MTSU is the latest school to play musical chairs with its athletic league. Athletic Director Chris Massaro says joining Conference USA gives MTSU teams the chance to win more fans and recruit more student athletes. University officials also hope the excitement will help out their $80 million capital campaign.
TSC Likes Having Walmart Nearby
Brentwood-based Tractor Supply Company wants to double its footprint over the next decade. It’s opened more than 60 stores this year, mostly in rural areas. TSC is also trying to piggyback on the success the nation’s largest retail chain.
Metro Schools Makes Its Own Try for Race to the Top
Nashville is up against New York, Seattle, and Dallas in trying to pull down $40 million for its school system. The competition is part of the federal grant program known as Race to the Top.
Tennessee was one of the first recipients of Race to the Top money, in the state competition. Now Metro is trying to get money to work with students one on one.
Band Hopes Betty White Tribute Will Lead to Grammy Nod
The Wannabeatles earned a nomination for best spoken word album,but Betty White walked away with the trophy.
Tennessee Crops Fare Well, Despite Drought
Tennessee farmers will pick nearly 44 million bushels of soybeans this year, that’s about a 9 % increase from 2011. Cotton production is up as well and tobacco farmers are getting the highest prices for their crop in eight years.
Memphis Company Buys BioMimetic
For more than two years, BioMimetic has been working to get the FDA to sign off on Augment. It’s supposed to help the body grow new bone tissue, eliminating the need for bone grafts. The delays have put a financial strain on the company. Earlier this year, it cut a quarter of its staff, leaving about 50 workers.
Kilgore: Refurbishment of Sequoyah Unit Two Ahead of Schedule
TVA is using remote-controlled robots and what it calls the world’s largest crane to lift the top off the reactor’s containment building and replace a set of steam generators. Seqouyah has been operating since 1980. By replacing the generators, TVA hopes federal regulators will renew its license for another 20 years.
Cost Cutting, Lower Commodity Prices Help TVA End 2012 in the Black
Weather played havoc with TVA’s bottom line this year. While customers used record amounts of power during June’s scorching heat wave, it wasn’t enough to make up for a slump during a mild winter.
Lawmakers Set Deadline for TNInvestco Changes
Lawmakers have set a deadline for fixing a taxpayer-funded venture capital program. Auditors found numerous problems with TNInvestco, which gives state money to small businesses, in hopes they’ll become job-creating powerhouses.
Audit Finds Problems at TNInvestco
TNIvestco is supposed to turn small companies into business heavyweights, with the help of taxpayer dollars. But a comptroller’s audit says the program isn’t accounting for the money it’s spent. That makes it difficult to know how many jobs have been created with the state funds.
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