state residents, threatened the Tennessee Valley Authority over watershed management, and is now seeking help from above through prayer.

“It’s time to appeal to Him who can and will make a difference,” Gov. Perdue reportedly told a crowd that gathered today to pray for rain. But according to Atlanta station WSBTV, Gov. Perdue’s mansion here on Earth fails miserably as an example of responsible water use.

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen recently weighed in on GA’s water crisis when elected officials there suggested taking water from Tennessee.

“I would have a real problem … with a wholesale transfer of water out of the Tennessee watershed into Florida,” Bredesen said. “I just think it’s one of the very important natural resources that we have in Tennessee, and (we) should be very, very cautious about allowing it to be degraded in any way,” he said.
[Bredesen opposes sending more water to Georgia, Florida - AP - 11-02-07]

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

Water Wars: Gov. Phil Bredsen responds to Atlanta’s water crisis

  by Christian Grantham - November 2nd, 2007 - 4:02 pm| Awards, Environment, Politics, State Government | 2 comments

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen is wading into a regional, interstate battle over a precious natural resource: water. The governor’s comments follow Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin suggesting one way to solve Atlanta’s water crisis would be to take more from Tennessee.

“I would have a real problem … with a wholesale transfer of water out of the Tennessee watershed into Florida,” Bredesen said. “I just think it’s one of the very important natural resources that we have in Tennessee, and (we) should be very, very cautious about allowing it to be degraded in any way,” he said.
[Bredesen opposes sending more water to Georgia, Florida - AP - 11-02-07]

Here is a look at Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin’s recent water bills, and here is an investigative look at the Georgia Governor’s residential use of water at 391 West Paces Ferry Rd. NW Atlanta, GA 30305.

EXCLUSIVE: State budget for cigarette surveillance program

  by Christian Grantham - November 1st, 2007 - 2:15 pm| Public Safety, State Government, Taxes | one comment

New information from the Tennessee Department of Revenue sheds more light on cigarette surveillance along the state’s border.

According to internal budget information shared with WKRNNewsExtra, the department shows a spending estimate increase for the 2007-08 fiscal year of half a million dollars for its Special Investigations Section. The Fiscal year 2006-2007 budget for this section was $3.2 million.  The state’s cigarette surveillance program along the state border has 10 agents allocated from the Special Investigations Section.

A tax revenue spokesperson attributes the half a million dollar budget increase to the following:

1. Three new positions that will “focus on businesses importing and selling untaxed cigarettes and Master Settlement Agreement violations anticipated by the cigarette tax increase.” 
2. One special agent position that will “conduct tax investigations.”
3. 3% state employee salary increase

UPDATE 5:10p.m. - Drew Johnson, President of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, a libertarian think tank, responds with the following:

In an open records requests, the Department of Revenue told the Tennessee Center for Policy Research that there was no additional cost to taxpayers to enforce this ridiculous cigarette surveillance program. WKRN also reported this. Now they say taxpayers are on the hook for half a million dollars. Which is it?

If they don’t spend money to enforce the scheme, then it’s all a ruse - just a bluff meant to scare Tennesseans from crossing state lines to buy cigarettes.

If they do spend $500,000 to implement the program, then it’s a complete boondoggle. With the state tax on smokes at 62 cents a pack, the Department of Revenue would have to confiscate and tax an impossible 806,452 packs of out-of-state cigarettes to pay for the program.

More on this story:

- 10-24-07 - No charges to date in cigarette surveillance along Tennessee border
- 10-23-07 - State Limits Funds To Catch Cigarette Smugglers
- 09-23-07 - State tax agents to search cars for cigarettes

BREAKING: Pro-war blogger to run for state House

  by Christian Grantham - October 30th, 2007 - 9:24 am| BREAKING, New Media, Politics, State Government | no comments

News 2’s Adam Kleinheider has a breaking story on a potential candidate for retiring state Representative John Hood’s (D-Murfreesboro) seat.

The blogosphere will remember Lance Frizzell as the often combatively pro-war militarily blogger “Lance in Iraq.” Frizzell served in Northern Iraq for years as a 1st LT Medical Platoon Leader in the 278th Regimental Combat Team and maintained the vibrant and often updated blog from Iraq while his National Guard unit was stationed overseas and where he received the Bronze Star for meritorious service.
[Sources: Frizzell To Explore House Run - Volunteer Voters - 10-30-07]

No charges to date in cigarette surveillance along Tennessee border

  by Christian Grantham - October 24th, 2007 - 12:26 pm| EXCLUSIVE, State Government, Taxes | one comment

The Tennessee Department of Revenue tells WKRN News Extra that no one has been charged yet in a cigarette surveillance program along the state border. The department also says its Special Investigations Section has allocated approximately 10 agents to monitor the border for anyone transporting cigarettes from out of state. The effort was announced by the department on Sept. 21.

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research (TCPR) announced yesterday that it had uncovered “evidence showing that the state is bluffing about its cigarette surveillance program.”

“They’re bluffing because they know this program is completely unconstitutional, and if they were actually arresting people it would be overturned,” he said. “So it’s better to scare people into not crossing the border to buy cigarettes instead of actually enforcing the program.”
[No extra spending for state’s increased cigarette enforcement - Tennessean - 10-23-07]

According to the Department of Revenue, anyone possessing more than 20 packs of cigarettes without a Tennessee revenue stamp is a misdemeanor. Cigarettes and any vehicle used to transport them are also subject to seizure. Possession of more than 25 cartons of untaxed cigarettes is a Class E felony.

Department spokesperson Sophie Moery said there is no additional budget for the surveillance program.

“The border surveillance project is a small facet of the cigarette enforcement program that includes year-round enforcement and seizure of counterfeit cigarettes, Master Settlement Agreement violations and unstamped cigarettes from Tennessee retailers,” Moery said.

- 10-23-07 - State Limits Funds To Catch Cigarette Smugglers
- 09-23-07 - State tax agents to search cars for cigarettes

Utility bill hoax dupes Middle Tennessee residents

  by Christian Grantham - October 17th, 2007 - 3:53 pm| Public Safety, State Government | 4 comments

Take a look at this flyer (.PDF) sent to us by a Rutherford County viewer last night.

The Governor has deemed that everyone’s October electric bill will be paid through the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency (if you live in Cannon County). This is Larry Davis’s Office on the third floor of the Cannon Adams Office Building. If you live in Rutherford County you go through the Mid-Cumberland Human Resource Agency. You can also check with your electric company if you live in another county besides Cannon or Rutherford to see where you can get you bill paid or credit on your next bill. This program is available to everyone regardless of inclome and the amount of your residential electric bill.

The Tennessee Department of Human Services called this flyer a hoax.

This rumor has caused people to flood the Mid-Cumberland Community Action Agency in Rutherford County with requests that it pay their utility bill. The Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency, which serves Cannon County, reported similar problems earlier this week.

The program offered at these agencies to help extremely poor citizens pay their heating and cooling bills is called the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Recipients must meet low income guidelines to be eligible for the program.
[utility bill hoax hits middle tennessee counties - TDHS - 10-17-07]

The UCHR offices had to stay open until 9:30 p.m. Monday due to the number of people who showed up.

According the state DHS, low income residents who received air conditioners as part of the governor’s heat assistance program this summer are elgible to receive a one month subsidy from the state to pay their highest electrical bill this summer. DHS says about 7000 people across the state are elgible.

Lawmakers to study death penalty

  by Christian Grantham - October 16th, 2007 - 6:24 am| Crime, Public Safety, State Government | no comments

State lawmakers began a year-long legislative study of the death penalty yesterday. The committee is charged with providing the legislature recommendations on making the process work.

The group is made up of lawmakers, defense attorneys, prosecutors and victims’ rights advocates.

Capitol Hill will spend a year investigating the issues surrounding the death penalty, including fairness, the length of time between sentencing and execution, and the appeal process.
[Lawmakers Begin Committee On Death Penalty - WKRN - 10-15-07]

UPDATE 11:31a.m. - But are you willing to pay for it? Author of Tennessee’s death penalty tells lawmakers if they want the process to work they ought to fund it.

Attorney David Raybin, who wrote Tennessee’s death penalty statute when he was a prosecutor, is urging lawmakers to adequately fund it.

At a meeting of a select committee on the death penalty yesterday, Raybin told legislators that prosecuting capital offenses is a “luxury item” and requires adequate funding for defendants.
[Author of death penalty statute calls for better funding of it - AP - 10-16-07]