Voter ID Bill Gets Watered Down

A bill to require proof of citizenship in order to vote was softened in the state legislature Tuesday to become a stern warning on voter application cards.

The Metro Development and Housing Agency is moving to acquire riverfront property for a so-called adventure play park. It’s the first project in a $30 million riverfront redevelopment plan that’s been in the works for at least five years.

Monday night Metro Council members heard from constituents on the plan to shut down the state fairgrounds by year’s end. Some argue the site is profitable and historic. Others call it a nuisance.

A bill that would require a person to prove his citizenship when he registers to vote comes up in a state House of Representatives subcommittee this week.

The state House of Representatives concurred with the Senate Monday night and completed the override of Governor Phil Bredesen’s veto on menu-labeling.

Tennessee hospitals have agreed to tax themselves which would replace proposed cuts to the state’s Medicaid program, TennCare. The board of the Tennessee Hospital Association voted unanimously Monday.

Students at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of Education could receive their master’s degree for free if they commit to teaching in a Metro classroom once they graduate. The program aims to attract middle-school teachers for science, math and reading – areas Metro often struggles to fill.

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.