Columbia Sponge Manufacturer Shuts Down

A plant that makes car wash sponges in Columbia will shutdown later this year. The company Mapa Spontex notified the state this week it will lay off 132 employees.

As part of the 101st Airborne’s deployment preparations, officers are training directly with the French and Polish troops who will be under their command in Afghanistan.

Every year, a group called ‘Tennesseans for Fair Taxation’ tries to talk the state into passing a tax system that takes less money from poor people. Last week, the group announced the slate of bills it supports in this legislative session.

By law, the state has to adopt a balanced budget every year. That’s not going to be easy this time around. Tax revenues continue to come in under projections, and there’s no guarantee of more stimulus money from the federal government. Governor Phil Bredesen’s proposed budget includes cuts, but as WPLN’s State Capitol Correspondent Joe White tells Nina Cardona, it also calls for bringing more money in by drawing on the state’s reserve funds and increasing a handful of taxes and fees.

A Republican candidate for governor wants to make defense contractors the next big industry in Tennessee. Chattanooga Congressman Zach Wamp envisions what he calls a “defense corridor” stretching through the state, from Huntsville, Alabama up to Fort Campbell.

Tea Party organizers announced at their Nashville convention today a new political action committee to raise money and back conservative candidates. The Ensuring Liberty PAC will be based in Memphis and plans to target nearby congressional races.

A circuit court judge has ruled that Metro can legally take a five-acre parking lot to build Nashville’s new downtown convention center.

Legislation to cut green house gases is stalled, but there is bi-partisan support for reducing mercury and other harmful emissions. Tennessee Republican Senator Lamar Alexander has introduced a bill to reduce mercury emissions from coal plants by 90 percent. He says it will improve air and water quality throughout the state.

This morning we begin a new series of storytelling focused on the people and places of Middle Tennessee. Upon First Meeting: A Series of Introductions begins with today’s subject: a man who was crushed by a nine hundred pound falling branch. WPLN’s Kevin Bouldin introduces us to Ethan Swiggart, a tree surgeon who possesses the skills of an ax man and the eyes of an artist.

New federal protections for credit card customers go into effect this month. Now a group of small business owners from Tennessee is advocating for similar rules protecting merchants.