Archives for May 2006

In the past fifteen years, there’s been a tremendous influx of people from different countries to Music City. And while immigrants often stay largely within their own ethnic communities, there’s one place people of all races and religions can be seen commingling – in Nashville’s restaurants. WPLN’s Rebecca Bain reports.

The Tennessee house passed its version of the state’s 26-billion dollar budget last night, with several differences from the senate version passed earlier in the week. The house version gives 34-million dollars in operating funds to higher education to keep tuition increases low, and 10-million dollars for a film industry incentive package. House Buget Sub-Committee […]

A new state-wide anti-littering campaign is targeting teenagers and young adults with billboards and air play on channels such as MTV, BET, and Comedy Central. The Tennessee Department of Transportation says national studies show that 16 to 34-year-olds liter the most. The program is the largest state anti-liter campaign since the 1970s. Shawn Bible of […]

Nine members of the Metro Council watched the Mayor’s annual State of Metro address this morning on cable T-V. They took-in the speech from City Hall and provided their own sausage-biscuit breakfast. Council members were invited – like the general public – to the Mayor’s speech, which was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and […]

The state senate passed Tennessee’s 26-billion dollar budget last night with very little discussion. With nearly 400-million dollars in extra appropriations to the base amount, the budget is one of the richest in years, due in large part to better than expected growth in tax collections. State Finance Commissioner Dave Goetz says the extra money […]

The bill regulating the use of eminent domain is going to the governor for his signature, after the state house passed the legislation today. Concerns over local government’s use of the power to condemn private land for public use, arose after last year’s federal Supreme Court ruling in the Kelo versus New London Case. That […]

Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas says Nashvillians can expect him to speak out more in the coming years. Serpas spoke at a luncheon today hosted by the Tennessee Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Serpas says he has a certain amount of freedom because his job is a “civil-service protected chief’s position”. “I have a boss and […]

The state senate passed the Cover Tennessee bill today–again. 

A ban on smoking in all public buildings, including Legislative Plaza, passed the state senate unanimously today.