WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2011 Democrats’ Jobs Tour Hears Concerns on Regulations, Job Training (TN Report) Democratic legislators launched a statewide “jobs tour” in Memphis on Monday, and they heard a lot of the same topics of concern from businesses that Republicans are hearing — like regulations and job training. And for good measure, there was a firm opinion voiced about Amazon.com. House Democratic Leader Craig Fitzhugh of Ripley and Senate Democratic Leader Jim Kyle of Memphis led a discussion that included representatives from a variety of businesses at a Holiday Inn adjacent to the University of Memphis. The group talked while eating breakfast, and there was a hefty helping of complaints about federal regulations, more so than about state regulations. While Democrats are conducting their own tour, they said they want the effort to create more jobs in the state to be bipartisan. The business leaders, in a gathering of about 20 people, repeatedly asked for state lawmakers to be liaisons to their federal colleagues about the regulatory environment, specifically citing the federal Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.tnreport.com/2011/09/democrats%E2%80%99-jobs-tour-hears- concerns-on-regulations-job-training/ Haslam to appear on NBC education program (Tennessean/Hubbard) Gov. Bill Haslam is appearing Monday on NBC’s Education Nation, hosted by Brian Williams. Haslam is among at least 10 governors who will be in New York next week speaking on national education issues. “He’ll address issues that came up during the past legislative session like tenure reform, charter schools expansion, and he’ll also probably talk about the state’s request for a waiver to No Child Left Behind based on the fact that the state itself is setting high standards,” said governor’s spokesman David Smith. Other governors appearing on the show include those from Wisconsin, where the year was marked with teachers union battles, and fellow Race to the Top grant winners Georgia and Delaware. The program will stream live at 1 p.m. CST Monday on www.EducationNation.com. Haslam will also be part of a Tuesday panel on college access issues. “We focused on governors who were doing significant work in education, and Gov. Haslam is one of those governors,” NBC spokeswoman Meghan Pianta said. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110921/NEWS/309200058/Haslam-appear-NBC-education-program? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News Marathon makes $1M investment in Brownsville (Jackson Sun) Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty on Tuesday joined with local officials in welcoming Marathon Heater, Inc. to Brownsville. The company’s $1 million investment will create 60 jobs during the next three years Marathon Heater is a leading manufacturer of industrial-grade heating elements and temperature sensors, according to a news release from the state. “I’m happy to welcome Marathon Heater, Inc., to Brownsville and to Tennessee,” Haslam said in the release. “Marathon’s decision to locate in Haywood County is an example of the results we continue to see with our Jobs4TN economic development plan, and I appreciate the company’s investment in our state as we work to make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.” http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20110921/NEWS01/110920027/Briefly-Adamsville-woman-killed-crash? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE Power Academy model of success, earns state honor for progress (CA/Locker) Power Center Academy, a Memphis public charter school in the Hickory Hill area, was named the middle school winner Tuesday night in the first SCORE Prizes, a statewide public school competition by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education. The prize recognizes one elementary, one middle and one high school plus a school district that have done the most to improve student achievement in spite of challenges, according to the Tennessee education reform organization founded and chaired by former U.S. senator Bill Frist of Nashville. Each of the three school winners received $10,000 and the school district winner received $25,000. SCORE last month identified three nominees for each award. Power Center Academy was the only West Tennessee nominee among the nine schools and three districts. The Memphis charter school has 191 students and is in its fourth year. It focuses on entrepreneurship, scholarship, humanitarianism and technology. Frist, who named the winners in a ceremony at the historic Ryman Auditorium that also featured Gov. Bill Haslam, said that 85 percent of Power Center Academy's students are economically disadvantaged. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/21/power-academy-model-of-success/ Maryville City Schools wins top state reform award (Knox. News-Sentinel/McCoy) More than 75 Maryville City Schools administrators and classroom teachers were on hand Tuesday when the district won the top prize in the first year of the State Collaborative on Reforming Education's educational reform award. The award recognizes the elementary, middle, high school and district in Tennessee that has the most dramatically improved student achievement despite challenges. Sharon Anglim, spokeswoman for the Maryville City Schools, said the group was excited when their name was called. "It's certainly an honor to be the first district to be recognized," she said. "This is not just for our district, but for all the districts in the state who are doing extraordinary work to make difference in children's lives." Other finalists in the district category were Loudon County Schools and Williamson County Schools. As the winner, Maryville receives a $25,000 prize.Winners in the elementary, middle and high schools categories, which will each receive $10,000, were: Anderson County's Fairview Elementary, Power Center Academy in Memphis and Mount Juliet High School in Wilson County.Maryville City Schools director Stephanie Thompson said they will let classroom teachers decide where the winning money can be used to benefit the most students. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/20/maryville-city-schools-wins-top-state-reform/ Tennessee business climate ranked fourth best in U.S. (Nashville Biz Journal) Tennessee has been ranked as having the country’s fourth-best business climate. Texas took the top spot on Development Counsellors International’s “Winning Strategies in Economic Development Marketing” survey. The survey is conducted every three years. It has tracked trends in economic development since 1996. In the latest survey of 322 corporate executives, 49.4 percent named Texas as having one of the most favorable business climates in the nation. No. 2 North Carolina was named by 27.8 percent, and South Carolina was cited by 14.3 percent. No. 4 Tennessee was cited by 13.5 percent. When asked why they selected various states as being best for business, respondents frequently mentioned low operating costs and a pro-business climate. Those surveyed identified California, New York and Illinois as the states with the least-favorable business climates. http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2011/09/20/tennessee-business-climate-ranked.html Middle TN companies receive solar grants (Tennessean/Gonzalez) The Tennessee Solar Institute on Tuesday announced almost $1.6 million in new solar installation grants for 17 projects proposed by Tennessee businesses. The grants include more than $700,000 for four projects in Davidson County and two in Williamson County. Recipients include the Mallory Station Group, which received funding for four installations, The Bailey Co. and HTI Memorial Hospital Corp. The Tennessee Solar Institute, which administers U.S. Department of Energy funds, has given grants for 144 installations since September 2010. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110921/NEWS21/309210124/Middle-TN-companies-receive-solar-grants? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News Hamblen woman charged with 'doctor shopping' (Knoxville News-Sentinel) A Hamblen County woman has been charged in Hawkins County with TennCare fraud involving "doctor shopping," using TennCare to go to multiple doctors in a short time period to obtain prescriptions for a controlled substance. The state and the Hamblen County Sheriff's Office arrested Melissa Carpenter, 41, of Morristown and charged her with one count of fraudulently using TennCare. An indictment says Carpenter obtained prescriptions for the painkiller oxycodone from multiple physicians within a 30-day period. The physician office visits and prescriptions were paid for by TennCare. If convicted, she could receive a two-year sentence. District Attorney General C. Berkley Bell is prosecuting. Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions. Report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or by logging on to http://www.tn.gov/tnoig and following the prompts to "Report TennCare Fraud." 2 http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/20/hamblen-woman-charged-with-doctor-shopping/ Hamblen Co. woman arrested for 'doctor shopping' in Hawkins Co. (Herald- Courier) A Hamblen County woman is charged in Hawkins County with TennCare fraud involving “doctor shopping,” or using TennCare to go to multiple doctors in a short time period to obtain prescriptions for a controlled substance. The Office of Inspector General (OIG), along with Hamblen County Sheriff’s officers, today announced the arrest of Melissa Carpenter, 41, of Morristown. Carpenter has been charged with one count of fraudulently using TennCare to obtain a controlled