nathan t. baker

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill First’s decision to step down has drawn national attention to who will take his spot in Tennessee. Republican Bob Corker will face off against Democrat Harold Ford Jr. in November. Both men won their primary last night. Frist says he’ll begin campaigning for Corker tomorrow. “I will be very, very […]

The Senate is discussing a bill this week that would increase the minimum wage by 2 dollars and 10 cents over the next 3 years. The bill also significantly cuts the estate tax and changes pension law. The House voted mainly along party lines last Friday, advancing the bill in a 230 to 180 vote, […]

Tennessee’s tourism industry grew by $1 billion last year, with all 95 counties seeing an increase in tourism dollars—something that hasn’t happened in 8 years. Speaking in Goodlettsville today, state tourism commissioner Susan Whitaker says the momentum from last year should continue. Witaker says a recent state tourism commercial, featuring Dolly Parton inserted into old […]

According to Metro’s Information Technology Services Department, the number of people using the city’s free, wireless internet access at Centennial Park is rising steadily. Last year Metro Parks and ITS installed Wi-Fi at Centennial because of it’s central location. Last month alone, 500 people logged on. Metro Parks Spokesman Barry McAlister says the increased number […]

After spending a day and a half meeting with credit rating agencies in New York, Governor Phil Bredesen says the state made a good case for raising Tennessee’s bond rating. In 2000, the state lost its triple-A rating, the highest bond rating available, because for three consecutive years, the legislature spent one-time money on recurring […]

More than a hundred union members carried signs and chanted labor slogans as they marched to the local office of the National Labor Relations Board in downtown Nashville today. They delivered a petition calling for public hearings on how the term “supervisor” is defined. Under law, supervisors can not unionize.  Union members say employers are […]

A new report shows that 63 percent of zero tolerance violations in Tennessee schools were drug related for the 2004-2005 school year. A zero tolerance violation can result in a student being expelled, without prior violations or warnings. Most zero tolerance violations took place in 8th, 9th, and 10th grade. Researchers with the Comptroller’s office […]

State officials and local law enforcement say that production of methamphetamine in Tennessee is decreasing, which is turning many addicts to imported meth from super labs in Mexico and the Southwest U.S. Around half as many meth labs were seized in 2005 compared to a year before in Tennessee, partly because of a new law […]

Fines are going up for drivers who fail to give emergency vehicles proper space. Tennessee’s “Move Over” law took effect two years ago. It requires drivers to move over or slow down if they can’t change lanes when approaching an emergency vehicle on the side of the road. Since the law was enacted, a highway […]

A Metro taskforce is searching for ways to close the digital divide in Nashville so more low-income families can afford internet access. Councilman David Briley is on the taskforce. He says one idea is for the city to partner with an internet provider such as Comcast or Bellsouth. The company could offer reduced prices in […]