Feds Want to Turn Tennessee Farmland into Forest

A federal program is trying to convert Tennessee farmland into forest. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed a mix of trees that can still generate some income for farmers while also benefiting the environment.

This week, the CEO of Gibson Guitar will meet with representatives of the Justice Department to discuss recent raids of factories in Nashville and Memphis. A long list of Tennessee’s elected officials has come to Gibson’s side, but not its two senators.

Big banks are beginning to make good on their threat to charge fees for everyday checking accounts. Community banks are hanging on to free checking as long as they can.

The state’s economic development commissioner is back from a trip to Detroit to press General Motors to bring more jobs back to its idled factory at Spring Hill. Meanwhile Governor Bill Haslam says that call is ultimately up not to GM, but to the demands of the market.

The first Nissan truck built in Tennessee. Campaign memorabilia. And video of Governor-elect Lamar Alexander at his emergency swearing-in. It’s all part of an exhibit in the Vanderbilt library that opens to the public Saturday. Sen. Alexander got a preview.

Part of living up to the Music City monicker is making sure music education in Nashville schools is top notch. That’s the message today from city leaders announcing a new plan to expand school music programs to include training that lines up with what happens in places like Music Row.

More than two thirds of Tennessee’s counties have been declared disaster areas this year, which is on top of last year’s flood damage. State officials are waiting for Congress to send them $165 million to pay for recovery efforts. But as of now that emergency funding is caught in a political battle.

Turnout was low for Metro Council’s runoff elections. The Davidson County Election Commission says about 6,200 voters cast ballots in Thursday’s election—that’s about 13 percent of registered voters. Voters decided races in five council districts.

Bela Fleck’s latest project brings his life-long love of the banjo full circle.

Tennessee’s senators are part of a group of about three-dozen calling for big cuts from the so-called “super committee.” That’s the group tasked with finding more than one trillion dollars in federal cuts this fall.