Simplified process to allow felons to regain voting rights fails
NASHVILLE (AP) — Legislation making it easier for felons to restore their voting rights failed in the House on Thursday, but lawmakers supporting the bill hope to revive it next week. They believe one reason the measure did not pass was because many of their colleagues misunderstood the bill, which passed overwhelmingly in the Senate…
Read MoreLobbying ethics legislation not dead yet
NASHVILLE (AP) — Lawmakers say they will try again next week to reach an agreement on legislation that would shed light on how lobbying money is spent. Proponents say a number of ideas still have a chance, although leaders say their best bet may be a watered-down disclosure bill that only requires lobbyists to report…
Read MoreGovernor wants most of new budget money for TennCare
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Phil Bredesen is asking for a modest increase in state spending, part of his plan to spare some of the sickest TennCare enrollees from planned cuts, offer state employees a permanent 2 percent pay raise and bolster other initiatives. The $270 million increase was handed over to lawmakers Wednesday as the…
Read MoreFrist could lose out if senators reach filibuster compromise
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate leaders are consensus-builders, horse traders, specialists in pulling out deals that no one thinks can be done. So why has Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., dug in his heels on winning the confirmation of President Bush’s most controversial judicial nominees? Frist has served as the standard-bearer for the White House…
Read MoreFive Blount County men charged with vandalizing Mexican store
MARYVILLE (AP) — Five young men charged in the vandalism of a Mexican store told Blount County authorities they broke windows and painted Nazi symbols on the building. La Lupita Mexican store was vandalized earlier this month. Jacob Allen Reynolds, 19; Robert Thomas Cushman, 18; Matthew Scott Green, 18; and Thomas Matthew Lovett, 21, were…
Read MoreContractor reaches agreement over funds allegedly paid to senator
NASHVILLE (AP) — The state has reached an agreement with a TennCare contractor suspected of paying consulting fees to a state senator being investigated for his business ties and consulting relationships. Doral Dental paid $1.1 million to a consulting firm linked to Sen. John Ford, and the Memphis Democrat was allegedly paid as much as…
Read MoreBill raises returned check fee to $30
NASHVILLE (AP) — Retailers would only be able to charge up to $30 for a returned check under legislation that overwhelmingly passed the House on Wednesday. Earlier this month, the House passed an amended Senate version of the bill which set up a graduated fee scale. The original bill raised the current charge from $20…
Read MoreDonna Campbell to thank for Hickory Creek Choir
TO THE EDITOR: Congratulations to Mrs. Donna Campbell on her retirement from Hickory Creek Elementary School.Mrs. Campbell has directed the Hickory Creek Choir so ably and professionally for the past several years and has orchestrated some of the most melodic concerts in this county. For what could be more beautiful than the sound of children…
Read MoreHigher taxes, fewer benefits not right Social Security fix
TO THE EDITOR: I am writing in response to a recent guest editorial by Lincoln Davis. His dizzying explanation of how to fix Social Security makes as much sense to me as this partisan liberal having the given name of our great Republican 16th president, Abraham Lincoln.With all due respect, Davis is in his third…
Read MoreFCC orders Internet phone providers to supply reliable 911 service
WASHINGTON (AP) — Internet phone providers were ordered Thursday to begin supplying reliable 911 emergency call service after regulators heard an anguished Florida woman describe how she was unable to summon help to save her dying infant daughter. The Federal Communications Commission gave companies 120 days to certify that their customers will be able to…
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