Governor Addresses Ratings Meetings, Pay Raises

Governor Phil Bredesen is making his annual pilgrimage to New York tomorrow to meet with bond rating agencies like Fitch’s or Standard and Poor’s, which affect the state’s ability to borrow money. Bredesen says he doesn’t expect the rating agencies to move the state up to the top triple-A mark. But he says the record […]

At one of the last forums for the mayoral candidates before next week’s Metro election, the five major contenders were asked detailed questions regarding city finances at a luncheon with the Exchange Club of Nashville today. Metro voters passed a charter amendment last fall that requires any property tax hike to be approved by voters, […]

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A businessman accused of stealing millions of dollars from clients owes money to Middle Tennessee State University. A group of former clients have sued investment banker Robert McLean, claiming he stole a total of more than 15-million dollars from them. Another group is trying to force him into bankruptcy. In the last four years, McLean […]

The Tennessee Department of Labor has already met with some of the 196 Toshiba employees who will be losing their jobs next month. Department Spokeswoman Milissa Reierson says those employees will be eligible for unemployment benefits and help finding another job. “They’ve also qualified for trade adjustment assistance and that program is a federally funded […]

Mayor Bill Purcell signed into law a property tax freeze for Davidson County residents over 65 (today/yesterday). It allows homeowners who make less than 34-thousand dollars a year to freeze their current property tax payment even if their property value or the Metro tax rate increases. Tennessee voters approved the freeze for seniors in 2006. […]

WPLN recorded candidates’ stump speeches last month at Christ Church Cathedral on Broadway. Throughout this week, we’ll be airing excerpts of those addresses, starting today with David Briley. He comes from a political family – his grandfather Beverly Briley was the first mayor for the consolidated Metro Nashville government. His brother Rob is a state representative. David Birley is an attorney, who has served as an at-large councilman since 1999.

Governor Phil Bredesen said last week that he hasn’t personally gotten involved in the negotiations over Tennessee’s expired Medicaid program, but he says he will. The state and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have been fighting over the application of an accounting rule that could cost the state 400-million dollars over three […]

Poor pasture growth, caused by the late-spring freeze and summer drought, have forced local livestock producers to search farther than usual for hay. Tom Womack is the spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. He says neighboring states that usually supply hay to Tennessee like Kentucky and Alabama are experiencing drought as well, so farmers […]

A rally to save the Predators Hockey team drove over 75-hundred people downtown last night. The rally was designed to urge supporters, like Jerry Ellis, to buy more season tickets. Ellis is already a season ticket holder, but says he waited in line buy extra tickets for his son-in-law. “Never watched hockey ‘til five years […]