An invasive species of insect that eats through trees has been found in Middle Tennessee for the first time. Federal agriculture officials have confirmed the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer into Smith County, east of Lebanon.
Haslam Open-Ended on Prospects of Meeting With Metro
Governor Bill Haslam says he’ll be watching a meeting between his top education official and the chair of the Metro school board Friday. Earlier this week Haslam said he would withhold $3.4 million Metro was counting on, to punish Nashville’s school board for ignoring a state order.
State’s Rebooted College-Savings Plan Unveiled
Tennessee is rebooting an option for parents looking to save money for their kids’ college. It’s a tax-exempt account to save for tuition, fees, dorm rooms and books – something the state hasn’t offered for the last couple years.
State Stiffs Metro Millions Over Great Hearts Rejection
Metro Schools won’t receive some $3.4 million it was expecting from the state next month. Governor Bill Haslam says it’s punishment after the Metro school board repeatedly voted to break state law. So far, how Metro will handle the funding gap is not clear.
Children’s Services Calls Surge Amid Back-to-School
Tennessee’s Department of Children Services is in the midst of a surge of calls to report concerns over child abuse or neglect. It’s typical for DCS’ call volume to spike each year as students return to school.
Man-made Cave to Offer Bats Haven From Invasive Disease
A new man-made cave near Clarksville is being built to give thousands of bats a safe haven from a devastating infection called white-nose syndrome. The experimental project may house bats’ best hope against the disease.
Global Warming to Stress Tennessee: Vandy, ORNL Experts
By the year 2050 Tennessee will be 3 to 5 degrees hotter on average, according to a new report by experts from Vanderbilt University and Oak Ridge National Lab, and drawing on a raft of government data and academic journals.
Community Colleges Pondering Student Housing
State officials are contemplating how to attract more people to Tennessee’s community colleges. And they say one way might be to start offering on-campus housing.
Immigration Policy Shift Drives Surge In Records Requests
More people who graduated from Metro Schools are asking for papers that prove it. Officials believe the surge in requests for old transcripts is due in part to the recent change in federal immigration policy. Now undocumented immigrants won’t be deported, if they can prove they finished high school here.
Radnor Lake Group Scrutinizing Gas Line Proposal
There’s fresh scrutiny for a proposed gas pipeline through a popular park in a well-to-do south Nashville neighborhood. Piedmont Natural Gas announced the project cutting through the Radnor Lake area earlier this year, and now its plan is open for review.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM