Precious Metal Theft Committee Recommends Bill

The price of copper has risen to over 3-dollars a pound in recent years as demand has grown, prompting a spate of crimes where copper wiring is stolen from construction sites and even air conditioners. In reaction, state lawmakers recommended a bill today to track who’s buying and selling metals like copper. The bill would […]

Tennessee Republican Lamar Alexander may run for a leadership position with the announcement that Mississippi Senator and Minority Whip Trent Lott is retiring. Alexander lost the race for whip by just one vote last year. The Whip is considered the second highest ranking member of the party’s Senators, followed by the conference chair. Arizona Senator […]

Getting out of jury duty in Tennessee may get more difficult. Now, attorneys, doctors, and those over 65 get out of serving on a jury automatically. But those exemptions, plus other outdated statutes would be eliminated under a new proposal that the Tennessee Judicial Council will hear on Tuesday. Attorney David Haines is the liaison […]

Debate over a controversial rezoning plan for Metro Schools has died down to a quiet murmur. District administrators had proposed zoning students who are now bussed to schools in other parts of town to attend neighborhood schools. The move was partly to save money by closing five small schools and shortening bus rides. Supporters of the plan said it would increase family involvement. Activists and academics called it a re-segregation of Metro Schools. WPLN’s Blake Farmer talked to Nashville’s new mayor Karl Deal about the future of schools without the new student assignment plan.

A handful of Tennessee counties continue to struggle raising matching funds to participate in the Governor’s Books from Birth program. Children under five can enroll to receive a hard-back book each month. More than 50-percent of the eligible kids now participate. The state chips in half the cost, but counties must raise the other half. […]

Mayor Karl Dean has plans to build a community task force over the next few weeks to come up with creative solutions to improve Metro Schools’ 69-percent graduation rate. “And I am hoping that will be a community-wide effort that will come up with some concrete recommendations but will also help us develop more community […]

Metro Council passed a bill on Tuesday night that outlaws aggressive panhandling. It was the bill’s first reading, so it was expected to pass, but now, sponsor Walter Hunt says he’ll defer the bill’s next vote until after the holidays. The measure drew criticism from homeless advocates. Hunt says he’s willing to work with them, […]

Congressman Marsha Blackburn says Democrats in Washington are letting the sales tax deduction expire. It allows residents of seven states with no income tax, including Tennessee, to deduct the amount of sales tax they’ve paid in a year from their federal income tax filings. Blackburn estimates Tennesseans will pay about 200-million more dollars in taxes […]

Airports around the country are adding amenities to make the wait for flight delays or layovers a little more bearable. Nashville International has followed suit with a local twist – recently adding an O’Charley’s, Baja Burrito and Whitt’s Barbeque. Airport CEO Raul [as in ‘Paul’] Regalado says more is coming. “If you’ve been down and […]

A study released today, conducted by Vanderbilt business students, says the commercial real estate market has a 1.5-billion dollar impact in the greater Nashville economy. The Nashville chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties or NAI-OP commissioned the study. It shows a direct impact of nearly 35-thousand jobs. Possibly the most firm […]