Alexander to chair hearing on new nuclear power
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Lamar Alexander, who considers nuclear power a cleaner alternative to burning fossil fuels, said Tuesday he plans to hold a hearing on the future of nuclear power in the United States. The hearing March 4 before his Senate Energy subcommittee will focus on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s $1.8 billion restart of…
Read MoreVeterans’ board riddled with accounting problems: audit
By MATT GOURAS / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE (AP) — The board that oversees the state’s homes for veterans has ongoing accounting problems and loose controls that could result in fraud, a report by state auditors showed Tuesday. The report states many of the deficiencies, first discovered in prior years, have not been corrected. The…
Read MoreLawmakers kill smoking bill: Would have given local governments control
By TOM SHARP / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE (AP) — A hundred youngsters who support letting local government control smoking in public places got a lesson about bucking the interests of special interests on Tuesday when a Senate committee defeated their bill 6-3. “The lobby was just too strong against it,” said Sen. Tim Burchett,…
Read MoreSenate committee approves anti-abortion amendment
By KARIN MILLER / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE (AP) — An effort to restrict abortion rights by amending the Tennessee Constitution unanimously cleared a key Senate committee on Tuesday and could be debated by the full Senate next week. Passage there is likely because senators have approved similar legislation in the past and because an…
Read MoreBill regulating charity raffle operators advances
By AMBER McDOWELL / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE (AP) — Those who would profit from running raffles for Tennessee charities would have to register, pay annual fees and limit their take to 40 percent of the money raised, under legislation that advanced in the General Assembly Tuesday. The measure was approved by committees in both…
Read MoreNOW HEAR THIS: College recruiting needs to change
By Hope Hines / Columnist The University of Colorado was scandalized by football.The University of Colorado had a great fall.All the king’s men, and all the king’s horses couldn’t put CU together again.Believe me, it won’t ever be the same for the University of Colorado, or any other college football program, large or small. I…
Read MoreConservative Advocate: A bad first round for Bush
By William Rusher / Columnist The Democrats have had the media all to themselves for a long time now. (How long has it been — six months? Six years? Or does it just seem like six years?) Month after month, we have been treated to innumerable “debates” among the Democratic presidential wannabes, televised nationwide and…
Read MoreTaking A Stand: My idea of fun doesn’t involve pigs
By Duane Sherrill / Columnist Being this is a newsroom filled with people who tattletale for a living, you’ve got to be careful what you say around here since it’s being duly noted and etched in stone as you say it.This rings doubly true when it comes to offers of public humiliation involving pigs. One…
Read MoreNewspaper employees offer lips in the name of charity
Our Viewpoint It’s been said one of the most important things a person can give is to give of themselves. If that is indeed the case, Standard employees are really going out on a limb by not only offering of themselves – but of their lips.This Friday one lucky, or unlucky might be more appropriate,…
Read MoreHospital’s health fair a great local service
Our Viewpoint When thinking about positive community services, the Heart Health Fair offered over the weekend by River Park Hospital ranks near the top of the charts.Since most people are concerned about their health in general, and heart in particular, the health fair was a perfect fit. And considering the health fair was absolutely free,…
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